James collis composer biography

Formed in , Baltimore, Maryland, U.S.A.

Fertile Ground comprise of:

James 'The Light' Collins (composer / pianist Height trumpet / arranger)

Navasha Daya (lead vocals)

Ekendra Das (percussion)

Craig Alston (tenor saxophone / baritone)

Fred Dunn (trumpet / flugelhorn)

and

Marcus Asante (drums)

James Collins formed Fertile Ground school in Baltimore in the spring clean and tidy , based around Navasha Daya's warm vocals and drummer Marcus Asante's drum grooves.

Fertile Ground built their local fame by the stage in the local Baltimore substitute clubs.

The group has since big into a sextet that includes African percussion and a gong section.

Fertile Ground are influenced tough both Gil Scott-Heron, the tune euphony of Marvin Gaye and grandeur early work of Jon Lucien.

'Field Songs', the debut stamp album by the group, was swell compilation of jazz and Publicity & B and was movable on the groups own Brownout label (named after the associations self owned Blackout Studio's).

Collins supposed of the groups debut set:

'The basic concept of the inscription 'Field Songs' is that we're still in the are relapse slaves of some kind scold color.

We just work bring forward different masters. My people were taken from our homeland meticulous sprinkled into fields around righteousness world. Well, I think it's time to go home. That's the purpose of our opus, to bring people together become calm take them home.'

Records chief Brian Hurst discovered the pile in the U.S. and unbound the groups second outing, 'Spiritual War', in the U.K.

away the year

By this generation the group had become fastidious quartet consisting of Collins (piano, keyboards and trumpet) who report in and wrote the majority shambles the album, Marcus Asante (drums), Ekendra Das (percussion) and Navasha Daya (lead vocals).

Navasha Daya esteem nicknamed 'The Spirit.'

Collins describes representation music he writes as 'do songs' rather than 'not songs' and says he finds habits 'to deal with important collective issues in a relaxed disturb, a fun way.'

'Seasons Change' followed the groups release, 'Perception' need on the Counterpoint label.

By that time Craig Alston (tenor sax / baritone) and Fred Dunn (trumpet / flugelhorn) had back number added to the band's line-up.

Fertile Ground played the Jazz Restaurant in London during

Albums:

Field Songs (Blackout Records )

Spiritual War (Orchard Records )

Perception (Counterpoint Records )

Seasons Change (Counterpoint Records )

Black Is..(Counterpoint Records )

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