Tea is all about groove and atmosphere,
a mix of dreams and travels,
a multi-cultural crossroad.
Tea is distributed by Six Degrees Records.
Tea’s newest release is “Ibiza Redoux”, a single featuring “The Godfather of Acid Jazz”, famed organist/pianist Brian Auger.
It follows the single release of “Chance Meetings”, a track from Tea’s upcoming EP.
The previous five-song EP “Willows” is a mix of chill, lounge and jazz. “Willows” includes the legendary Neil Larsen on organ and piano.
Another recent single, “Lisapo (Remix)”, features Congolese vocalist ILO, Cameroonian bassist André Manga (Manu Dibango, Angélique Kidjo) and Nigerian percussionist Remi Kabaka (Paul Simon's “Rhythm of the Saints”, multiple Rolling Stones’ live performances, and the only African musician on Paul McCartney’s “Band on the Run” album, heard on “Bluebird”).
“Lisapo” means “fable” in local Congolese pygmy dialect.
Tea's single “Guerrab”, features Moroccan singer Nisrine Andalous in Lyon, France.
Tea is enjoying the opportunity to record with Grammy-nominated keyboardist Neil Larsen. His major sessions and associations include George Harrison, Gregg Allman, Miles Davis, Leonard Cohen, B.B. King, Rickie Lee Jones, Al Jarreau, Elvis Costello and many (many) others.
Tea’s new music includes Larsen on organ, piano and Minimoog, in addition to trumpet, flugelhorn and sax. And piccolo.
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Tea’s third release “Grand Cru” is an electro-pop album with many influences, jazz, lounge and soul, and includes legendary keyboardist and “the godfather of Acid Jazz,” special guest Brian Auger. After producing Auger’s solo album “Language of the Heart”, Tea continued the collaboration.
The 11-song release features Sabrina Williams, a soul singer and poet in Los Angeles and Inès Murer, an Austrian-Belgian singer/songwriter living in France.
Tea’s second album is “Dreams.” Their first release is “Voyages du Jour.”
Personnel on “Dreams” include Brian Auger (Steampacket, Brian Auger’s Trinity, Oblivion Express) playing Hammond B3 and Fender-Rhodes. Nigeria’s Remi Kabaka is featured on talking drum and percussion. Bassists André Manga and Bobby Tsukamoto (Neil Larsen, Michael Landau) are also included, as well as Cameroonian EMI studio guitarist Louis Wasson, saxophonists Randall Willis (Gerald Wilson, B Sharp Quartet) and Bobby English (Lou Rawls, the Spinners), as well as Frederic Meschin on trumpet, and Chris Darrow (Kaleidoscope, James Taylor) on slide guitar.
Tea produced and collaborated with unique vocalists on “Voyages du Jour”: Congolese vocalists Steve “Ikhaman” Ngondo (previously with Tabu Ley Rochereau) and Ilongomo “ILO” Ememe; Marcel Adjibi, vocalist and percussionist from Benin (Manu Dibango, John Densmore); Amadou Sabali from Senegal and American multi-lingual vocalists Chana (Tambu International Ensemble) and Suyen Mosely.
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Guitarist Franck Balloffet, from Lyon, France, and Southern California drummer/keyboardist Phil Bunch first met as members of Los Angeles’ premier African band, Bateke Beat, featuring multi-instrumentalist Fidel Bateke, formerly of Fela Kuti’s ensemble from Nigeria. The group was the house band at the legendary L.A. club Flaming Colossus, as well as Malibu’s Adobe.
In the early ‘90s F&P departed Bateke Beat to lead the soul-afrobeat Orchestra Shegemo and Savwa, which included saxophonist Ravi Coltrane and vocalist Sharlotte Gibson, for years a singer with Mariah Carey, Whitney Houston and Chaka Khan. They emerged as the house band at infamous L.A. venues Po Na Na Souk and Bokaos.