PORTER BATISTE STOLTZ
''EXPANDING THE FUNKIN UNIVERSE''
JANUARY 5 2007
70:08
1. Bring The Flood /7:40
2. All We Wanna Do /5:10
3. Take A Chance /5:10
4. Doom Doom /5:13
5. It's Me /5:07
6. Seraphina Lives /4:41
7. I Believe /3:35
8. Wah Wah Me /7:17
9. Sugar For Me /3:39
10. Waiting For Wings /5:19
11. It Ain't Funny /4:26
12. Comin' At Ya /5:12
13. OUW /7:40
GEORGE PORTER JR.
Few bass players in the history of modern New Orleans music are as storied as George Porter Jr. During the course of a career spanning four decades, Porter has not only made a deep impression with his work in the Meters, but he’s notched sessions with artists as diverse as Paul McCartney, Jimmy Buffett, David Byrne, Patti LaBelle, Robbie Robertson and Tori Amos. Early in his career, Porter worked with seminal New Orleans artists like Allen Toussaint, Earl King, Lee Dorsey, and Johnny Adams. Back in 1965, Porter joined on with the Meters, considered by many to be the ultimate fusion of rock, funk and R&B, and gained recognition as one of the scene’s elite bass players.
Porter’s rhythmic work in the Meters in lockstep with drummer Zigaboo Modeliste was epic. Those pockets, the long notes and fat holes, provided the cushion for Leo Nocentelli or Art Neville to play or sing over and created some of R&B history’s most memorable grooves.
Today, Porter features that epic bottom end in his latest collection of Porter Batiste Stoltz tunes. “It’s the ultimate jam band,” Porter says, “one that actually is more musical than just playing everything you know in every song. This band slaps people in the face until they see how good the stuff is!”
RUSSELL BATISTE JR.
As a member of one of N’awlins legendary musical families, Russell Batiste Jr. knows his way around a sound stage. He’s played multiple instruments, and has been at the drum kit since the age of four. Even before that, Russell recalls watching his daddy, David Batiste (of the city’s seminal funk band David Batiste and the Gladiators), jam with an endless array of the city’s most talented musicians. That band hosted a virtual “Who’s Who” of ’60s musicians. One of Russell’s earliest memories is sitting on Jackie Wilson’s knee listening to him sing “Lonely Teardrops”!
Russell joined the Funky Meters in 1989 and, like Porter, has played with a wide variety of performers, including Harry Connick Jr., Champion Jack DuPree, Robbie Robertson, and Maceo Parker. An industrious artist and creator, the busy Batiste also manages to put time into his own projects, too, like Orkestra from da Hood, who released their debut The Clinic a few years back. “I believe music is in you naturally and you just have to tap into it,” he says. “It’s got to be an emotional thing. When we play together in Porter Batiste Stoltz, what we do touches all three of us emotionally. That’s music to me.”
BRIAN STOLTZ
Brian Stoltz’s playing is a perfect fusion of virtuosity, emotion, and instinct, and the combination has helped him to develop a reputation as one of New Orleans’ most sought after guitar players. Stoltz originally made a name for himself with the Neville Brothers, then later the Funky Meters with Batiste and Porter. He’s done session work with some of music’s best, including Bob Dylan, Paul Simon, Daniel Lanois, Dr. John, Edie Brickell, and Linda Ronstadt.
But in addition to his instrumental work, Stoltz has also worked as a singer-songwriter. With the release of his two solo discs, East of Rampart Street and God, Guns & Money—both efforts in the rock and pop vein—Stoltz has added skills as a songwriter, lyricist and melodicist to his repertoire. He even received a Grammy nomination in the Traditional Blues category for a track he contributed to a Mississippi Fred McDowell tribute in 2004. “For a long time I had been stereotyped as a funk guitarist,” he says, “But I’ve always been about songs as opposed to groove or guitar.”
For Stoltz, PBS is a breathtaking departure from the Funky Meters’ routine. Despite its legacy, that band refrained from creating much original material. Porter Batiste Stoltz is diametrically opposite to that; it’s a wellspring of spontaneous creativity, a canvas upon which all three of its very talented members can dabble with color. And often those colors combine to create gorgeous pictures.
“When we play together, there’s one mind at work,” says Stoltz. “It’s scary sometimes. In the middle of battle, we can be doing some fierce jamming, and George and I will go to the wrong chord together. How does that happen? It only happens when you’re of one mind.”
BIOGRAPHY
by William Ruhlmann
Porter Batiste Stoltz are something of a New Orleans supergroup, consisting of three veteran musicians who worked as sidemen for decades before coming together in the trio. Bass player George Porter, Jr., joined the Meters in 1965. Over the years, he played on recording sessions with local performers such as Allen Toussaint, Earl King, Lee Dorsey, and Johnny Adams as well as such national and international acts as Paul McCartney, Jimmy Buffett, David Byrne, Patti LaBelle, Robbie Robertson, and Tori Amos. Drummer Russell Batiste, Jr., the son of New Orleans musician David Batiste, began playing drums at age four. His sessions include work with Robertson, Harry Connick, Jr., Champion Jack Dupree, and Maceo Parker. In 1989, he joined Porter in the Funky Meters, the successor to the Meters. His band Orkestra from da Hood released the album The Clinic. Guitarist Brian Stoltz was a member of the Neville Brothers and has done sessions with Bob Dylan, Paul Simon, Daniel Lanois, Dr. John, Edie Brickell, and Linda Ronstadt. As a solo artist, he has worked as a singer/songwriter, releasing the albums East of Rampart Street and God, Guns & Money. He joined Porter and Batiste in the Funky Meters. When Art Neville, another member of the Funky Meters, left the group to rejoin the Neville Brothers, Porter, Batiste, and Stoltz determined to strike out on their own. The initial result was the debut Porter Batiste Stoltz album Expanding the Funkin' Universe, released in 2005. On November 2, 2007, at the Club Metronome in Burlington, VT, they recorded their second album, MOODOO, with former Phish keyboard player Page McConnell sitting in. The album was released September 30, 2008.
''EXPANDING THE FUNKIN UNIVERSE''
JANUARY 5 2007
70:08
1. Bring The Flood /7:40
2. All We Wanna Do /5:10
3. Take A Chance /5:10
4. Doom Doom /5:13
5. It's Me /5:07
6. Seraphina Lives /4:41
7. I Believe /3:35
8. Wah Wah Me /7:17
9. Sugar For Me /3:39
10. Waiting For Wings /5:19
11. It Ain't Funny /4:26
12. Comin' At Ya /5:12
13. OUW /7:40
GEORGE PORTER JR.
Few bass players in the history of modern New Orleans music are as storied as George Porter Jr. During the course of a career spanning four decades, Porter has not only made a deep impression with his work in the Meters, but he’s notched sessions with artists as diverse as Paul McCartney, Jimmy Buffett, David Byrne, Patti LaBelle, Robbie Robertson and Tori Amos. Early in his career, Porter worked with seminal New Orleans artists like Allen Toussaint, Earl King, Lee Dorsey, and Johnny Adams. Back in 1965, Porter joined on with the Meters, considered by many to be the ultimate fusion of rock, funk and R&B, and gained recognition as one of the scene’s elite bass players.
Porter’s rhythmic work in the Meters in lockstep with drummer Zigaboo Modeliste was epic. Those pockets, the long notes and fat holes, provided the cushion for Leo Nocentelli or Art Neville to play or sing over and created some of R&B history’s most memorable grooves.
Today, Porter features that epic bottom end in his latest collection of Porter Batiste Stoltz tunes. “It’s the ultimate jam band,” Porter says, “one that actually is more musical than just playing everything you know in every song. This band slaps people in the face until they see how good the stuff is!”
RUSSELL BATISTE JR.
As a member of one of N’awlins legendary musical families, Russell Batiste Jr. knows his way around a sound stage. He’s played multiple instruments, and has been at the drum kit since the age of four. Even before that, Russell recalls watching his daddy, David Batiste (of the city’s seminal funk band David Batiste and the Gladiators), jam with an endless array of the city’s most talented musicians. That band hosted a virtual “Who’s Who” of ’60s musicians. One of Russell’s earliest memories is sitting on Jackie Wilson’s knee listening to him sing “Lonely Teardrops”!
Russell joined the Funky Meters in 1989 and, like Porter, has played with a wide variety of performers, including Harry Connick Jr., Champion Jack DuPree, Robbie Robertson, and Maceo Parker. An industrious artist and creator, the busy Batiste also manages to put time into his own projects, too, like Orkestra from da Hood, who released their debut The Clinic a few years back. “I believe music is in you naturally and you just have to tap into it,” he says. “It’s got to be an emotional thing. When we play together in Porter Batiste Stoltz, what we do touches all three of us emotionally. That’s music to me.”
BRIAN STOLTZ
Brian Stoltz’s playing is a perfect fusion of virtuosity, emotion, and instinct, and the combination has helped him to develop a reputation as one of New Orleans’ most sought after guitar players. Stoltz originally made a name for himself with the Neville Brothers, then later the Funky Meters with Batiste and Porter. He’s done session work with some of music’s best, including Bob Dylan, Paul Simon, Daniel Lanois, Dr. John, Edie Brickell, and Linda Ronstadt.
But in addition to his instrumental work, Stoltz has also worked as a singer-songwriter. With the release of his two solo discs, East of Rampart Street and God, Guns & Money—both efforts in the rock and pop vein—Stoltz has added skills as a songwriter, lyricist and melodicist to his repertoire. He even received a Grammy nomination in the Traditional Blues category for a track he contributed to a Mississippi Fred McDowell tribute in 2004. “For a long time I had been stereotyped as a funk guitarist,” he says, “But I’ve always been about songs as opposed to groove or guitar.”
For Stoltz, PBS is a breathtaking departure from the Funky Meters’ routine. Despite its legacy, that band refrained from creating much original material. Porter Batiste Stoltz is diametrically opposite to that; it’s a wellspring of spontaneous creativity, a canvas upon which all three of its very talented members can dabble with color. And often those colors combine to create gorgeous pictures.
“When we play together, there’s one mind at work,” says Stoltz. “It’s scary sometimes. In the middle of battle, we can be doing some fierce jamming, and George and I will go to the wrong chord together. How does that happen? It only happens when you’re of one mind.”
BIOGRAPHY
by William Ruhlmann
Porter Batiste Stoltz are something of a New Orleans supergroup, consisting of three veteran musicians who worked as sidemen for decades before coming together in the trio. Bass player George Porter, Jr., joined the Meters in 1965. Over the years, he played on recording sessions with local performers such as Allen Toussaint, Earl King, Lee Dorsey, and Johnny Adams as well as such national and international acts as Paul McCartney, Jimmy Buffett, David Byrne, Patti LaBelle, Robbie Robertson, and Tori Amos. Drummer Russell Batiste, Jr., the son of New Orleans musician David Batiste, began playing drums at age four. His sessions include work with Robertson, Harry Connick, Jr., Champion Jack Dupree, and Maceo Parker. In 1989, he joined Porter in the Funky Meters, the successor to the Meters. His band Orkestra from da Hood released the album The Clinic. Guitarist Brian Stoltz was a member of the Neville Brothers and has done sessions with Bob Dylan, Paul Simon, Daniel Lanois, Dr. John, Edie Brickell, and Linda Ronstadt. As a solo artist, he has worked as a singer/songwriter, releasing the albums East of Rampart Street and God, Guns & Money. He joined Porter and Batiste in the Funky Meters. When Art Neville, another member of the Funky Meters, left the group to rejoin the Neville Brothers, Porter, Batiste, and Stoltz determined to strike out on their own. The initial result was the debut Porter Batiste Stoltz album Expanding the Funkin' Universe, released in 2005. On November 2, 2007, at the Club Metronome in Burlington, VT, they recorded their second album, MOODOO, with former Phish keyboard player Page McConnell sitting in. The album was released September 30, 2008.
