Groove Legacy at Williamson County Performing Arts Center

The name says it all – Groove Legacy is a new and exciting band with a sound forged out of love and respect for great American jazz, funk and soul music. A sound that fills the void left in today’s contemporary instrumental music scene. Focusing on original compositions, Groove Legacy deftly pays homage to some of their favorite musical influences such as The Crusaders, Stuff, The Meters and the JB Horns. With a hard-hitting lineup that includes a unique conglomerate of some of Los Angeles’ finest musical talent, Groove Legacy has exploded onto the scene as a truly powerful, exciting and commanding live band. Fronting this seven piece outfit is the classic trombone and tenor saxophone frontline manned by a fantastic one-two punch of Andrew Lippman and Paulie Cerra. Both with incredibly informed and distinct voices on their instruments and firm grasps on the roots of jazz and blues, these two define the Groove Legacy sound. With a truly monstrous rhythm section led by Travis Carlton and Lemar Carter, the band is thrust into musical exploits that fans have been yearning for. A seriously funky, soulful and hard-grooving sound these two conjure. Carlton’s bass lines wreak of legendary lineage and true homage to the masters who came before him and and who had laid down such a huge swath of groove through American music history. Lemar Carter is a wrecking ball of driving force for any band to follow. His sound and style are drenched in the roots of American music and he is utterly nimble, fierce and commanding behind his kit. With absolute mastery of every imaginable feel, Carter teams perfectly with Carlton to provide an overload of deep, searing grooves while at times soulful and poignant. Widely considered one of the world’s finest blues guitarists, Kirk Fletcher has garnered the acclaim of critics, peers and fans alike from across the globe. His monster solo chops and other-worldly funk rhythm guitar are steeped in soul and gospel and his lines are both bluesy and jazz soaked. Taking the bandstand side by side with Fletcher is a remarkable rhythm guitar master named Sam Meek. He is the perfect compliment to Fletcher. Always funky, always soulful and simmering at a slow boil, Meek weaves incredibly tight grooves along with Fletcher through a wide range of grooves, tempos and feels. He and Fletcher are hand and glove. Rounding out this incredible lineup is Fender Rhodes master, Bill Steinway. With his solid command of groove and deep sense of harmony and composition, Steinway routes this band over a kaleidoscope of musical territory. He delivers every song with a lyrical and sophisticated sound and masterful taste. Teaming with Cerra for the yeoman’s share of the compositions, Steinways voice is heard mightily in the songs that serve merely as roadmaps for exploration by these incredible craftsmen. Don’t miss a chance to see this incredible band! The combined effort of these seven men and their years of blood, sweat and tears for the music they truly live leaves an indelible mark on each and every listener. It is a sound that shouts, “MUSIC IS STILL ALIVE!” Groove Legacy is: – Bill Steinway: keyboards – Paulie Cerra: Saxophone – Travis Carlton: bass – Andrew Lippman: trombone – Kirk Fletcher: guitar – Lemar Carter: drums – Sam Meek: guitar Collectively these fantastic musicians have played with a virtual who’s who of jazz, blues, soul and pop music such as Al Green, Stevie Wonder, Ray Charles, Aretha Franklin, Rickie Lee Jones, Eros Ramazzotti, Sara Bareilles, Boz Scaggs, Carrie Underwood, Rod Stewart, The Fabulous Thunderbirds, Natalie Cole, Patti Austin, Sergio Mendes, Jeffrey Osborne, Lenny Kravitz……to name but a few.