Review Text
Aaron Whitby is an award-winning record producer, composer/songwriter, pianist, engineer and educator born and raised in London, England, and a longtime resident of Brooklyn, New York. With Cousin From Another Planet his debut album as frontman, Whitby comes full circle to his jazz and funk roots pulling together an amazing cast of friends to realize his musical vision, as described by renowned music writer Greg Tate, of "a funk-da-fied jam session feel undergirding tight, knotty jazz-smart progressions". With tunes inspired by the animated energy and profound innocence of his young son, humorous lyrics that celebrate empathy and empowerment and musicians given the freedom to take the music wherever it feels good, according to Tate, this album is "one of this era's hardiest re-dedications and festival-tent revival of soulful and exploratory jam-gnocity." Cousin From Another Planet live onstage is a music and visual experience accompanied with video art by VJ Lady Firefly (Dave Chappelle, The Roots) to capture the colorful, cartoonish and movement-inspired worldview. Whitby is best known for his work with longtime collaborator Martha Redbone, the acclaimed Native/African-American songstress with whom he created the music genre 'Native American Soul' and subsequently took poet William Blake to Appalachia. The singles and albums they co-wrote/co-produced include notably; "Home of the Brave", "Skintalk" and "The Garden of Love - Songs of William Blake" have received numerous awards and critical acclaim. Currently the team have created and tour "Bone Hill- The Concert", a devised, multi-disciplinary theatrical concert originally commissioned by Joe's Pub and The Public Theater. Whitby and Redbone are recipients of the NEFA NTP Award and an NPN Creation Fund Award, and are currently developing a new musical commissioned by the Public Theater in NYC supported in part by MAP Fund and Creative Capital.
