Member Since: 10/08/2005
Band Website: www.leanasong.com
Band Members: Brian Nadav, Gina Ferrera, Frosty Spiker, Cito Ayende, Eric Mosca, Shawn Hennessey, Eric Hickey, Joshua Winer, Elliot Levin, Jason Fraticelli, Brian Marsella, Wesley Rast, Yuval Miller, Okomfo Adwoa Tacheampong, Larry Toft, Patrick Hughes.
Influences: Leana Song is inspired by traditional Ghanaian drum and song, alongside tradional Afro-Cuban Drum and Song, expressed through American folk and jazz mediums. I was first attracted to Lucumà songs at various Afro-Cuban dance classes in Boston in 2000. Having been a songwriter for many years, I became interested in the song structure, the melodic movement, and the deceptive cadence of orisha song. As time passed and I became more familiar with the batá drumming, I began to see how the songs “dressed†the drumming. I began to hear music differently and, in fact, I began to hear this music everywhere. The melodies on this record have been sung by millions of people over generations, across oceans, under brutal conditions. They have survived in the hearts and minds of the international Yoruba community, but most importantly they lasted because they were sounded. These songs were born of mankind, and as they developed they slowly connected and changed, just like any living thing. They are on a path, a path that has led you, and we are connected.
Sounds Like:The band sounds like the contemporary works of Miguel "ANGA" Diaz and Grupo Ilu Ana
Type of Label: Major