Mokijam

Mokijam, a Connecticut-based band quintet has been a working group for 10 years now and is finally coming into its own as a formidable jazz-funk outfit. Melding the influences of Tower of Power, Steely Dan, Stevie Wonder, and many others, this tightly wound unit from New Haven injects a fresh twist into the jazz genre with a hard hitting energetic sound on their latest release, Clean House.Formed by keyboard player-composer Fred DiLeone and saxophonist Marc Esposito, Mokijam’s sound is a combination of sophisticated harmonies and sly chordal voicings topped with catchy hooks. Guitarist Jim McKeenan, a recent recruit, serves up some soaring electrified lines alongside Esposito’s urgent alto and tenor sax work. Grounded by the deep rhythmic hookup between drummer Anthony Bianco and bassist Nick Defala, another recent recruit, Mokijam has a potent formula that neatly straddles the funk-jazz divide.For their 3rd record, Mokijam called on Grammy-Award Winning producer Jack Kriesberg to record them at Showplace Studios in New Jersey. In this ambitious outing, Mokijam’s groove power can be heard in ten instrumentals tinged with dissonant edges, lyrical melodies, and high energy musicianship. “We worked collectively as a group”, says drummer Bianco. “Fred and Jim bring in most of the original material and we build off it from there. We don’t try to overthink this stuff, we just do it and make it ours.” “Spontaneity is key in our music in both composition and performance”, explains DiLeone. “Clean House was recorded live in two days which I feel captures our spontaneous sound.”Mokijam has opened for Kenny Garret, Brian McKnight, Jeff Lorber, Oz featuring Will Lee & Anton Fig, and Tower of Power to name a few. They have played many venues including Toad’s Place, The Palace Theater, Shubert Theater, Bitter End in NYC, and CBGB’s...