"Always excited to get in the studio and collab on music with these guys because musically they are on the same page I'm on "Funk" wise, so we always come up with some of the dopest joints together.  Also their shows are crazy too, they probably have the biggest following in Detroit." BLACK MILK

"Will Sessions is holding it DOWN for Detroit right now. They're in a league of their own. Nobody else comes close." MAYER HAWTHORNE

“2010 Band of the year” REAL DETROIT

“There’s no doubt that Will Sessions is the coolest thing in the Motor City at the moment.”
 METRO TIMES DETROIT

Coming from a city that has created some of the greatest Jazz musicians of all time from Elvin Jones and Yusef Latiff to Rodney Whitaker and Karrem Riggins it’s no surprise to hear that right now one of the hottest bands in the Motor City is a Jazz band breaking boundaries and blurring the lines between Jazz, Funk, Afro-beat and Hip Hop on all levels. This collective of young musicians is proving that Jazz in all its forms can still pull in big, enthusiastic and young crowds.  They are one of the most in demand bands in the city. Thankfully in their hands Jazz is very much a contemporary thing with vibrancy rarely heard today. After an under the radar debut album and a series of James Brown like funk 7”s this brave upcoming band are getting set to release their most accomlished release to date – a six track record dedicated to their Jazz forefathers. Kindred (Few Records – September 2010) sees the Will Sessions band paying tribute to John Coltrane, Sun Ra, Miles Davis and of course the most important Jazz collective in Detroit Tribe. In fact, Tribe’s co-founder saxophonist / reedist Wendell Harrison even appears as a guest on the EPs title track. The record also features guest Jeremy Elis aka Aryo (Ubiquity Records).

Originally formed in a Detroit basement in 2007 as a solo project, WILL SESSIONS has quickly evolved into a solid core of musician’s adept at shifting effortlessly between rare funk, hip hop, jazz-fusion and soul music. On a typical night you can catch the band on their principal instruments delivering funk as fiery as any rare 45 and in the next set see them manning an array of synthesizers and samplers, playing note for note versions of hip hop bangers totally live.

The ensemble is led by its founder, trumpeter Sam Beaubien, who not only handles keyboard duties, but is also the principal writer, producer and arranger.  The sound is driven by the propulsive rhythmic core of energetic drummer Bryan Arnold, the dynamic bass playing of Tim Shellabarger and the tone-full approach of guitarist Ryan Gimpert.  Will Sessions lineup is rounded out by Eric Kacir (percussion), Justin Jozwiak (sax/flute), Matt Martinez (trombone), and Tom Parks (trumpet).

Not long after coming together and releasing their debut album, Many Faces, on the Detroit independent label Few Records, the band settled in as house band at Detroit’s now-legendary Motor City Funk Night (voted the country’s best party in 2009 by New York’s Paper Magazine) where they regularly kept the wildly expanding crowd dancing into the morning. Soon came a series of stunning live collaborations with heavy hitting performers such as Guilty Simpson, Black Milk, Mayer Hawthorne, Slum Village, Monica Blaire, Phat Kat, Rickey Calloway and Billy Love.

The band credits its solid schooling (nearly 2/3rds of the band hail from Wayne State University's jazz program), a strong work ethic, and a diverse array of well-absorbed influences as the key to their rapid growth and rising success. Because of their musical flexibility, stellar musicianship, exciting live shows, and knack at making collaborating artists sound their best, Will Sessions has established a reputation as one of the hottest bands in Detroit, effectively bringing musical styles and people together, but compromising little. The band will be continuing to stay busy on stage, recently performing a special tribute to Fela Kuti and a special pre-release event for Kindred with special guest Amp Fiddler joining them onstage.

Tracklisting:
01: Kindred
02: Seven Miles
03: Polyester People
04: Omniverse
05: Redirections
06: Phre



Watch Will Sessions Video: Live with Guilty Simpson - at Stones Throw Website - click here

An MP3 is available for Website and Blog posting
Polyester People by Will Sessions