The Bass Mint Bros.

Official Bio (courtesy of the Bass Mint Bros.)  

What do you get if you take a jazz organ trio; solid, old school jazzy-funky-soul musicianship; and some music software? An album called Sketches of a Neighborhood by The Bass Mint Bros, which many a listener swears are samples. In the tradition of Jimmy Smith, Herbie Hancock, and Booker T & The M.G.s comes and ambient musical journey, depicting a Saturday in the life of an underground musician; from "Awakened by a Noon Day Sun" to the Sunday morning sunrise of "Valley Park Groove."

The Bass Mint Bros core membership consists of Yusef Bey on drums, percussion, keyboards, and electronic percussion; Barry Hughes on Bass (upright and electric) and guitar; and Mwalim on Hammond Organ, piano, and keyboards. All three have logged considerable time in the studio and on tour as session and backing musicians for a myriad of acts as well as their own projects, notably Mwalim's 200 release of "Thief in the Night" and the 2001 E.P. "Jazzy-Soul Club Grooves."

As Bey explains, "We all grew up together in the Bronx , playing and recording music together. First using tape decks... then to 4-track machines... then to full studios. We discovered a lot of interesting ways to mic and record instruments" In the production of The Bass Mint Bros album, Mwalim reached back into the bag of tricks from the home demo days to create a warm, ambient sound that will win over jazz, dance music and ambient hip-hop enthusiasts alike.

Sketches of a Neighborhood is due for release in early May of 2008.