NATURALLY 7

Quincy Jones says, “Naturally 7 is poised to take a cappella to the next level.  They’re some of my favorite singers.” He was keen to have them join the lineup at this year’s Bermuda Music Festival, despite their grueling tour schedule around the world.

Music fans internationally have just started to see what Jones has known about this incredible collection of 7 talents.  From quiet success in Europe, they have been propelled onto the world stage, performing before more than a million people.

With their rich harmonies, an unbelievable ability to replicate instruments and a stage presence that can be felt in every seat of the house, Naturally 7, the first Vocal Play group ever, has been amazing and charming fans wherever they perform.

What is the difference between Vocal Play and a cappella? A cappella is defined as singing without instruments. Vocal Play is singing AS instruments, and becoming an instrument with the voice. What makes Naturally 7 special is that every instrument sound you hear is created from the human voice. There are no actual drums, guitars, horns, or flutes.

After a recent performance before some of the world’s most influential leaders in technology, entertainment and design (the TED conference) Daniel Sieberg of CBS News said the following: “Perhaps the most memorable presentation involved Naturally 7, a group of seven musicians who practice something they call “Vocal Play”. It’s hard to describe their act other than saying each of them used their voices in unison to recreate a different musical instrument from drums to brass instruments to guitars. They made beat boxing look like child’s play. Their ‘Wall of Sound’ song, earned them a standing ovation.”

Naturally 7 is comprised of: Roger Thomas (musical director, arranger, 1st Baritone, Rap), Warren Thomas (percussion, guitar, clarinet, 3rd tenor), Rod Eldridge (1st tenor, scratching, trumpet), Jamal Reed (4th Tenor, electric guitar), Dwight Stewart (2nd baritone), Garfield Buckley (2nd Tenor, Harmonica) and “Hops” Hutton (Bass).

As 2009 unfolded, the group hit the ground running. In January, they played to a packed house at London’s Pigalle, which included a number of famous faces – Coldplay’s Chris Martin, legendary musician and producer Brian Eno and Natalie Imbruglia. The next day, by invitation the group joined Coldplay and Eno in the studio – the thrill of which was matched in February 2009 by their most recent UK CD-release through Universal which entered the UK Album Charts in the Top 30!  More recently, they opened for Jay Leno in Las Vegas, were guests on Tavis Smiley, performed at NARM, helped celebrate Quincy Jones’ 75th Birthday in Montreux and greeted a hometown crowd at Madison Square Garden. Following that show, they travelled to London to play the renowned Royal Variety Television show, capping the evening off, by meeting His Royal Highness Prince Charles.

The band has now recorded four albums – Non Fiction,  the aptly titled What Is It which spawned the #1 German hit “Music is the Key”, a duet with German superstar Sarah Connor, Christmas… It’s A Love Story, and Ready II Fly. The latter contains the radio and YouTube hit “Feel It (In the Air Tonight”). Naturally 7’s now famous Paris subway performance of the song has received over five million hits on You Tube with the number of people discovering the group adding to that figure daily.  In 2010, they will release their 5th recording, Wall of Sound.