When Forrest McFeeters, Darrelle Kennedy, and Kenneth (Kenny) Harris walked into Jazz Band class at Winston Salem State University in 1987 they never guessed that they would be on the cusp of a 30+-year friendship and musical journey that would go way beyond the jazz they loved to play.
Their time at WSSU not only cultivated a personal friendship and bond, but it was there they discovered their collective love for other genres of music outside of jazz. Forrest, a trumpet player originally from the Bronx, NY, brought with him early Hip Hop, as well as Disco and dance music that was uniquely New York. Kenny, who played trombone at the time, brought with him a love of his dad's favorite groups: Earth, Wind, and Fire, and the great jazz fusion band, Weather Report. Darrelle, who had been carrying a double bass around since middle school, followed the music his older brothers' loved, such as the Doobie Brothers, James Brown, and Jimi Hendrix. They all loved listening to Casey Kasem's Top 40, which gave them the shared influence of pop music. All of these influences melded into a sound that was uniquely them.
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| Forrest, Kenny, and Darrelle aka Art of Progressions Productions or ArtPro (circa 1989) |
Over the years, Art of Progression Productions, or ArtPro, as they were formerly known, composed and produced many songs. One of them, Your Name, even got played on a local Piedmont Triad, NC radio station with tons of positive feedback from listeners. Another got them in the door at Warner Brothers Entertainment which is a story for another post. Unfortunately, they were more often told that their sound didn't fit the contemporary interests, or was too far ahead of its time, or too niche. They still kept making music together. After 30 years of trying to get the industry to acknowledge their talents, the guys of Dynamic Media Services, or DMS for short, decided to take their music career into their own hands and release a 5-song EP called DMS presents Rise of the Next Afro Future Renaissance.
Combining Jazz, R&B, Hip Hop, and Pop, DMS has created a feast for the ears. When I asked the guys to describe their work, they use descriptions such as bold, innovative, and soulful; specifically, Kenny described their sound as jazzy R&B with funky Hip Hop. The title of the EP holds special meaning related to their music. On their website, after outlining the history of musical and cultural renaissances, such as the Early Years of Soul, the Second Hip Hop Renaissance, and the Golden Age of R&B, DMS defines the next Afro Future Renaissance this way, and I am here for it!
The Afro Future Renaissance will include a new appreciation for authentic art, R&B, Soul, Hip Hop, House music and more. Creators, poets, artists, dancers and producers will rally around a new energy. Lovers of funky, live music, will ingest the intelligent heartfelt throb of the groove and once again arise to dominate the culture!! This new Rhythm and Blues will reach back to retain the chocolate grassroots flavor for which it was intended and flow throughout the galaxy. Historians will look back on this era as a time when humanity got back its mojo and improved the human condition. And we will ALL be better for it!
They're definitely not done yet! They are currently working on the score to an original musical production that I will definitely be sharing more about in the upcoming months. Be sure to check out their links above, and come back here for detailed updates, history, and anecdotes The Renaissance is just beginning!.
