Fumosonic
Los Angeles, California, United States | Established. Jan 01, 2000 | INDIE | AFM
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Discovering Fumosonic
The band Fumosonic is the first that really grabbed my attention. They blend percussion from India with American pop and jazz to produce a sound I have really never heard. That is rare and what I am always waiting for. The featured performers are John Fumo on trumpet and his wife Kelly Fumo on vocals. Its amazing how they combine distorted electric guitar, trumpet and tabla and come up with a very catchy and engaging sound that could be played right along some of the pop tracks on Madonna’s Ray of Light CD (which I love).
Since the point of this blog is to find totally free songs to download and burn I contacted John and asked if we could have permission to allow my favorite song “I Have the Perfect Kind of Love” here for download, and he said to go right ahead. This is an incredible jam that is unpredictable and inviting during every moment. - Danosongs.com
Fumosonic creates an atmospheric blend of pop, acid jazz, electronica, and other styles. Provocative vocal work from Kelly Fumo is augmented by the delectable jazz trumpet work of John Fumo and the right touches of loops, keys and guitar. The music has a sultry pulse in a semi-laid back environment that helps you experience the musical and songwriting talents. - Music Morsels
Producers/musicians John and Kelly Fumo compose music that relies heavily on Hip Hop grooves embellished with Jazz trumpet solos and lyrics that are thought provoking and sensual. - Trade Bit
Reviewer: DJ Crush
I heard the FUMO track "A Different Place and Time" on a CD Baby jazz compilation. The sound grabbed me immediately, a mellow head bob type of sound. This track grooves and now my interest is heightened a few scores. Good luck to FUMO, I'll spread the word! DJ Come of Age - CDbaby
Love Is Everythimg
Somewhere among jazz, pop and Bollywood is the genre defying music of the duo Fumosonic. Husband and wife team of John Fumo and wife Kelly combine their talents as a trumpeter and vocalist respectively to create their own musical niche in the world. Their new album Everything is Love definitely has groove written all over it, but the different textures and eclectic compositions make the album interesting to me.
John and Kelly met when they were both in the same band, fell in love and began writing songs. John is the jazz enthusiast in the group while Kelly is the contemporary fan. Their diverse paths converge into music that is energizing and contemporary.
All That There Is is a sexy invitation to the pleasures found in a torrid romance. Kelly's voice sounds alluring and John's trumpet is jazzy with counterpoint. Very good bass and percussion on this one. There is some great backup throughout the album with a large cast of musical characters and some good background vocals as well.
Love is Everything is a reference to the album's title and one of the best tracks on the CD. The song has a sultry French speaking voice and echoing background vocals. John plays a muted trumpet that resonates in the cut giving it a sense of mystery. Kelly's baby voice is overshadowed by a strange howling sound that adds darkness to the light of love.
Home of the Garwhal Kingdom, Denhra Dun is a city in the northern part of India noted for its ancient ties to religion and its modern ties to education. Denhra Dun is the name of a song that John and Kelly play and it is full if bright lights and pulsating energy. It has sort of a "Low Rider" kind of feel with that prominent bass, punchy percussion and the shrill sound of the trumpet. Yes, there is all that energy.
Siddhartha is a cut that is different from any other and for this it is my favorite. It is the only instrumental track on the album. It has a Middle Eastern theme with simple trumpet, duduk and bass that turns into perhaps a jazz ballad and comes back full circle into the Middle Eastern tune. Over all, the music is hauntingly beautiful with a lot of unexpected twists and turns. Frankly, I wanted to hear more like it.
If you like a mixed bag of jazz and contemporary with just a tinge ethnicity performed by some very talented musicians, then Love Is Everything will suit you just fine. What I liked most about the album is its variety. You probably will too.
Rating: Good + - RJ Lannan
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Seldom do liner notes describe an album's music as well as these do (penned by jazz book author Scott Yanow): "Their music, which is beyond any simple classification, mixes together aspects from jazz, fusion, R&B, funk and pop along with the influence of various types of World Music to create a music that is very new." That sums up Love Is Everything, from duo Fumosonic (Kelly Fumo on vocals and samples and her husband John on trumpet, flugelhorn and keys) quite well, thank you. This is serious Sunbeam Mixmaster music, i.e. put the disparate parts in a blender and hit "PUREE." The result is never less than intriguing and frequently the music invites toe-tapping, head-nodding and maybe even movement of the nether regions in time to the funky, sensual rhythms, intoxicating melodies and Kelly Fumo's sexy voice.
There are way too many accompanists to list them all, and I don’t want any of them to feel left out, but I do want to mention Brad Dutz on tabla and udu (among other percussion) and duduk player Chris Bleth, both of whom impressed me.
Love Is Everything's ten tracks are amalgams of the aforementioned genres with an emphasis on jazz, pop and funk, while the world music elements are usually relegated more to the background (mostly characterized by Middle Easter/East Indian percussive beats). The jazzier side of the music is heard through John Fumo's excellent horn playing (especially his bluesy muted trumpet) as well as some tasty keyboard work now and then. When the funk arrives, it shows its face with heavy bass guitar beats and even the appearance of some wah-wah guitar. Add Kelly's sensuous vocals to this already libidinous mixture and you are invited to a cross-cultural, multi-genre musical feast, whether you have a taste for smoky lounge-ish Latin-influences (Your Subtle Ways), belly-dancing beats blended with crunchy electric guitar (Dream of Love), French/Euro-chill out enhanced with spicy ethnic percussion (Love Is Everything) or a bass-heavy blast-of-sex retro-funk and Fender Rhodes licks (Altar of Love). There's even an ending instrumental that morphs from mournful duduk into a sophisticated free jazz duet of muted trumpet and bass. Nice!
While I think some of the songs' lyrics are a tad cliche and over-the-top (although doubtless sincere), Kelly Fumo's voice is more than pleasing enough that I eventually stopped focusing on the words per se. When it comes to the musical talents of all the artists who appear on Love Is Everything, they got it going on all over the place. This one grew on me after just three playings and my enjoyment caught me more than a little by surprise. Recommended.
Rating: Good + - Bill Binkelman
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Combined Rating: Good +
- reviewed by RJ Lannan / Bill Binkelman on 9/9/2008 - New Age Retailer
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Birmingham, AL AL WVSU 91.1 FM
Pacific Grove, CA CA Smoothjazz.com
Champaign, IL IL WBCP 1580 AM
Norfolk, VA VA WHOV 88.1 FM
LARAMIE, WY WY KUWR/KUWZ 91.9 FM
#39 in the top 100 New Age charts Sept and October
Barcelona Radio Despi 107.2 FM
Bucharest RFI (Radio France Intl)
Santa Rosa, CA CA KRCB (core) 91.1 FM
Grand Junction, CO CO KAFM 88.1 FM
Wilmington, DE DE WVUD 91.3 FM
Honolulu, HI HI KTUH 90.3 FM
Raleigh-Durham, NC NC WXDU 88.7 FM
KEENE, NH NH WKNH 91.3 FM
Jeffersonville, NY NY WJFF 90.5 FM
Toronto, ON ON Galaxie CBC Cable
Cedar Rapids, IA PA KCCK 88.3 FM
EAST STROUDSBURG, PA PA WESS 90.3 FM
Chattanooga, TN TN WAWL (core) 91.5 FM
Chattanooga, TN TN WUTC 88.1 FM
Moab, UT UT KZMU 89.7 FM
Seattle, WA WA KAOS 89.3 FM
Wausau, WI WI WWSP 89.9 FM - Current Plays
This could be categorized under the Jazz categories of Contemporary, Electronic, or Latin, and the World categories of New Age, Global, or Funk. The themes are deep and spiritual, about love, the earth, and self-examination. Love is Everything is now more than just a refreshing viewpoint—its an enjoyable release. - Pete Lewandoski
FumoSonic - LOVE IS EVERYTHING: Kelly (vocals/samples) & John Fumo (trumpet, flugelhorn, keyboards) are joined by a whole host of musical pals in a sonic adventure you won't soon put down... this is the kind of music you can listen to again & again and always find some new nuance! I'm quite impressed, as they keep a strong jazz influence, yet weave in plenty of other musical styles that will be aurally attractive to all but the least adventurous listeners... check out the percussion intro on "I Have The Perfect Kind Of Love", & listen as it tastefully morphs into something that you might hear 'round the Mediterranean... this track will stay up at the top of your playlists for a long time to come. Jazz style is at the forefront of "Your Subtle Ways", and it's this fusion of styles that keeps the music (more) interesting than all the other pretenders to this throne. It was the keyboards under the stellar vocal on "Altar Of Love" that captured my vote for favorite track... not to mention John's superb horn... would have been nice to have this run about 5 minutes (or more), rather than the 2:55 it turned out to be on my CD. I really dig FumoSonic, & will look forward to more from them... I give them my HIGHLY RECOMMENDED rating, as well as an "EQ" (energy quotient) rating of 4.96. Get more information at www.fumosonic.com Rotcod Zzaj - Docter Jazz
Discography
Still working on that hot first release.
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Bio
Fumosonic
Fumosonic is the culmination of 20+ years of marriage and collaboration between John and Kelly Fumo. The vision of these two musician/composers from Los Angeles, CA is a transformative musical experience that draws upon John’s jazz influences and Kelly’s love of music. The pair met while doing a recording session for singer Delaney Bramlett and had an instant connection. Their journey began with the first song they created called “Shut Up and Go Home!”, which showcases the unique formula of a heavy beat, Kelly’s strong vocals and some free jazz improvisation by John.
John’s trumpet playing may be heavily influenced by Miles Davis and the free expressions of jazz music, but he has worked as a side man with the likes of Neil Diamond, James Brown, Beck and Brian Setzer. Kelly’s world view was honed during the time she spent traveling the world and composing music – all while getting her degree in Art and working as an Illustrator. The importance of their family is always a factor in John and Kelly’s lives and the birth of their second son was the motivation for a new album.
Fumosonic’s latest CD, “Love is Everything” features two songs (“I Have the Perfect Kind of Love” and “A Thousand Kisses”) that are phrases their son whispered to Kelly before bed one evening. This new CD is an intoxicating mix that blends the influences of Kelly’s trance like belly dance music and John’s love of East Indian classical improvisational music. The Fumosonic experience is rare and compelling - this is music that has to be seen, heard and felt. It truly is an “experience” not to be missed.
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