Kashgar logo dark pink letters larger copy is a modern jazz-rock band. They incorporate a strong world-fusion influence to create an original and innovative sound. The band’s self-titled debut album demonstrates this interweaving musical tradition: a jazz vibe mixed with the power and blues of rock, Indian sensibilities, and a pulsing beat. Marcus Taylor is the guitarist and composer. The album also features Jeff Willet, Matt Snowden, and Jeff Bell on keyboards, drums, and percussion. Marcus Taylor is a composer, guitarist, percussionist and academic. Kashgar was his first solo album. It is a collection of compositions that he uses to explore the intersection of jazz, rock, and world music. Marcus started playing guitar at the age of 17 and learned how to copy Santana’s solos on an old acoustic. It was soon time to upgrade to an electric guitar. This musical hop took Marcus from Santana to John McLaughlin and Al di Meola, who are still huge influences thanks to their vitality and unique genre-blending approach. He is a prolific composer who has always sought to create a distinctive sound. He enjoys a variety of musical styles as a source of inspiration. Marcus might be listening to Miles Davis, 70s progressive rock or contemporary Nepalese music at any given moment. As both a musician and composer, he also founded the rock-band Broken Parachute as well as the jazz-pop group Crosswinds. He currently resides in Helsinki, Finland, although he lives normally in Kingston, Canada. You can find his academic work here. Ben Bell is keyboard player, vocalist, composer and multi-instrumentalist based in Surrey, UK. Ben Bell is part of the Fusion Orchestra 2. He is an avid composer. His solo album, was produced recently by progrockarchives.com. It has been called “the way keyboard Ben Bellprog should sound, virtuoso, and’soundscapit”, pushing the boundaries that have shaped our genre and helped it survive.” Kashgar isn’t the first time Ben has worked with Marcus. They collaborated on the classic rock album Down Is the New Up, Broken Parachute. Matt Snowden, a British session drummer, has performed on numerous international tours and used his trademark drumming skills to create thousands of great projects. He worked previously with Marcus on a nuMatt Snowdenmber number of projects, including playing drums on the Broken Parachute album and Crosswinds album. He is an active performer and a studio engineer. You can request session work through his website. Jeff Willet, a Philadelphia-based drummer and percussionist. Jeff is an active performer and recording artist using a variety of percussion instruments. He has a constant drive for new world rhythms and hand drums. His website, including tutorials and performances, can be found at www.jeffwilletmusic.com Check out his wonderful hang-drum playing below! from http://kashgarband.com
