Aja West and Cheeba

Aja West and Cheeba are jazz fusion/funk musicians from the United States west coast. Aja West was born in 1976, a pivotal year in funk's history. Younger brother Cheeba entered the world on May 8, 1979. In 1985, felines “Flash” and “Snowball” arrive and will be the inspiration for much musical work to come. They are identical white brothers that both share black mohawks on their heads. In 2005, the brothers release "Flash and Snowball," a tribute record to their childhood cats. The record wins Album of the Year (Jam) at the Independent Music Awards in 2005. [http://www.musiciansatlas.com/pages/jukebox2006.asp Click here] to learn more about the awards. Aja West and Cheeba are the founders of the [http://www.mackrosoft.com Mackrosoft Records] music label. Aja West is the leader and conductor of the funk supergroup The Mackrosoft. Cheeba is the leader of The Cheebacabra. The brothers play together in each of these bands.

Flash and Snowball

Musicians Featured

*Aja West - Rhodes electric piano, clavinet, Moog Opus 3, Ensoniq ASR 10, Juno 60, foot system pedal synth, octave cat, guitaret, organ, bass, and percussion.
*Cheeba - Rhodes electric piano, clavinet, Moog Voyager, Prophet 5, Juno 60, arp string ensemble, Yamaha organ, tenor saxophone, melodica, and percussion.
*Nick Allison - Piano
*Rich Lambert - Drums
*Cedric Ross - Electric bass
*Scott Koziol - Electric bass
*Victor Tapia - Conga, shaker and chimes
*Alex Veley - Rhodes electric piano and clavinet
*The Gould Effect (Daniel Gould) - Saxophone
*Mike Porcaro - Electric bass
*Steve Black - Electric guitar
*Snakerythms - Saxophone with effects
*Heather Porcaro - Worm guitar and synthesizer
*Steve Moore - Wurlitzer, trombone, and vibes.

Track listing

1. The Arrival - 3:56 (Written by Aja West and Gould Effect)
2. Alene's Farm - 3:08 (Written by Cheeba)
3. Jaws - 4:23 (Written by Aja West)
4. Cindy - 4:23 (Written by Aja West and Cheeba)
5. Special Food - 2:31 (Written by Cheeba)
6. Christmas Tinsel - 3:15 (Written by Aja West and Cheeba)
7. The Sister - 2:53 (Written by Cheeba)
8. Me and Snow - 5:07 (Written by Aja West)
9. Cosmic Catnip - 4:29 (Written by Cheeba)
10. Last of the Mohawkins - 3:52 (Written by Aja West and Cheeba)
11. Future Felines - 3:53 (Written by Aja West)
12. The Beanbag Game - 3:51 (Written by Cheeba)
13. The Departure - 2:38 (Written by Cheeba)
14. Saturday Candy - 4:57 (Written by Cheeba, Heather Porcaro, and Alex Veley)

Notes

Flash and Snowball was recorded at Mackrosoft Studios in Seattle, Washington and Los Angeles, California. It was mastered by Barry Corliss at Master Works in Seattle, Washington. The cover painting was done by Nathan Cheever. Album design by Leroy Smits. Executive produced by Aja West and Cheeba. Copyright 2005 [http://www.mackrosoft.com Mackrosoft Records]

Reviews

Aja West and Cheeba, two great composers, band leaders and real life brothers, join forces in paying homage to their childhood cats, Flash and Snowball. Instrumental funk fusion in its lightest and darkest veins is the call of the hour. Sometimes raw, sometimes smooth, it is obvious the brothers' sound is influenced by such 70's fusion giants as Weather Report, Passport, and Herbie Hancock. In 2003, Cheeba, bandleader of The Cheebacabra, released his debut album of electronic funk, "Metamorphosis", to critical acclaim. Filter Magazine placed it on their "Best Records of 2003" list and Nic Harcourt of KCRW spun it on his "Best of 2003" radio program. Aja West, leader of super group, The Mackrosoft, has been referred to as "the very bridge between the forefathers - Clinton, Stone, Hancock - and something like D'Angelo" by Straight No Chaser. Now, with their first co-production, Aja West and Cheeba combine forces to deliver fourteen tracks of feline inspired jams. There is no shortage of analog keyboards in the mix, as the brothers bring out all of their Moogs, Arps, and the fittingly-named synthesizer, The Cat. Also featured on keys are piano man Nick Allison and electric piano guru Steve Moore (Laura Veirs, Syncopated Taint Septet). Rock solid beat keeper Rich Lambert (Hydrovibe, Ima Robot) holds down the drum kit busting breaks that are bound to be sampled by future beat miners. Also featured is Mike Porcaro who has been holding down the Toto bass groove for 25 years. - [http://cdbaby.com/cd/ajawestcheeba CDBaby.com]