Emanuel Harrold - Releases new EP 'Funk la Soul' !!!

'Funk la Soul' is a well polished put together Jazz / Funk / Soul record!!!

Today, multi Grammy award nominated and winning drummer, producer, and educator, Emanuel Harrold, has released a new EP titled 'Funk la Soul'. The EP is out today August, 19th, 2022 via London tastemaker label and analogue specialists Gearbox Records (Binker Golding, Roland Kirk, The Cookers, Abdullah Ibrahim), and is accompanied by a new track called 'Brighter Day'. Having made a name for himself both live and record collaborating with the likes of Damon Albarn, Keyon Harrold, Hypnotic Brass Ensemble, De la Soul, and Gregory Porter, 'Funk la Soul' marks a new chapter in Harrold’s solo career.

The EP is a positive combination of uplifting messages and improvisational sounds that transcend R&B, Jazz, Soul, Gospel, and Funk. The release also sees Harrold bring in a number of estimable guest musicians including Charles Ransom II and Crystal ‘Crissy’ Ransom, Jahmal Nichols, Carlos “Scooter” Brown, Tivon Pennicott, Joel Holmes, Brian Owens, and more. Featuring fellow Gregory Porter collaborator Grammy winning musician Tivon Pennicott on flute, the new single 'Brighter Day' perfectly exemplifies the sound of the EP merging Soul tinged R&B vocals, with Jazz / Funk inflected flute and keys that wind around Harrold’s groove heavy drumming.

“When you think of Jazz, Funk and Soul music, Gregory Porter, Keyon Harrold, Diana Ross, Robert Glasper, Marvin Gaye, James Brown, Rev Al Green, Freddie Hubbard, Curtis Mayfield are big examples of this sound and mood. This music represents organic sounds of the freedom through expression. It’s not only Jazz which bases its foundation on Negro spirituals, Blues, and improvisation, but also the roots are in the intellect of the expression of culture seeping in from the neighbourhoods, people, sights, political views, sounds and down to food they ate. The fabric of one's culture. Note all the life experiences were expressed through their individual created musical works. 'Funk la Soul' for me is all the above energy reciprocating and also recreating this musical feeling. This is a freedom through my interpretation of Jazz, Funk, Gospel, and Soul music that I desire to share.” - Emmanuel Harrold 

Emanuel Harrold was born into the artistry of music by way of St. Louis, USA. Harrold’s appetite for singing and playing instruments grew from an early age with his father being a pastor in an African American church. He is a graduate of the New School University in New York and has performed / recorded - in no specific order - with Wynton Marsalis, Roy Hargrove, Robert Glasper, Keyon Harrold, Damon Albarn, James Spaulding, Stevie Wonder, Hypnotic Brass Ensemble, Ben l’Oncle Soul, Jonathan Baptiste, Ambrose Akinmusire, and many other influential artists. You can hear Harrold’s most recent drumming contribution on Gregory Porter’s Grammy nominated album 'All Rise'.

With a full-length solo record in the pipeline, 'Funk la Soul' stands as a consummate and arresting first look into Emanuel Harrold’s eclectic, soulful, and future-thinking sound. For those who have heard his playing in the past, this release will arrive as an exciting exploration of Harrold’s musical mind, and for those who have yet to hear him, there is no better time to discover his work.