Kyle Hollingsworth Band with Sam Fribush Organ Trio

Kyle Hollingsworth

Decades ago, Kyle Hollingsworth set out on a career in music. With a wealth of desire and an abundance of ability, Hollingsworth has established himself as a formidable and versatile music talent deftly able to contribute, collaborate, compose, and communicate on a number of levels and within a vast spectrum of musical environments. Today, as a member of acclaimed jam masters, The String Cheese Incident, Hollingsworth is revered by both peers and fans for his ability to write and perform in a mosaic of styles, from rock to classical, ragtime to bebop. Playing in SCI has allowed him unrestricted access to the world of music, and has bestowed on him the kind of fearlessness a composer needs to flirt with such disparate genres. Those who’ve seen SCI know that they can jerk from funk to bluegrass on a chord change. “In the jam world, where there are no set ways of doing things, we’re not afraid to move in and out of genres,” he says, “and because of that I’ve learned to be creative, not only on stage but in the studio. I can get on board with something pretty quickly. You have to.”

Sam Fribush

Over the past few years, Fribush has established himself as one of the country’s hottest young bandleaders and People Please pushes the keyboardist’s music into new and uncharted territory, revealing a deep affinity for crispy, wah-wah driven funk, Hip-hop beats and sultry HAMMOND ballads. Says Fribush, “My intention is to take this music into the future. I’m trying to expand the rules about what organ trio music is.” Indeed, the album places Fribush’s music not only among the giants of soul jazz–Ronnie Foster, Dr. Lonnie Smith, Larry Young–but also in the pantheon of funkateers like Sly Stone and the Meters. Throughout the album, Fribush is joined by frequent collaborator Charlie Hunter–a guitarist that’s played an instrumental role in music culture since the late 90s –and North Carolina allstar Calvin Napper (the drummer in Maze feat. Frankie Beverly for the past 13 years), Xavier Lynn and Nick Falk. But even among his high-caliber guests, keyboardist and composer Sam Fribush lets the music speak for itself.

Host or Publisher Asheville Music Hall