Jazzy, funky PIeces of a Dream will bring their soulful grooves to the Palladium next week!

Pieces of a Dream have been part of my personal soundtrack since the 1980s, when I discovered this Philadelphia-based ensemble that managed to be soulful, jazzy and funky all at once. I’m counting the days until they bring their eclectic show to the Palladium. Showtime is Friday, Oct. 24 at 8 p.m.

 

Former bassist Cedric Napoleon, drummer Curtis Harmon and keyboardist James Lloyd founded the group as teenagers in 1976. Although they were jazz-oriented, the group also emphasized R&B and incorporated funk, quiet storm, hip-hop, new jack swing and smooth jazz into their recordings, which often featured vocalists (including Barbara Walker, Eva Cassidy, and Maysa Leak).

 

To get ready for I spoke to  Lloyd and Harmon about their upcoming show:

 

Having established Pieces of a Dream back in 1976, you’ve got to be among the longest running jazz bands around. How do you explain your longevity? How have you changed over the years? What direction, if any, are you headed in presently, or at least considering if any?

 

 

We attribute our longevity to many factors; our early start, a sincere love and commitment to the genre, and a true passion for performing. We continue to explore other avenues in our personal musical aspirations and bring those experiences to light in our creative writing.  We would like to bring more R&B and funk type jazz to the masses and to a heavily R&B/Pop favored radio world.

 
Tell us about your latest tour, and when you plan on next going back into the studio?

 

 

We continue to tour all over the USA as well as abroad.  We are currently in the studio working on a new project that will be released by the Spring of 2015.

 
The Palladium’s jazz audiences are a very appreciative and savvy group. What might they expect to hear from your show here on the 24th of this month?

 

We are very excited to return to the Tampa/St. Petersburg area and deliver what we hope will be an unforgettable performance for our fans.  Selections from our music dating back to the early 80’s as well as selections from our latest CD “In The Moment” will be included in the show.

 
Anything you wish to share with us that you’d like your Florida fans to know?

 

We would just like to say how grateful we are for their support over the years.  We love our fans (new and old) and thank God for blessing us with the gift of music and pray that jazz will continue to be a part of the music industry for years to come.  We would love to see children get exposed to jazz at an early age as we did, so that they might gain an appreciation for multiple genres of music and not just hip hop, R&B and other more radio accessible genres.

 

Follow this link for tickets to the show.