In
this day and age it is unique to find
a band that has a presence and sound
that command your attention.
Back in 1984 Mark Rogers, an up-and-coming
jazz drummer attended a club gig in
Niagara Falls featuring a soul band
from Detroit. Upon hearing the final
tune of the night, a slinky instrumental
funk groove, he walked up to guitar
player Leroy Emmanuel and boldly told
him that they should play together.
Emmanuel, the experienced Motown alumni
with credentials working with some of
the top entertainers in the world somehow
felt this barely out of high school
drummer was for real.
A
year later Emmanuel returned to Niagara
Falls from Detroit, recalled the young
drummer's request to jam, tracked him
down and they got together to play.
Immediately the magic was there. Tight
Detroit funk mixed with a fresh, hard
hittin' drumming energy. Emmanuel hired
Rogers to go on the road with a 10 piece
Motown Revue and for the next 4 years
they traveled around North America refining
their blend of energetic groove.
In 1989 the Motown Revue came to an
end and Emmanuel and Rogers started
a trio. A number of different bass players
were tried out but to no avail. As fortune
would have it Ottawa native bassist
John Irvine relocated to Niagara Falls
looking for work. He heard LMT was looking
for a permanent bass player and came
out to a gig. John had been enjoying
success touring in hard rock bands for
a number of years without any experience
in the funky soul LMT had become known
for. He was hired for a trial gig to
see what would happen. That night the
signature LMT sound was born. Without
even the luxury of a rehearsal, Irvine
added an unbelievable energy and rawness
to the tightly developed jazz funk groove
Rogers and Emmanuel had mastered over
their five years together.
The rest is history. Since 1989 these
three musicians have performed over
4000 gigs and released 3 albums. Their
first, released in 1992, is "Sometime
Later", an all-original album of
classic, sophisticated R&B. Then
in 1999 they followed with "Outta
Control", a dynamic CD capturing
the energy of their live show. They
have shared the stage with such diverse
artists as Motown's Temptations, world-renowned
B3 jazz organist Joey Defrancesco, and
legendary guitar hero Alex Lifeson of
Rush. Their new CD "Universal Soul"
is an all-original CD combining the
elements of classic Soul songwriting
with an incredible live-off-the-floor
studio performance. LMT is also joined
by percussionist Emile Latimer (Richie
Havens, Nina Simone) keyboardist Brent
Setterington (Jacksoul), and 2 songs
featuring the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra.
This new CD contains all the elements
that make up LMT's unique sound, an
incredible blend of Funk, Jazz, Latin,
Blues and R&B - Universal Soul…
you get the picture.
A
year later Emmanuel returned to Niagara
Falls from Detroit, recalled the young
drummer's request to jam, tracked him
down and they got together to play.
Immediately the magic was there. Tight
Detroit funk mixed with a fresh, hard
hittin' drumming energy. Emmanuel hired
Rogers to go on the road with a 10 piece
Motown Revue and for the next 4 years
they traveled around North America refining
their blend of energetic groove.
