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Tea Releases Second Album: "Dreams"

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TEA is the production team of guitarist Franck Balloffet, from Lyon, France, and Southern California drummer-keyboardist Phil Bunch. They are the producers of “Voyages du Jour,” and the new release, Dreams which are both a mixture of French and African original songs.

F&P have currently been producing and collaborating with unique vocalists: Congolese vocalists Steve “Ikhaman” Ngondo (previously with Tabu Le Rochereau) and Ilongomo “Elo” Ememe, Marcel Adjibi, vocalist and percussionist from Benin (Manu Dibango, John Densmore), Amadu Sabali from Senegal and American multi-lingual vocalists Chana (Tambu International Ensemble) and Suyen Mosely.

Personnel on “Dreams” include legendary British keyboardist Brian Auger (Steampacket, Brian Auger’s Trinity, Oblivion Express) playing Hammond B3 and Fender-Rhodes. Nigeria’s Remi Kabaka (guest percussionist on the Rolling Stones’ Winter 2002 West Coast tour, and the only African musician on Paul McCartney’s “Band On The Run” album) is featured on talking drum and percussion. Bassists Andr Manga, from Cameroon (currently featured live on Josh Groban’s world tour, additionally with Angelique Kidjo) and Bobby Tsukamoto (Neil Larsen, Michael Landau) are also included. as well as Cameroonian EMI studio guitarist Louis Wasson, saxophonists Randall Willis (Gerald Wilson, B Sharp Quartet) and Bobby English (Lou Rawls, the Spinners), as well as Frederic Meschin on trumpet, and Chris Darrow (Kaleidoscope, James Taylor) on slide guitar.
 Music reviewers and radio DJs have given praise of TEA’s first musical and melodic collection:

“TEA offers a bracing brew of boss nouveau, French and Afro-pop, refreshing as a sweet summer evening breeze washing over lovers in moonlight. It’s the perfect party music for the 21st hipoisie.” -- Roger Steffens, “The Beat”

“The staid album cover--with a photo of a teabag featured on the CD booklet gives no indication of the unique African-laced, chill-flavored cosmopolitan music that lies within. Or the fascinating history of the project’s two chief masterminds. Tunes range from the jungly, heavily African chant- and chill-flavored “Azan Nawa” to the more synthesized Euro-funk and grooves of “Adjegule” and “Heroes of the Sea,” a hypnotic dance-chill track with a touch of rolling blues swirled with African guitars. The fascinating hybrid is seriously hard to resist.” -- Jonathan Widran, “All Music Guide”

“A multi-colored musical fabric of many strands, it can be listened to and enjoyed on many levels, from dance beats all the way to scrutiny of intricate guitar embroidery and percussive synchronicity. TEA is brewed from musical sources known and unknown, far-flung and local, and there’s always some surprise or another that comes bubbling to the surface, as yet unnamed.” -- Kirk Silsbee, Contributor, “ L.A. CityBeat” “Downbeat.”

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