Features

Many musicians seek to bridge the gap between genres, and that intent is evident in the name of Sound Fusion.

Sound Fusion plays a jazz-funk hybrid sound consisting of some of the best young jazz musicians in Fredericksburg. Among them are saxophonist Ben Peters, drummer Kyle Smith, bassist Alex Rodriguez, and pianist Jack Earnhardt.

While the group has been together since October 2020, with the release of their first single "My Favorite Things" the group has been coming together for the last three years.

"So, about three years ago I was a sophomore at the University of Mary Washington and my mentor Professor Gately dispatched me to do a gig at a festival called the Kristallnacht,a winter market festival in Market Square in downtown Fredericksburg, and I recruited Jack, Alex, and Kyle to play with me. What I wasn't expecting when we jammed was that we clicked," says Peters about the group's formation.

From there the group continued to practice in Kyle Smith's basement and would record their first album State of the Art which shows off the influences that brought them to the world of Jazz such as Jacob Collier, Herbie Hancock, and John Coltrane. The Coltrane influence is strong as they cover Coltrane standards such as "Impressions" and "Alice in Wonderland" on the album.

Sound Fusion strives to blend its own sound from decades of schooling, experience, and interest in Jazz, Funk, Rock, and Disco music.

"Most of what we are playing is closer to the style of what was going on in Jazz in the '70s and '80s. That's where we are, that's where our languages are. That's just something that we can all communicate and understand each other." says bassist Alex Rodriguez.

Then the pandemic hit and it would affect the way bands perform and where they would perform. For Sound Fusion, however, it allowed them to gel even further as it would interrupt plans for some members of the group.

"I was worried that right as the group was really getting started, we're gonna have to go back to school at New England Conservatory in Boston. One of the good things that came out of Covid is that the time with the group was extended." says pianist Jack Earnhardt.

As the pandemic subsides, Sound Fusion is making plans for the future. In addition to upcoming shows they're also planning a new album which while they say will be on the slower side it will still have the same blend of genres that brought them together in the first place.

"So we've been discussing the second album, we're already talking about what do we want to do next? This is our first statement since State of the Art which is the first one. We agreed that let's start with one tune and see where it goes from. There may be something short that can come out of it, so I think it's gonna be a little slower this time. But we want to kind of build it." says Peters of the potential new album.

Sound Fusion will perform at Colonial Tavern on Lafayette Street in downtown Fredericksburg on Friday, July 16 from 7 pm to 9 pm.