For more than 10 years
now, standing room-only crowds have been lining up to hear FINGERPRINTS
at clubs and music festivals throughout the southwest. Fingerprints?
1991 self-titled CD sold over 10,000 copies. The Dallas based sextet has
expanded its range, garnering regular airplay on jazz and NAC radio
stations from Dallas to San Francisco to New York City. This increased
exposure has earned FINGERPRINTS critical raves and many thousands of
loyal fans across the country. JazzUSA.com writes, ...Fingerprints is
one
of the best kept secrets of the south...the Smooth Jazz Mafia better
watch out!?
FINGERPRINTS second release, Summertime Music , surpassed that number
and reached top twenty status in both Radio and Records and the Gavin
Report. The opening track, Whisper, on this 1994 disc continues to be a
favorite of many programmers across the country and abroad. It features
long time friend and saxophonist Marion Meadows. The
bands third release Reunion Live was a definitive statement in the
evolution of their musical growth and popularity. It was recorded at the
world famous Caravan of Dreams club in Fort Worth, Texas. They can also
be heard on This is Texas Smooth Jazz CD sampler, released in fall 1996.
Fingerprints latest CD, DNA was released in the fall of 2001. The single
So In Love from DNA is also on an international compilation called Cafe
de Soul- Chapter 3. DNA is distributed by The Orchard Distribution in
NYC.
Bret Michael, music director at 107.5 FM The Oasis in Dallas says ?...it?s
great, a wonderful feel in such a fantastic collection of Smooth Jazz!?
FINGERPRINTS has performed at major festivals in Dallas, Houston,
Memphis, and
Washington, D.C. Band members have also recorded and toured with artists
such as Art Porter, Jr., Ronnie Laws, Tom Browne, Harry Connick, Jr.,
Tower of Power, and Freddie Ravel.
FINGERPRINTS was founded in 1986 by guitarist Roy Machado and bassist
Frederick
Nichelson. At the time both men were students at the prestigious
University of North Texas. Nichelson is originally from Memphis, where
he grew up in the shadow of many STAX Records legends and their
contemporaries such as The Memphis Horns, Kirk Whalum and pianist James
Williams. Drummer Kennan Wylie, from Austin, Texas, earned a Master's
degree in Music from UNT. When not on stage he serves as an educator
where he and his groups have won various awards at the Percussive Arts
Society International Conferences (P.A.S.). Saxophonist Claud Hardrick
hails from Wichita, Kansas. His sultry, intelligent play epitomizes
Fingerprints' musical philosophy: striving for the cutting edge, while
retaining
respect for tradition. The live band also features veteran guitarist,
Robert Lacroix and keyboardist Joel McCray. In addition to the core
group, FINGERPRINTS frequently features guests vocalists. Recently,
singers have included Tim Jones (who was featured on the band's latest
release) and Melba Stevens, a versatile stylist and dynamic live
performer.
Finally, the rest of the world is discovering what the south has
secretly enjoyed for years! It's no wonder that FINGERPRINTS is grabbing
the attention of listeners craving more than formulaic commercial jazz.