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Kneebody's "How High" feat. Inara George
Seventeen
years in and the genre-bending electric jazz collective Kneebody is stronger
and more diverse than ever. After the release of their critically acclaimed
ninth studio album Anti-Hero, Kneebody teams up with Inara George -- from indie
pop darlings The Bird and The Bee -- on "How High," the next chapter
in the long history of this genre-defying band. This song is the first in a
string of singles and collaborations with new artists that will come from
Kneebody in the future.
"Inara
is a powerhouse and kind of an icon here in LA.," says bassist, producer
and songwriter Kaveh Rastegar. "She has one of the most recognizable and
wonderful voices and the songs she writes are so good. She has made so much
great music whether it's with her own albums or with The Bird and The Bee, her
project with producer multi-instrumentalist Greg Kurstin."
After the
release of Anti-Hero and months of touring internationally, Kneebody began the
process of talking about writing songs with other artists. "We all thought
of working with Inara right away," says Rastegar. "I was so excited
that she wanted to get together to write this song." Kneebody's
relationship with George is not new, with George contributing vocals to an
early song in their discography -- before the band was even known as Kneebody
and released the album Wendel.
Saxophonist
Ben Wendel recalls that early collaboration with fond memories and relates that
experience to this new creations. "It was an organic process, when we
decided we wanted to collaborate with new artists we knew how well we all would
work together given our previous history," says Wendel.
"How
High" came together in a very natural way one day with Rastegar playing
guitar and George singing. The idea was to write a song that was positive and
devotional as the main focus. "I think that those ideas and feelings came
through in this song," reflects Rastegar.
"It was
such a fun session," says George. "I felt like we sort of let
ourselves get experimental while still writing something that's melodic and
hopefully beautiful." Fans of Kneebody and Inara George alike will feel
right at home between this marriage of artists, especially having an icon like
George joining a band that truly makes it a goal to not be confined to any
genre. Although Kneebody exists in the broad definition of instrumental music,
this collaboration proves their influences and musical diversity comes from an
enormous array of music genres.
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