More than a band or even a supergroup, KAMANI is a funk collective, and in the words of founder Nikki Glaspie, “on a mission to heal the world through funk”. Born out of necessity during a brutal pandemic, and fueled by a burning desire between musicians to spread love, KAMANI came together organically and serendipitously. Conceived by the celebrated drummer/vocalist and incorporating Glaspie’s longtime friends and fellow funksters from Lettuce, Ghost-Note, Snarky Puppy and beyond, KAMANI sets out with a stated goal to simply perform safely for people at a time when they’ve never needed music more.
Due to circumstances surrounding travel and performing in these confounding times, the KAMANI project first took shape in Florida at the end of 2020. An amalgamation of core members Glaspie (The Nth Power, Maceo Parker, Beyonce, Dumpstaphunk), bassist Matt Lapham (Roosevelt Collier, Shak Nasti) and guitarist Kat Dyson (New Power Generation, Cindy Lauper), KAMANI is a healing tree native to the Hawaian Islands, and brilliantly symbolic of their collaborative musical energies.
KAMANI is often spearheaded by one of the most dynamic rhythm duos to hit the scene, starring Glaspie and multiple Grammy-winning multi-instrumentalist and vocalist Robert “Sput” Searight of Snarky Puppy, Ghost-Note and TOTO. World-renowned as a top flight drummer and bandleader, Sput touches a number of instruments within KAMANI performances, and the chemistry radiates from the center of KAMANI’s soul-thumping sound. Other KAMANI combinations find Nikki reconnecting with longtime foil Nigel Hall, as Lettuce’s spirited keyboardist/vocalist has deep roots with Glaspie in the earliest iterations of The Nth Power. Kindred souls, Nikki and Nigel also share a truly unique musical partnership that is reawakened in the context of KAMANI.
To diversify the fluid lineup even further, KAMANI often welcomes keyboard virtuosos like Xavier Taplin of Ghost-Note and Shaun Martin of Snarky Puppy. An inventive player, Taplin has logged time with Paisley Park offshoot NPG Q and backed Prince protege Judith Hill. Shaun Martin is an bombastic bandleader and Go-Go general, in addition to his numerous accomplishments with the venerable Snarky Puppy ensemble. Both bring their own brand of swagger to the stage, steadily electrifying audiences with their immense talents.
KAMANI places a laser focus on the funk, specifically classic material from the Seventies and early 1980’s glory days. Nothing that bumps is off limits, from James Brown to the GAP Band, Parliament Funkadelic to MAZE, Prince to The Four Tops, plus beloved cuts from the collaborators themselves. Majestic gospel harmonies are in abundance, thunderous drums and a fat bottom end power the pulsating R&B and soul grooves, and the dancefloor is always bubbling with energy when KAMANI takes the stage.
“We play the funk a bit differently because we’ve played with the masters. We’re taking that knowledge and keeping it alive,” said Glaspie. “I’m a purist when it comes to funk music. There’s no water in this — it’s real, unfiltered, uncut, unadulterated funk.”
