Mandrill is an American

funk Funk is a music genre that originated in African American communities in the mid-1960s when musicians created a rhythmic, danceable new form of music through a mixture of various music genres that were popular among African Americans in the m ...

band from

Brooklyn, New York Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...

, formed in 1968 by brothers Carlos, Lou, and Ric Wilson.

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

called them "One of funk's most progressive outfits...

ith an The Ith () is a ridge in Germany's Central Uplands which is up to 439 m high. It lies about 40 km southwest of Hanover and, at 22 kilometres, is the longest line of crags in North Germany. Geography Location The Ith is immediatel ...

expansive, eclectic vision."

History

The Wilson brothers were born in

Panama Panama ( , ; es, link=no, Panamá ), officially the Republic of Panama ( es, República de Panamá), is a transcontinental country spanning the southern part of North America and the northern part of South America. It is bordered by Cos ...

and grew up in the Bedford–Stuyvesant area of

Brooklyn Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...

. With Carlos on trombone and vocals, Lou on trumpet and vocals, and Ric on saxophone and vocals, they formed the band to combine

soul In many religious and philosophical traditions, there is a belief that a soul is "the immaterial aspect or essence of a human being". Etymology The Modern English noun ''soul'' is derived from Old English ''sāwol, sāwel''. The earliest attes ...

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a major ...

, and

Latin music Latin music (Portuguese language, Portuguese and es, música latina) is a term used by the music industry as a catch-all category for various styles of music from Ibero-America (including Music of Spain, Spain and Portuguese music, Portugal) ...

. The band was named after the

mandrill The mandrill (''Mandrillus sphinx'') is a large Old World monkey native to west central Africa. It is one of the most colorful mammals in the world, with red and blue skin on its face and posterior. The species is sexually dimorphic, as males ...

species of primate, which was known for its colorful features and family-oriented social structure. The other original members included keyboardist Claude "Coffee" Cave, guitarist Omar Mesa, bassist Bundie Cenas, and drummer Charlie Padro. They signed with

Polydor Records Polydor Records Ltd. is a German-British record label that operates as part of Universal Music Group. It has a close relationship with Universal's Interscope Geffen A&M Records label, which distributes Polydor's releases in the United States. ...

and released their self-titled debut album in 1970. The album and its self-titled single "Mandrill" both reached the ''Billboard'' charts. Fudgie Kae Solomon replaced Cenas for their second album '' Mandrill Is'', which also reached the ''Billboard'' soul and pop charts. Neftali Santiago then became Mandrill's new drummer. Their third album '' Composite Truth'' was released in 1973 and became their most successful release, with the single "Fencewalk" reaching number 19 on the ''Billboard'' singles chart. During this period, Mandrill gained critical notice as one of the most progressive and experimental funk bands of the 1970s, while their use of Latin elements drew comparisons to

Santana Santana may refer to: Transportation * Volkswagen Santana, an automobile * Santana Cycles, manufacturer of tandem bicycles * Santana Motors, a former Spanish automobile manufacturer Boats * Santana 20, an American sailboat design by W. D. Sch ...

and

War War is an intense armed conflict between states, governments, societies, or paramilitary groups such as mercenaries, insurgents, and militias. It is generally characterized by extreme violence, destruction, and mortality, using regular o ...

. Funk historian Rickey Vincent noted Mandrill's multi-ethnic membership and "bizarre blend of African-based rhythms, scorching rock riffs, country fonk, bop jazz, and one-chord guitar rock operas." Guitarist Dougie Rodriguez, a former

sideman, joined in time for the fifth Mandrill album, '' Mandrilland'', which earned the band another entry on the ''Billboard'' R&B Albums chart. In 1975, all members of the group other than the Wilson brothers and Cave departed, and Mandrill switched to

United Artists United Artists Corporation (UA), currently doing business as United Artists Digital Studios, is an American digital production company. Founded in 1919 by D. W. Griffith, Charlie Chaplin, Mary Pickford, and Douglas Fairbanks, the studi ...

. The albums ''

Solid Solid is one of the State of matter#Four fundamental states, four fundamental states of matter (the others being liquid, gas, and Plasma (physics), plasma). The molecules in a solid are closely packed together and contain the least amount o ...

'' and ''Beast from the East'' were recorded with session musicians. The band then switched to

Arista Records Arista Records () is an American record label owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America, the North American division of the Japanese conglomerate Sony. The label was previously handled by BMG Entertainmen ...

and added a fourth Wilson brother, Wilfredo, on bass. Former drummer Neftali Santiago returned and guitarist Joaquin Jessup joined. This lineup released the album ''We Are One'' in 1977 and scored their biggest hits in several years with the singles "Funky Monkey" and "Can You Get It." The band released three more albums for Arista, with diminishing success, and stopped recording as a group in 1982. Lou Wilson died at age 71 in 2013. In 2019 Mandrill announced a new album titled ''Back In Town''. The album was released in October 2020. The current lineup includes Carlos, Ric, and Wilfredo Wilson, plus Marc Rey (lead guitar), Stacy Lamont Sydnor (drums), Derrick Murdock (bass), Eli Brueggeman (keyboards), and

Keith Barry Keith Patrick Barry (born 2 October 1976) is an Irish mentalist, hypnotist, magician and activist for the elderly. Early life Born in Williamstown, Waterford, Ireland, Keith's interest in magic began at the age of 5 with a Paul Daniel's mag ...

(viola, saxophone, flute). Mandrill songs have been sampled by many hip-hop acts such as Johnny D,

Public Enemy "Public enemy" is a term which was first widely used in the United States in the 1930s to describe individuals whose activities were seen as criminal and extremely damaging to society, though the phrase had been used for centuries to describe ...

Beck Beck David Hansen (born Bek David Campbell; July 8, 1970) is an American musician, singer, songwriter, and record producer. He rose to fame in the early 1990s with his Experimental music, experimental and Lo-fi music, lo-fi style, and became ...

DJ Shadow Joshua Paul Davis (born June 29, 1972), better known by his stage name DJ Shadow, is an American DJ, songwriter and record producer. His debut studio album, '' Endtroducing.....'' was released in 1996. Biography Early years (1989–1995) DJ Sh ...

Shawty Lo Carlos Rico Walker (March 22, 1976 – September 21, 2016), better known as Shawty Lo, was an American rapper from Atlanta, Georgia. He initially came to prominence as a founding member of the Southern hip hop group D4L, and in 2000 founded D4 ...

Big L Lamont Coleman (May 30, 1974February 15, 1999), known professionally as Big L, was an American rapper and record executive. Emerging from Harlem in New York City in 1992, Coleman became known among underground hip-hop fans for his freestyling ...

Kanye West Ye ( ; born Kanye Omari West ; June 8, 1977) is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, record producer, and fashion designer. Born in Atlanta and raised in Chicago, West gained recognition as a producer for Roc-A-Fella Records in the ea ...

, Jin,

Eminem Marshall Bruce Mathers III (born October 17, 1972), known professionally as Eminem (; often stylized as EMINƎM), is an American rapper and record producer. He is credited with popularizing hip hop in middle America and is critically acclai ...

The Avalanches The Avalanches are an Australian electronic music group formed in Melbourne in 1997. They are known for their studio albums '' Since I Left You'' (2000), ''Wildflower'' (2016), and '' We Will Always Love You'' (2020), as well as their live and ...

, and

9th Wonder Patrick Denard Douthit (born January 15, 1975),
better known as 9th Wonder, is a

Discography

Studio albums

* '' Mandrill (album), Mandrill'' (1970) * '' Mandrill Is'' (1971) * '' Composite Truth'' (1973) * '' Just Outside of Town'' (1973) * '' Mandrilland'' (1974) * ''

'' (1975) * ''Beast from the East'' (1976) * '' The Greatest'' (with

George Benson George Washington Benson (born March 22, 1943) is an American guitarist, singer, and songwriter. He began his professional career at the age of 19 as a jazz guitarist. A former child prodigy, Benson first came to prominence in the 1960s, pla ...

) (soundtrack, 1977) * ''We Are One'' (1978) * ''New Worlds'' (1979) * ''Getting in the Mood'' (1980) * ''Energize'' (1981) * ''Live at Montreux'' (2002) * ''Back In Town'' (2020)

Compilations

* ''The Best of Mandrill'' (1975) * ''Rebirth'' (1992) * ''Fencewalk: The Anthology'' (1997) * ''The Ultimate Collection'' (2000) * ''Sunshine'' (2005)

Singles and EPs

* ''Peace and Love'' (EP, 2001) * "Driving While Black and Brown" (single, 2001) * "Pre-nuclear War Blues" (single, 2004) * "Sunshine" (soundtrack contribution, 2004)

References

External links

*
interview on TNJT.com/jazzlive
{{Authority control American funk musical groups American jazz ensembles from New York City Musical groups established in 1968 Musical groups from Brooklyn Panamanian musical groups Jazz musicians from New York (state)