Portland, Oregon-based band, Echo Pearl Varsity performs a blend of jazz-fusion and post-rock. The band began taking shape in the summer of 2012 with the joining of guitarist-singer and lead songwriter Sam Luna, and drummer, Ian Taylor. The later additions of bassist Nolan Henderson and saxophonist Levi Downey completed what started as a project on Luna’s computer.

echo-pearl-varsity-300The collective’s first release was a five song EP titled “Tragic Bronson”, a sample of what their sound would evolve into, with an original music video to go with it. Echo Pearl Varsity’s first studio album “Fires”, is currently in the works, with an expected release date of November 2016. In the meantime they have dropped the lead single, entitled “Dopener”.

Echo Pearl Varsity is changing up the game completely and will making Jazz-fusion more popular than it has been for a long time. Jazz and Funk have been areas of music that a lot of people have said was dead, but it looks like it is being brought back to life with quite a few new groups coming to the fore.

Though Echo Pearl Varsity is still somewhat underground, the group’s popularity will soon be catching fire if they keep putting out tracks with the quality of “Dopener”.

Echo Pearl Varsity is a collective of musicians from the Portland area that are musically inclined on a whole other level. In the mainstream world of music, this is what’s going to become the popular style of music. It’s a fusion of Jazz with post-rock influences – a style of music that is gaining nods in almost every country on the planet.

So hat’s off to these guys for getting this groove on here too. These guys are incredibly musically intelligent, and they give the impression that they love what they do. This makes them stands out with all kinds of fresh flavor in what has increasingly become a bland, vanilla music industry.

echo-pearl-varsity-album“Dopener” is jazzy, funky, smooth, and everything enjoyable as far as music goes. Though the arrangement might be complex in nature, it doesn’t take a musical genius to understand that this group is doing something great.

Plus there’s a great melody sung over the top, to give the track a strong mainstream appeal, over and above the jazz-fusion vibe. Furthermore it’s such a joy to hear a young band with horns in their sound!

Sure, not everyone is going to be a fan of some modern Jazz-fusion idea, but I think you should give it a try before you decide to put it down. Echo Pearl Varsity’s music is hip; it’s fresh and very distinct. This is a group of musicians who really get their music.

The way they blend the layers of rhythm and melody is simply amazing. There’s not a single complaint I have about this track, and I highly suggest it to everyone. I have a feeling that fans, of every style of music, will be able to relate to the grooviness of Echo Pearl Varsity. So, make sure to check it out and enjoy!

OFFICIAL LINKS: BANDCAMPFACEBOOKINSTAGRAMSOUNDCLOUD