Erly Thornton -][- IN TRANSIT –Mp3– [Groove Elation Records, LLC, 2012] –
Playing the saxophone has always been emotionally intense for Erly Thornton. Each performance is a connection that this artist and his audience mutually enjoy! Born in Nashville into a family with multiple talents: his mother, a M.S. graduate in Public Administration and a talented paint and charcoal artist, his father a B.S. graduate in Civil Engineering and a trumpet/flugelhorn player. Erly had no choice but to experience a double dose of creativity and professional influence from birth.
Starting on the sax in the 5th grade, Erly was challenged to play in front of his father’s musician friends on weekends to the music of Ray Charles. His improvisational style started there. Erly began studying the music in his room to learn every lick he could from jazz artists such as Herb Alpert, Grover Washington Jr., David Sanborn, Najee, George Howard, and others, learning their works by memory. But he also felt the R&B and Funk of groups like Cameo, EWF, Zapp, Stevie Wonder, Prince, and The Time contributing to his multi-faceted style. Continue reading