Take the Southern coast, West African ryhthms of the Sea-Island Gullah music, add a New Orleans-style rhythm, with a taste of Charleston jazz and R & B and “the result is irresistible!” says SpoletoUSA. An acclaimed new band called RANKY TANKY is doing just that, and winning fans from Lincoln Center to Norway’s Moldejazz and New York’s Carnegie Hall.
One of the inspired artists behind the band’s formation, musician Clay Ross serves as an Artist in Residence at Carnegie Hall, and has been a Musical Ambassador for the U.S. Department of State for over 13 years. From early training in classical guitar to a stint in the Charlestown, S.C. Jazz scene, and the melting pot of musical styles of his current Brooklyn home, Ross has gathered with some of the best talents in his world to form the band Ranky Tanky.
Trumpeter Charlton Singleton is the artistic director of the Charleston Jazz Orchestra, Lead vocalist Quiana Parler – one of low-country’s most celebrated vocalists - made it to the final 29 on American Idol in 2003, and subsequently toured with Clay Aiken and Kelly Clarkson. Grammy-nominated Bassist Kevin Hamilton and percussionist Quentin Baxter round out the band as two of the brightest stars of the Charleston jazz scene.
