| DEBORAH YATES, Vortex Tribe’s elegant and regal leader, thrills crowds with her spirited fluting and commanding presence. Accepted into her first symphony orchestra at the age of 13, Yates was touring Europe at 16, playing piccolo with symphonic orchestras. Her classical talents earned her featured performances at the Brandenburgh Hall in Vienna, Austria, for Austria’s President, and a solo at Carnegie Hall. But eventually the rigorous and formal beauty of Classical music faded for Yates as she trained her sights on the explosive expressionism in Jazz and Latin music. She played Jazz flute throughout Britain and the Bay Area, performed weekly at Jagz at the Station in Acscot, England, and played the Fringe Festival in Edinburgh, Scotland, before piloting the Vortex Tribe around the world. JON MULVEY hails from Los Angeles, California, where he picked up his first guitar when he was just seven years old. Formal Jazz guitar training started at age 11 and he began touring internationally at 15. He earned a music composition degree in the Bay Area and then studied under guitar great Joe Satriani. After vaulting onto the world stage, Mulvey directed his expertise to the studio, where he has participated in over 1500 recordings. But playing guitar, bass, or keys, as well as engineering, producing, and mastering albums in the studio, are only a few of his talents. After ten years as a member of Mingus, with Dorian Mingus (son of legendary Jazz Bassist/Composer Charles Mingus), Mulvey combined business savvy with his love for music and launched the Catastrophe Music Label with business partner Cat Mclean. The label has sold over 240,000 units worldwide. Mulvey is also a sponsored clinician for Peavy Amps and Ibanez Guitars. He combines his formidable training with innate talent to help shape Vortex Tribe’s unique sound. ISAAC HO lights up the keys, injecting syncopated rhythms, intricately structured chords, and lavish harmonies into Vortex Tribe’s rich sound. Ho started playing piano in Houston, Texas at age five, where as a teenager he won several citywide classical piano contests. At Princeton University he refined his classical talents, studying chamber music while earning a computer science degree. Only after moving to the Bay Area did he discover an inborn love for groove and improvisation, and he shifted his attention towards jazz. Since 2006 Ho has played in some of the Bay Area’s most revered venues, including Slim’s, Ashkenaz, and 330 Ritch. His style melds Afro-Cuban, straight- ahead jazz, Afro-Haitian, and Middle-Eastern pop. Ever hungry for bigger, bolder chops, he continues his musical studies at the Jazzschool in Berkeley, where he plays as house pianist for the Latin Vocal Ensemble led by Maria Marquez. |
| © 2009 Vortex Tribe - Bay Area Band - All Rights Reserved |
 | |  | |  | |  | |  | |  |
