Kudu

Kudu is a New York group that includes Sylvia Gordon (vocals, bass), Deantoni Parks (drums), Nick Kasper (keyboards), and Peter Stoltzman (keyboards) and that blends jazz, soul, and electronica into a heady concoction of urban music. Parks' organic drumming often replicates digital beats and drum'n'bass technology, while a variety of textures and rhythms emanate from Kasper and Stoltzman's wall of keyboards. At the forefront is Gordon, whose lyrics and soulful pipes have become the group's hallmark. Kudu released their self-titled debut on Velour Recordings, a New York-based label, in 2001. The group has generated favorable press and a following in the jam band universe, a genre that developed an increasingly catholic reach throughout the '90s. Their profile grew considerably when they released Death of the Party in 2006.