Recently named the “Best Local Band in the Hudson Valley”, Soul Purpose is a seven-piece band fueled by a shared love of Soul, New Orleans Funk. Swing, R&B and Jazz music. Based in New York’s Hudson Valley, Soul Purpose entertains with their “soulful sounds, brazen horn section and warm vocals”, (Kingston After Dark).
Throughout their nearly twenty-year history, the band has played at numerous venues from weddings, private parties and intimate concerts to larger festival stages and benefits. Soul Purpose has headlined at the famed Daryl's House Club, Pawling, NY, iconic Towne Crier Cafe, Beacon, NY, historic Colony, Woodstock, NY and renowned Falcon, Marlboro, NY. The band has also opened for such prominent artists as Grammy Award Nominee and Blues Music Award Nominee, Shemekia Copeland; Grammy Award Nominee Singer/Songwriter Blues Album, Slam Allen and the Chris O’Leary Band.
Described by the Huguenot Herald as “a smokin’ band whose joyous renditions of R&B, Soul and Swing will lift your heart, gathering the boisterous energy of a dancing crowd and channeling it into a melodic explosion”, Soul Purpose delivers a visceral rhythm and soul sound to an ever-growing fan base.
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SARA ESPINOSA - Lead Vocals
Sara brings immense passion and enthusiasm to her role as lead vocalist for Soul Purpose. Throughout her career, she has collaborated with a number of singer / songwriters and bands in the Hudson Valley and in the Pacific Northwest.
DR. LORI MORRIS - Alto, tenor and soprano saxes, flute, percussion and vocals
Dr. Lori has performed from California to New York and in Europe. Her joie di vivre shows in every note she plays! In addition to Soul Purpose, Dr. Lori performs with numerous other Hudson Valley ensembles including Tin Horn Uprising, an activist group playing New Orleans 2nd line music for marches and rallies to keep our democracy strong!
RICH DE CROSTA - Trumpet, flugelhorn, vocals, percussion.
Rich has played in groups around the Hudson Valley, up and down the east coast, California and Europe. Rich has performed or recorded with The Orlons of Don't Hang Up and South Street fame, The Christine Spero Group, The Felice Brothers, Byard Lancaster, Gary Windo, Blueberry and Pete Seeger. Rich has played with Soul Purpose since its first gig.
ROBERT "CUE" GERHARDS - Guitar and Vocals
Cue is a Luthier who plays guitars he has designed and hand crafted in his own shop. Having played many styles of music throughout the northeast, his style fits the Soul Purpose Band to a tee. Some of Cue's highlight's include playing The Ed Sullivan Theater Stage, New York City and as well as The Egg, Albany NY. Cue has also jammed with diverse musicians such as Little Sammy Davis and Del McCoury.
For more information on Cue's hand crafted guitars, go to:
http://www.GerhardsGuitarworks.com/
FRANCIS RALSTON - Bass
Francis has been playing bass professionally for over 35 years. His experience in many styles of music has allowed him to perform with bands across the US, the Caribbean and Europe. Membership in the Jazz Pioneers and Soul Purpose represents a "return to his roots" of R&B, blues and jazz.
JERRY TETERS - Drumset, percussion and vocals
It was during his later high school years in Monmouth County, New Jersey, that Teters met other musicians who were already playing blues, rock and roll, and the current rock music of the early seventies. Bruce Springsteen was a local up and coming rocker in his area who was becoming very popular. Through seeing Springsteen perform many times, Teters began to see how important the rhythm section… especially the drummer, was to the music. Although rock and roll was exciting, Teters’ drumming style was greatly influenced by his love for jazz, funk and world music.
In NYC, Jerry studied with drum instructor, Sam Ulano, and Hank Jaramillo (Broadway show drummer). Teters quotes, “Much like the love I have for painting, my passion for music and drumming covers many styles. For me, it’s all one big happy stew of expression, whether it is sound or the visual.”
PETE CALANDRA - Keyboard
Pete Calandra is a prolific composer and keyboard player. As a keyboard player he performed in the Broadway productions of Miss Saigon (for 10 years), The Lion King, Les Miserables, The Phantom Of The Opera, and Little Shop Of Horrors. In addition to his Broadway resume -- which includes first chair keyboard player positions for many of those productions -- he has also performed with the Radio City Music Hall Orchestra, NY Pops Orchestra, Dee Dee Bridgewater, Don Cherry, Aretha Franklin, Allen Ginsberg, Annie Golden, Donna McKechnie, Lillianne Montevecchi, and he spent 16 years as the keyboard player in the NYC-based Climax Band, the creative vehicle for artist and musician Larry Rivers.
As a Film & TV composer, Calandra scored over 100 films and wrote over 2000 compositions for television. He has composed music for every major television network including the FIFA World Cup Theme for FOX Sports, the Special Olympics World Games and Invictus Games Theme for ESPN, as well as writing music for the Kennedy Center Honors on CBS from 2015 thru 2020.
Currently, Calandra is on the faculty at the Aaron Copland School Of Music at Queens College, CUNY teaching Audio/MIDI, Film Scoring and Music Composition to both graduate and undergraduate students. He is also a Yamaha Endorsed Artist.
Visit www.petecalandramusic.com for more information.