WHO WE ARE
"Following the lead of Fela’s large ensemble, a floating village held together not just by musical bonds but by radical politics and social ties, N to The Power would be more than just a band. Embracing hybridity, it would cross notated music with punk’s anti-aesthetic of smash-it-up amateurism, jazz improvisation with what Jarvis calls the “intricate combinations of simple motifs” familiar from minimalism and Afrobeat—hypnotic, interlocked rhythms and melodies that, depending on where your consciousness wanders, shift between foreground and background, the aural equivalent of Escher’s optical illusions."
- Mark Dery, from the AUTOGENESIS liner notes
Blake Leyh ~ Cello, Bass, Guitar, Percussion, Electronics, Founder
BLAKE LEYH is an Emmy-winning, Grammy-nominated, Harlem-based composer, multi- instrumentalist, and sound designer who’s worked with John Waters, Spike Lee, Julie Taymor, and Jonathan Demme among many others. Leyh was the music supervisor for David Simon's HBO shows The Wire, Treme, The Deuce, and The Plot Against America.
In addition to composing and instrumental work in N2P, Leyh also co-produces and mixes the music and serves as the band's in-house art director, designer, and filmmaker.
See his other work at his official website.
Tony Jarvis ~ Bass Clarinet, Guitar, Flute, Percussion, Founder
TONY JARVIS is a jazz saxophonist, bass clarinetist, guitarist, and composer. Originally from Madison, Wisconsin, he studied with Roscoe Mitchell (of the legendary Art Ensemble of Chicago), cut his eyeteeth on punk with his SST Records band the Tar Babies, and played with Sharon Jones & The Dap Kings, Charles Bradley, My Morning Jacket, Phish, and in the Broadway musical FELA!
Jarvis co-writes and produces N2P's music and is the band's live music director. As half of JARVIS & LEYH he has written film scores, most recently for the documentary JANZ: ARTIST IN TIME.
Bruno Coon ~ Trumpet, Percussion, Guitar
BRUNO COON is a singer, composer and multi-instrumentalist. He performs on Guitars,
Bata, Kora, Dunun, Djembe and a lot of other things that make interesting noises. He
believes when can be just as interesting as what. He’s dubious about the tempered
scale and he’s pretty sure there is no ‘one’.
Coon co-composed N2P's seminal work SUPERTONIC along with Jarvis and Leyh. The departing point for the piece was one of his favorite 3-against-4 mnemonics: "Pass The Goddam Butter." which was then combined with a common djembe pattern ("iribangi") transcribed to guitar.
Ryoko Leyh ~ Melodica, Voice, Percussion
RYOKO LEYH plays piano and ukulele and sings with the Young People's Chorus of New York City. In 2019 she appeared with YPC at Lincoln Center singing in the world premiere of Julia Wolfe's FIRE IN MY MOUTH, the recording of which was nominated for two Grammys.
Leyh is the daughter of Blake Leyh and is growing up in the N2P tradition of musical diversity, polyrhythms, and do-it-yourself improvisation.
Yusuke Yamamoto ~ Vibraphone, Electronics, Percussion
YUSUKE YAMAMOTO was born in Hyogo, Japan, and studied music since the age of 5. As a multi-instrumental player, Yusuke has performed and recorded with a wide variety of musicians in the U.S., Japan, Europe, Canada and Mexico. Under his solo project name channel U, Yusuke has composed and produced three albums.
現在ヴィブラフォン、パーカッション、ドラム、キーボード等を操るマルチプレイヤー として、またプロデューサーとしてDizzy Ventilators, The Heathens, Danton Boller Quintet, Frank LoCrastoらとのコラボレーションと共に、自己のプロジェクトを中心にして、ニューヨークを拠点に世界中で多彩な活動を続けている。
See and hear more of Yusuke at his official website.
Yves Dharamraj ~ Cello
YVES DHARAMRAJ has earned a worldwide reputation as a dynamic cellist who blends an immaculate command of the instrument with deep musical understanding to express his fresh and elegant interpretations. As soloist, recitalist, chamber musician, and teaching artist, the Franco-American cellist enjoys a multifaceted career that takes him to the major stages of the United States and abroad.
As an artist also dedicated to the performance of contemporary music, Dharamraj is a founding member of the genre-defying Bohemian Trio and indulges in the avant-garde as cellist of Ne(x)tworks.
Visit Yves Dharamraj at his official website.
Smoota ~ Trombone
A New York City musician who has played for years with TV On The Radio, SMOOTA has also recorded and/or performed with Run The Jewels, Sufjan Stevens, Steven Tyler, Aaron Neville, Pretty Lights, Griz and many others. On his most recent album PHEREMONES he played all the music himself, adding only backup vocals, strings, and a (fake?) orgasm from a friend in Australia.
"Hyper-sexed sensual alt-soul grooves." – Time Out NY
Visit Smoota at his official website.
Vincent Curson Smith ~ Trumpet
VINCENT CURSON SMITH is a trumpeter, guitarist, and electronic musician who lives in London. Vincent played trumpet on N to The Power's upcoming work VERNALGLOSSIA. He also plays trumpet in the improvisatory band MUCK SPREADER who's EP "Rodeo Mistakes" is out on September 4th, 2020. As an electronic musician he goes by THE ORPHEUS PROJECT and you can hear one of his loop pieces here. Vincent is currently studying jazz trumpet at Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance in London.
Bernard Boateng ~ Percussion
BERNARD BOATENG is a drummer, percussionist, and student originally from Ghana, now living in New York City. He contributed dynamic percussion parts to N to The Power's seminal work SUPERTONIC.
Bernard is a former student of N2P founder Tony Jarvis and is now studying at SUNY Oswego.
Kaya Jarvis ~ Voice, Additional Cello
KAYA JARVIS is a high school student and dancer who also plays the cello. Kaya performed for several years with the Young Dance Collective of New York City, including works which she co-choreographed with the other dancers. Kaya plays additional cello on SUPERTONIC and also performs vocals on N2P's VERNALGLOSSIA.
Kaya is the daughter of N2P founder Tony Jarvis.
Laura Kimmel ~ Band Photography
LAURA KIMMEL (formerly Laura Weyl) is a New York-based filmmaker, photographer, and multi-media artist. Her work explores sexuality, the urban landscape, and analog image manipulations to create visceral, poetic visual worlds. Her work has been exhibited in galleries and event spaces including Art Basel Miami/ HG Contemporary, Mana Contemporary, Karst Gallery, Untitled Space, Franklin Street Works, and Project One in San Francisco. She is currently the director of Visual Identity at The Box NYC and Soho.
See more of Laura at her official website.
Rupa DasGupta ~ N2P Logo & Red Tentacle Art
RUPA DASGUPTA is a multimedia designer, developer, and artist from Asbury Park, NJ. She received a BA in Studio Art from the University of Virginia and a MFA in Design + Technology from Parsons the New School for Design. Since 2010, she has drawn, painted, inked, etched, lasercut, and folded over 800 octopuses for her Octopus a Day series, which can be found at AN OCTOPUS A DAY. Her work has been shown in publications such as Rock & Sling, the Santa Clara Review, and Salvage, as well as being displayed in galleries in New Jersey, New York, D.C., and Virginia.