Modell, Soderstrom & James

Inspired by the music if Herbie Hancock, Jaco Pastorius, Michel Camilo, Freddie Hubbard, MMW and many others, this trio creates an authentic, shameless and original musical experience through collaborative songwriting and improvisation.  Nothing happens here with force, only through relaxed musical communication.

Jon Modell grew up in the DC area and has been playing drums for over 30 years in local and nationally touring bands, from Punk to Jungle, RnB to Reggae – Jazz and improvisation have always lived deep in his heart.  He has performed in groups with members of Bob Marley’s band (Junior Marvin), Thievery Corporation (Rob Meyers, Ashish Vyas, Jeff Franca), Oddisee (Ralph Washington), The Seth Meyers Show 8g Band (Syd Butler) throughout his many years.  He has a Master’s Degree in Music Therapy and Transpersonal Psychology from Naropa University, works a a software engineer and continues to write, record and mix original music from his home studio in Falls Church, VA.

Nick Soderstrom was born in Brazil, studied music while attending high school at DC’s own Duke Ellington School of the Arts, and continued his studies in Sweden and New Orleans, playing with various award winning groups in both locations.  His skill with a Bass Guitar is truly remarkable and is complimented by his alert, playful and soulful personality on and off stage. He is an up and coming force in the Jazz music scene and beyond, as well as a music teacher.  He and Jon have recorded three albums together so far.

Colin James grew up in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, performing with the sons of Jazz legend Jaco Pastorius. As a teenager, he was introduced, via tapes that found there way to Florida, to the DC Jazz and Go-go music scenes and became an instant fan.  After traveling around the world and the country, performing with various groups, he moved to the DC area 4 years ago, where he performs practically every night and teaches piano during the day.

Authenticity, experience, talent and a love for music brought these three performers together in some very serendipitous jam sessions.  Nick and Jon formed a touring band in 2015 that ended up with as many as 11 performers on stage, playing regional festivals over the past few years before moving back to their small group roots.

Check it out for yourself.  They release new videos every 2 weeks under the moniker “Jazz Fusion Home Video” and have releases their first album “Battle not with Monsters” on streaming services worldwide

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www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLW9HHh6pct8Z3VQ4JccVTqKRrbxvEguYM