User:EllenZoe/sandbox/Ghost-Note

Ghost-Note are a percussion-based funk, hip hop, jazz group from Dallas, Texas. The foundation of the ensemble are two members of the Grammy-award winning jazz band Snarky Puppy: drummer Robert “Sput” Searight and percussionist Nate Werth. The primary membership also includes bassist MonoNeon, aka Dywane Thomas Jr. (Prince, Ne-Yo), keyboardist Dominique Xavier Taplin (Prince, Toto (band)|Toto]]), saxophonist/flutist Michael Jelani Brooks (Kirk Franklin, RC & The Gritz), and saxophonist/flutist Sylvester Onyejiaka (Prince, Quantic). Aside from Searight and Werth, Ghost-Note features rotating players.

Ghost-Note have released two albums, Fortified, and Swagism, both going to #1 on the iTunes Jazz Chart.

Career
Robert “Sput” Searight was a member of God's Property, a gospel choir affiliated with Kirk Franklin that won a Grammy Award in 1997. Nate Werth was a music student at the University of North Texas and a member of the jazz group Snarky Puppy, at the time playing jam sessions around Dallas. Searight joined Snarky Puppy, and the two remained with the group through two album releases and Grammy Awards for Best R&B Performance for a 2013 collaboration with Lalah Hathaway, and Best Contemporary Instrumental Album in both 2016 and 2017.

In 2014. Searight and Werth wanted to create another band, one that would focus on percussion and what they termed “conscious funk”. They formed Ghost-Note, and recorded and released their first album, called Fortified, which was jazz, hip hop and EDM music.

Fortified featured Snarky Puppy keyboardist Shaun Martin, vocalist N’Dambi and guitarist Mark Lettieri, among others. The album went to Number 1 on the iTunes Jazz chart.

The second album from Ghost-Note, entitled Swagism, was released April 2018. This too went to #1 on the iTunes Jazz chart. The album featured guitarist Raja Kassis, spoken word artist and author Prudence the Auset Sneed, saxophonist Kamasi Washington and guitarist Brandon ‘Taz’ Neiderauer.

New York magazine reported: "On their new album Swagism, the founders of Ghost-Note, Robert Sput Searight and Nate Werth, stretch their ensemble into all possible contortions, from CTI’s disco to D’Angelo’s funk. It’s the omnivorous diet of J Dilla come to life in big-band form."

Ghost-Note’s band members continue to work with other groups. Werth and Searight continue to play with Snarky Puppy, while the latter also has done sessions with Kendrick Lamar, Snoop Dogg, Timbaland and Celine Dion.

Touring
Ghost-Note began touring in 2015. Joining them onstage at various shows, were a rotating membership of musicians, including, among others, "Daniel Jones (Jay-Z, Janet Jackson, Justin Timberlake) – keyboards, Nick Werth (Galaxe, Yak Attack) – xylosynth, Alvin Ford Jr. (Pretty Lights, Dumpstaphunk) – drums, and Cody Wright (Eric Gales) – bass.

In 2018, the touring ensemble includes former Prince and Ne-Yo collaborator, Dywane “MonoNeon” Thomas Jr. (bass), Xavier Taplin (keys), Vaughn “V.Keys” Henry (keys), Peter Knudsen (guitar) and Jonathan Mones (alto sax/flute). Festivals are a big part of Ghost-Note's live schedule, and the group has played, among other of this type of shows, Edmonton International Jazz Festival, EFG London Jazz Festival, TD Ottawa JazzFest, and Montreal Jazz Fest. The same year, they embarked on a US tour including Memphis, Tennessee, Chicago, Illinois; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Washington, DC; Atlanta, Georgia; New Orleans, Louisiana; and Dallas, Texas before heading to Europe for shows in Norway, Sweden, Germany, the Netherlands, and Italy, as well as others.