Jazz Connection Magazine

"Funk-aholic" sax man Ben Luco, pictured above, and members of his group, "The Funky Divine," have released their

second CD, In The Pocket, a celebration of down-and-dirty funky jazz grooves that gets listeners moving. Also pictured

are members of the group: Chip Conrad, drums, and Reggie Balino, bass.

- Photo courtesy of Ben Luco & The Funky Divine

Popular Sacramento, CA, sax man Ben Luco and his group, The Funky Divine, are "funk-aholics." For the past six years they have given listeners in and around the Golden State's capital city their unique brand of jazz/funk that's "down-and-dirty," but always lots of fun. Last month, the four-man musical team released its second CD, In The Pocket. (See Ben Luco and The Funky Divine In The Pocket CD) The album's title is a musician's argot when the music and its players come together as one.

"I think the CD's title accurately reflects what's on the CD," said Luco, 29, via telephone from his home. "I had a bunch of new music I had written that I wanted to get recorded. I was thinking about producing my first CD. I wanted to put something out that would be good, popular, and catchy. I believe the music I had written for this album reflects that."

For all practical purposes, In The Pocket has been in the making since 2001, after Luco and crew released their first CD, Denouement (pronounced DAY-New-Mow), on HDCD Records. According to Webster's Dictionary, denouement means "the solution to a series of complex reactions."

While both albums are saturated with "funklore," each have special differences, said Luco, who sees his himself as an architectural painter helping to shape and develop his brand of funky jazz music.

"Both are very funky albums," he said. "We kept them funky. We kept them fun. We kept them up-beat. Denouement has more of a jazz influence in it. It basically sticks to the jazzy-funky kind of feel. In The Pocket has more pure funk influence. Different styles are also incorporated into this CD. We have more of a rock guitar influence as well as still keeping with some jazz influences. This music makes you want to dance and feel good and have a good time."

The thirteen-track In The Pocket invites listeners to a celebration of "move" music. One can't help but move while listening to this CD! The opener, Here We Go Check It Out starts off with fiesta-like aura and infectious Latin-tinged shadings. From then on, Luco and crew play host to almost 50 minutes of in-your-face jazz/funk.

Members of the Funky Divine are guitarists Brett Conner and Henry Robinett (who appears on tracks Here We Go Check It Out, Cool Funk and Almost In Love); drummers Chip Conrad and Rick Lotter (the latter appears on Almost In Love); funky bassist Reggie Balino; and Mario Sebastion and Guy Kowarsh, conga and percussion.

Throughout the CD, Luco's powerful sax style fronts a bold and robust presence throughout the album, most notably on a pair of made-for-sax works: Hot Sax and Sax Licks.

The album's closer, Almost In Love, provides a pleasant respite from the crash and thunder of the previous dozen tunes. Luco's tenor sax flows effortlessly as he introduces the tune's hauntingly pretty melody, while the rhythm section tastefully supports his flight.

"I was working on new material for a long time," Luco said. "Prior to recording, I wanted to make sure the music was right and that the band had everything down right. We were tight."

Luco credits each musician with bringing his own special talents to the project, helping to give it that extra "edge," he said.

Guitarist Brett Conner shines throughout most of the CD making some tasteful and striking statements throughout the record.

"Brett has a very funky, in-the-pocket sound on the guitar," Luco said. "Everyone in the band loved what he was saying."

"Reggie is very technically proficient on electric bass," Luco said. "He's a solid player who comes with a lot of professional experience. He's played in Los Angeles and Las Vegas. He's been in the recording studio with Wayne Shorter. He's also played with David Garibaldi from Tower of Power."

"Chip has always been a very solid, talented player who I've been working with since 2001," Luco said.

Also giving solid beat support was auxiliary drummer Rick Lotter, who has played with the Capital City Jazz Project and Mumbo Gumbo, among others.

"I've known Rick since 2001 and I've always liked his drumming," Luco said. "Rick subbed for Chip on our ballad tune, Almost In Love. Rick is a more solid studio drummer while Chip is a very talented live player. We needed someone solid to support the ballad tune, so we had Rick come in to help us out. He did a great job."

Conga player Mario Sebastion, who is a high school marching band instructor by day, gives the proceedings a nice primeval flavor.

"Mario is a solid conga player," Luco said. "He is turning out to be a regular player when it's financially feasible to have an extra player in the band."

Percussionist Guy Kowarsh, who also co-produced the CD with Luco, adds whatever is needed to give the band a more complete sound as well as having provided the recording studio - Studio G in nearby Granite Bay - to make In The Pocket.

"Guy was the studio engineer I was seeking out when I went looking for a studio to record in," Luco said. "I asked around Sacramento who had the best studio, and Guy had all the right credentials. I talked with him about I wanted to do. He first wanted to hear the band because he doesn't just let anyone in his studio. We had a pretty good sound but need to tighten some things up. We took months to rehearse and got it tight enough for Guy to allow us into his studio."

Luco breathed a sigh of relief when this year-long recording project was completed last September. During the middle of recording the CD, Luco had to make some personnel adjustments, he said.

"Our guitarist, Brett Conner, picked up roots and moved to Hawaii because of his job," Luco said. "That left us without a guitarist. I was fortunate in finding Henry Robinett. Henry is a top-notch, high-profile, professional player. He has a recognizable name with radio stations and record companies. In addition to being a great player, Henry's influence is helping us to get the CD recognized."

Luco was born into a musical family on June 30, 1977, in Alberta, Canada, getting inspiration from his paternal grandmother and his aunt, Mary Thompson, a

well-known singer in Canada.

Luco started playing cello at age 4 and quickly moved on to study the piano. For the next six years he continued to study piano using the curriculum from the National Conservatory of Music which emphasized readings in classical music, technique and performance.

Luco progressed though various stages or grades in the NCM program. To get to each grade level, he had to perform a piece of music for an adjudicator affiliated with the NCM and receive a passing mark, he said.

Luco probably would have been content to stick with the piano if he hadn't attended music camp when he was nine years old. It would be a summer that would change his life forever. It was there he was introduced to the tenor saxophone.

The excited youngster wanted to take up the tenor but because his hands weren't big enough to work all the keys on the instrument properly, he opted to start his saxophone training on the alto. A year later after his hands grew bigger, he made the switch to tenor.

At age 11, Luco and his family moved to the Province of British Columbia, where he completed his formal education at Mt. Douglas Secondary School where he played in the high school jazz band, concert band and pit orchestra for musicals, as well as various ensembles formed by friends.

It was soon after taking up the saxophone that Luco became fascinated with jazz music.

After graduation from high school Luco attended Malaspina University-College in Nanaimo, B.C., and majored in jazz music. One of Malaspina's most distinguished musical alumni is Grammy Award winner Diana Krall.

During his tenure at Malaspina Luco was also awarded the Canadian Millennium Scholarship and a Berklee Music Scholarship, which enabled the young saxophonist to attend a summer jazz workshop on soloing at the noted New England school of music.

While in college, Luco started his professional career playing in a variety of bands that played jazz, blues, R&B, funk, rock and rap.

After graduating from Malaspina, Luco made the trek south to reside in Sacramento, joining his parents who moved there two years earlier.

Since moving to Sacramento, Luco immersed himself in the local jazz scene by leading his own outfit, initially called Ben Luco and Project Jazz, as well as recording with other groups.

But his passion for playing funk music led Luco to form The Funky Divine. The group has performed at such Sacramento hot spots as Fulton Avenue Bar And Grill, Sudwerks Brewery, Cafe Millazo, Borders Books, The River Walk Festival, and the Crocker Museum. In addition, Luco and crew have played house parties and weddings.

Yet performing regularly and consistently in the capital city can be somewhat of a challenge for working jazz musicians. The Sacramento jazz scene isn't as vibrant as it could be, say many area jazz musicians, as venues that exclusively host jazz music are few.

In other arenas, Luco also worked as an actor in the comedy production, Talk Show, The Suspect's Murder Mystery Dinner Theatre, and in Walk The Walk, an independent video written and produced by Manual and Michele Silas. The movie, filmed in an around the Sacramento area, is about one young woman's trials and tribulations in finding love. Luco was given the perfect role to play in the film - a sax player! He also composed and performed music for the video's soundtrack. The video premiered at the 2002 Sacramento Festival of Cinema.

Luco is also working on a putting together a portfolio with aspirations of getting into the fitness modeling industry, he said.

During the day, Luco works as a successful personal trainer through California Family Fitness in Sacramento, specializing in cycle instruction as the center.

"California Family Fitness has been a wonderful place to work," Luco said. "Lots of people see me daily for my classes."

The secret to Luco's instructional popularity has to do with being knowledgeable at his craft, teaching a fun class and having good music to listening to, he said.

In July 2005, Luco entered body building competition for the first time, competing in the Capital City Natural Body Building Championships, taking Fourth Place in the Men's Novice Heavyweight category.

Since first forming The Funky Divine and documenting the music on that first CD, Luco's sound has matured, he said.

"I've heard some wonderful compliments from listeners that this music has come a long way from my first album," Luco said. "Some people are partial to my first album while others are taken more to In The Pocket. In music, no matter what, you are always progressing. It's always developing and going somewhere. I really believe it has come a long way since we first organized."

Last month, Luco hosted a CD release party for In The Pocket at Sacramento's Crocker Museum. The fan support for the venture was overwhelming, according to Luco.

"We had about 300 people come to the party," he said. "It was really exciting. It really gave us a shot in the arm and it helped to validate what we are doing."

Running with such enthusiastic energy, Luco and The Funky Divine now have there sights set on getting as much exposure as they can wherever they can. They already have their music streamed over the Internet on the California State University, Sacramento, campus radio station, are getting respectable air play on the Acid Jazz Hour on Sacramento radio KXJZ (90.9 FM), and are having their music looked at by Contemporary Jazz radio station KSSJ (94.7 FM), according to Luco.

"I have also sent my music out to radio stations in Los Angeles, San Mateo and Seattle," Luco said. "We are also branching out looking for gigs regionally, state-wide and even out the state, if we can. Locally, we are also hoping to get plugged in the Concerts In The Park music festival here in Sacramento."

To check out all the latest happenings for Ben Luco and The Funky Divine as well as to purchase the group's CDs, log on to Luco's website at www.benluco.com

With future musical aspirations pending, Luco and crew continue to remain steadfast in their evangelistic fortitude as "funk-aholics" by keeping their energetic style of music vibrant and fresh for their listeners.

"We are all about having fun, to love one another and to celebrate life," Luco said. "That's what we try to convey in our music."