Urbanator

Urbanator was a jazz supergroup formed in 1994 by Michal Urbaniak (violin/saxophone) with Lenny White (drums), Al McDowell (bass), and Jon Dryden (keyboards). Urbanator are acknowledged as the first group to fuse jazz and hip-hop music. Michal Urbaniak - born in Warsaw, Poland on January 22, 1943 – was already an established musician when he formed Urbanator. Over the course of his career, he had played with many of jazz music’s most influential artists including Billy Cobham, Chick Corea, George Benson, Herbie Hancock, Joe Henderson, Quincy Jones, Ron Carter, Wayne Shorter, Weather Report, and many others. His recording career began in the late 1960s in Poland before he relocated to the United States in 1973. After many albums as a leader and session musician, Michal Urbaniak – who was known as a true musical innovator – had a desire to fuse both jazz music and hip hop, forming Urbanator in 1994. The group released their self-titled debut in 1994, followed by Urbanator II in 1996. After a break of nine years, they released Urbanator III in 2005.

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