RobBankswithLeon

RobBankswithLeon is a trio that blends sounds of bossa, chanson, klezmer, and forró in a mix of styles that could only be made in NYC. Songs about cool aunties, lost keys, random moments of introspection, and sex mix with improbable sambas and waltzes. Its members play, travel, and record with such global artists from Brazil, France, New Zealand and other places, having worked with Burnt Sugar Arkestra, Shriekback, Crocodiles, Nits, CharlElie Couture, James Blood Ulmer (rip), and Vernon Reid. Rob Gaulke grew up with the music of his classical musician father and the culture of his Iranian mother. He spent his youth embracing hyphens and his adulthood soaking in global music. He has released a few dozen albums as “Bob Gaulke” and continues to play in various configurations around the city. Shawn Banks is a freelance percussionist currently living and teaching in Brooklyn, New York. He started performing with not only African Dance troupes, but began playing percussion for rock bands, poets, jazz groups, and theater performances. Without being obtrusive, he developed a feel for using the various percussion instruments to enhance and ornament any given work with rhythms and sounds. Leon Gruenbaum was trained classically on piano and clarinet, but soon got into other forms of music- jazz, rock, funk, electronic. His songs range from sentimental to quirky and include his keyboard invention, the Samchillian bandcamp: robbankswleon.bandcamp.com