The Menahan Street Band is a collaboration of ten musicians from Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings (Dave Guy, Homer Steinweiss, Fernando Velez, Bosco Mann), El Michels Affair (Leon Michels, Toby Pazner), Antibalas (Nick Movshon, Aaron Johnson) and The Budos Band (Mike Deller, Daniel Fodder), brought together by musician/producer Thomas Brenneck (Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings, Budos Band, Amy Winehouse).
Ashley was born in Schefferville, Quebec, Canada, in 1961. He emigrated to England in 1977, where he joined the regimental band of the Royal Scots. He served in the army for 6 1/2 years. After leaving, he worked in England and Europe as a session trombonist, working with, among others, Carla Bley, George Russell and Andy Sheppard. In the late 80s Slater released his first album on Antilles (Island) with the band Microgroove.
Oli Silk plays some nice mellow lines, somewhat like Bob James of Fourplay, although with more prominent orchestration. His melodies are very catchy and engaging. Although not strictly a minimalist he utilizes a sparse approach to make an excellent musical statement.
Nigel Kennedy (born December 28, 1956 in Brighton, England) is a violinist and violist. He was a pupil at the Yehudi Menuhin School, under Yehudi Menuhin himself, and later at the Juilliard School under Dorothy DeLay. Kennedy has done much a to popularise classical music, particularly among young people. He has also performed and recorded most of the major violin concerti. Kennedy expresses concern for the immediate appeal of live performance, and often records entire works or movements in single 'takes' to preserve this sense in his recordings.
Mèkurya began his musical studies on traditional Ethiopian instruments such as the krar and the messengo, and later moved on to the saxophone and the clarinet. Upon reaching adolescence, he began his career in 1949 as a part of the Municipality Band in Addis Ababa. In 1965 he joined the famous Police Orchestra. He was also one of the first musicians to play an instrumental version of the Ethiopian war chant "Shellela.