Founded in 2002, the multicultural collective has spent the last decade perfecting its signature sound: a percussive explosion of Soul, Jazz, African, Latin and Caribbean rhythms, driven by majestic horn-drenched melodies, all backed by an arsenal of dusty primitive keyboards.

The multicultural collective signed to London-based Strut Records, joining the likes of Ethio-Jazz pioneer Mulatu Astatke, Motown guitarist Dennis Coffey and Ghanaian highlife singer Ebo Taylor, to name a few.  The critically-acclaimed album Rising Sun went on to be nominated for the 2011 Juno Award (Canada’s equivalent to the Grammies).

While this is their first major US tour, The Souljazz Orchestra has performed in twenty different countries across the world, sharing marquees with the likes of Nigerian afrobeat superstar Femi Kuti, New York City’s top new soul artists Sharon Jones, Lee Fields and Charles Bradley, vibraphone legend Roy Ayers, Cameroonian saxophonist Manu Dibango, James Brown’s main man Maceo Parker, Benin’s all-time greatest stars L’Orchestre Poly-Rythmo de Cotonou and Angélique Kidjo, and many more.

The group is preparing for the release of a new record in the fall of 2012, a collection of heavy tropical cuts featuring many unlikely collaborations.  Fans can expect to hear some of this new material at upcoming live dates, as well as favorites from their latest releases.

2/15 – Providence, RI: Fête

2/16 – Boston, MA: Scullers Jazz Club

2/17 – Burlington, VT: Nectar’s – w/ Dr. Ruckus

2/18 – New York, NY: Webster Hall (The Studio) – w/ Zongo Junction

2/20 – Philadelphia, PA World Cafe Live – w/ Zongo Junction

2/21 – Washington, DC: Rock N Roll Hotel – w/ The Funk Ark

2/22 – Cleveland, OH: Grog Shop – w/ We The People and the Neil Chastain Trio

2/23 – Kalamazoo, MI: The Strutt

2/24 – Chicago, IL: Double Door – w/ The Right Now

2/25 – Minneapolis, MN: Triple Rock

For more, go here.