Jafar

"Often, the most insistent and slickly presented acts turn out to be using marketing smarts to compensate for, you know, sucking. But Jafar seems to be bringing the whole package -- industry knowledge, a marketable sound, the will to work it till the wheels come off, and an enviable amount of talent -- to bear. Local artists bent on becoming more than weekend warriors (not that there´s anything wrong with that, either) could take a cue or two from this guy." - Tampa's Best of the Bay 2004 Edition "It's Curry's expressively liquid, high-register vocals that elevate this stuff well above the mundane -- I bet one of his solo guitar-and-voice shows would be every bit as satisfying as these full-spectrum versions. Nicely done." (Scott Harrell) - Weekly Planet "Before electronic music, before analog recordings, before MTV and BET, there was music. Music existed before the creation of Earth and long before there was light. God called it into being long before He made it apart of human beings." (Jafar Curry) 24 year-old vocalist, pianist, and guitarist Jafar Curry exudes the essence of that which is musicianship. As a skilled songwriter and performer, Jafar draws from the soul of past generations of musicians like Babyface, Stevie Wonder, and Brian McKnight. Jafar has written songs for the popular "Jomama Show" which airs on Tampa Bay's WBTP 95.7 FM, and for the "Friday Night Soul Party" hosted by Steve Williams on WMNF 88.5 FM. Jafar's music can be heard throughout the Southeast on AM and FM stations, internet radio stations, and internationally as he currently receives airplay on Radio My'D in Canary Islands, Spain. His debut release "Jafar" has recorded CD sales in France, Japan, and the United Kingdom. Jafar's music career began at age 15, in Freeport, Bahamas, with a high school group called VOCAL. This was a group that patterned themselves after the Boyz II Men framework and developed intricate harmony - teaching Jafar a great deal about vocal music. VOCAL was a local success but could not yield the exposure desired by the individual members. In 1997, the group split after turning down a conflicting RCA recording contract and leaving Jafar on his way to Tampa, Florida, to finish high school and study music at the University of Tampa. In the beginning of Jafar's studies, it was all classics that led Jafar to yearn for musical freedom, but at the same time, gave him the extensive training he would need to write. Jafar studied classical voice, piano, and guitar for several years while writing and performing R&B and Jazz at local hot spots. While living in Tampa, Jafar picked up some local contacts that enabled him to record his works. Since his arrival on the American music scene, Jafar has put the bulk of his time and effort into making quality music. Scott Harrell of the Weekly Planet describes Jafar's music as "original and engaging", and also states "It is Curry's expressively liquid high register vocals that elevate his music far above the mundane." As a result of Jafar's hard work and local success, he was named "Best of the Bay" for 2004. During Jafar's residence in Tampa, he has also enjoyed being involved in the Tampa Bay community. Many credit Jafar with being a successful vocal coach for various local artists. He taught piano, voice, and guitar lessons for Youth Opportunity (Yo!), Tampa Music Academy, Dance Tree, and New Place Cultural Oasis. Because Jafar grew up as a talented inner-city youth who could not afford music lessons, he felt compelled to create and effectively manage his Novella School of Music outreach program for underprivileged children. Jafar has aspired to help others experience the positive impact of music. From heart-felt ballads to up-tempo soul sensations, Jafar has filtered his music into the national music scene. Since Jafar's talent was discovered by Albert Alexander, Jafar Curry Music and New Generation Entertainment have strategically partnered together to reveal Jafar's unique music to the nation and the world.