Jafar Curry
Twenty-three-year-old Tampa R&B singer-songwriter Curry was a slave to his muse long before his solo EP hit the Bay area back in May; he´s been a vocal coach, instrumental instructor and volunteer for various musical programs for inner-city youth. Now Jafar´s applying that same tireless motivation to his own recording career, in the form of both a comprehensive, professional PR blitz and nonstop independent touring. His road schedule, which cleverly includes an endless series of intimate solo dates at Starbucks coffeehouses across the Southeast, could shame the most itinerant unsigned punk acts. And on top of his show schedule, he works radio stations enthusiastically, backing up well-written press releases with in-studio interviews and performances. 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.
www.jafarcurrymusic.com
This article appears in Sep 22-28, 2004.
