Mazarati
Encyclopedia
Mazarati was an American
R&B band formed in the mid-1980s by former Prince
and The Revolution
bassist Brown Mark. Originally hailing from Minneapolis
, they are now defunct as a group. The band's sole hit was a song
called "100 MPH", which was written and co-produced by Prince.
" by Prince in demo
form. They transformed the brief bluesy track into a unique funk
number. After hearing their work on the demo, Prince took the song back, added a guitar break and his trademark falsetto
vocals and released the song on his Parade (1986), where it became a No. 1 hit single and Grammy Award
winner. Mazarati's background vocals are even kept intact and were credited on the album. Another song given to Mazarati was an out-take from The Time
called "Jerk Out
". Their take on the song never made the album, but the track was redone in 1990, once again with The Time who scored their biggest hit with the track, which reached number nine on the Billboard Hot 100. Mazarati's backing vocals were also kept on the released version. On July 1, 1986, the group performed "Player's Ball," "I Guess It's All Over," and "100 MPH" live at the premiere party of the movie Under the Cherry Moon
, held at the Centennial Theater of the Sheridan Convention Center - Holiday Inn, Sheridan, Wyoming (population 10,369). A few other live concerts took place that year.
releasing their second album , Mazarati 2 (1989) , including the singles "The Saga Of A Man" and "The Woman Thang". This project reflects the music of that era which was directing to the New Jack Swing
-genre. Brown Mark and former Klymaxx
-founding member Bernadette Cooper both worked as producers on this album. The project experienced little success, and since the distribution of the LP and CD seems to be limited in quantity and exclusively released as a promo in Canada (before it was withdrawn), these original copies are in demand by collectors.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
R&B band formed in the mid-1980s by former Prince
Prince (musician)
Prince Rogers Nelson , often known simply as Prince, is an American singer, songwriter, musician, and actor. Prince has produced ten platinum albums and thirty Top 40 singles during his career. Prince founded his own recording studio and label; writing, self-producing and playing most, or all, of...
and The Revolution
The Revolution (band)
The Revolution was an American rock band formed in Minneapolis, Minnesota in 1979 by Prince. Although widely associated with rock music, the band's sound incorporated heavy metal, pop, funk, R&B and hard rock elements. Before their official break-up, The Revolution had released one studio album,...
bassist Brown Mark. Originally hailing from Minneapolis
Minneapolis, Minnesota
Minneapolis , nicknamed "City of Lakes" and the "Mill City," is the county seat of Hennepin County, the largest city in the U.S. state of Minnesota, and the 48th largest in the United States...
, they are now defunct as a group. The band's sole hit was a song
Song
In music, a song is a composition for voice or voices, performed by singing.A song may be accompanied by musical instruments, or it may be unaccompanied, as in the case of a cappella songs...
called "100 MPH", which was written and co-produced by Prince.
Debut at Paisley Park
The band is notable for some of the songs that they did not release. They were originally given the song "KissKiss (song)
In 1988 Art of Noise released a cover of the song, featuring Tom Jones on vocals. The song became the band's biggest hit to that point, reaching number eighteen on the U.S. dance charts and number five on the UK Singles Chart, higher than the original in that country...
" by Prince in demo
Demo (music)
A demo version or demo of a song is one recorded for reference rather than for release. A demo is a way for a musician to approximate their ideas on tape or disc, and provide an example of those ideas to record labels, producers or other artists...
form. They transformed the brief bluesy track into a unique funk
Funk
Funk is a music genre that originated in the mid-late 1960s when African American musicians blended soul music, jazz and R&B into a rhythmic, danceable new form of music. Funk de-emphasizes melody and harmony and brings a strong rhythmic groove of electric bass and drums to the foreground...
number. After hearing their work on the demo, Prince took the song back, added a guitar break and his trademark falsetto
Falsetto
Falsetto is the vocal register occupying the frequency range just above the modal voice register and overlapping with it by approximately one octave. It is produced by the vibration of the ligamentous edges of the vocal folds, in whole or in part...
vocals and released the song on his Parade (1986), where it became a No. 1 hit single and Grammy Award
Grammy Award
A Grammy Award — or Grammy — is an accolade by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to recognize outstanding achievement in the music industry...
winner. Mazarati's background vocals are even kept intact and were credited on the album. Another song given to Mazarati was an out-take from The Time
The Time (band)
The Time is a funk and dance-pop ensemble formed in 1981. They are close Prince associates and arguably the most successful artists who have worked with him.-Prince, Formation and Success:...
called "Jerk Out
Jerk Out
"Jerk Out" is a song from The Time's 1990 album Pandemonium. The song was originally recorded in December 1981 by Prince at his home studio during sessions for What Time Is It?. Prince originally performed all instruments and vocals and this recording remains unreleased. Prince reworked the...
". Their take on the song never made the album, but the track was redone in 1990, once again with The Time who scored their biggest hit with the track, which reached number nine on the Billboard Hot 100. Mazarati's backing vocals were also kept on the released version. On July 1, 1986, the group performed "Player's Ball," "I Guess It's All Over," and "100 MPH" live at the premiere party of the movie Under the Cherry Moon
Under the Cherry Moon
Under the Cherry Moon is a 1986 film directed by and starring Prince as a gigolo named Christopher Tracy and Time member Jerome Benton as his partner, Tricky. Together, the pair swindle wealthy French women...
, held at the Centennial Theater of the Sheridan Convention Center - Holiday Inn, Sheridan, Wyoming (population 10,369). A few other live concerts took place that year.
After Paisley Park
The band continued after its association with Prince and signed with Motown RecordsMotown Records
Motown is a record label originally founded by Berry Gordy, Jr. and incorporated as Motown Record Corporation in Detroit, Michigan, United States, on April 14, 1960. The name, a portmanteau of motor and town, is also a nickname for Detroit...
releasing their second album , Mazarati 2 (1989) , including the singles "The Saga Of A Man" and "The Woman Thang". This project reflects the music of that era which was directing to the New Jack Swing
New jack swing
New jack swing or swingbeat is a fusion genre spearheaded by Teddy Riley and Bernard Belle which became extremely popular from the late-1980s into the mid-1990s. Its influence, along with hip-hop, seeped into pop culture and was the definitive sound of the inventive Black New York club scene...
-genre. Brown Mark and former Klymaxx
Klymaxx
Klymaxx is a female Pop/R&B band from Los Angeles, California.-Biography:Klymaxx was conceived and formed by Bernadette Cooper, who also chose the name. The dream of an all girl band became a quest she pursued after leaving college...
-founding member Bernadette Cooper both worked as producers on this album. The project experienced little success, and since the distribution of the LP and CD seems to be limited in quantity and exclusively released as a promo in Canada (before it was withdrawn), these original copies are in demand by collectors.
Reunion Concert
The Prince Family Reunion at the Cabooze was the venue where they reunited and performed again. The tickets were being sold for $2 and they dedicated Christian's house for rehearsals of their live performances.Mazarati Revisited
As of the summer of 2011, original members Craig "Screamer" Powel and Marvin Gunn have begun piecing together a new group based upon Mazarati's back catalogue with the hope to bring back the sound and soul of the original band, while still letting it evolve with the time. The duo have title the band "Mazarati Revisted". A debut show, tour and album are in the works.Albums
- Mazarati (1986), Paisley ParkPaisley Park RecordsPaisley Park Records was Prince's record label, associated with and funded in part by Warner Bros. Records. It was started in 1985, following the success of the film and album Purple Rain...
- Mazarati 2 (1989), MotownMotown RecordsMotown is a record label originally founded by Berry Gordy, Jr. and incorporated as Motown Record Corporation in Detroit, Michigan, United States, on April 14, 1960. The name, a portmanteau of motor and town, is also a nickname for Detroit...
( Canada )
Singles
- "Players' Ball" / "I Guess It's All Over" (1986), Paisley Park
- "100 MPH" / "Don't Leave Me Baby" (1986) #19 U.S. R&B , Paisley Park
- "Stroke" / "Champagne Saturday" (1986), Paisley Park
- "The Saga Of A Man" (1989), Motown
- "The Woman Thang" (1989), Motown