Page 13 - Florida Sentinel 4-13-18

FLORIDA SENTINEL
FRIDAY, APRIL 13, 2018
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College Friends Form Unique Musical Group: Sons Of Serendip
Sons Of Serendip, Kendall Ramseur playing cello, Cordaro Rodriguez on piano and guitar, Micah Christian on vocals, and Mason Morton on the harp.
BY KENYA WOODARD Sentinel Feature Writer
If you’re a fan of ‘America’s Got Talent’, then you’re already familiar with Sons of Serendip, the all-man quartet that finished fourth in the show’s 2014 competition.
For the uninitiated, here’s the deal: childhood and college friends, Kendall Ramseur, Cordaro Rod- riguez, Mason Morton, and Micah Christian formed their group while studying at Boston University, decided to make it official when they audi- tioned for the show, have released three albums, are working on another, and currently are on tour.
The latter brings them to the Straz Center’s Ferguson Hall on Thursday (tonight), where they’ll perform their special blend of soul, jazz, and classical music.
“We do something that’s a mix of a lot of different styles,” said Christian in a recent telephone interview with the Sentinel. “We have a lot of differ- ent influences.”
The above was apparent during the group’s appearance on America’s Got Talent, where the men sang tunes from Bonnie Raitt, Chris Issac, and Swedish House Mafia.
It’s also evident in their covers of popular songs like Stevie Wonder’s “Signed, Sealed, Delivered” and Kate Bush’s “This Woman’s Work.”
Try to put the Sons of Serendip into a box and you’ll be disappointed, Christian said.
“(The group’s sound) is something
that’s unique,” he said. “It’s classical, but not classical. There’s some R&B and elements of pop. We’re playing from our hearts. We’re not trying to be anything.”
Rodriguez concurred, saying the group has had to battle against other’s expectations of the type of music it should play and record.
“It’s not anything we planned,” he said in a separate phone interview. “Our sound’s just naturally evolved. People are always a little surprised by what we do.”
The group’s embrace of a variety of genres may seem a tad hodge-podge but that’s how it came into formation.
The group’s name is taken from how the members came together – serendipity. In 2009, Christian was studying for a master’s in divinity when he met Rodriguez, who was studying law. The two discovered they shared a love of music and a friendship bloomed. The following year, Ram- seur arrived at Boston University and was reunited with Rodriguez, his childhood friend. Morton rounded out the group after moving in as Ram- seur’s roommate at Boston, where both were studying music perform- ance.
Once the mutual affection for music was revealed among them, the men began performing together: Christian on vocals, Rodriguez on piano and guitar, Ramseur playing cello, and Morton on the harp.
“It was an instantaneous connec- tion,” Christian said. “At the core there’s this synergy in the group.”
The men have held tight to that
spirit of collaboration through na- tional tours, recording of two standard LPs – Sons of Serendip and Love + Life, a holiday album – Christmas: Beyond the Lights, and a yet-untitled new CD that’s expected to be released next year.
While the group is well-known for its covers, listeners can expect to hear much more of the group’s own thoughts and experiences on the up- coming album, Christian said.
“It’s going to have a lot of original material,” he said. “It’s not just taking popular music and rearranging it. You’ll hear our words and melodies.”
But mastering covering offers its challenges as well, Christian said.
“We had to use our creativity with music that was already established,” he said. “We had to think creatively about how to make each song fresh so people are hearing it for the first time.”
Recording the new album was fun thanks to everyone coming to the table with great songs and ideas, Christian said.
“The challenge was cutting down to the songs we wanted to use,” he said.
“At the core of the group is friendship. We know how to share ideas, we now how to critique. That helps it to be an easier process.”
Rodriguez concurred, adding that some song topics on the new album include heartbreak and loss and love for family.
“The arrangements form rather quickly,” he said. “We can have an arrangement sketched out in an hour.”
The group is fitting in recording sessions while making appearances around the country. If you attend Thursday’s show, be prepared for a special treat, Christian said.
“We try to create an experience in the show,” he said. “We do storytelling throughout. That’s really our aim, to connect with every audience.”
If You Go
See Sons of Serendip at Thursday, April 12, 7:30 p.m. at the Straz Center for Performing Arts, 1010 N. W.C. MacInnes Place, in Tampa. Tickets start at $25. For more information, visit www.strazcenter.org.