The "jam" umbrella has seen jazz and funk get especially cozy under its shelter. That has occasionally produced soft-boiled hybrids, but this Charlotte act keeps both the integrity of its horn solos and the backbone of its rhythms. And it offers almost no way to dance along badly.
Audioform consists of?Travis Calvert?(tenor saxophone), Tony McCullough (alto saxophone), Joey Rayfield( trombone,),?Audi Jones?(drums), Joe Smalls (bass) Keith Whatley (guitar), and Antonio Diaz (percussion).
Audioform is the brainchild of multi-saxophonist Erick Payne. The band was formed out of several jam sessions with local jazz and funk musicians in Charlotte in 2004. Payne attended St. Andrews College with percussionist Antonio Diaz in the 80's, and performed with him in several projects including the acid-jazz band Blakrayn in the early 2000's. Audioform began rehearsing in 2004 and made their debut in Charlotte, performing at several venues and gaining a local fanbase during that time.
The band released a self-titled EP of four recordings in 2005, most notably was the groove Biomorphic Nameology. This single has served as the best-known single from Audioform. Audioform has toured constantly on the Southeast circuit of clubs and colleges. It has continued to attract interest for its attempts to fuse the many genres that have influenced its core members.
In early 2005 the band released a DVD of a live performance at the Visulite Theater in Charlotte.
During the summer of 2006, the band traveled for a West coast tour that included performing at the prestigious Fillmore Jazz Festival. A documentary of the band's performances and tour were filmed by Director Chris Ivey and will be released on DVD in 2008.
The band released Compositions -- its first full length album -- on January 6, 2007. A new album will be released in 2008.