Eyedentity - País Da Maravilha (Wonderland) (2021)

Krishna Booker and Diana Purim began their journey together long before Eyedentity’s inception in 1997. They were born in New York, two years apart at the same hospital into a family of musical giants. On the heels of the free love movement, it was the end of an era and the beginning of a new and wonderful time for experimental art and music.

Diana began her musical career in 1972, touring with Chick Corea’s Original Return to Forever in the belly of her mother. She grew up on the road traveling the world like a gypsy with her parents, Brazilian Jazz pioneers Flora Purim and Airto Moreira.

Krishna is the son of renowned Jazz bassist, Walter Booker, nephew of Wayne Shorter and godson of Herbie Hancock. Credited by Herbie in his autobiography, “Possibilities” for introducing him to Hip Hop and the idea for his hit song “Rockit”, Krishna began his musical career beat-boxing for Herbie on the soundtrack of an early Denzel Washington TV movie called “Hard Lessons”.

The two childhood friends soon discovered in their teens that they shared a deep love of music in all its forms and a background in Jazz, Funk, Brazilian and Latin Fusion. Together, they stretched the boundaries of Hip Hop by injecting it with elements of their multicultural musical influences.

Eyedetity’s eclectic sound began to take on a more solid direction with the duo’s 2018 release, Many Bodies, One Mind. This album celebrates esteemed guest performances by Herbie Hancock, the late George Duke, Airto Moreira, Justo Almario, Miguel Atwood Ferguson and Carlinhos Pandeiro De Ouro, just to name a few.

“This is Brazilian Jazz for a new generation… It’s a brilliant display of the bi-cultural nature of this flawless album.” – NPR Alt. Latino

“Both demonstrated an adeptness with their respective crafts that justified their spots onstage even without considering their histories...Though the two could have easily stolen the show and left their bandmates without recognition, they left ample room for their group’s other members to exhibit their instrumental prowess, which each did with gusto.” - Daily Californian

The couple have toured the world playing at numerous clubs and festivals such as Ronnie Scott’s Jazz Club in London, SESC Pinheiros Theater in São Paulo, Brazil and the SFJazz Festival in San Francisco, collaborating with many musical legends like the ones listed above. They have also had the privilege of working live and in the studio with many others such as Sergio Mendes, Flora Purim, Wah Wah Watson, José Neto, Babatunji Olatunji, Alphonso Johnson, The Grateful Dead, The Preservation Hall Jazz Band, and the list goes on.

Krishna and Diana have kept themselves busy during this pandemic shut down with monthly Zoom concerts featuring special guests such as Alphonso Johnson, classes and workshops, writing and producing tracks for Flora Purim’s first album in almost 20 years, and with a brand new album of their own dropping November 12th, 2021 through their new label, Ropeadope.

The album entitled, “País Da Maravilha/Wonderland”, has a unique sound boasting heavy use of rhythm paired with strong, vulnerable yet cathartic lyrical content and a perfect bi-lingual blend of the two main cultures they grew up with. It speaks candidly and authentically to the challenges of the internal human condition as we forge a new world in the face of a global pandemic. They strive for the Brazilianization of American music and the Americanization of Brazilian music, tapping into modern, urban as well as traditional and cultural elements. This calculated integration of dualities is a deliberate movement toward a more unified understanding of one another, of nature, of humanity and of a grander universal scheme.

"I say bravo! The sound of Diana Purim's voice is a welcome addition to the world of music, as well as the vocal punctuation of Krishna Booker's percussive embellishments." – Wayne Shorter

01 - Eyedentity - Wayne's Message #1 (0:13)
02 - Eyedentity - País Da Maravilha (Wonderland) (4:19)
03 - Eyedentity - The Happy People/O Anatélio (4:49)
04 - Eyedentity - 700 Years (4:47)
05 - Eyedentity - Naw (4:36)
06 - Eyedentity - É Tudo De Bom (4:24)
07 - Eyedentity - Yes I Will (4:00)
08 - Eyedentity - Reconnect (5:22)
09 - Eyedentity - Something Better (5:37)
10 - Eyedentity - Lua Cheia (5:11)
11 - Eyedentity - Wayne's Message #2 (0:08)
12 - Eyedentity - Tudo Em Mim (4:13)