Biography
Percussionist Barklie "Clay" Henry, whose earlier work included stints with Pulsation and Barefoot, assembled the jazz ensemble Dark Chocolate. His intention centered on convening skilled players drawn from varied musical backgrounds for sessions at his Big Sur, California residence, with the explicit aim of capturing those collaborations on record. Megawave Records issued the debut effort, Island Gypsy, on May 6, 2008; the lineup featured Henry alongside Kim Stone (of Spyro Gyra and the Rippingtons) handling bass and baha sexto, Joseph Lucido on guitar and guitar synth, Aaron Stone covering drums, percussion, marimba, and piano, Alan Steinberger at the piano, Ronnie Ray Padilla contributing flute, piano, guitar, and percussion, and Nico Georis on piano, supplemented by guests Jayson Fann on steel drums, congas, and percussion, Brock Bradford on dumbeki and talking drum, Nura Stone on cello, and Jaqui Hope supplying vocals. The follow-up project, Unwrapped, appeared on September 8, 2009 and retained Henry, Kim Stone, Lucido, Aaron Stone, Georis, and Bradford while adding John Nava on percussion, Mike Shannon on traps, Webber Iago on keyboards, and Xocoyotzin Moraza on Veracruz harp, plus guest vocal appearances by Alicia Sheek and Jane Blikert.
Albums
Singles
