"... these cats are cutting their own groove, shaking the walls and earning their place among the torchbearers of New Orleans funk."   Marc Stone - 90.7 WWOZ & Offbeat 

Built upon the funky foundation of New Orleans, Soul Project NOLA bring their own voices to the mix of Funk, Blues, Gospel, Jazz, and Groove that the Crescent City continually produces. Bandleader, guitarist and vocalist Jon Cristian Duque, protege of the late great Walter “Wolfman” Washington, has led the band for over two decades. The core rhythm section of Duque, Maureau and Joseph is a tight and funky unit that provides the infectious grooves and precision arrangements for which the band is known.  Augmented by some of the best musicians in the city, the band has toured coast to coast in the United States and has traveled as far as Northern Europe to play clubs and festivals.

The Soul Project NOLA

Jon Cristian Duque

Guitar/Vocals

Born in Chuquicamata, Chile and raised on the Jersey Shore, Jon Cristian Duque has called New Orleans home since moving there on New Years Day 2000. A veteran of the Frenchmen St scene and protege of the legendary Walter "Wolfman" Washington, he has made it his mission to add to and continue the traditions learned from being a member of Walter's band, The Roadmasters, and through the many iterations of his own band The Soul Project.  

Since arriving in town he has performed and/or shared stages with the likes of Leo Nocentelli, Irma Thomas, Ivan Neville, The Dirty Dozen, Mem Shannon, Deacon John, Jon Cleary, Russel Batiste, SeraBee, The Ricci Krown Trio, and Jack Daley (Lenny Kravitz/Spin Doctors/Stevie VanZandt) among others.

Wanda Joseph

Bass/Vocals

New Orleans native and recent Grammy recipient, Wanda Joseph puts the true local roots in The Soul Project FUAS. Unlike most other children’s memories of their musical indoctrination, Joseph saw the real-deal New Orleans soul being created first hand as the daughter of drummer Vernell “Joe Gunn” Joseph. 
She grew up watching her father play with the royalty of New Orleans’ soul in their heyday—Irma Thomas, Ernie K-Doe and Tommy Ridgly, among others.  
    Her own inspirations came from “everything from the ‘70s,” she says, with ‘70s and ’80s funk becoming her top favorites. 
   

Wayne Maureau

Drums

Born and raised in New Orleans, Drummer Wayne Maureau has been a member of the local music scene for over 30 years. Known for his versatility, he is called upon to back artists, both local and international, in any genre of music. During his career he has performed at clubs and festivals around the world and been featured on numerous recordings. Recently he is best known for his 14 year membership in the Roadmasters with the late Blues, R&B and Funk legend Walter “Wolfman” Washington. Currently he tours and records with Mia Borders, Soul Project, and various jazz, Latin and funk groups in the Crescent City. As a band leader Wayne has released four recordings of his original compositions and unique arrangements. His current quartet performs Wayne’s original compositions which blend New Orleans influenced funky jazz and Caribbean flavored grooves. With over 25 years teaching experience Wayne serves as adjunct faculty percussion instructor at Loyola University in New Orleans. He is a member of the Faculty Jazz Ensemble and instructs the Loyola Latin Jazz Ensemble. He has given clinics and master classes throughout the United States and published “The Multi-Stylist drummer”, a method book detailing his approach to the drums. Wayne currently holds endorsements with Bosphorus Cymbals, Aquarian Drumheads and Fortune Drums.

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Mikey B3 Burkart

B3/Keys/vocals

A seasoned veteran of the New Orleans music scene, Burkart fuses the wide variety of his musical experiences into a unique, percussive keyboard style.  He incorporates tasteful effects to seamlessly merge the sounds of Hammond B3, Fender Rhodes, piano, synth, and clavinet into the band’s music.

Besides leading his own band, Mikey B3 has performed with members of the Radiators, Papa Mali, Tony Hall, The Wild Tchoupitoulas, and Sam Price, among many others.

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Eric Bernhart

Sax/Vocals

Eric Bernhardt is a Montana native and New Orleans based freelance saxophonist. His family moved to Boise, ID in 1990 where he graduated high school and began studying music at Boise State University. He left BSU after joining the Mosquitones, a frenetic ska band that toured the western US. In 2001, he moved to Denver, CO where he completed his undergraduate and masters degrees at the University of Denver in Jazz and Commercial Music Composition. He performed around Denver with several big bands, small jazz groups and R&B groups until he moved to New Orleans in 2011. Since then he has performed at Jazz Fest, French Quarter Fest, and was a soloist in Jump, Jive, and Wail: the Music of Louis Prima. He joined the Marcia Ball Band in 2014, and continues to work in New Orleans leading his original group, Noggin and a jazz group called the Four Sidemen of the Apocalypse. He also has an independent release, Bernie’s Blues, available on iTunes and Spotify.

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Jake Gold

Keyboards

Jake Gold grew up playing piano in Queens, NY, studying how to make the instrument bend at his will, learning from scary old Russians, neighbor's parents, and by playing along to the radio. He went to college in Connecticut to study jazz and world music, and upon leaving, found himself immersed in Boston's reggae scene, where he got to tour, perform, and record with some of modern reggae's biggest names. Tired of playing primarily one genre, Gold relocated to Vermont, where he joined a popular electro-rock-dance band and continued to perform with jazz and reggae outfits. After a decision to escape winter forever, he moved down to New Orleans in 2012, and hasn't looked back since. Over the past decade, he’s gained a reputation as a strong composer, arranger, and  sideman—in the studio and on the stage—playing with too many cover bands and original acts to list. He has appeared on over 40 releases, filling the roles of pianist/keyboards, drummer, bassist, producer, and engineer, and has recently released his first solo record, titled “Odes, Parts I & II.” 

 

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