As strong as the Latin rhythms are in Airborne’s music, Gregory says that R&B also has a prominent place. Thomas agrees, “Like Gregory said, we always have been fans of R&B, going back to Motown. Donte Hall sung with us (as well as) Elizabeth Dellinger, who is a talented singer. That allowed us to cross over to non-jazz lovers. Her (Dellinger’s) voice blends in with the instruments, and we us her voice as another instrument.”  Dellinger provides a beautiful interpretation of Gregory’s “What About Love,” and Thomas’ “Can’t Fight Love.” 

Turbulence had been out barely a month, at the time of my conversation with the Borino brothers, but they were already receiving positive reviews and heavy demand for their music, from places as far flung as the United Kingdom and Australia. On the home front, college radio stations have been burning up the airwaves with cuts from Turbulence, and in particular the first single to be released, “Smooth Sailing.” In part, they attribute the positive response to Airborne’s ability to be genre busters.

“We cross over a lot of different formats, and like Gregory was saying, we have an edge. We don’t play it safe. A lot of artists try to work with a mellow formula that (fits a) smooth jazz format (noting that he is not dissing smooth jazz artists). On our CD, we do a lot of variations. We play a big band swing tune, a contemporary piece that is a tribute to the American Indians and an African piece,” says Thomas. 

Thomas says, “We named it (the CD) Turbulence, because there is a lot of confusion in the world, and because it is wartime. Our music is not going to be a solution, but maybe it can be a wakeup call for peace. We have tried to convey that through our music. It is not an answer, but we hope it is something that wakes people up. The world needs a little bit of global unity. We tried to give our music a soothing feel.”

At the same time, Gregory wants to make sure that the listening public clearly understands how Airborne perceives their role, and what their music is trying to accomplish. “We are first and foremost musicians, not politicians, but we are also smart, educated and humanitarian people. If in some way, we can bring a little change that is fine. We are not hard, revolutionary type of musicians. We are not the Bob Dylans or Joan Baezs of the sixties.

Thomas adds, “We try to keep the politics out of the music and make it a message of love.”

Today, Thomas and Gregory Borino still enjoy listening to the music of musicians who originally inspired them. For Gregory, who plays both electric and acoustic guitars he was first attracted to the music of guitarists who are now considered to be icons, people like Carlos Santana, Pat Metheny, Larry Carlton and Lee Ritenour. Thomas lists pianist / composer Chick Corea as a major influence, referring to his compositions as “amazing,” and to Corea as “a legend.” He has also been inspired by the music of Herbie Hancock and George Duke.

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 October 2007