Kafele, trumpeter, composer and producer, has been playing the trumpet for over

20 years. The name Kafele (pronounced kuh-FAY-lay) is of African origin, and

means “worth dying for”. Born in Baltimore, Maryland and raised in Baton Rouge,

Louisiana, Kafele was first exposed to jazz by his parents. In fact, he attributes his

love and appreciation for jazz to his father who often listened to recordings of John

Coltrane, Freddie Hubbard and Miles Davis among others. Later, his brothers and

sisters introduced him to Hip-Hop and R&B. Later, after becoming a Chicago

resident for about 10 years, Kafele was inundated with lively, upbeat house, afrobeat,

and other types of dance music. This musically enriched background

provided the influences that helped cultivate his unique sound. While attending

Southern University in Baton Rouge, he studied Jazz Music Theory under the

leadership of world-renowned jazz artist and educator, Alvin Batiste. During this

time, Kafele was establishing a reputation by performing at various venues in

Louisiana, Georgia, Texas and Alabama. He collaborated with a group of talented

musicians to form The Kafele Bandele Group. This group frequently performed at

M's Fine and Mellow Café in Baton Rouge. He also appeared at the Baton Rouge

Blues Festival, House of Blues in New Orleans and the internationally acclaimed

New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival. After earning a degree in Physics from

Southern University, Kafele moved to Chicago with plans to expand and elevate

his musical career. In 2003, Kafele officially launched K. Kapano Records, Inc. in

which he plans to elevate his own musical career, produce other talented artists,

and perpetuate the appreciation of jazz-fusion. Already, he has released 3 albums,

including his debut CD entitled "Prodigal Moon". His 2nd and 3rd albums are

entitled "Acid Reign" and "New Orleans Sessions" respectively. In addition, Kafele

has successfully penetrated the Chicago music scene and has performed in

Baltimore, New York, Dallas, Detroit, Philadelphia, San Francisco, Washington

D.C. and Miami and has been featured on various college and commercial radio

stations. He has also had the opportunity to perform internationally in

Johannesburg, Toronto, Singapore, Paris, and Indonesia. More recently, Kafele

has been expanding into other genres, and working with a number of international

producers and record labels. His horn arrangements can be heard on Music

Soulchild's latest CD on a song called "Dowehaveto". Kafele has also released

several singles which which have been responsible for expanding his reach. Most

notably, He released a song entitled "Complicated" on GoGo Records with Ralf

Gum (Germany). His latet single, "Beliving", has been released by UPZ (AKA Avi

Elman) of So What Records (Israel) and is doing well in South Africa with the help

of the newly released music video for the song. Kafele is a musical visionary who

believes that there is a difference between music produced for the sole purpose of

making money and music created as an expression of one's inner self. He hopes

that listeners will recognize this difference in his music. In his own words, "Music is

a true reflection of the heart and soul."