Just weeks after releasing a new, four-track EP, the Carolina Chocolate Drops announced that founding member and multi-instrumentalist Justin Robinson is departing the band to “take up new challenges.”
The Chocolate Drops announced the change at a show Feb. 2 in the Allen Room at New York’s Lincoln Center.
However that doesn’t mean Robinson’s relationship with the drops is going south after more than five years. He says fans can look forward to seeing him pop up on stage every once in a while.
“It is … time for me to take a separate road and though it is bittersweet, it is the best choice,” Robinson said. “While I won’t be touring with the band full-time, I may show up on stage once in a while.”
Speaking volumes to Robinson’s talents, the Drops have added two new musicians to fill the void left by his departure. Stepping in is human beatboxer Adam Matta and multi-instrumentalist Hubby Jenkins.
Matta is a vocal performance artist from New York City, who has performed with Bobby McFerrin at Carnegie Hall and House of Music in Moscow, as well as headlined the 2009 UK Human Beatbox Convention.
Meanwhile, Jenkins, also from NYC, fits the Chocolate Drops’ mold to a turn as he is best recognized for his authentic and soulful interpretations of traditional American music, specializing in early blues, old time, ballads and ragtime.
“It will be a great pleasure to begin to work with Hubby Jenkins and Adam Matta,” Drops co-founder Dom Flemons said. “I’ve known Hubby for several years through his connection to the New York roots music scene, while I met Adam during our collaboration with the Luminescent Orchestrii.”
Ensuring that the Drops’ spirit will remain, Flemons continued, “Folks can still expect great music from our group the same way a jazz band can change personnel without sacrificing the quality or the talent on stage.”
Chocolate Drops’ Rhiannon Giddens echoes Flemons sentiments, saying, “All three of us are confident that the spirit of the Carolina Chocolate Drops will continue with Hubby and Adam, and the welcome remains for Justin whenever he should come a-visiting.”
Those who frequent live shows in the Triangle know that Robinson has his hand in many different projects — most recently Justin Robinson & The Mary Annettes and Birds or Monsters — so locals should look forward to hearing more from him soon.
As far as the Drops go, the band released its new EP in January through Nonesuch and is hitting the road later this month for a tour that will have them performing in Greensboro March 12 and at the North Carolina Museum of Art in Raleigh on Aug. 27.
The EP is a collaboration with the New York City-based Romanian gypsy punk band Luminescent Orchestrii; it was co-produced by Lumiis sound engineer Joseph “Bass” DeJarnette with the Carolina Chocolate Drops and Luminescent Orchestrii.
Carolina Chocolate Drops’ 2010 album Genuine Negro Jig is nominated for a Grammy in the category of Best Traditional Folk Album. The Grammys will take place in Los Angeles at Staples Center on Sunday, Feb. 13.
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