Lucas High Company Profile
Over the past twenty years, Matt Fife and David Klawans have shared a special appreciation for creative works that were somehow overlooked. Their passion as consumers of film, television and music carried into their professional careers: Fife, as a commercial television director (House) and Klawans as an independent film producer (Argo, Nacho Libre). Music has especially had a tremendous influence on their work and their lives. In making their first record (LUCAS HIGH), Fife and Klawans are seeing a long-inspired “passion” idea come to full fruition. LUCAS HIGH honors the legacy of Doug Lucas, Klawans’ stepfather who composed a diverse volume of music while living in Belgium during the European jazz-funk period of the 70s. Using samples from original vinyl recordings released by Doug and his talented circle of bandmates, LUCAS HIGH introduces a concept sound of seasoned instrumentalists (Connie Price and the Keystones), including Doug’s own son, Zach,who was only 14 years old when Doug passed away from Leukemia. Enlisting the talents of Fife’s longtime friend, fellow record-enthusiast, and Connie Price band leader, Dan Ubick, LUCAS HIGH aims to create a record of new originals, all of which reflect a contemporary take of an original old school sound…the sound of Doug Lucas. As Klawans carefully negotiated the rights to the original master recordings, Fife and Ubick began work on Doug’s diverse musical legacy, crafting an electric sound that crosses over from jazz and funk to soul, disco, rock and afrobeat. Doug’s unrecognized genius brought incredible inspiration and the album is testament to Doug’s own diverse tastes and talents. LUCAS HIGH is a concept record that is ultimately a connection between past and present, and a musical conversation between a father and a son. A party record at its core, the album showcases an all-star roster of Hip Hop’s most prolific lyricists, including Talib Kweli, Big Daddy Kane, Brand Nubian, Imani and Brown of The Pharcyde, Brother J of X-Clan, Percee P., Guilty Simpson, Ta-Raach and Shakespeare from Legal Tender, and many more.
