Laree App has lived most of his life within earshot of the Atlantic surf, and this coastal lifestyle seems perfect for his love of things both from the Mainland and the Islands. During his long career he’s developed a unique tropical sound, growing out of his DC roots in jazz-rock and Latin music to encompass his long-standing love affair with Reggae, Calypso, Zouk, and Steelpan musics. He was co-founder and lead singer with the groundbreaking Caribbean-fusion group Windjammer in the 80s and has continued to expand musically in that tradition through both his solo and band performances.

Laree began his career primarily as a guitarist, shifting to bass and lead vocals in his early 20s. In addition to decades of gigging (literally thousands of gigs) in all settings, he earned degrees in Jazz Sudies (B.M. guitar) and ethnomusicology (M.M.African-Caribbean Diaspora), so he’s a completely well-rounded musician/arranger/composer. He began playing and studying the steelpan in the 90s and has developed into quite the soloist in his own right.

Laree’s solo performances feature him on guitar, pan, and vocals with his own custom backing sounds, but he also performs in every configuration from duo to sextet. With a repertoire of over 500 songs, Laree covers a lot of musical ground with tunes from every major Caribbean genre as well as material from jazz, funk, pop, and R&B styles. Additionally, his playlist covers classics like Bob Marley, Lord Kitchener, and Santana to more contemporary sounds like Jack Johnson, Zac Brown, and Michael Franti. And don’t be surprised to hear a little Michael Jackson or George Benson in the mix.

After such a long, prolific career it would be impossible to list all Laree’s credits here, but suffice to say he’s covered it all from the big concert stage to exclusive resorts and intimate club settings. He’s been a top-rated staff performer for Bahama Breeze restaurants for 19 years (playing at over 10 locations). In addition, he’s had a long-standing relationship with Sea Island Resorts (GA), Amelia Island Plantation (now Omni) and The Sawgrass Marriott. He’s recorded and produced ten albums of mostly original music and taught music at the college level.