Bass Guitarist Lance Vantile Whitfield to Release New Single “All Night!” on Feb. 21st, 2025 | LISTEN!

Lance Vantile Whitfield to Release New Single “All Night!” on Feb. 21st

In 1983, Lionel Richie had the world moving to the infectious beat of his Caribbean-influ- enced anthem, “All Night Long.” Fast forward some four decades later, and Lance Vantile Whitfield, an exciting Los Angeles- based bass guitarist, has updated the concept with the equally addictive hard-driving joy of “All Night,” the debut single from his second album, FreeLance.

“It’s Jazz Funk,” he says, “groovalistic bass-guitar stylings that are actually the lead voice of the music album designed to ex- cite, ignite, and delight the senses.” Indeed, Whitfield has expanded the boundaries of Smooth Jazz by fusing iconic Funk styles with a twist of R&B and Nu Soul to create a sound that is uniquely his own.

Whitfield co-wrote and co-produced all of the cuts on FreeLance, many with his longtime partner and friend since junior high school, DeYon Dobson. The Dobson Collaborations include “Ain’t No Way,” “Flowers,” “Happy,” “Heart and Soul,” “Hot Jam,” “Love Supreme,” “Twilight,” “The Luv I Give” (Part 1), and “Without You.” The other cuts are “All Night!, ”How We Do,” “Never Alone,” and “Run Back.”

Individually and as an aural suite, the music showcases the spectrum of Whitfield’s stylistic influences that come together to provide an enjoyable, immersive listening experience.

From his first album, UnBossed, to the second FreeLance (both co-produced by Dobson), the titles reflect his full embrace of freedom from the constraints of the record industry’s more genre-specific approach. Showcasing his artistic talent, Lance designed both striking album covers. The choice of a favorite childhood photo for the FreeLance cover, he explains, symbolizes the freedom he has now recaptured as an indie artist.

Pursuing a creative path is part of Whit- field’s legacy. He is the son of Barbara Grant and Vantile Whitfield, known as the “Dean of Black Theatre,” who mentored successful actors of color from Los Angeles to Wash- ington, DC. Growing up around his father’s high-profile theatrical activities was very stimulating, he recalls, but music called when Lance was 13. He received a bass guitar from his uncle as a Christmas gift and his cousin had also acquired a guitar. To- gether, the youngsters worked on perform- ing chops by pretending to be The Brothers Johnson, a popular L.A. duo of the day.

This was the beginning of Lance’s many musical forays playing his bass with garage bands and fellow students at Fairfax High School (Fax-City), where he and Dobson attended, as well as Hillel Slovak, Michael Balzary (“Flea”), Jack Irons and Alain Johannes, members of the band Anthym, which later became the Red-Hot Chili Peppers. ”Hillel was very talented and cool,” Whitfield remembers. “He took the time to introduce me to different styles and more advanced chord structures on the guitar that really opened up my musical thinking.”

After high school, he played with the band O-ACE, a finalist in the K-ACE Concert in the Park series, alongside Kipper Jones, Tease, and Klymaxx. He went on to join Bobby Womack’s nephews in the Funk groups Spoiled Brat and Rhythmic Thrust.

In the 90s, Lance and DeYon partnered to create songs with Sue Ann Carwell, Prince’s first protégée, for DeBaddi Productions. They also produced tracks for Will Wheaton, Charlie Wilson, and The Gap Band, as well as remixes for various artists, including Shabba Ranks and Patra. While he was working on his music projects, Lance was also develop- ing an industry-wide reputation as a skilled graphic designer.

Lance Vantile Whitfield has triumphantly resumed his music career with a body of work that should have worldwide audiences grooving “All Night”…and beyond.
By Hedi Butler

The single, ”All Night featuring C.Hogan” is available on all digital platforms February 21st from the up and coming album, ”FreeLance.”

You can pre-save the single now by clicking HERE.

Social Media:
https://www.facebook.com/lance.whitfield
https://instagram.com/lancevwhitfield
https://twitter.com/lvw

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