the sure fire soul ensemble
The Sure Fire Soul Ensemble is a 9 piece, heavy Funk and Soul-Jazz band from San Diego, CA. Their influences are vast and include Hip Hop groups like Gang Starr and De La Soul, as well as Funk and Soul masters like Isaac Hayes, The Meters, and James Brown. Two of their last three studio LPs debuted in the top 15 on Billboard’s Contemporary Jazz Chart. Their music has been licensed to appear in videos for brands and companies such as New Balance Shoes, Fifth Third Bank, Land Yachts Skateboards and Independent Trucks. The Sure Fire Soul Ensemble's 5th studio album, Gemini, was released on March 28, 2025 via Colemine Records.
SFSE is equally at home in the studio as they are on the stage, where their original songs transform and take on new life through live performance. They have shared the stage with Kamasi Washington, Quantic, Lee Fields, Monophonics, Jungle Fire, The Family Stone, and most recently served as backing band for Hip Hop legend, Big Daddy Kane. SFSE has made numerous live appearances throughout California and Oregon including renown festivals such as The Joshua Tree Music Festival and Live Oak Music Festival in Central California. Members of SFSE did a 9 major US city tour w/ BDK in 2024.
SFSE is:
Tim Felten - organ and electric piano
Jesse Audelo - sax, flute, vocals
Jake Najor -drums
Kiko Cornejo Jr - percussion
Wili Fleming - trombone, vocals
Omar Lopez - bass
Travis Klein - sax, flute
Kyler Jakubowski - guitar
Sheryll Felten - percussion
