Fans of the legendary saxophonist Sonny Rollins and British jazz drummer Bill Bruford, should enjoy the sounds of the Wilbur Rehmann Quartet: Special Edition, performing Sunday, May 14th at the Rasselas Jazz Club on Fillmore. An accomplished alto, tenor and soprano saxophonist, Wilbur Rehmann is considered one of the "elder statesmen of jazz" in his native Montana, and for his debut SF performance, he will be joined by pianist, composer Peter Fox, bassist Mike Shea, and E. "Doc" Smith, on "acoustic, electronic, and chordal drums". Fresh from his tour of Italy, Rehmann and his "Special Edition" quartet will be performing some of the music made famous by Rollins, John Coltrane, Thelonius Monk, Miles Davis, Horace Silver, Antonio Carlos Jobim, as well as Bruford's Earthworks. A frequent visitor to the Bay Area, Rehmann's debut has been a long time coming, and will hopefully be the first of many, many more.Rehmann, grew up in Burlington, Iowa listening to the last of the traveling big bands in the late forties and early fifties. As a teenager, he got interested in bebop and wanted to know not only why they played like that, but how. Now he knows, and he plays it on the alto, soprano and tenor saxophones. In 1954 he began playing the saxophone in public school and started his first group, "The Reformers Combo," in high school. An admirer of many great saxophone players from Charlie Parker to Stan Getz, he has been particularly inspired by the mentoring and music of Sonny Rollins. Rehmann's trademark sound is uniquely his own, and watching and listening to him play is a joy. His regular quartet in Montana, featuring legendary guitarist Blackie Nelson, his son, the "disgustingly talented" Ken Nelson on bass and keyboards, and the remarkable Dennis Unsworth on drums, have delighted "Big Sky" audiences for years.
The group's two albums, Back Home Jazz (1996), and Mann Gulch Suite, (1999) have an underlying message unique to jazz, (or any other genre to be fair); protecting the environment. Rehmann's concern for a clean and healthful environment, and his desire for everyone to be made aware of the effects of pollution and global warming, are clearly a motivating, if not inspiration force in his music, and a passion shared by many of Rehmann's friends and colleagues, including the legendary saxophonist Sonny Rollins. Rehmann's delightful cover of Horace Silver's "Nica's Dream", is another fine example of his spacious, airy sound of "Big Sky" jazz, free to roam and soar, swoop and swing. "Rehmann and his Quartet," wrote Mike Clark of the Great Yellowstone Coalition, "have brought to us a sense of joy, wonder and solitude with their original jazz interpretations, which explore the interior landscapes of the American West and the meaning of wilderness". Rehmann's "Going Down the Gulch" is but one of many fine examples of that style, and embodies a true "Big Sky Jazz" sound.
The "Special Edition" Quartet
Pianist Peter Fox is an award winning composer and performer with music in his blood. (His great-uncle, Joe Young, was a prolific Tin Pan Alley songwriter). Fox began piano study at age 7. Growing up in Texas, he was deeply influenced by the state's rich musical culture of blues, country, swing, and jazz. As a musician, Fox is at home in any context from solo piano to concert band. He has played and arranged for rock, folk, soul and funk bands and led his own jazz quartet. As a composer, he has written scores for films, television and theatre, including music for the Emmy award-winning show "The Amazing Race" for CBS. As a songwriter, he has written songs for and with many artists, including Bird York, who was a 2006 Oscar nominee for best song. As a producer and arranger, Peter has worked on album projects for many critically acclaimed artists (like Rachel Yamagata and Tom Freund).
His CD, "Americana Motel", was one of the "Top 10 Releases of 2001" according to the Wall Street Journal. He is the creator of Eco-Rock, an animated musical series for kids that is currently in development. Current and recently completed projects include scoring the independent film "Red is the Color Of", scoring a documentary for the Inter-American Development Bank, writing songs for Cordless Records artist Aya Peard, writing and producing a CD with Finnish actress and singer Irina Bjorklund, and doing the score for "Knight to F4", a new comedy by the Burnett brothers.
Bassist Mike Shea, is also an accomplished musician on both electric and acoustic basses. His unique talents have been much sought after in the world of both jazz and Hip-Hop, where he continues to perform and tour with groups such as the Subterraneanz, Nyambezi, and the popular East Bay group, Triple Ave.
E. "Doc" Smith has performed and recorded with a wide array of artists in both jazz, rock and world music, including Howard Levy, Paul McCandless, Ron Holloway, Paul Bollenback, Brian Eno, Bon Lozago, Ed Howard, Gladys Knight, John Mayall, Jimmy Cliff, Bill Bruford's Earthworks, Paul Wertico, Jack DeJohnette, and many more. His work with Brian Eno and the group the Same, featuring now famed composer Carter Burwell, and Stephen Bray, led him to join Bray and his platinum selling work with the pop singer Madonna. Smith worked with Bray and Madonna for several years, and on many of her greatest albums, including Desperately Seeking Susan, True Blue, Who's that Girl?, Express Yourself, and Pre-Madonna-The New York Years.
Smith's twenty plus years of percussion work, also led to the creation of his one-of-a-kind and critically acclaimed instrument, the "Drummstick". His tours with the group Between the Lines, allowed him to open for acts as diverse as the Neville Brothers, 10,000 Maniacs, and The Violent Femmes. His invention has also led to performances with some truly great musicians from around the globe, including the Indian phenom, Sandip Burman, and perfecting his technique with Roy "Futureman" Wooten, of Bela Fleck and the Flecktones. For the Wilbur Rehmann Quartet, he has returned to his first love, the drum kit. "When Rehmann and I played last January, I was using the Drummstick, my guitar-like instrument, however for this performance, I've decided to use a hybrid drum kit, with an acoustic-electronic, symmetrical set-up, not unlike one used by my mentor, drummer Bill Bruford."
After some gentle prodding from the great SF saxophonist Charles Unger, and many spirited discussions with Rehmann over the years, Smith soon hit upon the idea of a performance, and the Special Edition was born. "This is a real treat for me personally, to play with an all-time great like Rehmann, and I hope for everyone who comes to Rasselas to see it."
The Wilbur Rehmann Quartet: Special Edition
Rasselas Jazz Club, 1534 Fillmore
Sunday, May 14th from 8:00 pm - 12:00 am
(Call 415-346-8696 for more info)
