Chick Corea's Elektric Band Comes to Yoshi's

My first encounter with the enigmatic jazz pianist Chick Corea, came some thirty years ago with his now legendary group, Return to Forever. That incarnation featured future legends, bassist Stanley Clarke, drummer Lenny White and Bill Connors. If my mind wasn't already blown, it surely was after seeing the next RTF line-up, which featured the debut of a young guitarist named Al DiMeola. For three amazing nights in a row and a mere two blocks from my childhood home near the Carter Barron Amphitheater, I sat in awe of this groundbreaking new music that would ultimately become some of the very best of that bygone, jazz-fusion era.

Since that time, Corea has continued to amaze and astound; incredible solo albums; Grammy awards; his acoustic and electric line-ups; recent collaborations with the likes of banjo virtuoso Bela Fleck, and of course his "Elektric Band". This latest version adds Flecktone alumni, bassist Victor Wooten and continues their stand at Yoshi's tonight and tomorrow in Oakland.

Corea's Elektric Band, is one of the most critically acclaimed jazz fusion bands of the past two decades. Following the demise of Return to Forever, Corea established the musical ensemble in 1986. The Elektric Band was a little different in style compared to Return to Forever, in that it signified a move away from rock-oriented fusion into a more Post-bop style. Following a long hiatus, the band reunited to produce "To the Stars" in 2004.

The first Elektric Band album can be described as "jazz-rock", though it is much closer to traditional jazz than the jazz-rock albums of 1970s. The keyboard sounds on the album are typical for the mid-1980s. Weckl's electronic drums dominate the album's sound, with the guitar duties split between Scott Henderson and Carlos Rios. The second album, Light Years (1987) is more funk-oriented than its predecessor. Saxophonist Eric Marienthal joins the band and Frank Gambale replaces Henderson and Rios (who plays still on some tracks) to form what is considered the band's definitive lineup.

The third album, Eye of the Beholder, relies on softer sounds. Here Corea relies on acoustic piano, with synthesizers largely in the background. Gambale also plays acoustic guitar on some tracks, lending a Flamenco-influenced sound to pieces like "Eternal Child." The Elektric Band's fourth album, Inside Out (1991), features some compositions that fall in the post-bop rather than the fusion category. The four-part piece "Tale of Daring", which closes the album, relies on unconventional melodies and relatively free improvisation. But two other compositions, the title track and "Kicker," are more traditional fusion pieces.

Corea still uses mostly acoustic piano, but Gambale plays electric guitar throughout. The last album featuring the band's traditional lineup was Beneath the Mask (1991), a return to the electric jazz-funk of the second album. For the next album, Elektric Band II: Paint the World (1993), only Corea and Marienthal returned from the original lineup. The album's style can be described as modern jazz, crossing between post-bop and fusion. The original members reunited in 2004 for To the Stars (2004), which is stylistically close to the avant-garde and post-bop on Inside Out.

Considering the staggering volume of his recorded output over the past 40 years, it is no overstatement to call Chick Corea one of the most prolific composers of the second half of the 20th century. From avant-garde to bebop, from children’s songs to straight ahead, from hard-hitting fusion to heady forays into classical, Chick has touched an astonishing number of musical bases in his illustrious career while maintaining a standard of excellence that is simply uncanny. By reuniting his ground-breaking Elektric Band and adding the unbelievable Victor Wooten on bass, Corea truly continues to blaze trails through a new frontier of electrifying, creative music.

Chick Corea Electrik Band
With Eric Marienthal, Frank Gambale, Victor Wooten and Dave Weckl
Yoshi's Jack London Square, Oakland
Fri & Sat 8pm & 10pm $45

Taj Mahal Comes to Yoshi's on Fillmore

This Sunday night, I'll be enjoying my birthday dinner at the new Yoshi's on Fillmore, seeing one of the greatest musicians of al time, the incredible Taj Mahal and his Phantom Blues Band. Taj has been playing his own distinctive brand of music -- variously described as Afro-Caribbean blues, folk-world-blues, hula blues, folk-funk, and a host of other hyphenations -- for more than 40 years. Caribbean, Hawaiian, African, Latin, and Cuban sounds and rhythms mix with folk, jazz, zydeco, gospel, rock, pop, soul, and R&B, all layered on top of a solid country blues foundation.

What ties it all together is Taj's abiding interest in musical discovery, particularly in tracing many American musical forms back to their roots in Africa and Europe. Following his passion, Taj has spent time in the Caribbean, West Africa, Hawaii, Europe, the South Pacific, Australia, South America, and all over the continental U.S. His music reflects his global perspective, incorporating sounds from everywhere he's lived and traveled.

A self-taught musician, Taj plays more than 20 instruments, including the National Steel and Dobro guitars. His remarkable voice ranges from gruff and gravelly to smooth and sultry. Now with his own independent label, Kandu Records, Taj plans to help other musicians the way other independents have helped him. "I'll be working with some young contemporary people to get their work out there. I might like to produce some people in the not-so-distant future."

The Phantom Blues Band was formed as a studio band to backup Taj Mahal on his CD, 'Dancin' the Blues'. Having spent many years as part of the Texas blues community, the members of the Phantom Blues Band backed and recorded with many Texas blues greats including Stevie Ray Vaughan, Freddie King, Jimmy Reed, Albert Collins and Chicago legends Buddy Guy and Otis Rush. The Phantom Blues Band members are all in their own right successful session players, producers, arrangers, composers, songwriters and recording artists. After circling the globe playing major Blues and Jazz Festivals in Europe, Japan and Australia with Taj Mahal, The Phantom Blues Band released their first CD, 'Limited Edition' in 2003.

Taj credits much of his success to the freedom that independent record companies have given him later in his career. Too often, he says, big record companies try to put artists in a box musically. "There is a lot of music that people do not get to hear, and it's unfortunate. It's because of marketing and the fact that somebody [at the record company] says you won't like this. But the people who come hear me get to hear everything I know about."

Born Henry St. Claire Fredericks in Harlem on May 17, 1942, Taj grew up in Springfield, Massachusetts. His father, a jazz pianist/composer/arranger of Caribbean descent, and his mother, a gospel-singing schoolteacher from South Carolina, encouraged their children to respect and be proud of their roots. His father had an extensive record collection and a short-wave radio that brought sounds from near and far to Taj’s ears. His parents also started him on classical piano lessons, but after two weeks, he says, "it was already clear I had my own concept of how I wanted to play." The lessons stopped, but Taj didn't.

In addition to piano, the young musician learned to play the clarinet, trombone and harmonica, and he loved to sing. He discovered his step-father’s guitar and became serious about it in his early teens when Lynnwood Perry, an accomplished young guitarist from North Carolina, moved in next door. Perry was an expert in the Piedmont style of playing, but he could also play like Muddy Waters, Lightin’ Hopkins, John Lee Hooker and Jimmy Reed. Taj was inspired to begin playing guitar in earnest.

Springfield in the '50s was full of recent arrivals, both from abroad and from elsewhere in the U.S. "We spoke several dialects in my house -- Southern, Caribbean, African -- and we heard dialects from eastern and western Europe," says Taj. In addition, musicians from the Caribbean, Africa, and all over the U.S. frequently visited the Fredericks household. Taj became even more fascinated with roots -- where all the different forms of music he was hearing came from, what path they took to get to their current states, how they influenced each other on the way. He threw himself into the study of older forms of African-American music, music the record companies largely ignored.

While attending the University of Massachusetts at Amherst as an agriculture student in the early 1960s, the musician transformed himself into Taj Mahal, an idea that came to him in a dream. He began playing with the popular U. Mass. party band The Elektras, then left Massachusetts in 1964 for the blues-heavy L.A. club scene. There he formed The Rising Sons with Ry Cooder, Ed Cassidy, Jesse Lee Kinkaid, Gary Marker, and Kevin Kelly. At the Whiskey A Go Go in Los Angeles, The Rising Sons opened for Otis Redding, Sam the Sham, The Temptations, and Martha and the Vandellas at The Trip. Taj also had the opportunity to hear, meet, and play with such blues legends as Howlin' Wolf, Muddy Waters, Junior Wells, Buddy Guy, Louis and Dave Meyers, Sleepy John Estes, Yank Rachel, Lightin' Hopkins, Bessie Jones, the Georgia Sea Island Singers, and Hammy Nixon.

Taj tapped these experiences on three hugely influential records: Taj Mahal (1967), The Natch'l Blues (1968), and Giant Step/De Old Folks at Home (1969). Drawing on all the musical forms he'd absorbed as a child, these early albums showed signs of the musical exploration that would be Taj's hallmark over the years to come.

"I didn't want to fall into the trap of complacency", says Taj. "I wanted to keep pushing the musical ideas I had about jazz, music from Africa and the Caribbean. I wanted to explore the connections between different kinds of music."

In 1970, Taj traveled to Spain to have a well-deserved rest and vacation in the home of the Guitar. He carved out his own musical niche with a string of adventurous recordings throughout the '70s, including Happy to Be Just Like I Am (1971), Recycling the Blues and Other Related Stuff (1972), the Grammy-nominated soundtrack to the movie Sounder (1973), Mo' Roots (1974), Music Fuh Ya' (Music Para Tu) (1977), and Evolution (The Most Recent) (1978).

Taj's recorded output slowed considerably during the 1980s as he toured relentlessly and immersed himself in the music and culture of his new home in Hawaii. Still, that decade saw the well-received Taj (1987) as well as the first three of his celebrated children's albums. He returned to a full recording and touring schedule in the 1990s, including such projects as the musical scores for the Lanston Hughes/Zora Neale Hurston play Mule Bone (1991) and the movie Zebrahead (1992). Later in the decade, Dancing the Blues (1993), Phantom Blues (1996), An Evening of Acoustic Music (1996) and the Grammy Award-winning Señor Blues (1997) were both commercial and critical successes.

At the same time, Taj continued to explore world music, beginning with the aptly named World Music in 1993. He joined Indian classical musicians on Mumtaz Mahal in 1995, recorded Sacred Island, a blend of Hawaiian music and blues, with The Hula Blues in 1998, and paired with Malian kora player Toumani Diabate for Kulanjan in 1999.

Since 2000, Taj has released a second Grammy-winning album, Shoutin' in Key (2000) and recorded a second album with The Hula Blues (2003's lush Hanapepe Dream). "I walk with the energy of music every day. I don't have to turn it on to hear it play."

While Taj's music has always been well received, popular culture finally caught up to him the '90s and 2000s. Taj walked away with the Grammy for Best Contemporary Blues Album for 1997's Señor Blues and again for 2000's Shoutin' in Key, both recorded with The Phantom Blues Band. He has garnered nine Grammy nominations in all.

After more than a decade of playing with larger ensembles, Taj wanted to do more guitar playing with a smaller group. In addition to The Phantom Blues band, Taj tours with The Taj Mahal Trio – just Taj on guitar, piano, and banjo, Bill Rich on bass and Kester Smith on drums. These musicians have been playing together on and off for more than 30 years. Together, they draw on a long, shared history of Taj's music.

The Trio allows the music between voice and guitar to happen with the smallest amount of accompaniment – bass and drums," says Taj. "That leaves a lot of space to be filled. The guitar is not submerged but right up front in the music. It's a challenging place to play.

More collaborations are on the way as well. He mentions a second edition of the Rolling Stones' Rock and Roll Circus, more work with African musicians, and a desire to do more tuba band music "sooner rather than later." There will also be projects even he doesn't know about yet. "I work with this person and that person. Most of this stuff has not been stuff that I planned, it just worked out that way.

Whoever Taj works with and whatever sounds he puts his hand to in the coming years, you can bet that the blues will play a big part. "You got that tone together," he says, "everything else is flavor."


Taj Mahal and the Phantom Blues Band at Yoshi's
Shows on Friday, Saturday and Sunday at 8:00 pm and 10:00 pm
1330 Fillmore St
San Francisco, CA
(415) 655-5600

Bruford - Borstlap's "In Two Minds"

Last May, I attended the 2007 edition of the Bath International Music Festival. In addition to being one of England's most beautiful and architectural cities, Bath attracts some of the greatest musicians from around the globe; Mavis Staples & Jazz Jamaica, the electronica of Arthurs & Bown and People Like Us; the folk stylings of Martin Hayes and Dennis Cahill; and the genre crossing Iain Ballamy & Stian Carstensen. My personal favorites however, were the jazz duo of drummer Bill Bruford and pianist Michiel Borstlap. After a high profile and illustrious career as the rock drummer of his generation (with Yes, Genesis and King Crimson), Bruford carved out an equally successful name as a jazz drummer through his jazz-rock ensemble Earthworks. Borstlap is a brilliant pianist, capable of creating solos of dazzling complexity, but also able to employ space and subtlety. Together they adopt a witty, conversational style: the table talk may turn as much to Liszt Scherzos as to jazz standards and free spirited improvisation. Now comes a recording of that performance in Bath and Norway, the aptly named "In Two Minds".

'In Two Minds' is the second CD to come from this pairing of fine musicians, and will no doubt be hugely anticipated by the large and dedicated fan base built up by these two artists in addition to their own separate respective fan bases who have witnessed them in concert since the duo's first formal collaboration back in 2002. Recorded in 2007, 'In Two Minds' features eleven intimate and conversational tracks of new, original material, and a stand-out reading of the Miles Davis classic 'All Blues'. Released on the Summerfold imprint, the Bruford-Borstlap Duo will again be playing selected live dates in the run up to the release of this album, including their London debut at the London Jazz Festival on 24th November 2007.

I saw Bruford's first piano-drum duo with the Swiss keyboardist Patrick Moraz in 1982, at New York City's now defunct Bottom Line, and later in 1983, at D.C.'s also defunct Bayou. Bruford and Moraz had released two albums, the acoustic "Music for Piano and Drums", and the electronic "Flags". Consequently, these recordings and others have been reissued on Bruford's new record labels: Summerfold and Winterfold. With their first CD, "Every Step A Dance, Every Word A Song", and a DVD titled "In Concert In Holland", Bruford teamed up with Dutch keyboard master Michiel Borstlap, in duets culled from their 2003-2004 European tour. Although the duo's efforts are rooted in jazz, there are hints of the progressive-rock/New Age flavor of "Flags", where Borstlap employs synthesizer for choruses and textures, and Bruford's well known polyrhythmic beats and syncopations that propel this beautiful musical journey.

Bruford met first Dutch pianist Michiel Borstlap in 2002, and they began playing duo shows that were less about the confines of structure and more about what Bruford terms "performance-based" music, music of the moment where spontaneity and interaction were the predominant factors. Gratefully, the duo returns with "In Two Minds", a live recording of their summer 2007 tour of Norway and England.


Michiel Borstlap and Bill Bruford at the 2007 Bath Festival
Photo by Tim Dickeson

The "Left of the Dial" reviewer Glenn Astarita once noted that "Borstlap primarily uses a grand piano as his instrument of choice via a potpourri of swing vamps, and sublime moments, while Bruford's shading exercises, add color and additional warmth. Highlights include segments where the duo expands themes and unexpectedly switch gears as they often instill a polytonal outlook during jazz standards such as Monk's "Bemsha Swing," for example.

The piece titled "Swansong" from their first CD, is a compelling opus that defines the artists' overriding sense of musical intimacy coupled with power and tenacity. Here, Borstlap executes slashing crescendos amid Art Tatum-like chord voicings, as the unit melds quaint balladry with bluesy passages. The fun factor continues with Bruford's drumming onslaught, which serves as a prelude of sorts, to Borstlap's shrewd use of a synth chorale voicing to finalize the piece. Simply stated, it's about synergy and singular techniques rooted with elements of joy and precision.

After 15 Years, Genesis Returns

My first concert featuring the revolutionary prog-rock group Genesis, was at London's Earl's Court in 1977, during the Queen's Silver Jubilee. Sadly, I saw them shortly after the departure of Peter Gabriel, but before guitarist Steve Hackett had left the group. By 1978, two of Genesis' greatest musicians were now gone, and many predicted their swift demise, however drummer Phil Collins would emerge from behind his kit to take the microphone, (replaced first by Bill Bruford and later Chester Thompson on drums), and alongside keyboardist Tony Banks and bassist Mike Rutherford, would propel Genesis to an unbelievably successful career. Now, some fifteen years after their last "farewell tour", Genesis returns to the Bay Area, (San Jose October 9th and Sacramento on October 10th), for the final leg of their "Turn It On Again" tour; rejoined by Thompson and guitarist Darryl Stuermer. "You've got to get in to get out..."

The USA Today's Mike Snider, recently wrote that although the group was "never a favorite with critics, Genesis built a solid fan base over nearly four decades. Now the band is ready for its victory lap. After the North American leg of the group's reunion tour opened in Toronto, Tony Banks, Phil Collins and Mike Rutherford will play what they say will be Genesis' final U.S. concerts. Then, as their hit goes, that's all. "Basically, this is the last time we are doing it," Collins says. That the band decided to turn it on again at all is a surprise. The three hadn't released a new album since 1991's We Can't Dance. Collins, 56, officially left Genesis in 1996, and the group last toured in 1992.

After his solo "first final farewell tour" in 2005, "I wanted to sort of retire from touring to be with my kids," Collins says. "If something special came up, I would do it. I just don't want to go on the road for long periods of time." But the group kept in touch over the years, playing impromptu gigs at birthday parties (when Collins turned 50) and weddings (for Collins and original singer Peter Gabriel).

After two Genesis Archive box sets hit stores in 1998 and 2000, rumors of a reunion emerged. In 2004, the three met with ex-bandmates Gabriel and Hackett to discuss a live reunion to play 1974's concept album, The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway. "It would have been quite fun to do on a smaller scale," says Banks, 57. Gabriel was non-committal, so Collins asked Banks and Rutherford whether they wanted to get the three-man band back together. "We couldn't think of a reason why not to, really," Collins says.

Only three of 22 U.S. shows have sold out, but multiple dates in Chicago, Philadelphia and L.A. are a testament to the band's following. ("Many places said we could do two or three nights," Collins says. "But if you do, pretty soon you have 50 shows. I kept putting a lid on it.") Genesis' return probably won't prove as hot a ticket as The Police reunion, says Pollstar editor Gary Bongiovanni. "The Police have been away longer, and Genesis with Phil Collins still doesn't have Peter Gabriel. So it is a question mark," he says. "But in Europe, they did good business and were playing stadiums."

After the tour ends in October, Collins has nothing in the works. "I'm really looking forward to it," he says. "I've been playing golf."Genesis, on the other hand, has many projects in the pipeline. Rhino released a new two-disc hits compilation Turn It On Again (Tour Edition), and in November, the second box set of remastered Genesis albums arrives. The band's free concert in Rome's Circus Maximus was recorded for a DVD due later this year. The autobiography Genesis: Chapter & Verse was due out Sept. 18.

With this farewell tour and upcoming retrospectives, might the band emerge with an enhanced image? "Certainly, in England, the band gets overlooked," Banks says. "But, honestly, I'm not that concerned anymore. I'm pretty proud." Collins took the range of ages at the European shows as a promising sign. "We've had great reviews in Europe and the U.K. Maybe suddenly the (U.S.) critics could lower their agendas and just go there and say, 'This isn't bad.' "

I'm personally fond of the Gabriel era albums, Trespass, Nursery Cryme, Selling England by the Pound, and The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway, however Collins, and the much under-appreciated Banks and Rutherford were phenomenal on most of 1980's albums: The Wind & Wuthering, And Then There Were Three, Duke and Abacab. With the addition of the great jazz drummer Thompson, (Freddie Hubbard, Frank Zappa, and Weather Report), and Stuermer, (Jean Luc Ponty), Genesis' live shows were some one the greatest I'd ever seen, and alongside their peers; Yes, Emerson, Lake and Palmer, Jethro Tull and Pink Floyd, remained one of the greatest prog-rock bands of all time.

"I know what I like. and I like what I know..."

The Eighth Annual San Francisco Electronic Music Festival

This is the eighth year of San Francisco's incredible Electronic Music Festival, which officially opened on Wednesday. The festival continues tonight through Sunday at Project Artaud Theater, located at 450 Florida Street. There have been some legendary past performances, and this year promises to be no exception. The 2007 edition features an impressive collection of electronic artists from across the continent: MaryClare Brzytwa; the amazing Fred Frith with Patrice Scanlon; Canada's Tim Hecker; Zoe Keating; L.A.'s Kadet Kuhne with Mem1, Leticia Castaneda and Les Stuck; Lesser, and univac; N.Y.'s David Behrman and Annea Lockwood with William Winant; Nommo Ogo; Murcof and .pig, from Mexico respectively. This year, one of the SFEMF evenings (featuring Murcof and .pig) is being co-sponsored by NEXMAP, a non-profit corporation based here in San Francisco, dedicated to the production and appreciation of contemporary and experimental performing art.

About San Francisco's Electronic Music Festival

The San Francisco Electronic Music Festival is an artist-run organization founded in 1999 by a committee of eight, Bay Area, electro-acoustic music and sound art practitioners. Its mission is to provide a highly visible public forum for the diverse community of composers and sound artists working with electronic-based technologies in the Bay Area. Designed as an annual multi-day event consisting of concerts, installations and discussions, the primary focus is on independent artists whose innovative aesthetics challenge academic and commercial standards. The Committee's goals are long-term: to establish the festival as an annual presence in the Bay Area; to foster a greater sense of community among the diverse group of Bay Area sound artists; to stimulate the creation of new electronic sound works; to increase public awareness of new sound-based technologies and their creative applications; to raise the level of discourse surrounding music and sound-art; and to raise the national and international profile of the Bay Area as a center for electronic music and sound art.

Since it's first festival in 2000, SFEMF has presented works that span the sonic spectra from ambient to rhythmic and atonal to melodic by participants ranging from new and emerging young artists to respected pioneers of the electronic music field. Each festival features artists working in a variety of modes including: laptop generated sound, processed live acoustic instruments, amplified found objects, projected video, improvisation, and performance art.

I've always been fond of electronic music, the early synthesizer works of Walter/Wendy Carlos, TONTO, (The Original New Timbral Orchestra), and of course the late, great Bob Moog. Don't miss this chance to glimpse some of the most wonderfully creative masters of electronica on this or any other continent, right here in San Francisco.

The Eight Annual San Francisco Electronic Music Festival
Project Artaud Theater
450 Florida Street
San Francisco, CA
415-626-4370

Thursday, Sept. 6th @ 8:30 pm
MaryClare Brzytwa, univac and Tim Hecker

Friday, Sept. 7th @ 8:30 pm
Leticia Castaneda, Zoë Keating, Les Stuck and Lesser

Saturday, Sept. 8th @ 8:30 pm
Annea Lockwood and David Behrman with William Winant

Sunday, Sept. 9th @ 8:30 pm
Nommo Ogo, Kadet Kuhne (with Mem1) and Fred Frith (with Patrice Scanlon)

"The Drum Also Waltzes", Max Roach, 1924-2007

Max Roach, the master percussionist whose rhythmic innovations and improvisations defined bebop jazz during a wide-ranging career where he collaborated with artists from Duke Ellington to rapper Fab Five Freddy, has died after a long illness. He was 83. The self-taught musical prodigy died Wednesday night at an undisclosed hospital in Manhattan, said Cem Kurosman, spokesman for Blue Note Records, one of Roach's labels. No additional details were available, he said Thursday.

Roach received his first musical break at age 16, filling in for three nights in 1940 when Ellington's drummer fell ill. Roach's performance led him to the legendary Minton's Playhouse in Harlem, where he joined luminaries Charlie Parker and Dizzy Gillespie in the burgeoning bebop movement. In 1944, Roach joined Gillespie and Coleman Hawkins in one of the first bebop recording sessions.

What distinguished Roach from other drummers were his fast hands and ability to simultaneously maintain several rhythms. By layering different beats and varying the meter, Roach pushed jazz beyond the boundaries of standard 4/4 time. His dislocated beats helped define bebop. Roach's innovative use of cymbals for melodic lines, and tom-toms and bass drums for accents, helped elevate the percussionist from mere timekeeper to featured performer -- on a par with the trumpeter and saxophonist."One of the grand masters of our music," Gillespie once observed.

In a 1988 essay in The New York Times, Wynton Marsalis wrote of Roach: "All great instrumentalists have a superior quality of sound, and his is one of the marvels of contemporary music. ... The roundness and nobility of sound on the drums and the clarity and precision of the cymbals distinguishes Max Roach as a peerless master."

Throughout the jazz upheaval of the 1940s and '50s, Roach played bebop with the Charlie Parker Quintet and cool bop with the Miles Davis Capitol Orchestra. He joined trumpeter Clifford Brown in playing hard bop, a jazz form that maintained bebop's rhythmic drive while incorporating the blues and gospel.

In 1952, Roach and bassist-composer Charles Mingus founded Debut Records. Among the short-lived label's releases was a famed 1953 Toronto performance in Massey Hall, featuring Roach, Mingus, Parker, Gillespie and pianist Bud Powell. But by the mid-1950s, Roach had watched several of his friends -- including Parker -- die from heroin addiction. In 1956, Roach was further devastated when Brown died in a car accident.

After his own struggle with drugs and alcohol, Roach rebounded with the help of his first wife, singer Abbey Lincoln. Married in 1962, they divorced eight years later. Roach re-emerged in the 1960s free jazz era with a new political consciousness. Albums like "We Insist! Max Roach's Freedom Now Suite" reflected his support of black activism.

Over the next decades, Roach expanded his repertoire and explored new challenges. He taught at the University of Massachusetts, traveled to Ghana in search of new music, and performed with groups from Japan and Cuba. He also formed an all-percussion ensemble known as M'Boom, a quartet and a double quartet that included Roach's daughter Maxine Roach on viola.

Roach even worked with rapper Fab Five Freddy in the early 1980s. Ignoring critics, Roach insisted rap had a place on music's "boundless palette." Roach, who in 1988 became the first jazz musician to receive a MacArthur Fellowship "genius award," said his curiosity reflected his sense of obligation to music. He was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1995.

Max Roach was born in New Land, N.C., on Jan. 10, 1924. His family moved four years later to a Brooklyn apartment, where a player piano left by the previous tenants gave Roach his musical introduction.

Using player piano rolls of Jelly Roll Morton and Albert Ammons, Roach played along by putting his fingers on the keys and pedals as they rose and fell. But he was looking for another instrument to play when he began singing with the children's choir at the Concord Baptist Church.

Roach found a snare drum, and was hooked. His father gave the eighth-grader his first set of drums, and Roach was drumming professionally while still in high school.

He was survived by five children: sons Daryl and Raoul, and daughters Maxine, Ayl and Dara.

Billy Cobham's "Live at 60"

Growing up in Washington, D.C., I first saw Billy Cobham with guitar virtuoso John McLaughlin and his ground breaking Mahavishnu Orchestra at American University in 1972. After that unbelievable show, Cobham soon became my favorite drummer... He still is. Considered by many to be one of the greatest drummers of all time, Billy Cobham's prolific career has spanned several decades; from his earliest works with pianist Horace Silver and trumpeter Miles Davis; the Mahavishnu Orchestra, Ron Carter, Randy and Michael Brecker, John Scofield, George Duke, Dexter Gordon and Stan Getz; his work with the Grateful Dead's Bob Weir and the Dead-inspired "Jazz is Dead"; and last but not least, his many and varied ensembles, from his steel drum-flavored Culture Mix, to his most recent, latin inspired group, Asere.

Cobham's incredible rudimentary skills were second to none; I'd personally seen him over thirty times, and his massive frame and joyous playing will leave anyone who sees him gasping in amazement. Those skills have not diminished one bit, as evidenced in a new DVD, "Billy Cobham: Live at 60". Joining Cobham for yet another concert in Paris, is his Culture Mix group, featuring the great "Junior" Gill on steel drums. With footage and interviews, this DVD is a remarkable window into the life of perhaps the best drummer of ours, or any generation.

Only a few times in history has a musician been singled out as the world-class master of his instrument. Cobham is one of those few artists. For over 30 years, he has received international acclaim as the total consummate percussionist. The legendary Cobham, with his matchless, dazzling, ambidextrous skills as a drummer, has applied the same insistent fervor to his long list of monumental achievements. He’s an accomplished composer and record producer. It is a rarely known fact that he was at the forefront of the electronic music industry and it’s development through Jazz.

He was one of the first percussionists, along with Max Roach and Tony Williams to utilize the Electronic Drum Controller made in 1968 by the Meazzi Drum Company in Milano, Italy while on concert tour with Horace Silver in Europe. He is one of the few Percussionists, specializing in the Jazz drum set to lead his own band. The award winning Cobham has custom designed trend setting acoustic and electronic drum sets and has endorsed products that he created and refined.

Cobham has performed on hundreds of records with his own groups and with some of the music’s most luminary artists, and his trademark - biggest, fastest, explosive drumming - has energized the international stages of concerts, symphonies, big bands, Broadway, festivals, television and video. He has been a teacher of his artistry, giving drum clinics, conducting workshops and symposiums throughout the world. His stylistic influence, which has literally created a category of music, is an outstanding part of the history of modern music.

Since 1980, Cobham has been dividing his time between his home in Zurich and the United States where he lived in New York City and northern California until that time, underscoring his unique internationally influenced origins as a musician. Cobham was born on May 16th, 1944 in Panama, surrounded by talented parents and a brother, Wayne (producer, horn player, MIDI specialist, writer), Cobham’s love for drums was kindled by his cousins who played and constructed steel drums and congas in Panama. Some of his earliest memories are of himself playing timbales.

The Cobhams moved to New York City in 1947, when Billy was 3 years old. He had his stage debut in performance with his father at the age of 8. Cobham developed his seriously voracious appetite for drumming in the highly competitive Drum and Bugle Corps. arena with St. Catherine’s Queensmen, prompting him to attend New York’s famed High School of Music and Art to study music theory and drum technique with seminars by such renowned talents as Thelonious Monk and Stan Getz. Cobham remembers "In those days, Jazz was a bit off-limits to students while classical music was preferred by the education establishment. So, of course students craved to meet jazz artists.

Miles Davis was the most talked about personality of the time and had the best musicians working with him Cobham recalled; "We’d listen to him and analyze, as we did with other professionals. But in those days, all roads did lead to Miles." "He was the goal to shoot for because he had a knack for putting the right components together (musicians and music) to convey the ultimate message through Jazz."

Cobham’s most notable offerings to fusion jazz are his own 35 recordings beginning with "Spectrum", which was released on Atlantic Records in 1973 and reissued on compact disc by Rhino Entertainment in 2001. Amid the re-release of Spectrum, Cobham has several projects in the works including "Drum + Voice" (due via Sony), and a range of educational tools he produces through his own company, Creative Multi-Media Concepts. Among the resources is the book "Conundrum", which is published by Warner Publishing, and a slew of Music Minus One interactive CDs which feature selections from Spectrum and other projects of Cobham's.

Billy Cobham: Live at 60 is a unique moment in time, staged in Paris, France to celebrate the 60th birthday. Surrounded by his band, Culture Mix, Billy takes the viewer through a 75 minute musical experience featuring "Red Baron," "Dessicated Coconuts," "Cuba on the Horizon," and many others. While displaying the virtuosic drumming that Cobham is known for, this DVD puts the viewer right next to Cobham, to share his music, his humor, and his culture as if seated behind the drums along with him. Other featured musicians include percussionist Wilber "Junior" Gill, Marcus Ubeda on the keyboard, guitarist Per Gade, and Stefan Rademacher on bass.

Trilok Gurtu and the Arkè String Quartet's "Arkeology"

One of my favorite songs, is a piece entitled "Balatho", written by the brilliant Indian percussionist Trilok Gurtu during his tenure with the jazz group Oregon. (I loved "Balatho" so much, that I even played and recorded it with my own group!) A master tabla player as well as trap set drummer, Gurtu has re-recorded this wonderful song on a new CD with Arkè String Quartet called simply, "Arkeology". This latest version is perhaps the best yet, with Gurtu as the only improvising soloist in the ensemble, (on his famed staccato ragas and vocals as well as a multitude of instruments), and contributed three of the ten compositions. The quartet of Carlo Cantini – Violin, Dilruba, Recorder, Kalimba; Valentino Corvino – Violin; Sandro Di Paolo – Viola; and Stefano Dall’Ora– Doublebass, Ukelele, Emincence Bass/Aptflex, contributed the rest.

The reviewer John Fordam wrote, "The Arkè String Quartet have shrewdly and musically lent an ear to a lot of world-music materials - from a softly singing microtonal quality reminiscent of Chinese violin music, to the rhythmic devices of Indian classical music and a Shakti-like Indo-jazz fusion, to a Celtic skip, an ambient tone-poetry sigh and much more. Although the samplings from these different cultures don't entirely escape the local equivalents of hot licks, the CD is indeed, varied, sensitively played and affectingly melodic - and Gurtu's famously tumultuous jamming against it is as inventive as ever."

Gurtu was born into a highly musical family in Bombay, India where his grandfather was a noted Sitar player and his mother Shobha Gurtu, a classical singing star and constant influence. He began to play practically from infancy at the age of six. Eventually Trilok traveled to Europe, joining up with trumpeter Don Cherry (father of Neneh and Eagle Eye) for two years; touring worldwide with Oregon, the highly respected jazz group and was an important part of the quartet that L. Shankar led with Jan Garbarek and Zakir Hussain.

In 1988 Trilok performed with his own group, finally being able to present his compositions on the debut album "Usfret" which many musicians claim as an important influence; young Asian musicians from London like Talvin Singh, Asian Dub Foundation and Nitin Sawhney see him as a mentor and so Trilok's work finds its way onto the turntables at dance clubs years later. But back in 1988 Trilok met The Mahavishnu Orchestra and its leader, John McLaughlin and for the next four years played an integral part in The John McLaughlin Trio.

In 1993 Trilok toured his own trio in support of the album "The Crazy Saints", which featured not only Joe Zawinul but also Pat Metheny. Audiences were enthralled by his compositions that linked subtle Indian rhythms and Indian singing with elements of modern jazz and rock. The following year the band was expanded to a quartet and touring extended to include a US coast-to-coast tour and 40+ European shows.

The composer and band leader had evolved from the Trilok of earlier years: consummate musicianship now joined entertainment skills as his humourous presentations for the group, between bouts of serious music, brought uproarious laughter from his spectators.

Band tours continued annually establishing Trilok Gurtu as a regular and popular visitor to many European and US cities; his group, The Glimpse was formed in 1996 which grew from his musical roots in India's timeless acoustic tradition. By the late 90's they were touring worldwide and appearing in Festivals where he performed alongside the megastars of the entertainment business (Bob Dylan, Eric Clapton, REM) as well as his colleagues in the World Music scene like Youssou N'Dour, Baaba Maal, Cesaria Evora and Salif Keita. The "Kathak", "African Fantasy" and "Beat of Love" cds came about in 1998/9, 2000/1 as a direct result of these years: Trilok's music entered a distinctly World Music setting. These Indian/African cds were snapped up, with public and media alike enthralled by Trilok's heady World mixture; a new sound that contained the core of his previous works but expanded on it allowing guest singers like Neneh Cherry, Salif Keita, Angelique Kidjo and Oumou Sangare to display their talents in Trilok's unique world.

When Trilok hit the live performance circuit in 2000 and 2001 with his new group of 3 Indians and 2 Africans, sales of cds zoomed way over those of previous recordings. Audiences saw the group with special guest appearances by Nitin Sawhney, Angelique Kidjo, Salif Keita and "The Beat Of Love" producer Wally Badarou in New York and London. In between a hectic schedule of group performances he has appeared at a number of prestigious solo percussion recitals and given guest performances on albums by John McLaughlin, Pharoah Sanders, Nitin Sawhney, Lalo Schifrin, Gilberto Gil, Bill Laswell & Annie Lennox.

The release of "Remembrance" in 2002 was a major milestone for Trilok. The guests Shankar Mahadevan, Zakir Hussain, Ronu Majumdar and Shobha Gurtu gave superb performances. Reviews in London were all 4**** and better, including The Times, Daily Express, The Guardian, Q, Songlines and FRoots. Combined with extensive touring across Europe and especially Scandinavia, this led to Trilok's second nomination for the BBC World Music Awards and for an EMMA. Stand out performances were at London's Hyde Park for the Queen's 50th Anniversary and in Bombay as part of a global satellite-delivered concert with Youssou N'Dour and Baaba Maal celebrating the BBC's 70th Anniversary of their World Service.

2003 saw a wide variety of over 50 performances all over the globe from Trilok Gurtu in quartet, trio and solo formats. His first collaboration in an orchestral piece took place in Koln in October, with the World Premiere of "Chalan" written especially for him by Maurizio Sotelo. Other key 2003 performances were at Cité de la Musique, Paris in April with special guest Shankar Mahadevan; in Utrecht with Robert Miles, Kudsi Erguner and Hassan Harkmoun and in Sardinia with Dave Holland. The most spectacular was certainly in Copenhagen at "The Images of Asia Festival" where he orchestrated a joint performance of his own band with Samul Nori (Korean Percussionist) and Huun Huur Tu (Mongolian Throat Singers). All this on a floating stage in Copenhagen Harbour at sunset - quite delicious! Exotic cities like Belgrade, Istanbul, Tbilisi and Kathmandu got another chance to enjoy his work and MTV took another clip in Bombay.

Trilok started 2004 with a 10-date tour of Norway in February followed by an extensive tour of 25 concerts in France to announce the release of his eleventh cd "Broken Rhythms". "Broken Rhythms" followed the critical success of "Remembrance", a second album mainly recorded in his home town of Bombay, with a strong selection of Indian singers and musicians. As with all Trilok records, the accent is on rhythm and drumming - but this one more so. Featured collaborations with the Tuvan Throat Singers Huun Huur Tu, the Arké String Quartet and an outstanding screaming guitar part from Gary Moore bring a heady mix of bright and fast with gentle and peaceful. The album was released in France in March 2004 and received 4 star reviews. Two visits to the USA with his group included the huge Stern Grove Festival in San Francisco in front of 20,000 spectators; Italian, Montenegran and Serbian engagements with further French dates in the Autumn completed his year.

"Arkeology" is the union of two seemingly different worlds: Gurtu’s extraordinary rhythmic vitality and versatility and the classic string quartet’s sound reinterpreted by Arkè String Quartet. Here two multimillenial musical traditions merge, melting in melodies, polyrhythms and new counterpoints. Their project is based on a fascinating linguistic research, which has the sole aim of allowing the pure force of the singing and the rhythm to emerge, these being the expressive cores of the Indian and Mediterranean musical traditions. I loved it, and I think you will too.

The Edgetone New Music Summit Continues with "Beat and Beyond; Critical Mass..."

The week-long Edgetone New Music Summit moves from San Francisco to Oakland, and continues tonight through Sunday with panel discussions and performances by Pamela Z, Lx Rudis, Wobbly, Lance Grabmiller, Robert Anbian and the UFQ, Eddie the Rat, Jesse Quattro, Bruce Anderson and Gowns. If you haven't had a chance to see some the Bay Area's greatest sound artists, come to 21 Grand Gallery in Oakland for what promises to be another year of wonderful performances.

Every year the Edgetone New Music Summit showcases some of the most innovative and pioneering new music that is happening in California and beyond. The Festivals’ expanded performance schedule includes music and sound from raging free improvisation, electronic manipulation, to harsh noise reflecting an incredible range of genre busting exploration and sonic creativity. In addition, the festival seeks to promote intermedia arts, fostering cross-pollination between music/sound art and experimental flim/ visual arts.

The festival also pays homage to local as well as California’s central role in the development of invention and cutting edge concepts. Historically dating back to the inception of the Barbary Coast of San Francisco in the early 20th century, the San Francisco Bay Area has been and still is the location where many of the founders of new ideas in sound live and have lived including Ives, Pauline Oliveros, Glenn Spearman, Lisle Ellis, and Terry Riley to name a few. Today, the SF Bay Area, in the heart of California, is home to one of the most bustling and expanding new music scenes fostering the next generation.


Robert Anbian and the UFQ

This year's Summit is sponsored in part by KFJC 89.7 FM, SF Bay Guardian, Elastic Creative, Bayimproviser.com, Harshnoise.com, KUSF 90.3 FM, Studio 401, and the Luggage Store Gallery. A special thank you surely must go to our individual donors: Roderick Repke, John Lee, Scott Biggs, Linda and David Repke, Suki O’Kane, Matt Davignon, Mark Miller, Philip Everett, Ray Schaeffer, Peter Martin, John Vaughn, & Bill Noertker.

OUTSPOKEN SCHEDULE

Pre-Concert Composer Q&A
Interactive discussions of techniques and influences with composers, who will share context and insight into the performance work.

Friday July 27 at 8:30 pm 21 Grand, Oakland Speaker: Bevin Kelley

Panel Discussions
Drawn from Sources:
Inquiries into the sources, intent and challenges inherent in experimental music, and its place in our creative and social fabric.

Sunday, July 22nd 7pm in association with SIMM Series
Ethnic Tradition and Experimental Music
Musicians Union Hall 116 9th St. San Francisco
Moderated by Greg Beuthin (Balé Techlorico)
Artists speak out about how they balance their work to preserve and extend traditions in ethnic music.

Saturday, July 28th 3pm location TBA
This Music Defies Categorization
21 Grand Gallery 416 25th St. @ Broadway Oakland
Moderated TBA
with Peter Martin (Eddie the Rat), Jake Rodriguez (The Bran… POS) and artists TBA
Artists reflect on individual strategies, and the challenges, for creating work from multiple traditions of music, theater and movement.

Friday, July 27th Pre-Concert Composer Q&A 8:30pm, Performance Starts 9pm
21 Grand Gallery
”Beat & Beyond, a night extending rhythm and sound”
416 25th St. @ Broadway Oakland
Lx Rudis, Wobbly, Lance Grabmiller, Robert Anbian & the Unidentified Flying Quartet with
E. Doctor Smith & Charles Unger
General $12, Seniors/Students/Artists $8

Saturday, July 28th doors 8pm show starts 9pm
21 Grand Gallery
”Critical Mass, Sounds on the gritty side of the fence...”
416 25th St. @ Broadway Oakland
Jon Brumit & Wayne Grim: Van Boven, Eddie the Rat, Jesse Quattro,
Bruce Anderson Bill Raymond & John Moreman: High Vulture, the Gowns
General $12, Seniors/Students/Artists $8

OUTSPOKEN EVENTS
OUTSOUND, in addition to being one of the largest new music presenters on the West Coast, is also presents the OutSpoken Education Series consisting of pre-concert Q&A, master classes and artist panel discussions during the Summit event. This year’s presentation is dubbed Drawn from Sources: Inquiries into the sources, intent and challenges inherent in experimental music, and its place in our creative and social fabric.

TICKETS AND INFORMATION
Tickets are currently on sale to the public. Schedule and artists are subject to change.
There are two ways to purchase tickets:
• Visit www.edgetonemusicsummit.org
• Purchase tickets at the door on the night of the performance

The 2007 Edgetone New Music Summit, July 22-28

This year, I am once again honored to be a part of the Edgetone New Music Summit, a fantastic series of concerts featuring some of the Bay Area's best and brightest sound artists, electronic and experimental musicians. Last year's festival ran the gamut: from the eclectic visual sound artist Pamela Z and the afro-jazz of Positive Knowledge; to the other-worldy tinkerings of Bob Marsh and master sound scuptors like Steven Baker and Tom Nunn. There were 16 piece Kelp orchestras and 6 piece Crank ensembles; the "field-scapes" of percussionist Marcos Fernandes, and the wonderfully cacaphonous music of "saxophonists who play other things." This one-of-a-kind festival truly lives up to it's name, "the inner groove on the edge of tone."

Outsound Presents, the leading emerging artist collective and non-profit organization for new and experimental music and sound, returns for their 6th festival, beginning July 22nd and running through July 28th. The festival will feature artists such as Liz Allbee, Tatsuya Nakatani, Marielle Jakobsons, Tom Nunn, Matt Davignon, Bob Marsh/David Michalak, Rent Romus, Thollem Mcdonas, Jon Brumit, Jim Ryan, Wynn Yamami, Lx Rudis, Wobbly, Lance Grabmiller, Robert Anbian and the UFQ, Eddie the Rat, Jesse Quattro, Bruce Anderson, and Gowns.

Every year the Edgetone New Music Summit showcases some of the most innovative and pioneering new music that is happening in California and beyond. The Festivals’ expanded performance schedule includes music and sound from raging free improvisation, electronic manipulation, to harsh noise reflecting an incredible range of genre busting exploration and sonic creativity. In addition, the festival seeks to promote intermedia arts, fostering cross-pollination between music/sound art and experimental flim/ visual arts.

The festival also pays homage to local as well as California’s central role in the development of invention and cutting edge concepts. Historically dating back to the inception of the Barbary Coast of San Francisco in the early 20th century, the San Francisco Bay Area has been and still is the location where many of the founders of new ideas in sound live and have lived including Ives, Pauline Oliveros, Glenn Spearman, Lisle Ellis, and Terry Riley to name a few. Today, the SF Bay Area, in the heart of California, is home to one of the most bustling and expanding new music scenes fostering the next generation.

This year's Summit is sponsored in part by KFJC 89.7 FM, SF Bay Guardian, Elastic Creative, Bayimproviser.com, Harshnoise.com, KUSF 90.3 FM, Studio 401, and the Luggage Store Gallery. A Special Thank You to our individual donors: Roderick Repke, John Lee, Scott Biggs, Linda and David Repke, Suki O’Kane, Matt Davignon, Mark Miller, Philip Everett, Ray Schaeffer, Peter Martin, John Vaughn, & Bill Noertker.

EDGETONE NEW MUSIC SUMMIT ARTIST LINEUP

A complete detailed list of the 6th Annual Edgetone New Music Summit events can also be found at www.edgetonemusicsummit.org.

OUTSPOKEN SCHEDULE

Pre-Concert Composer Q&A
Interactive discussions of techniques and influences with composers, who will share context and insight into the performance work.

Wednesday July 25 at 7:30 pm Community Music Center, San Francisco Speaker: Marielle Jakobson
Thursday July 26 at 7:30 pm Community Music Center, San Francisco Speakers: Wynn Yamami, Jim Ryan and Tatsuya Nakatani
Friday July 27 at 8:30 pm 21 Grand, Oakland Speaker: Bevin Kelley

Panel Discussions
Drawn from Sources:
Inquiries into the sources, intent and challenges inherent in experimental music, and its place in our creative and social fabric.

Sunday, July 22nd 7pm in association with SIMM Series
Ethnic Tradition and Experimental Music
Musicians Union Hall 116 9th St. San Francisco
Moderated by Greg Beuthin (Balé Techlorico)
Artists speak out about how they balance their work to preserve and extend traditions in ethnic music.

Saturday, July 28th 3pm location TBA
This Music Defies Categorization
21 Grand Gallery 416 25th St. @ Broadway Oakland
Moderated TBA
with Peter Martin (Eddie the Rat), Jake Rodriguez (The Bran… POS) and artists TBA
Artists reflect on individual strategies, and the challenges, for creating work from multiple traditions of music, theater and movement.

SUMMIT PERFORMANCE SCHEDULE

Wednesday, July 25th Pre-Concert Composer Q&A 7:30pm, Performance Starts 8pm
Community Music Center
”Time in Transmission, a night of electro-acoustic performance”
544 Capp St. @ 20th St., San Francisco
Darwinsbitch, Tom Nunn/Matt Davignon, Nihil Communication & butoh danceer Laurie Buenafe Krsmanovic,
Bob Marsh/David Michalak: Doctor Bob
General $10, Seniors/Students $5

Thursday, July 26th Pre-Concert Composer Q&A 7:30pm, Performance Starts 8pm
Community Music Center
”Fields of Flowers , a night of spontaneous composition”
544 Capp St. @ 20th St., San Francisco 8pm
Rent Romus, Steven Baker, Thollem Mcdonas, Jon Brumit: BLOOM with guests
Liz Allbee & Tatsuya Nakatani (PA), Wynn Yamami, Christopher Ariza, Ali Sakkal: KIOKU (NY),
Jim Ryan's Forward Energy Trio featuring Robert Jones(OR) & Andrew Wilshusen(OR)
General $10, Seniors/Students $5

Friday, July 27th Pre-Concert Composer Q&A 8:30pm, Performance Starts 9pm
21 Grand Gallery
”Beat & Beyond, a night extending rhythm and sound”
416 25th St. @ Broadway Oakland
Lx Rudis, Wobbly, Lance Grabmiller, Robert Anbian & the Unidentified Flying Quartet with
E. Doctor Smith & Charles Unger
General $12, Seniors/Students/Artists $8

Saturday, July 28th doors 8pm show starts 9pm
21 Grand Gallery
”Critical Mass, Sounds on the gritty side of the fence...”
416 25th St. @ Broadway Oakland
Jon Brumit & Wayne Grim: Van Boven, Eddie the Rat, Jesse Quattro,
Bruce Anderson Bill Raymond & John Moreman: High Vulture, the Gowns
General $12, Seniors/Students/Artists $8

OUTSPOKEN EVENTS
OUTSOUND, in addition to being one of the largest new music presenters on the West Coast, is also presents
the OutSpoken Education Series consisting of pre-concert Q&A, master classes and artist panel discussions during the Summit event. This year’s presentation is dubbed Drawn from Sources: Inquiries into the sources, intent and challenges inherent in experimental music, and its place in our creative and social fabric.

TICKETS AND INFORMATION
Tickets are currently on sale to the public. Schedule and artists are subject to change.
There are two ways to purchase tickets:
• Visit www.edgetonemusicsummit.org
• Purchase tickets at the door on the night of the performance

Brian Eno's "77 Million Paintings" Comes to Yerba Buena

A few weeks ago, I was in Cannes, France with ex-patriate cellist-bassist Stanley Adler, reminicsing on our 25 plus year friendship and our time spent performing with Brian Eno and the NYC group "The Same", featuring Clodagh Simonds, Carter Burwell, Chip Johannsen and Stephen Bray. (Eno and Burwell recently reunited with Simonds on her new CD, "Fovea Hex"). Our association with Eno was perhaps the most influential musical force of our lives, and steered us along a creative path we still trod today.

In those halcyon days, Eno was pioneering his video art; a dozen or so video monitors and computer generated images in a SoHo gallery, accompanied by his wonderfully ambient music. This weekend, Eno's vision comes full circle to the Yerba Buena Center with his North American debut of "77 Million Paintings", a video tour de force, art installation and ambient soundscape all rolled into one.

In late 2006, Eno released "77 Million Paintings", a program of generative video and music specifically for the PC. As its title suggests, there is a possible combination of 77 million paintings where the viewer will see different combinations of video slides prepared by Eno each time the program is launched. Likewise, the accompanying music is generated by the program so that it's almost certain the listener will never quite hear the same arrangement twice.

Conceived by Eno as "visual music", his latest artwork, 77 Million Paintings is a constantly evolving sound and imagescape which continues his exploration into light as an artist's medium and the aesthetic possibilities of "generative software". He first created 77 Million Paintings to bring art to the increasing number of flat panel TV's and monitors that often sit darkened and underutilized. Now Eno is also showing large installations of this work, recently at the Venice Bienniale and Milan Triennale, and in Tokyo, London and South Africa. The installation at Yerba Buena Center for the Arts will be the North American Premiere of his work.



The installation is indeed mesmerizing; the kaleidoscopic display of the projected images and slow, rhythmic evolution of the artwork create a singular experience for the viewer

The North American Premiere 77 Million Paintings will be held at San Francisco's foremost venue for contemporary art, Yerba Buena Center for the Arts. The art installation will be up for only three nights, and is presented by The Long Now Foundation, a San Francisco non profit dedicated to fostering long-term responsibility. Two evenings are open to the general public and the final night is set aside for members of Long Now, in appreciation of their support for the organization.

In addition to the 77 Million Paintings installation in the Forum, the Grand Lobby will be set up for conversations and refreshments, including a full bar, and will also have demonstrations of Long Now's Clock and Library projects. The Long Now Foundation was established in "01996", (the Long Now Foundation uses five digit dates, the extra zero is to solve the deca-millennium bug which will come into effect in about 8,000 years), to develop the Clock and Library projects, as well as to become the seed of a very long term cultural institution.

The Long Now Foundation hopes to provide counterpoint to today's "faster/cheaper" mind set and promote "slower/better" thinking, and they hope to creatively foster responsibility in the framework of the next 10,000 years. The term was even coined by one of their founding board members: Eno. When Eno first moved to New York City, he found that in New York here and now meant this room and this five minutes, as opposed to the larger here and longer now that he was used to in England. They have since adopted the term as the title of their foundation, and are trying to stretch out what people consider as now.

There is also a Limited Edition 77 Million Paintings DVD available, featuring an exclusive interview in which Eno discusses his creation of the 77 Million Paintings software, the next evolutionary stage of his exploration into light as an artist's medium and the aesthetic possibilities of "generative software." A bonus software disc creates a constantly evolving, slowly changing "light painting" on the screen of your computer or TV with a virtually infinite number of variations accompanied by his music. Also included in this deluxe package also is a 52-page book, featuring an extensive essay by Eno.

Brian Eno's "77 Million Paintings"
The Yerba Buena Center
701 Mission Street, San Francisco
$25, $20 for students and seniors

Friday, June 29th from 8pm till 2 am - general admission
Saturday, June 30th from 8pm till 2 am - general admission
Sunday, July 1st from 7pm till midnight - Long Now Members

Victor Wooten Returns to the Fillmore

I first saw the world renowned bassist Victor Wooten in 1996, and actually got to spend time with him during his tour with Bela Fleck in 2000. What struck me most was not just his unbelievable talent, but his utter joy in playing the bass, and a genuine sense of humility; Wooten truly redefines the word musician. Regaled as the most influential bassist since Jaco Pastorius, Wooten is known for his solo recordings and tours, and as a member of the Grammy-winning supergroup, Bela Fleck & The Flecktones. He is an innovator on the bass guitar, as well as a talented composer, arranger, producer, vocalist and multi-instrumentalist. But those gifts only begin to tell the tale of this Tennessee titan. On May 4th, he and his band will return to the Fillmore, in what can only be described as another "don't miss this" performance.

Wooten is the loving husband and devoted father of four; the youngest sibling of the amazing Wooten brothers (Regi, Roy aka "Futureman", Rudy and Joseph), and the bassist in their famed family band; the student in the martial art of Wing Chun and the nature survival skill of Tracking; the teacher of dozens of bass players at his acclaimed annual Bass & Nature camp; and the master magician.

Wooten got to music early, growing up in a military family in which his older brothers all played and sang. By the time he was 3, Victor was being taught bass by his oldest brother Regi, and at age 5 he was performing professionally with the Wooten Brothers Band. He recalls, "My parents and brothers were the foundation. They prepared me for anything by teaching me to keep my mind open and learn to adapt." Working their way east from Sacramento, the band played countless clubs and eventually opened concerts for Curtis Mayfield and War.

Wooten was influenced by bass mentors, Stanley Clarke, Larry Graham and Bootsy Collins, while learning about the music business at a wildly accelerated pace. By the early '80s, with the family settled in Newport News, Virginia, the brothers became mainstays at Busch Gardens theme park in nearby Williamsburg, making numerous connections with musicians in Nashville and New York.

In 1988 Wooten moved to Nashville, where he worked with singer Jonell Mosser and met New Grass Revival banjo ace Bela Fleck. A year later, Fleck enlisted Vic, his brother Roy (a.k.a. Future Man) and harmonica-playing keyboardist Howard Levy to perform with him, and the Flecktones were born. After three highly successful albums, Levy departed in 1993, and the band's new trio format enabled Victor to develop and display a staggering array of fingerboard skills that turned him into a bass hero of Pastorian-proportions and helped earn the band a Grammy.

With the Flecktones in full flight, Wooten set his sights on a solo career, first forming Bass Extremes with fellow low-end lord Steve Bailey (leading to an instructional book/CD and two CDs, to date), and finally releasing his critically-acclaimed solo debut, A Show of Hands, in 1996. Soon after, Vic took his solo show on the road with drummer J.D. Blair. Momentum and accolades built with successive tours and the release of What Did He Say? in 1997, the Grammy-nominated Yin-Yang in 1999 and the double CD, Live In America in 2001.

Wooten won two Nashville Music Awards for Bassist Of The Year and is the only three-time winner of Bass Player magazine's Bass Player Of The Year. With the honors came sideman calls, leading to recordings and performances with artists like Branford Marsalis, Mike Stern, Bruce Hornsby, Chick Corea, Dave Matthews, Prince, Gov't Mule, Susan Tedeschi, Vital Tech Tones (with Scott Henderson and Steve Smith), the Jaco Pastorius Word Of Mouth Big Band, and the soundtrack of the Disney film Country Bears.

Fresh off sold-out tours with the Flecktones and Bass Extremes (with Bailey, Watson and Oteil Burbridge) in 2004, Victor is re-focusing on his solo side in 2005 thanks to a remarkable new CD, his Vanguard Records debut, Soul Circus. A three-ring affair, the disc boasts such guests as the Wooten brothers, Bootsy Collins, Arrested Development rapper/vocalist Speech, Howard Levy, Dennis Chambers, Saundra Williams, J.D. Blair, Derico Watson, Flecktone Jeff Coffin, and a who's-who of bassists, including Bailey, Burbridge, Will Lee, Rhonda Smith, Christian McBride, T.M. Stevens, Bill Dickens and Gary Grainger.

On Soul Circus, Wooten performed his usual high-wire act on a bevy of basses, but the real ringmaster was his collection of songs: The poignant "Prayer" and Prince-charged flipside "Natives" provide a thought-provoking look at our native Americans. The epic "Bass Tribute" pays homage to great thumpers past and present. "On and On" is an instant soul classic. "Cell Phone" makes a chuckle-filled, cutting-edge connection. "Higher Law" stands as a stadium-ready, rock-funk protest anthem in the best Sly Stone tradition. "Back to India" currys up simmering musical flavors. And the hip hop/jazz title track marks the sonic coming-out of the long-rumored eight-armed character seen on the CD's cover and in the liner notes: "Yes, Virginia (and the rest of the world), there is a funktopus!"

Victor Wooten has the rare ability to continuously raise the bar, always growing as an artist, and taking us to new heights. His last visit through the Bay Area was in Santa Rosa with the Flecktones; don't miss another chance to see him when he comes to the Fillmore.

The Victor Wooten Band World Tour '07
The Fillmore, San Francisco
Friday, May 4th @ 7:00 pm

Futureman's "Black Mozart Ensemble"

Often described as both enigmatic and eccentric, and without a doubt, musical genius, Roy "Futureman" Wooten is one of the most innovative, forward thinking figures in modern music. Part of what makes Wooten such an innovative musician is the incorporation of science and invention into his work. His first invention, called the "Drumitar" is used extensively in the music of Bela Fleck and the Flecktones, which allows him the ability to replicate the sound of an entire contemporary drum kit, with the movement of just a few fingers on a guitar shaped instrument.

Wooten has embarked upon a new creative journey with "The Black Mozart Ensemble." Bridging the past with the present for a better future, Wooten is composing, producing, and directing a visionary new album/DVD entitled “The Black Mozart.” This project celebrates the life and music of the Black Mozart; Joseph Boulogne de Saint Georges. This 18th Century maestro and swordsman made contributions that revolutionized the world of musical creation. St. Georges used his abilities to find fame and fortune, yet as the son of a slave, remained an outsider. He fought against racism all his life, and can serve as a powerful hero for all of us as we struggle against the racism and divisiveness of today.

Although Wooten is generally considered a background performer, his desire to express his thoughtful meditations often brings him to the forefront, and due in large part to both the Wooten brothers, (his brother Victor is their famed bassist and innovator in his own right), Bela Fleck and the Flecktones' performances are always fresh and alive with improvisation and experimentation.

Wooten's Black Mozart Ensemble is comprised of young virtuoso violinists and cellists under Wooten's direction. The music is complemented by the addition of hip hop artists, and actors/narrators. The music of Black Mozart has a message for the ears, eyes and moves of today’s modern world, and Wooten states that this composition, "The Black Mozart", is a personal statement of New American Classical Roots and Dance Music with social aspirations that embraces all races of humanity.

Using Saint Georges as his inspiration, Wooten has made many innovations in the field of percussive music, having invented a keyboard technique which "utilizes modern science, dynamics and rhythms as melodic elements which draw from Africa to America, Baroque to bluegrass, classical to contemporary... and jazz to juicy funk."

Many may wonder what Wooten alludes to when he speaks of an archetypal principle. An archetype is an idealized model of a person or a copy of a concept or object. Therefore, the words of Wooten are words of a personality that connects to life through his music. Some may question music's ability to affect lives, but Wooten seems to be evidence that it does.

The great jazz drummer Max Roach once said of Wooten, upon seeing him perform, that he knew that “that was the most creative approach to drumming he had ever seen.” His second invention, the “RoyEl,” resembles a piano but plays notes not found in the traditional western music scales. His third invention, the Dorothy Graye, also resembles a smaller piano and is dedicated to his mother Dorothy who inspired a practice method to learn the keys. This instrument is based to play off of the composer’s scriabin color to sound keys, with the universal mathematics guiding the exploration of tunings, such as the periodic table of elements and the golden ratio.

In the wake of the Don Imus-Rutger's Women's basketball scandal, and the every growing debate over hip-hop and rap lyrics and it's use of degrading and debasing words, it's refreshing to find a merging of the modern and classical world in a truly innovative and positive way. Saint Georges himself might well agree.

Cas Lucas Comes to Cafe Du Nord

Readers of BeyondChron may recall my columns about the young bluesman and songsmith Cas Lucas, and his work with the incredible Palm Wine Boys that first brought him to my attention. Since then, I've delved deeper into his music and his repertoire. His freshman outing, "Giving it Back" in 2006, put him squarely on a path trod by other up-and-coming acoustic guitarists before him; a bit of Dave Mathews, a dash of John Prine's wit and sobering reflection, a touch of the great Michael Hedges, and one of my favorites; Washington, D.C.'s Ben Andrews.

Andrews studied and performed the works of Blind Willie Jefferson, Leadbelly, Taj Mahal, and Hound Dog Taylor, and through them, he ultimately found his own voice. "Roads", Cas Lucas' new CD shows a similar maturity, one borne of his travels, tours, trepidations, and tenacity. Lucas will be bringing his blend of acoustic guitar and band to Cafe Du Nord on Friday, March 30th. "Roads" is indeed a much-anticipated album and from what I've heard, well worth the wait.

Tracks from "Roads" first appeared on Lucas' MySpace page in 2006, and "instantly garnered an outpouring of fan support." "Feel You", for example, is one such track, and a personal favorite. It's grooving and playful, yet extremely thoughtful, and captures much of Lucas' spirit, talent and flavor. Lucas isn't all blues however, as he and his band step out on "Dream A Window"; a lovely little rocker that lifts you up and makes you want to clap your hands and dance.

Another absolute winner for me is the Hedges-like "Home". I literally found myself hitting the rewind button on my iPod more than a few times. A beautiful Steve Miller-esque keyboard fill, used ever so sparringly, and that infectious groove...

Lucas co-produced "Roads" with Bay Area producer and engineer Adam Rossi, well known for his work with another local sensation, LUCE. Rossi and Lucas combined members of both Lucas' band, as well as LUCE for "Roads", and the collaboration was definitely well worth the effort. Alongside Lucas and Rossi, (on keyboards), are a few seasoned, session musicians who've collaborated on albums with John Mayer, Chuck Prophet, Counting Crows and Boz. Scaggs.

Some of the other guest contributors included members of his Cas Lucas Band; LUCE; The Palm Wine Boys' stellar percussionist Q.B. Williams even added vocals on a track or two, and Lucas' "other half", the exceptionally talented Stephen Inglis, really helped round out this wonderful recording. "This is the album I always wanted to make," recalled Lucas. "My first opportunity to present my music the way it was meant to sound from the beginning."

I'm feelin' you Cas.

"Roads" CD Release Party / Concert
@ Cafe Du Nord, Friday, March 30th
San Francisco, CA
Cas Lucas Band & LUCE
Plus the debut of Brad Wolfe & Megan Slankard's duet show
www.myspace.com/caslucas

Voiceprint UK: Great British Music on DVD

Ever wondered where to find classic DVDs of British rock, blues, or the progessive works of Pink Floyd, Yes, or Tangerine Dream? Look no further than Voiceprint UK, home to an ever growing and an incredible array of vintage music from the British Isles. One of the best and most revered music documentaries of the 1960's enjoys it's long awaited release in this spring.

"All My Loving" was filmed and produced in the late sixties and was one of the early directorial films from celebrated director Tony Palmer. The film features rare footage of the Beatles, Pink Floyd, The Who, Cream, Frank Zappa and Jimi Hendrix. Considered a landmark release at the time, (1968), this film is shortly to be available on DVD.

There are so many near forgotten greats of the sixties and seventies, that it's amazing so much of that footage has even survived and been digitally remastered by Voiceprint. Fans can visit their website, http://www.voiceprint.co.uk. One needn't worry too much about figuring out the pounds vs. dollars, they do it for you and the DVDs actually arrive in a reasonable amount of time. (16 pounds for a DVD comes to roughly around $30).

Guitar greats like John Martyn, Steve Hackett of Genesis; Hawkwind; King Crimson and Asia alumni John Wetton and Steve Howe, are captured in a variety of live performances, and lovingly restored.

Howe's fellow Yes alumni have been busy as well; Bill Bruford released his "BBC-Rock goes to College" DVD; and pianist Patrick Moraz has an archive release from 1995 and a live solo performance. The concert took place at Westminster Choir College in Princeton, New Jersey and captures Patrick’s piano work perfectly. Tracks include Blue Monk and the Intro from Best Years of Our Lives which was originally from epic "The Story of I". As with many of the albums in the Voiceprint series of re-issues, the artist have signed as well as personally overseen the re-mastering process for their releases.

Rick Wakeman, who shot to fame playing the Mellotron behind Elton John, David Bowie, The Strawbs and Yes, had been "trawling" through his personal video archive in order to see just what he has got in there. As it happened there was quite a lot of footage, and he made a decision to release them as an “Official DVD Bootleg” in the forthcoming “Rick Wakeman DVD Archive Series”. The shows will include performances from the 70’s,80’s and the 90’s. There will also be one or two surprises and certainly some footage that was thought to have been lost. More details of the series and the contents will be released early in 2007 and it's hoped to launch the series within the first six months of the year.

Tyneside legends "Martin Stephenson and the Daintees" are also recording a new studio album; their first since The Boy’s Heart album from 1992. The album although only in the early stages should be finished by March 2007 and a release date shortly after in spring. The album will feature Martin Stephenson alongside fellow founder members Anthony Dunn and Gary Dunn. The band also played a couple of pre Christmas gigs at the Cluny in Newcastle; the first of which was filmed for future release as a DVD.

The enigmatic band Gentle Giant are even on a DVD. Gentle Giant were rarely seen in the U.S.; I managed to catch their show only by accident, as an opening act for Jethro Tull at Washington, D.C.'s Capitol Centre.

Leslie West and the legendary Rock band "Mountain" will also release a signed limited edition of their forthcoming live DVD. The DVD was filmed in 1985 in Paris when the band were special guests on the Deep Purple European tour. The performance includes Mountain classics such as Theme For An Imaginary Western, Nantucket Sleighride and a version of the West Bruce and Laing song Why Doncha. The signed edition signed personally by both Leslie West and Corky Laing will be limited to just 500 Copies.

A film featuring the music of Mike Oldfield is also finally finding its way onto DVD. "The Space Movie" chronicles man’s longing for the stars and his dreams of journeying into space. The progress from weird and wonderful contraptions which barely got off the ground to man’s first moon landing is one of the most amazing of man’s achievements in the 20th Century. This film is a celebration of that achievement. All the footage in the film has been made specially available by NASA and The United States National Archive and includes never before seen footage of the lunar landscape. The films soundtrack was written and performed by Mike Oldfield and the films Space Symphony will have just as much appeal as Tubular Bells, Ommadwn Hergest Ridge and Incantations.

These long awaited DVDs coming out, may only be a tip of the iceberg, and a trend many in the music world predict will be with us for the foreseeable future. At a recent show at N.Y.'s Iridium Jazz Club, I asked British drummer Bill Bruford if he was coming out with any more new CDs. "No, I will actually be releasing two DVDs of my Earthworks bands..." he replied. "Not even a companion CD?" I asked.

"People now want to hear you AND see you," he said. "iTunes, DVDs... That's what they tell me anyway." He may be right.

Michael Brecker, 1949-2007

My first memory of the late, great saxophonist Michael Brecker, was at Catholic University's McDonough Arena in 1975, during his stint with the incredible drummer Billy Cobham. After an opening set by the soon-to-be-famous Hall and Oates, Cobham and his group, featuring trumpeter and brother Randy Brecker, guitarist John Abercrombie, trombonist Glenn Ferris, bassist Alex Blake and pianist Milcho Leviev took the stage. Needless to say, I was completely blown away. Cobham's albums with that line-up, "Crosswinds," "Total Eclipse," and "Shabazz," were some of the greatest jazz albums of it's time, and Michael Brecker's solo on Crosswind's "Heather" was such a moving performance, that it remains etched in my mind to this day. His fame increased along side his brother's in their "Brecker Brothers" groups of the '80, with Frank Zappa, and later with Steps Ahead. With Brecker's passing, the jazz world has clearly lost one of the greatest saxophonists it has ever known.

No saxophonist in jazz has had as pervasive an influence as Michael Brecker, since the death of John Coltrane in 1967. Across a wide range of stylistic backgrounds, Brecker developed the emotional intensity and technical dexterity of Coltrane’s mid-period playing into a highly distinctive individual style of his own, which was so widely imitated by aspiring saxophone students that Leeds College of Music took to nicknaming those teenage players who auditioned for its jazz course as “Ready-Breckers”.

In addition to leading his own bands, co-fronting the Brecker Brothers fusion band with his trumpet-playing brother Randy, and founding the groups Dreams and Steps Ahead, Brecker worked with such legendary jazz figures as the drummer Billy Cobham, and the pianists Horace Silver and Herbie Hancock. He was also one of the most prolific session players in history, contributing to more than 400 freelance dates by artists as varied as Paul Simon, James Taylor, Steely Dan, Dire Straits and Joni Mitchell.

From the early 1990s he worked most frequently with his own quartet, renowned for the way its members, the pianist Joey Calderazzo, bassist James Genus and drummer Jeff “Tain” Watts matched Brecker’s energy. Yet he also undertook a major recording project of his own almost every year from 1987 onwards, and from 2002 found time to tour with Hancock’s tribute to the 1960s Miles Davis band, Directions In Jazz, which pitted Brecker against the formidable trumpeter Roy Hargrove.

Brecker was born in 1949 and grew up in Philadelphia, where he and his brother were taken by their father to see the likes of Miles Davis, Thelonious Monk and Duke Ellington. Brecker studied the clarinet and alto saxophone, before transferring to the tenor instrument, which became his principal focus.

For the most part, despite owning an array of saxophones, he played an aged Selmer Mark 6, with which he became so familiar that he once said: “It’s as if I own every molecule of the instrument.” The degree to which he eventually became at one with the instrument was obvious in a sporadic series of unaccompanied solo concerts which began in 2001 with a recital at London’s Union Chapel as the opening of that year’s jazz festival. So accomplished was Brecker that he appeared to conjure an invisible band of backing musicians through the passing harmonic nuances and jumps between registers that he achieved within the broad sweep of his melodic lines.

Having studied at Indiana University, he followed his older brother Randy to New York, where in 1969 they joined Billy Cobham in the fusion band Dreams. Yet both brothers could not be typecast merely as jazz-rock players. In 1973-74 they became the horn section of Horace Silver’s quintet, playing soul jazz and hard bop at a level that matched any of Silver’s previous recruits.

On leaving Silver, after a brief return to Billy Cobham, Michael and Randy formed the Brecker Brothers, which made a series of successful albums for Arista between 1974 and 1981 that included the 1978 chart single East River. The band combined rock and soul rhythms with tightly written arrangements, and both brothers had plenty of opportunities for extended solo playing. The formula was successful, but the band ceased touring in 1979 and broke up in 1981, although it reformed briefly several times in the 1990s, finally touring as a conventional acoustic jazz group, and reinventing a high percentage of its original repertoire for this new format. During the 1970s the brothers also owned the New York jazz club Seventh Avenue South, where they played frequently.

In the meantime, Brecker formed Steps, with the vibes player Mike Mainieri, a group which in its second incarnation, Steps Ahead, brought a high level of instrumental virtuosity to a repertoire that tightened aspects of the Brecker Brothers sound into what became a universal paradigm for 1980s rock fusion.

Outstanding instrumentalists who worked with the band included the guitarist Mike Stern, the pianist Don Grolnick and bassists Eddie Gomez and Darryl Jones. Brecker led the group for the latter part of the 1980s, but in 1987 he cut the Michael Brecker album for Impulse, which effectively launched the solo recording career that became his main interest. On this album he used the Electronic Wind Instrument which allowed him to convert his formidable saxophone technique into input for a synthesiser.

Brecker’s subsequent discs include Tales From the Hudson, Two Blocks From the Edge, and Time is of the Essence, plus a ballad collection, The Nearness of You on which he was joined by Pat Metheny and Herbie Hancock, with James Taylor making a guest appearance in return for Brecker’s numerous cameos on the singer’s discs. He won eight Grammies, and he achieved the unique double of winning both best instrumental performance and best instrumental solo in two successive years.

In the summer of 2005, Brecker was found to have MDS (myelodysplastic syndrome), cancelling all his concerts, and undergoing an extended course of chemotherapy. Despite his illness, which later developed into leukaemia, he recorded a final album, completing it two weeks ago. He is survived by his wife, Susan, and their two children. He will be greatly missed.