Bela Fleck and the Flecktones Comes to the Regency

The Flecktones reemerged last year with a new album "Rocket Science", on a new label, (eOne records) and announcing that for "the first time since 1991, pianist/ harmonica player Howard Levy has returned to the fold alongside bassist Victor Wooten, percussionist/Drumitarist Roy “Futureman” Wooten and banjoist bandleader Fleck to create some of the most forward-thinking music of their long, storied career. While all manners of genres come into play – from classical and jazz to bluegrass and African music to electric blues and Eastern European folk dances – the result is an impossible to pigeonhole sound all their own, a meeting of musical minds that remains, as ever, utterly indescribable. Simply put, it is The Flecktones, the music made only when these four individuals come together." Next Thursday night, the Flecktones return to the Regency Ballroom alongside violinist Casey Driessen.

Longtime followers of Fleck recall that he took up the banjo at an early age, growing up in Manhattan of all places, eventually migrating to Nashville. Once there, he aligned himself with the now legendary "New Grass Revival", with Mark O'Connor and Edgar Meyer. Desiring to combine bluegrass with jazz, rock, and world music, Fleck began seeking other like minded folks to give life to those ideas. Not long after that, he teamed with virtuoso harmonica player Howard Levy, one of the world's greatest electric bassists Victor Lemonte Wooten, and his eccentric brother, percussionist Roy "Futureman" Wooten. "Futureman", had apparently taken a $10,000 "Synthaxe" guitar synthesizer, cannibalized it, and turned it into an electronic "drumitar", half guitar, half drum machine.

The result was spectacular, as they created a sound unlike anything heard before them. After years of touring the globe, and several successful albums, a road weary Levy left the group and was eventually replaced by saxophonist Jeff Coffin. Since then, the Flecktones have performed with an incredible array of musicians; Phish, Dave Matthews, Chick Corea, Branford Marsalis, a Tuvan throat singer named Ondar, Indian tabla master Zakir Hussain, reed master Paul McCandless, steel drummer Andy Narell, Jean-Luc Ponty, Chick Corea, Stanley Clarke others.

With the departure of Jeff Coffin to the Dave Mathews Band, The Flecktones regrouped and with the return of Levy, produced one of their best albums in years. I particularly enjoyed the delightfully complex "Life in Eleven" and the grooving, vintage-Flecktone sounding "Gravity Lane". Over the years the members of the Flecktones have enjoyed the benefits of recording and touring with many of the musical greats.I could clearly hear the influence that virtuosos Corea and Clarke had on both Fleck and Victor Wooten. Wooten spent time on the road with Corea and later with Clarke and bassist Marcus Miller in SVT. Fleck's tour with Clark and Ponty was amazing, as was his duets with Corea. Fleck's composition "Storm Warning" was written for the Ponty-Clarke-Fleck group, "Trio".

While all manner of genres come into play from classical and jazz to bluegrass and African music to electric blues and Eastern European folk dances the result is an impossible to pigeonhole sound all their own, a meeting of musical minds that remains, as ever, utterly indescribable. Simply put, it is The Flecktones, the music made only when these four individuals come together. "I didn t want to just get together to play the old music", Fleck says. "That s not what the Flecktones are about. Everybody s full of life and ideas and creativity. I was intrigued by what we could do that we had never done before."

It was also great to hear Howard Levy back together with the Flecktones. The warmth of his harmonica playing and his uncanny ability to play it simultaneously with piano is simply amazing. Levy also contributed some new compositions to the album ; The aforementioned, quick little 11/8 piece "Life in Eleven", "Joyful Spring" and the intriguing "Sweet Pomegranates".

Futureman continues his foray into the world of innovative acoustic and electronic percussion with a solo piece entitled "The Secret Drawer". There is quite a bit more acoustic drumming from Wooten on this album, and his library of deftly played samples never seems to end. One of the best parts of the Flecktones has been having the Wooten brothers for a rhythm section, a tandem Fleck himself has called "dangerous".

Spinner's Tad Hendrickson upon reviewing this album wrote, "Originally, the Flecktones' studio albums were made up of stuff that had been worked over on tour, but this time around the band had to write, rehearse and record without playing it live. "Although nothing replaces refining a song on tour in front of an audience, the old hands have a pretty good handle on the material and it came together fairly quickly", according to Fleck, meaning that "there is a freshness to the material that might not have happened otherwise."

"Although on par with the three classics with Levy, 'Rocket Science' has a more collaborative approach than the band's initial releases. Fleck had distinct ideas and objectives for the band in the early days, which meant that the band wasn't always open to what Levy brought in, writes Henrickson. "Whereas the earlier version of the band was more about a focused sound, this time around the band is looking to broaden its approach and try new things..."

Rocket Science is indeed a snapshot of the musical journeys taken by the four original Flecktones, a melding of those experiences in songs and culminating in a sound that is undeniably theirs. The wonderful chemistry that existed among that quartet back in '89 is still evident today, making Rocket Science perhaps the Flecktones best effort to date.

Tom Nunn Comes to the Capp Street CMC

Tonight, Edgetone Records and Earwax Music presents "Music of Invention - A Concert Celebrating Tom Nunn's Inventions - A retrospective and a tribute". Since 1976 Tom Nunn has invented over 200 instruments. The sounds from these unique creations have been utilized on dozens of recordings, soundtracks and in performance. For this special evening Nunn will play many of these musical inventions including: The Crustacean (1977), Sonoglyph, T-Rodimba, The Skatchbox, Bridge Rod Mothic, The Bug, and his most recent instrument - The Lukie Tubes (2011)The performances will feature Nunn in duos, trios and groups (T.D. Skatchit, Ghost In The House, Rtd3). The guests will include: Aurora Josephson - voice, Allan Crossman - piano, Doug Carroll - cello, Bart Hopkins - inventions, Gary Knowlton - bass, Chris Brown - electronics, Michael Knowlton - guitar, David Michalak - lap steel, skatchbox, Ron Heglin - voice, Paul Winstanley – bass, Karen Stackpole - gongs, percussion, Rent Romus - alto sax, Ed Herrmann - inventions, John Ingle - soprano sax plus a surprise guest.

To co-inside with the event Edgetone Records will release the single, Skatchbox Blues - a tribute to Nunn and his invention, The Skatchbox. Many of Nunn’s instruments will also be on display and a reception will follow the show and attendees will receive a free Tom Nunn CD with their admission.

Nunn has designed and built over 200 instruments since 1976, representing three basic types: space plates, electroacoustic percussion boards, and skatchboxes. Space plates are metal sheets with bronze rods that are bowed; the plate is supported by inflated balloons, allowing the plate to resonate. Electroacoustic percussion boards are plywood sheets with various hardware devices attached such as nails, threaded steel rods, bronze rods, combs, etc., played with a variety of small percussion implements. Skatchboxes are cardboard boxes with objects such as washers, combs, toothpicks, bronze rod, dowel, etc. taped or glued to the exterior that are played with various modified combs. All of Nunn’s instruments are amplified using contact microphones and have sculptural qualities.

Nunn has performed extensively throughout the San Francisco Bay Area for over 30 years, as well as in other parts of the U.S., Canada, Europe, and New Zealand, both as soloist and with other musicians. Tom has performed with various groups over the years and currently works with T.D. SKATCHIT, RTD3 and GHOST IN THE HOUSE. He has appeared on a number of recordings, including his solo CD, "Identity." (2007), “T.D. Skatchit & Company” (2009) and “Skatch Migration” (2010) (all on Edgetone Records). In 1998, he completed writing and self-published WISDOM OF THE IMPULSE: ON THE NATURE OF MUSICAL FREE IMPROVISATION, a book that examines various aspects of this illusive art and presents a theoretical foundation for creative listening, analysis and discussion. Tom has also written a number of articles about the use of experimental instruments and improvisation in publications such as EXPERIMENTAL MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS, MUSICWORKS and LEONARDO. He was an invited participant in the Sound Symposium in St. John’s Newfoundland in 1994 and has participated several times in the annual San Francisco Bay Area Festival for People and Thingamajigs. In 2007, he was one of 10 instrument inventors invited to participate in the City of Auckland’s biannual cultural festival, AK07. In 2009, he performed with RTD3 in the Improvisers Festival in Birmingham, Alabama.


"Music of Invention - A Concert Celebrating Tom Nunn's Inventions - A retrospective and a tribute"
Community Music Center
544 Capp Street
San Francisco, CA
Friday, Feb 17 2012 8:00 PM

Jack DeJohnette's "Sound Travels"

2012 promises to be a banner year for legend Jack DeJohnette, renowned as one of music's most adventurous artists and prolific drummers. He'll receive a National Endowment for the Arts Jazz Master Fellowship, the highest U.S. honor for jazz musicians. The Chicago-born, New York-based artist will also turn 70, boasting a top-drawer historical resume that ranges from his early days as a charter member of the Charles Lloyd Quartet and his seminal drumming in Miles Davis's pioneering fusion band in the late '60s and early '70s (including Bitches Brew) to his longstanding quarter-century-plus contributions to the Keith Jarrett Standards Trio as well as his own diverse solo career recording for such labels as ECM, MCA/Impluse!, EMI/Blue Note, and his own imprint Golden Beams.

Add to that another crowning achievement: DeJohnette's latest and arguably best album, Sound Travels (a co-release between Golden Beams and eOne). It's a superb genre-spanning, nine-song collection that grooves with Latin rhythms and West Indian energy, muses with meditative tunes, and buoys with straight-up jazz swing. Sound Travels features an array of collaborators, including vocalists Bruce Hornsby (on the funky, bluesy tune Dirty Ground that has AOR hit potential), Bobby McFerrin and Esperanza Spalding. Also on board are emerging talents such as trumpeter Ambrose Akinmusire and guitarist Lionel Loueke (and Spalding, who plays bass on seven of the tracks) and established jazz stars such as saxophonist Tim Ries, percussionist Luisito Quintero and, on one track, pianist Jason Moran.

But DeJohnette is the spotlighted star of the album. He composed all of the tunes (he co-composed Dirty Ground with Hornsby, who wrote the lyrics), he drums with his distinctive and passionate style, and he plays the piano (his first instrument on which he studied classical music from the age of 4 to 14) on nearly all the tracks, including the lyrical solo bookends.

DeJohnette's goal for the album was simple: I love to play grooves and beautiful melodies, he says. It was fun once we got started. It was like, let the juices flow.

Gary Husband Returns with "Dirty and Beautiful Volume 2"

Multi-dimensional drummer, keyboardist, composer and arranger Gary Husband hits his stride with Dirty & Beautiful Volume 2, his latest release on Abstract Logix Records. Dirty & Beautiful Volume 2 features an explosive all-star line-up of guest musicians such as John McLaughlin, Allan Holdsworth, Jan Hammer, Robin Trower, Jimmy Herring, Wayne Krantz, Mark King, Alex Machacek and Mike Stern.

Dirty & Beautiful Volume 2 does not merely pick up where 2010’s Volume 1 left off. Volume 2 expands upon Husband’s musical vision of creating music that is passionate and sophisticated, yet infused with grit and rawness. The mix of Husband originals and cover tunes are driven by the combination of the dynamic powerhouse drumming, ferocious lead lines and distinctly evocative keyboard harmony that altogether define Husband’s “multiple threat” of a musical voice.

Selected highlights of Dirty & Beautiful Volume 2 are "Fred 2011": A reworking of the classic Allan Holdsworth song with Holdworth on guitar and synth-master Jan Hammer taking an extended fire breathing solo. "Sulley": a stompin’ rocker with the great John McLaughlin on guitar and bassist Mark King getting down and dirty. "Yesternow Epilogue": guitarist Robin Trower continues his Strat-soaked blues rave-up that was teasingly hinted at on "Yesternow" preview from Volume 1. Alex Machacek deliciously smouldering on his self-penned "Lock, Stock & two Smoking Brothers".

"England Green": an evocative Husband original with Jimmy Herring playing the lyrical theme on guitar. "New Blues, Old Bruise": a John McLaughlin composition given a jazzier edge featuring rising tenor sax star Sean Freeman. Not to mention other new originals featuring the angular intelligence of Wayne Krantz and the fiery, electric bop of Mike Stern.

Last June, Husband described recording this latest effort on his website, "I had the pleasure of mixing in Austria (with the splendid engineer Marcus Wippersberg at the helm), two of the feature cuts on the album just recently – one being a real tour-de-force piece written by Machacek, and the other being my piece “Sulley” (which is a tune performed regularly by ourselves in John McLaughlin’s 4th Dimension.) On the former – which is still at rough mix stage – I am featured on drums, and I feel it’s turned out very strongly. The version of “Sulley” I am also particularly excited about. I have maestro John McLaughlin and bass giant Mark King going head to head throughout the whole piece. There’s an interesting tonality aspect to it all that I’ve introduced, and I’m very proud of the experiments we made on this cut.

I think it’s all come off marvelously rude, audacious, pretty different and (for me) very stimulating. It reveals a stunning and monstrously spirited performance by Mark that I feel probably only a certain few would associate with him (from his legendary stylings over the years in his famous group Level 42), and I’m really very proud to feature it. John is John, and is on absolutely great form throughout…"

"You’re hearing also a tiny snippet at the end of another piece by me – “England Green” – which, when mixed, will reveal a lovely performance guitarist Jimmy Herring played. He has something very, very special and soulful and I’m particularly delighted to be featuring him on the album. On bass on that track; again the very formidable Laurence Cottle, (heard not long ago in the final incarnation of drummer Bill Bruford's Earthworks).

There is also a version of Allan Holdsworth’s “Fred” we have in preparation for mix (originally featured on the Tony Williams New Lifetime album “Believe It”, and it’s a tune I have also played regularly with Allan over the recent years.) On bass here, again the sublime Mr. Jimmy Johnson, and on keyboards and synth solo once again on this follow-up album we have the great Jan Hammer. From the original LA sessions I will also feature another take of “Boulevard Baloneyo” which for me is very special, and for this album we’ll probably give it a “re-travelled” tag in the title...."

"A cover of John McLaughlin’s piece “New Blues Old Bruise” featuring a great friend and tenor saxophone virtuoso Sean Freeman (along with bassist Etienne MBappe and myself.) I will also be recording another electric piece – "East River Jam", (an older piece of mine previously entitled “East End West End”) – which will feature another great old friend of mine; the very electric Ray Russell on guitar…."

"Add to all this more of Robin Trower and Livi Brown, hopefully a track to be recorded with Wayne Krantz and maybe another with Mike Stern, and a cover of another Jan Hammer track called “Rain”. That’s actually a piece that was featured in Jan’s excellent music for Miami Vice, and it’s a touching little thing – very much with a pop sensibility to it. For guitar on this I’m in now in touch with Neil Taylor, who is someone I’ve personally been a huge fan of on guitar since I heard his riveting solo in the ’80s on Tears For Fears song “Everybody Wants To Rule The World”…"

With a roster of top-tier musicians and stellar performances, Gary Husband’s Dirty & Beautiful Volume 2 promises to be one of the most musically exciting and musically rewarding releases of 2012.