"The Works" of Kit Watkins

Recently, I received a copy of a fantastic DVD by the the multi-talented musician Kit Watkins entitled, "The Works". This Data/DVD is an incredible collection that spans nearly thirty years of this prolific artist. Watkins first came to my attention on the campus of Georgetown University, during his tenure as founding member of the group, "Happy the Man". Sponsored by the university's then forward thinking radio station, WGTB, Watkins and his group produced a show that is now the stuff of legend and heralded the age of prog-rock and new age music of the late '70's and '80s. There are 27 albums and 12 bonus tracks in mp3 format on the DVD, (including my personal favorite, "Over the Andes" with Coco Rousell), making this a must have collection of a true musical genius.

Another reviewer once wrote of Watkins, "Kit Watkins first came to prominence as part of legendary progressive band, Happy the Man. Despite disbanding years ago after just a couple albums, Kit still gets questions as to if and when this band might ever get back together. Later he joined up with Andrew Latimer in Camel for the album, "I Can See Your House from Here." Shortly afterwards he became a solo artist with his first album, "Labyrinth." From here it was inevitable that Kit would start his own label, Linden Music.

For me, Kit's music is a perfect example of why more artists need to start their own labels. The major labels make it a point to market to the lowest common denominator. An artist on a major label, and even many niche indie labels, must record albums that basically sound the same from beginning to end and from one album to the next. That makes it easy for the labels to market, but denies the artist any artistic growth and eventually cuts short his/her career. Kit refuses to treat his audience in this manner. Instead he assumes that they are both very intelligent and very curious and each album is a new adventure in a totally different musical world."

Born to classical piano teachers in 1953 in Virginia, Kit Watkins studied piano at home from ages 5 through 13. During his teen years, Kit was drawn to rock music and became a driving force behind a series of local bands, playing organ, synthesizer, and flute, as well as singing lead. By age 18, he was discovering his own writing abilities. He soon joined up with the band Happy The Man (HTM) which was forming at the local university. It was with HTM that Kit honed his skills in composing, performing, arranging, and producing. During its six years, the band recorded five albums, including two produced by Ken Scott and released on Arista Records. In 1979, Kit then joined the British band Camel for an album produced by Rupert Hine and several tours of the UK, Europe, and Japan from 1980 through 1982.



Kit’s solo career began in 1980 with the self-produced album Labyrinth, released on his own Azimuth Records label. The album won him 5th place in Keyboard magazine’s Annual Readers’ Poll Awards for keyboard album. He recorded and performed with drummer/percussionist Coco Roussel during this period. During the 80s, Kit continued to produce solo and collaborative albums, some released on his own label, while others were picked up by larger independent labels. In the early 90s, Kit formed a new label, Linden Music, which released a number of his new recordings, as well as CDs by Robert Rich, Jeff Greinke, David Borden, and others.

His music style has changed focus from album to album, and has encompassed such varied forms as progressive, electronica, ambient, jazz, and world-fusion. Some notable influences include artists such as Brian Eno, Mickey Hart, Mark Isham, Joe Zawinul, Harold Budd, Wayne Shorter, Steve Reich, Joni Mitchell, Jon Hassell, Eberhard Weber, Jeff Greinke, Steve Roach, and Wendy Carlos.

In 2001, Kit performed a milestone concert in Philadelphia for The Gatherings series, hosted by Chuck van Zyl of Star’s End Ambient Radio. It was Kit’s first performance in 20 years, and his first ever as a solo artist in a new genre. In preparation for this concert, Kit began learning and using an electronic wind instrument as the focal point of his stage performance. He finds this instrument far more expressive and liberating than electronic keyboards, especially for melody and solo work. Coupling his abilities on flute with his many influences by horn and reed players, the migration to the electronic wind instrument has been a natural. The Gathering CDs are also available, as well as a video of the concert on DVD.

Also in 2001, Kit briefly formed an improvisational ensemble named Tone Ghost Ether. The group was realized through a natural interaction between three musicians (Kit Watkins, Brad Allen, John Tlusty) searching for a common form of expression. All of the music by Tone Ghost Ether was improvised and played in real-time without overdubs.

Kit Watkins is continuing to record and release new works from his private studio in Brattleboro, Vermont. The music of Kit Watkins can be heard on-line at KitWatkins.com, as well as on such broadcast radio shows as Hearts of Space, Star’s End, and Echoes. His wide ranging interests in music and sound allow him to change his focus from album to album resulting in a fresh experience for both artist and listener. Expect the unexpected.

Billy Cobham Comes to Yoshi's... Both of Them!

Billy Cobham is clearly one of the greatest drummers of this or any era. At age 63, he still brings it. His career is certainly legendary; Miles, McCoy Tyner, Horace Silver, Stanley Turrentine and a founding member of one the greatest fusion groups of all time; John McLaughlin's Mahavishnu Orchestra, just to name a few. Last week, Cobham began a week long stint at the Yoshi's on Fillmore with his "Spectrum Revisited" quartet, featuring guitarist Dean Brown, keyboardist Mark Soskin and bassist Victor Bailey. That group ably covered some of Cobham's electric music of the '70's, '80's and '90's.

Last night, Cobham paired down his 7 piece kit and moved to the Yoshi's in Oakland, this time with his "straight ahead" group, with pianist Kenny Barron, bassist John Williams and long time friend and trumpeter, the incredible Randy Brecker. Along side his late brother, the saxophonist Michael Brecker, they helped cement Cobham's place in the annals of jazz; co-founding the '70's group, Dreams, and performing on many of his greatest albums from the Altantic era. It's not too late to catch one of the most unforgettable drummers you will ever see.

Last year, I wrote about growing up in DC and first seeing Billy Cobham with guitar virtuoso John McLaughlin and his ground breaking Mahavishnu Orchestra in 1972. After that unbelievable show, on American University's famed football field, Billy Cobham soon became my favorite drummer.

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 recent DVD, "Billy Cobham: Live at 60". Joining Cobham for yet another concert in Paris, was 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. 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 had 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. Cobham has been part of several new films, "Sonic Groove" and the French film "Sonic Nerve".

At last night's show, Cobham played one of his greatest tunes, "Heather", (from the LP "Crosswinds"), and one he confessed, wasn't sure why he hadn't played it very often. That particular song is perhaps one of my favorites, made all the more special by the keyboard work of George Duke and the late Michael Brecker. Brecker and Miles were the very first to use wah-wah and other effects on their trumpets. After the show, I told Randy, "You did your brother proud on "Heather'..." Brecker smiled and thanked me.

Billy Cobham & Friends
featuring Kenny Barron, John Williams and Randy Brecker
Yoshi's at Jack London Square, Oakland, CA
Friday, April 18th @ 8:00 pm, $24:00 & 10:00 pm $16
Saturday, April 19th both shows $24:00
Sunday, April 20th @ 7:00 pm $24 & 9:00 pm $16

Manring Kassin Darter at 142 Throckmorton Theatre

with Edo Castro and E. "Doc" Smith

Bassist Michael Manring is well known for his work with groups like Montreux, Henry Kaiser and Wadada Leo Smith's Yo' Miles!; his duets with the much beloved and sorely missed Michael Hedges, songwriter John Gorka and a host of the Windaham Hill label's best known recording artists like George Winston. His most recent CD, "Soliloquy", is yet another musical milestone. However in 2001, Manring began his collaborations with fellow virtuosos, flautist Larry Kassin and pianist Tom Darter, resulting in their seminal work "Scatter". This Saturday night at Mill Valley's 142 Throckmorton Theatre, the trio reunites for what promises to be another wonderful evening of "chamber music for the new millennium".

Separately, Manring, Kassin, and Darter have extensive, multi-faceted careers as musicians. Together, they perform provocative, complex compositions - music that tears down stylistic walls and refuses to be compartmentalized. While listeners can hear echoes of classical, jazz, rock, folk, avant-garde, and world music in their performances, the net result is something completely new: chamber music for the new century.

This virtuoso trio has been astounding audiences for the last ten years with their amazing chops, quiet soul and diverse compositions. With over 100 albums to his credit, bass phenom Michael Manring has been hailed as "the world's greatest electric bassist" while pianist Tom Darter's compositions have drawn praise from Elliott Carter, Aaron Copland and Karel Husa and music critics have compared Kassin's flute playing with Rahassan Roland Kirk, Hubert Laws and Paul Horn.

Opening the evening is Edo Castro and myself. Edo is a multi-stringed bass virtuoso and has performed with a plethora of jazz greats; Roy Haynes, Ed Thigpen, Johhny Griffin, Armando Peraza, Stu Hamm and Mark Egan, just to name but a few. I'm of course, a regular contributor to Beyond Chron, in addition to being a drummer and percussionist who has worked with the likes of Brian Eno, Madonna, Warren Zevon, Mickey Hart, Jimmy Cliff, and John Mayall among others. I'm also the inventor of the musical instrument, the Drummstick. A new recording featuring this remarkable evening is due out in early June.

Michael Manring is also known for his innovative approach to the bass and adventurous solo concerts, spawning the popular "Bass Solo Nights" concert series around the bay area. He has appeared on approximately 200 recordings, and toured throughout the Americas, Europe, and Asia. He has received Grammy and Bammie nominations, the Berklee School of Music Distinguished Alumni Award, two Gold Records, and the Bassist of the Year award from the readers of Bass Player magazine.

Larry Kassin founded the internationally recognized Noe Valley Music Series in 1981, at the acoustically superb Noe Valley Ministry in San Francisco, California. His wide-ranging performance style has led to appearances with Bobby McFerrin, Jessica Williams, SF Klezmer Experience, Rhiannon, Sonia, and Box Set, plus a recent CD release with Doors keyboardist Ray Manzerek and Beat poet Michael McClure.

Tom Darter is the founding editor of Keyboard magazine, established the Contemporary Music Ensemble at the Chicago Musical College of Roosevelt University, where he also taught music theory and composition. He has arranged two albums of music for the Kronos Quartet Monk Suite (Music of Bill Evans), played keyboards on numerous Jerry Goldsmith film scores, and has won several composition awards.

"Scatter" is a truly beautiful collection of well thought out and marvelously performed pieces. Recorded live in San Francisco, it begins with the playful "Gizmo" and shows the trio at it's rollicking best; "Ultra-body Over the Mountain" is another deceptively complex, yet tight arrangement. "Scatter", the CD's title cut lives up to it's name; a hectic ride you may wish to fasten your seat belt for; "The Chicago Picasso" is one of the loveliest songs on album, with Darter and Kassin's interplay a sparkling gem. I could hear Darter channeling Eubie himself on the jaunty "Eubie Blake on Mars", and honestly, can anyone actually play as fast as those three on "Sabar"?

Greg Rule of Keyboard magazine once said of the trio, "Mindboggling musicianship. Complex, provocative compositions. Darter, Manring and Kassin are all-around awesome!" Upon seeing them, I think you'll agree.

Manring Kassin Darter
with Edo Castro and E. "Doc" Smith
142 Throckmorton Theatre, Mill Valley, California
Saturday, April 12 8:00pm
$20.00 General Admission
$15.00 Students
$22.00 General Admission, Day of Show

Freddie Hubbard Comes to Yoshi's

One of my fondest jazz memories came many years ago at Maryland's Merriweather Post Pavilion. I had come to see the fantastic pianist Herbie Hancock's V.S.O.P., (very special onetime performance), quintet. This was the reunion of Miles Davis' original quintet, featuring saxophonist Wayne Shorter, bassist Ron Carter, drummer Tony Williams and in Miles' stead, the one and only Freddie Hubbard on trumpet. Each performer began the show by trading and soloing, until settling in on Hubbard. He didn't disappoint. Tonight and Saturday, Hubbard makes his debut at the new Yoshi's on Fillmore, celebrating his 70th birthday.Joining him are Bobby Hutcherson, George Cables, James Spaulding, Craig Handy, and Lenny White.

Freddie Hubbard is jazz royalty. One of the greatest trumpeters in the music’s history, the Indianapolis native came out of the Clifford Brown and Lee Morgan tradition to hone his own fiery and widely influential style. After rising to prominence as a member of Art Blakey’s Jazz Messengers (alongside Wayne Shorter and Curtis Fuller), Hubbard became a leader in his own right, producing a string of classic albums for Blue Note, Impulse, and, especially, CTI. As a composer, he’s contributed several standards (notably “Red Clay” and “First Light”) to the jazz repertoire. Help celebrate Freddie Hubbard’s 70th birthday as the trumpet legend comes to Yoshi’s with an all-star band comprised of friends and alumni, including Craig Handy, David Weiss, Dwayne Burno, James Spaulding, George Cables, and special guest Bobby Hutcherson.

Frederick Dewayne Hubbard was born April 7, 1938 in Indianapolis, Indiana, and in his youth, Hubbard associated with various musicians in Indianapolis, including Wes Montgomery and Montgomery's brothers. Chet Baker was an early influence, although Hubbard soon aligned himself with the approach of Clifford Brown and his forebears: Fats Navarro and Dizzy Gillespie.

Hubbard's jazz career began in earnest after moving to New York City in 1958. While there, he worked with Sonny Rollins, Slide Hampton, J. J. Johnson, Philly Joe Jones, Oliver Nelson, and Quincy Jones, among others. He gained attention while playing with the seminal hard bop ensemble Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers, appearing on such albums as Mosaic, Buhaina's Delight, and Free For All. He left the Messengers in 1964 to lead his own groups and since that time has maintained a high profile as a bandleader or featured as a special guest, but never merely a sideman.

Along with two other trumpeters also born in 1938, Lee Morgan and Booker Little, Hubbard exerted a strong force on the direction of 1960s jazz. He recorded extensively for Blue Note Records: eight albums as a bandleader, and twenty-eight as a sideman. Most of these recordings are regarded as classics. Hubbard appeared on a few early avant-garde landmarks (Ornette Coleman's Free Jazz, Eric Dolphy's Out to Lunch and John Coltrane's Ascension), but Hubbard never fully embraced free jazz, though it has influenced his playing.

After leaving Blue Note, Hubbard recorded for the Atlantic label and moved toward a more commercial style. His next label was CTI Records where he recorded his best-known works, Red Clay, First Light, and Sky Dive. By 1970, his fiery, melodic improvisation and phenomenal technique established him as perhaps the leading trumpeter of his day, but a series of commercially oriented smooth jazz albums spawned some negative criticism. After signing with Columbia Records, Hubbard's albums were almost exclusively in a commercial vein. However, in 1976, Hubbard toured and recorded with V.S.O.P., led by Herbie Hancock which presented unadulterated jazz in the style of the 1960s Miles Davis Quintet with Hubbard taking the place of Davis.

1980s projects moved between straight-ahead and commercial styles, and Hubbard recorded for several different labels including Atlantic, Pablo, Fantasy, Elektra/Musician, and the revived Blue Note label. The slightly younger Woody Shaw was Hubbard's main jazz competitor during the 1970s and 1980s, and the two eventually recorded together on three occasions. Hubbard participated in the short-lived Griffith Park Collective, which also included Joe Henderson, Chick Corea, Stanley Clarke, and Lenny White.

Following a long setback of health problems and a serious lip injury in 1992, Hubbard is again playing and recording occasionally, some have said, "not at the high level that he set for himself during his earlier career".

I can't tell.

Freddie Hubbard & Friends 70th Birthday Celebration
with Bobby Hutcherson, George Cables, James Spaulding, Craig Handy, and Lenny White
Yoshi's San Francisco, 1330 Fillmore
April 4th & 5th, 2008
Friday & Saturday, all shows $28 & $32

Sonny Rollins Comes to Zellerbach

The incredible Sonny Rollins comes to Berkeley's Zellerbach Hall, next Thursday, April 3rd, and begins a world tour that will take him to Japan, Europe and Brazil. When Rollins picks up the tenor saxophone, the world listens. "The last jazz immortal," according to the Village Voice, he is the most formidable of all improvisers and a living inspiration to musicians and listeners alike. Rollins first recorded in 1949 and today, he is one of the few surviving icons from a golden era of jazz that will probably never be equaled. Rollins chooses to "live lightly on the planet," and at the core of his humble lifestyle is a demanding practice regime, essential because of the tremendous demands he places on himself. Rather than exploit his fame, he chooses his creative venues carefully, working only when he likes and recording sporadically. Consequently, every Rollins live appearance sparkles like a rare gem, to be admired and treasured.

Theodore Walter Rollins was born on September 7, 1930 in New York City. He grew up in Harlem not far from the Savoy Ballroom, the Apollo Theatre, and the doorstep of his idol, Coleman Hawkins. After early discovery of Fats Waller and Louis Armstrong, he started out on alto saxophone, inspired by Louis Jordan. At the age of sixteen, he switched to tenor, trying to emulate Hawkins. He also fell under the spell of the musical revolution that surrounded him, Bebop.

He began to follow Charlie Parker, and soon came under the wing of Thelonious Monk, who became his musical mentor and guru. Living in Sugar Hill, his neighborhood musical peers included Jackie McLean, Kenny Drew and Art Taylor, but it was young Sonny who was first out of the pack, working and recording with Babs Gonzales, J.J. Johnson, Bud Powell and Miles Davis before he turned twenty.

"Of course, these people are there to be called on because I think I represent them in a way," Rollins said recently of his peers and mentors. "They're not here now so I feel like I'm sort of representing all of them, all of the guys. Remember, I'm one of the last guys left, as I'm constantly being told, so I feel a holy obligation sometimes to evoke these people."

In the early fifties, he established a reputation first among musicians, then the public, as the most brash and creative young tenor on the scene, through his work with Miles, Monk, and the MJQ.

Miles Davis was an early Sonny Rollins fan and in his autobiography wrote that he "began to hang out with Sonny Rollins and his Sugar Hill Harlem crowd...anyway, Sonny had a big reputation among a lot of the younger musicians in Harlem. People loved Sonny Rollins up in Harlem and everywhere else. He was a legend, almost a god to a lot of the younger musicians. Some thought he was playing the saxophone on the level of Bird. I know one thing--he was close. He was an aggressive, innovative player who always had fresh musical ideas. I loved him back then as a player and he could also write his ass off..."

Sonny moved to Chicago for a few years to remove himself from the surrounding elements of negativity around the Jazz scene. He reemerged at the end of 1955 as a member of the Clifford Brown-Max Roach Quintet, with an even more authoritative presence. His trademarks became a caustic, often humorous style of melodic invention, a command of everything from the most arcane ballads to calypsos, and an overriding logic in his playing that found him hailed for models of thematic improvisation.

It was during this time that Sonny acquired a nickname,"Newk." As Miles Davis explains in his autobiography: "Sonny had just got back from playing a gig out in Chicago. He knew Bird, and Bird really liked Sonny, or "Newk" as we called him, because he looked like the Brooklyn Dodgers' pitcher Don Newcombe. One day, me and Sonny were in a cab...when the white cabdriver turned around and looked at Sonny and said, `Damn, you're Don Newcombe!'' Man, the guy was totally excited. I was amazed, because I hadn't thought about it before. We just put that cabdriver on something terrible. Sonny started talking about what kind of pitches he was going to throw Stan Musial, the great hitter for the St. Louis Cardinals, that evening..."

In 1956, Sonny began recording the first of a series of landmark recordings issued under his own name: Valse Hot introduced the practice, now common, of playing bop in 3/4 meter; St. Thomas initiated his explorations of calypso patterns; and Blue 7 was hailed by Gunther Schuller as demonstrating a new manner of "thematic improvisation," in which the soloist develops motifs extracted from his theme. Way Out West (1957), Rollins's first album using a trio of saxophone, double bass, and drums, offered a solution to his longstanding difficulties with incompatible pianists, and exemplified his witty ability to improvise on hackneyed material (Wagon Wheels, I'm an Old Cowhand). It Could Happen to You (also 1957) was the first in a long series of unaccompanied solo recordings, and The Freedom Suite (1958) foreshadowed the political stances taken in jazz in the 1960s. During the years 1956 to 1958 Rollins was widely regarded as the most talented and innovative tenor saxophonist in jazz.

Rollins's first examples of the unaccompanied solo playing that would become a specialty also appeared in this period; yet the perpetually dissatisfied saxophonist questioned the acclaim his music was attracting, and between 1959 and late `61 withdrew from public performance.

Sonny remembers that he took his leave of absence from the scene because "I was getting very famous at the time and I felt I needed to brush up on various aspects of my craft. I felt I was getting too much, too soon, so I said, wait a minute, I'm going to do it my way. I wasn't going to let people push me out there, so I could fall down. I wanted to get myself together, on my own. I used to practice on the Bridge, the Williamsburg Bridge because I was living on the Lower East Side at the time."

When he returned to action in early `62, his first recording was appropriately titled The Bridge. By the mid 60's, his live sets became grand, marathon stream-of-consciousness solos where he would call forth melodies from his encyclopedic knowledge of popular songs, including startling segues and sometimes barely visiting one theme before surging into dazzling variations upon the next. Rollins was brilliant, yet restless. The period between 1962 and `66 saw him returning to action and striking productive relationships with Jim Hall, Don Cherry, Paul Bley, and his idol Hawkins, yet he grew dissatisfied with the music business once again and started yet another sabbatical in `66. "I was getting into eastern religions," he remembers. "I've always been my own man. I've always done, tried to do, what I wanted to do for myself. So these are things I wanted to do. I wanted to go on the Bridge. I wanted to get into religion. But also, the Jazz music business is always bad. It's never good. So that led me to stop playing in public for a while, again. During the second sabbatical, I worked in Japan a little bit, and went to India after that and spent a lot of time in a monastery. I resurfaced in the early 70s, and made my first record in `72. I took some time off to get myself together and I think it's a good thing for anybody to do."

In 1972, with the encouragement and support of his wife Lucille, who had become his business manager, Rollins returned to performing and recording, signing with Milestone and releasing Next Album. (Working at first with Orrin Keepnews, Sonny was by the early ’80s producing his own Milestone sessions with Lucille.) His lengthy association with the Berkeley-based label produced two dozen albums in various settings – from his working groups to all-star ensembles (Tommy Flanagan, Jack DeJohnette, Stanley Clarke, Tony Williams); from a solo recital to tour recordings with the Milestone Jazzstars (Ron Carter, McCoy Tyner); in the studio and on the concert stage (Montreux, San Francisco, New York, Boston). Sonny was also the subject of a mid-’80s documentary by Robert Mugge entitled Saxophone Colossus; part of its soundtrack is available as G-Man.

He won his first performance Grammy for This Is What I Do (2000), and his second for 2004’s Without a Song (The 9/11 Concert), in the Best Jazz Instrumental Solo category (for “Why Was I Born”). In addition, Sonny received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences in 2004.

In June 2006 Rollins was inducted into the Academy of Achievement – and gave a solo performance – at the International Achievement Summit in Los Angeles. The event was hosted by George Lucas and Steven Spielberg and attended by world leaders as well as distinguished figures in the arts and sciences.

“I am convinced that all art has the desire to leave the ordinary,” Rollins said in a recent interview for the Catalan magazine Jaç, “and to say it one way, at a spiritual level, a state of the exaltation at existence. All art has this in common. But jazz, the world of improvisation, is perhaps the highest, because we do not have the opportunity to make changes. It’s as if we were painting before the public, and the following morning we cannot go back and correct that blue color or change that red. We have to have the blues and reds very well placed before going out to play. So for me, jazz is probably the most demanding art.”

And Sonny Rollins – seeker and grand master – is jazz’s most exacting, exhilarating, and inspiring
practitioner.

Sonny Rollins
with Clifton Anderson, Bobby Broom, Bob Cranshaw, Kimati Dinizulu and Jerome Jennings
Zellerbach Hall, Berkeley, CA @ 8 pm
Tickets $34, $48, $68

The Seven Stringed Wonders of Edo Castro

The Bay Area is home to some of the most talented and eclectic musicians I have ever seen; tonight at Berkeley's famed Cafe Trieste comes another such talent, the seven stringed bass virtuoso Edo Castro. Castro has performed with a plethora of jazz greats; Roy Haynes, Ed Thigpen, Johhny Griffin, Armando Peraza, Stu Hamm and Mark Egan, just to name but a few. His talented quartet, featuring the amazing saxophonist Charles Moselle, guitarist Erik Lindquist and drummer Alex Aspinall will be joining him and performing selections from his first album, the self-titled "Edo" as well as his critically acclaimed and Grammy nominated latest, "Phoenix". For those who have yet to see this incredible talent, tonight's performance is another wonderful opportunity you won't want to miss.

A native San Franciscan who grew up in the Haight-Ashbury during the 60’s, Castro has been called "an eclectic modern instrumentalist borrowing from jazz, ambient, folk and world music - a chameleon who adapts his musical surroundings to create his montage of compositions". “ I was influenced by Sly Stone, Tower of Power, Cold Blood and Santana. There was so much music going on, it was pratically oozing out into the neighborhood. You couldn’t help not being affected,” Castro recalls.

Castro was initially a self-taught bassist, but later attended the American Conservatory of Music in Chicago. “My Teachers were not only schooling me, they’d recommend me for gigs," Castro marveled. During his stay in Chicago he played with some of the finest young bloods of the music scene at that time, Jim Trumpeter, Fareed Haque, Mark Walker and Hassan Khan. Of course there were the jazz icons, Miles Davis, guitarist Pete Cosey and drummer Roy Haynes that Castro was fortunate enough to play with. Castro recalls," After playing a set with Roy Haynes, there was a bunch of us standing around talking to him and out of the blue Roy handed me his card and said, ‘Man when you’re ready, come to New York and give me a call. That was the greatest stamp of approval in front of all my peers.’ I’ve yet to get to New York and collect on that call.”

Castro soon completed his studies, earned his Bachelor of Music degree in 1987 and continued to hone his craft in Chicago. "Phoenix", Castro's latest CD, was released in 2006 to an enthusiastic crowd at the Larkspur's Sweetwater Cafe Theatre and in October of 2006, "Phoenix" made the 49th Annual Grammy entry list for "Best Contemporary Jazz Album."

In December 2003, Castro released his first solo effort of original music, simply titled “Edo”, and released under the fledgling Mill Valley Label, "Earthwire Records". Seven of the ten pieces were songs written using his myriad of 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 and 9 string fretted, fretless and MIDI basses, later adding some percussion, keyboards and guitar for “color”. “The last 3 tunes were written on pieces of paper and handed out to whomever would play them. Luckily for me I got some of the finest players in the Bay Area to interpret my music,” Castro enthused.

"46 West", the opening cut on the CD, sets the tone for this album and it's clear Castro's languid and thoughtful playing is influenced by the guitarist Pat Metheny. "Cause for Concern" and "Intuition" are also in that vein and fine examples of his matured writing. Not a one trick pony, Castro's renown solo bass playing comes to the fore on both albums as well; "The Waiting Cafe" and "Quietly" from his first effort, and "Song of Electric Whales" and "Chance of Rain" from "Phoenix" are simply gorgeous.

In 2006, Castro signed with a new label, Passion Star Records and his latest album "Phoenix", was co-produced and recorded by Larkspur engineer Ray Cooper. “The name Phoenix is not only a beautiful name, it's also the mythical representation of change or transformation" says Castro. "Phoenix is about transforming personal moments," Castro explained. Many wonderful musicians are featured on this album including Mark Egan, former bassist with Pat Metheny, who has played on over 100 albums and is a guest artist on Phoenix.

"Phoenix", also the title song on the album, is one of my favorite cuts and it's clear why it was a Grammy nominee. Other stellar songs from the CD include the tabla-flavored "Bone Dreams"; the beautifully crafted "Chance of Rain"; the grooving "Blue Asia" and a pleasantly surprising version of the classic "Amazing Grace", complete with a full choir.

Castro's group tonight will also feature the ridiculously talented Charles Moselle; part saxophonist, flautist, Tuvan throat singer and "hip-hop" percussionist all rolled into one. He has to be seen to be believed. Rounding out the quartet is the Scofield-flavoerd Lindquist and the crisp drumming of Aspinall. They'll be missing the equally awesome keyboardist Greg Sankovich, who thrilled the crowd during a recent show at Larkspur's Sweetwater Station, but don't let that stop you; Edo Castro and his band will not disappoint.


Edo Castro with Charles Moselle, Erik Lindquist and Alex Aspinall
Friday, March 14th, 8:00 PM
Cafe Trieste, Dwight & San Pablo, Berkeley, CA

Ten Mile Tide Returns: "Healing Loss with Music"

The group Ten Mile Tide first came to my attention via their wonderful guitarist Jason Munning and his work with Berkeley songwriter Cas Lucas and his band. Munning's laid back, yet beautiful, fluid style really complimented Lucas' originals, so much so that it compelled me delve into his own group, Ten Mile Tide. What I found I was a musical triumph amid personal tragedy. The last two years have been a rocky ride for this San Francisco-based Americana/Fiddle-rock sextet. Their band has gone from national success to burnout to tragedy and back again. Their first shows of 2008 began at the Fillmore's famed Poster Room last Saturday and continues through Sunday at Potrero Hill's Connecticut Yankee.

In January 2006, Ten Mile Tide was nominated for a Jammy for the New Groove of the Year. In March, they released their third and much anticipated self-titled album that redefined the band’s sound, and was met with strong reviews to debut in the Top 50 Americana charts in the U.S. and Europe. The quintet teamed up with Mt. High Booking out of Boulder, CO and found the selves touring extensively and profitably. From an outsider’s perspective, Ten Mile Tide seemed unstoppable, having played the major festivals, receiving regular audiences of 1000 +, and having a fan sponsored/organized festival held in their honor.

From the band mates’ perspective, the weekly rollercoaster between gigs, airports and hotel rooms, was beginning to cause what hard-working musicians refer to as “musician burnout”. They became frustrated and irritable, most often with the people they loved and lines of communication were failing. They decided Mulberry Mountain Music Festival, at the end of September 2006, would be their last show of the year—and the unspoken sentiment was it might be quite some time before their next tour; that is, if they were to tour again.

Less then a month into the hiatus, Ten Mile Tide was hit with a devastating tragedy. Nathan Munning--tour manager, best-friend, and adored little brother of the twins Jason and Justin Munning, overdosed and died on Oct. 16th, 2006, 24 days before his 27th birthday. Time stopped. The remaining days of 2006 and most of 2007 were dark times for the Munning twins. The absence of Nathan’s infectious energy left a gaping hole in their foundation. The twins struggled with grief, depression, heartache, and loneliness almost too powerful to bear.

“What helped me most was music. It took me a long time to be able to start channeling my sadness in the form of music, but once I did it was the most cathartic experience I could ever have. When I would get so sad that I couldn’t shake it, I picked up my guitar and played until the music I was playing matched what I was feeling,” recalls Jason. “Two years before Nathan died we played a show in Salmon, ID and a woman came up to me and told me that her best friend had just lost a son, and that our music was what got her and her family through—kept them breathing in and out and getting out of bed each morning. I was moved at the time but had no way of knowing just how powerful that was. Now I know. Music is the ultimate way of connecting on a deep emotional level with people.”

Ten Mile Tide put aside their differences and united in Nathan’s loss. “When your whole world is shattered by grief, nothing matters anymore.” says Jason, “Everything mundane is stripped away and you are left with the single most important thing - Love.”

The music community stepped up. Emails and phone calls from friends and fans poured in, offering heartfelt thoughts and urging them to continue playing. In the fall of 2007, Ten Mile Tide answered with a mini tour in the NorthEast, and returned to Mulberry Mountain; where the twins had last seen their brother alive. This circle confirmed their belief in each other and the music they together make.

Ten Mile Tide is looking forward to a rewarding 2008. They’re hitting their native state of California for a two week tour the end of February and into March, booking festivals, spring and fall national tours, and are working on songs for a new album. Nathan’s nature and spirit remain the inspiration for the Tide. “It’s been over a year and Nathan is still the first thing I think of when I wake up,” explains Jason, “the second thing is that I have to keep making music. And I have to keep playing with Ten Mile Tide. The band, the friends, the fans—these are my family and I need to be with them.”

Welcome them back and lift their spirits; their music will surely lift yours.

Ten Mile Tide
Sunday, March 8th @ the Connecticut Yankee
100 Connecticut Street, Potrero Hill, SF
415-552-4440