Bassist, and multi-talented musician Les July first came to light back in the 1980s, following in the footsteps of his Queens, New York mentors, Marcus Miller and Lenny White. July has been described as "an extremely unique self-contained recording artist-producer who sings, writes and plays several instruments." His new project, "Dreamland" is a 'double album on one CD'. It's a unique combination of great, catchy songs, intelligent, thought provoking lyrics, world class musicianship and great production. All coming from one person who has been known to "exhibit paranormal tendencies."

An endorsement from music visionary icon, Kate Bush has brought July worldwide attention via YouTube. His recordings that feature his trumpet playing has drawn many comparisons to Miles Davis. As a producer, his knowledge of multiple genres of music and his ability to 'mash them up', has led to work with artists of many different cultures.

While in Los Angeles, July gave of his time by volunteering at Cedar-Sinai Medical Center as a Music For Healing therapist and he has worked with top artists in every vein of contemporary music from Slash to k.d. Lang to Dr. Dre to Herbie Hancock. He produced a short form documentary " On The Fly with Les July ", that chronicles his eclectic life and career in Hollywood, Ca. and features everyone from Stevie Wonder to Adam Sandler. This documentary not only showcased July's wide ranging musical talents, but his on-camera personality as well.

July recently moved back to NYC, where his first gig was opening for Todd Rundgren to a sold out crowd at B.B. King's. With recognition in all genres of contemporary music, July has managed to escape categorization as an artist, producer and musician.

On Dreamland, July is undoubtedly inspired by Rundgren's legendary solo recordings, not only sings, but plays  and mixes all of the instruments on the album; bass, guitar, drums, keyboards and the aforementioned trumpet. July's guitar solo work on the grooving "Clocked", "All This Time" and "Shipwrecked" reveals yet another hidden talent, as does the Spanish-flavored acoustic guitar on "Want To" and the Miles-inspired trumpet on "Whenever"- a gift for good, old-fashioned, songwriting; a lost art in an age of laptops, samples and software.

Fellow writer and musician Paul Myers, author of 'A Wizard A True Star : Todd Rundgren In The Studio, aptly wrote that "Les July's Dreamland is a catchy and well-played set of crafty songs that make you think, dance and feel. And in this increasingly desensitized world, the ability to still feel anything at all cannot be taken for granted…"

I have to concur; a great effort by July and I look forward to more work from this "disgustingly talented" musician.

Allan Holdsworth's "Live at Yoshi's" on DVD and CD

My all-time favorite guitarist is none other than the legendary Allan Holdsworth. I first saw him back in the late '70s, in one of the latter incarnations of the Tony Williams Lifetime; next with the British group U.K., featuring Bill Bruford, John Wetton and Eddie Jobson; and later, after seeing subsequent tours with his own incredible trio of bassist Jimmie Johnson and drummer Chad Wackerman, I knew I was witnessing pure guitar genius. There is no one who sounds like the self-taught guitar wizard, though many have tried. His unique way of phrasing and beautifully crafted chords, is an extremely rare gift. Holdsworth is indeed, one of a handful of musicians who has consistently proven himself as an innovator within the worlds of rock and jazz music.

Many of music's best-known instrumental masters cite Holdsworth as that rare and shining voice—a legendary player who continues to push the outer limits of instrumental technique and the electric guitar's range of tonal and textural possibilities. Despite the uncompromising nature of Holdsworth's predominantly genre-defying solo projects, he's no stranger to all-star jazz festival line-ups or large venue rock audiences. Recently, I revisited his 2008 performance at Yoshi’s, in Oakland on DVD. Reuniting for a fall 2006 tour to pay tribute to time spent in the mid-'70s fusion juggernaut, the New Tony Williams Lifetime, Holdsworth and keyboardist Alan Pasqua recruited Yellowjackets bassist Jimmy Haslip and in-demand drummer Chad Wackerman for an exciting cross-section of material that first saw the light of day on the aforementioned DVD, and later on an album entitled "Blues for Tony" that takes the best material from that tour and makes it available in CD form, creating an exciting 'you are there' double-disc of music that comprises a full evening of music.

Holdsworth's classic Fred, Pasqua's equally iconic Protocosmos and Lifetime bassist Tony Newman's energetic Red Alert are all there from Believe It, New Lifetime's now iconic first release, but here stretched out with plenty of space for relentless soloing from everyone in the group. The 2006/2007 tours would have a lasting affect on Pasqua, inspiring him to return to higher octane fusion for his solo recordings. On Blues for Tony, he plays with the kind of unfettered abandon and deep sophistication that so defined his work with Williams, a direction he largely deserted for more elegant acoustic outings like 1995's Dedications, from which the darkly balladic San Michele is culled, but is here reinvented as a potential fusion classic, with its Mahavishnu Orchestra-like arpeggios, Pasqua's gritty electric piano and Wackerman's thundering kit.

In addition to material from Believe It, the group revisits two of Holdsworth's own well-known classics: the change-heavy Looking Glass, from 1985's Atavachron, and funkier Pud Wud from 1990's Sand, the latter opening with an atmospheric unaccompanied solo from Holdsworth that asserts his continued dominance as one of jazz's most harmonically distinctive players, and Haslip's most impressive solo of the set - the perfect confluence of pure virtuosity and in-the-moment melodic composition. Holdsworth's velvety smooth tone is more vocal-like than it's ever been, but equally there's an edge that's reemerged in recent years but has remained undocumented - until now.
Wackerman contributes The Fifth, undisputable evidence that fusion can swing. Easily filling the late Tony Williams' shoes by honoring his spirit rather than imitating him, his playing on Blues for Tony finds the nexus point of spare economy and unabashed power. Pushing Protocosmos and the opening section of the collective composition It Must Be Jazz with visceral groove, Wackerman also demonstrates, in the latter song's second half, an equal propensity for greater freedom. He works hand-in-glove throughout with Haslip, who may have grown up as a fan of New Lifetime, but is now an unequivocal equal and perfect fit for the group's combination of technical prowess and masterful interplay.

Blues for Tony brings four masters of their instruments together for an exciting set that may have started with a tribute in mind, but quickly turned into something much more. Fusion at its best, it combines all the prerequisite energy and virtuosity with a deeper language and freer approach, as Holdsworth, Pasqua, Haslip and Wackerman deliver the goods on one of 2009's hottest jazz and fusion releases. Musician Magazine placed Holdsworth near the top of their “100 greatest guitarists of all time.” There's never been a shortage of media attention or acclaim for Holdsworth's accomplishments and originality. An inductee of Guitar Player Magazine's Hall of Fame, Holdsworth is a five-time winner in their readers' poll. Both the CD and the DVD are must haves for any Holdsworth fan and jazz rock aficionados.

Asia Comes to the Regency Ballroom

"Asia's debut album exploded onto the music scene in March 1982 with several Top 10 singles and sales exceeding 7 million copies", writes Bruce Pilato and Dave Gallant. "This "supergroup", featuring bassist/vocalist John Wetton, drummer Carl Palmer, keyboardist Geoff Downes, and guitarist Steve Howe, was the logical successor to their collective bands of the 70s - Yes, ELP, King Crimson, and The Buggles. The group came together in the spring of 1981. John Wetton’s acclaimed progressive rock band UK had collapsed a few years earlier. With the help of manager Brian Lane, he wanted to form a new group with guitarist Steve Howe, best known for his work with British Prog superstars, Yes. Drummer Carl Palmer came into the fold next, having just completed a decade of platinum releases and sold out tours with Emerson, Lake & Palmer. Keyboardist Geoff Downes, who replaced Rick Wakeman in Yes for the Drama album, had previously been half of the pop duo The Buggles. They stormed the charts in 1979 with the timeless classic “Video Killed The Radio Star”. On Wednesday, November 7th, these prog-rock superstars roll into San Francisco for the fourth show of their 30th anniversary tour.

Continuing with Pilato and Gallant's bio of the group, Asia was "labelled a “supergroup” by critics and the media from the onset, it was a tag they had never asked for. Asia’s music (and rockíníroll charisma) developed organically and effortlessly.  Though all four men had seen chart-topping success in their previous bands, Asia had a special chemistry that fans and music industry insiders were quick to recognize.

“The band sort of came together naturally,” says Carl Palmer. ” It wasn’t something which was forced.  We all wanted to play together.  We had a great time doing it.” The band was signed in the summer of 1981 by Geffen Records A&R whiz John Kalodner, fresh out of a long affiliation at Atlantic Records.

The first Asia album went into production in June of 1981 with producer Mike Stone at Marcus Studios and Virgin Townhouse in London. Stone, who had worked on hits for Journey and Queen, also knew the band had an amazing musical ability. The band spent five months writing, arranging, and recording nine songs for its debut that included such classics as ” Heat Of The Moment”, “Only Time Will Tell”, and “Sole Survivor.”

“I think that we all knew as soon as we recorded the first few songs that it was going somewhere special,” says Wetton.  “I don’t think we knew, however, until we recorded ‘Heat Of The Moment’ that we had a monster on our hands.  I think that once we had done that, everyone knew that it was going to be successful.”

As soon as the album was completed, Geffen knew it had a winner on its hands.  The upstart label immediately began turning the wheels of its enormous promotional machine weeks before the LP’s release, to help propel the album to the top of the charts.  Asia had only weeks to rehearse for a 30 city US tour that commenced on April 22 in Potsdam, NY, of all places!  By the time the band reached the 12th stop on tour (Rochester, NY) on May 5th, the debut album had already hit #1 on the Billboard charts.

Fortunately for the band, a new music media outlet called MTV premiered on cable channels in 1981 throughout the US and in over 50 million households.  (Downes’ hit song with The Buggles “Video Killed The Radio Star” was the first song ever played on the exciting new channel).  Asia, aware the network’s impact on the industry, began shooting videos as soon as the album was finished. The result was a rock’n'roll marriage made in heaven.

Asia became one of the most played acts on MTV in 1982. Since most people were intrigued with the new concept, viewership often reached several hours a day. “You’re looking at a parallel success here,” says Wetton. “MTV and Asia were successful at the same time… of course, MTV was instrumental in Asia’s success, but then, Asia was also instrumental in MTV’s success.”

Throughout most of ’82, Asia ruled the radio airwaves and MTV; sold out every date on its tour; and the LP, Asia, crushed all the competition at record stores around the world.   The music industry had been in a major slump that year, and less than 15% of releases in 1982 made a profit. Asia was one of the year’s big exceptions. By the time the band released its second album, the debut album had sold over 6 million copies worldwide and was the best seller of 1982. It had stayed at the #1 spot for an incredible 9 weeks!

The band toured non-stop and continued to see the huge success they had initiated grow even larger.  They won almost every BEST NEW ACT award the industry had to offer in 1982.

The success, however, was too much, too soon. By the time they assembled to begin their second album in the winter of 1983, cracks had already begun to appear in the foundation. Creative tensions and egos – not to mention the pressure of having to top the best selling album of the previous year – made the second album’s recording sessions far less enjoyable than the first. Recording the album outside of their native England (in Morin Heights, Quebec) added to the difficulties.

The second album, Alpha, did ship platinum and contained the hits “Don’t Cry” and  “The Smile Has Left Your Eyes”, but Geffen’s hands-on pressure to score undeniable radio pop hits was starting to show.  “We had a precious success,” remembers Wetton. “We came in at the top, but it was an illusion to think we’d stay there. The band was still finding its feet as a musical entity.”

Personal conflicts on the Alpha tour began pulling the band apart. In October, an announcement was made of a huge MTV and Westwood One Radio Network simulcast of the band’s sold out December show at Tokyo’s Budokan arena. Instead of a sense of euphoria within the band, John Wetton departed Asia in a move that stunned the rock world. He was replaced at the last moment for the Asia In Asia broadcast and Japanese dates by Palmer’s ex-ELP band mate, Greg Lake. Lake’s time with the band, however, would be short.

The band was re-constructed in 1984, with Wetton back on board. After a brief period of time working on the next album, Steve Howe departed to form GTR with former Genesis guitarist Steve Hackett. Mandy Meyer of Krokus replaced Howe, and in 1985 the group released its third album, Astra.  The album had a hit with “Voice Of America,” but compared to the massive success of the first two albums, the members viewed Astra as a disappointment.

They never toured for Astra, and soon after Asia fell apart. Although no formal break-up announcement was made, within months the members were all off doing different projects. “We broke up too soon,” remembered Carl Palmer during an interview in 1990. We were unique then, and we still are: English rock with a technical side; sophisticated rock mixed in with melodies and singles. It was taboo in those days, and you very rarely hear that today either.”

Palmer regrouped in 1987 with Keith Emerson and unknown bassist named Robert Berry to form 3. Wetton started a musical project with his Roxy Music band mate, Phil Manzanera, and Downes did a myriad of projects including working with both Mike Oldfield and Greg Lake, as well as producing Steve Howe’s new band, GTR.  He also released an experimental instrumental solo album called The Light Programme under the moniker, “The New Dance Orchestra”.

By 1990, Wetton, Palmer and Downes were ready to give it another go. They regrouped with American guitarist Pat Thrall (known for his work with Pat Travers and Glenn Hughes) and recorded new material. The new songs eventually surfaced as extra tracks in a best-of collection on Geffen, called Then & Now. “We were so musically compatible.” said Wetton, at the time. “We had tried other things and had been frustrated by them. (1990) seemed to be the right time for Asia again.”
They were placed on a summer tour of Europe with the unlikely headliners, The Beach Boys, where they played to 25,000 seat open arenas. Needless to say, the band was nervous about the audience reaction. However, they need not have worried as Asia received overwhelming positive response on every show of the tour.

“Each of us had been doing mainly studio work just prior to that tour,” says Downes. “When it gets right down to it, we all missed playing together and the feeling of a band, the excitement of playing live and getting on a big stage again.”

The reunion lasted nearly two years, including a memorable show that was filmed in Moscow’s Red Square. “What I remember about that show,” jokes Palmer, today, “is that we had Gorbachev’s limo and we had to wait two hours for lunch from McDonald’s!”

Shortly after the show in Russia, the band took another break. Palmer had the chance to reform Emerson, Lake & Palmer and did so in late 1991 with the Black Moon album. Wetton launched his long-awaited solo career, recording the critically acclaimed Battle Lines. Geoff Downes decided to carry on with Asia, reforming the band around him. In 1992, he enlisted newcomer John Payne on bass and vocals and recorded the Aqua album. The two men would record together for several years, working with various other musicians.

Palmer had a successful run again with ELP until the fall of 1998, when that band, too, went on hiatus. With John Wetton in-between solo projects and Downes willing to entertain offers for a reunion, suddenly all three men were available again to regroup as Asia. Due to his commitments with the re-formed Yes, Steve Howe was unavailable. However, the three other members all exchanged phone calls, and by Christmas of 1998, a reunion was looking possible.

The band announced plans for a world tour to begin on June 11th, 1999. After the tour, they had hoped to record a new album, with Downes and Wetton already writing songs again. Unfortunately, it was never to be. Almost as quickly as the whole project had begun, it dissolved. The event which so many had hoped for would have to wait for another day…

Shortly thereafter, Carl Palmer and John Wetton reunited in a new band called Qango. Featuring guitarist David Kilminster and keyboard player John Young, the group played a series of showcase dates in the UK in February 2000 which featured classic ELP, ASIA, and King Crimson material, along with some new material.

The shows were packed and well received, prompting the band to do several encores each night.  “It was a wonderful feeling to be back on stage playing this material with our new band,” said Palmer. Wetton added, “The shows went down very well and have made us excited about continuing with more tours and the recording of new material.” Once again, however, this lineup was short-lived and, after the triumphant UK tour, Qango went their separate ways.

For the next few years, the original members remained busy with their individual projects. John Wetton returned to his solo career; Carl Palmer assembled his own outfit, “The Carl Palmer Band”. Steve Howe toured extensively with Yes, and Geoff Downes continued on with his own Asia lineup.

Fate intervened in 2005 when Wetton and Downes found time to work together on new material that would eventually become the ICON album. The duo toured on the heels of the release, revisiting the glory years of Asia with standing ovations every night for the classic tunes.

But as the old saying goes, patience is a virtue… Like a bolt from the blue, the stars aligned once again in early 2006. In April, all four original members of Asia confirmed that they would be reuniting for a world tour to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the band’s creation and debut album.

“This is the REAL ASIA,” says guitarist Steve Howe. “There have been other versions of the band, but this original line-up is the one that the public truly embraced. Since we only toured for a couple of years, it will be nice, finally, to play for audiences all over the world, many of whom never had a chance to see the group in concert.”

An American tour was confirmed beginning in August, followed by dates in the UK, Japan, and Latin America. The sold-out Japanese tour yielded a live release, Fantasia: Live in Japan. The setlist for the tour featured the entire debut album, heritage tracks from each band member’s pre-Asia bands as well as a few choice tracks from Alpha. As a special nod to fans who had stuck with the band over the years, an acoustic version of “Ride Easy”, a b-side from the debut, was played live for the first time.

The tour continued well into 2007 with shows in North America and Europe and the band entered the studio for what would be yet another dream-come-true for fans; the first full studio album from the four original members of Asia since 1983′s Alpha, entitled Phoenix.

Geoff described the enthusiasm within the band for the new project: “It’s great finally to give some new music to those Asia fans who have remained with us patiently all these years.” Steve emphasised the band’s ability to focus and called the new album “an enormous test, a challenge worthy of our intent. All the distractions usually evident vapourised, as we focused on collaborating to select and arrange these new songs, all in the style of Asia.” Carl pointed to the dynamics within Asia that resulted in Phoenix, indicating the “chemistry and energy that comes out when the four of us are working together and the new material reflects this.” For his part, John marvelled at how far the band had come from their tumultuous early years in the 1980s: “Each one of us is comfortable as a human being, and the sound on the CD Phoenix finally reflects the collective maturity of these four people who are not only eager to explore, but also relaxed enough to luxuriate in the strength of the material.”

Fans and critics world-wide welcomed the new release enthusiastically, and the band hit the road once again through 2008 and 2009 touring in the UK, North America, Japan and Europe. Touring for Phoenix culminated in the summer of 2009 with a number of European festivals and a tour with Yes, featuring Steve Howe performing onstage with both bands. A live video from those shows, Spirit of the Night, was later released in 2010.

With the touring cycle for Phoenix behind them, Asia returned once again to the recording studio for a follow-up album, Omega, this time joined in the studio by producer Mike Paxman (Status Quo, Uriah Heep). Immediately upon its release they launched their 2010-2011 Omega world tour beginning with dates in Europe and Russia, before heading off to Japan, North America, Central America and South America, along with a second tour leg of Europe, closing off the Omega tour on June 18, 2011 in Malanga, Spain. A third official live release, Resonance, would be recorded in Switzerland for release in the autumn of 2012.

With six years of touring and two new studio albums under their collective belts, the four members of Asia decided to take a much-deserved break at the end of the Omega tour, with each returning to their own solo and other non-Asia band projects.

30 years after the Drama album, Geoff Downes accepted an invitation to return to Yes for a tour and the recording of a new album, Fly From Here. Steve Howe, in addition to his duties in Yes, recorded a new solo album, Time. Carl Palmer toured Europe and North America with his solo band, while also releasing the third volume in his Working Live series. John Wetton released and toured in support of his own new solo album, Raised in Captivity, and began to lay the groundwork for a reunion with his former UK bandmates, Eddie Jobson and Terry Bozzio.

Early 2012 brough the band back together in the studio, once again with Mike Paxman, to record their third post-reunion studio album, XXX, commemorating the 30th anniversary of the band. Once again, fan and critical reaction was exemplary, with many hailing the release as their best since the 1980s. An extensive world tour is scheduled for late 2012 and planning is already actively underway for 2013 and beyond.

The heat goes on, indeed!"

Asia
All Four Original Members   
The Regency Ballroom
Wed, Nov 7, 2012 - 8:00PM
Tickets: $42.50-$65.00

Bill Kirchen & Too Much Fun Returns

If you didn't get a chance to see the Grammy nominated guitarist, singer and songwriter Bill Kirchen at the last Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Festival, fear not. Kirchen returns for several shows this weekend at the Throckmorton in Mill Valley tonight, and the Freight and Salvage in Berkeley this Sunday. Kirchen's website states that he "is one of the fortunate few who can step onto any stage, play those trademark licks that drove his seminal Commander Cody classic Hot Rod Lincoln into the Top Ten, and elicit instant recognition for a career that has spanned over 40 years and includes guitar work with Nick Lowe, Emmylou Harris, Doug Sahm, Elvis Costello and many more. Named “A Titan of the Telecaster” by Guitar Player Magazine, he celebrates an American musical tradition where rock 'n' roll and country music draws upon its origins in blues and bluegrass, Western swing from Texas and California honky-tonk. His current CD Word To The Wise on Proper American features duets with many of these artists he's worked with, including Elvis, Nick, Maria Muldaur and Dan Hicks."

You wouldn’t be wrong to refer to Word to the Wise, the latest outing from songwriter, singer and Titan of the Telecaster Bill Kirchen, as a “duets” album. The record—Kirchen’s second for Proper American, hitting May 25—is crammed to the brim with memorable appearances from a revolving cast of characters including Norton Buffalo, Paul Carrack, Commander Cody, Elvis Costello, Blackie Farrell, Dan Hicks, Nick Lowe, Maria Muldaur and Asleep at the Wheel alumna Chris O’Connell.

But there’s a lot more going on here than the standard blending of two voices. Each of these all-star pals of the veteran artist puts his or her own distinctive stamp on the proceedings, from Hicks’ sublime scat singing with himself on the title tune to Costello’s “bulging-veined” (as Kirchen puts it) assault on “Man in the Bottom of the Well,” an original the gracious host pulled out of his thick songbook guessing it would be a good fit—and it’s viscerally apparent that Bill was on the money with his selection. “Elvis is not just messing around, as we all know,” Kirchen points out. “He’s a soulful man.”

Merle Haggard’s “Shelly’s Winter Love” is a more conventional duet, but Kirchen opts to get out of the way as Lowe and Carrack blend their burnished voices on it in the classic Everly Brothers manner. “The last thing I’m gonna do is get up and sing with Paul Carrack and Nick Lowe,” Kirchen says with a laugh. “It’s not gonna happen. That song just marched up to second position on the album…The way those two guys go toe-to-toe is just sublime.” In all three of these instances, and others as well, Kirchen chooses to hide in plain sight, doing what he does best—subtly and masterfully playing the role of lead guitarist, every ringing note brilliantly serving both the singer and the song.

The album, produced and recorded by Proper’s Paul Riley, was tracked at London’s Specific Sound, with additional recording done all over the map, from Austin to Vancouver to Bill’s home setup in Maryland. “We sent the tapes of ‘Man in the Bottom of the Well’ to Vancouver for Elvis to put his vocals on, but the rest of the time, we traveled around the country and collected those people,” Kirchen explains. In each case, the guests recorded their parts on top of basic tracks laid out by the core band of Bill, drummer/singer Jack O’Dell, bass player Johnny Castle and keyboardist/guitarist/vocalist Austin de Lone, the former leader of seminal pub-rock band Eggs Over Easy.

On his first Proper album, Hammer of the Honky Tonk Gods, Kirchen saw his challenge as “trying to write some songs that were more from the heart and closer to the bone. I wanted to let go of my stance of writing attitude-laden truck-driver songs—I’ve done enough of those to last a lifetime. But, as with any of my albums, I love so many kinds of music that I haven’t figured out a way to focus down and just do one specific thing.” To which we happily say, vive le difference.

The new album opens with the rockabilly rave-up “Bump Wood,” which Kirchen describes as a “glad to be alive song,” but it also ventures into finger-snappin’ boho jazz with the title tune, and deep country with “Arkansas Diamond,” co-written with Bill’s Austin friend Sarah Brown and his wife Louise, the same crew responsible for the contemplative, wide-open-spaces ballad “Time Will Tell the Story.” But Kirchen also happily snags the Roger Miller standard “Husbands and Wives” for a bona fide guy/gal duet with Chris O’Connell, and together they turn in one of the album’s most moving performances.

Moving with the momentum and stylistic diversity of the T.A.M.I. Show and Mad Dogs & Englishmen (come to think of it, there are several members of both constituencies on this platter), Word to the Wise serves up heaping portions of rock ’n’ roll, country, boogie-woogie and Western swing. It’s loaded with verbal and musical witticisms, as well as moments of deep poignancy, all of it set against a vital backdrop of Telecaster twang, tremolo and reverb, as Bill does his thing, riffing like Chuck Berry on “I Don’t Work That Cheap,” whipping up thunder and lightning Richard Thompson-style on “Time Will Tell the Story” and spinning out quicksilver runs that recall Mark Knopfler’s work in front of Dire Straits on Blackie Farrell’s “Open Range.”

“I was surprised at how much guitar ended up on this record,” says Kirchen. “On some of the tracks, where we hadn’t figured out where the vocal was gonna be yet, I’d do the guitars sitting at home, and I’d just lather it on. I was assuming that Paul would have a more ruthless editing knife, but on a lot of the songs, like ‘Open Range,’ there’s just an ass-load of guitar. It’s funny, I didn’t set out to make as much guitar noise as I did, but then again, I can’t deny I played all that stuff. Part of it was being self-indulgent, just sitting at home with an amp in the basement and a cord running down the heat duct and having at it. It came out a little more rock ’n’ roll that way, which I really enjoyed. I tend to be a really clean country-based picker, and it was fun taking the Deluxe reverb and cranking it up. I hope it’s OK.” No worries, Bill—it’s more than OK; it’s downright godhead.

Each song has a rambling back story, providing insight into Kirchen’s omnivorous creative process while also demonstrating his vast knowledge of musical history. None of these roving narratives is more fascinating than the one he tells about the instant classic “I Don’t Work That Cheap.”

“I’ve always been a Bo Diddley fan,” he begins, “so when he died, I was thinking about his song ‘Who Do You Love’ and thinking, ‘Is there a better song than this one?’ We were imagining talking to Bo Diddley about it, going, 'You used what for a necktie? Mr. Diddley?’ A cobra snake? Goodness!' I was kiddin’ around with Nick about that, and he goes, ‘You walked 44 miles of barbed wire? I can usually only manage eight or nine myself… ’ Anyway, that’s how we got goin’ on it.

“So my buddy Blackie Farrell and I decided to write a ‘brag’ song in that spirit, and I got that line from the great fiddle player Johnny Gimble: ‘Don't try to pay me what I’m worth—I don’t work that cheap.’ It resonated with me, but I decided not to think about it too much or I’d get confused. So we tried to write a brag song from that stance of a guy who would say something like that. When we were writing it, Blackie said, ‘This is a comic book, Bill,’ and I said, ‘Yeah, exactly.’ I grew up reading ‘Pogo,’ and I picture this guy as an Albert Alligator type. There’s this great picture of Albert getting all dressed up for a date; he’s pulling on a catcher’s mitt, he’s got a frying pan on his head and he says, ‘Funny how a good-lookin’ guy looks good no matter what he throws on.’”

In his wonderfully engaging and informative liner notes, Bill manages to transform his description of the origin of “Valley of the Moon” into a moving elegy for his dear friends Norton Buffalo and Chris Gaffney. “Louise met [Norton] and brought him to the band’s attention when we lived in Valley of the Moon, Sonoma County, CA,” he writes. “We subsequently took him to Europe for what turned out to be the last hurrah Commander Cody album, We’ve Got a Live One Here. He was in my original Moonlighters band along with Blackie Farrell. For decades, Norton played on dang near everybody’s record or movie soundtrack. A triple-threat harp player, songwriter and singer, Norton sadly succumbed to cancer shortly after cutting the track for this record. He is greatly missed. Norton solos on ‘Valley of the Moon,’ which I wrote for Louise after a trip to Glen Ellen, CA, where we had lived and married 35 years before. We were on our way to attend a wake for our friend Chris Gaffney, and the song took on special poignancy after Norton’s death.”

Justly famous for his indelible Telecaster sound on “Hot Rod Lincoln,” his 1972 Top 10 hit with Commander Cody, Kirchen has been everywhere since he first plugged in during the mid-’60s: he was a founding member of the legendary Commander Cody and His Lost Planet Airmen, he’s released eight critically acclaimed solo albums, he’s toured internationally with Nick Lowe and has performed with the likes of Doug Sahm, Gene Vincent, Elvis Costello, Dan Hicks, Emmylou Harris and Link Wray. Each step of the way, he’s made a deep impression with his singular six-string virtuosity. As the Washington Post’s Mike Joyce put it, “The folks who make Fender Telecasters ought to stop what they’re doing and cut Bill Kirchen a fat check.”

On the title song of Hammer of the Honky Tonk Gods, Kirchen wrote of his trusty Tele that it was “born at the junction of form and function,” but he could’ve just as accurately been referring to himself—if he wasn’t so damn humble, that is. “I’m really thrilled with the album, man, because for Proper to have that much interest in me to put this out, I mean, honestly, at this point in my life it’s not something I can take for granted,” Kirchen reflects. “It’s been 40 years since I’ve been fulltime at this, and I’m still not sure if I have a career, but I know I have a job.”

• Friday, October 26 8:00 pm
• Bill Kirchen & Too Much Fun with Special Guests Heidi Claire and Austin de Lone
• 142 Throckmorton Theatre: 142 Throckmorton, Mill Valley, CA 
• (415) 383-9600

• Sunday, October 28 8:00 pm
• Bill Kirchen & Too Much Fun plus Special Guests, Hardin Burns opens
• Freight & Salvage: 2020 Addison St., Berkeley, CA 
• (510) 548-1761
• $26.50 Advance / $28.50 Door

Remembering David S. Ware, 1949-2012

I once had the privilege of working with the great saxophonist David S. Ware back in 2000, when he came to Virginia's State Theater for a jazz festival, and touring to support his latest album on Columbia Records, "Surrendered". With his brightly colored clothes flowing about him, Ware launched into a sonic performance that I will never forget. Last night, at the age of 62 . Ware, a leading free jazz player during the last 20 years, passed away. A statement from Patricia Parker, wife of Ware’s long-time collaborator bassist William Parker, was shared on the  jazzcorner.com’s bulletin board: "Tonight, a giant has fallen. David S. Ware, the great saxophonist, died tonight, October 18, 2012. What an incredible loss! What a great musician and spirit! His tremendous sound, his spirit, his music, is irreplaceable… Music holds Us… when there is more information we will let you know... -Patricia"

The Ottawa Citizen's Peter Hum wrote, "Ware was 62. When he was 60, after nearly a decade of dialysis treatment, Ware underwent a kidney transplant. Ware’s Wikipedia entry states that the operation took place after a kidney was donated in response to an email message sent out to nearly 1,000 of his fans. Aum Fidelity recently sent out this update on Ware’s health, stating that he was”physically not doing well at all, though his spirit is in a very positive place.” The update solicited cards and emails of support from Ware’s fans to be shared with him…."

"In the 1990s, Ware formed a celebrated quartet that included pianist Matthew Shipp and Parker, as well as drummers such as Susie Ibarra…. At one point Ware was signed to Columbia Records, thanks to the advocacy of Branford Marsalis. Ware released more than 25 records under his own name, most of which were on small labels such as DIW and Thirsty Ear. Earlier, as a sideman, he recorded with pianist Cecil Taylor and drummer Andrew Cyrille.

Ware was also the subject of several short films. A 1994 Dutch documentary called In Motion concentrated on the fact Ware drove a cab for many years in New York. “The film makes the influence of the speeding traffic on Ware’s music tangible,” states one synopsis. More recently the David Lynch Foundation released the film David S. Ware: A World of Sound." You can watch the 14 minute documentary here… Here too, is recent concert footage of Ware and his quartet, live in Vilnius.



We will miss you my man...

Sylvia Cuenca Comes to Yoshi's

Sylvia Cuenca is an active young drummer on the New York jazz scene who is contributing outstanding performances in a variety of situations. Recently, she has been performing extensively with trumpet legend Clark Terry as part of his quintet. This group performs annually at the Village Vanguard and the Blue Note in New York City, on the Royal Caribbean and the S.S. Norway jazz cruises as well as many clubs, concerts and jazz festivals.

In addition to working with Clark Terry, Ms. Cuenca has performed with artists such as trombonist Al Grey, saxophonists Red Halloway, Jimmy Heath and Frank Wess, to name a few. Next Tuesday night, Ms. Cuena brings her Organ Trio to Yoshi's in San Francisco, featuring Paul Bollenback on guitar and Jared Gold on organ. This trio exudes a strong personal sound rich with interplay and hard driving swing: soulful guitar, bluesy organ and funky drum grooves.


Originally from San Jose, California, Cuenca attended San Jose City College where she performed and recorded with the City College Big Band. Over the years, she has studied with Victor Lewis, Keith Copeland, Adam Nussbaum, and Portinho. She currently resides in New York City.

Other achievements include several tours of Europe and the United States with saxophonist Joe Henderson. Since 1987, this quartet performed at the Taxi International Jazz Festival in Milano, Italy, the Brecon Jazz Festival in Wales, the Viersen Jazz Festival and the Burghausen Jazz Festival in Germany, as well as many concerts in Norway, Denmark, Sweden, Austria, Belgium, England, Switzerland and France. In a trio setting, she performed with Joe Henderson and Charlie Haden in 1989 and also with Joe Henderson and George Mraz in 1994.

As a sideman, Ms. Cuenca has also performed and toured with such jazz luminaries as Eddie Henderson, Gary Bartz, George Cables, Marian McPartland, Jon Faddis, Kenny Barron, Michael Brecker, Emily Remler, Mulgrew Miller, Lew Tabackin, Etta Jones, Dianne Reeves, Joshua Redman, as well as her recordings as a leader, The Crossing and Exit 13.

Most recently, she was a clinician for the Sisters in Jazz Program at the 2001 IAJE (International Association of Jazz Educators) in New York and the Jazz for Teens Program at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center. She has taught and performed with the Clark Terry Quintet and the Eddie Henderson Quartet at various colleges and universities in the United States and Europe. She has been a staff member at the Stanford Jazz Workshop in Stanford, California since 1985. She was also Artist-In Residence at the Clark Terry Institute of Jazz at Westmar University in Iowa. In 2005, Guest Director for Sisters in Jazz Program at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C.

In 1988 and 1991, Ms. Cuenca received jazz performance grants from the National Endowment of the Arts, and in 1992, she was a semi-finalist in the Thelonious Monk International Jazz Drum Competition.

Trumpeter Clark Terry once said of Cuenca's first CD, "Sylvia Cuenca is affectionately referred to by those of us in our quintet as ‘Cuenc's. She is an extraordinarily talented percussionist, who doesn't like to be thought of as "a girl drummer." I think of her as an alert, supportive, versatile and swinging drummer. This is ‘Cuenc's first CD under her own name, and I'm happy about it. She has chosen some fantastic players, and the group is really swinging. I'll give it six stars!!! Save a space in your CD rack - you're going to want to keep this one. Go, go, go, ‘Cuenc's - keep on keepin' on!!!"   

The Sylvia Cuenca Organ Trio
featuring Paul Bollenback on guitar and Jared Gold on organ
Yoshi's San Francisco
Tuesday, October 23 @ 8pm $12

10 Memorable Reasons to Keep Those Mitts Off PBS

If a certain presidential candidate had his way, Big Bird would be fired from one of the most educational programs for children in the history of television. Sesame Street is an institution, and anyone that threatens its existence, and the rest of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, (aka PBS), is in for a fight. The very thought of wiping out PBS got me thinking about the decades of television we have all but taken for granted. Growing up in DC, I happily dined on a steady diet of great programming on WETA, Howard University's WHUR and WMPT, Maryland's Public Television out of Annapolis. I've got a personal, top ten list of some of the programs that inspired my generation, and my hope that many more like them will continue to positively influence generations to come.

10. The 1972 World Chess Championship Match
We were riveted when chess masters Shelby Lyman and Jimmy Sherwin brought us those live updates of the Bobby Fischer-Boris Spassky World Chess Championship match in Iceland. Chess had never been seen or heard on that kind of scale before, and the drama and hope for an American champion is now the stuff of legend. Nowadays, you can follow it all on the internet, with Grandmaster commentary from around the world; but back then it was new, exciting, and history was being made right before your very eyes.

9. Sesame Street, the Electric Company and Reading Rainbow
Can anyone doubt the significance of these groundbreaking programs for children? Literacy improved under the watchful eyes of Big Bird, Ernie, Bert, Grover, Oscar the Grouch and the Cookie Monster. For the older kids, the Electric Company and Reading Rainbow, featuring a young Levar Burton, brought a plethora of wonderful stories into our living rooms and dens. My brothers and sisters loved them as much as my parents did.

8. Nova and Secrets of the Dead
Einstein, Hawking, Madame Curie, nebulas, dwarfs, black holes, you name it, Nova had it. The wonders of science, technology, exploration, history and archeology, Nova took you places you never knew existed, asked and answered questions about life, the universe and everything. Nova is still going strong today, and its companion program Secrets of the Dead, takes you into the forensic worlds of our past. Narrated by the amazing Liev Schreiber, tt too remains one the most compelling shows on PBS.

7. Soundstage and the Austin City Limits
For some strange reason, I got a huge dose of music from around the world on PBS; Jazz, Rock, Folk, Blues, Reggae and World. In those pre-MTV and VH1 days, all we had were Don Kirschner's Rock Concerts and Wolfman Jack's Midnight Specials. PBS would bring you concerts like Miles Davis and his proteges; Chick Corea, Billy Cobham, Herbie Hancock, Wayne Shorter and many, many others. Fela Kuti, Bob Marley, Peter Tosh, Y'oussou N'dour, Yanni, you name it. No shortage on folk acts like Pete Seeger, Peter Paul and Mary, Carole King, James Taylor and anyone else the thoughtful programmers could bring you, PBS had them.

6. Ken Burns
Say what you will about Burns; his documentaries were amazing. The Civil War series set the bar mighty high, launching even more series, on Baseball, Jazz, World War II and others. Burns' narrator was the great David McCullough, and the guest stars he employed were a who's who of Hollywood's greatest actors and actresses.

5. WGBH and the British Invasion
WGBH in Boston really led the way, and its got to be acknowledged that Rebecca Eaton had a lot to do with it. With the late Alastair Cooke as host, Masterpiece Theater and Mystery have become Sunday night staples. The Duchess of Duke Street, Upstairs Downstairs, Agatha Christie's Miss Marple and Hercule Poirot; Conan Doyles' Sherlock Holmes are among the very best. Shows like EastEnders weren't part of the Masterpiece family, however series like: As Time Goes By with Dame Judy Densch, Monarch of the Glen and many others would show a wonderful, contemporary side of British life. All of which brings me to a few of my top favorites…

4. Doctor Who, Monty Python's Flying Circus, Mr. Bean and Blackadder
It was the sci-fi writer Harlan Ellison who helped educate the American public to the world of Doctor Who, following the cult successes of Star Trek and the subsequent runaway hit known as Star Wars. Doctor Who actually premiered, rather ominously on November 23, 1963 in England, the day President Kennedy was assassinated. Nevertheless, England would soon be introduced to the evil Daleks and a gentleman who traveled throughout time and space in a British Police Box, fighting evil across the galaxy. When the Doctor first appeared in the US in the mid '70s, it starred actor Tom Baker, (the fourth of eleven Doctor Who's), where it became a hit on PBS stations across America and Canada. It continues today on BBC America and is the longest running show in British TV history.

The genius of the Monty Python gang featuring Graham Chapman, Terry Gilliam, John Clesee, Eric Idle, Michael Palin, and Terry Jones has been well documented, so I won't go into much detail here, but suffice it to say, Python was another PBS comedy staple, (so was Benny Hill, but "that's not for here"). From 1969 to 1974, these iconic comedians paved the way for Saturday Night Live, Little Britain and so many, many others. "No one expects the Spanish Inquisition!!"

Rowan Atkinson is one of the funniest, physical comedians you will ever see, and his character Bean still stands the test of time. Two major films and an animated series later, Bean lives on and continues to crack me up no matter how many times I've seen him. Blackadder is also a comedy gem, as Atkinson with Tony Robinson, Stephen Fry, Hugh Laurie, Miranda Richardson and Tim McInnery, traverse through five different eras and series, including the Middles ages, the Elizabethan, WWI and modern day England, showcasing the hilariously evil Atkinson as Blackadder and his idiotic sidekick Baldrick, (Robinson), as they "cunningly plan", scheme, connive and swindle their way throughout history.

3. Sharpe and The New Adventures of Horatio Hornblower
Sean Bean stars as Colonel, Richard Sharpe, a rifleman during the Napoleonic wars. The music is wonderful, the stories and political intrigue are second to none. Bean would go onto to star in sixteen episodes from 1993 to 2006, alongside Daragh O'Malley as Sergeant Harper. From Spain and France to India, and based on the novels by Bernard Cornwell, Sharpe was a gritty, glimpse into the struggle between Napoleon and Wellington and the conflict that led up to Waterloo. One of my all time favorites and one of the best war series ever to appear on Masterpiece Theater.

Hornblower with Ioan Gruffyd was another fabulous series that takes place in the years before the Hornblower film of 1957 with Gregory Peck begins. If you like Sharpe, you will love Hornblower. Gruffyd later would go on to star in the film Amazing Grace, the story of the famed song that signaled the end of the British slave trade.

2. Downton Abbey, Lark Rise to Candleford and Cranford
Eaton, BBC and Masterpiece outdid themselves on this one, and I haven't enjoyed anything like this since the The Duchess of Duke Street with Gemma Jones. With an all star cast that features Maggie Smith, Downton Abbey has all the ingredients of a real Masterpiece drama; love, jealousy, betrayal, humor, and war. Many of these series tend to feature a lot of the same actors; Julian Fellows, the creator of Downton, was one of the co-stars of the aforementioned Monarch of the Glen; (Brendan Coyle is in Downton and Lark Rise, and Julia Sawalha in Lark Rise and Cranford); Both Larkrise and Cranford are coming of age, romantic dramas with all the classic plot twists and ultimately, happy, and at times, bittersweet endings.

1. Inspector Morse and Prime Suspect
What can I say about these two fine, British detectives that hasn't already been said? The late John Thaw was fantastic as that "bastard, but a straight bastard", Morse. Morse loved his Oxford (but not its people), his beer, his crossword puzzles, his opera, his vintage black and burgundy, 1960s Jaguar Mk II, and if they weren't guilty or an accomplice to a murder, his women. After over thirty episodes and Thaw's death, the series sadly came to an end; a spin-off with Morse's partner Inspector Lewis, (played by Kevin Whatley) will conclude its final season this year. With the fantastic morse-code-like end theme music by composer Barrington Pheloung, and an array of British guest stars and complex plots, Morse was one of the finest shows ever to come to PBS.

Dame Hellen Mirren was equally fabulous as Superintendent Chief Inspector Jane Tennyson in the series Prime Suspect, from 1991 to 2006, Tennyson fought male cronyism and prejudice from within the police force, her alcoholism and solved murders like no woman detective on television had ever done before. Prime Suspect had Tennyson in London, then Manchester and by series end, back to London. Bosnia death squads, serial killers, drug dealers, you name it, "Guv" had 'em. Recently, there was an ill-fated attempt to turn Prime Suspect into an American version; they don't work. They tried the same thing with the critically acclaimed Life on Mars and once again with the new version of Sherlock. The PBS version is amazing and I don't have any hope the new CBS version will succeed.

The list of quality BBC/PBS series is virtually endless, and nothing on HBO, Showtime, FX, Starz, AMC or USA will ever be anything like them. Don't get me wrong, a lot of shows on those networks are great, but they aren't PBS and they never will be. We need to keep someone's "mitts" off of our beloved PBS programming. If we don't, next thing you know, we could end up with an American version of Downton Abbey and no Sesame Street.

Next time on Nova...