YAKAMOZ: Marrcin Mallinowski (2015)

 iTunes Link

Electronic music and jazz are often compared to one another. Both are interested in exploring new sounds, and pushing instruments beyond their capabilities. Both involve expanding upon traditional pop structures and restrictive harmonies. Both rely heavily upon improvisation, and both share a utopian vision of bringing people of all nations together, to share in the groove.

With the Asena Project, Marcin Mallinowski's E-CONNECTION has brought together the worlds of electronica and jazz in fine fashion. E-Connection began in October of 2013, when Mallinowski met Dutch percussionist Jeron de Rijk, beginning a series of tele-collaborations. E-connections quickly expanded to include Finnish guitarist Kai Kortella and Italian bassist Enrico Galetta, with guest performances from Mariusz Kozicki on trumpet and Deniz Atalay on guitar, to become a virtual super group of European jazz talent.

 For the recording of The Asena Project, Mallinowski wrote all the parts in his home studio in Poland, then sent the scores to the participants. Two of the songs, "Asena", and "Mary In Space", are from Mallinowski's previous projects, brought to fresh and sparkling life for the sessions, with "Delia's Cake," inspired by baking a carrot cake for Mallinowski's daughter Delia, created specially for the occasion. What we're left with is a guided tour through the dreams and desires of the entire Earth. It exists no place and everywhere, simultaneously. It exists in the imagination of the musicians, and in the hearts of the listeners.

 Marcin Mallinowski's E-Connection is reclaiming the collaborative, inclusive power of the internet, over-riding it's tendency to isolate and distract. Mallinowski's music brings people together. It engages. It makes the virtual a reality. E-Connection won't remain virtual for long, however. In Spring of 2014, all of the musicians convened in the flesh for the first time, at Mallinowski's home in Poland. They've got concerts planned all over Europe, and will be participating in several
festivals. They've got collaborations lined up with musicians from Armenia, Nigeria, Brazil, Cuba and The United States, and will be releasing a full-length album in a few months. Marcin Mallinowski's music exists in a place before cynicism.

He is not afraid to be "progressive", and keeps the inclusive ideals of fusion jazz burning, bright and alive. Mallinowski reminds us of the e-Connection that connects us all, that brings us together, that shows the similarities and relishes in the difference. RIYL: electric era Miles Davis, Mahavishnu Orchestra, Lotus, Medeski, Martin & Wood, King Crimson, Tortoise, Chicago Underground Duo, Isotope 217 Recommended Single: Asena

http://www.marcinmalinowskimusic.com/

Check out the JazzWorldQuest web player to listen to Marcin Malinowski's eConnection from the upcoming album: "YAKAMOZ" Tracks: Mary in Space and Asena

JazzWorldQuest: The Free mp3 List & Playlist Update: Burak Kaya: "Gezi Park"

Musician: Burak Kaya
Track: Gezi Park
Composer: Burak Kaya
Album Name: Climate Change
Year of release: 2015
Link to CD Store
Musician/Label Website
Burak Kaya: Classical Guitar Ozan Musluoğlu : Double Bass Yinon Muallem: Percussion. The album has been recorded in Istanbul as a trio, including classical guitar, double bass and percussion. Overall the album is formed with an acoustic sound that combines the fusion of Anatolian themes, Middle East and Latin rhythms together with the modern jazz. The album focuses on the global climate change and the environmental movements such as Gezi Park resistance. Gezi Park, tells of the Gezi Park, which would be demolished to construct buildings and those individuals who resisted this destruction. In the first part of the song the strong commitment of environmentalists is considered, and in the second part, the occupation of the park by the public participating into the resistance, and in the third part, the beauty of communal life established at Gezi Park is interpreted.

More Free downloads at The Free mp3 List

Guitarist/Composer MATTHEW STEVENS Combines Immersive Feeling of Live Concert with Respect for Natural Sound on Debut Album "Woodwork"

Guitarist/Composer MATTHEW STEVENS

Combines Immersive Feeling of Live Concert

with Respect for Natural Sound
on Debut Album Woodwork

Exclusive "Mastered for iTunes" Release Available February 24

Physical Release Available May 26

"Mastered for iTunes" Pre-sale Available Now

 

  

Listen to Three Songs from Matthew Steven's  

Woodwork

 

New York City-based guitarist and composer Matthew Stevens is considered one of the most promising artists in jazz today through his associations with NEXT Collective, Christian Scott, Esperanza Spalding, Terri Lyne Carrington, Walter Smith III, and Harvey Mason.

Now Stevens comes fully into his own with his debut recording as a leader, Woodwork. (Exclusive "Mastered for iTunes" release February 24; physical release available May 26.) The album showcases the diverse influences on Stevens, his warm, robust sound, and his fluid, emotive playing at the helm of a stellar quintet. He's joined by pianist and fellow NEXT Collective member Gerald Clayton, bassist Vicente Archer, drummer Eric Doob, and percussionist Paulo Stagnaro.

The album's title, Stevens says, reflects the almost tactile way in which he creates music. "It's a metaphor for how I see myself interacting with sound. Woodwork is an act of creation in collaboration with the natural world; it evokes a sense of being handmade or one of a kind. These raw materials exist regardless of whether or not you do something with them, so I try to respect that and let the music unfold naturally."

In Woodwork, Stevens places the sound of the guitar front and center, achieving a full-bodied resonance that captures the immersive feeling of a live concert experience. "When you listen to a saxophone or a trumpet on a record, you often feel like you're right there in the room," Stevens explains. "I miss that on the guitar. As a guitarist, your touch and articulation contribute hugely to your identity as an instrumentalist, so if you have none of that air in the sound, you lose a lot of nuance. I put a microphone in front of my guitar as well as the amp so it doesn't just feel in your face, but like the music is alive and moving around the room."

A self-described guitar fanatic who fell in love with his father's Jimi Hendrix records as a child, Stevens purposely assembled his band to allow the guitar to express his melodies alone. His strings shimmer over percussive interplay on opener "Ashes (One)," then weave a hypnotic groove on "Star L.A." They sing the folk-inspired melody of the title track "Woodwork" and roar on the album's driving composition "Uptown Dance Party."

The elusive "Sunday" continues the genre-bridging mission of the NEXT Collective with a haunting David Bowie cover, while "Blasted" pays homage to Wayne Shorter with its churning, circular melody. Stevens was recently invited by musical director Terri Lyne Carrington to perform at a fundraiser for the upcoming documentary Wayne Shorter: Zero Gravity alongside an all-star lineup including Shorter, Hancock, Spalding, Marcus Miller, Lalah Hathaway, Corrine Bailey Rae, Lizz Wright and Dee Dee Bridgewater.  

Stevens possesses a rare ability to marry singable melodies with cerebral complexity, as on the tense, shifting "Sequel" or the knotty "Grown Ups." A through-composed duo for guitar and piano, "Gently" mesmerizingly interlaces the expressive lines of Stevens and Clayton.

"Brothers," performed as a trio with Archer and Doob, embraces the sound of the acoustic guitar, from the blossoming resonance to the scrape of fingers on strings. Much of the album was recorded at the Clubhouse Studio in Rhinebeck, New York, which just happens to own an early-70s Lowden formerly favored by late folk legend Pete Seeger, and played reverently by Stevens on this song.

A Toronto native, Stevens began taking piano lessons as a child and switched to guitar after a few years. In middle school he joined a local rock band that played original songs as well as popular hits by bands like Nirvana and Soundgarden. He spent several summers at the University of Toronto's jazz camp, studying with Lorne Lofsky and ultimately moved to the United States on a scholarship to Berklee College of Music.

Immediately after college, Stevens joined Christian Scott's band, ultimately recording five albums with the heralded trumpeter. He's since toured extensively in the U.S., Canada, Europe, Asia, South Africa, and South America, performing at leading national and international jazz festivals, including Montreux, North Sea, Newport, Montreal, Monterey, Fujitsu, New Orleans Jazz and Heritage, and at renowned venues such as the Hollywood Bowl, the Kennedy Center, the Blue Note clubs in New York, Tokyo and Milan, and the Moscow International Music House. He's also a member of the adjunct faculty at the New School and has taught workshops at the Maryland Summer Jazz Workshop, USC, and Berklee.

Over the past year, Stevens has been featured on recordings by drum legend Harvey Mason, saxophonist Walter Smith III, and pianist Justin Kauflin, whose CD was produced by Quincy Jones in conjunction with Keep On Keepin' On, the new documentary about the relationship between Kauflin and his mentor, Clark Terry. He's also toured regularly with drummer Terri Lyne Carrington and bassist Esperanza Spalding, and will appear on Spalding's next recording, produced by David Bowie's longtime producer Tony Visconti.

In 2015, Stevens has plans to tour with Carrington, Spalding, bassist Ben Williams, and his own band, which Woodwork establishes as a group to watch closely. "Collectively we were able to tap into what we all think is important musically," Stevens says. "In my own experience there's nothing that feels more exciting than that."

"Mastered for iTunes" Pre-sale link: http://smarturl.it/matthewstevens

 

Matthew Stevens · Woodwork
Whirlwind Recordings

"Mastered for iTunes" Exclusive Release Date: February 24, 2015
Physical Release Date: May 26, 2015

For more information on Matthew Stevens, please visit: MattStevensMusic.com

For national media inquiries, please contact:
DL Media · 610-667-0501
Matthew Jurasek · matthew@dlmediamusic.com
Greg Angiolillo · greg@dlmediamusic.com

Serving the Finest In Jazz Since 1988

Information and press materials (including album covers, promotional photos and bios)
on all DL Media artists can be found at our website: dlmediamusic.com

Drummer Reggie Quinerly's 2nd CD, "Invictus," to Be Released March 17

Drummer/Composer Reggie Quinerly's

"Invictus"

To Be Released March 17

By Redefinition Musc

 

Follow-Up to 2012 Debut "Music Inspired by Freedmantown"

Features Warren Wolf, Vibraphone;

Yotam Silberstein, Guitar; Christian Sands, Piano;

& Co-Producer/Bassist Alan Hampton

CD Release Show at Smoke, NYC, March 25

February 2, 2015

 

Drummer/composer Reggie Quinerly made an indelible impression on the jazz world with his 2012 debut recording, Music Inspired by Freedmantown, a soulful and serious-minded tribute to the historic African-American neighborhood in Houston where he grew up. For his second CD, Invictus, which will be released by the drummer's Redefinition Music label on March 17, Quinerly takes inspiration -- and the CD's title -- from the 1875 poem by William Ernest Henley ("I am the master of my fate / I am the captain of my soul").

"Many of today's artists face great uncertainty," Quinerly observes in the new CD's notes, ". . . and while critics, musicians and fans continue to debate the commercial sustainability of an entire industry, I firmly believe its sustainability rests solely within us creators: no matter who is (or isn't) listening, we must persevere, we must create and we must document, because only that which is documented lives on."

Invictus demonstrates with its very different musical demands just how much Quinerly has developed into a balanced yet ever-evolving artist. The album surrounds him with a brilliant young cast: vibraphonist Warren Wolf, regarded as one of the most exciting players on the instrument in years; prodigious pianist Christian Sands; rising guitarist Yotam Silberstein; and lyrical bassist Alan Hampton. One of the wonders of Invictus is how much freedom the compositions allow these ravishing soloists while staying inside its textural designs. 

Quinerly had this particular instrumentation in mind from the start, crafting compositions that took into account the sonorities and lyrical abilities of each player. Wolf is showcased on the album opener "Tavares," dedicated to Horace Silver and "rooted in tradition with a certain earthiness." Bassist Hampton, Quinerly's high school classmate and "one of my favorite musicians to work with," is the soloist on the melodic "Nimzo Indian," named for the chess strategy. Guitarist Silverstein is featured on the ballad "Variation 24," and Sands on the solo piano piece "Kunst Überlebt" (Art Survives). On Reggie's arrangement of "My Blue Heaven," the disc's only nonoriginal, the leader tips his hat to another musical influence, the illustrious pianist and composer Mary Lou Williams.

"As a composer, the melodies you write are like parts of your identity, like your name," says Quinerly. "If a melody is not done right, if the notes are not played properly, it's like mispronouncing your name. but all the musicians on this project pay special attention to properly interpreting the intended themes."

Reggie Quinerly, 34, was born and raised in Houston's Fourth Ward -- once known as Freedmantown -- and attended the High School for the Performing and Visual Arts, where his classmates included Mike Moreno, Robert Glasper, Eric Harland, Jason Moran, and Alan Hampton. After graduation he headed for New York City, enrolling at the Mannes School of Music at New School University and studying there with Jimmy Cobb, Lewis Nash, and Kenny Washington. He earned a B.A. from Mannes and later an M.A. from Juilliard, both in Jazz Studies.

Noted as "a drummer and composer of swinging disposition" (Nate Chinen, New York Times), Quinerly has worked with such notable musicians as Von Freeman, Vincent Herring, John Hicks, Joe Lovano, Branford Marsalis, Christian McBride, Wynton Marsalis, and Greg Osby. With saxophonist Marcus Strickland, he also played and lectured in New York City schools as part of Lincoln Center's Jazz in the Schools program. He frequently collaborates with vocalist/pianist Enoch Smith Jr., who appeared on Quinerly's first project.

The first CD release show for Invictus will take place on Wednesday 3/25 at Smoke, 2751 Broadway, New York City, when Quinerly will lead a quartet comprised of Jaleel Shaw, alto saxophone; Lawrence Fields, piano; and Alan Hampton, bass. Additional dates are in the works.

 

Photography: Javier Oddo (top), Adam Sjoberg (bottom)

Reggie Quinerly "Invictus" EPK

 
 

Web Site: reggiequinerly.com

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Media Contact:

Terri Hinte
hudba@sbcglobal.net
510/234-8781

2/28: Shawnn Monteiro ‘To Carmen With Love’ tribute with Mike Renzi

You may have seen Mike Renzi playing piano for Tony Bennett and Gaga  on the Grammy’s, then on Stevie Wonder Tribute…

He’ll be joining Shawnn Monteiro at Chan's Fine Oriental Dining in  Woonsocket, RI!
February 28, 2015 | Tickets are $15 | Event begins at 8PM
http://www.chanseggrollsandjazz.com/calendar.htm

Jazz songbird Shawnn Monteiro had a very successful tour of Italy with  her world class rhythm section a few years ago. Tonight is the Reunion  of that wonderful Italian Tour and a celebration of their excellent  (Whaling City Sound) recording ‘To Carmen With Love’ a tribute to  the legendary jazz singer Carmen McCrae. Featuring the great Mike  Renzi (Tony Bennett, Mel Torme) Piano, Dave Zinno(Bobby Greene,  Semenya McCord) bass and Steve Langone (Gray Sargent, George Garzone)  drums. Mike Renzi just won a Grammy with Tony Bennett and Lady Gaga  for “Cheek to Cheek.”

PRESS RELEASE: Ancient Future Pacific Northwest Tour Spring 2015

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                                                                                                  2/23/2015
Contact: Ancient-Future.Com Records
1-888-823-8887
info@ancient-future.com

View online with videos and photos: http://www.ancient-future.com/pr_spring2015tour.html

Ancient Future Pacific Northwest Concert Tour

Featuring World Guitar Pioneer Matthew Montfort and Tabla Virtuoso Vishal Nagar
With Special Guest Seven-String Fretless Bassist Jason Everett

Hi-Res Photo of Matthew Montfort and Vishal Nagar by Devki (1 MB): http://www.ancient-future.com/images/matt_vishal_6x4_300dpi.jpg

Tour Poster (145k .pdf): http://www.ancient-future.com/pdf/spring2015tourposter.pdf

Tuesday, April 28, 2015, 7:30 PM
The Royal Room
5000 Rainier Ave S
Seattle, WA 98118
Info: Call 206-906-9920, email tristan@theroyalroomseattle.com, or visit http://theroyalroomseattle.com
Tix: $15 adv/$18 door. Advance tix at http://www.strangertickets.com/events/23464505

Wednesday, April 29, 2015, 8 PM
Vashon Theatre
17723 Vashon Highway SW
Vashon, WA 98070
Tix: $15 adv/$18 door. Advance tix at http://ancientfuturevashon.brownpapertickets.com
Info: call 206-229-8491 or email jason@misterEmachine.com

Thursday, April 30, 2015, 7:30 PM
The Conway Muse
18444 Spruce St.
Conway, WA 98238
Info: Call 360-445-3000, email elfa@conwaymuse.com or visit http://conwaymuse.com
Tix: $15 adv/$18 door. Advance tix at http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/1311376

Saturday, May 2, 2015, 5:30 - 7:00 PM
Moscow Renaissance Fair
Main Stage
East City Park, Third and Monroe Streets
Moscow, ID 83843
Info: Visit http://moscowrenfair.org
Tix: Free admission.
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/moscowrenaissancefair

Hi-Res Photo of Matthew Montfort and Vishal Nagar at Recording Session by Michael Braden (858k): http://www.ancient-future.com/images/yearningmattvishal300dpi6x3.jpg



Celebrating its 36th year, Ancient Future is the world's first and longest running ensemble dedicated to world fusion music. They've sold over 150,000 albums and millions of samplers, and performed over 1,000 concerts. Ancient Future has become a large collective of master musicians from around the world with many smaller ensembles within it. Each program focuses on the traditions of the master musicians involved.

Strains of passionate flamenco and ethereal Indian raga emanate from this program featuring world guitar pioneer Matthew Montfort and renowned Indian tabla virtuoso Vishal Nagar. For a portion of the show, special guest and Seattle area fav Jason Everett (aka Mister E) will accompany them on seven-string fretless bass. The program will feature music from the ground breaking world music recordings of Ancient Future, including the first audio/video release in Ancient Future history, 2014's 'Yearning for the Wind.'

"Matthew Montfort subtly coaxes remarkably flowing lines from his scalloped fretboard guitar. And Indian tabla virtuoso Vishal Nagar intuitively places incredibly intricate rhythmic patterns into the piece. Ancient Future has been making wonderful world fusion music for three decades. The possibilities remain infinite." — Paul Freeman, PALO ALTO DAILY NEWS

Matthew Montfort (scalloped fretboard and fretless guitars)
Hi-Res Photo of Matthew Montfort by Julie Marten (2 MB): http://www.ancient-future.com/images/matthewmontfort600.jpg

The leader of the world music group Ancient Future, Matthew Montfort, is a pioneer among guitarists who have had their fretboards scalloped in order to play various forms of world music that require intricate note-bending ornaments while still being able to play chords. Montfort immersed himself in an intensive study with vina master K.S. Subramanian in order to fully apply the South Indian gamaka (note-bending) techniques to the guitar. He has released two solo guitar recordings: 'Seven Serenades for Scalloped Fretboard Guitar' and 'Sympathetic Serenade,' for which he was lauded as one of the world's 100 Greatest Acoustic Guitarists by DigitalDreamDoor.com, a curated "best of" site, along with such luminaries as Michael Hedges, Leo Kottke, Chet Atkins, John Fahey, Merle Travis, Tommy Emmanuel, Doc Watson, and Alex De Grassi. The December 2009 Les Paul issue of Guitar Player Magazine includes a full page feature on Matthew Montfort with a corresponding GuitarPlayer.Com video and lesson entitled "The Music of Jimi Hendrix Applied to Indian Raga." He has performed concerts worldwide, from the Festival Internacional de la Guitarra on the golden coast of Spain to the Festival of India in Mumbai. He has performed live on national radio and TV shows such as the Echoes Living Room Concerts on Public Radio International, and the Rachel Maddow Show on MSNBC. He has worked with many world music legends, including tabla phenomenon Zakir Hussain and Chinese zither master Zhao Hui. Montfort wrote the book Ancient Traditions – Future Possibilities: Rhythmic Training Through the Traditions of Africa, Bali, and India, which has been used by many musicians to improve their rhythm skills.

Vishal Nagar (tabla)
Hi-Res Photo of Vishal Nagar by Inni Singh (5 MB): http://www.ancient-future.com/images/vishal_nagar300dpi.jpg

"He has magic in his hands" - Hindustan Times

Vishal Nagar is considered one of the most gifted tabla players of his generation. Born into a family of musicians, Vishal has been surrounded by music in an extremely musically creative and artistic environment. Since childhood, he has been fascinated by tabla and began to play at an early age. Vishal had his initial training for a very brief period with the late Ustad Latif Ahmed Khan of the Delhi Gharana. After his Ustad's untimely demise, Vishal continued his training under the guidance of Ustad Shamim Ahmed Khan of the same Gharana (school). Along with the dense and rare tabla repertoire taleem which was he received from his Ustad, he also has had intense rhythmic (layakari) training from his mother, the renowned and highly respected Kathak dancer and vocalist, Urmila Nagar. Vishal has been praised in the Indian press for his unique combination of melodic tabla sound production with masterful command of rhythm. Vishal has had the privilege of performing with many renowned artists: Ustad Shujaat Khan, Guru Urmila Nagar, Vidhwan Trichur Ramachandran, Pandit Ramesh Misra, and Kala Ramnath, to name a few. Vishal has also expanded his cultural boundaries and collaborated with musicians from around the world. Some of his memorable works have been with the Ghanaian Guitarist Koo Nimo with whom he also appeared in WOMAD USA (a leading world dance and music festival started by Peter Gabriel). Starting his performance career at the age of eight in Patna, Vishal has performed around the globe including performances in many cities in India, Sweden, Germany, Denmark, Thailand and the United States. Vishal has also been awarded with the Ministry of Culture Scholarship from the Department of Culture.

Jason Everett (seven-string fretless bass)

"A wonderful bassist to check out!" — BASS FRONTIERS MAGAZINE

Jason Everett (aka Mister E) is a multi-instrumentalist, composer, arranger and producer who plays a variety of stringed and percussive instruments including his custom Conklin seven-string fretless bass guitar. Jason attended Northern Arizona University on a full scholarship for music and started playing professional gigs at sixteen years old. He was originally inspired to explore world music after hearing Quiet Fire, the title track to Ancient Future's third album. This passion for world music evolved to avid listening to the works of Indian masters like Ali Akbar Khan, Ravi Shankar, and Zakir Hussain as well as fusion artists like John McLaughlin, Trilok Gurtu, Matthew Monfort, Pharaoh Sanders, and George Brooks. Jason started his own world fusion group in 1990 called Tal Maya and has since played with many well-known Indian, Arabic, jazz fusion and flamenco artists including Vishal Nagar, Andre Feriante, John Wubbenhorst, Overton Berry, Tarana, and Facing East.

Recent Recordings

Yearning for the Wind by Ancient Future
Ancient-Future.Com AF-90352. Signed Audio/Video E-CD-R-$17.98: http://www.ancient-future.com/yearning.html

Composed by scalloped fretboard guitar innovator Matthew Montfort, 'Yearning for the Wind' is a poignant piece based on Rag Kalyan, an evening raga that corresponds to the Lydian mode. The composition in three movements also incorporates harmony and other guitaristic elements. A duet with Indian tabla virtuoso Vishal Nagar, Yearning for the Wind is set in matta tal, a nine beat rhythmic cycle. As a bridge between the slow and fast sections of the piece, Vishal Nagar performs an elegant tabla solo over the soft nine beat groove that slowly builds up to a vibrant rela (a fast tabla composition characterized by rapid drum rolls). Released in HD video and hi-res 96/24 audio, 'Yearning for the Wind' was produced for the Archive of Future Ancient Recordings.

"For fans of world fusion music, it doesn't get much better than this." — Peter Thelen, Exposé

Video of 'Yearning for the Wind' with Matthew Montfort and Vishal Nagar: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zurMLOP68K0

The Archive of Future Ancient Recordings by Ancient Future
(Ancient-Future.Com AF-2030). Fan supported: http://www.ancient-future.com/afar.html

During Ancient Future's 30th anniversary year, work started on the next project of the band: the 'Archive of Future Ancient Recordings' (A.F.A.R.). To finance the project, a subscription system model is being employed to fund the recording through fans of world fusion music. The archive already has 70 minutes of music available right now to supporters, with more coming as money is raised for production.

Planet Passion by Ancient Future
(Ancient-Future.Com AF 2010) $17.98: http://www.ancient-future.com/planetpassion.html

'Planet Passion' by Ancient Future features nineteen top masters of of Indian, Nepalese, African, Cuban, Celtic, Arabic, Palestinian, Jewish, Indonesian, Chinese, Eastern European and American music traditions performing music on the theme of mythical stories of love.

"If the members of the United Nations formed a world-fusion band, it might look and sound a little something like Ancient Future’s re-issue of their seventh recording. At its best, Planet Passion strives to preserve the world’s vast musical heritage via international collaboration: the idea that one protects the old by creating something new. This is at the heart of fusion music and the heart of Ancient Future’s global aesthetics, too: a diverse, unified world without borders, a multicultural community, a new, reconstituted sonic reality." — Ryan Allen, LEO WEEKLY, Louisville, Kentucky

70 Word Radio Announcement for Royal Room Concert in Seattle

On Tuesday, April 28, at 7:30 PM, the pioneering world fusion music group Ancient Future will perform a program featuring scalloped fretboard guitar pioneer Matthew Montfort and tabla virtuoso Vishal Nagar accompanied by special guest Jason Everett on bass at The Royal Room, located at 5000 Rainier Ave. South in Seattle, Washington. For more information, call 206-906-9920 or visit theroyalroomseattle.com. Tickets are $15 in advance and $18 at the door.

69 Word Radio Announcement for Vashon Theatre Concert in Vashon

On Wednesday, April 29, at 8 PM, the pioneering world fusion music group Ancient Future will perform a program featuring scalloped fretboard guitar pioneer Matthew Montfort and tabla virtuoso Vishal Nagar accompanied by special guest Jason Everett on bass at Vashon Theatre, located at 17723 Vashon Highway SW, in Vashon, Washington. For more information, call 206-229-8491 or visit vashontheatre.com. Tickets are $15 in advance and $18 at the door.

69 Word Radio Announcement for Conway Muse Concert in Conway

On Thursday, April 30, at 7:30 PM, the pioneering world fusion music group Ancient Future will perform a program featuring scalloped fretboard guitar pioneer Matthew Montfort and tabla virtuoso Vishal Nagar accompanied by special guest Jason Everett on bass at The Conway Muse, located at 18444 Spruce St., in Conway, Washington. For more information, call 360-445-3000 or visit conwaymuse.com. Tickets are $15 in advance and $18 at the door.

140 Word Radio Announcement for Washington Concert Tour

The pioneering world music group Ancient Future will perform three concerts in the Western Washington Area featuring scalloped fretboard guitar pioneer Matthew Montfort and tabla virtuoso Vishal Nagar accompanied by special guest Jason Everett on bass. On Tuesday, April 28, at 7:30 PM, they will appear at The Royal Room, located at 5000 Rainier Ave. South in Seattle, Washington. For more information, call 206-906-9920 or visit theroyalroomseattle.com. On Wednesday, April 29, at 8 PM, they will appear at Vashon Theatre, located at 17723 Vashon Highway SW, in Vashon, Washington. For more information, call 206-229-8491 or visit vashontheatre.com. On Thursday, April 30, at 7:30 PM, they will appear at The Conway Muse, located at 18444 Spruce St., in Conway, Washington. For more information, call 360-445-3000 or visit conwaymuse.com. Tickets for each concert are $15 in advance and $18 at the door.

154 Word Radio Announcement for Pacific Northwest Concert Tour

The pioneering world music group Ancient Future will perform four concerts as part of a rare Pacific Northwest concert tour featuring scalloped fretboard guitar pioneer Matthew Montfort and tabla virtuoso Vishal Nagar accompanied by special guest Jason Everett on bass. On Tuesday, April 28, at 7:30 PM, they will appear at The Royal Room, located at 5000 Rainier Ave. South in Seattle, Washington. On Wednesday, April 29, at 8 PM, they will appear at Vashon Theatre, located at 17723 Vashon Highway SW, in Vashon, Washington. On Thursday, April 30, at 7:30 PM, they will appear at The Conway Muse, located at 18444 Spruce St., in Conway, Washington. On Saturday, May 2, at 5:30 PM, they will appear with free admission at the main stage of the Moscow Renaissance Fair, located at East City Park at Third and Monroe Streets in Moscow, Idaho. Tickets for the Washington concerts are $15 in advance and $18 at the door.

USA, CA: PRESS RELEASE: Original Ancient Future Reunion April 19, 2015, at Throckmorton Theatre

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE, 2/19/2015
Contact: Ancient-Future.Com Records 1-888-823-8887 • info@ancient-future.com
Original Ancient Future Reunion
featuring Mindia Devi Klein (flutes), Benjy Wertheimer (tabla), and Matthew Montfort (guitars) plus Special Guests
Hi-Res Photo of Ancient Future Circa 1981 (1.2 MB): http://www.ancient-future.com/images/af2front300dpi6x4.jpg
Shown: Mindia Devi Klein, Benjy Wertheimer, Matthew Montfort

Sunday, April 19, 7:30 PM
142 Throckmorton Theatre
142 Throckmorton Avenue
Mill Valley, CA 94941
Tix: $20 adv, $25 at door, $35 reserved seating. Doors open at 7 PM.
Info: 415-383-9600
Venue Website: http://www.142ThrockmortonTheatre.com
On Sunday, April 19, the original line-up of the pioneering world fusion music group Ancient Future will perform together for the first time this century. Ancient Future was formed in 1978 by students at the Ali Akbar College of Music in San Rafael, California, including Mindia Devi Klein, Matthew Montfort, Benjy Wertheimer, and Phil Fong. Ancient Future's first concert took place to a packed house on February 11, 1979, at the original Sleeping Lady Cafe in Fairfax, California, then a vegetarian cafe and music club co-op that was the center of a vibrant local music scene.
This line-up of Ancient Future made two recordings that are now considered world fusion classics. In December, 1978, the band went into Tres Virgos Studio in Mill Valley to record Montfort's song Moonbath. The song became the springboard for the first Ancient Future record, Visions of a Peaceful Planet.
The concept for Natural Rhythms, the band's second record, grew out of a magical spontaneous recording session at a friend's recording studio near a frog pond. When Montfort and Klein noticed the sound of croaking frogs leaking into the studio, they were inspired to record them. Montfort went out to the pond with a zither and began to play, and found that certain rhythms produced musical responses. Several months later, Montfort and Klein went to Bali to study gamelan music. They were amazed to find paintings all over the island portraying Balinese rice paddy frogs playing gamelan instruments. They decided to extend their musical experiments to include the Balinese rice paddy frogs. Late at night, they gathered their musical Balinese friends, went out into the rice paddies, and jammed with the frogs. Again, some very magical moments of music were recorded, and became part of the Natural Rhythms release.
Hi-Res Photo of Ancient Future Circa 1981 (1.1 MB): http://www.ancient-future.com/images/af1981boulder300dpi4x6.jpg
Shown: Benjy Wertheimer, Mindia Devi Klein, Matthew Montfort

Sarodist Phil Fong initiated a successful change of careers soon after Natural Rhythms was recorded, but kept in touch periodically. Unfortunately, it has been a few years since anyone in the band has heard from him. The band would like to extend this invitation to Phil to sit in at the reunion. Phil, if you see this, contact your former band mates!
Hi-Res Photo of Ancient Future Circa 1979 (1.3 MB): images/af1http://www.ancient-future.com/979photo300dpi6x4.jpg
Shown: Benjy Wertheimer, Phil Fong, Mindia Devi Klein, Matthew Montfort
Matthew Montfort (scalloped fretboard and fretless guitars)
The leader of Ancient Future, Matthew Montfort, is a pioneer among guitarists who have had their fretboards scalloped in order to play various forms of world music that require intricate note-bending ornaments while still being able to play chords. Montfort immersed himself in an intensive study with vina master K.S. Subramanian in order to fully apply the South Indian gamaka (note-bending) techniques to the guitar. He is recognized as one of the world's 100 Greatest Acoustic Guitarists by DigitalDreamDoor.com, a curated "best of" site, along with such luminaries as Michael Hedges, Leo Kottke, Chet Atkins, John Fahey, Merle Travis, John Renbourn, Tommy Emmanuel, Doc Watson, Pierre Bensusan, Alex De Grassi, and Peppino D'Agostino. The December 2009 Les Paul issue of Guitar Player Magazine includes a full page feature on Matthew Montfort with a corresponding GuitarPlayer.Com video and lesson entitled "The Music of Jimi Hendrix Applied to Indian Raga." He has performed concerts worldwide, from the Festival Internacional de la Guitarra on the golden coast of Spain to the Festival of India in Mumbai. He has performed live on national radio and TV shows such as the Echoes Living Room Concerts on Public Radio International, and the Rachel Maddow Show on MSNBC. He has worked with many world music legends, including tabla phenomenon Zakir Hussain and Chinese zither master Zhao Hui. Montfort wrote the book Ancient Traditions – Future Possibilities: Rhythmic Training Through the Traditions of Africa, Bali, and India, which has been used by many musicians to improve their rhythm skills.
Mindia Devi Klein (Indian bansuri & silver flutes, Balinese gamelan)
Mindia Devi Klein is an award winning musician, composer and educator. Known primarily for her rare and haunting Indian bansuri flute music, she was actually born in Brooklyn, New York where she began her formal music training at the tender age of 2 with African American folk singer Charity Bailey. Early exposure to the jazz greats and the vast diversity of the world's music left her hungering for a doorway into the mystic heart and roots of music. She followed her muse to California and the Ali Akbar College of Music where she met and began training with her root guru, the late great Ustad Ali Akbar Khan who taught Indian music in the ancient guru-shishya style for over 40 years at Ali Akbar College of Music in San Rafael, California. She also trained under bansuri maestro G.S. Sachdev and then learned in India under guidance of world renown bansuri flutist Pandit Hariprasad Chaurasia. A recipient of the American Institute for Indian Studies Smithsonian Fellowship, the Fulbright Scholarship in Balinese gamelan and numerous community arts and composition awards, Mindia's training and insight into the world's ancient and ever evolving contemporary music of today has impressed itself deeply on her own. Her playing and compositions blend together the sounds and ideas of many worlds in a subtle and unique way. An international performing and recording artist, she can be heard on many albums of note including several as a founding member of Ancient Future.
Benjy Wertheimer (tabla, percussion, and esraj)
An award-winning musician, composer, vocalist and multi-instrumentalist equally accomplished on tabla, congas, percussion, esraj, guitar, and keyboards, Benjy Wertheimer has performed and recorded with such artists as Krishna Das, Deva Premal and Miten, Jai Uttal, Walter Becker of Steely Dan, virtuoso guitarist Michael Mandrell, tabla master Zakir Hussain, and renowned bamboo flute master G. S. Sachdev. He has also opened for such well-known artists as Carlos Santana, Paul Winter, and Narada Michael Walden. Benjy is a founding member of the internationally acclaimed world fusion ensemble Ancient Future. He began his musical studies at age five, starting with piano and later violin, flamenco guitar, and Afro-Cuban percussion. Benjy has been a student of Indian classical music for over 25 years, sitting with some of the greatest masters of that tradition, including Alla Rakha, Zakir Hussain, Ali Akbar Khan and Z. M. Dagar. Along with the Grateful Dead's Mickey Hart, he was a contributing composer and member of the Zakir Hussain Rhythm Experience. Trained in audio engineering at San Francisco State University, Benjy is also very much in demand as a producer, engineer and studio session musician. For over five years, Benjy scored music for the internationally syndicated NBC series Santa Barbara, and his CD Circle of Fire went to #1 on the international New Age radio charts in 2002. Making his home in Portland, Oregon, he now tours internationally with his wife Heather in the kirtan group Shantala.
67 Word Radio Announcement
On Sunday, April 19, at 7:30 PM, Matthew Montfort, Mindia Devi Klein, and Benjy Wertheimer, the original line-up of the pioneering world fusion music group Ancient Future, will perform together for the first time this century at Throckmorton Theatre, located at 142 Throckmorton Avenue in Mill Valley, California. For more information, call 415-383-9600 or visit www.142ThrockmortonTheatre.com

. Tickets are $20 advance, $25 at door, and $35 reserved seating.