July 23, Kingston
I'm sorry to bring more sad news for the music community - another great guitarist whom I was lucky to have played with, Joe Beck, passed away last night, in Danbury, CT.
When I first came to New York as a young bassist looking to play rock, Joe was playing guitar in two bands I found myself in - White Elephant and Aha, the Attack of the
Green Slime Beast (!) Joe also produced records and wrote jingles, and urged me to do some sessions, though I was more interested in live playing, and he
introduced me to all the players I'd be working with for years after.
Joe's ablility to move
from heavy rock or jazz playing to studio producing of straight music was amazing. We did a lot of playing as a duo in a Village club called Bradleys - he would improvise
songs for 6 hours, then the next morning he'd have me on a Muzak session, and I'd recognize the song as one he'd made up the night before.
I owe to Joe my introduction to studio album sessions - starting with my first, Rock Encounters with Flamenco guitarist Sabicas, he brought me in on dozens of
projects, though I was reluctant the whole time - all the time doing rehearsal bands and duo gigs together at night.
Lately Joe has been playing in my brother Pete's band. The jazz world has lost one of its stellar members.
July 22, Kingston
Many of us in the Woodstock area are in grief over the passing of guitarist Artie Traum.
He was a close friend, in addition to musical collaborator. I'd played on many of Artie's albums and live shows, and he produced my first Narada album, Waters of Eden.
But my fondest memories are of our breakfast club, sharing countless coffees as we found humor from the twists and turns of the music business.
Artie was remarkable in the range of his abilities - having had success as a folk singer and player, then moving into jazz playing, also producing albums, an
excellent documentary film about our local reservoir, travel pieces for the NY Times, and he was close to finishing his new book on the music scene in the 60's.
In all of that, it was Artie's infectious humor, selflessness, and love of people that warmed the days and lives of all who were lucky to be involved with him.
There will be a memorial get-together this week in Woodstock, where stories and sadness will be shared. We will greatly miss him.
July 18, Hoboken
Countdown to Crimonizing
Well, the final show at Quebec Festival d'ete was fantastic. Took me awhile to get the page about it up, but that's ready now.
I'm at a New Jersey record session for a few days - a cool singer named Swati. Then more practice for the upcoming King Crimson tour.
I'll drive to Nashville late next week, then a few days rehearsing
and we'll start off with shows right there in Nashville. It's been a lot of years since I toured with the group, and I'm excited about it.
More soon.
July 9, Quebec
Crimson Coverings
Great show last night, combining King Crimson members Adrian Belew (with his power trio) and Pat Mastelotto, and myself, along with California Guitar Trio. Lots of
variety in the show, at the Plains of Abraham, and Les Claypool (bassist of Primus, who were the headliner) sat in for a song, giving us a rare
three bass version of Thela Hun Ginjeet!
I am fashioning a web page with photos of the show, but also rehearsing for another one at the same venue, on Saturday, but this one featuring completely
different material.
More soon.
July 5, Kingston
Quadracentenial Quebec
Heading up North tomorrow, to the beautiful city of Quebec, where not only will the yearly Festival d'ete be going on, but the 400 year anniversary.
I will play with Pat Mastelotto, Adrian Belew, the California Guitar Trio, and we'll have a guest singer on next Saturday's performance. Will be great fun. My
first show isn't until Tuesday, but I want to catch Adrian's power trio show tomorrow night, as well as a lot of great music going on all over the city every day.
I'll report on it all.
Here is proof that life can be completely amazing ... I rarely link to YouTube videos (well, never!) but just saw an extraordinary one of some
little kids playing in a pool,
and one is singing not only King Crimson's Vrooom and Frame By Frame but The ConstrucKtion of Light... the very composition that's been puzzling
and challenging me for months!!!
What is the world coming to?
(Note that the little girls are laughing at the boy... much like my wife laughing at me when I try to explain to her the math involved in that piece.)
Oh, I finally caught the film WALL-E last night and thoroughly enjoyed it. I'd played on the Peter Gabriel track at the film's end, and knew that part was great.
More soon from Quebec.
June 29, San Francisco
Extraordinary Experiment
Last nights show at the Bay Area Rock Fest was the final one of our too-brief run across the U.S. with Liquid Tension Experiment.
Plenty of unique things in the show, as usual, (this time including John cutting off Mike's beard in the encore!) The jams were really cool (maybe because we knew
we're not recording this one multitrack) and the renditions of our songs are still a bit different each night.
A great crowd helped things along too.
I'll be fashioning a web page of the many photos I took, (yes, of the beard cutting...) and will add some recently discovered ones from previous shows.
We're kind of sad it's over - such great musicianship, and lots of fun too - I can only hope it's not another 10 years till we do it again!
June 28, Los Angeles
Keyboard Karma
Who'd have thought it... after the episode in Chicago where the keyboard went down, tonight, at the Downey Theater, the show was going along fine, and, just during
Jordan's short keyboard solo, the guitar rig went down!
So, with John unable to join in, Jordan was required to keep playing, solo, while they hovered around the guitar rack, getting it going.
We certainly didn't mind - nor did we (Mike and I) join in to make it a jam ... just let Jordan play on (he did a great job) and voila, after 10 or 15 minutes,
the guitar rig was working and the keyboard karma had adjusted itself!
Now up, the Downey Theater show.
June 26, Chicago
Jolly Jamming
Big surprise tonight, at the ParkWest, Chicago show. After 2/3 of the show (my guess here...) Jordan's keyboard went out of order. The other three players jammed awhile while techs and
Jordan worked on it. But couldn't get it fixed. The jam took epic proportions... it turned out Jordan, in his efforts to get it fixed, got on the phone to Japan, where a panel of people from the keyboard company
was trying to determine the problem. But still, we couldn't work it out, and we couldn't move back to our written material without the keyboards.
Anyway, Jordan ended up the night's hero, not by having his keyboard fixed, but by joining in the jam, on guitar! with a rockin solo.
Then.. more jamming... and we had to end the night without playing any more of our prepared pieces.
Certainly out of the ordinary, and a blast for us. I can only hope the audience enjoyed it. Good thing this is a band that loves to jam!
Oh, and... I rarely look at the 'guestbook' section of my website, but just took a peek, and somebody wisely pointed out that I had forgotten to mention a few
small details about that jam: Anthrax drummer, Charlie Benante sat in at one point - and there was some major instrument switching when Jordan played
guitar, John moved to bass - at another point Mike took over on bass too! (I Stuck to the Stick.)
There. Thank you Charlie, thank you Tim Shokley, for pointing it out. I gotta read my own site's comments more often!
June 24, New York
Touring Tension
Wow, an exciting, intense night of playing, at BB Kings last night. Great crowd - crowds, really, because we (Liquid Tension Experiment) did two shows - a couple of hours each.
The Dream Theater fans turned out in force for this one.
I've got lots of photos to organize, and will try to do that on the plane to Chicago today and have a page about the shows uploaded soon.
* update: the page on the New York shows is up now.
June 22, Bethlehem, PA.
Leaping Liquid
Wild show last night -- lots of surprises, lots of fun, and nobody got hurt by all that music!
We had prepared, quickly in two days of rehearsals, a metal rendition of Rhapsody in Blue... (yes, I know that's a little hard to imagine, and
it wasn't so easy to arrange either.) Anyway, instead of being a shaky attempt thrown into the set, it felt like one of the high points of the show. Another surprise came
right at the beginning when our walk on tape (Ride of the Valkeries!) stopped near the end -- we were poised to crash in right after the last note, which left us in a bit of
an awkward position -- start the cd over, or admit defeat, and humbly count off in silence!
I've got lots of photos, as usual, but little time yet to make a new page about the tour - there'll be one by sometime this week for sure.
*Just added: a new page about the Liquid Tension Experiment Tour.
By the way, NearFest is a great weekend event every year... this is the third time I've played it. There isn't a better setting for music fans, and it feels something like a large family
getting together to share their enjoyment of music.
On to B.B. Kings in New York tomorrow, including an extra second show the same night. I'll bring my espresso machine!
June 21, Bethlehem, PA.
Nearing NearFest
The reunion tour of Liquid Tension Experiment is about to begin here at Progressive Rock's prestigious NearFest weekend.
We've been here a few days, rehearsing, and I'm excited about the show tonight. The music, from two albums we recorded about 10 years ago, is technically difficult, and presents
a great challenge. We'll also do lots of improv, and have spent most of our rehearsal time preparing a new piece.
More soon, and when the dust settles I'll put together a page of my photos from rehearsals.
Upcoming appearances:
with King Crimson
Return of the Beast Celebration Shows
Aug 2,3 NASHVILLE / Belcourt Theatre
Aug 6,7,8 CHICAGO / Park West
Aug 11,12 PHILADELPHIA / Keswick Theater
Aug 14,15,16 NEW YORK / Nokia Theater
Russian Shows
Aug 27 MOSCOW / Geoffrey Oryema / club B2
Aug 30 TATARSTAN Music Festival - lineups t.b.a.
Sept 3 MOSCOW / King Crimson friends festival with KTU, Adrian Belew Trio, Eddie Jobson / club B1
with Stick Men
Oct. 11 WROCLAW, POLAND / Intl Percussion Festival
Oct. 12 OPOLE/ workshops & concert
with Terry Bozzio & friends
Japan tour - Tickets.
Nov 25 NAGOYA/ Bottom Line Terry Bozzio, Pat Mastelotto, Tony
Nov 26 OSAKA/ Big Cat Terry Bozzio, Pat Mastelotto, Tony
Nov 27, 28, 29 TOKYO/ STB139 Terry Bozzio, Allen Holdsworth, Pat, Tony
Recent releases Tony played on:
Gap Mangione, Family Holidays.
Danny Brill, Better Late Than Never.
Enrico Giaretta, Sulle ali della musica.
Peter Rainbird, Dust
Liquid Trio Experiment, Spontaneous Combustion.
Amplify, Amplify.
Paula Cole, Courage.
Susan Calloway.
Peter Kearns, Don't Shoot the Messenger
Gabor Lesko, Colors.
Bryan Andrews, Sessions.
Sarah Perrotta, The Well.
Jeremias, Un Dia Mas en el Gran Circo.
Kevin Parent, Fangless Wolf Facing Winter.
Cynthia Dillenbeck, Little Secret.
Peter Kater, Faces of the Sun.
Judy Collins, Sings Lennon & McCartney.
Joe Brucato, Free.
Artie Traum, Thief of Time.
Pete Levin, Icarus.
Steve Thorne, part two : emotional creatures.
Rachel Z, Dept of Good and Evil.
Jon Durant, Flood.
Laurence Revey, Laurence Revey.
Aaron Comess, Catskills Cry.
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