E. Doctor Smith's Blog

Since their eponymous CD release in 2004, Sebastopol's Sol Horizon has blossomed, becoming one of the most popular and forward thinking bands of it's genre. The release of their latest CD, "First Light" and recent tours of California and Hawaii, as well as collaborations with England's rising reggae star, Pato Banton, should erase any doubt as to their authenticity and musical sincerity. Led by vocalist Michael Litwin, and his "party revolution" group, Sol Horizon are ably driven by lead guitarist Clayton Hunt, percussionist Peter van Gorder, and rounded out with bassist Frank Preuss, drummer Colin Menzies, rhythm guitarist Alexei Brown and keyboardist Jeremy Cooper. Sol Horizon continues to write and perform only their original music, a feat very few reggae groups would even attempt. No Bob Marley covers, no Peter Tosh, no Steel Pulse, no Melody Makers, just Sol Horizon! Their "conscious lyrics" and continued involvement in the su...

My love of Brazilian music is no secret to those who know me, for years I performed with guitarist Carlos Augustus and his DC ArtBeat ensembles. In my youth, I would often journey to see such great artists like Dom Um Romeo, of Weather Report, Egberto Gismonti, Milton Naciamento, Antonio Carlos Jobim, Paulhino de Costa, and of course my favorites; the incredible Flora Purim and Airto Moriera, whose incendiary tamborine solos conjured images of Panamanian drummer Billy Cobham at his height. In what could have been a catastrophe at the Rasselas Jazz Club last Sunday night for the Wilbur Rehmann Quartet show, (It seems the owner inadvertantly double booked the evening!), the gracious Caroline Chung of Brazuca Brown, stepped aside and wished us good luck. So moved was I by the group's generosity, that I endeavored to find out more about her and her band. Rehmann's show I might add, was a smashing success, and in the aftermath of that evening, I found another pleasant su...

Fans of the legendary saxophonist Sonny Rollins and British jazz drummer Bill Bruford, should enjoy the sounds of the Wilbur Rehmann Quartet: Special Edition, performing Sunday, May 14th at the Rasselas Jazz Club on Fillmore. An accomplished alto, tenor and soprano saxophonist, Wilbur Rehmann is considered one of the "elder statesmen of jazz" in his native Montana, and for his debut SF performance, he will be joined by pianist, composer Peter Fox, bassist Mike Shea, and E. "Doc" Smith, on "acoustic, electronic, and chordal drums". Fresh from his tour of Italy, Rehmann and his "Special Edition" quartet will be performing some of the music made famous by Rollins, John Coltrane, Thelonius Monk, Miles Davis, Horace Silver, Antonio Carlos Jobim, as well as Bruford's Earthworks. A frequent visitor to the Bay Area, Rehmann's debut has been a long time coming, and will hopefully be the first of many, many more. Rehmann, grew up in Bur...

"Random Acts of Happiness" Those unfamiliar with one of England's greatest drummers, may yet recognize his impressive work with some of the most successful progressive rock groups of the 1970's and 1980's: Yes, King Crimson, and Genesis to name but a few. However, by the 1990's, Bruford had eshewed that genre to play what was his first love: Jazz. In 1986 he formed the critically acclaimed "Earthworks", an ensemble featuring acoustic bass, keyboards, saxaphone, and Bruford on a 12 piece electronic drum kit, capable of playing complex chords as well as percussion samples. After over ten years of successful touring around the world, and a few line-up changes later, the Bay Area found his latest incarnation in a rare west coast appearance at Yoshi's last year, resulting in his latest recording, "Random Acts of Happiness". Rare indeed, as Bruford told me that "flying his group to the west coast of the U.S. can be a rather c...