E. Doctor Smith's Blog

The Flecktones reemerged last year with a new album "Rocket Science", on a new label, (eOne records) and announcing that for "the first time since 1991, pianist/ harmonica player Howard Levy has returned to the fold alongside bassist Victor Wooten, percussionist/Drumitarist Roy “Futureman” Wooten and banjoist bandleader Fleck to create some of the most forward-thinking music of their long, storied career. While all manners of genres come into play – from classical and jazz to bluegrass and African music to electric blues and Eastern European folk dances – the result is an impossible to pigeonhole sound all their own, a meeting of musical minds that remains, as ever, utterly indescribable. Simply put, it is The Flecktones, the music made only when these four individuals come together." Next Thursday night, the Flecktones return to the Regency Ballroom alongside violinist Casey Driessen. Longtime followers of Fleck recall that he took up the banjo at an ...

Tonight, Edgetone Records and Earwax Music presents "Music of Invention - A Concert Celebrating Tom Nunn's Inventions - A retrospective and a tribute". Since 1976 Tom Nunn has invented over 200 instruments. The sounds from these unique creations have been utilized on dozens of recordings, soundtracks and in performance. For this special evening Nunn will play many of these musical inventions including: The Crustacean (1977), Sonoglyph, T-Rodimba, The Skatchbox, Bridge Rod Mothic, The Bug, and his most recent instrument - The Lukie Tubes (2011)The performances will feature Nunn in duos, trios and groups (T.D. Skatchit, Ghost In The House, Rtd3). The guests will include: Aurora Josephson - voice, Allan Crossman - piano, Doug Carroll - cello, Bart Hopkins - inventions, Gary Knowlton - bass, Chris Brown - electronics, Michael Knowlton - guitar, David Michalak - lap steel, skatchbox, Ron Heglin - voice, Paul Winstanley – bass, Karen Stackpole - gongs, percussion, Rent Romus - ...

2012 promises to be a banner year for legend Jack DeJohnette, renowned as one of music's most adventurous artists and prolific drummers. He'll receive a National Endowment for the Arts Jazz Master Fellowship, the highest U.S. honor for jazz musicians. The Chicago-born, New York-based artist will also turn 70, boasting a top-drawer historical resume that ranges from his early days as a charter member of the Charles Lloyd Quartet and his seminal drumming in Miles Davis's pioneering fusion band in the late '60s and early '70s (including Bitches Brew) to his longstanding quarter-century-plus contributions to the Keith Jarrett Standards Trio as well as his own diverse solo career recording for such labels as ECM, MCA/Impluse!, EMI/Blue Note, and his own imprint Golden Beams. Add to that another crowning achievement: DeJohnette's latest and arguably best album, Sound Travels (a co-release between Golden Beams and eOne). It's a superb genre-spanning, ...

Multi-dimensional drummer, keyboardist, composer and arranger Gary Husband hits his stride with Dirty & Beautiful Volume 2, his latest release on Abstract Logix Records. Dirty & Beautiful Volume 2 features an explosive all-star line-up of guest musicians such as John McLaughlin, Allan Holdsworth, Jan Hammer, Robin Trower, Jimmy Herring, Wayne Krantz, Mark King, Alex Machacek and Mike Stern. Dirty & Beautiful Volume 2 does not merely pick up where 2010’s Volume 1 left off. Volume 2 expands upon Husband’s musical vision of creating music that is passionate and sophisticated, yet infused with grit and rawness. The mix of Husband originals and cover tunes are driven by the combination of the dynamic powerhouse drumming, ferocious lead lines and distinctly evocative keyboard harmony that altogether define Husband’s “multiple threat” of a musical voice. Selected highlights of Dirty & Beautiful Volume 2 are "Fred 2011": A reworking of the classic Allan Holdsworth son...