MUSICMARAUDERS

Words By Benjamin Michael Solis Stanley Clarke’s self-titled Stanley Clarke Band won the Grammy for “Best Contemporary Jazz Album” this year at the prestigious music awards ceremony. It deserved album of the year. Keeping in line with his jazz-rock-fusion roots, the record is a stunning achievement for the genre, and Clarke as well. “I Want To Play For You Too,” a track of solid, old-school funk, revisits Clarke’s ability to slap over chord changes – a feat most of his predecessors were unable to accomplish. Songs like “Soldier” (penned by Israeli pianist and band member Ruslan Sirota), “How’s The Weather Up There?” and “Larry Traveled 11 Miles and Waited A Lifetime for Vishnu’s Report” are all heavy bangers in the purest sense of what the fusion of hard rock and straight ahead jazz should sound like. Even SCB’s reworking of Chick Corea’s Return To Forever masterpiece “No Mystery” is heavier. Cleaned up by modern recording technology and a new arrangement, this song in particular offer...

... and respect on new world tour Words By Benjamin Michael Solis Jazz icons Stanley Clarke and Victor Wooten can’t throw a bowling ball to save their lives. But what they excel at is establishing the bass guitar as a melodic instrument in all forms of modern music. Celebrating the re-release of Wooten’s seminal 1996 album “A Show of Hands,” and Clarke’s Grammy Award for “Best Contemporary Jazz Album” for “Stanley Clarke Band,” the two musicians have paired up for a new world tour. Setting up his equipment on stage before their gig two weeks ago at The Ark, Wooten told The Washtenaw Voice that having the chance to share the stage with a musician who heavily influenced his own playing is a dream-come-true. “It’s incredible,” said Wooten. “As kid coming up playing, Stanley was it. And if you got to see him play at least once a year, you were lucky. “Now I get to see him every night.” Yet this is not the first time the two bass giants have collaborated live. In 2008 both Clarke and Woote...

Words By Zach Zeidner Snarky Puppy at The Boiler Room August 10, 2010. After an incredible show Monday night at Cliff Bell’s Jazz club in Detroit, MI, I have had nothing on my mind but these cats. Snarky Puppy absolutely threw it down, each member of the band exemplifying their virtuosic abilities whilst at the same time laying down a danceable layer of groove that had the whole room erupting in excitement. The energy this band brings to the stage is unlike most bands that I have experienced. They were just as excited as the crowd, if not more to be playing in this beautiful venue. I have written about these guys before in a previous Thursdays Jazz covering their newest album "Tell Your Friends" . Enjoy this incredible hour and ten minute recording of Snarky Puppy from last August. This show will undoubtedly convert you if not at the least make you get on up with it. Don’t make the mistake of missing them on their current tour! www.snarkypuppy.com

Words by Greg Molitor ( ReMIND Photography ) When Kalmia Traver and Alex Toth met at an art show in Vermont back in 2007, neither was satisfied with the typical roles horn musicians often play in performing acts. The duo felt the necessity to create a group focused around horns and driving rhythms, and thus, Rubblebucket was born. The eight-piece horn-centric group that now calls Brooklyn its home has recently enjoyed national touring success coast to coast, and considering how hard the band works both on and offstage, any fruits of labor that Rubblebucket receives are well deserved. Rubblebucket’s Big City Afrobeat radiates a glowing energy that consistently brings the heat no matter where it performs. Created freshly for the audience during each outing, the band’s polyrhythmic, horn-driven music breathes excitement into tired souls and offers those who attend its shows a chance to forget the worries of the common day, get off their behinds, and dance it through like they ought to. T...

Words By Stevie Tee In case you've been wondering what's been going on with Radiohead's new sound, it might have something to do with Burial. Thom Yorke recently teamed up with Four Tet and Burial for a 12" single release. The songs "Ego" and "Mirror" debuted on Floating Point's mix show when Four Tet stopped by UK radio station, Rinse FM. While we've already spotlighted Four Tet, and even your grandmother probably knows who Thom Yorke is by now, we need to take a closer look at Burial as an artist. Born William Bevan, this reclusive producer has been making a big splash since his first album dropped in 2006. After his first single, "South London Boroughs", was released in 2005 on the Hyperdub label, Thom Yorke commissioned him for a remix of the song, "And It Rained All Night”, from Yorke’s The Eraser. Around that time, indie rockers Bloc Party were also demanding his production services. Often considered a dubstep artist, ...

Words By Karen Dugan Spring is fast approaching and the season’s first New York music festival, the Rock N Roll Resort Festival 2011, is coming to kick the season off in Kerhonkson, NY on April 1, 2nd and 3rd. For the music lovers who can’t wait till the cold season ends, who scowl at the hassle of packing and setting up camp or who just do not care to spend a music filled weekend without a comfortable bed and cool shower, this festival is for you. What sets apart this 3-day, 4-night festival is the fact that it takes place within the lovely Hudson Valley Resort and Spa. Rock N Roll Resort Festival encompasses everything that a regular outdoor festival delivers with the added luxury of comfortable accommodations. The Rock N Roll Resort Festival has a substantial line-up comprised of some of the region’s most talented musicians! Pulling wonderfully talented musicians, DJs and bands from up and down the East Coast, you can be sure to find something your ears will enjoy at any given t...

New Mastersounds Live at Cervantes' Masterpiece Ballroom on March 12, 2011. Words & Photos By J-man Audio Recording By Taper Corey The exploration of new music and catching a band for the first time is a really special experience. Listening to The New Mastersounds on the Archive for the past couple of years, the time had finally come to catch them live. Cervantes was packed and vibing with the energy level through the roof before the band even hit the stage. Once they did, Cervantes was flipped upside down with funk. Prior to the New Mastersounds sets, we had a chance to speak with Eddie Roberts, the guitarist for the band... With the set underway, the band tore through some of the most enjoyable jazz/funk that I have heard in some time. It was easy to get sucked into Joe Tatton's organ playing. He made the keys scream with funky, delightful chops. Simon Allen's drumming was exciting and provided a groove to step to. Enter Pete Shand on bass, with solid funk precision...

Words by Greg Molitor It’s shaping up to be a huge Spring and Summer for Bela Fleck and the Flecktones. With a new album titled Rocket Man on its way, banjo wizard Bela Fleck is hittin’ the road with the original Flecktones quartet starting in May. Pianist / harmonica player Howard Levy has rejoined the group after fifteen years of absence and will be touring with the other originals members, Fleck, Victor Wooten (bass), and Futureman (drum-axe synthitar), for the months to come. Check out the shows below...both from 1991, the shows feature the original quartet ripping through classic Flecktones material like only they could do. It’s going to be great 2011 for this band, so if you get the chance, go see the new line up tear into some funky fusion-grass when it comes your way! Enjoy! Bela Fleck and the Flecktones Live at The Catalyst on February 17, 1991. Bela Fleck and the Flecktones Live at Kentucky Center for the Arts, Bomhard Hall, Lonesome Pine Special on August 2, 1991. www.flec...

Words By Andy Zimmer To consider the incredible arc of the career of the Grateful Dead is a pretty impressive thing. Starting from humble roots, but quickly thrust into a role as counter-culture icons, the Dead cut their teeth by pushing back against the status-quo. At the time, in the mid-60’s, “straight” society viewed the Dead as standing for something very “un-American”, possibly dangerous, and definitely subversive. Whether true or not, the boys in the band were never fazed by the quizzical looks of those stuck on the outside looking in. Their vision need not appeal to the masses, and they were uncompromising in the creation of their art. Forty-plus years later, those of us firmly entrenched in the “Dead Community” are still letting out joyful, collective “Thank yous!” However, perhaps the most intriguing detail in the long saga of the Dead is how they have become part of the fabric of America. Without changing their tune, conforming to the norm, or compromising their ideals; the...

Words By J-man When it comes to Americana/folk/bluegrass music, most know of the Jerry Garcia/David Grisman Story. The combination of Jerry's "Grateful" music, crossed with David's "Dawg" music created a beautiful blend of what we now know as "Grateful Dawg." Their early bluegrass beginning with Old and in The Way (with Vassar Clements, Peter Rowan and John Kahn) helped to pave the road for a more expansive duo experience. Garcia/Grisman was very influential in helping to bring several younger generations, and "Deadheads" to the bluegrass scene with their deep-rooted, advanced rhythms and Melodies. The solid relationship both as friends and musical partners was evident in everything that David and Jerry did together. This was no more apparent than on the "Pizza Tapes", an album made over the course of two evenings, with the accompaniment of Tony Rice. There is no better time than now to explore Garcia/Grisman... > "The P...

Words By Alex Pryor Pictures By Alex Pryor & Damon Callisto Part 2... A. Pryor: What’s the most difficult part about your job? P. Hoffman : The most difficult part is it gets tricky when you deal with completely different conditions every day. Conditions meaning venues and what they have available as far as every venue is different. Rigging is different, the house situation is different. Stage space is different. Loading dock is different. All the things that go into getting stuff off the truck, to in the air, to working and running the show is completely different in most venues. Arenas are somewhat of an exception to that. Arenas are pretty... they’re pretty uniform. You’re dealing with a much more level playing field when going from arena to arena than going from theatre, to club, to theatre. Another thing that’s really trying is that every person that you work with is on a different level of experience. So you’ll usually have like one or two guys who really know their shit, a...

Words By Andy Zimmer This week we are throwing the spotlight on the Grateful Dead here at MusicMarauders. In the spirit of the occasion, I thought that I would spice things up a little for this week’s pick. Today I am pleased to offer up a 5-pack of some of my favorite Dead shows. To keep things interesting, I’ve picked one show from each of the four major eras in the Dead’s past (the Pigpen years, the Donna and Keith days, the Mydland years, and the later years with Hornsby/Welnick) and then topped things off with a bonus pick for the fifth show. Clearly, there were plenty of superb shows to choose from in each era, and I don’t claim that my selections a perfect. But I think that they are pretty damn good. Hopefully, you enjoy listening to them as much as I enjoy compiling them. We start off during the Pigpen years with a 1971 show from New York City, the Dead’s home away from home. This show smokes the entire way through, and features some excellent bust outs from the late Mr. McKer...

Words By Andy DeVilbiss As I’m sure I have mentioned before, I’m a bit of a nerd, and one of my big-time nerd outlets is the videogame Rock Band. For those unfamiliar with this particular gaming phenomenon, Rock Band is a party-style “rhythm game” where you and your buddies push buttons on fake plastic guitars, pound on drumpads, and screech into microphones to guide a videogame band to superstardom. It’s like Guitar Hero on steroids. In fact, the Rock Band product proved itself so superior to Guitar Hero that Guitar Hero is no longer being made. Truly, there are few things more fun in the world than knocking back a few cold ones and raging some Rock Band with your crew. It’s like a badass karaoke party in your living room, except there are more participation options than just singing (Me? I have no problem playing this game by myself. A LOT. Enough that my cumulative score places me in the top one percent of the fake bass players on Xbox Live. Damn skippy I'm tootin' my extrem...