"Tony Williams Lifetime Tribute"
featuring JACK BRUCE, VERNON REID, JOHN MEDESKI & CINDY BLACKMAN
December 14, 2008 Motion Blue - Yokohama, Japan
December 15-19, 2008 Blue Note - Tokyo, Japan
"When Vernon Reid suggested we might have a tribute concert for the music of Tony Williams Lifetime I jumped at the chance to take part. One of the greatest highlights of my musical career was playing with Tony's amazing band. I am so looking forward to re-visiting this music especially with such great musicians as Vernon, John and Cindy. Together I believe we can rekindle the spirit of a more joyous and optimistic era." - JACK BRUCE
This idea really started a long time ago with the tragic untimely death of mr. Williams. He was and remains a great hero to many of us;not just for his incredible mastery of the drums, but for his intensely visionary gifts as a composer and songwriter. I've had the great fortune to work with the extraordinary bassist Jack Bruce of Cream, and during a tour with him started to chat about Tony Williams and Lifetime and their close personal relationship. I thought of Cyndi Blackman, a true devotee of mr Williams whose work in that regard is not as well known as her long association with the rock star Lenny Kravitz. Cyndi is a gifted composer in her own right and as such has real insight into Mr. Williams, not only as a master percussionist, but as a creator as well. John Medeski is a keyboard artist of true originality, whose organ work evokes the mysterious power of the vastly under appreciated Larry Young whose moody swing and avant energy was a powerful force within the ensemble.
John McLaughlin has been a major influence on me as a guitarist, mainly from the later Mahavishnu period, seeds of which were sown in Tony Williams Lifetime as well as his tenure with the great Miles Davis.
This project is a way to celebrate a great unique voice at the nexus of Jazz and Rock; a true original.
tony william's lifetime was always one of my favorite bands. even before i ever imagined that i would be playing organ or electric keyboards.
over the years, since tony left the planet, vernon and i have been talking about doing this project to honor one of the pioneering ensembles of modern of electric music. somehow everything has finally come together to let it happen.
i love playing with vernon, cindy blackman is one of my favorite drummers (we have been trying to find a way to play together the past few years), and jack bruce is jack bruce, a legend. i am very excited. - john medeski
Tony Williams is my drum hero!!! I love all of his work and especially, the ground breakingly innovative LifeTime. I am so happy that Vernon wanted to celebrate it because The Tony Williams Lifetime influenced not only Miles Davis but Mahavishnu, Return To Forever and the next 3 decades of electric music to the present. Tony introduced me Jack Bruce briefly at the One Night At Blue Note concert in NYC.... I love his playing and was Hoping to get a chance to play with him and to do so in tribute to Tony is the ultimate!!!
Vernon Reid is a modern day guitar hero! His musicianship and vision are incredible and playing with him is always amazing! Super chops, super intelligence and super concept! I love all of that !
John Medeski is a great musician and I've been wanting to play with him for a long time! His sound is firery, his energy high and he's not afraid to take chances,....
I am completely happy and honored to give tribute to Tony Williams with such greats as Vernon, Jack & John! - Cindy Blackman
＜Commentary from JOHN SCOFIELD＞＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝
I played on a few concerts and recordings with Tony in the 70’s and 80’s.I was always thrilled to perform with him because he is one of my musical idols. The first time I played with him, in N.Y. at “SWEET BASIL” in ’77… I was so impressed with the sound he got from his cymbals and drums…..It was so much richer and deeper than any other drummer I had heard!!
“Lifetime” was very experimental and free…but using electric guitar and organ…Different from acoustic music. McLaughin and Young made incredible sounds using electricity! This was very related to sonic innovations in Rock music・・・.They were among the first to combine JAZZ and ROCK and ELECTRONICS!
Friday, December 12, 2008
Wednesday, December 10, 2008
Yohimbe Brothers Feb 2009 dates
Yohimbe Bros. featuring Vernon Reid & DJ Logic
Vernon Reid, guitar
DJ Logic, turntables & samples
Maya Azucena, vocals
Taylor McFerrin, MC
Leon Gruenbaum, keys & laptop
Jared Michael Nickerson, electric bass
Don McKenzie, drums
Yohimbe Brothers Myspace
Feb 12 Sala Club - San Sabastian, Spain
Feb 13 Cultural Center Bois Fleuri in Lormont (Musiques De Nuit Diffusion) - Bordeaux,FR
Feb 14 Maison des Arts (Son D'Hiver Festival) - Paris, FR
Feb 17 MuziekPodium - Middelburg, Zeeland
Feb 18 Paradox - Tilburg, NL
Feb 19 Bimhuis - Amsterdam, NL
Feb 27 MultiMedia Arts Center - Bloomfield, N.J
Feb 28 Blue Note - New York, NY USA
Vernon Reid, guitar
DJ Logic, turntables & samples
Maya Azucena, vocals
Taylor McFerrin, MC
Leon Gruenbaum, keys & laptop
Jared Michael Nickerson, electric bass
Don McKenzie, drums
Yohimbe Brothers Myspace
Feb 12 Sala Club - San Sabastian, Spain
Feb 13 Cultural Center Bois Fleuri in Lormont (Musiques De Nuit Diffusion) - Bordeaux,FR
Feb 14 Maison des Arts (Son D'Hiver Festival) - Paris, FR
Feb 17 MuziekPodium - Middelburg, Zeeland
Feb 18 Paradox - Tilburg, NL
Feb 19 Bimhuis - Amsterdam, NL
Feb 27 MultiMedia Arts Center - Bloomfield, N.J
Feb 28 Blue Note - New York, NY USA
Wednesday, December 03, 2008
Iconic Guitarist and Revolutionary Musician Vernon Reid Joins the Rock House Family
First ever instructional Products From One of Rock's Most Iconic Musicians
(West Haven, CT., December 3, 2008) – Rock House, the leader in music instruction, announced today that legendary Guitarist Vernon Reid has signed on to product several instructional products with Rock House. Vernon is best known as the founding member and driving force of the iconic rock band Living Colour. He has guided the band through a remarkable career. Among the highlights: a double platinum-selling debut album Vivid, released in 1988; its gold-certified successor, Time's Up, released 1990; two consecutive Grammy Awards in the category of Best Hard Rock Performance; Two MTV Music Video Awards, opening for the Rolling Stones' 1989 "Steel Wheels" tour; appearing on the first Lollapalooza tour and most recently having their song "Cult of Personality" included in the video Game Guitar Hero 3. He is also listed at 66 on Rolling Stone's Top 100 Guitarist of all time."
Reid reinvigorated hard rock with shots of soul, jazz and hip-hop. Reid's solos embraced the free-form abstraction of his early days as a jazz player, but they flexed enough muscle to bowl over any Metallica fan." Rolling Stone Magazine
"During the 1980s, rock had become completely segregated and predictable, Vernon and Living Colour helped break down the doors by the end of the '80s, leading to a much more open-minded musical landscape that would eventually pave the way for future bands like Rage Against the Machine, Sevendust and many others." quoted Joe Palombo, Executive Director of Rock House. Production is scheduled to start in the spring of 2009, no release date has been set yet, but it is likely to be some time in the Fall of 2009.
Since the formation of Living Colour, Vernon has appeared as a guest guitarist on the records of a many diverse artists: Jack DeJohnette, Public Enemy, B.B. King, The Ramones, Mariah Carey, Mick Jagger, Tracy Chapman, Eye & I, Family Stand, Carlos Santana, and others. He has also composed music for the Marlies Yearby Dance Co., and choreographer Ralph Lemon, scored the music for the film "Fresh Kill" and Johnny Nmemonic, has also composed "Here", a piece for Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Dance Company.
Vernon instructional products will be available at MI retailers around the world for $24.99. Stay tuned at www.RockHouseMethod.com, www.myspace.com/vernonreid for information on release dates. All Rock House instructional products are distributed through Music Sales Corp. 1-800-431-7187
Rock House has developed an accelerated yet easy-to-use system of learning that utilizes the functionality of DVD and Print, integrated with the accessibility of the Internet. Aspiring musicians who have a product produced by Rock House receive free membership to www.rockhousemethod.com for 24-7 lesson support. Students use this fully interactive site along with their product to enhance their learning experience, expand their knowledge, link with instructors, and connect with a community of people around the world who are learning to play music using The Rock House Method®.
For more information contact: Joe Palombo, jp@rockhousemethod.com
(West Haven, CT., December 3, 2008) – Rock House, the leader in music instruction, announced today that legendary Guitarist Vernon Reid has signed on to product several instructional products with Rock House. Vernon is best known as the founding member and driving force of the iconic rock band Living Colour. He has guided the band through a remarkable career. Among the highlights: a double platinum-selling debut album Vivid, released in 1988; its gold-certified successor, Time's Up, released 1990; two consecutive Grammy Awards in the category of Best Hard Rock Performance; Two MTV Music Video Awards, opening for the Rolling Stones' 1989 "Steel Wheels" tour; appearing on the first Lollapalooza tour and most recently having their song "Cult of Personality" included in the video Game Guitar Hero 3. He is also listed at 66 on Rolling Stone's Top 100 Guitarist of all time."
Reid reinvigorated hard rock with shots of soul, jazz and hip-hop. Reid's solos embraced the free-form abstraction of his early days as a jazz player, but they flexed enough muscle to bowl over any Metallica fan." Rolling Stone Magazine
"During the 1980s, rock had become completely segregated and predictable, Vernon and Living Colour helped break down the doors by the end of the '80s, leading to a much more open-minded musical landscape that would eventually pave the way for future bands like Rage Against the Machine, Sevendust and many others." quoted Joe Palombo, Executive Director of Rock House. Production is scheduled to start in the spring of 2009, no release date has been set yet, but it is likely to be some time in the Fall of 2009.
Since the formation of Living Colour, Vernon has appeared as a guest guitarist on the records of a many diverse artists: Jack DeJohnette, Public Enemy, B.B. King, The Ramones, Mariah Carey, Mick Jagger, Tracy Chapman, Eye & I, Family Stand, Carlos Santana, and others. He has also composed music for the Marlies Yearby Dance Co., and choreographer Ralph Lemon, scored the music for the film "Fresh Kill" and Johnny Nmemonic, has also composed "Here", a piece for Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Dance Company.
Vernon instructional products will be available at MI retailers around the world for $24.99. Stay tuned at www.RockHouseMethod.com, www.myspace.com/vernonreid for information on release dates. All Rock House instructional products are distributed through Music Sales Corp. 1-800-431-7187
Rock House has developed an accelerated yet easy-to-use system of learning that utilizes the functionality of DVD and Print, integrated with the accessibility of the Internet. Aspiring musicians who have a product produced by Rock House receive free membership to www.rockhousemethod.com for 24-7 lesson support. Students use this fully interactive site along with their product to enhance their learning experience, expand their knowledge, link with instructors, and connect with a community of people around the world who are learning to play music using The Rock House Method®.
For more information contact: Joe Palombo, jp@rockhousemethod.com
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