This offering is the sixth in an on-going series of “Forgotten Music“ that has been rediscovered after years of languishing on a hard drive. This music was never intended for release, but after sitting all this time, has been considered worthy, at least, to share. it may be that a “Forgotten Album” will emerge.
Recorded in July 2004. Atmos Trio wasn’t even recording an album–just sight-reading some charts.This is another beautiful Peter Sprague tune we used to play during our Monday morning jam sessions.
This song is something of a rarity in that it does not feature solos but instead, features the composition itself as the main character in this particular music tale.
Features Rob Michael on guitars, Joe Shotwell on bass and Jeff Obee on bass.
The Atmos Trio first started out as an excuse to play in a very conversational way. We were (and still are) seeking a musical discussion that required no words. We were out to explore group improvisation but hopefully present it in such a way that it almost sounded composed.
For a time, our method of operation was to converge on my studio each Monday morning, throw up some mics, hit RECORD and just play. Here is a result of one of those session from July 2004.
Never intended for release, this recording of Solar really was a happy accident which was captured to disk. We played it and moved-on. Only during a later review of the session did we realize the level of musical interactivity that had apparently occurred earlier that day.
Here is your invitation to eavesdrop on our conversation.
Solar by AtmosTrio
These are live recordings that were never intended for release but that, upon reviewing years after the fact, seemed worthy of sharing with interested listeners.
These are from a time when the concept of The Atmos Trio was still crystalizing.
Hypothetical Premise-A live track that captured an early Atmos Trio as we tuned-up (2004). There is no preconceived composition– just a jam. We know what song sound like, so we made one up on the spot
Kylie-Another nearly forgotten track from the Atmos Studio archives. This track was recorded live during the 1st year Atmos Trio started playing together.
This composition is by San Diego guitarist Peter Sprague. Peter was one of my favorite teachers from when I attended GIT in the late ’80′s. If he hears this–I hope he digs it.
Lonely Woman-A beautiful masterpiece by the great Horace Silver. Recorded in 2005, this live performance features Rob Michael on steel-string acoustic guitar, Joe Shotwell on drums and Jeff Obee on six-string fret less electric bass.
For decades, I have enjoyed a comfortable career as a working musician. Playing gigs as both a leader and a sideman, recording albums and teaching.
A few months ago, a fellow guitarist and friend, Ruth Parry and I decided to play a series of gigs on Thursday afternoons just for fun. It was at a small local cafe a few blocks from Ruth’s house and near where I teach. Fun and convenient, why not!
The venue has wi-fi so on impulse, I showed-up to the first gig with my laptop and streamed the show to Ustream. I thought it was a neat idea and sure enough, the Ustream audience seemed very into what we were doing. We would play to the room and not really notice much what was gong-on with the laptop. I would read comments in the chat module later in the day when I finished teaching. Ruth and kept doing this weekly gig for a month or so before she secured a new teaching position that conflicted with our Thursday schedule.
When the next Thursday came, I decided to live-out a longtime joke/ fantasy of mine: I would play a gig from home. No loading gear into my car, setting-up, tearing-down… just play. Now the “room” was the Ustream audience. I could interact quite directly with them, and I know many of them from Twitter, Facebook and Friendfeed.
This is turning into my favorite gig. I like to let the audience in on what it’s like being a working musician. Let the whole experience be inclusive and invite them into my world (which for me, is a fantastic dream). A pleasant and unexpected side-effect of this is a fairly dramatic spike in CD sales for my main Jazz group, The Atmos Trio.
So, as I’ve said during nearly every show, “Gigging from home–I’m DOIN’ it!” You’ll find me on Ustream every Thursday afternoon at 1:30 pm (PST).
For several days after the beautiful House Concert at Juan’s place last week, media has been streaming into my DropBox. Super cool, photos, videos and stereo recordings.
I’ve been putting some of it together and want to share some of it with you now. The shear volume of stuff far exceeded my expectation. I thought I was going to have to upgrade my DropBox account! It will take awhile just to post everything, but here is a start.
Nardis.
Don’t You Realize
Armando’s Rumba
All-Star Jam
Thanks so much to those that played, attended and participated in some way. More to come…
This past Friday, April 10th 2009, we had the good fortune to follow through with a House Concert that was orchestrated, end-to-end on Twitter. With our new Twitter friends Steve Uccello and Gustaf Fjelstrom, we set about establishing a venue, organizing talent, inviting guests and in doing so, a magical event occurred.
Steve found a gracious and enthusiastic host in Juan Candelaria who has a gorgeous home in Capitlola CA. He was a wonderful host who helped set the magical tone for the evening.
The dialog for the planning stage of the evening were all conducted in the public time line on Twitter where anyone interested could ‘listen-in’ and contribute to the project/ conversation. Several good people did just that: Zach Parkes, bass player, blogger and overall positive guy took photos. This was all surprisingly effortless and crystalized very rapidly. No mainstream media (radio or print) promotional avenues were used. All planning and correspondence was done via Twitter. Advice and well-wishes came from all over the world, including from our good friend Steve Lawson, who, is my personal House Concert Guru (Thanks Steve!).
The eclectic mix of music presented (Categorized “Neo-Chamber Music” by Zach) was a blend of rootsy singing by Aaron Ford, looping magic by solo bassist Steve Uccello and magical soundscapes by Gustaf’s electric cello, preceded the Atmos Trio set. The Concert concluded with us inviting all the performers back for an impromptu musical exchange. Made-to-order Magic!
Thinking it might be fun to continue the theme of community that emerged on twitter, we encouraged guests to take photos and make audio and video recording of the concert. We supplied a URL where they could share their content–and share they did. Over the course of the next couple of days, over 3 gigabytes of data arrived on my desktop. Sure, I saw some cameras and microphones strategically placed around the room, but the extent to which this event was documented really surprised me!
This is one of the things that make House Concerts special: Everyone can participate. Everyone is involved.
If you prefer to participate as a spectator, you certainly have that option. If you want to be more involved–that is welcome as well. In this setting, the audience members are not merely “asses to fill seats.” The audience is a significant component to the event. They have stepped up to fill the valued roll as a collective collaborator.
In the coming days, I will post video and audio content and, if there is interest, make it available for you to edit remix and share any way you like.
Want to host a House Concert of your own? You can learn more about it and have the Atmos Trio play in your home.
Continuing on my Social Media-powered outreach efforts, I have managed to find many more talented and resourceful people with whom to work. On Friday, April, 10, Bass players, Steve Uccello and Gustaf Fjelstrom will be weaving their loop-driven magic. Also, singer/ songwriter Aaron Ford will be sharing the bill with The Atmos Trio at a House concert hosted by Juan Candelaria in beautiful Capitola CA (in the Santa Cruz area).
Reservation are highly recommended by emailing Steve Uccello or Rob Michael or call 831-801-4920. Admission is a requested $10 donation.
You’re encouraged to take photos and/or make audio/ video recordings.
