Johnny E

We had our final rehearsal today. Man these tunes are fucking hard. It's gonna be good...NorthWest jazz fans be advised.

Wish I could be there. Post some sounds or pics if possible? Have a great show!

Thanks Aric, er, I mean Chewy. Thanks for coming to the show. You're one funny mutherfucker. ps. the bassist doesn't play a horn either...although he is a very horny guy.

I can't let this one sink...I need more help. UP

Saturday, October 28th Monktail Creative Music Concern's Raymond Scott Project Part of the 2006 Earshot Jazz Festival On The Boards 100 W Roy St Seattle, WA 98119 www.ontheboards.org Monktail Creative Music Concern Tributes an Early-Movie Great By Josie Holtzman Who was Raymond Scott? For some, his cultural significance derives from his contribution to early electronic music. A colleague of Robert Moog, Scott is credited with inventing some of the earliest and most sophisticated electronic musical devices such as the Clavivox, one of the earliest synthesizers, and the Electronium, the "instantaneous composer-performance machine." Or perhaps Scott's most significant legacy stems from his commercial success: Warner Brothers bought his Merry Melodies in 1943 to provide the soundtrack for America's favorite irreverently wacky cartoon characters, such as Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck. But Scott's contributions to the jazz idiom, which were far more enigmatic and ambiguous, have generally been overlooked. A notorious eccentric and perfectionist, Scott, who lived from 1908 to 1994 and graduated from the Julliard School of Music in 1931, may have been lauded as a worthy composer of modern music, but he also has been dismissed for composing "silly pseudo-jazz." In 1939 Rhythm magazine declared: "I don't think that those Scott compositions are sincerely jazz vehicles. Only occasionally do they swing." Ironically, Scott's goal was to revitalize swing, although his methodology seemed counterintuitive: It required that his quintet adhere strictly to the notes and structure of his compositions in a way that straight-jacketed improvisation. The complexly quirky melodies and rhythms of Scott's pieces, which he obsessively and meticulously rehearsed, were performed and recorded by his quintet between 1937 and 1939. His style introduced a new creative perspective, what he called "descriptive jazz," that departed from the jazz norms of the time. So, what would lead the members of The Monktail Creative Music Concern, a growing cadre of Seattle jazz progressivists comprising several bands, to select this supposedly unimprovisable repertoire for their latest project? The Raymond Scott Project came about as a result of the chance encounter between John Ewing, Collective member and founder of the improvised music group, Reptet, and Irwin Chusid, the foremost living Raymond Scott scholar. Ewing detailed that meeting over the animated syncopations of his fellow Monktail comrades as they diligently practiced the demanding Scott tunes inside Capitol Hill's cramped Gallery 1412: "I wanted to use the artwork of the late jazz artist Jim Flora for the cover art for the latest Reptet album, so I got in touch with the guy who was the director of the Flora Archive and Estate. That turned out to be Irwin Chusid." Chusid, an eccentric from New York City was not only the archivist for Jim Flora, but also a locally famous radio personality with his long-running free-form radio show on WFMU, and, as Ewing soon discovered, the reigning expert and guardian of the Raymond Scott archives, which included Scott's musical charts. After Chusid and Ewing worked together on the Reptet artwork, Chusid broached the topic of a Raymond Scott tribute, for which he proposed that Ewing assemble a band and Chusid fly out to Seattle to speak about Scott and his legacy. Chusid also volunteered to provide Scott's charts, which, though never notated by Scott himself, were transcribed at the request of his publicist in the 1940s, and had come to rest solely in the hands of Mr. Chusid. "This is living music," Chusid told Ewing as he handed over the charts only a few months ago. "Irwin was very adamant about us taking the charts and arranging them and taking liberties with them. He wants it to live in the present time," Ewing explained. "We could have taken the tunes and played them exactly as they were played on the records in the '30s and '40s, but instead we assigned each tune to the different members of the collective who did their own personalized arrangements." In this way, Monktail was able to put its own creative stamp on the original songs, composing and arranging more improvised solo sections and even adding some new sections and instrumental parts. They are taking some liberties, but John Seman, who co-founded the Monktail Collective about a decade ago, explains: "In the beginning one of the foremost concerns was remaining true to the composer. But he didn't have all of this free stuff in the middle of a section; so, is that ok?" Chusid's relaxed attitude about the music reassured them that it was, so the collective moved forward with the project, diligently practicing the complex charts, internalizing the music, and using new elements to inform their own interpretations of the pieces. As Seman says, "This is the way we can put what we do inside of that music of Raymond Scott." Scott's music lends itself well to this approach in part because, as Ewing says, "people know the melodies because they grew up watching Warner Brothers cartoons. It's almost part of the soundtrack of people's lives." The project even has a compelling predecessor. A few years ago, clarinetist Don Byron, in his "Bug Music" album and performances, featured Scott prominently in his celebration-by-adaptation of the music of early composers for film and television cartoons. If the success of Byron's project was not encouragement enough, the Monktail collective has the further impetus of being able to look forward to performing this music in the presence of the catalyst for the project and reigning Scott expert, Irwin Chusid. He will deliver a lecture on Raymond Scott at Cornish College in conjunction with Monktail's project. [Note: this lecture has been cancelled.] From the history, to the coincidence, to the concept, Monktail's Raymond Scott Project has evolved from a quirky series of events that seem, now, rather a propos for such an unconventional man of American music. Further, for a group that describes itself as thriving on "the atypical and the exigent; the real weirdo stuff," performing the work of a man of such unconventional musical genius, with a legacy so memorable yet contestable, will doubtlessly produce an evening of nostalgia, entertainment, and inventive interpretation. Followed by: John Hollenbeck’s Claudia Quintet The innovative percussionist, John Hollenbeck, whom Meredith Monk calls "one of the most brilliant musicians" she has worked with, brings together a huge knowledge of musical forms from around the world, from jazz to chamber music to varied folk forms. The result is an intricate blend that defies categories "Innovative jazz does not have to be harsh, angry, loud, shrill, or grating; it can be delicate, witty, ethereal and radiantly lyrical, as the Claudia Quintet pointed out," concluded Howard Reich (Chicago Tribune) after hearing the band. As demonstrated on the group's self-titled, 2002 CD, and in earlier recordings with his Quartet Lucy, Hollenbeck orchestrates compelling, idiosyncratic, ambitious music. Down Beat wrote: "Drummer John Hollenbeck has traveled among jazz, contemporary classical, and pan-ethnic folk music with the agility of a seasoned commuter on the New York City subway." He has ideal fellow travelers in this quintet. Matt Moran is a vibraphonist with a revolutionary approach to the instrument, and experience in everything from the songs of Charles Ives, to the microtonality of Joe and Mat Maneri, to Balkan music (which he plays and teaches). Seattle-raised saxophonist Chris Speed, performing with the likes of Tim Berne, Dave Douglas, and Myra Melford, and leading his own Pachora and other bands, is one of the leading saxophonists on the New York scene. Ted Reichman, on accordion, has demonstrated his range and imagination working with everyone from avant-gardist Anthony Braxton, to klezmer artist David Krakauer, to pop star Paul Simon. Drew Gress (who appears later in this festival with his own project) is a first-call New York bassist who works with Tim Berne, Uri Caine, Don Byron, Fred Hersch, and others. He, Reichman, Speed, and Moran also form the Balkan-swing band, Slavic Soul Party, while Speed and Gress have teamed in the bands of Dave Douglas and others. To capitalize on his quintet members' familiarity with one another, Hollenbeck's compositions display, as Howard Reich of the Tribune put it, "substance and ingenuity," while the quintet elegantly "delved into neo-baroque fugal writing, African and Middle Eastern melody and classical chamber music techniques."

Reptet's first video... by Melissa Parson - 2003

Thanks DukeCity and Late. Those tips will be helpful. Late, do you know the name of the person who books Sam Bond's? Is it Sam himself? Keep em comin' folks...reptet is dyin' to play your town!

We'd love to play Miami. It just was not feasible this past trip. But we intend to go back to the east coast again next year. Do you have any contacts in FL and/ GA? The only way to make it work would be to do a southern tour, that means Miami, Orlando, Savannah, Atlanta, Charlotte, etc. I have no contacts in those areas at all. Let me know if you can help.

Thanks Chuck. BTW, we just posted a live recording of the tune Do This! on our web site from the show we did at The Elastic in Chicago on Sept. 30th. Go here to check it our.

Hello all, Now that we have the east coast tour under our belts, Reptet is looking to tour the west coast in March. I have a decent amount of contact in the pacific Northwest, but next to none for California, Nevada, New Mexico or Arizona. Anyway, the thought struck me that many of you fine folks might be able to put me in touch with clubs, museums, schools and festivals that I did not know exsisted. And of course, personal connections are better than cold calls, so.... Please PM if you have any leads or can help in any way. Much thanks in advance, -john

Naa, had a few kid matters to deal with and a houseguest from Europe who was leaving the next day and who wanted to do a couple of things before flying out. I'd already taken him to the 'O' show the week before so I was hesitant to drag him over there again. Next time I'll ditch him at the airport 24-hrs before his flight. That's the spirit. I'll tell ya though, we had more than a few board members salivating over the possibility of viewing a picture of me and you half shot in the ass, arm-in-arm, steins in hand (or one of us choking the other).

Missed you at Twins the other night Weiz. To busy packing to come have a wiezen with your ol' pal Johnny E?

Do This! Reptet (Monktail) ___________________________________________________ In Short: Get This! Gorgeous mix of beauty and brains. ___________________________________________________ WITH Do This!, Reptet, a six-piece outfit from Seattle, performs a masterly balancing act with an album that matches hard-swinging grooves with bewitching compositions and lusty blowing. The band hits a sweet spot somewhere between hard bop and the fierce adventures of more free-form improvisation, taking in shades of Mingus, Ellington and more along the way, for a result that delivers seduction of a most pleasurable kind. That’s a blend to which many aspire, but few have the talent, determination or vision to fulfill. With percussionist John Ewing and bassist Benjamin Verdier maintaining a steady pulse, the four horn players play a dozen or so instruments between them, yet never lose focus. The sound is superbly punchy and most tracks, including four named after the Marx Brothers, clock in at just right durations of five to 10 minutes. Kenny “Never Wanted to be a Muso” Weir

If you don't you're not from Philly. No one said anything about the taste of people who eat those cheesesteaks, its the unadorned cheesesteak that is your gift to the world. You wanna put ketchup on it, that's yo' bidness. You just don't get it.

If you don't you're not from Philly.

Thanks Chuck, and thanks to all the board members who made it out to all the shows. It was a blast connecting real life faces to the words and ideas I've been reading all these years. Unfortunately Weizen was not able to make it (packing I guess ) to the Twins show. Image me and the weizbag arm-in-arm swigging a couple hefeweizen's...That would have been a picture! Oh well, maybe next time.

I'm sorry, but cheezwhiz on a steak is just wrong. White American or Provolone is the only proper way to eat a cheesesteak. Slap some ketchup on that badboy...NOW THAT'S A SAMMICH!!! It was fun getting to meet you guys. Too bad we couldn't hang out more, or do a double bill. Next time for sure, right? ps. who was that drunk babbling Captain Beefheart lyrics in my ear all night?

Man, I was sweating so bad at that show in DC it looked like a pissed my pants. You missed our show stopper (the title track of our new CD - "Do This!") where the horn players ran down the steps and out on to U Street squealing freakishly as un-expecting bystanders fled in horror. All the while Ben the bassist and I were kickin' out the jams freestylie upstairs. Upon the horns return we played some driving punk jazz squawking and stuck out our tongues while making silly faces at the remaining audience members. Lots of fun. Oh, and the song about our dicks is called "Fish Market" (newer tune that will be on our next CD). It's about a couple frat boys named Tobi and Sam (played by our two female members Tobi and Sam) who go out looking to get laid. They find themselves at a lesbian bar called the fish market where upon they get their asses beat down for hitting on the lady friend of a monstrously strong bull dyke named T Luscious. The lyrics go as follows: To the Fish Market we go - to pick up chicks But we can't get none because - we all have dicks

In Brooklyn right now. The Philly gig is indeed on, but let me tell ya', the booking dude is a real winner. He tried to cancel our show but I called and demanded he keep his commitment. Now we go on after that thing listed (which I thought was a poetry fest or something). We hit at 11PM. And now I know that he failed to list us in his strip ad. I'm a bit miffed by the whole situation. I hope all my Philly friends can still make it. We are sounding tighter than ever and spledid time is guaranteed for all...anyway this gives us time to catch Brotmann/Bennink.

I think I will then.

See you all soon. btw, we start at 11PM at the Tritone.

8PM sharp. Gutbucket goes on at 9.

Try as we may, we were unable to book a show in Boston. We'd love to play there and we still have Sat. Oct. 7th open. So if you have any connections in Beantown please let us know. Thanks for the purchase. The discs will go out first thing tomorrow morning. Hope you enjoy them, -john

I'm sorry I missed it. I didn't know that Julian was in Hadley's band...maybe he isn't but just sat in that night. So, I wonder if nathan made it to the show?

Oh, turn tables! Yeah I got one, but with my 1 1/2 year old running around I've had to tape the lid shut and only play it once he's gone to sleep.