Parlor Jazz Series #8
presented by Healdsburg Jazz and Paul Mahder Gallery
Wednesday, June 21, 7 p.m.
Paul Mahder Gallery
222 Healdsburg Ave., Healdsburg
Tickets now available ($30)
“Four decades on and still going strong, this venerable group, comprised of established musicians who share aesthetic outlooks and common histories, is something of a rarity by contemporary standards.”
– Troy Collins in “AllAboutJazz”
BassDrumBone – Mark Helias on bass, Gerry Hemingway on drums and Ray Anderson on trombone – is celebrating its 40th anniversary in 2017. Three improvisers, composers, bandleaders and friends are touring and performing music from their new double CD, The Long Road, as well as pieces from their nine previous recordings.
BassDrumBone has wedded the uniqueness of its instrumentation with the singular personality of its three members. A true collective, their music combines three distinct compositional and improvisational approaches with an exceptional musical rapport. Mark Helias, Gerry Hemingway and Ray Anderson began performing as a trio in the fall of 1977. Their first record, “Oahspe,” was released in 1979 on the Auricle Record label. Bob Rusch in his review of the record, wrote: “Exceptionally good music, fearlessly played and tightly coordinated. Recommended.”
In 1984 “Right Down Your Alley” was released on Soul Note Records of Italy and in the beginning of 1986 “You Be” was released on the Minor Music label of Germany. Both records received acclaim from the European and American press including a five star review in Downbeat magazine for “You Be.”
Next in 1988 came “Wooferlo,” released on the Soul Note label. Ben Watson of Wire Magazine commented: “Each musician has a story to tell, the solos are stuffed with event and happenstance.”
After 1988 the group went into a temporary dormancy while all three of its members pursued their own individual groups. In the fall of 1993 BassDrumBone became active again for a tour in Europe. A tour in 1996 yielded “Hence the Reason” and in March of 1999 BDB released some archival material from 1986-97 on an Auricle Records CD entitled “Cooked to Perfection.”
BassDrumBone celebrated its 25th year together with the release of “March of Dimes” on the Dutch label Data. On the eve of its 30th anniversary, Clean Feed released “The Line Up,” followed by “The Other Parade” in 2009.
On November 15, 2016 “The Long Road” was released, a very special double CD on Auricle Records. Healdsburg Jazz welcomes BassDrumBone to town for a special Parlor Jazz concert on Wednesday, June 21, at Paul Mahder Gallery. Tickets are now available for $30 from Brown Paper Tickets.