Ringo and His 10th All-Starr Band performed their last show at the Greek Theatre in Los Angeles, California, on August 2, 2008…
When the Doors were playing at the Matrix club in San Francisco on March 7 and March 10 of 1967, unofficial tapes were made of their performances. Music from four sets (two each night) of these gigs has long been available on bootleg, and a couple tracks did show up on the Doors' 1997 box set. This two-CD package, however, marks the first official release of material from these shows in bulk…
It's not really a re-issue, but the tapes of this 1965 performance were dug up and released for the first time. It gives a kind of time capsule experience of the early free jazz movement. Burton Greene was, together with Cecil Taylor, possibly one of the first pianists to move into the areas of real musical freedom. He is accompanied here by Marion Brown on alto, Reggie Johnson on bass and Rashied Ali on drums.
Formed in 1989 as an offshoot of the original Gong, this line up, recorded at the Fridge, Brixton in May 1991, features Gong members Daevid Allen and Didier Malherbe…
Recorded in the venerable Irish veterans’ favorite Cape Cod venue circa August 2008, LIVE AT THE MELODY TENT is a boisterous, often moving distillation of the band’s Celtic folk-cum-pub rock legacy. The 14 songs were hand-selected by the group, leaving it no wonder that virtually every track, be it the ska-inspired hopefulness of “Will It Ever Stop Raining?” or romantic drive and handclap/sing-along chorus of “That’s What She Said Last Night,” enthusiastically encapsulates the group’s restless spirit. They may not be as debauched as the Pogues or as righteously stripped-down as Billy Bragg, but MELODY TENT is an awesome testament to their status as fierce songwriters and proud countrymen.
For electric guitarist Kurt Rosenwinkel's seventh offering, he has taken the challenge of recording live at the hallowed Village Vanguard in NYC, written new music for the occasion, put together a dynamic backup band, and offers lengthy composed music foundations followed by extensive solo discourses. As usual, Rosenwinkel's style is an interwoven, complex fabric of melodies and harmonies that seem brighter and luminous, yet have an inward and insular confidence that belies a more mysterious nature. Saxophonist Mark Turner, the incredible drummer Eric Harland, and acoustic pianist Aaron Goldberg help Rosenwinkel lift the bandstand, while unobtrusive bassist Joe Martin provides the support underneath for the others to fly.
Ringo Starr (The Beatles) has always aspired to surround himself with great musicians and make great music. Each All-Starr tour offers a new and unique opportunity to realize that dream. Ringo and his 10th All-Starr Band performed their show at the Greek Theatre in Los Angeles on August 2, 2008. With stars above them and all around them, they played an exuberant set that included highlights spanning Ringo's entire career, from Beatles classics to solo hits. It was a sold-out concert, filling the over 5000 seats available at the theatre.