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Russ Gershon is the saxophonist and composer who leads Either/Orchestra, a jazz group that has been performing and recording for 25 years.

Either/Orchestra's discography includes Dial "E" (1986), Radium (1988), The Half-Life of Desire (1990), The Calculus of Pleasure (1992), The Brunt (1994), Across the Omniverse (1996), More Beautiful than Death (2000), Neo-Modernism (2001), Afro-Cubism (2003), Ethiopiques 20: Live in Addis (2005), and Mood Music for Time Travelers (2010).

Either/Orchestra has two shows upcoming in New England, including February 3rd at Fete in Providence, Rhode Island and on February 24th at the ICA Boston.

Continue reading "Episode 069: Either/Orchestra" »

Posted by Charlie at 12:00 PM | Permalink

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The first time I learned about Monique Ortiz (visit her Facebook or Myspace pages) was in The Boston Phoenix four or five years ago in an article about Bourbon Princess, the band she played in for several years and who released three albums: Stopline (2000), Black Feather Wings (Accurate Records, 2003), and Dark of Days (Accurate Records and Hi-N-Dry Records, 2005). Reading about Ortiz, who is a singer/songwriter who plays fretless bass and 2-string slide bass, and Bourbon Princess, and their approach to jazz, rock, and blues, I knew I had to hear more.

Over these releases, Bourbon Princess' members have included Dana Colley of Morphine and Twinemen (baritone and tenor saxophones, bass clarinet, melodica, samples; listen to his interview with Twinemen on Well-Rounded Radio from 2002), Jerome Dupree (drums and percussion), Russ Gershon of Either/Orchestra (baritone, tenor, and soprano saxophones; stay tuned for the Well-Rounded Radio interview in the coming months), Dave Millar (drums and percussion), Jim Moran (guitars, piano), and Jonah Sacks (cello and backing vocals). Other musicians who appeared on their albums include Jimmy Ryan (mandolin, listen to his Well-Rounded Radio interview from 2005).

In recent years, Ortiz has released a sparse, solo album with Reclining Female (Obskur Vudu Records, 2007) and a new venture into "low-rock" with the band A.K.A.C.O.D. with Happiness (2008). A.K.A.C.O.D. includes Dana Colley along with Larry Dersch of Binary System, Angeline, and the Bad Art Ensemble on drums. The band's acronym name stands for "also known as Colley Ortiz Dersch."

Continue reading "Episode 055: Monique Ortiz" »

Posted by Charlie at 12:11 AM | Permalink

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The Howard Fishman Quartet is not a jazz band, though sometimes they improvise as in that musical form. They aren't a blues or a folk band either, but you'll hear those influences at play, too. A little swing, a little soul, a little rock...the Howard Fishman Quartet will make you recall a wide variety of American music, but it's put together in such a natural, effortless way that it sounds like an entirely new form.

Josh Lederman y Los Diablos call themselves "The Kings of Irish-Jewish folk-punk," so it's safe to assume you're going to get a musical concoction that you've not heard before. Self-professed fans of Tom Waits, The Pogues, Leadbelly, and Johnny Cash, the band got their start playing at Boston-area weddings before leaping into the club circuit with a live show that embodies the spirit, if not always the sound, of punk rock. Like the Howard Fishman Quartet, Los Diablos mix together so many American musical styles you'd be hard pressed to describe them in a few words.

Continue reading "Episode 012 : Howard Fishman + Josh Lederman" »

Posted by Charlie at 09:31 PM | Permalink