I write global jazz songs: rooted in jazz with influence from India, Indonesia and Africa. Lyrics spring from poets such as Emily Dickinson, Garcia Lorca and Billy Collins. I have a number of fresh songs that can use a spontaneous treatment, acoustic with bass and drums . . . spare. In fact the less there is the more each part stands out. The Indian influence is both tonal and rhythmic: the vocals reflect my daily practice of Indian classical music for decades as well as my 3 years in India studying on a Fulbright. I taught music in Niger on another Fulbright and have studied kora music from Gambia and the music of the Shona of Zimbabwe for many years. The grooves and interlocking patterns come from Africa. Large rhythmic cycles and other interlocking patterns reflect my long study of gamelan from Java and Bali. The lyrics are by turns sultry, thoughtful and funny. The music has been described as hearing the world speak a single musical language.
Group Members:
Tom Ross, guitar, vocals and percussion Josh Zucker, bass Dave Black, drums Jody Cormack, vocals Steve Gorn, Indian bamboo flute
music, etc
RPM demos, works-in-progress, or tracks-finished-early... a musical sketchbook. This is just a sampler -- complete and finished albums will be uploaded into the real jukebox in March!
FOLLOW ME BEHIND YOU is Tom Ross's new album of global jazz songs.All pieces spring from the form of Buddy Holly's "Not Fade Away": verse has two chords, the chorus just one. Within this limited palette live worlds of possibilities, as inexhaustible as blues.
The songs feature a spider who foils his lover's plan to eat him; a confession of seven less-then-deadly sins; an Esquimo woman's random journey across America after delivering a corpse to Chicago; a vignette from *Tristram Shandy*; and a true story about managing to slam my head in a door.
Toe-tapping, thoughtful, sultry and funny!
Tracks (w/numbers):
1 Evil Eye
2 Follow Me Behind You
3 Talking to Yourself
4 Bonobo Baby
5 How to Ride the Spider
6 Ask an Esquimo
7 Levity a Friend
8 Bottom on Top
9 Seven Deadly Sins
Preferred Track:
1, "Evil Eye"
Band Bio:
Tom Ross, a protege of jazz great Johnny Smith, studied music in India and Africa for years, acquiring a PhD in ethnomusicology from Wesleyan. A student of John Cage, he has co-written songs with David Crosby and received support from Brian Eno and the Grateful Dead.
Band Members & Instruments Played:
Tom Ross, guitar and voice; also fretless 12-string guitar, soprano saxophone, and percussion.
Band Location (city, state or province, and country):
Schenectady, New York, USA
2007 RPM Album Info
Date mailed or hand-delivered:
02/28/2007
Date received:
03/02/2007
Genre:
Unclassifiable
Album Name:
Wounded by Water
Album Description:
Tom Ross's new album, *Wounded by Water*, is global jazz songs with influence from India and Africa. Spanning compositions from the 70s to last month, toe-tapping becomes easy in 5 beats; Emily Dickinson's lyrics about the sound the wind makes "moving like a hand, whose fingers comb the sky" are complemented by Garcia Lorca's "Wounded by Water", the title track hauntingly evoking illicit loves. Funny, sultry, and thoughtful: the tracks are both baroque ("Love Myself Too") and spare ("The Mute Boy") in their instrumentation, guided always by Ross's vocals and guitar.
This is a solo project and stands up to any of my previous albums: *Horse of Stone*, "The Rain Takes Off Her Clothes", and "Reach in This Dream". More info at mijazi.com.
Tracks (w/ numbers):
1. "No Good Reason"
2. "The Mute Boy"
3. "The Merry Dust"
4. "Love Myself Too"
5. "Married to God"
6. "A Nebraska Baby's Thumb"
7. "Wheels of Emerald"
8. "Wounded by Water"
9. "Weather Eyes"
Preferred track for listening party:
03 The Merry Dust
Band Bio:
Grew up in a musical and verbal family, playing jazz guitar professionally since my teens. Had the fortune to have lessons with guitar great Johnny Smith. Discovered world music at Wesleyan, where I eventually got my PhD in ethnomusicology, staying a school bum for all the performance practice it offered me as a composer.
I've performed and broadcast on 4 continents. First album sponsored by David Crosby. Survive by gigs, album sales, and teaching. Daughter Emeralda, now 13, sings on a couple of tracks on "Reach In This Dream. I love composing, performing, cooking, and being a dad.
Band Location (city, state or province, & country):
Schenectady New York; but my home is Colorado Springs.
