Terrence McManus/Michael Lewis/Adam Linz/JT Bates
Live at the Clown Lounge
© 2007 Terrence McManus(weirdtones music/BMI), Michael Lewis, JT Bates, (634479532436)
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A live recording from the historic underground venue, The Clown Lounge, in St. Paul, Minnesota.
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albums you will love
- DAVE BALLOU/TERRENCE MCMANUS/DEVIN GRAY: thirty9thirty8
- JT BATES/ADAM LINZ/TERRENCE MCMANUS: bates_linz_mcmanus
- JOE BATTAGLIA/TERRENCE MCMANUS: Pastellic Reflections
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"LIVE AT THE CLOWN LOUNGE (Flattened Planet, no#) is another concert date (Mom Got a New Davenport / Creepy / The Days of Wine and Roses / November / Private, I / Union. 61: 08. November 22, 2004, St. Paul, MN) where McManus is reunited with Linz and Bates, and adds saxophonist Michael Lewis to the mix. From the opening notes, this sounds like a Paul Motian session, with gauzy melodies and floating timbres, lots of color from Bates, and big pedal work from Linz. The musical dynamics swell and diminish, at times rising to fractiousness, and it's Motian all they way down to the Frisell multi-second delay odysseys. I like the booming chromatic riff on "Creepy" -- it sends Lewis into a caterwauling frenzy that' s a lot of fun to listen to (although the boxy live sound obscures some details). I also dig the nice interplay between McManus and Lewis in the free intro to the lone standard here. The two work splendidly together in just about any situation, sounding great in the churning, raucous "Private, I" -- with some lovely pizz from Linz to boot -- or in the more spacious material the band returns to regularly. It's ringing, resounding music full of life -- this is the best of these discs from McManus."-Jason Bivin CADENCE MAGAZINE, Winter 2008
"While St. Paul, Minn. may seem like an unlikely venue for this sort of thing, its Clown Lounge has played host to some of the country’s best creative music for some time. Once again, McManus engages the homeboys in selecting the entire trio Fat Kid Wednesdays, a house band of sorts at the Clown Lounge, to round out this quartet. Saxophonist Michael Lewis is wonderfully lyrical and matches McManus’ subtlety on a very memorable reworking of the standard “The Days of Wine and Roses” as well as engaging in a smorgasbord of in-tandem in-your-face sax/guitar creativity. The rhythm section of bassist Adam Linz and drummer JT Bates has an exceedingly palpable depth that adds a rich coloration to these tunes that cut across a broad range of forms and formats. McManus is always there with just the right sound whether dropping back to create intriguing chordal surroundings, sharpen the shearingly spiky “Mom Got a New Davenport” or play counterpoint to the deliciously funky rhythm cooked up for “Creepy”. These two gigs, outside comfortable NYC environs, present McManus in diverse and motivating company."
-Elliot Simon All About Jazz New York, December 2007
A visionary guitarist"-Gene Bertoncini Born in Brooklyn, New York, guitarist Terrence McManus grew up in New Jersey and Connecticut. He has performed with guitarist Bill Frisell, trumpeter Herb Robertson's quartet, bassist Kermit Driscoll's trio, drummers Gerry Hemingway and Michael Sarin, bassist Anthony Cox's groups Regional Jazz and the Happy Trio, and has performed at Carnegie Hall, the New York Guitar Festival, Ellis Island, The Knitting Factory, CBGBs, the Hartford Jazz Festival, Baltimore's Federal Hill Jazz & Blues Festival, and the inaugural month at John Zorn's The Stone. Also an accomplished solo guitarist, Terrence performs his own compositions and arrangements, and has developed a unique style of improvisation, drawing on extended technique and prepared guitar. Terrence's solo improvisations were featured in the New York City debut of the Fermin Cabal play Disappeared(Tejas Verdes). In 2006 Terrence formed Flattened Planet, a record label dedicated to the promotion of new, creative, and improvised music. The label has four releases including Pastellic Reflections, Bates/Linz/McManus, Live at the Clown Lounge, and thirty9thirty8. In 2008 Terrence will be featured along with many of the world's top guitarists in an exhibition by legendary photographer Ralph Gibson, at the Houston Museum of Fine Arts. The exhibit titled, The State of the Axe, will also be released as a book on Yale University Press.
Michael Lewis started out singing along to his father's practice routine while trying to escape the crib. Trumpet didn't seem right after trying it out a few times, so he went with the saxophone at age 10. While in high school he went to hear his aunt play with Rhea Valentine at the occasional all ages show. A growing obsession with rock music led to the realization that most saxophone players in rock bands are hopeless dorks. There are exceptions of course, but it's tough out there. Shortly thereafter he began to bloody his fingers on the upright bass during lunch times and skipped classes. Never having given up the saxophone he is a founding member of Happy Apple and Fat Kid Wednesdays, but now also plays bass in Fog and the newly formed Alpha Consumer. Though playing bass quite regularly at this point, he still finds himself endlessly grateful that he can share the stage with such brilliant and seasoned rock musicians: a shining example that there is hope for jazz geeks after all.
Bassist Adam Linz is very active in the avant garde music scene. From 1995 to 1999 Linz led East Coasting, a New York City-based ensemble dedicated to the performance of Mingus' music. Linz has also performed with the Mingus Big Band. Linz is also a member of Gloryland Ponycat, with Saxophonist George Cartwright.
jt bates keeps busy. he likes to play as much as possible. any music. recently: -gigs in france with michel portal, tony hymas, tony malaby, bruno chevillon.(for michel's new record on universal jazz france) -on dosh' new release on doshfamily- "live at the triple rock"(feat jeremy ylvisaker, andrew bird, michael lewis, adam linz)(also released by anticon on itunes) -the pines record will be out in april on REd House(benson ramsey, david huckfelt, chris morrissey, produced by Bo Ramsey) -new dean magraw trio "unseen rain" out on candyrat records(internet only label!!)(my first chance to finally record with dean and jim anton after years of playing!) -2nd fat kid wednesdays release for hope street/NATO "singles" out in france late 06(recently picked up by navarre for us distibution!!) -face candy-improvised hip hop now out on rhymesayers! (eyedea, jt bates, casey o'brien)