Club d’Elf’s latest album You Never Know, the third over the course of its twenty-plus year career is entire without simplicity: and that’s a good thing. Founder and multi-instrumentalist Mike
Club d’Elf’s You Never Know is a stirring example of inspiration through adversity. The group’s third studio effort over the course of its twenty-plus year career might well be nothing
For years now, Club d’Elf has been one of the best-kept secrets in the Northeast music scene. They’ve have amassed quite an underground following with a regular residency at the Lizard Lounge in Cambridge, MA and occasional shows elsewhere in the area. Who is this band you may have never heard of? Club d’Elf is the brainchild of bassist Mike Rivard and a rotating cast of musicians that includes John Medeski (MMW), Steven Bernstein (Sex Mob), Reeves Gabrels (David Bowie), Sam Kininger (Soulive) and a wide range of other musicians that constantly evolves.
With a rotating lineup, the music of Club d’Elf can be difficult to categorize but the root of it is North African trance, glitchy turntablism, freeform improvisation and rock psychedelia. To celebrate the many sounds that influence them, Club d’Elf has just released a two cd set featuring one disc primarily of North African influence called Electric Moroccoland and a second disc called So Below that deconstructs dub, funk and freeform jazz while holding true to the trance roots of Club d’Elf’s past.
To support this double release, Club d’Elf will embark on a Northeast Tour with John Medeski starting in Philadelphia tonight to share this music with a wide audience. Electric Moroccoland/So Below can now be purchased for download via iTunes or a hard copy from the band’s virtual store. See below for a variety of creative packages that could land you a home cooked vegetarian meal, signed music score or a live set by Club d’Elf at your event/party.
READ ON for a full list of tour dates and Club d’Elf packages…
Wait, what year is it? God Street Wine and Ray’s Music Exchange were playing on the same night last week? We round out our look at the week that was with Boston’s world/jazz/fusion collective Club D’Elf and we lead off with Reid Genauer & The Assembly of Dust. Enjoy.
[Thanks to belexes for this week’s photo]
And we continue to take all the selected tracks, normalize them, create some simple fades and put it into one easy to download MP3 for you.
Click here to download the Last Week’s Sauce Podcast
Artist & Title: Assembly of Dust – Light Blue Lover, Sometimes
Date & Venue: 2010-07-08 Brooklyn Bowl – Brooklyn, NY
Taper & Show Download: Z-Man
Taper Z-Man often shows up in this weekly feature, but the tapes are normally from down south. I guess Z-Man had some business to attend to in New York, so this show by Reid Genauer & The Assembly of Dust got taped. Jason Crosby, who opened the show, joined AOD for the majority of their set supplying fiddle and keyboards. The audio selection is from the encore which features one of AOD’s newest tunes and an old Strangefolk classic. Reid and the gang next play Friday July 23rd in North Conway, NH with The Brew supporting. Hey speaking of reunions, what do you say Reid?
[audio:https://glidemag.wpengine.com/hiddentrack/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/aodsauce.mp3]READ ON for tracks from Club D’Elf, GSW and Ray’s Music Exchange…
Last Week’s Sauce is a recurring column featuring recordings of shows from the previous week. Thanks to tye for this week’s photo.
Artist & Title: Bela Fleck & The Flecktones – Blu-Bop
Date & Venue: 2009-11-04 Vicar Street, Dubline Ireland
Taper & Show Download: Taper Unknown
There are interesting things going on over at the Bela Fleck camp. With saxophonist Jeff Coffin gigging full-time with Dave Matthews Band, the Flecktones have reverted to their 1992 lineup that features Howard Levy on keyboards and harmonica. This track was off the 1991 Grammy nominee album Flight Of The Cosmic Hippo. The Flecktones play tonight at The Melkweg in Amsterdam and are back in the USA starting November 18th at the Strathmore in Bethesda Maryland.
[audio:https://glidemag.wpengine.com/hiddentrack/wp-content/uploads/2009/11/flecktonesauce.mp3]Some video from four nights later in Prague:
READ ON for tracks from Club D’Elf, Guster, The Meat Puppets & WSP…
Everyone makes their standard "best of's," top 10s" and "year in review" lists, but each December we like to take that model a couple of steps further. We go straight to the artists to see where they found inspiration over the past twelve months, and we don't stop with just album choices. We dig a bit deeper and go for a broader picture of the past year in art. From classic moments on the road to their guilty pleasure confessions, this is a panoramic snapshot of "the best of 2006," and a peek into what to expect in '07.
If you want to find the pulse of a culture, discover where the innovators are finding inspiration. So with that in mind, we decided to go right to the source and ask some of our favorite artists what they enjoyed most over the past year. Since Glide covers a diverse helping of artforms, we sought out a truly eclectic mix and asked them all sorts of questions, ranging from great music to great moments. With praises you’d expect and many others you would not (see Keller’s affinity for naked kayaking), it’s a candid sneak peak to life off stage. Though, coming as no surprise, it seems every tourbus rolled the highways this year with Hail To The Thief on repeat.
Five years ago, Mike Rivard set out to create an ongoing experiment. What if his bassline could be the constant focal point, a musical lighthouse, where a rotating cast of allstars including John Medeski, DJ Logic, and the late Mark Sandman, could come together, listen, and be free to just go off to wherever they wanted to lead the music. The result: the creation of a perfect balance between chaos and order.
