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Appreciation
for Facing East Artists
"The bansuri flute is one of the most sensual and serene instruments
to come out of India. Only a couple of Westerners have mastered it's
intricacy and nuance......one is John Wubbenhorst..........setting
the bansuri against backdrops that aren't traditional, yet are
enlivened by the ancient spirit of the
instrument......improvised lines unfold, revealing melodies
within melodies, like a fractal design headed toward infinity."
-
Billboard
Magazine
"What’s nice about it is the
overall sound. You really get the feeling of musicians making
music together. It’s not about whose band it is or about
showcasing chops or anything like that. They’re playing the
music, and you can feel how relaxed and free they are doing it.
It’s not tight and yet it is very tight, which is an amazing
place to arrive at in music. I think this is great."
- Charnett Moffett from
Jazz Times
"This is stuff that makes you feel glad to be alive in a world where
there often isn't a lot to feel glad about ….. dazzlingly good
musicians who clearly don't feel the need to spend every second
showing off how dazzling they are … the fact that these guys can get
away with naming a track "Infectuoso Groovatissmo" shows
they're having fun and they want the fun to be catching." -
World Music Central
"The unique performance,
exquisite compositions and sensitive orchestration make this CD
[Facing East] by far the most successful merger of Indian and
Western music and instrumentation to date."
-
Hinduism Today
John Wubbenhorst:
John has the unique distinction of being a fluent virtuoso on both
the Bansuri (bamboo flute) and Western flute. He is truly a World
musician having played and studied Western classical and jazz as
well as Eastern music in Europe and Asia. Today he performs in a
variety of contexts, and has played with many renowned musicians
including Paul Horn, Victor Wooten, Hariprasad Chaurasia, Howard
Levy, Paul McCandless, Jack DeJohnette and many others. He has
performed at Universities and Festivals worldwide.
John’s training in music began in the Western idiom, taking the
flute as his primary instrument as a teenager. He studied South
Indian vocal music with Raju Soundararajan and Usha Char while he
continued to play jazz and world music, and later North Indian vocal
training with A K Das Gupta.
In 1988 John began studies on the Bansuri (bamboo flute) with Debu
Banerjee and North Indian music with Debu Chaudhuri. In 1990 John
furthered his study on the Bansuri with Vijay Rhagav Rao. In 1992
John traveled to India for more studies of Indian music and it was
there that he met Hariprasad Chaurasia. John did intensive studies
with Hariprasad in India over a two year period and in 1995 enrolled
in the Rotterdam world music program for North Indian music led by
Hariprasad Chaurasia.
"If the recent "Remember Shakti" tour finds you hungry for more
Indian-jazz sounds, look no further; flute virtuoso John Wubbenhorst
has what you hanker for."
- Spin the Globe
"John is a talent deserving
wider recognition."
-
Paul Horn,
world-renowned flutist
Ken Anoff:
Ken is a master percussionist with 30 years of experience in many
different styles. He has performed and recorded with artists from
Guatemala, Argentina, Spain, Columbia, India, Indonesia, Japan,
Peru, Brazil, Cuba, The Dominican Republic and Afghanistan. In
addition to his many performances with Facing East, he has also been
the principal performer at many large festivals including Denpasar
University World Music Festival in Bali, Indonesia; Isla de Salsa
Latin music Festival in Fukuoka and Nagasaki, Japan; “Animate” in
Fukuoka, Japan; Peruvian Festival, Osaka, Japan and the Starwood
Festival in New York. Ken has a degree in Percussion and was a
professor of music at the University of Maryland for eight years. He
was also on the music faculty of Fukuoka School of Music for one
year. Ken started out on the drum set and performed for many years
in this capacity before discovering the joy of hand percussion and
subsequently experimenting with tabla, congas, djembe, bongos, cajon,
and African Udu drums. He published a method book for Udu drums in
1995 but has since moved on to perform on the Persian Darabuka. Ken
has appeared on 15 CD’s with various artists of distinct genres. He
also continues as an active educator, teaching special clinics and
drumming workshops for schools, gatherings and special events as
well as being a core member of the Facing East Family.
Steve Zerlin:
Steve (Z-man) Zerlin is a brilliant and versatile bassist, fluent in
many styles. He is accomplished as a jazz musician on both electric
and acoustic bass and is well versed in Eastern modalities having
adapted the bass guitar to Indian music. He has toured India, Europe
and extensively throughout the USA and performed with many top
artists including Dennis Chambers, Carl Filipiak, Jack DeJohnette,
Paul McCandless, Tom Canning, Paul Bollenback, Jeff Coffin, Terrence
Disley, guitarist Vinny Valetino and pianist, Jessica Williams. He
has also performed with pop artists, Kenny Loggins, The Coasters,
The Drifters and The Platters and The Marvelettes,
Steve appears on many CD’s including recordings with Vinny
Valentino, Dan Leonard, Fred Hughes, Peter Fraize and innovative
Italian trombonist, Gian Carlo Schiafini. He was sited in Jazz Times
Magazine (April 2004 edition) for his unique style and abilities.
Discography
In 1997 John released the CD "Facing East" which is a collection of
original compositions that has gained much acclaim for it's unique
east/west blend. It featured many guest artists, including Sandip
Burman on tabla. In December 2000 the CD "Bansuri Dreams" was
released, offering more contemplative selections of John’s bansuri
compositions. In 2001 the touring group “Facing East” began with
five members, including South Indian drum masters Subash Chandran
and Ganesh Kumar, guitarist Jorge Zamorano, and bassist Steve Zerlin.
This group released the CD “Facing Beloved” in 2003, and several
members were featured in the live CD “Sacred Offering”, released in
2004.
For more information, please visit
www.facingeast.com
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