Between the Rivers

Zacc is Back

2008-02-14T06:05:00.000-08:00

Zacc Harris writes tell us he is bringing his modern jazz group, Atlantis Quartet, down to Carbondale and Cape Girardeau this week. The group performs some very fresh and progressive stuff, mostly original, and the players are phenomenal. AQ combines elements of modern music such as indie rock, punk, funk, and soul with both traditional and post modern jazz concepts.

The band's debut CD was praised by Dwight Hobbes of the Twin Cities Pulse who wrote "strong original compositions and some insanely serious chops." AQ will be in the March issue of Jazz Improv Magazine.

Get a taste of AQ's chops at Myspace/Atlantis Quartet. They'll be playing in Carbondale tonight, Thursday, February 14 @ Tres Hombres 10PM ~ $3 Cover, and Saturday, February 16 @ Hangar 9 opening for Bumpus, 10PM ~ $5 Cover.

Jazzy return to Carbondale - Special

2008-02-12T05:58:00.000-08:00

Jazzy return to Carbondale - Special: "Guitarist Zacc Harris played an average of 200 shows a year while he was attending SIUC, but this week's performances with his new jazz project Atlantis Quartet are his first in the area since he moved to Minneapolis, Minn. in 2005.

Atlantis Quartet is playing at Tres Hombres Thursday, at Port Cape in Cape Girardeau Friday and Hangar 9 Saturday."

Street Music at Hangar 9

2007-02-10T05:43:00.000-08:00

Ivas John new CD: "The Ivas John Band 'Street Music' CD release party. Wednesday, Feb. 14. 10 p.m. Hangar 9, 511 S. Illinois Ave. Carbondale. For more information call (618) 549-0511."

Away from Egypt

2006-06-28T07:24:00.000-07:00

Carbondale's entertaining rock band Majnun has been on a very successful performance tour of Germany and the Netherlands this summer, making new friends and fans everywhere they play, as you can read in Majnun's blog, where one item caught my attention:

Din [Dayemi]'s new wireless microphone provided a lot of crazy action including something that looked like pole dancing, and the emergence of some alternate personality which sounded like German military. The combination of these two personae provoked some interesting responses from the audience."

So I'm wondering . . . Pole dancing? (Polish dancing?) Alternate personality? Interesting responses? Unfortunately the item has vanished from the blog, but if I have a chance to ask someone in the band when they get back to where their belongings are, I will. ;-)

Music festival offers expanded jazz performances

2006-06-18T14:40:00.000-07:00

Music festival offers expanded jazz performances: "CARBONDALE, Ill. -- Music lovers of all ages will swing to all that jazz during the second annual Southern Illinois Music Festival, which started June 11 and continues through July 4.

Southern Illinois University Carbondale's School of Music and the Southern Illinois Symphony Orchestra are sponsoring more than 40 concerts, including several jazz performances that will feature local artists.

'We expanded the Southern Illinois Music Festival's jazz offerings this year from one event to eight events because we have a terrific ensemble in residence, the New Arts Jazztet,' said Edward M. Benyas, artistic director of the festival. 'It provides a wonderful added dimension to the classical art music of the festival.'

The New Arts Jazztet has been a mainstay on the Southern Illinois jazz scene for more than 20 years. During this year's festival, the group will perform at concerts in Cairo, Carbondale and Harrisburg. Members include Bob Allison on trumpet and flugelhorn, Tyler Kuebler on saxophone, Mel Goot on piano, Phil Brown on bass, Ron Coulter on drums and Tom Hensold on percussions. The members have experience sharing the stage with some of the greatest jazz geniuses of our time."

Much more Ivas

2006-04-19T00:10:00.000-07:00

Booking the Ivas John Band at Jimbo's for the Between the Rivers CD release party in Harrisburg taught me a few things, (including how to make a radio spot) so Ivas wants me to book his band at other venues in the midwest, which will be a good learning experience for me, plus the standard agent's fee, so Much More Media has another client. Ivas is a dynamic blues performer, and his band is tight as Wayne Goodwin's drums. Currently, they're working on a CD of all original songs.

Live Ivas

2006-04-17T06:22:00.000-07:00

Wayne, Jim, Ivas, and Chris outside Jimbo's House of Brews in Harrisburg, Illinois, where the Ivas John Band played to an appreciative audience, playing an encore, and more than 30 Guitars Between the Rivers CDs were sold, with artists' royalties going to the Hurd Brothers Memorial Scholarship Fund, administered by Southeastern Illinois College.

Last week, Cathy Basey gave another $100 to fund administrator Archie Blair at SIC, bringing the total raised to $500.

Saturday Event to Benefit Hurd Bros. Scholarship

2006-04-15T02:16:00.000-07:00

Reported by Brian DeNeal in the Harrisburg Daily Register Online:

"HARRISBURG - At Jimbo's on Saturday, the crowd will hear some talented Southern Illinois guitar players and have a chance to buy a CD benefiting The Hurd Brothers Memorial Scholarship Fund.

David More of Carbondale decided there were so many great guitar players around, he wanted to include several of them on a CD compilation. Several guitarists signed onto the project and recorded a song or two for it.

'I wanted a worthy place to donate the royalties to,' More said.

He learned of The Hurd Brothers Memorial Scholarship Fund that benefits students studying music at Southeastern Illinois College.

'We weren't buddies, but I attended a wedding and shot video of them playing at the wedding in 2002,' More said.

Forrest and Doug Hurd were killed in July of that year in a car crash in Harrisburg on their way home from a performance in Fairfield.

The limited release of 'Guitars Between the Rivers Vol. 1' sold 144 copies with proceeds going toward the scholarship fund and More had enough music given to him for a Vol. 2, completed in Dec. 2005. But More regretted the project and release party was mainly a Carbondale event and people in Harrisburg may not have even known about it.

He got in touch with the brothers' sister, Marcia Hurd, about a Harrisburg CD release party.

'I asked Marcia if she knew a good place and she suggested Jimbo's. I called Mark (Molinarolo) and he was into it,' More said.

The CD includes songs by the Hurd Brothers, Grant Morgan, two songs by Bruce Camden with one featuring 'Tawl Paul' Frederick and the other with 'Big Larry' Williams, Robert Russell, Joseph Breznikar, Doug Rees, Nathan George, Zacc Harris, Zach Catlin, Ivas John and Wayne Weiseman with Din Dayemi.

Some of the performers will be performing beginning at 6 p.m. Saturday. The Ivas John Band is headlining along with Grant Morgan, Rich Fabec Band and Cherry Street Band.."

2006-04-11T09:20:00.000-07:00

Cathy Basey of Between the Rivers recently gave another $100 check to Archie Blair of Southeastern Illinois College. The total amount raised so far is nearly $500.

Jimbo's Poster posted

2006-03-21T07:29:00.000-08:00

Click on the Image to Enlarge

Jimbos House of Brews, Harrisburg, April 15

2006-03-07T05:20:00.000-08:00

Fans of the great Hurd Brothers band know that Forrest and Doug were born and raised in the Harrisburg, Illinois, the capitol of Saline County. It's where they died, too, a mile from home, driving back from a music gig, victims of a drunk driver.

To honor the brothers, and keep their music alive, a music scholarship fund was established at Southeaster Illinois College: The Hurd Brothers Memorial Scholarship Fund.

On April 15, the day before Easter, a CD release party for Volume 2 of the "Between the Rivers" compilation CD, in which artists donate their talents and royalties to the scholarship fund. The Ivas John Quartet will headline at Jimbos House of Brews, along with one or two other of the CD's performers, to be named later.

Vol 2, Part Deux

2006-01-09T07:58:00.000-08:00

Jimbo's House of Brew in Harrisburg may be the venue for the next CD release party for Between the Rivers. Yesterday, I spoke to Cindy, who will give my contact info to Mark.

During a cell phone conversation with Grant Morgan on the drive to H'burg, he informed me that April is "National Guitar Month" . . . So the party should be on a Saturday night, April 1, 8, 15, 22 or 29. Plenty of dates to choose from.

I'm hoping that the Ivas John Quartet will headline, since it's a blues driven band, as the Hurd Brothers were. Then maybe one-man band Grant Morgan could play during the breaks. Sound good?

Guitar on the River

2005-12-17T06:48:00.000-08:00

Last night I caught rock 'n' roll legend Chuck Berry at the Argosy in Alton, and I was thinking that maybe -- just maybe -- he would allow the use of a track of his on Guitars Between the Rivers, Vol 3.

Saline County fans

2005-12-10T07:31:00.000-08:00

If you can't make it Sunday, night we're planning to have CD release party in Harrisburg, early next year.

Vol 2 Artwork

2005-12-07T02:00:00.000-08:00

2005-12-07T01:29:00.000-08:00

Cool Photos

2005-12-05T07:48:00.000-08:00

James Throgmorton posted a couple of cool photos from the 2004 Great Guitars Gig on his web site.

2005-11-28T07:54:00.000-08:00

Volume 2 of Guitars Between the Rivers sounds great, with new tracks from several of the performers on Volume 1, plus some newcomers. Last night I caught the Ivas John Quartet at Key West. Saw my new old friend Angie Kaye (my fellow city council candidate) whose son Shadi Frick -- blew listeners away with his tenor saxophone and keyboard stylings. It was like old home week: Harry Klein, Angie, Ford Frick and "Big Larry" Williams, who wowed the crowd with a couple of songs before turning the stage back over to his young protoge, Ivas, whose vocals grow stronger and more soulful.

Volume 2

2005-11-11T07:29:00.000-08:00

Volume 2 of Guitars Between the Rivers will be released on December 11 at Hangar 9.

Jack w/Harry & Larry

2005-10-17T12:18:00.000-07:00

updates

2005-06-29T14:38:00.000-07:00

Currently, three new CD projects are in the works at Between the Rivers: one will feature Voices of Southern Illinois (from rap to opera) another will showcase Pianos (from jazz to classical) and the third will be comprised of stellar guitar music, Volume 2 of Guitars Between the Rivers.

I caught up with Chris Duarte performing at the Elks Club a couple of weeks ago -- to give him a copy of the "Live at Between the Rivers" CD which has 4 tracks featuring Chris (in the company of Din Dayemi, Robbie Stokes, Grant Morgan and the core of the Majnun band.

Speaking of Majnun -- the Carbondale-based band has just returned from a triumphal European tour -- described in the Majnun blog.

2005-06-13T09:46:00.000-07:00

Ivas John (left) and Mel Goot (right)

Zach signs on

2005-05-12T16:30:00.000-07:00

Finally talked to Zach yesterday and he is interested in providing a track for the GBTR.2 CD. He gave Monty another version of what we heard before with a couple of new tracks.

Pianos, Voices and Horns, oh my

2005-05-02T08:31:00.000-07:00

Local blues legend in the making, Jim Skinner just gave me his contribution to the Voices Between the Rivers cd, and all of the pianists are working on their own tracks. We should have a CD or two ready for Fall release.

Another great guitar track

2005-03-11T08:17:00.000-08:00

Doug "E" Rees has sent his contribution of Guitars Between the Rivers, Vol. -- Flight of an Angel. . . Doug says that the best thing that ever happened to him in the business was meeting his long-time friend and mentor "Big Larry Williams" who he still plays gigs with from time to time around the tri-state area.