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Press Release
November 1, 2001
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE November 1, 2001
Monday Jazz at the Afterthought goes out on edge with New York Trio
Wingnut, Monday November 5, 2001, 8 PM (three sets) $5 cover. Brought to you by Arkansas Jazz Heritage Foundation and The Afterthought 2721 Kavanaugh, Little Rock (501 663-5264. Wingnut features Mike Stark on Hammond organ, keyboards, and piano, Walt Lorenzut on bass, and Zang Marshburn on drums.
Group biography:
In February '99, Wingnut released their debut CD "big ass Space", featuring 70 minutes of original compositions. Hence Ruff-Nut Records was born, Wingnut's own independent record label. Within a year of touring, close to 1000 copies were sold. The album has received radio play at college and jazz stations across the U.S. and in Europe as well. Reviews of the album have been consistently positive.
The mailing list/email list has expanded to nearly 1000 fans. Wingnut has enjoyed a fairly busy touring schedule since the Spring of '98 and regularly performs in New York City, Boston, Burlington VT, Portland ME, Williamsport PA, Ithaca and throughout upstate New York. Wingnut has shared the bill with some heavyweight performers such as The Slip, Ulu, Soulive, Schleigho, John Medeski, Heavy Metal Horns, Zen Tricksters, Dude of Life, John Zorn, Faith, Madder Rose, Marc Ribot, Fathead, Hank Roberts, Donna the Buffalo, Fat Mama, and Project Logic. Wingnut plays at a wide range of venues: larger rooms such as Higher Ground, The Wetlands and Ithaca's State St. Music Hall, and also smaller jazz clubs, cafes, brewing companies, colleges and private functions. Wingnut has performed on a weekly basis at New York City's Knitting Factory, a widely respected venue amongst many styles of music. The group also participates in many outdoor festivals every year, including Ithaca Festival, Grassroots Festival, Muse Festival, Syracuse Jazz Festival. Sterling Stage New Music Festival and Pondstock.
Wingnut is excited and proud to announce the completion of a brand new self-produced CD which has just been released. A full 70 minutes of music, it features both studio and live tracks with several guest musician appearances. I-Town Records, a label which features many of the best Ithaca area talents, will be working in conjunction with Ruff-Nut for this new release, enabling promotion and distribution to a wider audience. To promote the new album, the band will embark on an extensive tour to many new venues across the country. A European tour is also currently being researched.
Wingnut music is mostly instrumental, drawing from jazz, hip-hop, funk, soul, trance and other genres. With high regard for dynamics, the group's original compositions transform from funky Hammond B3 organ grooves to deeply melodic piano passages. Wingnut music is exploratory but maturely composed, balancing intense, aggressive improvisation with solid foundation and structure. Influences would include (but not limited to): Miles Davis, Jimi Hendrix, John Coltrane, The Roots, Thelonious Monk, Tori Amos, Beastie Boys, Frank Zappa, Bill Frisell, Keith Jarrett, Charles Mingus, Stevie Wonder and Cecil Taylor (to name a few). People often compare Wingnut with other current bands such as: Medeski Martin & Wood, Schleigho, Soulive, Ulu and The Slip. On most nights, Wingnut sets are filled with original tunes, although they have been known to cover Sun Ra, Herbie Hancock, McCoy Tyner, Portishead, Brand New Heavies, Greyboy Allstars and others. As a result of so many styles of music being incorporated into Wingnut music, the crowds that come out to shows tend to be very diverse. Jazzers, deadheads, funksters, punksters, hip-hop cats, even classical folks, all ages... something for just about everyone to dig into in the music.
Album reviews:
"To the guys in Wingnut, you guys have created a killer CD. 'Big ass Space' is one of the best regional discs I have heard in a long time. It really creates quite an atmosphere when popped on in front of people." -Erik Jensen, Revolving Door Music Guide, 4/00
"From the majestic tones of a grand piano and the Hammond organ's swirling, church mass meets 'Phantom of the Opera' split personality, to the funky clavinet gurgles that carve Wingnut's deepest grooves, there's plenty of interesting room to explore in this 'big ass Space'." -www.mrlee.com (music journalist for Relix Magazine), 1/00
"...together, the musicians of Wingnut offer a remarkably mature set of jazz-funk originals...which are formally complex, dynamically flexible and emotionally 'in the moment'..." -Bridget Meeds, Ithaca Times, 1/12/00 "This three piece from Ithaca proves that in any day and age there is big ass room for high quality jazz...This album is an excellent exploration of jazz styles and is a proven perfect complement to the after hours scene. Highly effective stuff and is a must for you and your dad's collections." -Main St. Marcus, Revolving Door Music Guide, 6/99
Live reviews:
"Wingnut really takes off on the jazz grooves during their live shows. Stark launches into some extraordinary organ attacks, laying down these rhythmic rolling cadences which build in intensity and transport the music into cosmic space...The band continues to expand their understanding of textures and tones, and if you are into improvisational music, you should check them out" -Stu Fox, Ithaca Times, 6/24/99
"When Wingnut took the stage they launched into their own blend of jazz/funk/fusion handed down by the great masters McLaughlin, Miles, Brown and Clinton...definitely their own thing- there is no cheese imitation of funk here. There is no doubt that this band is about music and closing your eyes and really feeling it. Tune after tune they never stopped impressing." -T. Mallwitz, Revolving Door Music Guide, 11/98
For further information about Wingnut and tunes check their web site at www.wingnutjazz.com
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