July 2009 Issue
Welcome to the Ancient Future Times
Email newsletter of the World Fusion Music Ensemble Ancient Future
Twitter: Matthew Montfort (MatthewMontfort) • Ancient Future Band (Ancient_Future) • Ancient-Future.Com Records (WorldFusion)
Facebook: Ancient Future on Facebook • Matthew Montfort on Facebook
In This Issue:
30th Anniversary Concert at Freight and Salvage in Berkeley 7/26/2009
Romantic Serenades in Guerneville 7/25/2009
Contest: Win Concert Tix
More Summer Soirees
Realtime Radio
30th Anniversary Concert
CD Release Party: 3 Releases Celebrating 30 Years of World Music
Sunday, July 26 at 8 pm
Freight & Salvage Coffeehouse
1111 Addison Street, Berkeley, CA 94702
Tix: $18.50 in advance, $19.50 at the door
Info: Call 510-548-1761 or visit freightandsalvage.org.
Download concert poster: 7/26/09 Freight.pdf.
This triple bill features the pioneering world fusion music group Ancient Future, scalloped fretboard guitarist Matthew Montfort, and Mariah Parker's Indo Latin Jazz Ensemble. This 30th anniversary CD release party features music from three new releases celebrating 30 years of world fusion music.
‘Planet Passion’ (30th Anniversary Remastered Edition) by Ancient Future features top world music masters performing music on the theme of mythical stories of love. BILLBOARD calls the group Ancient Future “trendsetters” for their early contributions to the world fusion music movement. The version of Ancient Future performing on this bill concentrates on Arabic, Indian, and Spanish musical themes, and has performed in Spain at festivals in Sant Carles de la Ràpita, Botarell, Torredembarra, and Salou.
“If the members of the United Nations formed a world-fusion band, it might look and sound a little something like Ancient Future.” — LEO WEEKLY
‘Sangria’ by Mariah Parker with her Indo Latin Jazz Ensemble “blends the rhythmic syncopations of Latin jazz music with the entrancing, asymmetrical meters of East Indian rhythms resulting in first-class world music. Intriguing melodies that draw musical inspirations from the tempos of Brazil, Cuba, India, and Spain make for an uplifting serene yet passionate musical journey into an ideal world.” — LATIN BEAT MAGAZINE
“Dazzling debut... Parker’s subtle and sensuous sounds reflect exotic flavors of India, the Middle East and Latin America.”
— PALO ALTO DAILY NEWS
‘Seven Serenades for Scalloped Fretboard Guitar’ by Matthew Montfort is the debut solo recording by Ancient Future’s bandleader. Montfort will peform works from this improvised recording which showcases his pioneering work on the scalloped fretboard guitar, a special modified instrument able to produce ornaments more characteristic of the sitar.
“Montfort demonstrates that even though he has considerable chops and technical prowess, he is much more interested in feeling and expression than technique. An adventurous, consistently engaging demonstration of what Montfort can accomplish on the scalloped fretboard guitar.” — ALL MUSIC GUIDE
“This album reveals a thorough knowledge of Hindustani microtonal ornaments, transferred in ways that create one of the most distinctive guitar sounds in contemporary music.” — INDIA CURRENTS
Checkout Option Sale! 3 Releases Celebrating 30 Years of World Music for $30!
Purchase 'Seven Serenades' and you will have the option of adding the following releases for a total of $30 for all three!
Seven Serenades for Scalloped Fretboard Guitar by Matthew Montfort. Ancient-Future.Com AF 2008. 6-panel Digipak CD: $17.98. Buy 1 Now. (>audio).
Sangria by Mariah Parker. Ancient-Future.Com Records AF-2017. (>audio).
Planet Passion by Ancient Future. Ancient-Future.Com AF-2001. (>audio.)
The releases are distributed in the USA through Ryko/WEA/ADA, and are available through your local record shop, so please ask them to carry these!
Romantic Serenades for Guitar and Piano
Matthew Montfort: ‘Seven Serenades for Scalloped Fretboard Guitar’ CD Release Concert
Seth Montfort: Latin Piano Serenades by Granados, Copland/Bernstein, Villa-Lobos & Montfort
Sandra Simich: Romantic Piano Music by Chopin
Saturday, July 25, 8:00 p.m.
Music Inside Out & Center
16375 4th Street @ Mill
(Across from the Russian River Resort)
Guerneville, CA 95446
Tix: $10. Info: 707-604-7600 or visit sfconcerto.org.
email: seth@sfconcerto.org
Download concert poster: 7/25/09 Poster.pdf.
This concert features romantic music by three performers. Pioneering scalloped fretboard guitarist Matthew Montfort is well known as the leader of the pioneering world music group Ancient Future. He has performed at the Festival Internacional de la Guitarra on the golden coast of Spain and on tour in India with sitarist Pandit Habib Khan and tabla maestro Pandit Swapan Chaudhuri.
Matthew's brother, Seth Montfort won his first contest at 11 performing ragtime piano by Scott Joplin. He made his concerto debut at 16 performing Ravel’s Concerto for the Left Hand with the Denver Symphony. He has also made solo appearances with the Jefferson Symphony, Redwood Symphony, North Bay Philharmonic, Kensington Symphony, Diablo Symphony, National Repertory Orchestra and the San Francisco Concerto Orchestra. He has won 12 prizes in local, National and International competitions and has performed over 1,000 solo recitals.
Sandra Simich was born in Dubrovnik, Croatia. In the former Yugoslavia, she received a Bachelor of Music Degree in Piano Performance, and studied with Marian Mika, Slava Gabrielov, and Irina Tchukovskaya, winner of the Tchaikovsky Competition. An established pianist she appears regularly as a soloist, recitalist, and chamber musician in California and Europe. She performed as an artist in residence at the International Peace Conference in Croatia and with The Tamalpais Trio for the International Red Cross relief efforts in Kosovo.
Contest: Win Tickets to CD Release Parties:
- Saturday, July 25, 8:00 p.m., Romantic Serenades for Guitar and Piano featuring Matthew Montfort: 'Seven Serenades for Scalloped Fretboard Guitar' CD Release Party, Seth Montfort: Latin Piano Serenades by Granados, Copland/Bernstein, Villa-Lobos & Montfort, and Sandra Simich: Romantic Piano Music by Chopin, Music Inside Out & Center, 16375 4th Street @ Mill (across from the Russian River Resort), Guerneville, CA 95446. Tix: $10. Info: 707-604-7600, email: seth@sfconcerto.org. Download concert poster: 7/25/09 Poster.pdf.
- Sunday, July 26, 8:00 p.m., CD Release Party for 3 Releases Celebrating 30 Years of World Fusion Music featuring the band Ancient Future, Serenades by Matthew Montfort (scalloped fretboard guitar), and Mariah Parker's Indo Latin Jazz Ensemble, Freight & Salvage Coffeehouse, 1111 Addison Street, Berkeley, CA 94702. Tix: $18.50 in advance, $19.50 at the door. Info: Call 510-548-1761. Download concert poster: 7/26/09 Freight.pdf
Simply click on the link below and get free digital liner notes to 'Seven Serenades for Scalloped Fretboard Guitar.' This extensive 18 page document includes lessons in Indian raga and sheet music from the recording! Then send a short email to info@ancient-future.com describing what you learned about music from reading the notes, along with which concert you can attend. Best short answer wins a pair of tickets and will be quoted on the Ancient Future web site next to the digital liner note download link.
Digital Liner Notes (1.7 MB)
More Summer Soirees
- Saturday, August 15, 8 p.m., Serenades by Matthew Montfort (scalloped fretboard guitar, glissentar), Joe Fajen (tabla, percussion), The Cozmic Cafe, 594 Main St., Placerville, CA 95667. Tix: $10 adv, $12 door. Info: 530-642-8481. Download concert poster: 8/15/09 Cozmic Cafe.pdf.
- Tuesday, August 25, 8:00 p.m., CD Release Party 'Sangria' featuring Mariah Parker's Indo Latin Jazz Ensemble, Yoshi's Jazz Club, 510 Embarcadero West, Jack London Square, Oakland, CA 94607. Tix: $15 Info: Call 510-238-9200 or visit yoshis.com. Download concert poster: 8/25/09 Yoshi's.pdf.
Concert Posters (pdf, click to download):
Realtime Radio
- Friday, July 17, 11 p.m., Rhyshenda Owens interviews Matthew Montfort on 'Esoterica,' KPFZ 88.1 FM, Lakeport, CA 95453.
- Sunday, July 19, 11 p.m., Dean Suzuki interviews Matthew Montfort on 'Discreet Music,' KPFA 94.1 FM, streaming live online at www.kpfa.org, Berkeley, CA 94704.
- Thursday, July 23, 11 a.m. Rebroadcast of Rhyshenda Owens' interview with Matthew Montfort on 'Esoterica,' KPFZ 88.1 FM, Lakeport, CA 95453.
- Wednesday, July 22, 12:30 p.m., Sunshine interviews Matthew Montfort on 'Sunshine ... In the Afternoon,' KZSU 90.1 FM, streaming live online at kzsulive.stanford.edu, Stanford, CA 94309.
