Reunion Celebrating 40 Years of World Fusion

Ancient Future Times: Reunion Celebrating 40 Years of World Fusion
New Year 2019 Issue:
Ancient Future Original Band Reunion Plus!
•Celebrating 40 Years of World Fusion Music 2/12/19 at the Freight & Salvage
Please Watch and Share: 40th Anniversary Reunion Video
•Featuring Footage from First Ancient Future Video
First Set: Original Band Reunion
•Featuring Benjy Wertheimer, Mindia Devi Klein, and Matthew Montfort
Second Set: Ancient Future Hear and Now
•Master Musician Lineup Depends on YOU!
Contribute to Ancient Future's 40th Year of World Fusion
•Last Chance for 2018 Tax Deductible Contributions Through InterMusic SF

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Ancient Future Original Band Reunion Plus!

Ancient Future Circa 1981. Shown: Mindia Devi Klein, Benjy Wertheimer, Matthew Montfort

Celebrating 40 Years of World Fusion Music 2/12/19 at the Freight & Salvage

Ancient Future's first concert took place on February 11, 1979, at the Sleeping Lady Cafe in Fairfax, California, a vegetarian cafe and music club co-op that was the center of a vibrant local music scene. It was the day before Ancient Future leader Matthew Montfort's birthday, who was not yet of nightclub age. Exactly 40 years and one day later, this anniversary concert on Montfort's birthday celebrates Ancient Future's four decades at the forefront of the world fusion music movement.
We are thrilled to announce that the first set of the concert will feature original band members Matthew Montfort (scalloped fretboard guitar), Benjy Wertheimer (tabla, esraj), and Mindia Devi Klein (bansuri, silver flute)!
The second set will feature band members from Ancient Future's major label releases along with top master musicians from around the world who have a long history of cross cultural music collaborations.
Purchase your tickets now to insure that there is a budget for robust roster of musicians, and check the Facebook Event and Press Release pages for surprise lineup announcements of featured performers. You can also help by making a tax deductible donation to Ancient Future through InterMusic SF.
Tuesday, February 12, 2019 8 PM
Freight and Salvage
2020 Addison Street
Berkeley, CA 94704
Tix: $20 in advance, $24 at the door, plus $4 per ticket facility fee.
Purchase Tix. Box Office Phone: 510-644-2020.
Email: info@freightandsalvage.org
Press Release
Facebook Event

Poster (384k .pdf)

Please Watch and Share: 40th Anniversary Reunion Video

YouTube Video of Ancient Future Circa 1978.

Featuring Footage from First Ancient Future Video

This concert video teaser features an amazing archaeological find: the very first video of Ancient Future, recorded in late 1978, months before Ancient Future's first concert! Please watch it and share it to insure that YouTube will feature it in searches. Thanks to Jonah and Mariposa at Marin Artists International who, after learning of the reunion concert, were able to rescue parts of Ancient Future's first video recording session from archival oblivion. This video showcases an excerpt from 'Eternal Embrace' by Phil Fong. Performances of two complete pieces have been recovered, and are now included as a video session on the eCD version of Visions of a Peaceful Planet, available exclusively at Ancient-Future.Com.

Reunion Concert Edition With Long Lost 1978 Video

Visions of a Peaceful Planet by Ancient Future (Ancient-Future.Com AF 2004) $19.98 list. Buy Audio/Video E-CD Now.

First Set: Original Band Reunion

Ancient Future Circa 1981. Shown: Benjy Wertheimer, Mindia Devi Klein, Matthew Montfort

Featuring Benjy Wertheimer, Mindia Devi Klein, and Matthew Montfort

Ancient Future was formed in late 1978 by students at the Ali Akbar College of Music in San Rafael, California, including Mindia Devi Klein (who went by Mindy in those days), Matthew Montfort, Benjy Wertheimer, and Phil Fong. On April 19, 2015, the original lineup of Ancient Future performed together for the first time this century to a full house at the Throckmorton Theatre in Mill Valley. Sadly, Phil Fong was unable to attend the reunion as he was battling ALS. He passed away on July 18, 2016.
The first set will feature all three surviving original Ancient Future band members: Matthew Montfort (scalloped fretboard guitar), Benjy Wertheimer (tabla, esraj), Mindia Devi Klein (bansuri and silver flute). If enough funds are raised through ticket presales and donations, there may be additional featured guest artists. Check the press release and Facebook event pages periodically for surprise announcements.
This lineup of Ancient Future made two recordings that are now considered world fusion classics. In December, 1978, the band went into Tres Virgos Studio in Mill Valley to record Montfort's song Moonbath. The song became the springboard for the first Ancient Future record, Visions of a Peaceful Planet. The concept for Natural Rhythms, the band's second record, grew out of a spontaneous recording session at a friend's recording studio near a frog pond. The sound of croaking frogs was leaking into the studio, so Montfort went out to the pond with a zither and began to play, and found that certain rhythms produced musical responses from the frogs. Several months later, Montfort and Klein went to Bali to study gamelan music. They were amazed to find paintings all over the island portraying Balinese rice paddy frogs playing gamelan instruments, so they ventured out into the rice paddies where a frog jam session ensued.

Original Lineup Releases

Visions of a Peaceful Planet by Ancient Future (Ancient-Future.Com AF 2004).
Natural Rhythms by Ancient Future (Ancient-Future.Com 2005).

Second Set: Ancient Future Hear and Now

Master Musician Lineup Depends on YOU!

The second set will feature band members from Ancient Future's major label releases and top master musicians from around the world. The lineup will depend on funds raised through ticket presales and donations, so get your tickets now so we can afford to bring more musicians. Check the press release and Facebook event pages periodically for surprise announcements!

Major Label Period

Ancient Future Circa 1990. Shown: Matthew Montfort, Jim Hurley, Doug McKeehan, Ian Dogole
"Ancient Future is a rare kind of band that might simultaneously aggravate purists, confound New Age dilettantes, seduce skeptics, and dazzle just about everybody else. Delicious compositions, intricate arrangements, crisp playing and impeccable production put these ambitious voyagers in a league of their own." - Derk Richardson, SAN FRANCISCO BAY GUARDIAN
This lineup of Ancient Future that performed on the band's influential major label recordings played over a hundred concerts together. In 2011, they reunited and began to perform concerts at venues from Yoshi's in San Francisco to the Frick Museum in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. In honor of the reunion, World Without Walls was released digitally by Capitol Records for the first time ever at digital retailers such as iTunes. Twenty two years after its initial release in 1990, broadcasters worldwide voted the record as one of the top 5 world music releases of 2012.

Major Label Releases

Quiet Fire by Ancient Future (Narada/MCA 1012).
Dreamchaser by Ancient Future (Sona Gaia/MCA 154).
World Without Walls by Ancient Future (Sona Gaia/MCA 163).
Asian Fusion by Ancient Future (Narada Equinox ND-63023).

Video

YouTube Video of Ancient Future at their 'World Without Walls' Reunion at the Freight and Salvage. Shown: Doug McKeehan (keyboards, piano), Kash Killion (bass), Ian Dogole (percussion), Matthew Montfort (scalloped fretboard guitar), Jim Hurley (violin), Mariah Parker (santur)

World Music Collaboration Period

Photo of Ancient Future Guitar-Sitar Jugalbandi by Julie Marten. Shown: Pandit Habib Khan (sitar), Matthew Montfort (scalloped fretboard guitar)
Over the years, Ancient Future has expanded its musical vision through collaborations with master musicians from more than two dozen countries, cultures, and musical traditions who are now an integral part of what is today more than just a band. Ancient Future has grown to become a large multinational music ensemble with many smaller ensembles within it, enabling Ancient Future to realize its core mission of creating world fusion music. Some popular offerings include the Indo-Arabic, Guitar-Sitar Jugalbandi, and Asian Jazz programs.

Ancient Future Indo-Arabic Roots. Shown: Matthew Montfort (scalloped fretboard guitar), Georges Lammam (Arabic violin), Vishal Nagar (Indian tabla)

World Music Collaboration Releases

Planet Passion by Ancient Future (Ancient-Future.Com Records AF-2010).
Archive of Future Ancient Recordings by Ancient Future (Ancient-Future.Com AF-2030).

Video

YouTube Video of El Zaffa from Planet Passion by Ancient Future. Shown: Matthew Montfort (scalloped fretboard guitar), Georges Lammam (Arabic violin), Salaheddin Takesh (Arabic percussion), Doug McKeehan (keyboards), Sapphira (belly dance).

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Contribute to Ancient Future's 40th Year of World Fusion

Last Chance for 2018 Tax Deductible Contributions Through InterMusic SF

Ancient Future has big plans to celebrate 40 years of world fusion music. Help us bring music to the world in this important milestone year. Your tax deductible contribution can help support Ancient Future's local Northern California concert season, provide seed money to bring Ancient Future to perform in your area, and support new compositions and recordings.
In this age of polarization, world fusion music is needed now more than ever. You can help by supporting it financially:
Make a Tax Deductible Donation to Ancient Future Through InterMusic SF!

Other Ways to Support the Music

Not part of the top 10% of U.S. taxpayers expected to benefit by itemizing deductions under the new Tax Cuts and Jobs Act but still want to contribute?
You can make a direct donation (not tax deductible), or sign up to support Ancient Future's fan funded recording project, the Archive of Future Ancient Recordings, which has over 86 minutes of music in it so far. Another set of studio tracks totaling 43 minutes are already in production. The new tracks will represent a 50% expansion of the project! Help us finish them in our 40th year.