John Wubbenhorst and Facing East

Artist Information

Biography

"Facing East" is a unique musical experience that draws from diverse world music influences. Founder John Wubbenhorst leads the group with his bansuri (North Indian flute) that he has honed with years of intense study from the great Indian maestro Hariprasad Chaurasia as well as his vast experiences with musicians around the world (such as Paul Horn, Jack DeJohnette, Victor Wooten, Anindo Chatterjee, Larry Coryell and others). Joining John are world class percissionist Ken Anoff and Steve Zerlin on bass. At times they have been compared to John McLaughlin's "Shakti" group or "Weather Report" or some of the sounds of Pat Metheny. But their sound is special to themselves and listening you'll feel the wide range of emotions from deeply meditative to dynamic and exhilerating, always played with impeccable class and taste. Take a listen or see the video on this site to feel first hand the world class world music of "Facing East". Available in duet, trio, quartet or quintet and often with special guests.

Instrumentation

The Facing East Trio is John Wubbenhorst-bansuri, Steve Zerlin-bass & Ken Anoff-percussion

The Facing East Group is John Wubbenhorst-bansuri, Steve Zerlin-bass, Tom Canning-keyboards, Ganesh Kumar-kanjira, Rishabh Dhar-percussion.

The Facing East Duo is John Wubbenhorst-bansuri & Samrat Kakkeri-tabla

Discography

7 CDs have been released......"Facing East" and "Facing Beloved" explore the worlds of jazz fusion with a full quintet, featuring keyboards, guitar and bass along with traditional Indian percussion guests. "Baba Da's Great Tradition Fusion Orchestra" captures a live free improvisation session and "Bansuri Dreams" and "True Water" capture the bansuri with the unique world percussion of Ken Anoff. Hear clips at www.facigeast.com of from the EPK......

Extensive radio play on over 500 radio stations with press reviews from Billboard, Washington Post and throughou the country....

Official Website

http://www.facingeast.com

Audio

Video

Photo Gallery

Press

• Washington Post [+ Show ]
  

  "A stunning virtuoso display of the bamboo flute....the compositions and arrangements are equally im..."A stunning virtuoso display of the bamboo flute....the compositions and arrangements are equally impressive."

• Paul Horn
  

  "Beautifully conceived and performed, a fresh new approach to East/West music."

• Billboard [+ Show ]
  

  "The bansuri is one of the most sensual and serene instruments to come out of India. Only a couple o..."The bansuri is one of the most sensual and serene instruments to come out of India. Only a couple of Westerners have mastered it's intricacy.....one is John Wubbenhorst."

• Jazz Times [+ Show ]
  

  “I like this concept a lot. ...What’s nice about it is the overall sound. You really get the feeling...“I like this concept a lot. ...What’s nice about it is the overall sound. You really get the feeling of musicians making music together….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.”

• Follow Your Bliss
  

  "... by far the most succesful merger of Indian and Western music and instrumentation to date."

• Michael Ezzo [+ Show ]
  

  "Virtuosity is all-pervasive, but sheer musicality, and all that it implies a strong sense of melody..."Virtuosity is all-pervasive, but sheer musicality, and all that it implies a strong sense of melody; facility with breakneck tempo; seamless rhythmic finesse; and proportionate distribution of all these principles is assured."

• John Wubbenhorst & Facing East [+ Show ]
  

  "If the recent 'Remember Shakti' tour finds you hungry for more Indian-jazz sounds, look no further;..."If the recent 'Remember Shakti' tour finds you hungry for more Indian-jazz sounds, look no further; flute virtuouso John Wubbenhorst has what you hanker for."

• Jazzed up Ragas Entrall [+ Show ]
  

  "Facing East was a feast. Six musicians charged with energy and spirits extremely high, one could no..."Facing East was a feast. Six musicians charged with energy and spirits extremely high, one could not have asked for a better show."

• John Wubbenhorst & Facing East [+ Show ]
  

  "This is a great example of what happens when musical cultures collide in perfect harmony. The music..."This is a great example of what happens when musical cultures collide in perfect harmony. The musical melange that's mixed up here is absolutely breathtaking, as a wild experiment of rhythm and melody that takes the listener around the world. This one holds all the mystic rhythms of the East, while maintaining a true grip on Western musical ideas. It's a beautiful marriage of music and culture."

• John Wubbenhorst & Facing East [+ Show ]
  

  “The music of flutist John Wubbenhorst's Facing East is just the kind of disc that neatly fits the '...“The music of flutist John Wubbenhorst's Facing East is just the kind of disc that neatly fits the 'world music' groove. And a groove it is by shifting its worldly weight around the globe in areas to produce Celtic jigs, South Indian traditional ragas, and European classical themes along with American Jazz melodies."

Setlist

Facing East
Infectuoso Groovatissimo
Himalayan
Son of Groovatisimo
John Beyond

Irish Prelude
Irish Raga
Thayagaraji Kriti
No Mind
Continuous Celebration
Purnima

Basic Requirements

Calendar