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"FAB"

By Nic Jones for All About Jazz

There aren't too many violin/bass/drums trios out there, and while the live setting might not be the ideal format in which to capture the music of this particular threesome, there's enough here to provoke the hope that this isn't just a one-off venture.

The moments when the trio thinks as one, notably after Altschul's four-minute solo introduction on "Tune For Barry," are countered in the negative sense by the music's longueurs, where at least one of the participants gives the impression of waiting for inspiration to strike while the other two accompany him until it does. This is arguably a problem inherent in the making of live recordings, even though there is much here to lend substance to the notion that the trio is the ideally sized unit for this semi-free idiom.

The fact that Billy Bang's violin will always have roots in a tradition that goes way beyond his musical preferences lends the music a rarefied air, as on "FAB," where the trio displays a cohesiveness that works against the idea that this was a pickup group. Both Fonda and Altschul also have pedigrees not lacking in depth, and as a section they serve notice of the fact that they are a rhythmic cartel of the first order. This is arguably best exemplified by Fonda's "Song For My Mother," where, after a lengthy solo introduction by the composer, they show an extraordinary aptitude for rhythmic nuance, the likes of which simply isn't acquired overnight.

On the trio composition "For Frank Lowe," however, the ear yearns for the presence of that underrated musician's tenor sax as a means for projecting greater tonal colour, if nothing else. The piece might almost serve as a springboard for group improvisation, as opposed to the theme-solos-theme routine, and though the rendition here is obviously heartfelt, I hope that this will not be the only time it makes it to record.

All in all, the division is roughly sixty-forty in favour of the music transcending the contention that you had to be there to get the most out of this group's efforts, which makes the thought that this might be the only time they record live together even more frustrating than usual.

Reprinted with permission. Copyright © 2006 All About Jazz and Nic Jones. - All About Jazz


"FAB"

May 15, 2006 by Daniel Spicer for One Final Note

Take three jazz heavyweights — downtown violinist and veteran loft musician Billy Bang, erstwhile Anthony Braxton bassist Joe Fonda, and ex-Circle drum legend Barry Altschul — put them on stage in front of a loudly enthusiastic audience and leave them to have a good time. This infectiously joyous album is what you get.

For the most part, the music here is spontaneous free jazz, but it fairly bursts with an irrepressible sense of swing. The three musicians seem unable to resist falling into a deep groove whenever the possibility presents itself — and it frequently does: the music is crammed with memorable moments of coalescence. Take, for example, the way Bang and Fonda come together with a bluesy grind to introduce Altchul's "fours" in the swinging opener, "FAB"; or how the soaring free jazz of "For Frank Lowe" transforms into a hulking brute as Fonda introduces a stomping riff, before changing again into a kind of military strut as Altshcul marches it home; or how a few pizzicato chords from Bang drive "Tune For Barry" into a genuinely funky break.

Bang is in scorching form throughout, with plenty of frantic, Michel Sampson-esque sawing and crazed, neck-climbing avant-gardism — often quite audibly spurred on to increasingly fevered heights of intensity by the shouts and cheers of the audience — as well as more lyrical playing as on the unaccompanied introduction to "B.B", where an imperious pseudo-classicism gives way to a bluesy swagger. He also provides the album's most conventionally catchy number, "For Don Cherry", with its lilting, pizzicato Fourth-World melody.

Much of the music's irresistible bounce is due to Altschul's deeply swinging approach to free improvisation — a seeming contradiction that helped characterize the sound of the early 70s recordings of free jazz supergroup Circle. Here, his relentless sense of pulse is given a certain heft by Fonda's chunky contributions. The only misstep on the album is the closer, Fonda's rambling "Song for My Mother", which never quite seems to get going, and is little more than a 15-minute noodling bass solo without any of the intensity that we might expect from contemporaries like William Parker.

Still, the CD is a highly enjoyable document of three world-class improvisers at the top of their game. And did I mention that it swings like hell?

Reprinted with permission. Copyright © 2006 One Final Note and Daniel Spicer.

- One Final Note


"Live at the Iron Works"

Fab Trio
Live at Iron Works, Vancouver, BC
Konnex
2005

Although the Fonda-Stevens group is a strong band, bassist Joe Fonda is best known as a sideman. His first recording was with Wadada Leo Smith in 1983 and he spent much of the '90s working with Anthony Braxton. Fonda has also played in groups led by Walter Thompson, Kevin Norton and others. On two recent releases, both albeit by collective ensembles, he shows the two sides of being a sideman.

Fonda has been a member of Conference Call - with saxophonist Gebhard Ullmann and pianist Michael Jefry Stevens - since the group's 2002 debut Final Answer (Soul Note). With the band's range of tones, he and a variety of drummers (Gerry Hemingway now fills the seat previously occupied by Matt Wilson and Han Bennink) are called upon to support driving, rhythmic tunes and slow, moody passages, often in the same piece. Across five tracks he does so with a mix of strength and deference, never pushing but always matching. On Stevens' "Circle Dance", he picks up a phrase from Ullmann and carries it as the horn slips into a short blues, then sidesteps slightly when Hemingway begins suggesting a soft rhythm on cymbals. It's the kind of subtlety that makes a band like Conference Call work.

The trio with Billy Bang and Barry Altschul (FAB Trio) is an altogether different affair. Bang's violin is almost impossibly bright and Altschul pushes harder than Hemingway. Fonda rises to the challenge by making the band something of a string duo with drums. His big bull viol darts quickly around the violin, with Altschul seeming to revel in the pointillist rhythms. The group shares writing credits on four of the six songs and repeat Fonda's "Song for My Mother" from their 2003 debut [Transforming the Space] on CIMP. Violins are as formidable sparring partners as saxophones and it's sometimes hard to aim your ears at the rest of the band. But in both cases and with two exceptional groups, Fonda finds his way through. - All About Jazz


"FAB"

Bruce Lee Gallanter for Downtown Music Gallery

This is the second disc by this FAB-ulous veteran trio, the first was on CIMP [Transforming the Space]. FAB features Billy Bang on violin, Joe Fonda on contrabass and Barry Altschul on drums. This wonderful trio also played at The Victo Fest that same year and I recall that set quite well, since it was so magical. This is mainly an acoustic trio with a fine, organic sound. There is no leader here, just three strong musicians, playing together as one superb unit. This music, this trio has a most joyous vibe. As the bass and drums play that hypnotic groove, Mr. Bang dances and gives voice to his violin, embracing the melody as he turns notes inside-out. "For Frank Lowe" is a touching lament to Billy's late cohort, sax great Frank Lowe. All three musicians play with a delicate, melancholy restraint, swirling softly around one another as they float together like ghosts, building into a trance-like state. "B.B." features one of those amazing Billy Bang unaccompanied violin solos, when it begins, but soon erupts as the trio take off sailing to the stars on the rambunctious magic carpet. Too much! "Tune for Barry" features a fine, solo drums interlude from Mr. Altschul, as well as another infectious groove-fest, a quote from "Take the A Train", an incredible plucked solo from Joe Fonda and the unstoppable Mr. Bang exploding on violin. Billy Bang's "For Don Cherry" includes one of the lovely, folky melodies that Don Cherry dug so much. Billy plays the piece pizzicato, sounding somewhat a kora or a dousongooni, an African instrument that Mr. Cherry loved to play. This great gig ends with Joe's "Song for My Mother", which starts with Joe's sublime solo bass bowing and strange string twangs, eventually turning into a laid back, poignant piece. It is a perfect prayer-like song to bring this excellent endeavor to fine finish.

Reprinted with permission. Copyright © 2006 Downtown Music Gallery and Bruce Lee Gallanter. - Downtown Music Gallery


"Live at the Iron Works"

FAB (Fonda/Altschul/Bang)
Live at the Iron Works, Vancouver
Konnex KCD 5158

Filled with flowing fancy fiddling, these West-Coast recorded CDs showcase the initial and most recent violinist from the long-running String Trio of New York.

They offer much more than that, of course and despite a similarity in personnel, the discs couldn't be more different. An Eugene, Ore.-native on visit to Corvallis, Ore., violinist Rob Thomas slides through a set of spontaneous compositions in the company of local drummer — and label owner — Dave Storrs, plus other New York visitors, fellow Pacific Northwest expat, bassist Dick Sarpola and his son, percussionist George Sarpola. Thus the TS&S name. Backyard snapshots in the booklet testify to the informality of the session: everyone is wearing shorts and sandals and a nearby table is heaped with chips, dips and soft drinks.

On the other hand, Thomas' long-ago antecedent, Billy Bang, works over six compositions and improvisations with the other members of the jocularly and alphabetically designated FAB trio, in a Vancouver, B.C. concert. Besides B, or Bang, F is Joe Fonda, who has performed with players as varied as pianist Michael Jefrey Stephens and Chinese guzheng player Xu Fengxia; while A is legendary drummer Barry Altschul, who backed Anthony Braxton long before percussionist Sarpola's birth.

Along with Leroy Jenkins, Free Jazz's pre-eminent violinist, Bang's list of collaborators ranges from the late Memphis saxophonist Frank Lowe — honored on the second tune here — to Chicago percussionist Kahil El'Zabar and New York bassist William Parker. Less high profile, Thomas, associate professor of Strings at Boston's Berklee College, is also a member of drummer Greg Bendian's Mahavishnu Orchestra, and has worked with The Jazz Passengers and The Soldier String Quartet.

Relaxing into the homey vibe, his playing on Time Share is noteworthy, but all-and-all there's a certainly sameness to the five tracks. Storrs lays down a strong beat as does the bassist, but the ratcheting percussion from Sarpola Junior often sounds vestigial, while overall it's often hard to distinguish the improvisations on one track from those on the next.

Featuring one original each from Bang and Fonda, plus four group compositions, the skills and techniques of the veteran players on Live however, not only demarcate tunes that reflect FAB's identity, but also present them with a variety of musical strategies.

For instance the nearly 14-minute "Tune for Barry", features the drummer's terpsichorean exposition of extended nerve beats, press roll, flams, paradiddles and ruffs, expressed with cross sticking and counter-crosswise rhythms. Yet this percussion extravaganza merely sets up sprawling, sharp screeches from Bang's violin, that quote "Take the A Train" in a flurry of flying triple stopping, as Fonda slaps his strings as accompaniment. Continuing to outline the ostinato, the bassist's pulses underline the fiddler's work, which tapped and plucked with either hand moves from claw-hammer-like banjo strokes to flanging vibrations

More low-key, "For Frank Lowe" is built up from a basso bottom and cymbal quivers to chromatic bull fiddle strums, serpentine sul ponticello lines from Bang and break beats from Altschul. Exhausting in the fashioning of unique oscillating lines in honor of his former combo-partner, Bang eventually picks up the tempo along with the number of strings he vibrates. Meanwhile Fonda walks powerfully and the drummer colors the proceedings. While almost turning around the beat with rim shots and shattering cymbal feints, he martially gooses the rhythm by the composition's finale.

Often working in tandem with the bassist, Bang not only holds up his part in polyphonic exchanges, but also melds his tremolo movements so the ricocheting pumps and patterns take on koto-like echoes as well as the more common guitar and banjo suggestions.

Climax is achieved on "Song For My Mother", the Fonda-penned, nearly 16-minute final track. An intermezzo of deep bass notes and slap rhythms, the composition finds the bassist working his way on the strings from the tuning pegs to below the bridge as Altschul bounds and bounces and Bang exposes erhu-like textures for theme variations. In near-hoedown mode, Bang's playing is tonic, legato and dance-like, with Fonda shadowing his every time shift. Accentuating watery undulating lines as he concludes his solo, Bang allows the drummer's low-key irregular beats and the bassist's fading single strokes to make the final comments.

Featuring song titles even further out than FAB's, you get the feeling that TS&S' free-form antics resulted in track naming after the fact. As accomplished in instrument manipulation as FAB, the veteran trio's polyrhythm and contrapuntal interaction keeps the five tunes from dragging, while tyro Sarpola judiciously adds sonic colors from what sound like lightly smacked bongo drums, rattled maracas and undifferentiated drum heads.

The most accommodating of pals, the bassist and drummer are similarly unobtrusive. Keeping the rhythmic emphasis going with pumping bass pulses and clattering pops and chops from the drum set, they allow Thomas to be the cynosure, while subtly guiding him away from exhibitionism.

On his own, the violinist adapts multiphonic sideswipes and carefully focused legit phrasing with the same ease. Frequently double-stopping, as on the title tune, he alternates breakneck pizzicato strumming with gypsy-fiddle-like spiccato at such blinding speeds that you often don't realize he's shifted from fingers to bow and vice-versa until that motion has already concluded. Allegro is a favored pace and agitato a preferred performance directive.

Throughout, whether Thomas shuffle bows, triple stops or saws staccato-like, Storrs plus Sarpola and son are there with the proper blunt rhythm or cascading vibration to frame his bravura patterning. Teamwork even allows for the subtle mitosis of the three dividing the beat into its component parts without altering the size and shape of the tune.

However as educational as it must have been to expose the younger Sarpola to profound free-form improv, and as much fun as it allowed the older musicians to renew their association in a smaller forum than Storrs' Tone Sharks band, discipline is lacking. With every track a showpiece — especially for Thomas' impressive technique — the ebb and flow goes missing.

Storrs describes it this way: "We talked about a session for a few years … And finally …we went out to the studio and played for a few hours." Spectacular in some of the cooperation and soloing, a better strategy would have involved more shape and focus like FAB's CD.

Track Listing: Time: 1. It's Not Always Pretty 2. Clay Hippopotamus 3. Time Share 4. Tut Tut Tudala 5. Helping Hand
Personnel: Time: Rob Thomas (violin); Dick Sarpola (bass); Dave Storrs (drums); George Sarpola (percussion)

Track Listing: Live: 1. FAB 2. For Frank Lowe 3. B.B. 4. Tune for Barry 5. For Don Cherry 6. Song For My Mother
Personnel: Live: Billy Bang (violin); Joe Fonda (bass); Barry Altschul (drums) - Jazzword


"Transforming the Space"

Nov. 21, 2003 by Jason Bivins for Dusted Reviews

FAB is the acronymic moniker for the power trio of bassist Joe Fonda, percussionist Barry Altschul, and violinist Billy Bang. Altschul has recently made a welcome return to recording of late (some years ago, he ended an apparent musical hiatus with some residencies at New York's now-defunct Internet Café), and has waxed some fine sessions for CIMP. Bang has also been pretty active lately, and one of his finest recent sessions was Thirsty Ear's Scrapbook, which put him in another hard-hitting trio context with William Parker and Hamid Drake. This recording captures a marvelously energized trio and it proves a great compliment to the Parker disc. But the Fonda/Altschul tandem is altogether different, with a kind of slippery pointillism that, for all the power it can muster, is quite different from the Parker/Drake machine.

The three of these guys have such an impressively broad history — each a leader/composer in his own right, Bang a distinguished co-founder of the String Trio of New York, and both Altschul and Fonda having played with the great Anthony Braxton — that they are able to touch on a wide number of musical bases without losing their focus or the uniqueness of their group's sound.

The musicians prod each other, at times in a frenzy, but elsewhere in a serene manner. They embody virtues developed during an earlier period of American improvisation, when finely wrought compositions first grew from contexts of what had previously been complete freedom, and yet their playing still sounds vital.

This is probably evident most on the free swing of "For Papa Jo, Klook & Philly Too" (note the dedicatees), which generates — much like the rest of the disc — the comforts of vintage sessions like John Lindberg's Give and Take (with George Lewis and Altschul) while also confirming faith in the future. And there's even an Altschul classic ("Be Out S'cool") from that period, which gets the recording off to a very vigorous start. They range through other territory too, as on the dark drone of "The Softness of Light" (where rich tones evolve into a jagged three-part drama, including some great dual arco amid Altschul's hiss and patter), the earthy "Tales from Da Bronx" (a perfect, lightly funked Bang vehicle), and the circuitous, episodic "Song for my Mother". There is serious synergy in this band and you can just hear their integrity and intensity. Additionally, there's a lot of lyricism and humor (listen to the chatter that begins the closing free piece "Coligno Battata"). That should be enough to please any fan of improvised music.

Reprinted with kind permission of Dusted Magazine - Dusted Magazine


"Transforming the Space"

February 1, 2004 by Jeff Stockton for AllAboutJazz

When I hear musicians shouting or humming on a recording because they can't help themselves, I take it as a good sign. The spontaneity, intensity, and pure joy that comes across in those brief outbursts raises the level of excitement and intimacy so that you almost forget you're sitting in your living room listening to a CD. Bassist Joe Fonda, drummer Barry Altschul, and violinist Billy Bang clearly enjoyed playing the tunes on Transforming the Space, and the disc's sheer musicality and accessibility took me by surprise.

I admire Billy Bang's virtuosity, but the jazz violin, in its more avant garde moments, screeches with a harrowing intensity and raw grittiness that can be too much to bear. There are moments of that here, but not many, and on Bang's composition "Tales from Da Bronx," his violin sings in a sweet woman's voice. You can imagine the teller of the story inhabiting the notes. This theatrical quality extends to Fonda on his "Song for My Mother," where he forms one half of a dialogue with Bang, both of whom have speaking parts in this conference of two birds. After the duo have their say, Altschul changes course with a military-march drum roll that leads into an expressive extended solo from Fonda who bears down on his instrument with concentrated effort.

On "The Softness of Light" Fonda plays beautiful arco bass, freed from everything but rich, sonorous melody, and on Altschul's "For Papa Jo, Klook & Philly Too," Fonda walks alongside the drummer whose opening solo threatens to bounce like he's swinging a '30s big band. Through it all, Bang's violin is nimble and quick, short and sharp, classically melodious and ominously dissonant, but always energized and coherent.

Just before the last track begins Bang and Fonda are heard joking with each other, and this glimpse into the studio serves as a fitting coda to a session brimming with empathic interplay. The players were loose, and the result is as tight a trio session as you're likely to hear.

This review originally appeared in AllAboutJazz-New York.

Reprinted with permission. Copyright © 2006 AllAboutJazz and Jeff Stockton. - All About Jazz New York


"Transforming the Space"

January 8, 2004 by Derek Taylor for AllAboutJazz

Operating under the somewhat dubious moniker of FAB, an amalgam of surname initials, the trio of Joe Fonda, Barry Altschul and Billy Bang dispels any concerns as to its sincerity with music of startling intellect and emotion. The Beatles this group is not, but in the context of creative improvised music, that's a mighty good thing. Fonda claims in the liners that it's "one of the most enjoyable recording sessions" he's ever done and producer Bob Rusch makes repeated mention of the jovial atmosphere that infused the Spirit Room during the date, but curiously the music is mostly of a contemplative cast. Both the bassist and Bang approach their instruments from an amplified vantage and the added juice defuses any danger of their strings being subsumed sonically by Altshul's traps.

The drummer's "Be Out S'cool" opens the program and Bang wastes no time in shaving off keening arco ribbons from his strings. Fonda plays havoc with the tempo, moving from brisk speed walking plucks to spaced-out floating notes and Altschul breaks up the beat on a variety of surfaces behind him. If there's a drawback to the disc, it's probably most prominent in the chosen lengths of some of the pieces, which drag a bit beyond comfortable durations. Fonda's routine vocalizations, especially prominent in his more flurried fingerboard runs, are another distraction, but one that is easily reconciled by his incredible facility.

Bang's "The Softness of Light" originates from that unique emotional reservoir where so many of his compositions reside. His style on the violin has antecedents in the swinging ebullience of Stuff Smith, but he brings a somber, blues-informed spiritualism that is wholly his own. It's the sound of suffering and of joy, those two sides of the coin that is life, and there are few who can tap into it like he can.

Altschul's "For Papa Jo, Klook & Philly Too" reveals itself as more than a simple paean to that triumvirate of percussionists. Predictably taking wing on an extended solo that furnishes Altschul with space to run a gamut of drumming styles, the piece expands into an ensemble showcase with Bang wailing and torquing away above Altschul's polyrhythms as Fonda buttresses the action with clever harmonic commentary. "Tales from Da Bronx" starts at a mournful, methodical pace before unfurling in a thicket of prickly arco scribbles that gain density and complexity as Bang's bow moves with blinding speed. A forceful drum break from Altschul cracks the tension, leaving room for a return to the somber theme and a slow dissolving exit.

The odds of this trio coalescing into a long range-working outfit for all involved are probably slim. But in its studio-only guise, FAB generates a body of music on par with what the players' individual reputations would suggest.

Reprinted with permission. Copyright © 2006 All About Jazz and Derek Taylor. - All About Jazz


"Transforming the Space"

Glenn Astarita for Down Beat, Volume 70 - Number 11 (November 2003), page 72

FAB: Fonda-Altschul-Bang
Transforming The Space
CIMP 284
4 stars

Featuring some inspired, free-spirited music, Transforming The Space should cement notions that violinist Billy Bang is one of the finest modern jazz improvisors in the business. Drummer Barry Altschul performs with the resourcefulness and drive observed during his 1970s jaunts with Chick Corea, Sam Rivers and Anthony Braxton. Bassist Joe Fonda anchors this undeniably thrilling engagement, which finds the musicians dazzling listeners with finesse via their intricately executed unison choruses, concentrated firepower and interminable poise.

The trio makes use of precious recording time from the inception of "Be Out S'cool," where they steer through difficult time signatures, complete with variable swing grooves and intensely stated dialogues. Bang is ablaze here and throughout, via his undulating staccato lines and viscious gut-scrapings, to complement a colorific approach to the program. Altschul's tribute to drummers Jo Jones, Kenny Clarke and Philly Joe Jones, titled "For Papa Jo, Klook & Philly Too" commences with a drum boogie, featuring his melodically orchestrated snare/tom rolls and snappy rim shots. Fonda lays down a nimble bottom as the rhythm section creates a torrid fabric for Bang who proceeds to soar skyward. Besides a few somber deviations from the norm, the trio surges forward with the self-assuredness of heavy-weight champs anticipating a furious battle. - Downbeat


"Transforming the Space"

October 7, 2003 by Nils Jacobson for All About Jazz

Although each of these three players is at the peak of a relatively mountainous career, the playing of Billy Bang has simply exploded. The violinist has been active as a leader since the late '70s, but in the last few years it seems he has come back with a vengeance, most notably on Vietnam: The Aftermath (Justin Time, 2001) and William Parker's Scrapbook (Thirsty Ear, 2003). There's no need to enumerate his ample credentials in the out-jazz world, but there are very few violinists out there today who can combine soul, search, and fire in the same natural way as Bang.

Seeing as how Billy Bang is the "melody" player in this trio, his voice quite frequently rises to the top. But Joe Fonda is not a bass player to sit idly by, and Barry Altschul also takes plenty of opportunities to shape the course of the trio's path. One might expect more high-end (and arco) interaction between the two string players, but Fonda tends to hang on the lower end of his instrument, using those deep notes to complement the violin's often piercing tone and the drums' sparkly textures. A few exceptions, of course.

Transforming the Space provides yet more evidence that Fonda has traveled far beyond the usual roles of his instrument, though he does so in a way that emphasizes tone over overtone, unlike most of his contemporaries in the free jazz world today. Perhaps that reflects his tenure with Anthony Braxton, who personally is quite fond of "incorrect" playing but who also places great emphasis on the structural aspects of his music. The same holds true for Altschul, another Braxton vet whose playing tends to be quite melodic and ceaselessly inventive.

But in the end it's Bang who turns this record into a near-masterpiece. "Song For My Mother" gets started rather spontaneously with some bird-like scratching and tinkling, only to be interrupted by a flighty series of cadences from the violinist. It turns pensive and the soulful aspect of Bang's playing warms things up dramatically. Over the course of the next 16 minutes (rather gluttonous, but not excessive), the music takes its share of twists and turns, but it seems like Billy Bang is always riding at the cusp. Military beats cut in a few minutes later, and once you've ridden out the suspense Bang waxes naked and emotional. "The Softness of Light" similarly benefits from a deliberately paced warmth. It's hard to avoid getting sucked in.

It seems that FAB is a democracy more than anything else, and that means there is no single star, leader, or composer. Without the particular combination of talent and experience each of these articulate players brings to this table, the risks involved would almost certainly have yielded total disaster. But somehow, magically, this hour of music ends up open, expansive, and hearty.

Reprinted with permission. Copyright © 2006 All About Jazz and Nils Jacobson. - All About Jazz


Discography

FAB Trio "For Bea" - Tum Records

FAB "Live At Iron Works, Vancouver, B.C. (Konnex Records) 2004

FAB "Transforming the Space" (CIMP) 2003

Fab Trio For Bea -(TumRecords 2008)


Photos

Bio

Billy Bang, born Billy Walker on September 20, 1947 in Mobile, Alabama. Billy studied violin as a youngster growing up in New York's South Bronx. In the early
60's he abandoned the violin for percussion, getting into Afro-Cuban rhythms. Drafted to Vietnam, he had a political awakening and returned to America to throw himself into the anti-war movement. When he began to play music again in 1971, he experimented with saxophones, but came back to the violin, recognizing that this was where his technical facility lay. Bang became known as an associate component of the celebrated Loft scene. In the early 70's he formed the String Trio Of New York. Associations with Sun Ra, Don Cherry, Marilyn Crispell and James Blood Ulmer were also productive. Like other musicians of his generation, Bang refuses categories; from elegant free jazz and austere art music to playing on Bootsy Collin's comeback album. In 1988 Bang toured Europe and recorded with a quartet that comprised Charles, Lowe and Sirone.

Albums: New York Collage(1978), Sweet Space(1979), Rainbow Gladiator(1981), Untitled Gift(1982), Invitation(1982), Outline No 12(1982), Bangception(1983), Distinction Without a Difference(1983), with the jazz Doctors Intensive Care(1984), with Kahil El'Zabar Another Kind Of Groove(1987), Valve No 10(1991)

Barry Altschul in the early 70's Altschul was the drummer for Circle: a band (with a membership that also included Chick Corea, Dave Holland, and Anthony Braxton) which might possibly have been the most technically adept free jazz ensemble ever. Altschul's drumming with that band was stylistically all-encompassing - in his own words, "from ragtime to no time" - thanks to his background in traditional jazz styles, which gave him a solid grounding on which to build his free playing. From his days with Circle to his more recent work as a leader of his own ensembles. Altschul has demonstrated a notable consistency, especially in the way he inevitably manages to generate an enormous momentum without overpowering the ensemble. Much of his power as a rhythm player stems from the subtlety of his touch; Altschul's sound is very tight and exceedingly well-defined. A strict attention to rhythmic and tonal detail has always characterized his playing. Altschul was largely self-taught until 1960, when he began study with Charlie Persip. From 1964 until 1970, Altschul played regularly with pianist Paul Bley; their relationship continued intermittently through the 70s and 80s. In 1969 he studied with Sam Ulano. Altschul was a member of the Jazz Composer's Guild and the Jazz Composer's Orchestra Association from 1964-68. He spent a portion of the 60s playing mainstream jazz in Europe. In the 70s he recorded with the individual members of Circle. In 72, under Holland's leadership, Altschul recorded the classic album Conference of the Birds, with Braxton and saxophonist Sam Rivers. Around this time, he also made records with Bley, bassist Alan Silva, and pianist Andrew Hill, among others. In the 80's Altschul made records of his own for Soul Note and continued his sideman work with such musicians as the Russian-born pianist Simon Nabotov and Kenny Drew, Sr. Altschul's 1985 album, That's Nice, shows him to be an exciting and good-humored bandleader in a rather modern-mainstream vein. Unfortunately, since that album was made, little has been heard from him as a leader.

Joe Fonda is a composer, bassist, and recording artist. Fonda has performed with his own ensembles throughout the United States and Europe, and as a side man with Archie Shepp, Ken McIntyre, Lou Donaldson, Bill and Kenny Barron, Leo Smith, Perry Robinson, Dave Douglas, Curtis Fuller, Mark Whitecage, Marion Brown and Bill Dixon. Fonda was the bassist with the renowed Anthony Braxton sextet, octet, tentet, from 1984 through 1999. Fonda also sat on the Board of Directors from 1994 to 1999, and was the President from 1997 to 1999 of the newly formed Tri-Centric Foundation. He also performed with the 38-piece Tri-Centric orchestra under the direction of Anthony Braxton, and was the bassist for the premiere performance of Anthony Braxton's opera, Shalla Fears for the Poor, performed at the John Jay theater in New York, New York October 1996. As a composer, Fonda has been the recipient of numerous grants and commissions and has released eight recordings under his own name. (Reviews and recordings available). Fonda was also a member of The Creative Musicians Improvisors Forum directed by Leo Smith, and was the bassist with the American Tap Dance Orchestra in New York City, directed by world renowned tap dancer, Brenda Bufalino.

In 1989, Fonda performed with Fred Ho's Jazz and peking opera in its world premiere at the Brooklyn Academy of Music. From 1982 to 1986 Fonda was the bassist and dancer with the Sonomama Dance Company. An independent producer since 1978, Fonda is the founding director of Kaleidoscope Arts and interdisciplinary performance ensemble. Currently Fonda h