Band members in his various ensembles include bassist/arranger/producer Jeff Volkman, virtuoso pianist Julio Jauregui, vocalist Carlos Cascante, percussionist Ricardo Guity, bassist Dean Schmidt, pianist Alex Chadsey, guitarist Leif Totusek, Intergalactic keyboardist/Hammond player Joe Doria, drummer percussionist Jeff Busch, vocalist/guitarist Reggie Garrett, vocalist/guitarist Paul Benoit, bassist Andy Zadrozny, and many others in the Seattle area. Other collaborators around the area have included virtuoso trumpet player Thomas Marriott, trombonist Doug Beavers (Eddie Palmieri's musical arranger), stellar saxophonist Jim Coile, flutist Jim O'halloran, percussionist Edsson Otero, percussionist "JC" Johnny Conga, pianist Fred Hoadley, drummer D'Vonne Lewis, trombonist Erik Stanford and numerous others. He has also been performing with virtuoso sitar player Pandit Debi Prasad Chatterjee and has started an ensemble with him titled "Nada Brahma". He is also a very close personal friend of one of India's leading cultural ambassadors --Zakir Hussain-- who has appeared on two of his recordings. Also appearing on his recordings are such luminaries as Santana percussionist Karl Perazzo, violinist Steve Kindler (who produced two of his recordings), Brazilian Jazz vocalist Flora Purim (with whom he recorded a duet), guitarist Joaquin Lievano, flutist Paul Horn, percussionist Munyungo Jackson, Brazilian keyboardist Jovino Santos-Neto and numerous others.
Influences
Tor Dietrichson's influences include such a wide variety of international artists as to read like a who's who of the finest musicians and soothsayers on the planet.---His biggest and most important influence is the title of The Lotus Sutra---NAM-MYOHO-RENGE-KYO---which he has chanted since the age of 13 years old in 1968. Other influences include SOKA GAKKAI PRESIDENT DAISAKU IKEDA, Zakir Hussain, Carlos Santana, Pharoah Sanders, Airto, Flora Purim, Alice Coltrane, Nina Simone, Diane Reeves, Steve Kindler, Ustad Allah Rakha, Pete Peringer, Mickey Hart, Ray Spiegel, Eddie Palmieri, Mongo Santamaria, Fransisco Aguabella, Armando Peraza, Mingo Lewis, Tito Puente, Karl Perazzo, Ravi Shankar, Ustad Ali Akbar Khan, John Coltrane, Junior Wells, Stevie Ray Vaughn, Paul Butterfield, Bob Dylan, Jimi Hendrix, Jim Morrison, McCoy Tyner, Carlos Federico, Julio Jauregui, Carlos Cascante, Skerik, Joe Doria, Silvestre Mendes, The Byrds, The Jefferson Airplane, Herbie Hancock, Wayne Shorter, Larry Coryell, Paul Horn, Miles Davis, Jules Broussard, George Harrison and on and on and on and on and on---
Sounds Like
All of the aforementioned Gods and Goddesses of the galactic flow of the universal law of the ebb and tide of the primordial subatomic and superatomic particles as carried on from time immemorial including All the Buddhas throughout the universe and including --- The Great Gods Indra, Chango and Tor --- Brahma, Shiva and Vishnu --- Bonten, Taishaku and Myojoten -- and also the great Bodhisattvas including Bodhisattva Wonder Sound, Cloud Sound King, Thunder Sound King and all of the Avatars throughout the Major and Minor world systems from beyond Gohyaku Jitengo and all the way to and from Time Without Beginning --- KUON GANJO ---- --------------------------------------NAM - MYOHO - RENGE - KYO --- NAM - MYOHO - RENGE - KYO --- NAM - MYOHO - RENGE - KYO ----
Tor Dietrichson is a multi percussionost, multi bandleader, vocalist and composer who plays a wide variety of music from all around the world. He has worked and/or recorded with many world renowned artists such as India's top tabla player Zakir Hussain, Grateful Dead drummer Mickey Hart, Santana percussionist Karl Perazzo, virtuoso violinist Steve Kindler, guitarist Joaquin Lievano, flutist Paul Horn, Brazilian vocalist Flora Purim, and numerous others. He was an original member of the legendary Diga Rhythm Band with Zakir Hussain and Mickey Hart, joining the band while still a teenager. He currently has numerous bands performing around the Seattle area featuring many of the Pacific Northwest's finest artists.
He is equally at home singing Blues with his Blues band "Troy D. Trixon Blues Machine", playing congas in his Salsa/Afro Cuban Jazz band "Mambo Cadillac", playing his many original compositions with his World Fusion ensemble "Global Village", accompanying Indian classical musicians on the tabla drums or in his Indian Fusion collboration "Nada Brahma",playing in his trio of roots rock music where he also sings called "The Pleasure Seekers" or working as a sideman in whatever ensembles may come his way. He has two recordings of his own music. The first one, "Global Village", charted high nationally and was released worldwide on Global Pacific/CBS/Sony Records and the second one, "Cosmic View", has not been released yet. Both recordings feature many world renowned artists including all of the artists listed above except Mickey Hart. He has trained hundreds of people on both Afro Cuban congas and East Indian tabla drums and has personally assisted Zakir Hussain in teaching master classes in advanced tabla studies where he has written down all the music for the students. He is also known for his tremendous recitation orally of the tabla compositions. Tabla drums have a word for each sound produced on the drum that sounds very much like the drums and through vocal recitation is how Indian drums have been taught for several thousand years. He is the only person in the world to have recorded duets with Zakir Hussain both on tabla and conga drums. These duets can be heard on his recordings which can be heard by going to his website at
www.tordietrichson.com -- He received the prestigious Min On Art Award from the Soka Gakkai International President Daisaku Ikeda . The Soka Gakkai is a Buddhist lay organization of 15 million members worldwide that is working towards world peace and betterment. Tor Dietrichson has been a member of The Soka Gakkai since 1968. The members of The Soka Gakkai chant the Buddhist Mantra ---NAM-MYOHO-RENGE-KYO---- Which is the Title of the Highest Teaching of Buddhism, The Lotus Sutra, in order to attain Supreme Enlightenment and to help others do the same as part of their Buddhist practice. He has been very active around the Greater Seattle area in the field of World Music.
BIG HIGH performs live @ the High Dive in fremont this Friday! Check it out!
Here's a review of the band from the infamous Dennis Cook of Jambase.com: A touch too punchy to make the morning offerings, I stumbled in and got WOKE THE FUCK UP by Big High, a local hard rock ensemble and friends to Flowmotion that struck a first impression akin to my first mind-blowing Drunk Horse gig. Like Oakland's steel-plated punk-boogie juggernaut, Big High aren't screwing around and it wasn't a whole tune before I was shaking like a madman close to the stage. Killer tunes, a crazy tight band and a lead singer (Mesa on "vocal flyfishing") possessed of a fathomless bottom and high reachin' top end plus a leaping, fiercely engaging stage presence, and well Big High sorta rocked my widdle world. It's serious heavy muscle that puts a lil' anger and sex in your bloodstream, culminating in a frighteningly good cover of The Who's "Baba O'Riley" delivered in Dr. John style feather masks for no good reason except to be delightfully weird. If you're feeling Clutch, Parlor Mob or just dig quality hard rock you're missing out if you don't get to know Big High. At the end of their set I bellowed, quite uncontrollably, "We're awake now, motherfuckers!" Meant it, too. -- Dennis Cook--www.jambase.com www.myspace.com/bighighmusic BIG HIGH is also on facebook here: http://www.facebook.com/pages/BIG-HIGH/134022157365?ref=nf High Dive www.highdiveseattle.com 513 N 36th St # G Seattle, WA 98103-8693 (206) 632-0212 &
HOLA!!! Saludos Musicales, Visita mi myspace y podras escuchar un pequeno adelanto de mi proximo trabajo discografico YAOUNDE HI!!!!! Musical Greeting, visit my myspace and you will be able to listen a small preview of my upcoming release YAOUNDE. Mucha Paz, amor y musica Much Peace, Love and Music
Hey Tor hope all is well...just to let ur friends know about My New CD "Breaking Skin/Rompiendo el Cuero" now available at http://cdbaby.com/cd/congajohnny Tks Bro and look forward to jammin with you soon...ur Buddy "JC" Johnny Conga
HAPPY B-DAY again man...you really rocked both on KBCS Daily Planet Show and last night @ Ballard Kiss Cafe...we were smokin...can't wait til next gig!!!
Hanful of Lovin'
w Special Guest
Big High
The New Band featuring Mesa, Ari,
Sandy (Pandacon), & Steven (Project Lionheart)
Nectar Lounge Saturday May 30th, 2009 9pm
