John Densmore's Tribaljazz

Bio:

.. ..

Tribaljazz, the brainchild of legendary Doors drummer John Densmore, blends and fuses improvisational jazz, beats and world music. In the end, what you hear is, truly, Tribaljazz. The band features John Densmore on drums, co-founder Art Ellis on Soprano / Alto Sax and Flute, two master African drummers, an upright bass player, a world- class pianist and a multi-instrumental percussionist.

"For thirty years I've been saying I was a jazz drummer before I got into The Doors. In the years since then, I still claim to be a jazz drummer. The problem is I've never actually made any jazz records. Finally I am putting my sticks where my mouth is. I soon joined forces with Art Ellis, A veteran jazz performer and composer. Art had been producing his original Afro/Jazz music with Jimmy Haslip of the Yellowjackets, as well as performing as opening act in festivals with Sting, King Sunny Ade, Milton Nascimento and many others. Forming the nucleus of what has become the Tribaljazz project, we began reworking the wonderfully melodic lines of Art's music into a synthesis of world rhythms and acoustic classic jazz that pleases us both. The result was the infusion of a "tribal" sound with accessible, heartfelt jazz tunes." - John Densmore

Tribaljazz is an acoustic jazz quartet engine, fuel-injected with the percussion power of several African Master drummers. Tribaljazz brings a provocative and energetic new voice to the Jazz and Jamband world. Tribaljazz is an experience - it's a seductive groove, with driving rhythms, that draws a wide eclectic audience - from Jazz aficionados and Classic rockers, to cutting edge Jamband followers without age or demographic limits.

"Our goal is to cut across all boundaries of musical tastes and reach the widest audience possible. Because Tribaljazz relies heavily on improvisation, the music continues to grow while staying fresh and alive. Ultimately, Tribaljazz wants to make each performance as exciting as possible, while maintaining the artistic depth and integrity which makes it interesting to us as performers, and hopefully to our audiences as well." - Art Ellis

Member Since:

September 08, 2005

Members:

Doors drummer comes out of the closet. John Densmore reveals that he is a democrat, and has been his whole life. He combines drumming and politics in this 2 minute video on the eve of what he hopes is a historic election.

Influences:

Jazz, Latin, Brazilian, African

Record Label:

Hidden Beach