Retro Blue is
Jim Ryan’s new trio reaching back into the urban blues of the ‘40s and ‘50s and soaring beyond the outer edge of free-style improvisation. The journey rumbles through several original blues & jump tunes (Run from Baby Blues, Bullshittin’ Charlie, Death of the Sun, & Jimmy’s Jump) written over vast reaches of time with Jim singing or shouting his heartfelt lyrics, and will blast into the unknown depths of total high-energy improvisation. Veterans Bob Marsh on double bass, and
Timothy Orr on drums will stoke the engines and soar into dizzying spirals of death-defying gymnastics or floating sonic suspensions. Jim on tenor & alto sax, and flute, as well as vocals will do the very best that he can. The second set will be graced by John Gruntfest, one of the finest saxophonists in the Bay Area, a mentor of many of the players who appear so frequently in the local listings. He's coming out of retirement to play on this gig. Don't miss this rare appearance.
Although
Jim Ryan took piano lessons as a child, and tried the trombone as an adolescent, his interest in music didn’t flower into playing regularly until much later when he was living in Paris, France and attempting to write the great novel (of which he wrote three but not so great). At some point he began picking up an Indian whistle flute after struggling mightily with the word. He found great relief in that. Then around 1968 the ‘free-jazz’ fashion hit Paris, Jim obtained a concert flute, then a saxophone, and began attending Steve Lacy’s weekly free-for-all jam sessions. His first band was ‘The Free Music Formation,’ in Paris, succeeded by ‘The Art Performance Group’ in Washington D.C. (1980), and ‘Forward Energy’ in the Bay Area (1997). ‘Forward Energy’ is still gigging on a regular basis and has over a half dozen recordings out on Edgetone Records.
Bob Marsh, a multi-multi instrumentalist, painter, and dancer has recently been concentrating on the contra bass after many years of deep involvement with the cello. His playing association with saxophonist Jack Wright (a.k.a. ‘the Johnny Appleseed’ of experimental saxophone improvisation) has continued for over 20 years. Their most recent duo concerts in the Bay Area took place just this past February. Bob began his artistic career in his hometown of Detroit, spent a goodly number of years on the music and art scene in Chicago, and finally migrated to the Bay Area at the turn of the century. For the past twelve years he has created many musical projects including: Doctor Bob, The Emergency String Xtet, and Mr. Mercury.
Timothy Orr was born in Hartford, CN in 1967 and started playing drums at age nine. From 1985-89 he studied drums with Ed Blackwell at Wesleyan University. During that time he played in rock, punk and grunge bands. After moving to the Bay Area he has played many styles of music from Zydeco to Free Jazz. He is presently a member of
Jim Ryan’s 'Forward Energy.' He has also followed a career in the music industry and is currently the Marketing Associate for the Monterey Jazz Festival.
Cost: 10-20 no one refused
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