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Friday 07/25/2008
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Music :: Rock
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Backburner
7:00 PM  Pine Creek Lodge
Description:
Jazz favorite
Backburner will return to Pine Creek for a hot outdoor performance on Friday,
July 25th at 7pm. This poly-stylistic group incorporates straight ahead,
traditional, and modern jazz with Latin, funk, and classical music
influences. The quartet has four cd's under its belt, including a
self-titled album, a Christmas album entitled "12/25," "It Might as Well Be
Spring," and the recently released "Azure." "Azure" contains all
original compositions and was recorded with the concept of trying to emulate the
live sound and feel of the legendary Blue Note sessions.
Backburner's pianist and founding member Eric Funk is
also a Grammy-nominated composer and conductor of classical music and producer
of the award-winning Montana Public Television series 11th and Grant with Eric
Funk. He has worked professionally as a pianist for nearly 40 years,
playing with local jazz bands as well as national acts ranging from The Supremes
to Tennessee Ernie Ford. A Deer Lodge native, Eric is a founding member of
Bozeman's Gallatin Chamber Orchestra and an instructor at Montana State
University as well as director of the university's orchestra. He
previously acted as music director and conductor of the Helena Symphony
Orchestra and Symphonic Chorus and was once featured on the Charles Osgood CBS
Sunday Morning show.
The band's saxophonist, Alan
Fauque, was lead alto in the Guy Lombardo Orchestra and has played with The
Temptations, Bob Hope and Joanne Castle,
and Dave Grusin. His
experience runs the gamut from playing with local R&B groups as a young
adult to big band jazz. He has been teaching in public schools and Montana
State University for the last 22 years, and also gives private lessons.
Alan founded the Alan Fauque Swing Band and has performed dozens of cameos in a
variety of albums and film sound tracks.
Bass player,
composer, producer, and instructor Eddie Tsuru (a.k.a. Eddie T) has worked with
several Grammy winners and nominees. He studied under acclaimed bassist
Jeff Castleman (who performed with Duke Ellington, Frank Sinatra, Tony Bennett,
Ella Fitzgerald, and the Jackson Five) and Chuck Rainey (who performed with
Aretha Franklin and Steely Dan). Eddie is also the bassist for Andrew
Gromiller & the Organically Grown and Anna McGary. He has recorded or
performed with local musicians Jeni Fleming, Chris Cunningham, Ron Strykert (Men
At Work), Walking Jim Stoltz, Duke Sharp and the bands Poco Loco, the Alan
Fauque Swing Band, Fossils, Groovemeisters, Players, Big Caboose, Colo Colo,
Denny Earnest, and the Glen Johnston Swing Band. Tsuru teaches bass guitar
at Music Villa in Bozeman.
Rounding out this
multi-faceted band is drummer and percussionist Michael Gillan, who has covered
a multitude of styles over his 30 years of formal and street training, including
combo and big band jazz, funk, soul, blues, R&B, Latin, Celtic, country and
western, folk, and good ol' rock and roll. Gillan also performs with the
salsa band Poco Loco, the Professor Kelly & the G-Force, the Shuffle Bums,
and the legendary local band The Fossils.
Age Group: All Ages
Venue: Pine Creek Lodge
Address: 2496 East River Road, Livingston, MT 59047
Phone: 222-3628
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