Ancient Future Performs at Halanda Studio in San Jose, May 11, 2013

Halanda Studio Presents Ancient Future In Concert

Celtic Raga Program

Celtic Raga Duet Hi-Res Photo by Julie Marten (5 MB):
http://www.ancient-future.com/images/celtrag300dpi10.2x6.8.jpg

Featuring Matthew Montfort (scalloped fretboard and fretless guitars) and Ferhan Qureshi (tabla)

Saturday, May 11, 7 pm
Halanda Studio for Dance and Fitness
1062 Lincoln Avenue
San Jose, CA 95125
Registration: $20 in advance through Halanda Studio PayPal, $25 at the door.
Info: 408-246-1129 or 408-369-1304
Email: info@halanda.com
Venue Website: http://halanda.com/calendar-e.html#AncientFuture
Ancient Future Website: www.ancient-future.com
Facebook Event: https://www.facebook.com/events/586673544684834/

Celtic Raga Program

Celtic (kel'tik), adj. of the Celts, their Indo-European languages, culture, etc. raga (räg'a), n. [Hind.] a melodic recipe for a mood including ascending and descending note patterns and a hierarchy of note importance
Strains of ancient Celtic music and Indian raga emanate from this high energy improvisatory duet featuring world guitar pioneer Matthew Montfort accompanied by Ferhan Qureshi on tabla. One of the variations of the virtuoso world fusion music ensemble, Ancient Future, this duet has performed in a variety of settings, from the huge audience (police estimate of 35,000 people) at the Summer of Love 30th Anniversary Celebration in San Francisco, to a standing room only three hour bar gig in Southern Oregon, to the Festival Internacional de la Guitarra on the golden coast of Spain near Barcelona.
"It was heart-warming to see teenage girls in swirling dresses swaying and twirling to the Indian themes (almost like morning ragas) of Ancient Future, one of the morning performing groups."--Philip Elwood, SAN FRANCISCO EXAMINER (review of Summer of Love performance, that according to the San Francisco Chronicle, was famed concert promoter Chet Helm's "crowning achievement")

Matthew Montfort

Matthew Montfort Hi-Res Photo by Julie Marten (2 MB):
http://www.ancient-future.com/images/matthewmontfort600.jpg
The leader of the world music group Ancient Future, Matthew Montfort, released his first solo recording, Seven Serenades for Scalloped Fretboard Guitar, in 2009. He is a pioneer among guitarists who have had their fretboards scalloped in order to play various forms of world music that require intricate note-bending ornaments while still being able to play chords. Montfort immersed himself in an intensive study with vina master K.S. Subramanian in order to fully apply the South Indian gamaka (note-bending) techniques to the guitar. He is recognized as one of the world's 100 Greatest Acoustic Guitarists by DigitalDreamDoor.com, a curated "best of" site, along with such luminaries as Michael Hedges, Leo Kottke, Chet Atkins, John Fahey, Merle Travis, John Renbourn, Tommy Emmanuel, Doc Watson, Pierre Bensusan, Alex De Grassi, and Peppino D'Agostino. The December 2009 Les Paul issue of Guitar Player Magazine includes a full page feature on Matthew Montfort with a corresponding GuitarPlayer.Com video and lesson entitled “The Music of Jimi Hendrix Applied to Indian Raga.” He has performed concerts worldwide, from the Festival Internacional de la Guitarra on the golden coast of Spain to the Festival of India in Mumbai. He has performed live on national radio and TV shows such as the Echoes Living Room Concerts on Public Radio International, and the Rachel Maddow Show on MSNBC. He has worked with many world music legends, including tabla phenomenon Zakir Hussain and Chinese zither master Zhao Hui. Montfort wrote the book Ancient Traditions – Future Possibilities: Rhythmic Training Through the Traditions of Africa, Bali, and India, which has been used by many musicians to improve their rhythm skills.

Ferhan Najeeb Qureshi (tabla)

Ferhan Najeeb Qureshi is a senior disciple of the legendary tabla master Ustad Tari Khan. Prior to his ongoing training with Ustad Tari Khan, Ferhan took his initial lessons in Hindustani (North Indian classical) music theory and practice with Surinder Singh Mann. Ferhan studies the Punjab gharana (school) of classical tabla which both of his teachers represent. In addition to performing tabla lehara (tabla solo), Ferhan Qureshi has also accompanied numerous distinguished classical artists (vocalists, instrumentalists and dancers) both in the United States and in Pakistan.

Mariah Parker's Indo Latin Jazz Ensemble Performs at the Freight and Salvage, Berkeley, 1/20/2013

Mariah Parker's Indo Latin Jazz Ensemble

Mariah Parker's Indo Latin Jazz Sextet (clockwise: Mariah Parker, Matthew Montfort, Paul McCandless, Kash Killion, Brian Rice, Ian Dogole). Hi-res collage by Mettagraphics (7' x 7' jpg, 3 MB)

Live Concert Recording Session and Birthday Celebration

Sunday, January 20, 2013, 8:00 PM
Freight and Salvage
2020 Addison Street
Berkeley, CA 94704
Tix: $20.50 adv. at Freight Box Office and Ticketweb.com, $22.50 door (doors open at 7:00 PM)
Info: (510) 644-2020, info@freightandsalvage.org
Facebook Event. Download Poster.

Mariah Parker's multi-faceted approach to music blends the driving rhythmic syncopations of Latin jazz, the uplifting spirit of Eastern music, and the soul of flamenco. On the evening of January 20, 2013, Mariah and her world-class Indo Latin Jazz Ensemble collaborate for a live CD recording session at the Freight & Salvage, Berkeley's premier music performance space. That evening, which is Mariah's birthday, the band will present compelling new pieces Mariah composed for a live album following up on Sangria, her critically acclaimed debut release on Ancient-Future.Com Records.

The concert features Mariah Parker (composer, piano, santur) and a stellar lineup of musicians including Paul McCandless (Grammy award-winning woodwind virtuoso with the groups Oregon and Paul Winter Consort), Matthew Montfort (pioneering guitarist with Ancient Future), Ian Dogole (global percussion), Brian Rice (Latin percussion), and Kash Killion (bass, cello, bolong).

"Parker and friends blend the rhythmic syncopations of Latin jazz music with the entrancing, asymmetrical meters of East Indian rhythms resulting in first-class world music. Intriguing melodies that draw musical inspiration from the tempos of Brazil, Cuba, India and Spain make for an uplifting serene yet passionate musical journey into an ideal world." - LATIN BEAT MAGAZINE

"Mariah Parker's Indo Latin Jazz Ensemble packed Yoshi's in Jack London Square, and the incredible live performance had the audience screaming for more of the Indo-Latin jazz rhythms filling the celebrated jazz club." - BERKELEY DAILY PLANET

"Mariah Parker's Indo Latin Jazz Ensemble creates voodoo... when I saw them live at Kuumbwa Jazz Cafe they were purely raw and fearless." - JOHN SHELTON IVANY, TOP 21 (former editor of Hit Parader and Rock and Soul national magazines)

Ancient-Future.Com Recording Artist Mariah Parker and Her Indo Latin Jazz Ensemble

Mariah Parker's Indo Latin Jazz Sextet (from left: Mariah Parker, Fred Randolph, Matthew Montfort, Paul McCandless, Brian Rice, Ian Dogole). Hi-res photo by Ted Cohen (8 x 4 jpg, 1.6 MB)

Mariah Parker (composition, piano, santur)

Mariah Parker. Hi-res photo by Ross Pelton (5 x 7 jpg, 2.3 MB)

www.mariahparkermusic.com
Mariah Parker is a composer and multi-instrumentalist whose main instruments are santur and piano. Her first instrument was the piano which she began playing at age 5. Later in music school, she fell in love with the sound of the santur when she heard it drifting across campus. The transition was a natural one given that the santur, along with its Western offspring, the hammered dulcimer, is the ancestor of the piano. The strings of the santur are played directly with delicate hammers, creating a beautiful shimmering sound, while the strings of the piano are mechanically triggered by striking the keys.

While completing her degree in music at UC Santa Cruz, she worked with ethnomusicologist Fred Lieberman and Mickey Hart on the Planet Drum project. She has performed in the US and Europe, and worked with many musicians of note including acoustic guitar icon Alex de Grassi, composer Pauline Oliveros, the late Zimbabwean composer Dumisani Maraire, and the innovative world music group Ancient Future.


Mariah Parker with santur. Hi-res photo by Ross Pelton (5 x 4 jpg, 1.6 MB)

Matthew Montfort (Scalloped Fretboard Guitar)

Recently recognized as one of the world's 100 Greatest Acoustic Guitarists, Montfort is a pioneer of the scalloped fretboard guitar (an instrument combining qualities of the South Indian vina and the steel string guitar). The leader of the seminal world fusion music ensemble Ancient Future, Montfort's first solo guitar recording, 'Seven Serenades for Scalloped Fretboard Guitar,' debuted at #8 on the 2009 ZMR World Radio Chart. He has performed world wide, including at the Festival Internacional de la Guitarra in Spain and the Mumbai Festival at the Gateway of India.

Paul McCandless (Reed Virtuoso)

During a distinguished career spanning three decades, Paul McCandless has brought a soaring lyricism to his playing and composing that has been integral to the ensemble sound of two seminal world music bands, the original Paul Winter Consort and the relentlessly innovative quartet, Oregon. A gifted multi-instrumentalist and composer, McCandless has specialized in an unusually broad palette of both single and double reed instruments that reflect his grounding in both classical and jazz disciplines.

Brian Rice (Latin Percussion)

Brian Rice is a freelance percussionist with a B.M. in Percussion Performance and Ethnomusicology from the Oberlin Conservatory of Music. A well-rounded musician, Brian is a highly acclaimed performer, educator and recording artist adept at numerous musical styles including Latin, Afro-Cuban, Brazilian, and contemporary music. Brian currently performs with several groups including Mike Marshall with Choro Famoso and the Antionio Calogero Quartet (featuring Paul McCandless and Mike Manring).

Ian Dogole (Global Percussion)

For three decades, Ian Dogole has articulated his vision of Global Fusion Music as a multi-percussionist, bandleader, educator, recording artist, composer and producer. He is a member of Ancient Future, and has recorded and performed with artists such as Hamza el Din, Tito La Rosa, and Alex de Grassi on a wide variety of percussion instruments, including udu, cajon, hang, African talking drum, kalimbas, cymbals and dumbek. Ian has received numerous grants, including a Jazz Performance Fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts.

Kash Killion (Bass, Cello, Bolong)

Kash Killion has played extensively with such icons as Cecil Taylor, John Zorn, Sun Ra, Butch Morris, and George Lewis. His interest in avant-garde jazz was ignited by Sun Ra in 1978, and further heightened by meeting and playing with Pharoah Sanders. Playing cello, bass and assorted Middle Eastern stringed instruments such as sarangi and esraj, Kash's concert history includes performances with Donald Byrd, George Cables, Billy Higgins, and Reggie Workman as well as the Sun Ra Arkestra.

Videos

www.youtube.com/mariahparker


Mariah Parker's Indo Latin Jazz Ensemble performs 'Affinity Minus One' at Yoshi's


Ancient Future performs 'Sangria' by Mariah Parker at 30th Anniversary Concert at Freight & Salvage

Sangria by Mariah Parker

Hi-res CD cover art of Sangria (3.2 MB)


Sangria by Mariah Parker (Ancient-Future.Com AF 2017). $17.98: Buy 1 Now. audio.

Mariah Parker's debut recording on Ancient-Future.Com Records, Sangria, features her original compositions that draw musical inspiration from Brazil, Cuba, Spain, and India. Her Indo Latin Jazz Ensemble accompanies her and includes musicians from the bands Ancient Future, Oregon, Sun Ra, and Herbie Hancock's Headhunters.

To date, Sangria has received airplay on over 408 New World, Jazz, and Latin radio programs including two tracks on the Smooth Jazz Now Top 100 Songs of 2009 Chart, and earned rave reviews such as the following:

"Dazzling debut.... Parker’s subtle and sensuous sounds reflect exotic flavors of India, the Middle East and Latin America." - PALO ALTO DAILY NEWS

"Spicy tantalizing flamenco melodies cross pollinate with East Indian rhythms." - MAXIMUM INK MUSIC MAGAZINE

End of the Beginning of the Ancient Future Celebration

End of the Beginning of the Ancient Future

World Without Walls by Ancient Future. (Capitol/Sona Gaia 163). Reconditioned CD - $24.98: Buy Link. audio.

End of the Beginning (Matthew Montfort. 5:15). audio.

Celebrate the End of the Mayan 'Time of No-Time' with the Music of Ancient Future!

There's been much ado concerning the end of the current 5125 year cycle of the Mayan Long Count calendar on December 21, 2012. Legend has it that the first of seven Mayan prophecies refers to the last 20 years of this cycle (1992-2012) as the 'The Time of No-Time.' But far from being the end of the world, evidently the end of the 'Time of No-Time' is party time! According to USA TODAY, Sandra Noble of the Foundation for the Advancement of Mesoamerican Studies says, "For the ancient Maya, it was a huge celebration to make it to the end of a whole cycle." What more appropriate way to celebrate and shape the new era to follow than with the music of Ancient Future?

With that in mind, Ancient Future announces the 'End of the Beginning.' Says Ancient Future leader Matthew Montfort, "In 1990, I wrote this piece to capture a feeling of something ending to create hope for a new beginning in which the environment would be thought of as the giver of all life that must be protected rather than something simply to be exploited. It suddenly seems very appropriate for this moment in time. Now that I know about the Mayan 'Time of No-Time, I can see that I wrote the 'End of the Beginning' near the beginning of the end of the beginning!"

To celebrate the composition's coming of age as a perfect fit for the end of this era, from now through December 21, 2012, a complimentary media promo copy of World Without Walls by Ancient Future, which includes 'End of the Beginning,' will be sent to anyone who spends $51.25 or more on music from the Ancient-Future.Com store.

As its name suggests, World Without Walls by Ancient Future depicts a musical world without borders. This 1990 recording features Ancient Future members Matthew Montfort (guitars), Jim Hurley (violin), Doug McKeehan (keys), and Ian Dogole (percussion), plus special guest performances by world music legend and tabla master Zakir Hussain. The inviting melodies and ingenious use of ethnic textures make World Without Walls one of Ancient Future's most accessible and broadly appealing releases ever.

Long out of print, by 2011World Without Walls had become a collector's item, with a rare unopened original CD copy going for over $200 on Amazon.com. Then, on June 7, 2011, the exact lineup of Ancient Future that performed on World Without Walls reunited to perform for the first time in over 15 years at Yoshi's San Francisco. To celebrate the reunion, and capitalize on pent up demand, Capitol Records released the first ever digital download version of World Without Walls on iTunes and all major digital retailers. The reissue debuted at #39 on the October 2011 ZMR Airplay Chart, which covers many different radio genres, from Ambient to Folk, Jazz, and World, and at #34 on the CMJ New World Chart in November 2011. In 2012, World Without Walls was nominated by broadcasters worldwide as ZoneMusicReporter's top 5 Best World Albums of 2011.

For those who prefer CDs (the audio quality is much better, and the ritual of actually listening to music is preserved), a limited number of rare collectible original 1990 edition copies reconditioned and signed by Ancient Future leader Matthew Montfort are on sale exclusively at Ancient-Future.Com. So while there are no new CD copies in stores, Ancient Future does have a stash of media promo copies left over from the promotion campaign. This sale is a once-in-an-era chance to get ahold of a new CD copy of this rare release free with a music purchase of $51.25 or more at Ancient-Future.Com.

Plus, the four latest releases on Ancient-Future.Com Records are on sale for only $11 each with any other purchase at Ancient-Future.Com. Just purchase any book, CD, or make a donation to support the Archive of Future Ancient Recordings (the fan funded project to produce the eighth Ancient Future release), and have the option of purchasing any of the CDs below for only $11!



Planet Passion by Ancient Future (Ancient-Future.Com AF 2010). Digipak CD - $17.98 (End of the Beginning Sale: $11 with any other purchase): Buy Link. audio.

"If the members of the United Nations formed a world-fusion band, it might look and sound a little something like Ancient Future. Planet Passion strives to preserve the world’s vast musical heritage via international collaboration: the idea that one protects the old by creating something new. This is at the heart of fusion music and the heart of Ancient Future’s global aesthetics, too: a diverse, unified world without borders, a multicultural community, a new, reconstituted sonic reality." - LEO WEEKLY




Sympathetic Serenade for Scalloped Fretboard Guitar by Matthew Montfort. (Ancient-Future.Com EP AF-2012). EP CD-R $12.98 (End of the Beginning Sale: $11 with any other purchase): Buy Link. audio (Excerpt)

In response to the release of this new EP, Matthew Montfort was honored as one of the world's 100 Greatest Acoustic Guitarists.

"Anyone whose ever been taken with the inventions of Fahey, Basho, etc. when they wander off the beaten, song structured path will enjoy this instrumental, raga flavored diversion. A fine work that extends the guitar vocabulary." - MIDWEST RECORD




Seven Serenades for Scalloped Fretboard Guitar by Matthew Montfort. (Ancient-Future.Com AF 2008). Digipak CD - $17.98 (End of the Beginning Sale: $11 with any other purchase): Buy Link. audio.

"This unusual guitar album brings together world instruments to complement the scalloped fretboard guitar. I must admit that sometimes ragas played by guitar players seem to wander on forever, changing a note here and there and weaving a kind of slow, hypnotic journey. However, this guitar work is stunning, intricate and wonderfully melodic. If you are looking for good listening and something different for your CD shelf, this is it." - VICTORY REVIEW ACOUSTIC MUSIC MAGAZINE




Sangria by Mariah Parker (Ancient-Future.Com AF 2017). Digipak CD - $17.98 (End of the Beginning Sale: $11 with any other purchase): Buy Link. audio.

"Parker and friends blend the rhythmic syncopations of Latin jazz music with the entrancing, asymmetrical meters of East Indian rhythms resulting in first-class world music. Intriguing melodies that draw musical inspirations from the tempos of Brazil, Cuba, India and Spain make for an uplifting serene yet passionate musical journey into an ideal world." - LATIN BEAT MAGAZINE

World Without Walls Reunion Concert

Since this performance at Yoshi's San Francisco on June 7, 2011, Ancient Future has been invited to perform their World Without Walls Reunion program at festivals from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, to Bangalore, India.

Ancient Future Band Biography

Sepia photo for print (14.7" x 9.7" sepia jpg, 7.2 MB). Ancient Future circa 1990. Photo by Irene Young. Pictured: Matthew Montfort (guitars), Jim Hurley (violin), Doug McKeehan (keys), Ian Dogole (percussion).

BILLBOARD calls the group "trendsetters" for contributing to the emerging movement known as world fusion music, a term Ancient Future leader Matthew Montfort coined at the band’s inception for music that blends musical ideas from many different cultures. Formed in 1978, Ancient Future is the world's first and longest running ensemble dedicated exclusively to the mission of the creation of world fusion music. Their original music is an exhilarating fusion of exciting rhythms and sounds from around the globe that combines contemporary jazz and rock with the irresistible rhythms of African, Balinese, Indian, Middle Eastern and South American percussion, the rich harmonies of Europe, and the beautiful melodies of Asia.

In the years since the initial CD release of World Without Walls, Ancient Future has expanded from its core lineup through collaborations with noted masters of various world music traditions who are now an integral part of what is today more than just a band. Ancient Future has grown to become a large chamber ensemble of more than thirty performers from around the world with over a dozen smaller ensembles within it, enabling Ancient Future to realize its core mission of creating world fusion music.


Tabla master Zakir Hussain

Quotes

Hi-Res Square Cover Art (3 MB)

"What's an album like World Without Walls doing in the GEPR (Gibraltar Encyclopedia of Progressive Rock)? 'That's not prog!' I hear you say. Well, in my view it's definitely progressive, in the true sense of the word, rather than the 'sounds like Yes, Genesis or King Crimson' sense. Ancient Future coined the phrase 'World Fusion' to describe their music. World Without Walls is a remastered re-release of their 1990 classic, and doesn't sound dated at all. World Without Walls is a fusion of musical stylings, scales and rhythms from around the world. A careful listen will reveal that this is way beyond the usual health-food store 'World Music' offerings and is instead a high-energy, very experimental fusion of styles from around the world. Highly recommended." - GIBRALTAR ENCYCLOPEDIA OF PROGRESSIVE ROCK

"It's hard to remember — with the plethora of World Fusion albums currently available — a time when this sort of music was the new kid on the block. It showed up when much of the music on the radio was pretty much disposable (something that, unfortunately, hasn't changed so much), when the new jazz at the time was still inspired by polyrhythms rather than melody, and the alt music scene was . . . well, kind of grungy. This classic album by Ancient Future was a breath of fresh air at the time of its release in 1990. With inspired skill and a great respect for the other cultures from which they took much of their inspiration, the band blended western music with that of pretty much every other continent, weaving magic with their melodies and rhythms. And you know what? World Without Walls sounds as fresh and invigorating today as it did all those years ago upon its initial release. There's not a single bad moment on the album." - SleepingHedgehog.com

"When one listens to the melodies and musical textures of the fifth release 'World Without Walls' by the group Ancient Future, words like exotic, elegant and sublime immediately come to mind. World-class musicians including award-winning guitarist, Matthew Montfort, composer/violinist Jim Hurley and Zakir Hussain, master of the North Indian Tabla have blended these various musical styles and phrasings into a musical fusion that honors and yet transcends the cultural and political boundaries. Check out the group on YouTube and see if you are not drawn into their hypnotic enchantment." - BOWLING GREEN DAILY NEWS

"Ancient Future was all about 'world fusion' before world music was even a genre. Violinist Jim Hurley came on board for this long-out-of-print 1990 outing, joining the core group of guitarist Matthew Montfort, keyboardist Doug McKeehan and percussionist Ian Dogole and remaining as a member for the rest of the group's seven studio albums. Tabla player extraordinaire Zakir Hussain was recruited for three songs. Other highlights are 'Lakshmi Rocks Me,' a tribute to south Indian violinist L. Shankar; 'End of the Beginning,' a mashup of ancient Celtic and Indian influences; 'Turkish Taffy,' boasting a triple-lead attack comprising guitar, piano and acoustic violin; 'Indra's Net,' inspired by Hindu mythology and featured in the soundtrack for the drift-net fishing documentary 'Closing the Curtains of Death'; and 'Gopi Song,' a tip of the hat to Pandit Ram, master of a north Indian bowed string instrument called the sarangi." - GOOD NEW MUSIC

"Bloody hell, get me some Alzheimer's drugs, will you? Ancient Future was on Narada's Sona Gaia subsidiary with a world beat album that was ahead of it's time and they were hanging out with Zappa's world beat buddies and I don't remember any of it? Each track has a different taste and a different texture making this a world beat travelogue that gleefully genre bends whatever the crew felt like with a merger of hillbilly and Indian music, the sound of an African traffic jam and more stuff that tastes good without the over riding vibe of being good for you. And it's not empty calories either. No wonder the group labored so long and so hard to get Capitol to reissue this, it's time. More bloody hell, new copies of this are going for over $200 on Amazon! How did I miss this? This is the world beat/jazz/pop album for people that shy away from things called world beat and jazz. Fun stuff throughout that still sounds fresh and in the moment today." - MIDWEST RECORD


MediaWorldWithoutWalls.pdf(7.9 MB Media Report)

Scalloped Fretboard Guitar Pioneer Matthew Montfort Added to DigitalDreamDoor.com List of 100 Greatest Acoustic Guitarists

Scalloped Fretboard Guitar Pioneer Matthew Montfort Makes 100 Greatest Acoustic Guitarists List

DigitalDreamDoor.com's 100 Greatest Acoustic Guitarists

DigitalDreamDoor.com is a website featuring Greatest 100 Music, Movie, and Book lists. On August 12, 2012, scalloped fretboard guitar pioneer Matthew Montfort was added to their 100 Greatest Acoustic Guitarists list. Inclusion on the list is based on originality, innovation, technique, and influence on other acoustic guitarists. The list is intended for musicians whose primary instrument is the acoustic guitar, but not including the pioneers of jazz, classical, or flamenco, as DigitalDreamDoor.com maintains separate lists for those genres. Matthew Montfort joins luminaries such as Michael Hedges, Leo Kottke, Chet Atkins, John Fahey, Adrian Legg, Merle Travis, John Renbourn, Tommy Emmanuel, Doc Watson, Pierre Bensusan, Toni Rice, Alex De Grassi, Stefan Grossman, Artie Traum, Joni Mitchell, and Peppino D'Agostino in receiving this honor.

Biography

Video of 'Soul Serenade' from Matthew Montfort's Seven Serenades for Scalloped Fretboard Guitar

As leader of the world music group Ancient Future, Matthew Montfort has devoted himself to the scalloped fretboard guitar since 1978. Montfort immersed himself in an intensive study with vina master K.S. Subramanian in order to fully apply the South Indian gamaka (note-bending) techniques to the guitar. He has worked with many world music legends, including tabla phenomenon Zakir Hussain and Chinese zither master Zhao Hui. He has performed hundreds of concerts worldwide since 1978, from New York City's Carnegie Recital Hall to the Atlantis nightclub in Beirut, Lebanon. His scalloped fretboard work was featured in 2003 and 2005 at the Festival Internacional de la Guitarra on the golden coast of Spain, which showcases top guitarists from all over the world. He toured India in 2006 and 2008, performing at the prestigious Festival of India in Mumbai with sitar master Pandit Habib Khan and tabla maestro Pandit Swapan Chaudhuri. He has performed live on national shows such as the Echoes Living Room Concerts on PRI, and the Rachel Maddow Show on MSNBC. He holds a B.A. in World Music and Composition and an M.A. in Arts and Media Technology from Antioch University. For his M.A. thesis, Montfort wrote the book Ancient Traditions — Future Possibilities: Rhythmic Training Through the Traditions of Africa, Bali, and India, which has been used by many musicians to improve their rhythm skills. Matthew Montfort teaches all styles of guitar along with music theory and repertoire for all instruments. He offers private lessons, music tutorials, and group classes in the San Francisco Bay Area and online via Skype, and is available to teach master classes and workshops worldwide.

Scalloped Fretboard Guitar

In late 1978, luthier Ervin Somogyi carved out the wood between the frets of Montfort's Gibson SJ Deluxe so that the pads of his fingers touch only the strings, reducing friction while bending them to produce ornaments more characteristic of the sitar. While visually subtle, the difference in sound is striking. Montfort had his fretboard scalloped in order to play various forms of world music that require intricate note-bending ornaments while still being able to play chords. He uses the South Indian vina method of bending notes: the strings are pulled across the frets in order to raise the pitch.

Sympathetic Serenade for Scalloped Fretboard Guitar by Matthew Montfort (Ancient-Future.Com Records EP AF-2012)

Sympathetic Serenade for Scalloped Fretboard Guitar by Matthew Montfort. Ancient-Future.Com EP AF-2012. iTunes. >audio (Excerpt)

Matthew Montfort was added to the 100 Greatest Acoustic Guitarists List partly in response to the release of his new EP. When Montfort was working on his 2009 debut solo recording for scalloped fretboard guitar, he recorded a number of spontaneously improvised serenades. Were it not for some serendipitous sequencing coupled with the allure of alliteration, it's likely that 'Sympathetic Serenade' would have been released as the eighth improvisation on what became Seven Serenades for Scalloped Fretboard Guitar. Instead, this evocative Spanish serenade/raga hybrid receives a mini EP treatment on Matthew Montfort's Sympathetic Serenade for Scalloped Fretboard Guitar. The nearly 11 minute long track is now available as a download complete with nine pages of digital liner notes at digital retailers such as iTunes, and as a signed CD-R exclusively at Ancient-Future.Com.

Quotes

"I first realized Matthew Montfort was a true guitar wizard when he called me on the phone and played me one flawless Hendrix riff after another. We were in the seventh grade. By the time we escaped high school, Matt had gone acoustic, turning coffee house basements into his own planet with fierce improvisations. Now a pioneering master of world fusion, his knowledge and depth are staggering, yet he doesn't let it get in the way of the joy and spirit and soul that we like about music in the first place." — Jello Biafra, Dead Kennedy singer turned spoken word artist

"Matthew Montfort is an American Ravi Shankar on guitar." —Pandit Habib Khan, sitarist

"Matthew Montfort's synthesis of styles and sounds isn't superficial — he plucks the essential musicality of several traditions without discounting them. Beautiful world fusion music." — Roger Carlberg, ELECTRONIC MUSICIAN

"The most beautiful, soulful guitar I have ever heard!!"— Chandi Devi, Editor-in-Chief, KARMACAFE.COM

"Master of the scalloped fretboard guitar." — J. Poet, EAST BAY EXPRESS

"Matthew Montfort plays a special, scalloped fretboard acoustic instrument that lets him get the bends of an Indian sitar. He uses it to weave seductive melodies." — John Diliberto (host of ECHOES, syndicated on PRI stations)

"Thorough knowledge of Hindustani microtonal ornaments, transferred in ways that create one of the most distinctive guitar sounds in contemporary music. When this level of mastery is reached, there is no need to rewrite. The first improvisation has the depth of a reworked composition." — Teed Rockwell, INDIA CURRENTS

"This guitar work is stunning, intricate and wonderfully melodic." — J.W. McClure, VICTORY MUSIC

"The mind-bending playing abilities of guitar virtuoso, Matthew Montfort, stem from the note-bending capabilities of the scalloped fretboard guitar." — Matthew Forss, INSIDE WORLD MUSIC

"Matthew Montfort conjures lovely Asian zither-like inflections with a scalloped fretboard guitar." — GUITAR PLAYER

Ancient Future Nominated for North Bay Bohemian 2012 NorBay World Music Award

Ancient Future Artist Photo. Pictured: Emam (tabla), Doug McKeehan (keys), Irina Mikhailova (vocals), Matthew Montfort (guitars), Pandit Habib Khan (sitar).

The world music group Ancient Future is a finalist in the NORTH BAY BOHEMIAN 2012 North Bay Music Awards in the World/Reggae category. There are five finalists in each category. Reader's votes will determine who wins the 2012 NorBay Gold Record Award. Bohemian.com readers and fans of Ancient Future can vote for the band in the World Music category at:

http://posting.bohemian.com/northbay/Survey?survey=2295166

Voting closes July 11 at 5 PM. The rules appropriately only allow for one vote per reader.

The BOHEMIAN 2012 North Bay Music Award is Ancient Future's third world music award nomination of the year. On February 12, 2012, 'World Without Walls' by Ancient Future with special guest Zakir Hussain was nominated by ZoneMusicReporter.com broadcasters worldwide for Best World Album of 2011, and then on February 21, 2012, About.com readers nominated Ancient Future for the About.com World Music Trailblazer Award.

Ancient Future Band Biography

Ancient Future Reunion Band circa 1990. Pictured: Matthew Montfort (guitars), Jim Hurley (violin), Doug McKeehan (keys), Ian Dogole (percussion).

Formed in 1978, Ancient Future is the world's first and longest-running band dedicated to the creation of world fusion music! BILLBOARD calls the group "trendsetters" for contributing to the emerging movement known as world fusion music, a term Ancient Future leader Matthew Montfort coined at the band's inception for music that blends musical ideas from many different cultures. Their original music is an exhilarating fusion of exciting rhythms and sounds from around the globe that combines contemporary jazz and rock with the irresistible rhythms of African, Balinese, Indian, Middle Eastern and South American percussion, the rich harmonies of Europe, and the beautiful melodies of Asia.

Over the years, Ancient Future has expanded from its core lineup through collaborations with noted masters of various world music traditions who are now an integral part of what is today more than just a band. Ancient Future has grown to become a large chamber ensemble of more than thirty performers from around the world with over a dozen smaller ensembles within it, enabling Ancient Future to realize its core mission of creating world fusion music.

Ancient Future has released seven full length studio albums selling over 150,000 units: 'Visions of a Peaceful Planet,' 'Natural Rhythms,' 'Quiet Fire,' 'Dreamchaser,' 'World Without Walls,' 'Asian Fusion,' and 'Planet Passion.' Over one million legal mp3 files from three of these releases on Ancient-Future.Com Records have been distributed commercially. Ancient Future is also featured on samplers selling millions of units on labels such as Putumayo and Narada. They are currently working on their eighth release, the fan supported 'Archive of Future Ancient Recordings.' Fans can participate in the process by subscribing at http://www.ancient-future.com/afar.html. There are already seven tracks in the archive totaling more than fifty minutes, available immediately to subscribers. More tracks will be added as additional funds are raised for recording.

Matthew Montfort Releases New Solo Scalloped Fretboard Guitar Recording

Ancient-Future.Com Records Releases Mini EP by World Music Guitar Pioneer Matthew Montfort on May 22, 2012

Sympathetic Serenade for Scalloped Fretboard Guitar by Matthew Montfort (Ancient-Future.Com Records EP AF-2012)

Hi-Res Cover Art by Matthew Montfort (2 MB, 300 dpi 5" x 5")

Sympathetic Serenade for Scalloped Fretboard Guitar by Matthew Montfort. Ancient-Future.Com EP AF-2012. >audio (Excerpt)

When Matthew Montfort was working on his debut solo recording for scalloped fretboard guitar (a special guitar modified to enable ornaments characteristic of the sitar), he recorded a number of spontaneously improvised serenades. Were it not for some serendipitous sequencing coupled with the allure of alliteration, it's likely that this recording would have been released as the eighth improvisation on what became Seven Serenades for Scalloped Fretboard Guitar. Instead, this evocative Spanish serenade/raga hybrid receives a mini-EP treatment on Matthew Montfort's Sympathetic Serenade for Scalloped Fretboard Guitar. The nearly 11 minute long track, entitled 'Sympathetic Serenade,' is available May 22, 2012, as a download complete with nine pages of digital liner notes at digital retailers such as iTunes, and as a signed CD-R exclusively at Ancient-Future.Com.

Scalloped Fretboard Guitar

Hi-Res Instrument Photo by Teja Gerken taken for article in ACOUSTIC GUITAR (5 MB, 300 dpi 6" x 12.2")

Already well known as the leader of the trailblazing world music group Ancient Future, Matthew Montfort's solo recordings showcase his pioneering work on the scalloped fretboard guitar. In late 1978, luthier Ervin Somogyi carved out the wood between the frets of Montfort's Gibson SJ Deluxe so that the pads of his fingers touch only the strings, reducing friction while bending them to produce ornaments more characteristic of the sitar. While visually subtle, the difference in sound is striking. Montfort had his fretboard scalloped in order to play various forms of world music that require intricate note-bending ornaments while still being able to play chords. He uses the South Indian vina method of bending notes: the strings are pulled across the frets in order to raise the pitch.

Biography

Hi-Res Artist Photo by Julie Marten (2 MB, 300 dpi 4.3" x 6.5")

As leader of the world music group Ancient Future, Matthew Montfort has devoted himself to the scalloped fretboard guitar since 1978. Montfort immersed himself in an intensive study with vina master K.S. Subramanian in order to fully apply the South Indian gamaka (note-bending) techniques to the guitar. He has worked with many world music legends, including tabla phenomenon Zakir Hussain and Chinese zither master Zhao Hui. He has performed hundreds of concerts worldwide since 1978, from New York City's Carnegie Recital Hall to the Atlantis nightclub in Beirut, Lebanon. His scalloped fretboard work was featured in 2003 and 2005 at the Festival Internacional de la Guitarra on the golden coast of Spain, which showcases top guitarists from all over the world. He toured India in 2006 and 2008, performing at the prestigious Festival of India in Mumbai with sitar master Pandit Habib Khan and tabla maestro Pandit Swapan Chaudhuri. He has performed live on national shows such as the Echoes Living Room Concerts on PRI, and the Rachel Maddow Show on MSNBC. He holds a B.A. in World Music and Composition and an M.A. in Arts and Media Technology from Antioch University. For his M.A. thesis, Montfort wrote the book Ancient Traditions — Future Possibilities: Rhythmic Training Through the Traditions of Africa, Bali, and India, which has been used by many musicians to improve their rhythm skills. Matthew Montfort teaches all styles of guitar along with music theory and repertoire for all instruments. He offers private lessons, music tutorials, and group classes in the San Francisco Bay Area and online via Skype, and is available to teach master classes and workshops worldwide.

Digital Release Specifications

Title: Sympathetic Serenade for Scalloped Fretboard Guitar
Track List: 1. Sympathetic Serenade (Montfort. 10:58)
Artist: Matthew Montfort
Label: Ancient-Future.Com Records EP AF-2012.
Mini EP Download with 9 Page Digital Liner Notes: $2.99 list at iTunes and other digital stores.
Mini EP CD-R Signed by Artist: $12.98 list exclusively at Ancient-Future.Com.
Genres: World Fusion, World Music, Acoustic Guitar.
Release Date: May 22, 2012.
Radio Add Date: June 19, 2012.
Artist Website: www.matthewmontfort.com
Myspace: www.myspace.com/matthewmontfort

Quotes

"I first realized Matthew Montfort was a true guitar wizard when he called me on the phone and played me one flawless Hendrix riff after another. We were in the seventh grade. By the time we escaped high school, Matt had gone acoustic, turning coffee house basements into his own planet with fierce improvisations. Now a pioneering master of world fusion, his knowledge and depth are staggering, yet he doesn't let it get in the way of the joy and spirit and soul that we like about music in the first place." — Jello Biafra, Dead Kennedy singer turned spoken word artist
"Matthew Montfort is an American Ravi Shankar on guitar." —Pandit Habib Khan, sitarist
"Matthew Montfort's synthesis of styles and sounds isn't superficial — he plucks the essential musicality of several traditions without discounting them. Beautiful world fusion music." — Roger Carlberg, ELECTRONIC MUSICIAN
"The most beautiful, soulful guitar I have ever heard!!"— Chandi Devi, Editor-in-Chief, KARMACAFE.COM
"Master of the scalloped fretboard guitar." — J. Poet, EAST BAY EXPRESS
"Matthew Montfort plays a special, scalloped fretboard acoustic instrument that lets him get the bends of an Indian sitar. He uses it to weave seductive melodies." — John Diliberto (host of ECHOES, syndicated on PRI stations)
"Thorough knowledge of Hindustani microtonal ornaments, transferred in ways that create one of the most distinctive guitar sounds in contemporary music. When this level of mastery is reached, there is no need to rewrite. The first improvisation has the depth of a reworked composition." — Teed Rockwell, INDIA CURRENTS
"This guitar work is stunning, intricate and wonderfully melodic." — J.W. McClure, VICTORY MUSIC
"The mind-bending playing abilities of guitar virtuoso, Matthew Montfort, stem from the note-bending capabilities of the scalloped fretboard guitar." — Matthew Forss, INSIDE WORLD MUSIC
"Matthew Montfort conjures lovely Asian zither-like inflections with a scalloped fretboard guitar." — GUITAR PLAYER

Hilary Rosen's Uncomfortable Truths About Politics and the Music Industry

Is Hilary Rosen an Uncomfortable Truth Vortex?

By Matthew Montfort

On April 11, CNN pundit Hilary Rosen commented that the wife of presidential candidate Mitt Romney had never worked a day in her life. This of course gave the Republicans an opening to use their patented moral outrage smokescreen to counter their low poll numbers among women voters. Democrats, they maintain, don't appreciate the hard work of stay-at-home moms such as Ann Romney.

More than a decade before Hilary Rosen stubbed her toe on the truth and ignited a Twitter firestorm that made her a household name, she helped me put my foot in my mouth so that the truth could set me free in a legal dispute. As one might expect, this is a bit of a long story. But I'm beginning to think that Hilary Rosen may be an uncomfortable truth vortex.

Before being a pundit, Ms. Rosen was the President of the Recording Industry Association of America, which was how our paths crossed. There was a major hearing in the Napster case, and I was the proposed Class Representative for Independent Musicians versus Napster. I was selected for that role because my world music band, Ancient Future, had an unusually high number of illegal downloads on Napster. I was to meet my attorney, Hannah Bentley, Esq., at the hearing, and afterwards I had a deposition to do at Napster headquarters. When I arrived at the courthouse, my attorney was not there yet, so I asked the court bailiff where I should sit. He sat me down on a front row bench. Soon thereafter, Hilary Rosen came over, introduced herself to me, and then congratulated me on how I had presented the issues facing independent musicians regarding file sharing in an interview on the front page of the San Francisco Chronicle business section. I had no idea that there was a story about me in the paper that day. I had been interviewed and photographed weeks before, but nothing had come of it, and so I was suspecting that the interview had been shelved because it wasn't about a major pop star. So I was quite surprised to find out that it had been published the day of this first major hearing in the case.

I thanked Hilary Rosen for her encouraging words. Immediately after that, the man sitting next to me asked me who I was. I launched into my speech about how I was an independent musician who was suing Napster. I told him that I felt the debate was not being properly presented by the media, as they were framing it as the major labels and big rock stars against the advancement of the Internet and poor college students. If that were really the case, I would've been on the side of the Internet and poor college students. But those who were really going to be hurt were the artists who were just getting by, not the big media conglomerates and the major rock stars. The rich or famous would find other ways to make money. But great artists who were not household names, but were doing important work nonetheless, would likely find that although they might have 10 times as many people download their recordings for free, their paid sales would decrease by the same factor. As a result their records would no longer recoup their recording costs, much less produce royalties for the musicians themselves.

At this point, the man sitting next to me said, "I'm Hank Barry, the CEO of Napster. Nice to meet you." This is a very interesting way of meeting someone that you are suing. Nonetheless, recovering from my shock of having just given my whole spiel directly to the opposing side, I immediately explained that I was not against Napster existing, but that I just wanted musicians to be paid for their work. He told me that he originally wanted to charge for downloads and pay the artists, but the major labels wouldn't play ball, so he decided to force the issue by promoting the idea that file sharing was good for the advancement of the Internet and would not harm artists. Little did he know that this would become a popular myth that changed the public's attitude about paying for music permanently, causing the collapse of the entire music industry, making even Napster's business plan obsolete. I explained that I had a whole plan to create a statutory rate for downloads, just as the recording industry had a statutory rate that it could use to simplify publishing agreements. I handed him a paper that detailed my proposal. He read the proposal, and then told me that he agreed with much of it and would read some of it in his CNN interview after the hearing.

About then, my attorney showed up, catching me fraternizing with the enemy. But it was too late, as we were having an exciting conversation, and he actually confided to me how nervous he felt being at the hearing. It was then that I offered him my humorous short science fiction story about music on the Internet 30 years into the future: The Adventures of Ustad Global Loopmaster Yahoo in the 21st Century. He read my story right there, a lot of which has actually come true, and appreciated it so much that he immediately passed it around to Napster's very large legal team, which included the famous David Boies of Bush versus Gore fame. This was all very surreal.

I could write a book about everything that happened in this court case after this moment. But what is relevant to Hilary Rosen's uncomfortable truth vortex is that her introduction was the catalyst for a very interesting interaction. Hank Barry went on to lobby Congress to create a system very similar to my statutory rate proposal. Ironically, Napster not only stole my music, but also my solution to their problem. Unfortunately, that solution was opposed by the major labels. Sen. Orrin Hatch was at first intrigued by the proposal, but after the major media companies called it government price-fixing, he opposed it. Never mind the fact that the same companies love statutory rates when they benefit from them in negotiations with publishers. I made another proposal, Open Market Digital Distribution, which would have allowed copyright holders to set their own rates for statutory licenses, but the major labels opposed that as well, likely because it would have given the artists more power than they had at the time.

The major labels won their battle against Napster, but lost the war against illegal downloads, perhaps partly because they held on to their power over artists at the expense of creating a business model for downloads that would have worked for everyone. Perhaps the Republicans have just won their faux battle over the value of stay-at-home moms, but they still might lose a few elections due to their war on the reproductive rights of women. Perhaps that is how a truth vortex functions.

Ancient Future band leader and scalloped fretboard guitar pioneer Matthew Montfort has over 30 years of experience in every aspect of the music business. He received widespread media coverage for his role as a class representative for independent musicians in the Napster court case. He has recorded with legendary world music figures such as tabla master Zakir Hussain. He has performed concerts world wide, including at the Festival Internacional de la Guitarra on the golden coast of Spain near Barcelona and the Mumbai Festival at the Gateway of India in Bombay. He has performed live on national shows such as the Rachel Maddow Show on MSNBC.