Tenor-saxophonist George Garzone, a well respected educator at Berklee and a versatile improviser, formed the Fringe back in the 1970s (along with bassist Richard Appleman and drummer Bob Gullotti) so as to have an outlet in order to improvise quite freely.
The original unit recorded three albums for their Ap-Gu-Ga label (named after the first two letters of their last names) during 1978-82. By the time of their fourth and thus far final release for their label in 1986, John Lockwood was the band's bassist. Under that lineup they made further recordings for Popular Arts (1989) and Soul Note (1992). The Fringe has been fairly popular in the Boston area and continues as a group to the present time and now features Cuban drummer, Francisco Mela since Bob Gullotti's passing....
read more
Tenor-saxophonist George Garzone, a well respected educator at Berklee and a versatile improviser, formed the Fringe back in the 1970s (along with bassist Richard Appleman and drummer Bob Gullotti) so as to have an outlet in order to improvise quite freely.
The original unit recorded three albums for their Ap-Gu-Ga label (named after the first two letters of their last names) during 1978-82. By the time of their fourth and thus far final release for their label in 1986, John Lockwood was the band's bassist. Under that lineup they made further recordings for Popular Arts (1989) and Soul Note (1992). The Fringe has been fairly popular in the Boston area and continues as a group to the present time and now features Cuban drummer, Francisco Mela since Bob Gullotti's passing.
Mela adds a very new and unique Afro-Cuban sound to the group that includes Cuban rhythmic structures that excite and inspire a new sensation for the group.
Acoustic and electric bassist John Lockwood has toured the U.S. and Europe with Joe Henderson, Freddie Hubbard, Gary Burton, the Mel Lewis Big Band and The Fringe. He has also performed with The Buffalo Philharmonic, The Boston Pops, MIT Symphony, Pat Metheny, Dizzy Gillespie, Woody Shaw, Toots Thielemans, Stan Getz and Art Farmer.
A veteran jazzman, George Garzone has appeared on over 20 recordings. He began on the tenor when he was six, played in a family band and attended Berklee College of Music in Boston.
In addition, George Garzone has guested in many situations, touring Europe with Jamaaladeen Tacuma and performing with Danilo Perez, Joe Lovano, Jack DeJohnette, Rachel Z, Peter Erskine and John Patitucci among others.
Francisco Jose Mela is a Cuban drummer and percussionist who has performed with a wide array of prominent international Latin and jazz artists including Kenny Barron, Gary Bartz, JoAnne Brackeen, Jane Bunnett, Regina Carter, Anat Cohen, Paquito D'Rivera, George Garzone, Larry Grenadier, Stefon Harris, Lionel Loueke, Joe Lovano, Jason Moran, John Patitucci, John Scofield, Esperanza Spalding, Mark Turner McCoy Tyner, Chucho Valdés, Kenny Werner, and many others.
Mela released his first CD entitled Melao in 2006 to favorable reviews. His second release as a leader, Cirio which was on Half Note Records, was recorded in 2008 over a week-long residency at the New York’s Blue Note Jazz Club and features Mark Turner, Jason Moran, Larry Grenadier and Lionel Loueke. Tree Of Life (2011), Mela’s third recording and second release on Half Note, is an amalgamation of his favorite bands that inspired him to become a drummer (Miles Davis’ fusion group featuring Chick Corea and Keith Jarrett, Weather Report, and the Latin-jazz super group Irakere). The album highlights an ensemble coined “Cuban Safari,” and provides Mela space to showcase a diverse fusion of Cuban and jazz polyrhythms. Tree Of Life received critical acclaim by a range of jazz journalists and critics and solidified Mela as one of his generation’s rising band leaders.
show less
