Bassdrumbone at Paul Mahder Gallery

BassDrumBone is a trio that has wedded the uniqueness of its instrumentation with the singular personality of its three members. A true collective, their music combines three distinct compositional and improvisational approaches with an exceptional musical rapport. Mark Helias, Gerry Hemingway, and Ray Anderson began performing as a trio in the fall of 1977. Their first record "Oahspe," was released in 1979 on the Auricle Record label. Bob Rusch, in his review of the record, wrote, "Exceptionally good music, fearlessly played and tightly coordinated. Recommended."

In 1984 "Right Down your Alley" was released on Soul Note Records of Italy and, in the beginning of 1986, "You Be" was released on the Minor Music label of Germany. Both records received acclaim from the European and American press, including a five star review in "DownBeat Magazine" for "You Be."...

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BassDrumBone is a trio that has wedded the uniqueness of its instrumentation with the singular personality of its three members. A true collective, their music combines three distinct compositional and improvisational approaches with an exceptional musical rapport. Mark Helias, Gerry Hemingway, and Ray Anderson began performing as a trio in the fall of 1977. Their first record "Oahspe," was released in 1979 on the Auricle Record label. Bob Rusch, in his review of the record, wrote, "Exceptionally good music, fearlessly played and tightly coordinated. Recommended."

In 1984 "Right Down your Alley" was released on Soul Note Records of Italy and, in the beginning of 1986, "You Be" was released on the Minor Music label of Germany. Both records received acclaim from the European and American press, including a five star review in "DownBeat Magazine" for "You Be."

Next, in 1988, came "Wooferlo" which was released on the Soul Note label. Ben Watson of "Wire Magazine" commented, "Each musician has a story to tell, the solos are stuffed with event and happenstance."

After 1988 the group went into a temporary dormancy while all three of its members pursued their own individual groups. In the fall of 1993, BassDrumBone became active again for a tour in Europe. A tour in 1996 yielded "Hence the Reason" and, in March of 1999, BDB released some archival material from 1986-97 on an Auricle Records CD entitled "Cooked to Perfection." BassDrumBone celebrated its 25th year together with the release of "March of Dimes" on the Dutch label Data. On the eve of their 30th anniversary, Clean Feed released "The Line Up" followed by "The Other Parade," also on Clean Feed in 2009. On November 15, 2016 "The Long Road was released; a very special double CD on Auricle Records.

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