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Gray / Hobbs / Hostetter / Braman: Lawnmower II (Clean Feed)

The second take of Boston area drummer Luther Grays' project Lawnmower with Jim Hobbs on sax, Kaethe Hostetter on violin and Winston Braman on electric bass, excellent jazz with unique instrumentation and a diversity of approaches.
 

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product information:

Personnel:



Jim Hobbs-alto saxophone

Kaethe Hostetter-violin

Winston Braman-electric bass

Luther Gray-drums


Click an artist name above to see in-stock items for that artist.




UPC: 5609063002980

Label: Clean Feed
Catalog ID: CF298
Squidco Product Code: 18861

Format: CD
Condition: New
Released: 2014
Country: Portugal
Packaging: Cardstock gatefold foldover
Recorded on September 17th, 2012 by Joe Stewart at Dimension Sound Studios in Jamaica Plain, MA .

Descriptions, Reviews, &c.

"Here is the second, and very much awaited, take of Luther Grays' project Lawnmower. With a change of direction inside the same jazz-blues-folk-rock configuration, now the quartet includes violin (Kaethe Hostetter) and electric bass (Winston Braman) instead of two guitars.

The saxophonist is Jim Hobbs again - without him, you wouldn't have the distinct Lawnmower sound. The avant side of the group is still directing all the developments, profiting from Gray's and Hobbs' parallel or past works with luminaries like Anthony Braxton, Joe McPhee, Ken Vandermark, Sabir Mateen, Jenny Toomey and Tsunami (the first), Bill Lowe, Jon Voight, Laurence Cook, Curtis Hasselbring (the second), Taylor Ho Bynum, Timo Shanko and Joe Morris (both).

The two new additions open this perspective in multiple ways. Coming from the Debo Band and the Zena Bel Band, with experiences in classical music (Boston Philharmonic, New England Philharmonic), structured improvisation (with Fred Frith, for instance) and traditional African music (a permanence in Ethiopia changed her life), Hostetter adds color and multi-directionality to the Lawnmower agenda. Active in the alternative rock field, as a member of the bands Consonant, Fuzzy and Shepherdess, Braman does it also, contributing to the formulation of a deep rooted and sophisticated pop/jazz in which equation the pop part isn't synonym of silliness. Check out how fresh, and surprising, and seductive, are the results."-Clean Feed


Artist Biographies

"Jim Hobbs was born and raised in north-eastern Indiana at the convergence of three rivers. He is a recipient of the Doris Duke New Works Grant for composition from Chamber Music America. After a childhood of chewing hay and catching salamanders he began playing the saxophone. He received a full scholarship to Berklee College of Music where he majored in composition. It was there that he met bassist Timo Shanko and started the Fully Celebrated Orchestra (FCO), which has released 10+ recordings on various labels including Silkheart, Skycap and Innova. FCO is also the subject of a children's book. He has performed and recorded with Joe Morris, Luther Gray, Taylor Ho Bynum, Bill Lowe, The Jazz Composers Alliance, Forbes Graham, The Prodigal Suns, Mackie Burnett, Fred Hopkins, Laurence Cook, Jon Voight, Junko Simons, Nightstick, The Death's Head Quartet, Josh Roseman, Curtis Hasselbring, The Lunch Factor, Laura Andel, Brother Blue and many others."

-All About Jazz (https://musicians.allaboutjazz.com/jimhobbs)
5/7/2025

Have a better biography or biography source? Please Contact Us so that we can update this biography.

"Drummer Luther Gray, though largely self-taught, his musical training involved drum lessons from Kim Martin, Larry Bright, Steve Bagby, and Mickey Newman. In 1995 he graduated the University of Miami with a Bachelor of Music, after which he taught privately and performed in the Washington , D.C. area with, among others, Butch Warren, Cecil Payne, Webster Young, Tsunami, Liquorice, Peter Edelman, Jenny Toomey, Bob Butta, and Buck Hill. Since moving to Boston he has resumed teaching private drum lessons and has played with Joe Morris, Jay Hoggard, Joe McPhee, Timo Shanko, Cameron Brown, Allan Chase, Joseph Daley, Sabir Mateen, Roy Campbell, Ida, Geoff Farina, Andrew White, Rob Brown, Bill Lowe, Greg Abate, Raqib Hassan, Bill Pierce, Mitch Seidman, Steve Swell, Joe Beck, Fred Anderson, Ken Vandermark and many others. In addition to his performing schedule Luther teaches art and music at an after-school program for elementary school children."

-Lilypad Inman (https://www.lilypadinman.com/luther-gray/)
5/7/2025

Have a better biography or biography source? Please Contact Us so that we can update this biography.


Track Listing:



1. Good Beat 8:01

2. Jumping Off The Bridge 5:56

3. Space Goat 12:18

4. Cartoon 2:03

5. Walk In The Park 6:26

6. Tiny Wings 8:46

7. Ashed All 7:40

Related Categories of Interest:

Clean Feed

Improvised Music
Jazz
Boston Area Improvisers
Staff Picks & Recommended Items
Quartet Recordings
Squidco's Clean Feed 50% Sale

Search for other titles on the label:
Clean Feed.


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