RUSS GERSHON'S OTHER BANDS The Wedding/Party/Function Band The Intimate Ensemble Joined by bassist Rick McLaughlin and drummer Pablo Bencid, Russ features his saxophone work in the Intimate Ensemble. The IE plays originals and standards and unusual jazz tunes by Clifford Jordan, Ted Curson, Charles Mingus, Stanley Cowell, Duke Ellington, Roscoe Mitchell, Dewey Redman and others. Where the Either/Orchestra is about the massed power and variety of a large group, the Intimate is about spontaneity, surprise and intensity. Mood Elevator With various guitarists including John Dirac, Rafael Alcala (Either/Orchestra) on keyboards, bassists and drummers including Rick McLaughlin (Either/Orchestra), Mike Rivard (Club D'Elf), Pablo Bencid (Either/Orchestra), Jerome Deupree (w/Joe Morris), Gershon fronts the electric quintet Blasto. This group meshes Dirac's unique blend of deep blues, rock, early John McLaughlin-esque ferocity and his own brand of complete abandon with Gershon's melodic, logical and passionate blowing and puts all of that on top of a hard-grooving bass and drums. Together they play instrumental versions of rock, soul and funk tunes both familiar and obscure, by bands ranging from the Kinks to Sly and the Family Stone to Alanis Morisette. Orchestra Morphine Russ spent a lot of 2000 on the road with Orchestra Morphine, a band formed by Dana Colley and Billy Conway, the two members of Morphine who survived Morphine leader Mark Sandman's untimely death in 1999. Completed by Jerome Deupree (drums), Mike Rivard (bass), Laurie Sargeant (vocals), Christian McNeil (vocals), Tom Halter (trumpet) and Evan Harriman (keyboards), OM features a repertoire culled from the final Morphine album, "The Night," some older Morphine hits, and the songs Sandman, Gershon, Halter, Rivard and Colley played together for many years in the side-project band Hypnosonics. The Wedding/Party/Function Band When the right person needs a non-traditional wedding band (no Alley Cat, no Electric Slide, etc) that can swing, rock and get people shaking their booty, Russ will put together a group from his entourage of great musicians, with or without vocals. These units come in any size, ranging from the Intimate Ensemble trio to the Mood Elevator quintet to the full Either/Orchestra. Vocalists who have worked with Russ on these shows include Chris Cote (Seks Bomba, Upper Crust), Ron Murphy, Patrice Williamson and Ruthie Ristich. In 2003, Monique Ortiz, singer, songwriter, fretless bassist and leader of the band Bourbon Princess came to Gershon to see if Accurate Records would be interested putting out her recently completed Black Feather Wings. Gershon liked it so well that he put out the album and later joined the band, playing baritone sax. The other member are Jerome Deupress, the founding drummer of the Either/Orchestra and talented guitarist Jim Moran. Since 2003, the band has toured in the US and made a new CD, Dark of Days (Accurate AC-5052). |