Grant Calvin Weston has blazed a harmolodic, funkadelic trail through modern jazz. This record is a culmination of recordings made on the West Coast and his hometown of Philadelphia. Weston puts his Midas touch on electronics and acoustic instruments that blow the socks off any jazz-rock poser out there. Listen to the man who funked-up Ornette Coleman in the 1970s. “Weston lays down a ferocious groove with ecstatic shouts … tugging rhythmic displacements that tease like thunder and lightning throughout.” — All About Jazz “Calvin Weston is wild enough by himself; he gets even crazier when he’s joined by other percussionists … [achieves] a rare cohesion, fusing jazz, hip-hop, African rhythms, and funk into an invigorating and exploratory sound that’s both enjoyable and intellectual.” — Philadelphia Weekly “Fierce grooves, torrid worldbeat percussion vamps, and raucous soloing escapades … a mind-altering exposition.” — eJazzNews “Calvin is one of my biggest influences. He has been a huge inspiration to many musicians and a portal into Ornette Coleman’s funky harmolodic world. This recording is a culmination of music made on the West Coast and in his Philadelphia hometown. The intense wild alchemy utilizing acoustic and electronic sounds in combination with other Philadelphia musical mavericks makes this a very special (and fun!) trip into the world of Grant Calvin Weston.” — Billy Martin (Medeski Martin & Wood) G CALVIN WESTON With JOHN MEDESKI/ELLIOT GARLAND/MARINA VISHNYAKOVA + DANNY BLUME/BENJAMIN KARP/TYRONE WILLIAMS - Play Out Loud (GCW; USA) Featuring G. Calvin Weston on drums and most compositions, John Medeski on keyboards, Marina Vishyakova on violin, Tyrone Williams on sax, Danny Blume & Benjamin Karp on guitars and Elliot Garland on bass. Master drummer Calvin Weston has worked with Ornette Coleman, James Blood Ulmer and the Lounge Lizards in the past but has become even more prolific in recent times leading several of his own bands/projects. After a few scattered dates as a leader, he just released three new discs and each one is strong inits own way. This is a studio date and Calvin's drums have a powerful, impressive sound. The first piece is a drum solo and it is an incredible intro. "7-Up" has an infectious, funky groove with Medeski playing some swell clavinet-like keyboard. The interplay between the tenor sax, guitar, violin, electric keyboard and smoking rhythm team is completely smokin'! The great John Medeski add his own great, greasy electric keyboards to all of these songs and sounds consistently inspired. I know Danny Blume from the time he was also in the Lounge Lizards, but the other guitarist, violinist and sax player are new names for me and all three are strong musicians, each taking a number of great solos throughout. Bassist Elliot Garland is yet another new name and one bad MF on the bass as well. This disc is nearly an hour long and Calvin does a swell job of keeping the troops focused and engaged throughout. Whether your a fan of the better jam-bands or you just dig some inspired jazz/rock/funk jamming, this disc is for you! - Bruce Lee Gallanter, Downtown Music Gallery