SEPTEMBER 2019 : Live shows by Samm Bennett and his various ensembles
Hello friends, Samm Bennett here, hope to see you at one or more of these upcoming shows!

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SAT 9/7 : Bennett-Kuroda

at Fuglen, Asakusa, Tokyo
music from 20:00 till late...
FREE entry

I'm happy to announce that Bennett-Kuroda is now playing MORE than just once a month at Fuglen in Asakusa! The Tokyo Song Celebration series of monthly concerts has been going so well that we've added another one! Unlike Tokyo Song Celebration, though, which always features Bennett-Kuroda PLUS a guest performer, the new extra monthly shows will just be Daisuke Kuroda and myself. More time to stretch out and try new stuff! We're real psyched about it.

So... drop on by! We'll be playing from 8-ish to 11-ish and yours truly Samm might play even later into the night, in solo format, depending on the vibe..

Below: at-a-glance map to Fuglen. Need more detail? Go to the Google Map

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THU 9/12 : Banda Choro Eletrico

at Praça Onze (Aoyama) Tokyo (near Omote-Sando station exit A3)
open:18:30 start:19:30 (2 sets) - entry: ￥2800 + order

BANDA CHORO ELETRICO is a big, ecstatic and totally grooving Brazilian music unit led by bassist and composer extraordinaire Sawada Jyoji. The full membership clocks in at about, oh, 15 musicians or so, and includes brilliant flutist Ogata Mitsuru and slamming drummer Numa Noaya. (Numa-san and Sawada-san happen to be members of The Smoky Dose, and you might've heard us at some point doing more improvised groove-based stuff). But EVERYBODY in this band is killer, I ain't lying.

For me this band is a chance to get back to being a percussionist, adding spice and color to the musical proceedings with shakers, bells, bongos, woodblocks, whistles, rattles, scrapers and various other items, as well as the CUICA, which I love playing but outside of this format have little chance to! Anyway, if you are a fan of samba or choro or baiao-style groove, and if you are a fan of, say Hermeto Pascoal or Tom Zé, you will LOVE Banda Choro Eletrico. Check it out.

NOTE: the venue can be a wee bit tricky to spot even when you're on its street. It's the basement level: behind a white wall, there's a staircase going down to the place, not readily noticeable at first. First floor shop of the building is a sewing/clothes repair kinda place.

Below: at-a-glance map to Praça Onze -  need more detail? Go to Google map

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SAT 9/14 : Marcellus Nealy and the Amazing Flying Machine

at Morgan Salon, Daitabashi, Tokyo
open 18:30 - showtime: 19:00 ~ 21:30
entry: ¥3000 w/ reservation, ¥3500 w/o reservation, payable at the door
NOTE: reservations are RECOMMENDED, as seating is limited to about 35!

The AMAZING FLYING MACHINE will take off and soar once again, friends, at Morgan's Salon, the home-studio performance space of keyboardist Morgan Fisher. The band features the inspired, trance-like recitations and spontaneous poetic creations of Marcellus Nealy, who brings his formidable word-performance skills to bear over a shifting musical carpet of funky beats provided by bassist Koyu Suzuki and yours truly, drummer Samm Bennett. Winding his merry melodic way through the proceedings is Mitsuru Ogata on electronically-extended flute, and our special guests will be none other than the host himself, Morgan Fisher, on the keys, and the guitarist Isao Ohashi.

See the Facebook event page for full details on , map, etc

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MON 9/16 : Umezu Kazutoki's "First Deserter" band

at Shinjuku Pit Inn, Shinjuku 3-chome, Tokyo

Hey, way back in 1995 I played drums and samples and such on an amazing record made by the great reeds player and composer Umezu Kazutoki. The band was the two of us plus Tom Cora (RIP) on cello, Wayne Horvitz on keyboards, and Marc Ribot on guitar. Here's a Soundcloud link to a typically boisterous and fun filled track from that record, a tune called Rubber Band. Hope you enjoy, and I hope you'll come hear First Deserter 2019 (!) at Pit Inn in Shinjuku. Of the original members, there'll be Umezu-san and yours truly, and we'll be joined by some of Tokyo's finest improvising musicians.

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FRI 9/20 : Tokyo Song Celebration: Bennett-Kuroda plus TEA!

at Fuglen, Asakusa, Tokyo
music from 20:00 till late...
FREE entry

For this 7th installment of the monthly Tokyo Song Celebration we are delighted to announce that our special musical guest will be the wonderful singer TEA! You simply MUST hear this lady, she's got the goods! She'll be accompanied by Daisuke-Kuroda, who'll be doing double duty that night, since Bennett-Kuroda will be performing as well, as we always do at Tokyo Song Celebration.

For more in-depth info, links, etc, please visit the Tokyo Song Celebration page HERE

Below: at-a-glance map to Fuglen. Need more detail? Go to the Google Map

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