"Imagine a dream
suspended from a wire
so that it can move freely
as the wire disappears into
the axis of rotation,
the center of the dream."
Excerpt from the poem, “Acceleration,” by Steve Shelton
Imagine the diverse collaboration of Grant Calvin Weston (Ornette Coleman, James Blood Ulmer, Lounge Lizards), Jonathan Saxon (Armored Saint, Grant Calvin Weston, Vogel/Saxon Duo), Steuart Liebig (Julius Hemphill, Les McCann, Nels Cline), and Wayne Peet (Nels Cline, John Rapson, Alex Cline). At the center of this dream is a deep sense of groove, improvisation, and experimentation.
“Hip backbeats and polyrhythms, spacey/street cool vibes, and yes, Acceleration keeps moving.” Howard Mandel
The Weston / Saxon Groove Assembly’s sound is a cross country beats collaboration built upon a myriad of grooves, psychedelic sounds, ambient landscapes, and jazz inspired compositions fueled with improvisation. Equally at home at a jazz festival, blues festival, or desert rock festival, the Groove Assembly’s sound is open, driving, and melodic.
Legendary drummer Grant Calvin Weston and percussionist Jonathan Saxon first collaborated in August 2014 when they recorded the drum and percussion duet, "Road Trip to Downey" (track #5 on the CD).
The chemistry and deep grooves of "Road Trip" inspired Weston to suggest bringing in a few more musicians to record a full length album. With great enthusiasm, Saxon invited keyboardist Wayne Peet and bassist Steuart Liebig to participate in the project. Along with their brilliant performances, Liebig and Peet's compositions were an immense contribution to the album, as were
Peet's remarkable skills as an engineer and producer.
Released as a Compact Disc in a 6-panel digipak covered in original artwork by Eron Rauch, with a 12-page booklet with original poetry by Steve Shelton, this album is a
beautiful collector's item, as well as an incredible listening experience.
Orenda Records is all about artistic vision. We release boutique style albums, limited edition pressings, with high quality printing and high fidelity sound.
We believe that listening to music is all about an immersive artistic experience, both auditory and tactile.
This is a label for those who care about and collect beautiful music and beautiful presentation.
"A distance from here
to there is where I am.
Acceleration."
Grant Calvin Weston - Drums
Jonathan Saxon - Congas, Mbira, Electric Mbira, Clave, Bells, Rainstick, Orchestral Bells, Bowed Cymbal, Cowbell, Berimbau, Shakers
Wayne Peet - Piano, Hammond B-3 Organ, Synthesizer, Clavinet
Steuart Liebig - Basses, Electronics, Loops
Drums recorded by Grant Calvin Weston at The Third Floor in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, February 2015; "Road Trip to Downey" recorded August 2014.
All other instruments recorded by Wayne Peet at Newzone Studio in Los Angeles, California, March 2015; "Road Trip to Downey" recorded August 2014. www.newzonestudio.com
Edited, mixed, and mastered by Wayne Peet
Produced by Wayne Peet
Translation Meditation Music (BMI) - Jonathan Saxon
Sisong Music (ASCAP) - Steuart Liebig
Apocalypse Vision (BMI) - Grant Calvin Weston
Killzone Music (BMI) - Wayne Peet
Poem by Steve Shelton
Design and photography by Eron Rauch
Photos of Jonathan Saxon & Wayne Peet by Stephanie Cabral
Photo of Grant Calvin Weston by Jessica Kourkounis
Photo of Steuart Liebig by Wayne Peet
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Acceleration
by Steve Shelton
A distance from here
to there is where I am.
Acceleration.
Constraints and motion,
and degrees of freedom
Time and gravity
bring the up... down.
A different kind of waking
walking into a different kind of sleep.
Here to there, and there again.
And the next here is already gone.
Free beams of density. Free dreams
where the center of percussion
and the sweet spot are the same
to amplify the false impressions,
harmonic balance, constant speed
along a circular path, radial,
towards the center of the circle.
Constantly changing.
Tangential, the respected points of ambiguity
lend them legitimacy,
hung at the pivot point,
where the center of oscillation
is the position of the mass,
the high mass of a simple pendulum.
Imagine a dream
suspended from a wire
so that it can move freely
as the wire disappears into
the axis of rotation,
the center of the dream.
And the mass is falling in curved spacetime
where things become more complicated
since there is no straight line.
Curved manifolds.
Motion and gravity breathe geodesic dreams,
a relative acceleration, and
the distance from here to there
is still where we are.
Acceleration
Weston/Saxon Groove Assembly - "Acceleration" from michael bloom on Vimeo.
