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Back when the "new acoustic music" was new, John Houshmand (guitars), Patrick Noonan (guitars), and Jonathan Levi (violin) met under a tree in New Haven, Conn., and began a unique and original musical collaboration, merging the folk, classical, Near Eastern, bluegrass, rock and jazz elements of their individual backgrounds.
Traveling from their home ports of Boston, New York, and Nantucket Island - and later taking the name of the ancient continent of Laurasia, which contained all the lands of the present-day Northern Hemisphere - they joined with a variety of fine musicians over the past 25 years to dazzle their audiences with beautiful new sounds, intriguing new types of songs, and tantalizing new textures.
Called "Chaplinesque classy folk-jazz" at the time of their 1978 release under the name East River Consort, this unique group's music has evoked comparisons with such diverse artists as Leo Kottke, Michael Hedges, David Grisman, Oregon, The Pentangle, John McLaughlin, Jean-Pierre Rampal, Chick Corea, Paul Winter, and Bruce Cockburn.
The group performed as the trio "Noonan, Levi & Houshmand" from their founding in 1973 through the release of their first recording, "East River" (1975), playing clubs, colleges and concerts throughout New England. With the addition of vocalist Galen Brandt in 1975, they changed the name of the group to East River and extended their reach to include a tour of Colorado in 1976.
From 1977 to 1981, they became the East River Consort (releasing the 1978 recording, "Laurasia"), relocated in Boston and performed at various times with Paul Lieberman (reeds), Laura Teller (vocals), Leslie Bain (oboe & flute), J.B. Lowe (tabla), Phil DeGreg (piano), Kim Oler (bass), Jim Lyden (bass), Terry Butler (flute), Jim Guttmann (bass), Steve Adams (reeds), Thal Aylward (violin), Erick Montgomery (percussion), Grisha Alexiev (drums), and Mimi Rabson (violin).
During the '80s the original trio of Noonan, Levi & Houshmand regrouped in New York, took the name Laurasia, and recorded "Undiscovered Country" and occasionally performed with Scott Lee (bass), Billy Drewes (reeds & percussion), and others.
The '90s brought solo projects by Noonan & Houshmand, and the release of extended CD versions of their earlier recordings. |
