EyeShotJazz | Jazz Photography

Gutbucket playing at Cafe Racer

Gutbucket played an amazing set last week at Cafe Racer. Led by Ken Thomson on sax, they have a powerful output that can blow you away if you are not ready for them. Ask The Ages opened for them so I was prepared and grateful to have watched them perform. Here are some pictures from the evening.

Besides Ken Thomson, Gutbucket consists of Ty Citerman, on electric guitar,  Eric Rockwin, on electric upright bass, and Adam D Gold on drums.

The twelve year-old Brooklyn based quartet pushes composer-driven, art-rock-tainted chamber jazz into new terrain and boldly proclaims its voice. The band was formed in 1999 by three of its current four members just out of college: Ty Citerman, Eric Rockwin and Ken Thomson; Adam D Gold would arrive in 2007. Gutbucket quickly joined the youngest ranks of the blooming downtown NY Knitting Factory avant-jazz scene, holding court during its extended Friday night residency at the former lower Manhattan taste-making club. In early 2001, Gutbucket was rewarded with its first record, Insomniacs Dream, released on the now-defunct Knitting Factory Works label. The band began touring Europe that same year, developing an international fan base; and in 2002 Gutbucket debuted at many of Europeʼs highly regarded festivals, including Jazz a Vienne, San Sebastian Jazz Festival, and Worldport.
Out of the gate, Gutbucketʼs music challenged New Yorkʼs downtown norm– “a no-holds-barred approach to the jazz-rock paradigm” (The New York Times, 2010)– bringing a completely unique road-tested performance (“Keep all limbs, drinks and small children well clear” – Time Out New York) and a sound that tilted much further towards rock than many of its contemporaries. Gutbucketʼs brand of jazz continues to have its signature biting edge, cunning sense of humor and appreciation for the loud and theatrical. Improvisations are woven seamlessly and sometimes unexpectedly into the bandʼs growing repertoire, and each composer in the group has developed an individual voice that simultaneously supports the collective. From the beginning Gutbucket has had no single bandleader; the result has been an expansive yet unified and recognizable group sound.
Continue reading about Gutbucket on their website.

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