Bozeman All Stars
Click “Buy Now” To download Contrafactually Yours for $5
100% of the profits from sales of Contrafactually Yours go to support Hand Me Down Some Silver
Hand Me Down Some Silver, founded by Jake Fleming and Jeni Fleming, provides scholarships for budding musicians in the Gallatin Valley.
This album features a bunch of Bozeman’s finest musicians playing on thirteen tunes… ten by Duke Sharp, one that was co-written by Tom Murphy and Duke Sharp, one by Jim Averitt and one spontaneous blues jam. Some of the recordings were made in living rooms and home studios, and some were recorded at Basecamp Recording in Bozeman.
Several of the songs are ‘contrafacts.’  It’s a compositional device that essentially consists of writing a new melody and arrangement for an existing chord progression. I Got Rhythm, The Thrill Is Gone, Russian Lullaby, Fly Me To The Moon, Nobody Knows You When You’re Down and Out and Girl From Ipanema are songs whose chord progressions are the foundation for songs on Contrafactually Yours. Many of the charts that the band used to record these tunes are in Garage Band Theory, Chapter 11 – Chord Progressions.
Three tracks, The Till Is Gone (The Thrill Is Gone) Rouse & Rasputin (Russian Lullaby) and B Flat Chulent Blues are first-take, unrehearsed, improvised jams. The musicians playing on these tunes have been friends for years (decades!?!?) but all play in different bands and had never all played together. The basic idea was to get these great improvisers in the same room together and let them jam on some cool progressions. I handed out a chart, we’d talk about it for a couple of minutes, and then record it. Next. Except for B Flat Chulent Blues. No chart for a blues jam, Craig just said “B flat”, counted it off and jumped in.
It’s a live studio jam featuring Mark Dixon, Mike Gillan, Craig Hall, Bob Nell, Duke Sharp, Eddie T and Rick Winking at Basecamp Recording, Bozeman, Montana. Video by Tom Murphy.
Bozeman All Stars, Contrafactually Yours
Bass: Craig Hall and Eddie Tsuru (Eddie T)
Drums, congas, bongos and hand percussion: Mark Dixon (aka Bongo) Mike Gillan and John Regan.
Guitar: Lib Caldwell, Craig Hall, Jim Lewis, Duke Sharp and Rick Winking
Mandolin: Tom Murphy and Duke Sharp
Banjo and Ukulele: Duke Sharp
Violin: Mike Parsons
Keyboard: Chris Cundy and Bob Nell
Large thanks to all of these people for their contributions to this music:
January 15, 2013
PLAYING IT FORWARD: CD SALES TO BACK FUTURE MONTANA MUSICIANS —Â Kent Madin
Journeyman musicians in Southwest Montana, playing as the Bozeman All Stars and led by multi-instrumentalist Duke Sharp, have cut a CD that is both easy on the ears and educational for the mind. The All Stars’ CD, Contrafactually Yours, features unique arrangements of some well known tunes that sound great while illustrating the musical principals laid out in Sharp’s book Garage Band Theory.
Sales of Contrafactually Yours, available for $10 by download, supports two local non-profit organizations, Bozeman Friends of Music and Hand Me Down Some Silver. “Music’s been good to all of us” said Sharp. “The ‘CY’ CD is our way of giving back, paying forward, lending a hand to the All Stars of tomorrow”.
100% of the profits for the sale of Contrafactually Yours go to support Hand Me Down Some Silver.
“Our target is to sell 1000 downloads with an goal of raising $10,000 for Southwest Montana’s young musicians.”  Hand Me Down Some Silver provides scholarships for budding musicians under the guidance of Jake and Jenny Fleming, well known teachers and performers in the area.
“Music’s been good to all of us” said Sharp. “This CD is our way of giving back, paying forward, lending a hand to the All Stars of tomorrow”
Contrafactually Yours features a dozen original songs constructed by local artisans including Sharp, Tom Murphy and Jim Averitt. “Some of these performances are just stellar” said Sharp. “My favorites are the ones we recorded at Basecamp Studio in Bozeman. They’re all first or second take live recordings. These guys have been friends for years they but had never all played together, and I thought that needed to change. I showed up with a bunch of charts that I wanted these amazing players to improvise on. I’d give everybody a copy, we’d talk about it for a minute and then record it. Michael (drums), Bongo (congas) and Eddie T (bass) would lay down some sort of groove and we just passed the solos around the room. The blues jam was even more spontaneous. There was nothing on paper, Craig just said ‘B flat’ counted it off and everybody jumped in.”
If you like what you hear and want to buy us a pizza, we think that’d be great and you can donate right here..
