Greg Anton & Friends, featuring Zero drummer Greg Anton, released a new live album, Starfire. Recorded at TELEFUNKEN Elektroakustik in South Windsor, Connecticut, video of the all-star group performing “Primona” can be viewed below.
Joining Anton for the session held at TELEFUNKEN Soundstage on February 22, 2020 was a lineup consisting of guitarist Tim Palmieri (Lotus), tenor saxophonist Rob Somerville (Kung Fu), keyboardist Beau Sasser (Kung Fu) and bassist Dave Livolsi (John Scofield). The performance was held in honor of Anton’s closest friend from childhood, Marty Levine. Levine operated the Blue Star Cafe music venue in Hartford, Connecticut, where Anton performed with Zero in 1993.
“When my best friend Marty Levine had a classy jazz club in Hartford and my band Zero played there,” Anton told JamBase, “Toni Fishman, owner of the TELEFUNKEN microphone company, recorded the shows and we all became fast friends.”
Fishman went on to launch TELEFUNKEN Elektroakustik in 2001. Shortly after Levine’s passing, Fishman invited Anton to assemble a group of musicians to hold a night of live music in celebration of their friend.
“Working with Greg to produce this show was a joy and an honor,” said Fishman. “We’re all about good vibes at TELEFUNKEN, and we’re thrilled that others can now experience the live show with the launch of this album.”
“Marty loved music as much as anyone could,” Anton said. “When he died in 2020 we honored him with a musical celebration at the beautiful TELEFUNKEN Soundstage with some of the most stellar musicians I’ve ever played with. And, needless to say, some of the best microphones in the world were there to capture it.”
Prior to the session, the musicians emailed song ideas, agreeing on such favorites as The Allman Brothers Band’s “In Memory Of Elizabeth Reed” and Jimi Hendrix’s “Little Wing,” alongside Anton’s “Gregg’s Eggs” and “Primona.”
“For me, it was an alchemy of liquid musicianship and pristine sound quality that flowed together like magic,” Anton explained. “Tim Palmieri is one of the best electric guitar improvisers in the country; Rob Somerville gets a soulful tenor sax sound made in heaven, Beau Sasser created a king-size organ bed for us all to bounce on, and me and bassist Dave Livolsi locked in the rhythm section like we’d played together our whole lives.
Acclaimed visual artist Stanley Mouse, known for his work with the Grateful Dead and others, created the Starfire cover art. The album is currently available in digital formats as well as a vinyl edition with a choice of five different colors.
“Live improvisational music can at times be sublime,” Anton added. “Once in a while the recording/mixing/mastering engages like a Rubik’s Cube and on that rare occasion when everything clicks synchronistically: voila! STARFIRE.”
Watch Greg Anton & Friends performing “Primona” live at TELEFUNKEN here:
https://gregantonandfriends.bandcamp.com/album/starfire
