Ben Makinen: News

Soul and R&B legend Creighton Holley died this afternoon in Denver. Our friendship grew and deepened during the two years we performed together in AOA and over the many years that followed when we would meet up in clubs and listen to other bands.

Creighton performed at 110% every single time he stepped on stage. He loved telling jokes - delightfully colorful and always politically incorrect! He had a belly laugh like nobodies business. His sang and played guitar as if he were on fire - always forward motion - a genius story teller. He was constantly reading books and listening to tapes and CDs to increase his strength, improve his mind and focus his spirit.

He was an inspiration to me and I miss him deeply. RIP Creighton Holly.

Tune in tonight at 6p MST to KUVO 89.3 FM to hear Ben Makinen play the music of Carlos Jobim with The John Kite Trio! Visit pianist John Kite's new website at www.johnkite.org

The Goliath Beetle and the Ladybug - A Love Story

I will be taking this electronica project into the studio on Thursday for an analog make-over with uber-engineer Tom Payetta. Tom is known to many as the live engineer behind the sound of Opie Gone Bad. I first met Tom back in the 20th Century while recording the Rekha CD. Tom is going to help me bring a bit of warmth into my solo project Goliath ... I have composed and performed Goliath using 96.7% electronic instruments: synthesizers and computers. By running my digital song files onto magnetic tape (the stuff records were made on until the 1930s to the 1990s - see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magnetic_tape_sound_recording) and then back to digital (hard drive), the music benefits from a "warming up" of the sound.

The Goliath Beetle and the Ladybug is a love story that was told to me in a dream. A butterfly, who wishes to remain anonymous, related to me this tragic tale of two bugs who fell in love, alas, to the violent dismay of their families. Upon awaking from this dream I felt that electronic sounds mixed with voice, percussion and flutes would come closest to capturing what the butterfly had conveyed to me.

Goliath … is set for a fall release: think stocking stuffers and Hanukah presents!

Tom Payetta and I will be continuing to work together in the studio throughout September - stay tuned!

Ben Makinen is completing post production on Tenderly, a recording featuring vocalist Leslie Brown. Pianist Art Lande and bassist Mark Simon play with Makinen on drums. Songs by Michael Jackson and Pink Floyd are given new life with Ms Brown's spirited and soulful interpretations. Leslie Brown swings through Caravan in style while exposing her gospel roots on her original tune titled Disarmed. Tequila is given a shot of Blues with original lyrics by Makinen and the band plays for their lives on Welcome To The Machine. Stay tuned!

The Q has closed. Out of business. Another victim of the bum economy? Poor management? No one going out to listen to live music? Perhaps a combination. Denver now laments the death of a fantastic stage upon which many of the best local jazz and blues musicians performed. No more Bar-B-Que and no more music. The Q sings the blues, one last time, from the grave. RIP!

Makinen is heading to Air Show Mastering in Boulder, Colorado to master the much anticipated Underworld CD by songwriter Clay Cabe. This fantastic collection of original music weaves together funk, jazz, ska and folk into one seamless carpet ride through loss, angst, discovery and acceptance! Look for it on the web soon.

Makinen has begun shooting on a new jazz documentary. Principal photography is taking place in Denver where the majority of featured performers live. Makinen began work on this project as an homage to the jazz masters who mentored him when he began playing drums professionally in the early 1980s.

Jazzes is more like it. Playing to a standing room only crowd, the John Kite Trio, with Ian Hutchinson on bass and Ben Makinen on drums, wowed the unsuspecting crowd at Anthem Lodge with dazzling improvisations over traditional jazz compositions from Fats Waller to Cole Porter. The fun continued and the band went wild at the after party hosted by Wendy! Thank you!!

The German production team of Robin Pleil and Christoph Mainz have released the CD "Butterfly Wing Theory Part 1". A few of the tracks are a result of a successful long distance collaboration - where producer and drummer
Ben Makinen recorded drums, marimbas, and percussion in Denver contributing to a
production mainly tracked in Berlin.

Hear for yourself at http://cdbaby.com/cd/artridge2
Vist Artridge:
http://www.artridge.org/ This eclectic and widely unpredictable instrumental blend takes you on a trip through various musical transmutations - and back. You'll never exactly know what's lurking around the next corner:
Ambient soundscapes turned prog-rock?
Ligeti choirs meandering along industrial dub cathedrals?
Bleeping retro space age sounds?
Slide guitars with a strong battlefield BBQ flavour? Hydraulic-Goth-Jazz-Relay-Fusion?
Apocalypse Now reinacted at your local electric substation? Subterranean mid-fi agitprop garage-metal-clash recitations?

Ben Makinen & Lioinel Young continue to mesmerize audiences at Q's Worldly Bar-B-Q Blues & Jazz Lounge with their eclectic New Orleans style duo. LIionel's electric violin weaves through haunting Delta-blues vocals while Ben creates driving & melodic rhythms blending his collection of drums and percussion from around the world.

Denver's most unique duo performs happy hours (5-7pm) Fridays throughout the summer and has begun performing on Sunday's from 1-4pm.

The Q 3rd & Detroit (NW corner, downstairs)

visit Lionel Young:
http://www.myspace.com/lionelyoung
Own My Music!
CDBABY
http://cdbaby.com/group/benmakinen

Tom Ball and Ben Makinen are in pre-productioin for master euphonium player Tom Ball's second album project. Initial tracking is slated to begin on May 19th in Greeley, Colorado. The euphonium and trombone playing of Ball, and the percussion talent of Makinen, will be joined by pianist Dana Landry and bassist Eric Applegate. Ball's first abbum, titled Fishleather Jacket, won the prestigious Roger Bobo Excellence In Recording Award in 2006. Ball's second album will again feature his original songs, one of which, titled Funky Pants, has a high probability of becoming the CD's title track. Visit Tom Ball at http://www.jazzeuphonium.com

Vintage footage from the now defunct Brendan's Pub featuring Dan Treanor, David Booker and Ben Makinen.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING

(people around the world are welcome to participate in this US tradition: Simply thank someone who has helped you in any way at any point in your life. It's cool and it feels groovy - for those on a budget, it's free!!

FWINTER

Chie Imaizumi's Jazz Orchestra is performing live, on-air, Friday Oct 12, 4 pm MST for the KUVO 89.3 FM fund drive. Makinen will be playing percussion with this all-star band. Stream the show by going to www.kuvo.org then click on "LIsten Now".

Find out How & Why on my latest video:

Ben Makinen's composition Good Night has reached #19 on the American Idol Underground's Electroinca chart:
http://www.idolunderground.com/Pages/Charts/ChartDetail.aspx?GenreID=4
Good Night is the first track on Makinen's CD Lost Lullaby. The CD is for sale at CDBaby http://cdbaby.com/group/benmakinen and individual tracks can be downloaded at iTunes and Rhapsody.

Introductions were made between Japan's star composer Chie Imaizuma and American born percussionist Ben Makinen. Facilitated by the talented trumpeter Greg Gisbert, the discussion resulted in Makinen accepting the offer to perform in Imazuma's All-Star Big Band. Respect and Honor flowed in abundance at this historic meeting. Please visit Chie Imaizuma's web site http://www.thousandpitures.org
and check out her newest release Unfailing Kindness on Capri Records.

Imaizuma's Big Band is performing every Thursday night at Denver's El Chapultapec Too.