Even the scope of his best known associations - member of the cherished early-‘80s version of Captain Beefheart’s Magic Band, musical partner with/mentor to the late Jeff Buckley, various Jewish-music-and-beyond projects for jazz/avant-garde doyen John Zorn’s Tzadik label - barely touch on the New York guitarist’s ambitious reach and remarkable range.
In recent years alone he’s made albums of gospel (2010‘s Chase the Devil teaming with singer Dean Bowman), mid-20th century Chinese pop (2001‘s The Edge of Heaven) and an arresting Indian-blues hybrid (2009’s Rishte collaboration with Anglo-Indian singer Najma Akhtar) and a bracing album with his band Gods & Monsters, the continuation of the “psychedelic art-rock” group he and Buckley developed in the ‘80s…”
Playing a set that will span his entire career of 20 plus albums, including tracks from his World Village album Rishte, as well as music he wrote with Jeff Buckley, performed with Captain Beefheart, and recorded with his current band Gods and Monsters. Special guests include the great Iranian vocalist Sussan Deyhim and guitarist Scott Goldman.
7/17 at The Silent Movie Theatre (611 North Fairfax Ave.):
Playing live film score to the wonderful 1920 German Expressionist silent horror film “The Golem” (d. Paul Wegener and Carl Boese). Lucas has performed his original solo guitar score accompanying “The Golem” in over 20 countries to date—including the Venice Biennale, Moscow and St. Petersburg, Sydney and Melbourne, opening the NY Jewish Film Festival at Lincoln Center, at Royal Festival Hall in London, Amsterdam, Budapest, Berlin, Sao Paulo, Copenhagen, Oslo — and of course in Prague, home of the Golem. For tickets and more info: http://bit.ly/Nh0iMx
A blend of India and blues? Why not? Many a more far-fetched fusion has succeeded. Besides, vocalist Najma Akhtar and guitarist Gary Lucas have always been amenable to stretching out, with Akhtar’s heavenly wail nailing everything from ghazals to techno to a collaboration with Robert Plant and Jimmy Page and Lucas providing picking for artists as diverse as Captain Beefheart and Jeff Buckley. Rishte is actually a simple affair: Lucas’ guitars and Akhtar’s voice are joined only by a rotating trio of tabla players, violin on two tracks and an occasional drone, and it’s the stripped-down approach that makes the album pure dynamite. The two main ingredients play off each other with a mixture of familiarity and surprise, not only in the way Lucas’ spirited playing often jolts Akhtar and the tabla accompaniment to a level funkier than even Bollywood, but how Akhtar returns the favor by bringing out a more finessed side of Lucas that could have him matching chops with any Indian classical master…”
World Village has forged itself a reputation for excellence on the international musical scene in just a few short years. Seeking out talents from all around the world, carefully designed covers and booklets: these are the key values of the label, which is run by four producers working between France, the USA, Spain and the UK, who pursue an ambitious signing policy.
Jazz Village, the newest label in the Harmonia Mundi family, allows audiences to experience the best of current jazz music, from Europe to the Americas, from traditional to modern, through urban soul and new sound crossbreeds. On the menu: a dozen yearly releases featuring musical veterans, young idols and bright emerging talents.
