Final Floor
Final Floor is eleven new tracks featuring saxophonist Kamasi Washington and trumpeter Erik Jekabson with longtime collaborators and songwriters Matt Montgomery and Gregory Howe. Joining them are Mike Hughes on drums, Kasey Knudsen on Alto Saxophone, Ross Howe on Fender Guitar and Mike Blankenship on organ.
As the title indicates, this album represents the final original recordings of Throttle Elevator Music. Final Floor has an upscale energy with elements of rock and punk that fuel the overall sound and dynamically bring an edge back to jazz.
Track Listing:
SUPRALIMINAL SPACE 4.42
CASTE OFF 2.53
DAGGERBOARD 4.38
ICE WINDOWS 3.53
RECIRCULATE 3.03
FINAL FLOOR 4.30
HEART OF HEARING 4.03
RETURN TO FORM 2.22
STANDARDS REPROACHED .48
FAST REMOURSE 3.43
ROOFTOP SUNRISE 5.13
On many pieces, Kamasi Washington is joined by trumpeter Erik Jekabson -their voices blend in close
harmony, with a soft cloud of reverb cushioning everything, dubby production techniques and crunching guitar adding to the swirl, and two drummers keeping the beat somewhere between a shuffle and an explosion.
Throttle Elevator Music is an excellent ensemble of musicians who bring together jazz grooves, a powerful brass section and the energy of rock guitars and drums.
Progressive Rock Central.comAs talented as these players are individually, the group here is even greater than the sum of its parts. There's plenty of tension, but also a lot of beauty, sometimes together - like the way the guitar underlies the soaring sax solo on "Ice Windows."
When You Motor Away...
Erik Jekabson
Erik Jekabson is a freelance trumpet player, composer, arranger and educator living in the San Francisco Bay Area. He has toured with Illinois Jacquet, John Mayer, Galactic, and has performed on the Tonight Show with Jay Leno and Late Night with David Letterman.
Gregory Howe
Gregory Howe founded Wide Hive Records in 1996. While primarily active as producer, mixer, and composer, Howe also performs guitar, synthesizer, turntable, voice and percussion on many recordings. From 1996 to 2024 Howe recorded and released albums for Throttle Elevator Music with Kamasi Washington, Roscoe Mitchell, Mike Clark, Dissent, Erik Jekabson, Calvin Keys, Phil Ranelin (Pharoah Sanders, Henry Franklin, Big Black), Wide Hive Players and the incomparable artist and guitarist Larry Coryell.
Kamasi Washington
Kamasi Washington is featured Saxophonist on Both Throttle Elevator Music and Phil Ranelin's Perseverance. Also as a composer Kamasi has scored for several films including Stacey Peralta's recent Independant Lens feature: Crips and Bloods: Made In America.
Kasey Knudsen
Kasey Knudsen is a San Francisco-based saxophonist, composer, and educator and leader of the KK Group, a septet focusing on original music and arrangements. She also co-leads The Permanent Wave Ensemble, an octet dedicated to performing and arranging the music of Carla Bley; The RW3 Trio along with bay area drummer Jon Arkin; and The Holly Martins with vocalist Lorin Benedict and guitarist Eric Vogler.
Lumpy
Lumpy is a gifted drummer performing in his own band and others in the
thriving underground Oakland music scene. He is currently residing in
Northern California. Lumpy appears on both Throttle Elevator Music and Larry Coryell's 'The Lift".
Matt Montgomery
Matt Montgomery plays the bass, writes music, and plays piano/keyboards. He has performed and/or recorded with Faye Carol, Calvin Keys, Larry Coryell, Mark Levine, Phil Ranelin, singer/songwriters Cass McCombs, Greg Ashley, Adam Stephens (of Two Gallants), Grammy-winning producer Joe Chiccarelli, and many more.
Mike Blankenship
Mike Blankenship is a Bay Area based keyboardist and artist currently composing and performing regularly with Michael Franti and Spearhead. He has also written and performed with Sheila E., Lauryn Hill and Ledisi.
Mike Hughes
Michael Hughes is an American drummer living in the San Francisco Bay Area. He studied drumming at L.A. Music Academy with Joe Porcaro and Ralph Humphrey and spent a decade performing in LA with artists such as Tal Wilkenfeld, Frank Gambale, and Robben Ford. He is the drummer on "Heavy Feel" by Larry Coryell as well as Throttle Elevator Music's "Area J" and "Jagged Rocks" featuring Kamasi Washington.
Ross Howe
Ross Howe is a Bay Area guitar player and music educator. He performs with several gypsy jazz ensembles in and around the San Francisco Bay Area but mainly leads his own band The Yacht Club of Paris. His playing incorporates elements of the classical tradition with the vocabulary of modern jazz. Ross was named "Jazz in the Neighborhoods "Rising Star" in 2015.
Throttle Elevator Music featuring Kamasi Washington
Kamasi’s melodic tonality melds nicely into the electric undercurrent laid down by punk drummer/guitarist Lumpy (Mike Hughes), Wide Hive Player’s bassist/keyboardist/composer Matt Montgomery, and Wide Hive Players composer/engineer/producer Gregory Howe.