"Ragamop" was written and arranged by keyboardist Jonathan Weiss and features Joe Ford on alto sax. Jon's solo combines elements of jazz and Indian raga. Joe Ford's solo includes masterful examples of sophisticated chromatic alteration that often challenged the ears of non-jazz listeners.
This track is from New Chicago Lunche Band's only surviving demo tape.
Before I discovered my calling as a sound healer, I was a high energy jazz/rock/fusion trumpet and guitar player. I played in a series of bands since I was 13. In 1968, I got together with many of the top musicians in Buffalo (where I was attending the University of Buffalo) to form an 8-piece jazz/rock band with horns. After we added charismatic vocalist Madeline Davis, we were heralded as ‘the next big thing’ and anticipated a career following the lead of Blood, Sweat & Tears and Chicago.
We signed a big deal recording contract, and came down to New York City to record, but the label switched producers on us at the last minute. He tried to slow down and change every arrangement, which led to a very explosive session which broke up the band on the spot.
This led to two weeks of unscheduled time for me to buy a round trip plane ticket to San Francisco before returning to grad school at University of Buffalo. It was during that time that I experienced a deep meditation in a sacred redwood grove that changed my life forever. I never went back to Buffalo and started a new life on the West Coast.
I hope you enjoy this historical recording that played an influential role in my development as a recording artist and composer.
Steven Halpern (2023)
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