Written by Ronnie Sweeting – Producer/Mariposa Evenings
MARIPOSA – Cousin Jack’s Mariposa Evenings – brought to you by The Mariposa County Arts Council and its many fine sponsors – presents the second of thirteen weekends of free concerts with a special appearance/debut of San Francisco band Trance Mission, on Friday June 12, and DeWitt & Franklin on Saturday, June 13.
Trance Mission features three extraordinary multi-instrumentalist/composers – Stephen Kent: didgeridoo, percussion, cello-sintir; Beth Custer: B flat, alto, bass clarinets, percussion; Peter Valsamis: drums, percussion, electronics, with mountains of global accolades to their credit.
In this new trio incarnation, Trance Mission continues the genre-breaking musical traditions they started in the 1990’s. Founded in ’91 by Kent and Custer, this seminal 4th World trio out of the Bay Area performed extensively on the West Coast and in Europe and created four universally acclaimed recordings released on San Francisco’s City of Tribes label.
The music of Trance Mission is a nearly indescribable amalgam of World/Trance music that includes implements of progressive Jazz, African and Aboriginal, with an infectious improvisational spirit and humor. Their unique, multi-genre music is unlike any presented in Mariposa before, making their debut a truely special appearance.
Notable performances include Maybeck Studio, Live Oak Festival, Freight & Salvage, Slim’s, Palm’s Playhouse, and many more.
“The digital aura remarkably marries the indigenous instrumentation with a rare naturalness, resonating with the full flame of world-derived trance power.” — Sam Prestianni
“A unique Aboriginal, African and European fusion. Their rhythmic, trance-inducing music for didgeridoo, drums and synthesizer makes a perfect soundtrack.” — j. poet
“This is such deep, exploratory, soulful music…unlike anything I’ve ever heard. It’s world music, yes, but at the same time its progressive, jazzy, tribal, traditional, jamming, driving, trance rhythms…I hear something new everytime I put this CD on.” — PG, Dirty Linen
Formed in 2007, playing original music in a cowboy jazz, folk rock style, band leaders Glenn Franklin and Bill DeWitt have a unique musical heritage in the Sierra Foothills. Franklin’s father was the world reknowned minstral Cousin Jack Franklin (namesake of Mariposa Evenings), Mariposa’s Honorary Mayor and Ambassador of Good Will.
DeWitt’s father, music impresario and artist Bob, was the founder of the Fine Gold Trust and brought internationally known folk musicians and counter-culture poets to Mariposa from the early sixties up to the first decade of this century. Bill and Glenn both received an education in music from being surrounded by the culture from an early age.
Preceding their Mariposa Evenings performance, the annual Cousin Jack Birthday Get Together begins at 12 noon at the Art Park on Saturday. Honoring the man who implemented the concept and development of the Mariposa County Art Park, and benefiting The Cousin Jack Music Foundation’s music scholarship program, there will be lots of fun, food and music, as well as the presentation of the 2015 scholarship award to the winning graduating senior from Mariposa County High School.
All performances begin at 7 p.m. at the Mariposa County Art Park, located on Highway 140, between 4th and 5th Streets, in historic downtown Mariposa. Free parking on 5th Street along the Creek Walkway to the Park, also providing handicapped access.
The shows are free to the public – tips for the performers will be solicited, encouraged and appreciated.
The Mariposa Arts Council, sponsor of Cousin Jack’s Mariposa Evenings, is funded in part by Mariposa County, the California Arts Council, and the National Endowment for the Arts.
The MARIPOSA COUNTY ARTS COUNCIL, INC. is an incorporated not-for- profit organization, created to promote and support all forms of the cultural arts, for all ages, throughout Mariposa County.
And who contributed/wrote this concise little bit of a press release sirs? They should be credited; one might assume that sierranewsonline.com assembled this. Just sayin’, as the kids say – thank you for presenting the full body of PR w/out a slash edit & w/both photos submitted.