Gregg Bendian

Composer/percussionist Gregg Bendian was born on July 13th, 1963 in Englewood, New Jersey. His family lived in Fairview NJ until moving to Teaneck NJ when Gregg was seven years old. Gregg grew up in a house where music was always in the air. His parents, Martin and Patricia, are great music lovers and Gregg was exposed to a wide range of music very early on in life. From Sinatra and Tchaikovsky to Simon & Garfunkel, Thelonius Monk, Miles Davis and The Beatles - The Bendian household enjoyed it all. This no doubt had a huge impact on the way Gregg approaches music today.

The Bendian family’s move to Teaneck had a profound effect on Gregg's development. The town was well-known for its excellent school system and had one of the finest arts programs in the country. For the first time Gregg was directly exposed to various forms of African-American culture. He heard jazz, funk and R&B music at many of his friend's homes and a new world was opened.Gregg began rudimental drum studies at the age of nine with Wells Jenny and played in the school orchestra. During junior high school, he began piano and music theory studies, and for the first time began writing his own music. Gregg played drums in rock and jazz bands with friends, learning popular songs and immediately starting to perform original material.

Throughout the 1970's Gregg became obsessed with the music of the progressive rock and jazz/rock fusion era. He listened fervently to bands such as Gentle Giant, Genesis, King Crimson, Frank Zappa, Emerson, Lake & Palmer, Return to Forever, Weather Report, and especially, The Mahavishnu Orchestra. The intricate rhythms and contrapuntal composing style of each of these bands greatly influenced Gregg's ears and his thinking about music in general. This propelled Gregg to study classical percussion under Gary Van Dyke of the New Jersey Percussion Ensemble.

During his high school years Gregg also completely immersed himself in composing chamber music. He studied intensively under composer Jeffrey Kreske of William Paterson University and devoured the music of Edgard Varese, Anton Webern, Charles Ives, Stefan Wolpe, Arnold Schoenberg, Alban Berg, Igor Stravinsky, Bela Bartok, Iannis Xenakis, Karlheinz Stockhausen and Elliott Carter. Simultaneously, Gregg studied drumset with rhythm innovators Andrew Cyrille and Steve McCall at their Greenwich Village studios and attended a great many inspiring concerts of the new jazz (by Ornette Coleman, Sun Ra, Art Ensemble of Chicago, Julius Hemphill, Oliver Lake, Don Cherry, Paul Motian and many others) at the important New York loft space Soundscape, and at The Public Theater. This was a time of great exploration and preparation for Gregg's future contributions to the realms of creative composition, improvisation and jazz.

Gregg attended Rutgers University and studied composition with the late Noel DaCosta, whose well-known interest in joining classical music with jazz and world music had a profound effect on Gregg. Noel quickly recognized Gregg's potential as a serious conceptualist and encouraged him to pursue his own artistic voice and unique musical direction. The two remained close friends over the next 20 years, until DaCosta's passing in 2002.

Gregg left Rutgers in 1983 to immerse himself in the music-making of the New York Downtown scene. It was during this time that he first played with many important improvisers such as Derek Bailey, Tim Berne, John Zorn, Mark Ribot, Ned Rothenberg, William Parker, Mark Dresser, Evan Parker, Borah Bergman, Butch Morris, Tom Cora and many more. He formed “THE GREGG BENDIAN PROJECT “and first began presenting concerts of his unique musical blend of intricate composition and improvisation in New York City in January of 1984.

Shortly after playing with Derek Bailey, Gregg was asked by Bailey to join his improvising collective, Company. It was within Company that Gregg first played with such musicians as Leo Smith, George Lewis, Robert Dick, Lol Coxhill, Gavin Bryars, Roscoe Mitchell, Peter Kovald, Evan Parker and Peter Brotzmann. Soon after, pianist Cecil Taylor heard a tape of Bendian and Bailey's duo improvisations and was impressed by Gregg rhythmic and sonic approach. When Tony Oxley was unavailable for a Boston performance in March 0f 1989, Taylor asked Bendian to fill in. Gregg played with The Cecil Taylor Trio for most of 1989. During this period of intense activity the trio toured widely and recorded an album for A&M called "In Florescence"(1990). The disc includes two of Bendian's solo percussion works, "Entity" and "for Steve McCall" - a rather rare instance of Taylor including the works of another composer on his own record date.

During the 1990’s and beyond Gregg has released many critically acclaimed CDs, including "Definite Pitch" (for solo percussion), "Interstellar Space Revisited : The Music of John Coltrane" (with Nels Cline), "Banter" (with Derek Bailey), "The Sign of 4" (with Pat Metheny), "Requiem for Jack Kirby" (with Gregg Bendian’s Interzone), and he is also featured on "We Saw A Bozo Under The Sea" (by Captain Beefheart guitarist Zoot Horn Rollo). During this period Gregg performed as timpani soloist with Ornette Coleman's Harmelodic Chamber Players. Bendian currently leads the ensembles INTERZONE, THE MAHAVISHNU PROJECT (who performed at MoogFest 2006 with original Mahavishnu Orchestra keyboard master, Jan Hammer), and TRIO PIANISSIMO. In 2007 Gregg released "Who Knew Charlie Shoe?" with guitarist Richard Leo Johnson and “Research (Tiny Useful Secrets)” a disc of ten innovative percussion works on his own Aggregate Music label. Gregg is currently appearing as drummer of the Genesis repertory ensemble, THE MUSICAL BOX. Gregg is an active performer and a frequent clinician for Paiste cymbals, Drum Workshop drums, Attack heads and Musser tuned percussion. A sought-after television soundtrack composer and private instructor, Gregg is featured in the book/CD "Percussion Profiles: Interviews, Articles & Discographies of 25 of the World's Most Creative Percussionists" (Soundworld Publishers/FMR Records). As producer Gregg is currently at work on "Live at The Bottom Line: The First 30 Years,” a four-CD set of archival concert recordings featuring over 80 classic artists, to be released by Koch International sometime in 2009.

Bendian is fond of recording tributes. With Interzone, he recorded "Requiem for Jack Kirby", a tribute to the great comic book artist. He has also recorded tributes to Octavia Butler and others. In 1999, he and Nels Cline released "Interstellar Space Revisited", a critically acclaimed cover album of John Coltrane's "Interstellar Space", which Bendian described as "my love letter to Free Jazz drumming". "The Penguin Guide to Jazz on CD" said, "Hard to listen to this contemporary pairing without returning to the source material. Hard to revisit that without wanting to hear Bendian and Cline again."

External links

* [http://www.greggbendian.com Gregg Bendian's website]
*The Mahavishnu Project Website [http://www.mahavishnuproject.com]
*The Musical Box Website [http://www.themusicalbox.net]
*Paiste Cymbal Website [http://www.paiste.com]
*DW Drums Website [http://www.dwdrums.com]

Listening

*Gregg Bendian's Interzone perform "Kirby's Fourth World", Chicago 2001 [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L58_VKECj1c]

*"Interstellar Space Revisited - Leo" with Nels Cline 9/02 at SASSAS [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TcjAy3VtMVU Part One] and [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AszbNtYlrBU Part Two]

*The Mahavishnu Project perform "Resolution (One Word)" at VishnuFest 2007 [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hxAJYJNaknU]

Discography

Recordings as Leader/Co-Leader:

Gregg Bendian - "Research (Tiny Useful Secrets)" 2008 - Aggregate Music (AGCD005)

The Mahavishnu Project - "Return To The Emerald Beyond" 2007 - Cuneiform Records (Rune 242/243)

Richard Leo Johnson & Gregg Bendian - "Who Knew Charlie Shoe?" 2007 - Cuneiform Records (Rune 258)

Jan Hammer & The Mahavishnu Project - "MoogFest 2006 Live" [DVD] 2007 - MVDvisual (DR-4559)

Gregg Bendian's Trio Pianissimo - "Change" 2005 - Aggregate Music (AGCD004)

The Mahavishnu Project - "Phase 2" 2004 - Aggregate Music (AGCD003)

Gregg Bendian/Jeff Gauthier/Steuart Liebig/G.E. Stinson - "Bone Structure" 2003 - Cryptogramophone (CG114)

The Mahavishnu Project - "Live Bootleg" 2002 - Aggregate Music (AGCD002)

Gregg Bendian's Interzone - "Requiem For Jack Kirby" 2001 - Atavistic (ALP125CD)

Gregg Bendian's Interzone - "Myriad" 2000 - Atavistic (ALP119CD)

Gregg Bendian/Nels Cline - Interstellar Space Revisited: The Music of John Coltrane 1999 - Atavistic (ALP102CD)

Gregg Bendian's Trio Pianissimo - "Balance" 1999 - Truemedia Jazzworks (D99205)

Gregg Bendian/Alex Cline - "Espiritu" 1998 - Truemedia Jazzworks (D98715)

Derek Bailey/Pat Metheny/Gregg Bendian/Paul Wertico - "The Sign Of 4" 1997 - Knitting Factory Works (KFW197) Gregg Bendian's Interzone - "Gregg Bendian's Interzone" 1996 - Atavistic (ALP156CD)

Paul Wertico/Gregg Bendian - "Bang!" 1996 - Truemedia Jazzworks (D96731)

Gregg Bendian Project - "Counterparts" 1996 - Creative Improvised Music Productions (CIMP105)

Derek Bailey/Gregg Bendian - "Banter" 1995 - OO Discs (OO20)

Gregg Bendian - "Definite Pitch" 1994 - Aggregate Music (AGCD001)

Paul Plimley/Lisle Ellis/Gregg Bendian - "Noir" 1993 - Les Disques Victo (CD022)

Peter Brotzmann/Gregg Bendian/William Parker - "Sacred Scrape" 1992 - Rastascan Records (BRD-015)

Gregg Bendian Project - "Gregg Bendian Project" 1988 - Aggregate Music

Recordings as Sideman: Zoot Horn Rollo - "We Saw A Bozo Under The Sea" 2001 - Zoot Horn Rollo (ZHR-2001)

Steve Swell - "Particle Data Group" 2001 - Cadence Jazz Records (CJR1139)

G.E. Stinson - "Vapor" 1999 - Ecstatic Peace Records (E#17B)

Steve Hunt - "From Your Heart & Soul" 1997 - Spice Rack (SR101-01)

William Parker/The Little Huey Creative Music Orchestra - "Sunrise In The Tone World" 1997 - AUM Fidelity (AUM02/3)

Christopher Cauley - "FINland" 1996 - Eremite (MTE06)

Philippe Micol - "New York Interviews" 1996 - Unit Records (UTR4091CD)

William Parker/The Little Huey Creative Music Orchestra - "Flowers Grow In My Room" 1994 - Centering Records (CD1002)

Splatter Trio & Debris Play Anthony Braxton - "Jump Or Die" 1994 - Music & Arts Programs Of America (CD843)

Gary Lucas - "Bad Boys Of The Arctic" 1994 - Enemy Records (EMY-146)

Anne LeBaron Quintet - "Phantom Orchestra" 1991 - Ear-Rational Records (ECD1035)

Cecil Taylor - "In Florescence" 1990 - A&M Records (CD5286)

Compilation Recordings: Various Artists/Gregg Bendian - "Percussion Profiles: Interviews, Articles & Discographies of 25 of the World's Most Creative Percussionists" (Book & CD)2001 - Soundworld Publishers/FMR Records

Various Artists/The Mahavishnu Project - "Mahavishnu Re-Defined" 2008 - ESC Records