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Peter's music has been heard on hundreds of radio stations and has been on SiriusXM rotation for over a decade. As a multi-award winning artist, Peter's music has also topped Billboard's Classical and Crossover charts.
For Captain Beefheart, a maverick-artist-musician, who was not just a complicated man but highly demanding and by most accounts very difficult to deal with. It was appropriate that Beefheart's Magic Band was to prominently feature a bassist as accomplished, bold and adventurous as Mark Boston, a.k.a Rockette Morton.
Born on July 14, 1949, Mark began life in the small town of Salem, Illinois before his family moved out to Lancaster, California when he was 13. With a bassist and steel player for a father, Mark gained a great appreciation for country and bluegrass along with the R&B and rock’n’roll that was on the rise. Within a year of the Boston clan moving out to Lancaster, Mark befriended a young guitarist by the name of Bill Harkleroad.
At a time when the bass guitar was seen as the dummy’s instrument, Mark left quite an impression on Bill with his talent and equipment, leading to the two joining forces to form BC And The Cavemen. With Mark’s mother sewing some outfits for them, the band developed a decent reputation, and the two would also play in a band with Jeff Cotton and John French known as Blues In A Bottle. And then a local hero came calling. Or perhaps screaming and howling!
In that same Lancaster scene, Captain Beefheart And His Magic Band were making a big splash as a top flight blues rock outfit, with 'Safe As Milk' having made a strong impression and 'Strictly Personal' being a strong record as well. But even with a sound that was speaking to people, one that perhaps would have been a more pragmatic one as far as a career goes, Don Van Vliet just wasn’t meant for conventional norms.
The Captain had all these ideas, ideas far too out for many, including early members. He needed new musicians, younger and more impressionable ones that wouldn’t object to his ideas. Already having John and Jeff in the band, now 'Drumbo' and Antennae Jimmy Semens, he then recruited Bill, dubbed Zoot Horn Rollo. And on bass, he found Mark Boston, who took the name Rockette Morton due to his love of outer space. And the classic Magic Band was born.
Trout Mask Replica (TMR) wasn’t an easy album to make. Yet even with all the bizarre ideas and the difficulty in preparing those ideas into music, Mark was a total champ through it all. The Beefheart sound is one of great dichotomy, and Mark can capture all of it. He’s so tight and precise, and yet there’s this raw grit and dirt. He’s highly intelligent and sophisticated in his playing, and yet there remains this childlike sense of wonder and curiosity.
He takes after all the great traditional American music, yet out into a whole other realm of time and space. The bass traditionally serves the role of grounding the harmony while locking in with the drums to provide a foundation, yet Mark’s playing often serves as another melody line in the music. In a lot of ways, he’s like a third guitarist that just happens to be playing bass.
The TMR on its own is a legacy few can compete with, and yet Mark contributed to more classic records like "Lick My Decals Off, Baby", "The Spotlight Kid", and "Clear Spot". There on Decals, you get the equivalent of Godfather II. With Mother Art Tripp on marimba and drums rather Jeff on guitar, you get an album that captures a great deal of TMR's brilliance while being brilliant in its own unique way.
Then you get to 'The Spotlight Kid', with bass godliness on cuts like “When It Blows Its Stack”, resulting in a bass solo that often opened shows, yet Mark proves himself just as talented on traditional in-the-pocket styles as demonstrated on cuts like “I’m Gonna Booglarize You Baby”. And that thing about bassists being failed guitarists? In the 'Clear Spot', with Mark taking guitar and the rhythm section now being a mini Mothers reunion of Art and Roy Estrada, yet nobody missed a beat. Throughout the record, Bill and Mark’s kinship really shines, their weaving right there with what Bill and Jeff had done, or what was done with Alex St Clair early on.
Of course, dealing with Don was quite a task of its own, so it’s inevitable that Mark and the others would all end up departing by 1974. He and Bill soon formed a group of their own called Mallard. For two albums, the first with Art and having some writing help from John French 'Drumbo', Mallard showed itself a pretty decent blues rock outfit. And giving that it was Mark who finally had a chance to create something that was truly his own rather than helping some achieve their vision, it’s understandably the work that he takes pride in. And over time, he’d end up making a solo record and create some cool artwork of his own, as well as performing with 'Drumbo' in the reformed Magic Band, allowing the music to live and breathe on stage again.
If you’re a Beefheart fan, how can you not love Rockette Morton? Not only a uniquely talented bass player but such a great stage presence full of joy, along with a lovably quirky personality and such a sweet guy. Easily one of my favorites from Magic Band members, you can’t help but smile when thinking about Mark. He’s been through some rough weather, including his health scares, and yet he’s still the same Mark we’ve known and loved all the years.
Happy birthday Mark! Thank you for all you have given us and look forward to more.
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Patrick Moore is a freehand drawing artist and freelance music writer.
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Exclusive Interview
Yogi Shetrit trio: Virtuosi performance!
By Ravi V. Chhabra
It was a ‘breathless relief’ to have reached in time to the famous Nehru Park despite massive car parking woes. Shetrit trio from Israel was performing as we made our way to the second row in front. (Yogev Shetrit - drums, Stav Goldberg - piano, Meni Welt - bass).
The 7th Delhi International Jazz Festival, a three-day (23rd – 25th Sept. 2017) Jazz jamboree organized by Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR) as always had on board fine bands from Spain, Korea, Taiwan, Mexico, Israel and India.
fnbworld.com {News for Soul} exclusive interview with Yogev Shetrit - born in 1978, he is a professional Israeli drummer/percussionist, performer and composer and has been teaching music for last 18 years. Shetrit established his band in 2015, with the aim of playing his own compositions. The band has performed in jazz clubs in Israel and Europe.
Shetrit is a founding member of Coolooloosh (2003-2014), a critically acclaimed funk and hip-hop band which received international exposure by extensively touring the US, Canada, Mexico and Europe. The band released three albums and performed at many festivals, including the Montreal Jazz Festival. Shetrit has recorded and performed with renowned artists including Chuchito Valdez, Avi Adrian, Elon Turgeman, Eli Benacot, Dori Ben-Zeev, Mika Karni and others. In addition, Shetrit freelances at various projects on a regular basis.
fnbworld: How did you get initiated into Jazz?
Shetrit: I started to play the drums when I was 11. I played mostly rock around 16. I started to play fusion with friends that made me listen to Dave Weckl and Steve Gadd and bands like Uzeb, Tribeltake, Alain Caron, Mike Stern and a lot more. Around 19 years, I started listening to jazz giants like Miles Davis, John Coltrane, Herbie Hancock, McCoy Tyner, Art Blakey and many more.
fnbworld: When did you form this trio and where all have you performed till now?
Shetrit: In February 2016, I recorded my first studio album as a bandleader and composer. The album, entitled "New Path" was launched in September 2016 and since then the trio has been performing across Israel. In February, we played at ‘Shaon Horef’ Festival in Jerusalem. In March 2017, we performed at the International Jazz Festival in Guatemala, two concerts and four master classes. The trio was selected to represent Israel at the Kazakhstan Expo from 16-21 July 2017 for three concerts. India tour now September 23-30, 2017: Delhi Jazz Festival, a concert in Guwahati, concert and workshop in Aizawl at the first Jazz Festival in Aizawl Mizoram, a concert in Shillong.
fnbworld: Your musical training and mentorship?
Shetrit: I earned my BA in Musicology at the Hebrew University, Jerusalem (2000-2004) and studied at the Drummers Collective in NYC (2005) and received a full scholarship for studies at the Rimon School of Jazz and contemporary music (2006-2007).
fnbworld: What about the 'New Path'?
Shetrit: The album “New Path” contains 11 instrumental pieces composed, arranged and produced by me on drums and percussion. It fuses traditional North African music, Gnawa, Andalusian music from his Moroccan heritage, along with contemporary jazz, Jewish and Mediterranean music. The funk and drums and bass influences are also evident on some of the tracks.
fnbworld: What has been the jazz scene traditionally and in contemporary times in Israel, as jazz is perceived to be not growing much?
Shetrit: The jazz scene in Israel is big and at its peak and there are a lot of artists that are very successful abroad.
fnbworld: I am particularly fond of Avishai and Yossi Fine. Who are your mentors?
Shetrit: Musicians like Avishai Cohen - the bass player and Omer Avital, Avishai Cohen - the trumpet player and more. Those three are my models/mentors.
fnbworld: Which drummers have impressed/struck you most (both rock and jazz)?
Shetrit: Since age 16, I have been inspired by Dave Weckl, Steve Gadd, Vinnie Colaiuta and many more. Now I listen to almost every drummer but mostly to Brian Blade, Eric Harland, Mark Guiliana, Karim Ziad, Jeff Ballard, Antonio Sánchez, Dafnis Prieto, Horacio Hernandez, and the list is so long. In Jazz I love Buddy Rich, Art Blakey, Max Roach Elvin Jones, Philly Joe Jones, Roy Haynes and others. In rock the invincible John Bonham, Jeff Porcaro - Metallica, Mashina (Israeli band) and others.
fnbworld: Who is your favorite jazz bassist?
Shetrit: The wonderful bassists for me are Paul Chambers, Ron Carter, Dave Holland and, of course, Charles Mingus.
fnbworld: One of my favorite bassists from Israel is Avishai Cohen and I enjoy his performance on Youtube. Do you intend to jam with him?
Shetrit: Oh yes, Avishai Cohen is amazing and he inspires me for my compositions. And I certainly want to jam with him. Hope one day soon I will play with him.
fnbworld: Your views on Indian classical fusion music?
Shetrit: Indian music is amazing and so vast. Such rich music with endless things to study, is overwhelming.
fnbworld: One of the most versatile cross-genres musicians/composers has been Frank Zappa. What are your views about his contribution to music?
Shetrit: Zappa is amazing and a very good musician but I have to say that I am not a fan of his music.
fnbworld: Israel is a great friend of India what memories are you taking of India and our people?
Shetrit: You are right...there are lots of memories and inspiration in your ancient civilization. I really like the Indian people and Indian audience and I was very excited to play my music with my trio. I would love to come back soon to the amazing India!
fnbworld: Have you had a chance to listen to Indian folk and classical music?
Shetrit: Sure, Zakir Hussain and many more. I also really like the Bollywood productions.
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Special thanks to ICCR for facilitating this interview.
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