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Ancient Future is a large musical family of world fusion music ensembles
led by scalloped fretboard guitarist Matthew Montfort. The group is
dedicated to music termed by Matthew as "world fusion music". To date,
Ancient Future is the world's first and longest running band dedicated to
the creation of world fusion music, which blends musical ideas from many
different cultures. The music is described as being "contemporary sounds of
jazz and rock with the irresistible rhythms of African, Balinese, Indian,
Middle Eastern and South American percussion, the rich harmonies of Europe,
and the beautiful melodies of Asia".
Their music is "an exhilarating fusion of exciting rhythms and exotic
sounds from around the globe". It is worth noting that all of the
members of Ancient Future have studied with or performed professionally with
"master musicians of many world music traditions, from Balinese gamelan
director Made Gerindem to North Indian sarod master Ali Akbar Khan".
Ancient Future is credited with having created "a musical world without
borders".
Ancient Future Then and Now: Lost 1978 Video of Band Discovered
*Ancient Future was formed in late 1978 by students at the Ali Akbar
College of Music in San Rafael, California, including Mindia Klein, Matthew
Montfort, Benjy Wertheimer, and Phil Fong. Its origins, however, go back to
1967. Two of the founding members, Matthew Montfort and Benjy Wertheimer,
were childhood friends in Boulder, Colorado, who dreamed of forming a band
together. By his senior year of high school, Montfort was playing guitar
professionally in several local bands. Meanwhile, Wertheimer had gravitated
to percussion and Indian tabla drums in particular. A friend of Wertheimer's
introduced Montfort to a record by the Diga Rhythm Band, which featured
North Indian tabla master Zakir Hussain and his students along with Grateful
Dead drummer Mickey Hart and guitarist Jerry Garcia. Montfort was fascinated
by Indian rhythms, and decided to integrate them into his
jazz/rock/classical fusion music.
In the summer of 1977 Wertheimer and Montfort came to San Rafael to
study North Indian classical music at the Ali Akbar College of Music. There
they met the members of the Diga Rhythm Band, moved into the house that the
group rehearsed in, and formed an offshoot called Greenhouse Intergalactic,
which included Diga Rhythm Band members Tor Dietrichson (who later signed
with Global Pacific Records), Jim Loveless, Ray Spiegel, and Arshad Syed
(who joined Ancient Future's touring lineup in 1993). Greenhouse
Intergalactic rehearsed at the Grateful Dead studio and performed a number
of concerts before splitting up into two groups: a Latin band called Sun
Orchestra, and the world fusion music group Ancient Future.
The name Ancient Future grew out of two contradictory themes. "Sarodist
Phil Fong was very interested in the legendary ancient civilizations of
Atlantis and Mu, and liked to imagine what the music of Mu might have been
like. Fong envisioned a band name invoking an image of the ancient
civilizations where the world's great musical traditions were born. But the
group also wanted its name to express a vision of hope for the future
through the cross-cultural exchange of that ancient knowledge. Thus the name
Ancient Future was born". When Ancient Future created its own contemporary
sound by combining elements of the world's ancient music traditions, no one
quite knew what to call the end result. In 1978, Ancient Future leader
Matthew Montfort coined the term world fusion music to describe the process
of blending musical ideas from many different traditions.
PRESS RELEASES
L.E.T.S. Live (2021)
Lustful Elephants Trumpet Spring (L.E.T.S.) was composed by Matthew Montfort after studying Rag Basant,
a springtime raga that captures the feeling of separated lovers longing to unite. The caption on an
associated ragamala painting read: "Bound with a peacock's feathers...his face is as a flower. Elephant-like,
he joyfully wanders in the forest among the gopis. Such is Basant raga." Montfort woke up in the middle of the
night dreaming of a melody that conjures elephants in mating season. It begins with a low riff that depicts an
elephant's legs, and then moves to a jump from low to high like an elephant trumpeting in excitement. The piece
quickly became a part of Ancient Future's live repertoire, and a studio version is in production.
Yearning for the Wind (2014)
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Composed by scalloped fretboard guitar innovator Matthew Montfort, Yearning for
the Wind? is a poignant piece based on Rag Kalyan, an evening raga that corresponds
to the Lydian mode. The composition also incorporates harmony and other guitaristic
elements. ?A duet with Indian tabla virtuoso Vishal Nagar, who is considered one
of the most gifted tabla players of his generation, Yearning for the Wind is set
in matta tal, a nine beat rhythmic cycle. As a bridge between the slow and fast
sections of the piece, Vishal Nagar performs an elegant tabla solo over the soft
nine beat groove that slowly builds up to a vibrant rela (a fast tabla composition
characterized by rapid drum rolls).
ONESHEET:
From Ancient Future's "Planet Passion" CD :
Re-issued to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the first Ancient Future
concert (Feb. 11, 1979, ), the seventh Ancient Future recording, “Planet
Passion,” features 19 top masters of world music traditions performing music
about flirtation, courtship, gods of love, betrothal, seduction, and longing
for the beloved.
Ancient Future is a large musical family including Matthew Montfort
(producer, bandleader, scalloped fretboard guitar, electric guitar, flamenco
guitar, bass, gangsa), Irina Mikhailova (Eastern European vocals), Emam
(North Indian tabla), Moses Sedler (cello), Liu Qi-Chao (Chinese flute),
Antoine Lammam (Arabic tabla), Ian Herman (South African drum set), Ustad
Habib Khan (North Indian sitar), Georges Lammam (Arabic violin), Patti Weiss
(violin), Manose Singh (Nepalese flutes), C.K. Ladzekpo (West African
drums), Pedro de Jesus (Afro-Cuban drums, chant), Doug McKeehan (keyboards),
Mindia Devi (bansuri), Benjy Wertheimer (North Indian tabla, esraj), Ian
Dogole (world percussion), Hadley Louden (bass marimba), and Jim Hurley
(violin).
From this palette of musicians, “Planet Passion” features a different
band on each track, one of which even includes Ancient Future’s original
line-up. BILLBOARD calls the group "trendsetters" for contributing to the
emerging genre known as “world fusion music,” a term Ancient Future coined
at its inception in 1978 for music that blends musical ideas from many
different cultures..
1Ancient Future is the world's first and longest
running band dedicated exclusively to the creation of world fusion music.
Their music is an exhilarating fusion of exciting rhythms and sounds from
around the globe that combines contemporary jazz and rock with the
irresistible rhythms of African, Balinese, Indian, Middle Eastern and South
American percussion, the rich harmonies of Europe, and the beautiful
melodies of Asia. Over the years, the American members of Ancient Future
have looked beyond their roots for inspiration by studying with the master
musicians of many world music traditions, from Balinese gamelan director
Made Gerindem to North Indian sarod master Ali Akbar Khan. They use their
knowledge of world music to create something new and uniquely their own that
is respected by pundits from the cultures whose traditions are a part of the
mix. According to INDIA CURRENTS, Ancient Future "plays with technical
brilliance and gypsy-like fire," and their music "demonstrates the
continuing beneficial influence of Indian music upon world culture."
Ancient Future has expanded its musical vision through collaborations
with traditional musicians from around the world who are now an integral
part of what is today more than just a band. Ancient Future has grown to
become a large chamber ensemble of world music masters with many smaller
ensembles within it, enabling Ancient Future to realize its core mission of
creating world fusion music. Through cross cultural exchange, Ancient Future
has created a musical world without borders.
REVIEWS:
Retail:
“Ancient Future is a Bay Area based group and is one of the originators of the influential music genre called ‘world fusion.’ The term was coined in 1978 to describe the exciting new music the band was then creating. Developing through various incarnations over the years, Ancient Future has now produced what might be their best work yet. The theme of ‘Planet Passion’ is love, from initial flirtation, to courtship, to union and longing again for the beloved. Matthew Montfort, the band’s leader and guitarist extraordinaire, put together this winning ensemble and did the artful arrangements. While there are many beautifully performed ethnic instrumentations and voices, from Nepalese to Balinese to Russian, the overall sound is distinctive, inventive and, appropriate enough, seductive. ‘Planet Passion’ is a perfect CD for being marooned for a long’” — Lee Starkey, EAST WEST MAGAZINE, East West BookshopRadio:
Best of Echoes Listener Poll WInner. #1 Echoes TOP 20, #1 MP3.com World, #11 NAR and #19 NAV charts. “Ancient Future weren't the first to merge music from around the world, but they were the ones who coined the term world fusion. They've been living that vision for a quarter of a century. Now, after a nine-year silence, they've released another powerful reminder of that dream. India has always been at the heart of Ancient Future's world fusion. Founder and only remaining original member Matthew Montfort plays a special, scalloped fretboard acoustic instrument that lets him get the bends of an Indian sitar. He uses it to weave seductive melodies, and his exchanges with Indian sitarist Habib Khan on "Socha, Socha" are exhilarating. Singer Irina Mikhailova, from Medicine Drum and Lumin is the first vocalist in Ancient Future. Singing in vocalese and her native Kazakh tongue, she is intoxicating. From the gamelan cycles of "Semara" to the exuberance of "Forest Frolic," Ancient Future is the sound of the global bazaar in ecstasy.” — John Diliberto (host of Echoes, syndicated on 175 stations), AMAZON.COM— Murrday Fisher, ALL MUSIC GUIDE “When it comes to world music, ‘Planet Passion’ is probably the most accessible offering this reviewer has heard to date, making it a very highly recommended musical gift.” — Robert Walmsley, OMEGA “A perfect gift to your loved one or yourself...odds are that it will be your album of the month, too, as it is ours.” — NEW TIMES “‘Breathtaking melodies, rhythms, and instrumentation from Africa, India, Asia, South America, and the Middle East. Each track is so lovely, so evocative, that it is difficult to single out favorites.” — AQUARIUS
Internet
“Aptly named, ‘Planet Passion’ turns tantalizing poly-cultural rhythms and passionate melodies into sizzling, sexy music guaranteed to melt stereo speakers as well as hearts and inhibitions. It is music that irresistibly moves both body and soul. But then, one expects nothing less from the visionary players for whom the description "world fusion" was coined Laying the groundwork for some of today's most successful worldbeat acts like Jai Uttal and the Pagan Love Orchestra, Vas, Dead Can Dance and even the jazz-worldbeat band, Shadowfax, Ancient Future has grown into a global village of 19 musicians whose rich heritage includes erotic rhythms, sensuous voices and inspired instrumentation from Africa, India, Asia (especially Bali), South America and the Middle East. The tunes included are diverse, yet equally captivating, evoking all that is most appealing about music from a global village.” —CDNOW.COMVIDEOS:
Ancient Future - Bookenka (The Adventurer) fromPrelude and Bookenka (The Adventurer)
Yearning for the Wind by Ancient Future with
Matthew Montfort (Guitar) & Vishal Nagar (Tabla)
'Turkish Taffy' by Ancient Future
at 'World Without Walls' Reunion, Yoshi's San Francisco
