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Elijah Tucker’s solo debut is generous of spirit, heart, and voice. He’s an accomplished instrumentalist and vocalist—he wrote and sang all the songs, played drums, guitar, and bass, xylophone, and flute. Lots of horns amble in and out; some are great, though some noodle and compete with one another. The record’s rock and R&B realm mixes fluently with poppy funk, reggae, country, and blues. Tucker’s voice is well matched for the genres, and sounds best when the music is focused and the songs are stripped of unnecessary accompaniment. “A Cacophonous Initiation” indicates the emergence of a child in Tucker’s recent life. At first that’s a worry, since little good can ever come from a record inspired by a baby, let alone those that include xylophone. Thankfully, other themes include girls and lonely and deep loves, lived and died. Some of the lyrics are, oddly, personal yet abstract, and at other times easy and obvious—though many will find them reassuringly immediate and familiar. “The Aurora” is a sultry yet directed, pulsing, and forceful rhythm, with a lusty devil-drawl that Tucker should take more advantage of. “Windowless Room” (with organ by guest Pete Levin) similarly succeeds because of its directed country blues map and classic, loose guitar riffs a la Americana vets JT & the Clouds.
Having spent his productive musical years in Bard College group theFoundation, Tucker brings his Brooklyn-based band to the area to play at Bard’s Down the Road Café in Annandale-on-Hudson on March 4; the Falcon in Marlboro on March 5; and the Black Swan in Tivoli on March 6. www.generousmusic.com.
- The Chronogram (http://www.chronogram.com/issue/2010/3/Music/CD-Review-Elijah-Tucker-Generous-Music)
"I was alternating between this record and (Phish's) "Joy" for the past couple weeks...really nice orchestration throughout...cool voice. It's a great album. Water is Real is my favorite." - Facebook
Discography
"Generous Music" 2009 (Elijah)
"Sun EP" 2007 (Elephant Army)
"whitespace" 2005 (Foundation)
"Mother Ming" 2003 (MM)
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Bio
A small fish in a big pond, Elijah Tucker is happy to find himself at a vibrant cross-roads of the Brooklyn music scene. He has worked as sideman for many fine local songwriters, as well as with well-known national acts such as J Mascis, Wah!, Krishna Das, and many others. Through working with so many different talented and creative players, he has been exposed to a wide variety of audiences, venues, and vibes, all of which he brings to bear in his own music and performances.
Raised in Washington DC, Elijah spent his formative years going to concerts with his Dad. Much of his early musical education came surrounded by thousands of revelers at Grateful Dead, Van Morrison, Phish, Rusted Root and myriad other concerts. In the presence of so many fine musicians, it was little surprise when the performance bug bit him hard at the age of 12. Beginning a simultaneous study of guitar, drums and flute at 12, he jammed the classics with friends until age 14, when he wrote his first song, about the Adventure of Love. Quickly realizing that a 4-track was a necessity, he raised money by collecting donations from his classmates in 8th grade and bought a Tascam 03. After recording his first song, he then sold tapes to his classmates, and donated half the proceeds to his 8th grade class theme-park trip.
Many years and basement recordings later, he entered Bard College, where he played drums in the celebrated funk, soul and jam bands Mother Ming and theFoundation. It was during this time that he shared stages with George Clinton, The Slip, Brad Meldau, Joe Lovano, Mercury Rev, and may others. Additionally, these bands each released full-length records, which were major campus hits.
Upon graduation, Elijah relocated to Brooklyn, where he worked as an independent musician; as a founding member of roots-country band The Elephant Army (whose sole record was recorded at Memphis's venerable Sun Studios); and as a supporting member in the bands of songwriters Matt Jones, Danica Dora (a recent Joe's Pub headliner) among many others.
His solo album, "Generous Music" drew rave reviews even before it was released, inspiring noted producer/serial crusher Ian Turner to say: "This record makes me want to stay with a woman." Sweet, personal, intimate, full of love, truth and immediacy, the album is a cinematic journey of emotion, elegance and warmth, crafted with precision and aged to perfection (it took 2 1/2 years to complete). He is thrilled to be turning his attention to this project, and doubly thrilled to see what it does in the world.
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