slammer

cu there Tigger and AD...have a great week...Jim

Passenger will be performing at the Duke of Wellington in Waterloo, Ontario

on Friday April 9th...9:00p start and at the Boar's Head in Stratford, Ontario on

Saturday April 10th...9:00p start.. great original music...cool cover

material... fun?...Wow!!...hope to see you there!!!

Passenger (a brief description for the uninitiated)

With Rhythm & Blues as its meat and potatoes Passenger's music is generously

spiced with funk, soul, folk, reggae and jazz musics. One might say that

artists like the Allman Brothers, John Scofield, the Neville Brothers,

Santana, Sly and the Family Stone, Herbie Hancock, Grateful Dead, Medeski,

Martin and Wood, Bob Dylan, Jimi Hendrix, Miles Davis, Bob Marley, Stevie

Wonder, Van Morrison, Bill Withers have all had an influence on this music.

Passenger's live show consists of Jim Slansky (guitar and vox),

Sam Cino (drums and vox) and Jason Raso on (bass guitar)

Passenger will be performing at The Red Hot chili Pepper in St Catharines,

Ontario on Friday April 2nd...10:30p start...and at The Metcalfe Inn in Elora, Ontario on Saturday April 3rd...10:00p start. great original music...cool

cover material... fun?...Wow!!...hope to see you there!!!

Passenger (a brief description for the uninitiated)

With Rhythm & Blues as its meat and potatoes Passenger's music is generously

spiced with funk, soul, folk, reggae and jazz musics. One might say that

artists like the Allman Brothers, John Scofield, the Neville Brothers,

Santana, Sly and the Family Stone, Herbie Hancock, Grateful Dead, Medeski,

Martin and Wood, Bob Dylan, Jimi Hendrix, Defunkt, Miles Davis, Bob Marley,

St Germain, Stevie Wonder, Van Morrison, Bill Withers have all had an

influence on this music.

Passenger's live show consists of Jim Slansky (guitar and vox),

Sam Cino (drums and vox) and Jason Raso on (bass guitar)

Passenger will be playing the Bourbon street Cellar tonight...136 church street in oakville 8:30 start...and they will be at the Double Olive on Friday in St Catharines...please spread the

word ... I hope you are having a safe and happy holiday season... see you

soon...have fun...Peace!...Jim

thanks again..keep em coming..i'm just getting back into watching movies (I've worn out my Simpsons and Larry Sanders tapes to the point of declaring them dependents on tax return) ... you guys are proving to be a great steering committee...i will soon post a compilation of all the titles that have been suggested to me via this message borad and my other email friendlies...stay strong...Jim

cool ...thanks for responding ...that really helps...Jim

I go to the video store and I never know what to rent…please help me…what are you 5 favourite films from that last 5 years..thanks

Passenger will be playing at Purdy's Pub in Brantford, dec 13 and 14 Friday and saturday this week

also members of Passenger will be playing as a beat/jazz trio called "Chipotle" at the Cornerstone in downtown Guelph every Sundayuntil they decide not to...lots of cool standards and TV themes to move your body parts to...

see you there...Jim

Passenger will be playing at the Double Olive in St Catharines on Friday Nov 29...at 81 James st ...10p start...the Double Olive is a jazz funk and blues bar specializing in exotic martinis…

Saturday Nov 30...Passenger is at the Rooftop Pub in Mississauga...714 Lakeshore Rd East...10:30 start...The Rooftop Pub is a Rhythm and blues bar and this will be Passenger's first time there so come out and support the "Passenger vibe"

also

on Tuesday Nov 26...Van Gogh's Ear...10 Wyndham st in downtown Guelph...Passenger hosts an open forum for singer/songwriters, interpreters of song and players of instruments...starts at 10p ...goes to 1:30 –2

Sunday Dec 1st ...Chipotle (pronounced chipotlay) will be performing their unique interpretations of jazz standards in a "groove format" at the Cornerstone at 1 Wyndham street in beautiful downtown Guelph...Chipotle consists of Sam Cino on drums, John Elliot on bass and Jim Slansky on guitar...this is the first of a weekly series of performances for Chipotle at the Cornerstone

Passenger is consists of Jim Slansky (guitar and vox), Sam Cino (drums and vox), Jason Raso (bass guitar) and Brent Rowan (alto sax)

Passenger’s music has elements of funk, R&B soul, folk, reggae and jazz musics. More specifically one could say that Neville Brothers, Steely Dan, Grateful Dead, Santana, James Brown, Parliament/Funkadelic, Sly and the Family, Motown, Bob Dylan, Jimi Hendrix, Bob Marley, the Allman Brothers, Stevie Wonder, Van Morrison, Little Feat, Bill Withers, and others of that ilk, have all had a profound influence on this music.

lots of heavy psychedelic funk jams

hope to see you there...

Tuesday -van gogh's ear in Guelph...open forum for songwriters and players of instruments...

Thursday-Jimmy Jazz in guelph

Friday-Touchdowns in Mississauga w/Brent

Saturday-timothy's in Etobicoke w/Brent

sunday -Mezzrow's in toronto w Brent

hope to see you there...Jim

we'll see you there James...always a pleasure...Jim

Tuesday -Van gogh's Ear in Guelph

Friday-Red Hot chili Pepper in ST Catharines

have fun...Jim

Van Gogh's Ear in Guelph-Tuesday Oct. 5thand every tuesday til further notice

...An “Open Forum” for songsters. Come drive the bus with "Passenger” (Jason Raso - bass, Sam Cino - drums, Jim Slansky - guitar, vox)

Wild Rose in Stratford Friday

The Boar's Head in Stratford Saturday

Tuesday, van Gogh's Ear in Guelph

Friday, Mercxhant Ale House in St catharines

Staurday, Metcalfe's in Elora

come take a trip with Passenger

Tuesday Oct 22 Guelph Tuesday Night Music Club with Passenger and guests at Van Gogh’s Ear

Thursday October 24 Mississauga Hare and Firkin/w John C and John E

Friday October 25 Toronto Gate 403/w John Elliot

Saturday, October 26 St Catharines The Double Olive/w Brent

Passenger is playing the Poor Folk's deli in Brantford Friday oct 18...seeya there...Jim

Passenger gigs this week

Saturday Oct 12 Kitchener Whiskey Jacks/w Brent

Monday October 14 Toronto The Rex Hotel/w Brent

Tuesday Oct 15 Guelph Tuesday Night Music Club with Passenger and guests at Van Gogh’s Ear

Thursday October 17 Cambridge Olde Hespeler/trio

Friday, October 18 Brantford Poorfolks deli/trio

Saturday October 19 toronto 309 club/trio

A Short Guide To Group Improvisation

Group Improvisation is a creative process wherein a group of purposeful people get together to share ideas on a given topic. These ideas are not already written out. They may be based on previous ideas but these are new additions to the never-ending book that we are all collectively writing. In order to facilitate this type of activity it is important to allow each individual to participate with the greatest of ease. It is a disciplined activity. It is not a "free for all". Inexperienced participants may tend to gauge their success by assessing their own performance instead of the performance of the group. This is a very common misconception. It is the performance of the group that is of prime consideration. Using music performance as an example, here are some guidelines that may help us along the road to a successful group improvisation.

-We start by playing the initial composition. Once established, we then proceed to themes inspired by the nature of that composition.

-Each participant should build upon themes gradually. By doing this, we make it easier to understand where each other is going. Using this approach, we can then more easily accommodate each other's ideas. This ever-changing collection of ideas can then expand and contract. This expansion and contraction is the storyline for each section of the improvisation.

-Cohesiveness will occur when we are all paying attention to each other. We need to see that our contributions are relating well with what the rest of the group is doing. Paying excessive attention to our own contributions or to only certain parts of the group is only a partial solution. It can be seen as an easy way out. It is an incomplete answer. Cohesiveness requires the discipline of listening to all the components of the group just as much as one listens to oneself.

-Imitation is a good starting point when venturing into the unknown. It demonstrates that we are "on the same page". Children imitate their parents but will gradually find their own voices. In the same way, we can evolve from imitative responses to increasingly complimentary ones.

-A productive leadership role can be one that dissolves into a natural democracy where each person's strengths are best utilized to serve the group. Leadership roles change according to the demands of the piece as the improvisation evolves.

-Different situations require different degrees of importance for each participant. Sometimes we are all equally prominent. Sometimes we are supporting others. Ideally, all ranges of each person's prominence will be explored to maximize the group's creative output.

-In a group situation we must choose our statements well. If we present something questionable it cannot be removed. This will happen. We are not perfect. Yet, if we are prepared for this inevitable eventuality, we will more likely be able to utilize what we may have once considered mistakes as opportunities to explore paths that we may not have been otherwise considered. Subtle performance flaws can very well become doors of opportunity for increasing our creativity.

-In order for our ideas to flow smoothly from one to the other we must accept each idea that we present to the group as valid. The discarding of any idea abruptly can disturb the balance that has been achieved.

-The use of sufficient repetition of each theme presented will increase the level of trust within the group. Repetition of a theme shows confidence. Confidence breeds trust. Trust is a prime ingredient in all group activities. It needs to be established and maintained.

-Well-executed group improvisations are a result of a calm, intense group focus. This focus will increase with study and practice. It will spread from the participants to the audience. It is extremely rewarding for all involved.

-Any critical assessments that are made during the activity can decrease one's focus and take away from the productivity of the group. Assessment is productive as a post-creative activity.

In summary, language is our tool for successful communication. We all know how to use language. We've been on the road to successful communication since the day we were born. In whatever medium we choose, it is a never-ending progression toward fluency. Collaborative activities, such as the ones described, are very important to our degree of survival. We can do much more good as a part of a good team than we can do on our own. Understanding how a good team can operate can successfully get us all closer to our goals.

Hey Monkey man...here's our setlist from Frontier Town...Come together Festival...Labour Day weekend Sunday...

we had a blast and hope to do that again soon...it was about a third originals..two thirds covers...we didn't do any Dead tunes that day...but we've been known to play...Lovelight, Not Fade Away, goin Down the road, Mr Charlie and Boogie on Reggae woman into Franklin's tower...here's the list...our website is listed in the previous post if you want to listen to some studio stuff...Peace!

-Ain’t No Sunshine – Bill Withers

-Will it Go Round Circles - Billy Preston

-Talk With Me – J Slansky/passenger

-Cissy Strut – Meters

-Golfing Song-Jim Slansky/passenger

-A go-go – John Scofield

-Brand New Game- Jim Slansky/Passenger

-Voodoo – Neville Brothers

-Howling at the Moon-Jim slansky/Passenger

-Use Me - Bill Withers

Hey Weezy

for sure there's a Dead influence...but the name comes from the train of thought that we are all Passengers on board the good ship Mother Earth and if we keep that in mind good things happen..good music..good times

try these two sites for downloads...keep rockin...Jim

our website: has a goucple of downloads

www.curveballrecords.com

Please Note: to listen to mp3s of Passenger's music go to my IUMA website…just hit the link below…cheers!

http://artists2.iuma.com/IUMA/Bands/Passenger_Getting_There/index-1.html

Passenger will be playing at JR's in Etobicoke on Friday September 20th ...

Passenger’s music has elements of funk, R&B soul, folk, reggae and jazz musics More specifically one could say that , Little Feat, Neville Brothers, Steely Dan, Jeff Beck, Parliament/Funkadelic, Sly and the Family , Motown, Bob Dylan, Hendrix, Bob Marley, the Allman Brothers, Stevie Wonder, Van Morrison, Bill Withers, and others of that ilk, have all had a profound influence on this music.

lots of heavy psychedelic funk jams

Passenger is consists of Jim Slansky (guitar and vox), Sam Cino (drums and vox), Jason Raso (bass guitar) and Brent Rowan (alto sax)

hope to see you there...