Mighty Tundra Tones take on Leelanau
By Ross Boissoneau
Sun contributor
Residents and visitors to the county have not one, not two, but three chances to catch one of the region’s favorite bands this coming week. The little big band Tundra Tones, f.k.a. Jazz North, will be performing Aug. 28 at Leland, Aug. 29 at Music in the Park in Northport, and Aug. 31 at Little Traverse Inn.
Trumpet player Bill Fromm, one of the band’s founders, says the group plays a mix of swing, danceable jazz, and popular music. The group’s website says its repertoire is best described as horn-driven R&B, rock, blues, funk, and jazz. Its horn section actually mirrors the classic Blood, Sweat & Tears lineup, with two trumpets, saxophone and trombone. The addition of Tim Sparling on piano to the rhythm section of Dave Goodwin on drums, Anglo Meli on guitar and Glenn Wolff on bass has provided the band with an even more expansive musical palette from which to draw.
And maybe a chance to escape the straitjacket of its former name. “You shouldn’t name a band after a genre. You get pigeonholed,” says Fromm. Most of the members of the original group met while playing in the Northwestern Michigan College jazz band. They began performing as a septet under the name of Jazz North in the winter of 2004-05.
It was a fairly straightforward transition, moving from a 17-piece big band to one that provided more opportunities for the individuals to shine while playing much the same material. “It was old style big band, swing like we did in our (NMC) band,” says Fromm. As the years went on the group grew more popular, performing at various venues across the region, from galleries to festivals to weddings.
While the band played and loved the music of Miles Davis, Duke Ellington, Herbie Hancock and other iconic jazz composers, it also played tunes made famous by Santana, Blood Sweat & Tears and other jazz/pop acts. As the latter became more popular with audiences, they added material by Earth, Wind and Fire, Snarky Puppy, Joe Cocker and Chicago. “The best reactions were (from) ‘Oye Como Va,’ ‘Knock On Wood,’ Louis Jordan,” says Fromm. And when the band played a popular tune by the likes of Chicago? “They’d want another.”
Which eventually begat a new name, one that was less descriptive and hence less likely to possibly turn off audiences that wanted more than just jazz all the time. “It’s a broader palette,” agrees Fromm.
While the Mighty Tundra Tones will be closing out the Music in the Air series at the Old Art Building and Music in the Park at Marina Park in Northport, one other music series still has two shows to go. Jabo Bihlman brings his blues-rock to Music on the Mountain at The Homestead Sept. 11, and East Bay Drive with guest vocalist Miriam Pico closes that season Sept. 18 (look for a feature on the latter in the next issue of the Sun).
Vocalist and guitar slinger Bihlman is an Emmy award-winning instrumentalist, singer, songwriter and producer. His music has appeared on a number of major networks in shows like Big Sky 211, All My Children, Manifest, Burn Notice, Sons of Anarchy and most recently Amazon’s Cross.
He is also lead guitarist for the Grinder Blues with his brother Scot on drums and King’s X frontman Dug Pinnick on bass. Bihlman also served as bandleader and guitarist for celebrated Chicago blues artist Son Seals, with whom he toured the United States and Europe and recorded the Lettin’ Go album for Telarc Records with Trey Anastasio.
Bihlman says he and his bandmates—Cory Perrotte on drums and Dane Moeggenberg on bass—will be bringing the heat with music from the Bihlman Brothers and Grinder Blues, new Jabo Bihlman music and even some covers from the Police and Stevie Ray Vaughan. “I love doing these kinds of events,” he says. “First, it’s a beautiful setting. And it gives me a chance to do some other things, maybe even bring an acoustic.”
Bihlman says performing as a three-piece hits his sweet spot. “I’m a power trio kind of guy. It really opens up my guitar playing a little bit more,” he says. “I’ll talk about the songs, where they come from. We’ll focus on a good time, playing music we love.”
Tickets are $15 and available at tinyurl.com/Jabo-Bihlman.
