BY VANESSA SALVIA
World Fusion Pioneers
Ancient Future brings ‘organic dance music’ to Eugene.
Q
uick, how many people can you
name who coined a term describing
a popular musical genre? If the
name Matthew Montfort didn’t jump to
mind, you’ve probably never heard of
Ancient Future, a Bay Area-based band in
their 27th year.
In 1978, Montfort called Ancient Future
“world fusion music” to explain his motiva-
tion for combining ideas from many musical
traditions. But Montfort would take umbrage
at the word genre. “It is a process that actu-
ally creates tradition,” he said. “When differ-
ent cultures get together and learn from each
other, each culture will have developed a cer-
tain musical knowledge kernel.”
The band’s name, Ancient Future, illus-
trates Montfort’s desire to take music from
the past and bring it into the future. “The tra-
ditions are very old and the knowledge of
these traditions needs to be a part of future
traditions,” he said.
Ancient Future began as a quartet but has
grown to include 25 masters of numerous
musical traditions the world over. Montfort
leads four touring versions of Ancient
Future, with the arabic fusion version touring
the Northwest during Spring 2005. “It’s great
music to dance to,” he said. “People go to
raves and all that, well this is organic dance
music!”
Montfort, who plays scalloped fretboard
guitar (combining South Indian vina and
steel-string guitar), is joined by Georges
Lammam, a Palestinian from Lebanon who
plays Arabic violin and sings, Azerbaijani
percussion master Salah Takesh, and Doug
Ancient Future
Far Horizons School,
2490 Hilyard St., 8 pm
Thursday, April 28/ $13 adv/$17 door
Tickets available at StarGate Books, 1374
Willamette, 687-0282
McKeehan on keyboards. Ancient Future’s
2003 CD Planet Passion is 12 tracks
arranged in chapters chronicling a relation-
ship’s arc: Flirtation, courtship, sacred eros,
the wedding, seduction and longing for the
beloved.
Nineteen masters of musical styles as
diverse as Indian, Cuban Celtic, Jewish and
Chinese converged to give life to lovely
tracks like “Forest Frolic,” I Mett Her in the
Medowe” and “El Zaffa.” The CD is rich
with melodies and quiet moments in sound
from around the globe; perfect for yoga,
meditation, dancing, dinner or just plain lis-
tening!
ew
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APRIL 21, 2005 25