Locating Rollie is a project, a collection of songs that come from the eclectic musical minds of Bob Gifford and Mark Sutton.

Gifford and Sutton were integral parts of 3 bands that achieved various levels of notoriety in the Boston music scene back in the 80's - the Rings, Bamboo Gang, and the Wickermen - writing literally dozens of songs together during that time.

Some of those songs were recorded professionally, some of them were recorded in studio settings as demos, but most of them made their way out of the rehearsal room only as live recordings on audio cassette tapes.

Writing together came to an end in 1986.

In 2010 Mark reached out to Bob, suggesting that the two of them re-record some of the music they had recorded together in the past, but Bob had a better idea.  He proposed recording the songs that were never finished.

They are now doing both, and this renewed musical collaboration is called…

…Locating Rollie.

Closing the circle.

One marker of bassist Michael Formanek's creativity and versatility is the range of distinguished musicians of several generations he's worked with. While still a teenager in the 1970s he toured with drummer Tony Williams and saxophonist Joe Henderson; starting in the '80s he played long stints with Stan Getz, Gerry Mulligan, Fred Hersch and Freddie Hubbard. The bassist has played a pivotal role on New York's creative jazz scene going back to the '90s when he notably led his own quintet and played in Tim Berne's barnstorming quartet Bloodcount. Nowadays Formanek's in the co-op Thumbscrew with Brooklyn guitarist Mary Halvorson and drummer Tomas Fujiwara.  
 
Formanek is also a composer and leader of various bands. His principal recording and international touring vehicle is his acclaimed quartet with Tim Berne on alto saxophone, Craig Taborn on piano and Gerald Cleaver on drums, which records for ECM; 2010's The Rub and Spare Change and 2012's Small Places both earned coveted five-star raves in Down Beat. Formanek writes, and the quartet plays, compositions of great rhythmic sophistication that unfold in a natural sounding way – challenging music the players make sound like lyrical free expression.  His occasional groups include the 18-piece all-star Ensemble Kolossus, roping in many New York improvisers he works with. Ensemble Kolossus recorded their first CD of all Formanek originals for the prestigious ECM in late 2014. That CD, The Distance, will be released in January 2016. 

For the most part the songs that get posted here began their life as arrangement demos for the Freakin' Bravados, a cover band comprised of some long time R&R compatriots that was, sadly, never quite able to get it together, but some of this is collaboration with other artists or re-recordings of songs that I recorded professionally years ago, to correct "the sins of the past", so to speak.  I leave up the recordings that I think captured something special, specifically for my "target audience", which is friends and family.

I was happily diverted a while back with the now complete 'Locating Rollie' project, which is me and Bob Gifford - a long time songwriting partner.  Give it a search and a listen.  If you liked the Rings, BamBoo Gang, and the Wickermen, you'll like Locating Rollie.

That said, there's more to come right here.

Thanks for listening.

Mark Sutton

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