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The long and convoluted history of the musical conglomeration known as Research & Development began in the village of Santa Rosa, California as the second millenium after the death of Jesus Christ drew to a close. The band grew out of a series of marathon jam sessions between three friends in a dark and windowless warehouse in this god-forsaken corner of the globe. These country lads had been raised on a steady diet of punk, ska, reggae, new wave, and good old rock & roll, later infused with healthy doses of Zappa, ELP, random encounters with avant-garde jazz (Steve Coleman, Peter Apfelbaum, etc.), and various people from LA who pretended to play funk. Only after discovering and obsessing over San Francisco New Jazz groups such as the Broun Fellinis, Alphabet Soup, and the Charlie Hunter Trio did our heroes begin to see a more ambitious instrumental project featuring horns as a viable possibility. R & D started out as a trio of alto sax, electric bass, and drums. Their extended jam sessions showed a strong tendency to congeal into lopsided amoeboid loops which had a distinctive and catchy feel, a way of making odd meters sound even more natural than the usual 4/4. This approach was tempered with a growing interest in creating arranged compositions, and a series of lengthy and heavily orchestrated pieces began to emerge. Inevitably, as the visions of the members expanded, so did the band, eventually picking up a tenor sax, trumpet, guitar, keyboards, and hand percussion. This large ensemble presented a lively and occasionally outrageous visual spectacle to its audience, especially on those rare occasions when they appeared on stage in matching costumes. R & D built an eclectic local following of folks from all walks of life who could enjoy their listenable yet provocative style. They played voluminous amounts of gigs around Sonoma County, at a wide range of venues including the Inn of the Beginning, the Phoenix Theater, the Moonlight, the Old Vic, Jasper O'Farrell's, and A'Roma Roasters, to name a few. In 2002, the band relocated to Oakland and began playing regularly at East Bay venues such as the Starry Plough, the Fishtank, the Oakland Metro and the Stork Club. Near the end of the following year they celebrated the release of their long-awaited studio debut "Primate Social Behavior", and are currently working on another album featuring performances and compositions by several of the newer members. Various live recordings from over the years are also available to fans, and as always, the band continues to bring forth fresh ideas and evoke new moods at every concert, so for those who like to experience something different, watch for the R & D extravaganza in your neck of the woods sometime soon. Check out the artist's website: http://www.researchanddevelopment.us Track List: 1. Crumbs 2. Subtext 3. Dust to Dust 4. Demoncatcher Suggested CDs:Other Genres:
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