The Fringe

Boston free jazz legends The Fringe (George Garzone on tenor, John Lockwood on bass and Bob Gullotti on drums) come to Mandorla Music! For forty-something years’ worth of Mondays, The Fringe has played legendary weekly late night sessions at a series of venues. This one’s especially for those whose lives don’t easily fit that schedule!

Claire Daly wrote for NPR’s ‘A Blog Supreme’ that “Frankly, on first hearing The Fringe, I wasn’t sure what was happening. The trio took the stage, and I don’t think I was even sure when the set started. At some point, I realized that this music was not like the other jazz I had heard… Many times, I’ve likened it to therapy. No matter what’s going on in my life, I leave a Fringe gig and know that everything is going to be all right.”

George Garzone is widely considered one of the top tenor players of his generation, alongside players like Joe Lovano, Jerry Bergonzi, David Liebman, and the late Michael Brecker. In addition to performing with a wide range of marquee names in the jazz world, George is highly regarded as an educator. Past students include Joshua Redman, Branford Marsalis, Mark Turner, Donny McCaslin, and many others. (And trivia question: what tenor player has appeared on studio recordings by such pop musicians as Gladys Knight, Elvis Presley, Aerosmith, New Kids on The Block, and Liberace?)

A member of The Fringe since its founding in 1972, Bob Gullotti has also performed, recorded, and toured with a wide range or artists including Eddie Henderson, J.J. Johnson, Joe Lovano, Kenny Werner, John Patitucci and others… and he may be the only jazz drummer out there to have appeared with both Phish and Rodney Dangerfield.

John Lockwood is among Boston’s busiest bassists, including regular appearances with The Fringe (he’s the band’s “new guy,” having joined in 1985) and the Makanda Project. He has also appeared with Gary Burton, Joe Henderson, Freddie Hubbard, Dave Liebman, Joe Maneri, Joe Pass, Danilo Perez, Pharoah Sanders and many others.