Monday, November 29th, 2010 at 8pm at The Bell House in Gowanus, Brooklyn.
Dear Friends,
On November 27, 2010, at Brooklyn's beautiful venue, The Bell House, The Universal Thump performed George Harrison's album, All Things Must Pass in its entirety, with an expanded ensemble of musicians and incredible line up of guest vocalists including Shara Worden (My Brightest Diamond), John Wesley Harding, Rick Moody, Missy Higgins, Dayna Kurtz and many more. This was a celebration of the 40th Anniversary of the release of Harrison's album, and was also a fundraiser for The George Harrison Fund for UNICEF. Excerpts from the program notes and press below and to the right. More news about this show coming soon.
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Ladies and Gentlemen,
The Universal Thump is not a “tribute band.” Everyone on stage tonight is a songwriter, composer or arranger. Many are all of those things. The idea for tonight’s performance came to us six short months ago. It was a casual thought, and a crazy one. But in a year when band after aging band filed into America’s Halls and Plazas of music to perform their “classic” albums in their entirety, to remind us all of a time when their albums were important, or when albums were important, it seemed a natural one. “Why don’t we pay tribute to a true classic? An album we all love?” And then, what would this band even look like on stage? Could we convince enough of our friends and peers that the vivisection, study, and reproduction of these recordings would be worth all of that time and work? And would we all fit on any New York stage?
And then the stars began to align.
Most everyone seemed thrilled by the idea. So, too, was the ample Bell House. They quickly offered us a date - this date. Nine years to the day of George’s death, and just days after the 40th anniversary of the three discs’ original release. This was to be a tribute indeed, and an ambitious one.
Tonight’s performance is the result of contributions from over 40 musicians, engineers, authors and artists. All is for the benefit of Mr. Harrison, his music, his spirit, and the fund at UNICEF that bears his name. We humbly pay tribute.
Hare Krishna
Greta, Adam, and The Universal Thump
November 29, 2010
George Harrison's first solo (triple) album, released on November 27, 1970, "ALL THINGS MUST PASS" is much-adored throughout the world. The highest-selling album of any solo Beatle, it was co-produced by Harrison and the legendary Phil Spector. It ranges from deeply spiritual songs such as "My Sweet Lord" to intimate country-inflected ballads such as "Behind That Locked Door" to 'wall-of-sound' pop masterpieces such as "What is Life?"
2010 marked the 40th Anniversary of its release. Out of love for the album, THE UNIVERSAL THUMP*, a Brooklyn-based orchestral pop collective, led by singer-songwriter-pianist, GRETA GERTLER & ADAM D GOLD performed "All Things Must Pass" in 15-piece, expanded 'wall-of-sound' mode including: 2 drummers, 2 bass players, strings, horns, guitarists, keyboardists and more with the guest vocalists.
Author and musician, Rick Moody, wrote a short literary piece for the program which is published on therumpus.net
The band, who consist mainly of Greta Gertler, a singer-songwriter from Australia, and Adam D. Gold, a mult-instrumentalist who has played with many of Brooklyn’s eminent bands of the moment, were heavily augmented on the night of show by a crack team of players….Not a weak performer there. I was lucky enough to sing lead vocal on one song–a mind-blowing experience for me. I have never sung in public in front of a band so large, nor have I often experienced the kind of ecstatic community spirit in the air that night. It was just really, really fun. We were all there out of love for the Harrison songs, there wasn’t any professional posturing or competition, everyone pulled the oars together…All in all, a very special event.
Carroll Gardens Diary From Carroll Gardens Diary, written by Mike BenignoWhat was the show like? It was like being at the tribute concert of your life, but, somehow, only a couple hundred people were were there alongside you. One performer after another came out, joining and re-joining those on stage, performing each piece with creativity and, more than anything else, reverence for the songs, their complexity, their underlying spirituality, their writer, and their legacy….If you saw it live, you'd beg for a recording or video.
Only The Blog Knows Brooklyn From Only The Blog Knows Brooklyn, written by Louise CrawfordGeorge Harrison: you rock. And so do organizers Greta Gertler and Adam D. Gold, whom, just weeks after the 30th anniversary of John Lennon’s death (and the attending tributes and nostalgia) had the audacity and the common sense to celebrate another ex-Beatles masterpiece from 40 years ago…What Gertler and Gold accomplished was a masterful feat of producing. The matching of singer to song was near perfect and the musical arrangements were mind boggling good.
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