Album Notes

"From the opening burst of explosive sound of its title track, Ganesh is as startlingly brash and original as its cover art suggests. Its musical boundaries span the globe with the sounds and styles and rhythmic influences, reaching from Africa to Arabia, to Ireland and India, and back here to the Chicago jazz scene." --Jazz Institute of Chicago-Dennis Sieja

This Chicago-based "globaljazz" quintet was concieved in l992 by pianist/composer Dave Flippo and has survived numerous incarnations and changes in direction. The composition tend to blend elements of one or two world music styles with some elements of jazz, so that you always get some kind of hybrid. Blend this with Flippo's off-center sense of humor and outlook on life and you get FLIPPOMUSIC.

The musical approach also widely varies--from simple sketches to highly scored works such as Battle of Shiva and Ganesh or Gyromaniations. Blame this on Flippo eleven years of school which earned him a Doctorate in Composition and Piano from the University of Michigan and a Masters of Music from the Eastman School. Of course, after all that study, he still had to come to Chicago to study jazz theory and practice with Alan Swain and others.

Dan Hesler contribues on the saxophones and flute, Donn De Santo on electic and acoustic bass, Heath Chappell on drums and percussion and Aris Biskis on the worldly percussion. Guest artists include Lyon Liefer on bansuri (track #7) and Yatindra Viad on table (tracks #7 and #14). Aras Biskis plays the following percussion instruments: track#1 - large oil can, bass drum and cymbals with beads; track#2 - dumbek and assorted percussion; track #4 congas and cabasa; track #6 - bongos; track #12 - talking drums, small djembe, bongos and congas; track #14 - tambourine and dumbek. Heath Chappel adds percussion on track #4 - log drum; track #12 Latin percussion. Dave Flippo plays his own bamboo instrument - the "crawaphone" on track #4 and vocals on track #2.
Other past members and guest artists have included Hamid Drake, Michael Zerang, Ken Vandermark, Steve Hashimoto, Ted Sirota, Pat Mallenger and Jeff Newell. Flippo studied Indian raag with bansurist Lyon Liefer, who helped him write in raag to an acceptable degree - Ganesh is in Malconce raag and Battle of Shiva and Ganesh is in Gujri Todi raag.