Sedition Ensemble

Sedition Ensemble

Regeneration Report

Sol Re Sol

***It is the late 1970s and recently politicized filmmaker and musician ED MONTGOMERY makes his way from San Francisco to New York City. His thought is to find like-minded musicians in order to create a politically-infused, free jazz-inspired performance ensemble. He starts playing in Latin groups and takes part in jam sessions at Bobo Shaw’s LaMama space. He finally assembles a group of musicians and starts making some seriously funky and far-out music. In 1979, Montgomery meets ROBBIE MCCAULEY, a performer & playwrite (she’d later win an OBIE for her work), who proved to be the perfect front person for what became the SEDITION ENSEMBLE. But McCauley wasn’t the only major talents in the group. BERN NIX of Ornette Coleman’s Prime Time and the Contortions played guitar. MELVIN GIGGS of Defunkt, the Decoding Society, and later the Rollins Band was on bass. BEN BIERMAN played horns with Johnny Pacheco, Larry Harlow, Hector Lavoe and other Latin greats. BOB DE MEO drummed for Jackie Byard, Eddie Gale, and high life star Souliman Rogie. Together and with others, the Sedition Ensemble recorded their one and only album, Regeneration Report in Brooklyn, April 1981. Released on Mongomery’s Context Music label, Regeneration Report got some notice, but not what it deserved. The music is a tough blend of funk, jazz, no wave, and Latin—very strong stuff that sounds as fresh today as it did in 1981. It was the lyrics that kept the Sedition Ensemble from a larger audience. Revolutionary words with absolutely no...