The Slip and The Charlie Hunter Trio

Some people play music, some people are played by music, some people call it a hobby, some a religion. A religion which casts no class, creates no boundary but has one intention, and that is to exist as an invocation of the moment, to create a nest which fosters sensation. The Slip is a band in a constant response to the muse of sound. With a grooving rhythm, a spelunking bass line or a hypnotic melody, a philosophy beyond the intellect is revealed and conveyed deeply to the individual listener and simultaneously unifies an audience. They have a vast array of songs to call upon and relay, the music naturally holding space to be opened further and further. The Slip's, "Does," on Flying Frog Records, reflects the trio's penchant to follow its collective fancy. The music on" Does" is as much steeped in the improvisational freedom of jazz as it is in deep-grooved rhythms and the melodic catch of pop, all the while maintaining a greater unified composition. Who are these three? The Slip travels in a van that seems to have its own inner compass, bringing them from town to city, to farm to theater all across America. Those who come from near and far find three men, brothers Brad and Andrew Barr and Marc Friedman, who hold, what seems to be innately, a welcoming grace in any given situation. Sharing ideas and collaborating in sounds since 1991, the three met up in a high school jazz band and later moved to Boston together where they briefly attended the Berklee College of Music. Leaving Berklee after a year or so, they began to form their roots in the fertile Boston music scene as their sound unified and matured. "We had never really planned on keeping it a trio, but after playing together for so long, the band kind of took on its own life and we began to realize the inherent freedom within it" says bassist Friedman. "The trio really asks each musician to explore their full range of sound and to be fully present at all times, even if their presence is silent." As with all good things, word spreads, and soon The Slip was able to fill rooms throughout New England with intimate and focused sonic experiences. Eventually the group began playing a variety of rooms all over the nation. "We've grown used to and in many ways thrive off of all the different types of spaces that we find ourselves playing in." says drummer Barr "Some dance, some sit, some work out karate moves, sometimes people interact musically with a clap, shout, or melody. The folks who come to hear us seem to be linked by a desire to really listen and let the music have its impact. " There is something about the presence of the three combined that makes the listener feel as though they are direct kin. They come in three flavors: Marc Friedman providing vibrant cadences with smooth dexterity, Brad Barr a perfect blend of modal motion and traditional composition and Andrew Barr, exploring rhythms from many lands and shaping them into his own. Their music seamlessly shifts from sweeping chordal and vocal compositions to rhythmically propelled grooves to somewhat standard song forms. They provide a unique approach in which the bass or drums may take the melody, the guitar a drum line, the bass the chords, the voice the drone, or in which a simple standard jazz Progression may take on a disco or reggae feel, or an 80's power rock tune may pop up masked as a sweet ballad. Their communication borders on telepathy. Whether beaming out a call and response, reacting to room sounds, or playing out melodies that seem to have known their hands forever, the three minstrels have found their place. The adventure of making music is a constantly unfolding way of self discovery, where the ordinary becomes extraordinary and something you've heard a thousand times gains deeper meaning." says Brad Barr. The band tours constantly and has paired up with many musicians such as: Schleigho, John Scofield, Greyboy Allstars, Charlie Hunter, Sector 9, Galactic, Bob Moses, The String Cheese Incident, George Clinton, Maceo Parker, Miracle Orchestra, Richie Havens, and have performed at such festivals as The High Sierra, The Berkshire Fest, The Gathering of the Vibes, and Phish's 1999 summer festival in Oswego, NY.