Equal Time

Equal Time makes creative improvised music. Sometimes we call it “free jazz” or “avant garde jazz”, but it doesn’t always come out sounding like jazz, since we bring our other influences to the table too (classic rock, electronic music, death metal, blues, prog rock, modern classical, etc.). But we all have deep roots in jazz and improvised music.

Most times when we perform we do it without too much of a plan. Sometimes we’ll bring a composition, or cover a tune, but often we’ll go up on stage with no idea what’s going to happen from one moment to the next, until we get there. We like it that way, and it’s pretty fun for the audience too.

We’re based primarily in the Seacoast area of New Hampshire, though our members actually live in three different states: New Hampshire, Massachusetts, and Maine.

Saxophonist Thom Keith and I (Tim Webb, I’m the bass player) met in 2006 when we both participated in a local community music project called the RPM Challenge. We discovered a mutual interest in the music of Henry Threadgill, Bobby Hutcherson, the AACM (Association for the Advancement for Creative Musicians), Strata East Records, and others. We got together with drummer Mike Walsh, who we both knew and loved playing with, and started working as a trio. That fall we were very fortunate to connect with trumpeter Eddie Gale (Cecil Taylor, Sun Ra) and trombonist Dick Griffin (Rahsaan Roland Kirk, Abdullah Ibrahim) for a couple of concerts in Maine.

The following year we enlisted Thom’s friend and exceptional trombonist Derek Kwong and continued to perform as a quartet throughout New Hampshire and Maine, including a live broadcast on Maine Public Radio (now available as a download under the title Urban Revolutions). After almost 2 years with the band, Derek had to relocate, and for a while we experimented with a two drummer lineup. The second slot rotated amongst drummers Rob Duquette, Jared Steer, and Luther Gray.

In 2009, we added guitarist/soundsmith extraordinaire Jonathan Paul (a longtime friend and frequent bandmate of mine) and trumpeter/local legend Forbes Graham (who we connected with when he performed a couple shows at our Avant Coast music series). This new quintet offers a range of sonic possibilities. Our most recent release is Drive-Through Cosmic Intrusions, taken from a live show at the Barley Pub in Dover, NH.

Every time we make music together, it feels like a brand new experience�" always fresh and exciting. We hope if you come to one of our shows that you feel the same!

Yours in Music, Tim Webb Show less