The album cover art on Time of Gathering is an homage to the graphic art sensibilities one might find adorning the works of some of the recordings made in the early part of the 20^th Century. On the cover is a drawing of a bottle that simply says, “ELIXER.” This image might remind folks of the traveling medicine and vaudevillian style shows that barnstormed the country for decades.  

These hucksters would bottle anything and tell the folks gathered that it would cure everything. When these variety shows would come through town people would gather for some live entertainment, obviously the only type available back in those days.

The music in these shows was very often what we now call the blues. It also gave the towns folk a chance to engage in some commerce as well. They could purchase medicines to cure what ailed them. As it turns out the only remedy was the music itself.

The music you will find on this album really doesn’t have much to do with that time. It comes from the heady times in American history after World War II. Not only had our country just conquered Nazism and Fascism in Europe, but the brutal Colonialist Empire of Japan in the Pacific Theatre.

Scientists also conquered some of the most brutal diseases in the world, perhaps most famous was Jonas Salk’s vaccine for polio that was made available to the public in 1955.

Much of the music of these optimistic times in America had a cool, confident groove and a bold improvisational swagger. Swinging back beats and rhythms helped propel dancers into a virtual frenzy.

Additionally a new and exciting instrument, the Hammond B3 organ, could be found in the hippest of nightclubs and on some of the more popular recordings found on the jukeboxes therein. The greasy sounds of that instrument stood side by side with the increasingly popular electric guitar and of course the ubiquitous tenor saxophone.

Time of Gathering invites listeners to step into that world for nearly forty minutes. It is a sonic journey you won’t regret. It will take you to a place you will want to visit again and again.

Right out of the chute with the instrumental Brother Jack, by Jack McDuff, this all-star band of brothers gathers around a soulful Jim Pugh B3 organ riff. With the bay area’s premier rhythm section of drummer June Core and bassist Kedar Roy laying down a solid foundation, one very quickly realizes they are in for a real treat. Part way through the track, out pops a wonderful tenor sax solo which sends one racing to the CD’s liner notes to find it is Chris Cain. Yes, that Chris Cain. As it turns out the renowned guitarist and vocalist also plays a mean sax as well as piano.

The album’s next track is another blues which has for many years taken up residency in the jazz section of the hippest record store in town. It is the band’s take on Kenny Burrell’s Saturday Night Blues. This time it is Joe Cohen taking over the tenor duties as he channels Stanley Turrentine, who played on the original take on this tune, which appeared on the 1963 Burrell classic Midnight Blue. Jim Pugh jumps in and sounds for all the world like Jimmy Smith who worked closely with Burrell for years. What a creative choice, as Smith did not appear on the original. For decades I thought the only thing missing from Midnight Blue was the greasy, often idiosyncratic organ of the Big Boss Man of the B3. Now Jim Pugh fills in that weird puzzle piece I had in my brain. Like Smith, Pugh gives listeners both Saturday night and Sunday morning without apology to either.  

The first of two vocal tracks features the great Rusty Zinn taking on Get Yourself Another Fool, a tune first popularized by the one and only Sam Cooke. Zinn remains one of the most underrated musicians on the scene. He is such a wonderful singer that a few years ago he accidently appeared on that fabulous award winning 5 Royales box set. The album’s otherwise flawlessly detailed liner notes credits Zinn’s take on a 5 Royales tune to the 5 Royales themselves. This blooper in my mind turns out to be the greatest testimonial ever of the renowned guitar player’s vocal prowess.

J. Beyer and company then take us right into Bill Doggett/Billy Butler territory via one of Beyer’s original tunes Frenchie’s Bounce which gives way to a Doggett original Squashy. The core band of Roy, Core, Pugh and Beyer were joined by Johnny Cat Sourbrand on guitar for the former and Joe Cohen again on sax for the later.  

Then we hop on a Louisiana Hayride via a Floyd Cramer original Last Date, which features Pugh not only on organ, but channeling Cramer’s slip note piano stylings he made famous in Nashville and elsewhere in the 1950’s. Eric Selenger joins the band on acoustic guitar. 

Now it’s time for Rusty Zinn to step up to the mic once again and give a wonderful reading of the Little Junior Parker tune Mother in Law Blues. Without getting anybody in too much trouble here, I can only guess that someone brought this tune to the studio with just a little touch of irony and humor which often imbibes the blues at its very best.

Tiny’s Mood is another Beyer original in which he and the band pay homage to the great early electric blues/jazz guitar pioneer Tiny Grimes. Cain gives another fine turn on tenor.

We close out this marvelous set with Beyer’s Fantasy Stomp where his guitar playing and accompaniment sound like Jimmie Vaughan and his Tilt a Whirl Band in full tilt boogie mode while a bar tender yells last call in a crowded dance hall. Selenger again joins the band on guitar for this number which has more stomp than fantasy.

Fantasy Stomp is the perfect closer to an absolutely stunning set of blues, rhythm and soul with all the improvisational embellishments via the world of jazz.

Time of Gathering is a truly inspired musical statement which documents some of the world’s greatest musicians servicing some damn serious grooves. The entire affair sounds like something that could have been recorded by the hippest, most soulful cats on the planet circa 1960 at Rudy Van Gelder’s famous studio in Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey, for the Blue Note or Verve labels.   

This was actually recorded by the most soulful, hippest cats on the planet in 2016 at the famous Fantasy Studios in Berkeley, California. However, the record business has changed and there is no label getting behind this recording. There is no mass distribution or marketing “roll out” to support any retail distribution and that’s a shame as this is some of the most soulful music I have heard in a long time. It’s a shame for another reason as well...but that’s another story.

-  David Mac

Another Story...

To tell this story I thought it might be best to hear from J. Beyer himself. I’m quite certain that you’ll find the impetus of Time of Gathering more than just “another story.” I hope you enjoy a conversation I had with J. Beyer.

David Mac (DM): First off, congratulations on Time of Gathering. It is spectacular.

J. Beyer (JB): Thanks Dave. That means a lot to me. Thanks for taking an interest in this recording and for wanting to share Nathan’s story with your readers.  

DM: It is my honor and privilege. Let’s tell our readers a little about young Nathan Beyer.

JB: He is our three and a half year old son. He was born with an undiagnosed medical condition. This is a kid who was hospitalized when he was born. He went back into the hospital six months later on Christmas Day. Then another six months later on his first birthday. All of those were multiple week hospital stays. It’s a miracle he’s with us.

We live in Palo Alto so there is no shortage of world class health care facilities at nearby Stanford University and other locations. He has been examined and studied by some of the best specialists in the country and they have no idea what is wrong with him.

DM: If I may ask, how do these medical problems manifest themselves with Nathan?

JB: Both his physical and cognitive abilities are severely compromised. The doctors are now calling his condition, “Global Delay.”

DM: This has got to be a strain, not just financially obviously, but emotionally and just plain physically trying to incorporate all these hospital visits and doctors appointments into an already busy schedule.

JB: That’s right. With all the medical appointments three to five times a week for the last three and a half years, extra therapies that insurance doesn’t cover, on one income it’s been pretty rough. My wife Laurie had to stop working to take care of the kids. Nathan also has an older sister who is eight years old and, as you might suspect, his needs are massive and go beyond normal child care to say the least.

We were blessed with the fact we had some savings that we have drawn on over the past three and a half years, but that’s gone. The medical expenses aren’t going away anytime soon, as he will have this condition for the foreseeable future.

DM: It is my understanding that 100% of the proceeds from the sale of this album go to offset some of the expenses associated with the ongoing care of Nathan.

JB: That’s right. I was planning on selling some guitars and gear when Kedar came up with the idea of using the proceeds of those sales to finance a record and then hopefully the proceeds from the record sales could go to the ongoing medical expenses. 

DM: I hope that concept works. It does have an element of sustainability. Let’s talk about how all of this came together. Recordings of this caliber don’t happen by accident.

JB: Kedar was very instrumental, no pun intended, in getting everyone together. He was pretty much the point of contact for the players. We sent out the various versions of the tunes to the musicians about four or five weeks before we went into the studio. These guys came in and killed it. They knew what I wanted before I knew what I wanted.

A majority of the people on the record I've played with in various bands and musical situations locally. These guys are my friends. Jim, Chris, Joe and Rusty were asked by Kedar to help out. I like to think of those guys as my new friends and family.

We had another player get sick and just couldn't be there. Chris Cain was called the night before the recording. Chris came in cold and laid it down. He had no idea what the songs were going to be tracked. We asked him to play piano and sax...and did he ever. Watching these guys work was a like a live master class. It's pretty amazing the level of altruism, musicianship and just overall good vibes these people bring to the table. They are solid people all around.

DM: Let’s talk about the song selection. I absolutely love how you pulled from seemingly disparate source material and made the tunes stand on their own. Yet, they are also part of a larger concept from a musical standpoint. Your original material fits in with the adaptations of some great covers. 

JB: All of the songs have a special meaning to our family in one way or another. The Floyd Kramer tune, Last Date, for example came about after I heard that song on the radio after spending a couple rough nights in the hospital with Nathan. His mom and I changed shifts. She came to stay with Nathan and I went home to stay with our daughter. It was one of those nights where we didn't know if Nathan would make it through the night. He was on a breathing machine and the whole bit. So when that song came on the radio right after leaving the hospital, I knew I had to record it.  

DM: Where can people find the CD?

JB: Right now, it is available at Charlie Lange’s Bluebeat Music.  I sent him a copy, as I thought he might enjoy it. I was thrilled when he wanted to carry it in his inventory. Then he said he would like to send us all, as in 100%, of the money generated from sales to help us out. He’s not keeping a dime. Charlie is the first to step up to the plate and we are very grateful.

DM: Well, that’s Charlie. I got hip to the CD from his website. Oh and I’d also like to direct our readers to your site which is www.timeofgathering.com  They can purchase the CD there as well. I enjoyed the photos from the recording session. You did a nice job with the artist bios and the rest of the site.

I also want to let you know that we will carry the link to your site on our site (in our links section). If our readers are so inclined and in a position to help out in any way, they can be taken directly to your site. Additionally, if there is any other fund raising activity that you happen to engage in we will also keep our readers up to speed on that as well. 

JB: We have talked about doing a benefit concert, but I have mixed emotions about that, as everybody is kind of “benefited out.” For now I just wanted to be able to give something tangible to the people. However, I don’t want to rule anything out.

DM: Let’s get back to Nathan. How is the young lad doing these days?  

JB:  He’s making tremendous strides! The nurses at Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital are superstars. We owe them everything. So after we got a few things figured out about what’s going on physically, he has been taking off. His teachers at school and his whole therapy team are getting things dialed in as much as they can, with what they know. He’s in the best possible place we can get him into. We don’t know what the limit on his abilities will be, but we’re in it to win it.

DM: I’m so glad to hear that that. Nathan is a lucky kid to have such wonderful parents.

JB: We feel the same way about him. We are very grateful to you Dave and to all who have done what they can to help us out. We are so fortunate to know so many really good people.

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