Biography
Formed initially as a quartet in Evanston, Illinois, during 1991, the ensemble Transmission—also identified as the Transmission Trio—began with guitarist Zachary Mastoon (aka Caural), clarinetist Stuart Bogie, bassist Eric Perney, and drummer Andrew Kitchen. Saxophonist Colin Stetson entered the lineup once the remaining members, excluding Mastoon, shifted their base to Ann Arbor, Michigan. For several years the musicians performed regularly throughout Ann Arbor and Detroit, building a local jazz audience drawn to their distinctive mix of rhythmic drive and exploratory improvisation. By 1998 the group had moved operations to the San Francisco Bay area, where Bogie unexpectedly converted his deli employment into a distinctive Levi’s jeans television commercial. The band maintained an active schedule at numerous venues across the region. After Bogie departed for New York City—joining Antibalas Afrobeat Orchestra and collaborating with Medeski, Martin & Wood—keyboardist/accordionist Patrick Ferrell briefly filled the vacancy before exiting, followed by additional short-term personnel changes. Concurrently, various side projects emerged: Stetson and Perney performed together in the chamber-jazz outfit People’s Bizarre, shaped by Eastern European folk traditions; Perney and Kitchen joined guitarist Roger Riedlbauer in the Burns Brothers; Stetson and Perney contributed to a recording with Tom Waits; and all three participated in Boostamonte, a large-ensemble fusion endeavor blending funk, Latin, and hip-hop elements. In 2002 the trio independently issued its debut recording, Tiny Beast.
Albums
