THE NOVA MOB
Wacko Jazz
Mob Members:
The late Johnny Ellis
Composer, Drums, and voice
Gary Csogi
(alternating w/Johnny)
Drums
Ben Miller
Composer, alto saxophone
Larry Miller
Composer, Bb clarinet
Donny Davis
Composer, alto saxophone
THE NOVA MOB (taken from the name of a book, writtien by Willam Burrough's) was a Boston based band, born from the ashes of THE BOSTON DRUG ENSEMBLE. Though still retaining the edge of free form freak out improv so notable of the music we were bearing into at this time, compositions were far more closely knit and higher by contrast. A remarkable difference in character than the heavier handed BDE.
The Heart of THE NOVA MOB
Photo session / June 1974 Boston
Larry Miller: Bb clarinet Ben Miller: Alto Saxophone (the late) Johnny Ellis: Drums and voice
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By 1974 Larry was waking up to music in his head which seemed to be "composed" by the clanking rhythms of the steam radiator in his bedroom. It was at this time that he came up with a barbaric system he called "Mirror Image Harmony". Concert C was C, B was C#, A# was D and so on until you got back to C being C. This made developmental guess work in composition a true, as close
to John Cage as he hoped he'd ever get.
By spring of 1974 THE NOVA MOB formed. The band took on a fresh, lighter approach to the avant garde mess they'd become so accustomed to with their previous horn-based Boston bands. Larry will never forget a jamb session that summer. A new guitarist form Berklee School of music was sitting in, and after a few compositions asked him "What kind of harmony are you using here?" Larry promptly retorted without losing a beat "Mirror Image." The young man's response -- "Ah!..."
The music of THE NOVA MOB will soon be digitally remastered, set forth on an independent Cd collection. That'll be the day.
Larry Miller, playing his Bass Clarinet bell-mouthpiece combo (the late) Johnny Ellis, with attitude
