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.
Larry Miller: Bb clarinet Ben Miller: Alto Saxophone (the late) Johnny Ellis: Drums and voice
THE HEART OF THE NOVA MOB
Photo session / June 1974 Boston
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By 1974 I was waking up to music in my head, music that seemed to be determined by the clanking rhythms of the steam radiator in my bedroom. It was at this time that I came up with a barbaric all purpose harmony system I 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 joy. As close to John Cage as I hope to ever get.
I'm guessing by spring of 1974 THE NOVA MOB formed. As I say, we took on a fresh, lighter approach to the avant garde mess we'd become so accustomed to with our previous horn-based Boston bands. I'll never forget a jamb session that summer in with THE NOVA MOB. A new guitarist form Berklee School of muisc was sitting in after a few compositions asked me "What kind of harmony are you using here?" I promptly retorted without losing a beat "Mirror Image." His response? "Ah..."
The music of THE NOVA MOB will soon be digitially remastered, set forth on an independant Cd collection. That'll be the day.
