Genius sax player and Merry Prankster. 

The time keeper of eternity. Ballads, Blues, Dixieland and The Kansas City Shuffle.

There's more to it than that obviously but my guests roots are deep in the blues. He developed his chops in after hours clubs in St. Louis and later on in LA.

He became one of the most sot after drummers for Soul and the newly invented word in the American Lexicon. Funk, my guest along with Harvey Mason, Mike Clark, David Garibaldi and a handful of other cats created that word funk because they blended jazz beats with soul and blues. My guest did this with Dennis Coffey, Dyke & The Blazers, The Watts 103rd street rhythm band and countless other artists.

He has been an accompanist his whole life. Backing up stars who get all the recognition but wouldn't have the hits without my guest.

James Gadson welcome to the JFS.....

Master composer and pianist talks about the musical roller coaster of life. 

Legendary conguero talks about growing up in the Mission District of SF and joining the Carlos Santana Blues Band. 

How was music taught to my guest. He studied music as Prestigious institutions but the music was in the streets and on the bandstand. New a Rules were being created by my guests heroes who were stretching the sonic boundaries playing African Juju Music with acoustic instruments. Playing thesaurus' of scales and free form with a little Kama Sutra mixed in. Melodic improvisation must be swung by the drum in 4 in 7 in 9, 11. Keeping time in polyrhythmic progressions of idas spilling out of my guest on his Starship with a big Buddha at the helm.

Norman Connors welcome to the JFS

My guest today hails from a bastion of regional arts and entertainment. Berkeley California grew out of the Kerouac and Ginsberg beats whose howling gave way to a mindset of creativity by embracing all cultures to form one race, the human race.

My guest developed his chops as a Bass player through playing on the bandstand with Salsa De Berkeley and other gigs at Andre's or Jimbo's Bop city or The Record Plant with Mingo Lewis. Mixing a slapping bass style with Latin impulses funk rock. Locking the groove with Carlos Santana when time stood still as my guest traveled the world during the age of guitar hero. He listens, he collaborates he continues to be fed by the music.

In the early 1980s my guest merged with Grateful Dead drummer Billy Kreutzmann to form one of the most stealth Berkeley bands that eventually turned into "Go Ahead" with Brent Mydland and Alex Ligertwood partying and playing Sweaty bars and clubs. He continues to play music in his band today or head up to his cabin in the hills to clear his head.

David Margen welcome to the JFS