The Band was an influential group (more influential than remembered) and drummer/singer Levon Helm passed away yesterday. They played with Bob Dylan in 1965-66. Music from the Big Pink is a classic album and they were the subject of a Martin Scorsese film, the Last Waltz, that documents their last concert (1976) with the original members.
Quote:The Band's music fused many elements: primarily old country music and early rock and roll, though the rhythm section often was reminiscent of Stax or Motown, and Robertson cites Curtis Mayfield and the Staple Singers as major influences, resulting in a synthesis of many musical genres. As to the group's songwriting, very few of their early compositions were based on conventional blues and doo-wop chord changes.
Every member was a multi-instrumentalist. There was little instrument-switching when they played live, but when recording, the musicians could make up different configurations in service of the songs. Hudson in particular was able to coax a wide range of timbres from his Lowrey organ; on the choruses of "Tears of Rage", for example, it sounds like a mellotron. Helm's drumming was often praised: critic Jon Carroll declared that Helm was "the only drummer who can make you cry," while prolific session drummer Jim Keltner admits to appropriating several of Helm's techniques.[9]
Wiki
NYT obit:
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/04/20/arts/m...at-71.html
From The Last Waltz (some of the clearest concert footage you will see from the 1970s because it was recorded on 35mm film):
By the end of the concert fellow musicians ranging from Neil Young to Neil Diamond had joined them on stage.
