RECORDINGS
Air Craft
So Near, So Far
Re-mastered to celebrate the 30th anniversary vinyl release of "So Near, So Far" on Catero/Fantasy Records, the CD features a bonus track, "The Healer", not found on the original LP. Air Craft was the last band signed to legendary recording engineer Fred Catero's eponymously named label. Fred, best known for his work recording such artists as Barbra Streisand, Bob Dylan, and classical sessions for Columbia Records, founded his label with the motto, "If it's commercial, it's probably on the radio. If it's good, it's on Catero." This optimistic philosophy led to a number of wonderful and artistic records, but an unscrupulous distributor forced Fred out of the record business and back into the studio. "So Near, So Far" was left orphaned and never received that attention it deserved.
Some sound clips from 'So Near, So Far':
Opening track, we call it 'Opening'. Spacious and a little 'new agey'', don't hold it against us..
just a piano and violin having fun....
a little darker and more serious here.....
Fast and a little magical......
keep pushing on the journey......
where are we going anyway?
Some comments from the critics....
"Sometimes you forget just how good music was back in 1985, so good that albums like "So Near, So Far" somehow got overlooked. But the reissue of this recording revelas a band with impeccaboe chops and gorgeous compositions, especially the title track, which was later covered by Ancient Future and "Opening (First Step - Vision)". The meeting of Doug McKeehan's rich keyboard textures and T. Bruce Bowers' violin takes me back to the days that pointed toward the future."
John Dilberto, Host of Echoes
Listening to 'So Near, So Far" is like unearthing a buried treasure. Recorded some 30 years ago and recently re-released, the album is a veritable time capsule of highly detailed compositions and virtuoso performances that blend elements of contemporary instrumental, jazz fusion, and new age music. Far from sounding dated, the album holds up well, with no hint that it was not just recorded recently. The music is adventurous, often exhilerating, and as compelling today as it was when it was first released.
Michael Diamond, Music and Media Focus
"Sparkling and tuneful - a refreshing look back at a more freewheeling era in music. I especially appreciated the rhythmic vitality of pieces that use odd time signatures without relying on drums. I missed Air Craft the first time around, and I'm glad I've discovered it now."
Jim Aiken, former Senior Editor, Keyboard Magazine
Members of the group:
Doug McKeehan began playing piano at a young age, was in his first band at 14 and continued with classical training at Oberlin College and Kent State University. Over the course of three extended trips to India he studied with notable Indian music teachers Pandits Ram Narayan and A.G. Bhattacharya. He has been playing jazz in the Bay Area for the past 30 years, performing at venues such as Yoshi's, the Herbst Theater, and Grace Cathedral. Composing credits include several musical theater, independent film and television pieces and music performed live for the Diablo Ballet's production Jazz Fever. He is a long standing member of the award winning world fusion group Ancient Future and as a producer has found a niche in the 'world music' genre, producing albums for the noted Pakistani vocalist Shafqat Ali Khan and Chinese gu zheng virtuoso Zhao Hui. Doug continues to play all kinds of music, from jazz to r&b and rock, with occasional forays into classical and opera (with City Opera SF.)
T. Bruce Bowers, (1951 - 2020), born in San Antonio Texas, played violin professionally from high school on. He wrote over 20 film and television scores including Emmy nominated "Beneath the North Atlantic". He performed with well known musicians of many different styles, including Queen Ida, Taj Mahal, the Dixie Dregs, and Ronnie Cox. Also an electronics design engineer, he developed the first computer controlled audio effects system, the ProFX while working at Sequential Circuits in Silicon Valley. Using this effects system,
T. Bruce was able to create large orchestral sounds while playing his solo violin. He was a founding member of the Lake Superior Big Top Chataqua Blue Canvas Orchestra in Washburn, Wisconsin.
Jack Dorsey, a native New Yorker, has been playing drums on the Bay Area scene for over 30 years, working with musicians across a wide spectrum rom jazz/blues singers Jimmy Witherspoon, Etta Jones, and Denise Perrier to the r&b of Randy Crawford, Bobby Freeman, and Buddy Miles , the zydeco of violinist Doug Kershaw, and jazz from John Handy and Johnny Griffen to Paul Horn. Also an educator committed to passing the jazz tradition on to the next generation, he has done extensive work with the San Francisco Symphony's Adventures in Music program, bringing music into the public schools.
Myron Dove grew up in a military family that moved around a bit, from Alaska to the Bay Area to Southern CA. The house was always filled with music and Myron started playing early, first on clarinet then moving to guitar and bass in his teens. Since moving back to the Bay Area in his early 20's he's played with a stellar array of musicians, beginning with bluesman Clarence 'Gatemouth' Brown and on to artists such as Santana, Stevie Winwood, Al Jarreau, and Robben Ford. He has also explored playing with world artists such as Sukhawat Ali Khan, Ashwyn Batish, and Chinese instrumentalist Zhao Hui. In addition to his work as a performance and session bassist,, he is also in demand as recording engineer and producer. He is currently working on an album of his own material that is scheduled to be released later this year.