Tom Constanten
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Tom Constanten | |
|---|---|
| Born | March 19, 1944 Long Branch, New Jersey, U.S. |
| Origin | San Francisco, California, U.S. |
| Genre(s) | Rock, classical |
| Occupation(s) | Keyboardist |
| Instrument(s) | Keyboard instruments |
| Years active | 1968–present |
| Associated acts | Grateful Dead, Jefferson Starship |
| Website | www.tomconstanten.com |
Tom Constanten (born March 19, 1944 in Long Branch, New Jersey) is an American keyboardist, best known for playing with the Grateful Dead from 1968–1970.
Contents |
[edit] Biography
Known as T.C., he studied music at University of California, Berkeley, where he met Phil Lesh. He and Lesh studied composition with Luciano Berio, the Italian modernist composer, and both were influenced by Mahler. Constanten also studied piano with Mario Feninger. In 1967, after graduation, Constanten went to Europe to study with Karlheinz Stockhausen and Pierre Boulez.[1][2]
Though not yet a member of the Grateful Dead, T.C. played prepared piano on the group's second album, Anthem of the Sun, and formally joined them in November 1968, to supplement Ron "Pigpen" McKernan's organ playing. He also played keyboards on 1969's Aoxomoxoa release, as well as on the Live/Dead live album, then left the band in January 1970. Dennis McNally (later the band's publicist) argues that he did not fit in with the Dead ethos; for example, he followed Scientology and refused to take LSD.
With the death of Vince Welnick in 2006, Constanten became the only one of five Grateful Dead keyboardists (in addition to unofficial member Bruce Hornsby) who was still alive.
In terms of recorded output, Constanten became more active in the early 1990s, releasing an album of classical sonatas, as well as two albums mixing original material with a few Dead songs, and one album (Dead Ringers) entirely composed of Dead and Bob Dylan songs. In 1994 he released an album with Jorma Kaukonen which included 13 different versions of Embryonic Journey. T.C. has toured several times over the last ten years.
Les Kippel, founder of Relix Records, felt that Tom Constanten had a lot to say musicially, and worked with him to release a series of his projects over the years — Nightfall of Diamonds (1992), Morning Dew (1993), Embroyonic Journey (a 1994 project which was an outgrowth of getting Kaukonen and Constanten together for a recording of "Embroyonic Journey" to be used on Morning Dew), and Grateful Dreams (2000). Constanten was a favorite of Relix Records, and can be found on many of their releases, including the Dead Delites series, the Gathering on the Mountain series, and Dead Ringers.
As of 2006, Constanten plays keyboards in the current line-up of Jefferson Starship, and in 2007 appeared as a guest with Grateful Dead tribute bands Terrapin Flyer and World Within. He has also sit in with other "Bay rock" bands, including Juggling Suns and Solar Circus.
He currently resides in Charlotte, North Carolina. He and Bruce Hornsby are the only surviving keyboardists of the Grateful Dead.
[edit] Philosophy
In 2002, Tom Constanten stated in an interview:[2]
I know of no path that is better marked than the study of music. Maybe I just think so because it's the path I'm on. There's the old question "How come there's never enough time to do it right, but there's always enough time to do it over." Well, here's an answer. Settle down. Do it right. However long it takes. That's the direct route to the fast lane!
[edit] References
- Constanten, Tom. Between Rock and Hard Places : A Musical Autobiodyssey. Hulogosi, 1992. ISBN 0-9384-9316-7
- McNally, Dennis. A Long Strange Trip: The Inside History of the Grateful Dead. New York: Broadway Books, 2002. ISBN 0-7679-1186-5
[edit] External links
- Tom Constanten official website
- Grateful Dead Family Discography: Tom Constanten
- Tom Constanten collection at the Internet Archive's live music archive
[edit] Footnotes
- ^ Prendrergast, Mark (2000). The Ambient Century: From Mahler to Trance - the Evolution of Sound in the Electronic Age. Bloomsbury Publishing, p242. ISBN 1582341346.
- ^ a b Tom Constanten in-depth interview. Digital Interviews. Rossgita Communication (October, 2002). Retrieved on December 20, 2007.
