The Jeff Lofton Electric Thang: “By Any Other Name”
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Jeff Lofton makes no bones about being a fan of Miles Davis. And critics have noted Davis’ influence on Lofton throughout the Austin-based trumpeter’s career.
Lofton arrived in Austin less than five years ago from South Carolina, and with little of an established jazz scene around town, he blazed his own path. At the end of 2009, Lofton released a straight-ahead bebop album, Jazz to the People. Now, he’s onto a different scene: fusion. His latest side project is called the Jeff Lofton Electric Thang, and, as Lofton puts it, it’s something of a throwback. Lofton calls the new project “a collaboration of musicians creating a free-form fusion ensemble whose purpose is to recreate and expand on the Miles Davis fusion of the 1970s and 1980s.”
Lofton and his ensemble recorded a live album at Austin’s most heralded listening room, the Cactus Cafe, late last year called Chasing the Voodoo Down. “By Any Other Name” is from that recording and showcases the trumpet-meets-guitar fusion that Lofton is talking about.
The Jeff Lofton Electric Thang will host a CD release party for Chasing the Voodoo Down at the Cactus Cafe on Saturday, May 14th. Grab your tickets, here.
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