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Progessive jazz fusion band makes return to Bullfrog

From 9 p.m. to midnight Saturday, progressive jazz fusion band Rogue Chimp will return to Williamsport’s Bullfrog Brewery, 229 W. Fourth St., for the first time since 2015. After a two year slow down to focus on their families, the members of Rogue Chimp are ready to meld back together in a new and improved fashion.

The band’s lull in performing, touring, writing and recording was not simply a period of rest and relaxation from the labor inherent in each of these, but also one of growth and of preparation for showcasing their evolution in the studio, according to bassist Jon Ventre.

“We are starting to work on some new material for a new album, some new artwork, and a whole new Chimp. Not that we are changing much, but more or less, some much needed improvement. As we have all grown as musicians and adults, we’ve changed the way we think and write,” he said.

Active in its current lineup since 2010, Rogue Chimp began fortuitously around 2006, when brothers Jacob and Zach Cole were asked by Jacob’s wife to provide entertainment for an event she was hosting.

The brothers had plenty of material to draw on, as they had been practicing, training and creating techno and electronic grooves for years. The gig went well, and led to an expansion of opportunities to perform their songs, as well as an expansion of the duo itself.

First, a series of bassists joined the lineup, with Ventre joining in 2010, adding a solid sonic post-foundation for Jacob and Zach’s already compelling beats and melodies.

Next came violinist Mark Woodyatt, whose addition would truly set the group apart from traditional electronic outfits.

In a sentence, Rogue Chimp’s sound can be described as “jazz fusion that you can dance to,” according to Ventre.

Their sound is constantly evolving and growing, but the general approach is as richly layered and entertaining and eclectic as it is unchanged.

“Some songs have a very simple melody with a very danceable beat, but then you may hear something totally off the wall that reminds you of some crazy section of a Frank Zappa or Mahavishnu Orchestra record,” Ventre said.

Although their sound and approach to electronic music is rather avant-garde, Rogue Chimp’s members are steeped in traditional and formal training; perhaps none more so than drummer Jacob Cole. Having graduated from world-renowned Berklee College of Music in Boston, Cole trained with and learned from some of the most elite musicians in the world.

This preparation, coupled with a profound musical intuition, is a large part of what makes Rogue Chimp particularly danceable.

“Jacob has a world class knack for being able to make the weirdest things fit. He take all of the knowledge of world instruments and puts them to the drum kit, which makes for a whole new type of drumming. Needless to say, Jacob’s influence in the band is one of a kind,” Ventre said.

The ways in which Rogue Chimp bring innovation to the electronic and jazz music landscape are many, but none are perhaps as notable as the band’s inclusion of Mark Woodyatt and his violin. The juxtaposition of a classical instrument with modern, digital sounds is what allows the band to go in many different directions at once.

“The violin itself is a very dynamic instrument. It can be bowed, plucked and strummed. Then add the ability to plug it into effect pedals, and you’ve found the holy grail,” said Ventre. And Woodyatt and his violin aren’t just simply a part of the mix, they are in the front of it.

“Mark wears many hats as the lead instrument in Rogue Chimp. At any moment he is funk guitarist, a mandolin, a shredding metal guitarist, and sometimes a strict violin. On top of that, he puts the violin down at points and takes over some keyboard synths. We are very grateful to have such a talented guy in the band,” Ventre added.

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