Tom Constanten
Encyclopedia
Tom Constanten is an American
keyboardist
, best known for playing with the Grateful Dead
from 1968 to 1970.
, 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
.
In 1964 in San Francisco, Constanten performed with an improvisational quintet formed by Steve Reich
who would go on to become an important Minimalist composer. The group's unusual style was influenced by both jazz and the music of Karlheinz Stockhausen
. In a 1964 performance, the ensemble played compositions by both Constanten and Phil Lesh
at which Minimalist composer Terry Riley
who walked out, but later was willing to have this ensemble perform his well-received piece In C
. However, only Reich and one other member of group, saxophonist-composer Jon Gibson appeared in the piece's premier performance.
Constanten was adopted as the seventh member of the Grateful Dead during the recording of the band's second album, Anthem Of the Sun (Warner Brothers, 1968). The pianist was a child prodigy who wrote orchestral pieces as a teenager while growing up in Las Vegas. In the summer of 1961, TC met Dead bassist Phil Lesh at Berkeley, where each professed a love for classical music. The two became roommates and enrolled in a graduate-level course taught by Berio at Mills College in Oakland. Constanten joined the Air Force in 1965 and was a sergeant stationed in Denver who specialized in computers when the Dead enlisted him to record Anthem Of the Sun with them during his weekend leaves. When he was selected as Airman of the Month, Constanten used the three-day pass to record with the band. The day after an honorable discharge, TC made his stage debut with the Dead on November 23, 1968 at the Memorial Auditorium in Athens, Ohio. He remained with the group for three albums and left after the band's infamous New Orleans bust following a January 30, 1970 show at the Warehouse. "It was like a magic carpet ride that was there for me to step on," he says. "I would have been a fool not to."
While he had successfully contributed to their complex experimental music, his instrumental style, at the time, was less rock and more classical. Also, there was some feeling that he did not fit in with the Dead ethos; for example, he followed Scientology
, and refused to take LSD.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
keyboardist
Keyboardist
A keyboardist is a musician who plays keyboard instruments. Until the early 1960s musicians who played keyboards were generally classified as either pianists or organists. Since the mid-1960s, a plethora of new musical instruments with keyboards have come into common usage, requiring a more...
, best known for playing with the Grateful Dead
Grateful Dead
The Grateful Dead was an American rock band formed in 1965 in the San Francisco Bay Area. The band was known for its unique and eclectic style, which fused elements of rock, folk, bluegrass, blues, reggae, country, improvisational jazz, psychedelia, and space rock, and for live performances of long...
from 1968 to 1970.
Biography
Known among friends and colleagues as T.C., Tom Constanten studied music at University of California, BerkeleyUniversity of California, Berkeley
The University of California, Berkeley , is a teaching and research university established in 1868 and located in Berkeley, California, USA...
, where he met Phil Lesh
Phil Lesh
Phillip Chapman Lesh is a musician and a founding member of the Grateful Dead, with whom he played bass guitar throughout their 30-year career....
. He and Lesh studied composition with Luciano Berio
Luciano Berio
Luciano Berio, Cavaliere di Gran Croce OMRI was an Italian composer. He is noted for his experimental work and also for his pioneering work in electronic music.-Biography:Berio was born at Oneglia Luciano Berio, Cavaliere di Gran Croce OMRI (October 24, 1925 – May 27, 2003) was an Italian...
, the Italian modernist composer, and both were influenced by Mahler
Gustav Mahler
Gustav Mahler was a late-Romantic Austrian composer and one of the leading conductors of his generation. He was born in the village of Kalischt, Bohemia, in what was then Austria-Hungary, now Kaliště in the Czech Republic...
. Constanten also studied piano with Mario Feninger. In 1967, after graduation, Constanten went to Europe to study with Karlheinz Stockhausen
Karlheinz Stockhausen
Karlheinz Stockhausen was a German composer, widely acknowledged by critics as one of the most important but also controversial composers of the 20th and early 21st centuries. Another critic calls him "one of the great visionaries of 20th-century music"...
and Pierre Boulez
Pierre Boulez
Pierre Boulez is a French composer of contemporary classical music, a pianist, and a conductor.-Early years:Boulez was born in Montbrison, Loire, France. As a child he began piano lessons and demonstrated aptitude in both music and mathematics...
.
In 1964 in San Francisco, Constanten performed with an improvisational quintet formed by Steve Reich
Steve Reich
Stephen Michael "Steve" Reich is an American composer who together with La Monte Young, Terry Riley, and Philip Glass is a pioneering composer of minimal music...
who would go on to become an important Minimalist composer. The group's unusual style was influenced by both jazz and the music of Karlheinz Stockhausen
Karlheinz Stockhausen
Karlheinz Stockhausen was a German composer, widely acknowledged by critics as one of the most important but also controversial composers of the 20th and early 21st centuries. Another critic calls him "one of the great visionaries of 20th-century music"...
. In a 1964 performance, the ensemble played compositions by both Constanten and Phil Lesh
Phil Lesh
Phillip Chapman Lesh is a musician and a founding member of the Grateful Dead, with whom he played bass guitar throughout their 30-year career....
at which Minimalist composer Terry Riley
Terry Riley
Terrence Mitchell Riley, is an American composer intrinsically associated with the minimalist school of Western classical music and was a pioneer of the movement...
who walked out, but later was willing to have this ensemble perform his well-received piece In C
In C
In C is a semi-aleatoric musical piece composed by Terry Riley in 1964 for any number of people, although he suggests "a group of about 35 is desired if possible but smaller or larger groups will work"...
. However, only Reich and one other member of group, saxophonist-composer Jon Gibson appeared in the piece's premier performance.
Constanten was adopted as the seventh member of the Grateful Dead during the recording of the band's second album, Anthem Of the Sun (Warner Brothers, 1968). The pianist was a child prodigy who wrote orchestral pieces as a teenager while growing up in Las Vegas. In the summer of 1961, TC met Dead bassist Phil Lesh at Berkeley, where each professed a love for classical music. The two became roommates and enrolled in a graduate-level course taught by Berio at Mills College in Oakland. Constanten joined the Air Force in 1965 and was a sergeant stationed in Denver who specialized in computers when the Dead enlisted him to record Anthem Of the Sun with them during his weekend leaves. When he was selected as Airman of the Month, Constanten used the three-day pass to record with the band. The day after an honorable discharge, TC made his stage debut with the Dead on November 23, 1968 at the Memorial Auditorium in Athens, Ohio. He remained with the group for three albums and left after the band's infamous New Orleans bust following a January 30, 1970 show at the Warehouse. "It was like a magic carpet ride that was there for me to step on," he says. "I would have been a fool not to."
While he had successfully contributed to their complex experimental music, his instrumental style, at the time, was less rock and more classical. Also, there was some feeling that he did not fit in with the Dead ethos; for example, he followed Scientology
Scientology
Scientology is a body of beliefs and related practices created by science fiction and fantasy author L. Ron Hubbard , starting in 1952, as a successor to his earlier self-help system, Dianetics...
, and refused to take LSD.
Philosophy
In 2002, Tom Constanten stated in an interview:Discography
- Anthem of the SunAnthem of the SunAnthem of the Sun is the second studio album by the Grateful Dead, released in 1968. It is the first album to feature second drummer Mickey Hart, who joined the band in September 1967...
(1968) – Grateful DeadGrateful DeadThe Grateful Dead was an American rock band formed in 1965 in the San Francisco Bay Area. The band was known for its unique and eclectic style, which fused elements of rock, folk, bluegrass, blues, reggae, country, improvisational jazz, psychedelia, and space rock, and for live performances of long... - AoxomoxoaAoxomoxoaAoxomoxoa is the third studio album by the Grateful Dead. It was originally titled Earthquake Country. Many Deadheads consider this era of the Dead to be the experimental apex of the band's history. It is also the first album with Tom Constanten as an official member of the band...
(1969) – Grateful Dead - Live/DeadLive/DeadLive/Dead is the first official live album released by the San Francisco-based band Grateful Dead. It was recorded over a series of live concerts in early 1969 and released later in the year on November 10...
(1969) – Grateful Dead - UU (album)-Charts:AlbumBillboard -External links:*]]...
(1970) – The Incredible String Band - Zabriskie PointZabriskie Point (album)Zabriskie Point is a soundtrack album to the Michelangelo Antonioni film of the same name. It was originally released in January 1970 and is composed of songs from various artists. A 1997 re-release includes four bonus tracks each from Jerry Garcia and Pink Floyd that were used in the film, but not...
(1970) – various artists - Tarot (1972) – Touchstone
- Duino Elegies (1988) – Robert HunterRobert Hunter (lyricist)Robert C. Hunter is an American lyricist, singer-songwriter, translator, and poet, best known for his association with Jerry Garcia and the Grateful Dead.-Biography:He was born Robert Burns in San Luis Obispo, California...
- Fresh Tracks in Real Time (1989) – Tom Constanten
- Alternate Versions (1989) – Henry KaiserHenry Kaiser (musician)Henry Kaiser is an American guitarist and composer.Recording and performing prolifically in many styles of music, Kaiser is a fixture on the San Francisco Bay Area music scene. He is considered a member of the "first generation" of American free improvisers.-Biography:His grandfather was the...
- OutSides (1990) – Tom Constanten
- Heart's Desire (1990) – Henry Kaiser
- Sonatas by Beethoven, Schubert and Hadyn (1991) – Tom Constanten
- Hope You Like Our New Direction (1991) – Henry Kaiser
- A Victorian Christmas (1991) – Robin PetrieRobin PetrieRobin Petrie is an American santour and hammered dulcimer player. Petrie has been performing popular and seldom-heard hammered dulcimer music since 1980. She is heard regularly on National Public Radio...
- Nightfall of Diamonds (1992) – Tom Constanten
- Morning Dew (1993) – Tom Constanten
- A Victorian Noel (1993) – Robin Petrie
- Eternity Blue (1994) – Henry Kaiser
- Dead Ringers (1994) – Dead Ringers
- Embryonic Journey (1994) – Jorma KaukonenJorma KaukonenJorma Ludwik Kaukonen Jr. is an American blues, folk, and rock guitarist, best known for his work with Jefferson Airplane and Hot Tuna.-Biography:...
and Tom Constanten - GrayfoldedGrayfoldedGrayfolded is an album produced by John Oswald featuring the Grateful Dead song "Dark Star". The album's name, Grayfolded, is a homophone of "Grateful Dead".-Creation:...
(1994) – Grateful Dead - The Siamese Stepbrothers (1995) – The Siamese Stepbrothers
- Live in Concert at the Piano (1996) – Tom Constanten
- Blues For Allah Project (1996) – Joe Gallant and Illuminati
- Sonic Roar Shock (1997) – Dose Hermanos
- Live at the Fillmore East 2-11-69Live at the Fillmore East 2-11-69Live at the Fillmore East 2-11-69 is a double live album by the Grateful Dead recorded during the Live/Dead tour on February 11, 1969 at the Fillmore East in New York City. The first disc represents the early show that night, the second the late show. The Dead opened for Janis Joplin...
(1997) – Grateful Dead - Fallout from the Phil ZoneFallout from the Phil ZoneFallout from the Phil Zone is a double compilation album of live recordings by the Grateful Dead handpicked by the band's bassist Phil Lesh. It contains the first Grateful Dead CD releases of "In the Midnight Hour" and Bob Dylan's "Visions of Johanna"...
(1997) – Grateful Dead - Live from California (1998) – Dose Hermanos
- Shadow of the Invisible Man (DVD, 1999) – Dose Hermanos
- Grateful Dreams (2000) – Tom Constanten
- Search for Intelligent Life (2000) – Dose Hermanos
- Dick's Picks Volume 16Dick's Picks Volume 16Dick's Picks Volume 16 is the sixteenth live album in the Dick's Picks series of releases by the Grateful Dead. It was recorded on November 8, 1969 at the Fillmore Auditorium in San Francisco, California.-Disc one:...
(2000) – Grateful Dead - 88 Keys to Tomorrow (2002) – Tom Constanten
- Dick's Picks Volume 26Dick's Picks Volume 26Dick's Picks Volume 26 is the twenty-sixth installment of the Grateful Dead's archival series. It was recorded on April 26, 1969 at the Electric Theater in Chicago, Illinois and on April 27, 1969 at the Labor Temple in Minneapolis, Minnesota...
(2002) – Grateful Dead - Bright Shadows (2004) – Dose Hermanos
- Jan 29, 2004, Charlotte, NC (2004) – Dark Star OrchestraDark Star Orchestra-References:* at the Internet Archive* - John Kadlecik's official website & personal pages**-External links:* , official website of Dark Star Orchestra* , official website of Dino English...
- The Complete Fillmore West 1969The Complete Fillmore West 1969Fillmore West 1969: The Complete Recordings is a limited edition box set , released in November 2005, featuring four complete concerts by the Grateful Dead on 10 CDs...
(2005) - Grateful Dead - Fillmore West 1969Fillmore West 1969Fillmore West 1969 is a three-CD album composed of selections from four concerts by the Grateful Dead. These concerts, performed on four consecutive nights from February 27 through March 2, 1969, were the basis for Live/Dead...
(2005) - Grateful Dead - Shimmy Shack (2005) - Shimmy Shack
- For Rex: The Black Tie Dye Ball (2006) The Zen TrickstersZen TrickstersThe Zen Tricksters are an American Grateful Dead cover band.For almost thirty years, the Zen Tricksters have been playing Grateful Dead covers and jam band music, as well as derivative original songs.. The band started out as the Volunteers, playing small venues around New York's Long Island...
w/ Donna GodchauxDonna GodchauxDonna Jean Godchaux-MacKay is an American singer best known for having been a member of the Grateful Dead rock group.-Biography:...
, Mickey HartMickey HartMickey Hart is an American percussionist and musicologist. He is best known as one of the two drummers of the rock band the Grateful Dead. He was a member of the Grateful Dead from September 1967 to February 1971, and from October 1974 to August 1995...
, Tom Constanten, David NelsonDavid Nelson (musician)David Nelson is an American guitarist and musician.Although he started his musical career playing folk and bluegrass music Nelson is probably best known as one of the original members of psychedelic country rock band the New Riders of the Purple Sage...
, Michael FalzaranoMichael FalzaranoMichael Falzarano is an American guitarist, singer, and songwriter. He has been working as a professional musician since the 1970s, most notably in Hot Tuna, the New Riders of the Purple Sage, and the Memphis Pilgrims, a Memphis-style rock and roll/blues band that he founded in 1986.Having signed...
, Rob BarracoRob BarracoRob Barraco is a keyboardist who has played with Phil Lesh and Friends, The Dead, Dark Star Orchestra, Chris Robinson & New Earth Mud, the Zen Tricksters, Red Flannel Hash, and The Dragonflys. He was the permanent keyboardist for Phil Lesh and Friends from 2000 to 2003 and has been in the band's... - Moved to Stanleyville (2006) – Tom Constanten and Ken Foust
- Deep Expressions, Longtime Known (2006) – Tom Constanten
External links
- tomconstanten.com official website