Early Bird Gets the World ...

... Without Walls Reunion Concert

$15 Tickets for 5/26/19 @ SFIAF Available Through 3/31/19

World Jazz featuring Matthew Montfort (scalloped fretboard guitar), Jim Hurley (violin), Doug McKeehan (keyboards, piano), Ian Dogole (percussion)

Ancient Future Photo Circa 1990 by Irene Young
Photo by Irene Young of Ancient Future circa 1990

Sunday, May 26, 2019, 5 PM
San Francisco International Arts Festival
Gallery 308, Fort Mason
San Francisco, CA 94109
Tix: $25 general. $30 reserved table, $35 reserved front table, $15 youth 17 and under. $15 general admission early bird tickets available through March 31 while supplies last. Box office: 415-345-7575.
Buy Early Bird Tix Now (Price Goes Up April 1)
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SFIAF Poster
Poster (1.1 MB .pdf)

The exact lineup of Ancient Future that performed on the band's influential World Without Walls and Asian Fusion recordings will reunite to perform at the San Francisco International Arts Festival. The reunion show features the original lineup of Matthew Montfort on scalloped fretboard guitar, Jim Hurley on violin, Doug McKeehan on keyboards, and Ian Dogole on percussion.

This lineup of Ancient Future played over a hundred concerts together from 1988 to 1995. In 2011, they reunited for the first time in 15 years to perform concerts at Todos Santos Plaza in Concord and Yoshi's in San Francisco. In honor of the reunion concerts, World Without Walls was released digitally by Capitol Records for the first time ever at major digital retailers such as iTunes. Twenty two years after its initial release in 1990, broadcasters worldwide voted the record as one of the top 5 world music releases of 2012. In September 2012 they performed at the Frick Museum in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and then at the Freight and Salvage in October 2013. This show at the San Francisco International Arts Festival will be their fifth reunion concert.

'World Without Walls' Reunion

YouTube Video of Ancient Future Performing Bookenka at 'World Without Walls' Reunion. Shown: Matthew Montfort (scalloped fretboard guitar), Jim Hurley (violin), Doug McKeehan (keyboards, piano), Ian Dogole (percussion), Kash Killion (bass), and Mariah Parker (santur).

"Ancient Future is a rare kind of band that might simultaneously aggravate purists, confound New Age dilettantes, seduce skeptics, and dazzle just about everybody else. Delicious compositions, intricate arrangements, crisp playing and impeccable production put these ambitious voyagers in a league of their own." - Derk Richardson, SAN FRANCISCO BAY GUARDIAN

Releases Featuring This Lineup

World Without Walls by Ancient Future (Sona Gaia/MCA 163).
Asian Fusion by Ancient Future (Narada Equinox ND-63023).
Planet Passion by Ancient Future (Ancient-Future.Com AF 2010).

Progress A.F.A.R.

Photo of Mindia Devi Klein

Beyond Kalyan

Ancient Future's 40th Anniversary Concert at the Freight and Salvage was a tremendous success, with two standing ovations and over 200 people attending on a Tuesday night in the midst of the rainy season and safety issues on the Richmond-San Rafael bridge! The rehearsals for the event helped put a focus on a new 30-minute suite in production for the Archive of Future Ancient Recordings, Ancient Future's fan funded recording project that already includes over 86 minutes of music available exclusively to supporters.

Hundreds and hundreds of hours have already gone into the composition, rehearsal, pre-production, and recording the guitar tracks for this new piece by Matthew Montfort. Beyond Kalyan is based on Rag Kalyan, but takes it in new directions, even altering the basic recipe for the raga, hence the title. It is a very expansive, emotional, and difficult to perform piece. The focus of A.F.A.R. this spring will be recording Mindia Devi Klein's bansuri flute and Vishal Nagar's tabla tracks.

Support for A.F.A.R. has been substantial but slow to come in. Right now, we need to raise funds to pay musicians so that they can carve out time to practice their parts and record them. To complete the project, it would really help to have funds coming in more quickly. Please sign up to support the project!

Free Sonoma County Library Concert Series

YouTube Video of Very First Meeting of Matthew Montfort and Shenshen Zhang

Each Concert Program Features Different Material!

Ancient Future bandleader and scalloped fretboard guitar pioneer will be joined by master musicians from many traditions for this series of hour long free concerts at libraries in Sonoma County. Each show will feature different material from recordings by Matthew Montfort, Ancient Future, and the master musicians he is performing with. Press Release.

Saturday, March 30, 2 PM, Ancient Future World Jazz Trio with Matthew Montfort, Doug McKeehan (keys), and Ian Dogole (percussion), Northwest Santa Rosa Library, 150 Coddingtown Center, Santa Rosa, CA 95401. Free. Info: 707-546-2265 or visit sonomalibrary.org. Facebook Event.
Saturday, April 20, 2 PM, Ancient Future Guitar and Arabic Percussion Duet with Matthew Montfort and Antoine Lammam (Arabic percussion), Central Santa Rosa Library, 211 E Street, Santa Rosa, CA 95404. Free. Info: 707-308-3020 or visit sonomalibrary.org. Facebook Event.
Saturday, April 27, 2 PM, Ancient Future Guitar and Pipa Duet with Matthew Montfort and Shenshen Zhang (pipa), Sonoma Valley Regional Library, 755 West Napa Street, Sonoma, CA 95476. Free. Info: 707- 996-5217 or visit sonomalibrary.org. Facebook Event.
Saturday, May 4, 2 PM, Ancient Future Guitar and Tabla Duet with Matthew Montfort and Vishal Nagar (tabla), Rohnert Park-Cotati Library, 6250 Lynne Conde Way, Rohnert Park Expressway / State Farm Drive, Rohnert Park, CA 94928. Free. Info: 707-584-9121 or visit sonomalibrary.org. Facebook Event.
Saturday, May 11, 2 PM, Ancient Future World Jazz Trio with Matthew Montfort, Doug McKeehan (keys), and Ian Dogole (percussion), Healdsburg Regional Library, 139 Piper Street, Healdsburg, CA 95448. Free. Info: 707-433-3772 or visit sonomalibrary.org. Facebook Event.

YouTube Video of 'Yearning for the Wind' Featuring Matthew Montfort and Vishal Nagar

Contributions to Ancient Future Make a Difference

Tax Deductible Donation Helped Make 40th Anniversary Concert a Success!

An anonymous contribution to Ancient Future through InterMusic SF was a big help in making Ancient Future's 40th Anniversary concert at the Freight and Salvage a success. Receiving the contribution before the concert allowed us to spend more money on promotion and pay for travel and other costs that ticket sales alone would not have covered. THANK YOU ANONYMOUS!

The sad truth is that ticket sales alone are insufficient to support this music. In the past, many fine arts concert presenters were supported with grant money and so our concert fees were often subsidized, which helped cover travel expenses, booking costs, and fees for the master musicians required to perform this music. But with drastic cuts to arts budgets and so many extremely famous artists on the road most of the year now because they can't make money anymore from their recordings, concert fees have declined and subsidized concerts are now few and far between. This has made it difficult for Ancient Future to tour.

But you can help us bring music to the world in our 40th season of world fusion music. Your tax deductible contribution can provide seed money to help cover travel costs to bring Ancient Future to perform in your area, help support Ancient Future's local Northern California concert season, or support new compositions and recordings.

Make a Tax Deductible Donation to Ancient Future Through InterMusic SF!

Other Ways to Support the Music

Not part of the top 10% of U.S. taxpayers expected to benefit by itemizing deductions under the new Tax Cuts and Jobs Act but still want to contribute?

You can make a direct donation (not tax deductible), or sign up to support Ancient Future's fan funded recording project, the Archive of Future Ancient Recordings.