2025 Releases: Purple Nam & Purple Haze • Spirit of Nirvana • Coming Soon: Purple Nirvana

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
9/17/2024, Updated 12/1/2024
Contact: Ancient-Future.Com Records
415-459-1892 (no texts)
info@ancient-future.com

Ancient Future Tribute to Jimi Hendrix

Purple Nam & Purple Haze

Vietnamese Đàn Bầu & Glissentar Style

by Ancient Future

Hi-Res Square Cover Art (1.2 MB): https://www.ancient-future.com/images/purplenamhazecov3000sq.jpg

"Purple Haze (Vietnamese Đàn Bầu Style)" is Ancient Future's first ever cover of a popular song. It will be released on January 10, 2025, coinciding with the beginning of Hendrix's recording process for "Purple Haze" in 1967, and is available for pre-order on streaming sites as of September 18, 2024.

Save Stream: https://orcd.co/purplehazeaf
Preview: https://itunes.apple.com/album/id/1763666579

On February 7, 2025, "Purple Haze (Vietnamese Đàn Bầu Style)" will be released with "Purple Nam (Glissentar & Đàn Bầu Duet)" as a digital 45 in honor of Hendrix's completion of his "Purple Haze" recording on February 7, 1967. The pre-order date is October 9, 2024, coinciding with the beginning Ancient Future's recording process for this release on October 9, 2011. On November 27, 2024, Hendrix's 82nd birthday, "Purple Haze (Vietnamese Đàn Bầu Style)" will be available as a download on iTunes and Amazon for those that pre-order the Purple Nam & Purple Haze (Vietnamese Đàn Bầu & Glissentar Style) digital 45.

Ancient Future Hendrix History

James Marshall "Jimi" Hendrix (born Johnny Allen Hendrix; November 27, 1942 – September 18, 1970)

On September 18, 1970, a 12-year-old Matthew Montfort was home sick listening to the radio when the announcement came on that one of his main inspirations for playing guitar, Jimi Hendrix, had passed away. In spite of not feeling well, he got out his guitar and spent the rest of the day playing the Jimi Hendrix pieces that he had learned, including "Purple Haze."

Montfort's younger brother, classical piano virtuoso and composer Seth Montfort, recalled this in an August 31, 2024, Facebook comment: "I was just 8 years old, but your reaction the day he died is something I will never forget. Plus I feel like I know all his music and then when you were at Boulder High School, I will always remember seeing you play in Jesus Christ Superstar and thinking you were like perfectly embodying a Jesus Hendrix style."

At the age of 13, Montfort decided to focus his studies on jazz and classical music to improve his musicianship and incorporate what he learned into rock music. Soon thereafter, progressive rock and jazz-rock fusion exploded with amazing artists exploring new directions. In high school, Montfort had the idea to study music from around the world to further expand the possibilities of fusion music. He wanted to be involved in making music that had a chance of helping humanity by showing how ideas from different cultures could work together. He coined the term world fusion music for this new path in music, which became his life's work.

But the influence of Hendrix stayed with Montfort, and when Ancient Future shared the stage with Los Lobos and Zakir Hussain at the Monterey World One Festival on June 8, 1997, he made sure to stand in the spot where Jimi Hendrix had famously burned his guitar at the Monterrey Pop Festival three decades before on June 18, 1967, so he could feel the reverberations of history.

There he was reminded of seeing pictures of Jimi Hendrix watching Ravi Shankar perform at Monterey Pops. Montfort said this about that in an interview in the December 2009 issue of Guitar Player Magazine, "I began to think about the intersection between raga and the music of Jimi Hendrix after seeing a photograph of Jimi in the front row of an Indian music concert, his mouth agape in awe of what he was experiencing. Then one day a student of mine was having difficulty improvising over the chord changes in 'Purple Haze,' and I had the idea that the techniques learned by studying Indian music would help my student to improvise more effectively." Wondering what would have happened had Hendrix studied Indian raga, Montfort created a set of raga rules based on Indian music and Woodstock era electric blues that he calls "Purple Raga." Each performance is unique, but evokes a similar mood. When Montfort recorded his debut solo album, Seven Serenades for Scalloped Fretboard Guitar, he included a serenade to the spirit of Jimi Hendrix. This led to Montfort's feature in Guitar Player Magazine, which linked to a video on GuitarPlayer.Com of his performance of "Purple Raga" at Ancient Future's 30th Anniversary concert on his Godin Glissentar, an 11 string fretless guitar.

Then on September 23, 2010, four decades after Hendrix passed away, Montfort invited Bui Huu Nhut, who was visiting the area, to perform "Purple Raga" and "Purple Haze" with him on Vietnamese đàn bầu (a one string instrument with a whammy bar) at the Music for Thingamjigs Festival in San Francisco. They were a big hit with the audience and part of their performance was even shown on The Rachel Maddow Show the next day! They decided to record a Vietnamese version of "Purple Haze," and on October 9, 2011, the next time that Bui Huu Nhut visited the San Francisco Bay Area, they did just that.

Purple Playlists

Many music streaming algorithms suggest music similar to what listeners stream already, which can keep music fans in limited genre boxes. This is the opposite of the purpose of world fusion music, which is about expanding musical tastes. A grassroots playlisting campaign is needed to counteract this. Searches for curated playlists that feature world fusion music revealed around 200 playlists, but contact information was available for only 10% of the curators. A network of thousands of curators will be needed to overcome the bias of streaming algorithms, so there's much work left to do. While streaming isn't currently financially helpful except to mega famous artists and some who make music for specific activities, it's still very important for world fusion music to be properly represented on streaming services. Media organizations are encouraged to add world fusion music to their playlists on streaming platforms.

Purple Nam & Purple Haze Release Schedule and Specifications

1. Purple Haze (Vietnamese Đàn Bầu Style) by Ancient Future

Hi-Res Square Cover Art (1.2 MB): https://www.ancient-future.com/images/purplecover3000sq.jpg

Instrumental version of "Purple Haze" performed on Vietnamese đàn bầu (monochord with whammy bar), Glissentar (11 string fretless guitar), Uzbek percussion, and keyboards.

Save Stream: https://orcd.co/purplehazeaf (Participating Digital Music Platforms)
Preview: https://itunes.apple.com/album/id/1763666579 (Apple Music, Preview & Pre-order September 18, 2024)

Track List:
1. Purple Haze (Vietnamese Đàn Bầu Style) by Ancient Future (Hendrix. 3:25). Featuring Matthew Montfort (Glissentar, fretless bass), Bui Huu Nhut (đàn bầu), and Abbos Kosimov (Uzbek percussion) with Mariah Parker (keys). Genres: World Music, Rock.
Digital Single Sales Date: Friday, January 10, 2025. Pre-order Date: Wednesday, September 18, 2024. Instant Grats Date: Wednesday, November 27, 2024 (iTunes & Amazon Pre-release Download).
Formats: Audio Download, Streaming
Catalog Number: Ancient-Future.Com Records AF-20308. UPC: 825336203082. ISRC: US-N9P-24-20308.
Composition: "Purple Haze" by Jimi Hendrix © 1997, 1967 Experience Hendrix L.L.C. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Recording Copyright: ℗ 2024 Ancient-Future.Com Records. All rights reserved.
Preview: https://itunes.apple.com/album/id/1763666579 (Apple Music, Preview & Pre-order September 18, 2024)
Amazon Music: https://www.amazon.com/music/player/albums/B0DDLJKHPJ (Pre-order September 18, 2024)
Check back for more digital retailer links as they become available.

2. Purple Nam (Glissentar & Đàn Bầu Duet) by Ancient Future

Hi-Res Square Cover Art (1.1 MB): https://www.ancient-future.com/images/purplenamcov3000sq.jpg

This rubato call and response between Glissentar and đàn bầu is a Vietnamese version of Matthew Montfort’s "Purple Raga," a set of improvisation rules he developed based on Indian music and Woodstock era electric blues. Each performance is unique, but evokes a similar mood.

Save Stream: https://orcd.co/purplenam (Participating Digital Music Platforms)
Preview: https://itunes.apple.com/album/id/1763467825 (Apple Music, Preview & Pre-order October 9, 2024)

Track List:
1. Purple Nam (Glissentar & Đàn Bầu Duet) by Ancient Future (Montfort. 1:18). Featuring Matthew Montfort (Glissentar, fretless bass) and Bui Huu Nhut (đàn bầu) with Abbos Kosimov (Uzbek percussion) and Mariah Parker (keys). Genres: World Music, Asia.
Digital Single Sales Date: Friday, February 7, 2025. Pre-order Date: Wednesday, October 9, 2024. Formats: Audio Download, Streaming.
Catalog Number: Ancient-Future.Com Records AF-20307. UPC: 825336203075. ISRC: US-N9P-24-20307.
Composition: "Purple Nam" by Matthew Montfort © 2024 Ancient Future Music (BMI). All rights reserved.
Recording Copyright: ℗ 2024 Ancient-Future.Com Records. © 2024 Ancient Future Music (BMI). All rights reserved.
Digital Single: https://itunes.apple.com/album/id/1763467825 (Apple Music, Preview & Pre-order October 9, 2024)
Check back for more digital retailer links February 7, 2025.
Video List:
1. Purple Nam (Glissentar & Đàn Bầu Duet) Official Music Video by Ancient Future (Montfort. 1:24). Video captured at the recording sessions for "Purple Nam" featuring live basic tracks by Matthew Montfort (glissentar), Bui Huu Nhut (đàn bầu), and Mariah Parker (keyboard), and an overdub by Abbos Kosimov (doyra, shakers).
Video Release Date: Tuesday, February 11, 2025. Formats: Official Music Video - Live in Studio.
Catalog Number: Ancient-Future.Com Records AF-90307. UPC: 825336903074. ISRC: US-N9P-24-90307
Videographer: Michael Braden
Producer, Editor, Composer: Matthew Montfort
Ancient Future YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/ancientfuture
Check back for more video links February 11, 2025.

3. Purple Nam & Purple Haze (Vietnamese Đàn Bầu & Glissentar Style) by Ancient Future

Hi-Res Square Cover Art (1.2 MB): https://www.ancient-future.com/images/purplenamhazecov3000sq.jpg)

Digital 45 featuring "Purple Nam" followed by Ancient Future's cover of "Purple Haze."

Purple Nam & Purple Haze Save Stream: https://orcd.co/purplenamhaze (Participating Digital Music Platforms)
Purple Nam & Purple Haze Preview: https://itunes.apple.com/album/id/1763467873 (Apple Music, Preview & Pre-order October 9, 2024)

Track List:
1. Purple Nam (Glissentar & Đàn Bầu Duet) by Ancient Future (Montfort. 1:18). Featuring Matthew Montfort (Glissentar, fretless bass) and Bui Huu Nhut (đàn bầu) with Abbos Kosimov (Uzbek percussion) and Mariah Parker (keys). Genres: World Music, Asia.
2. Purple Haze (Vietnamese Đàn Bầu Style) by Ancient Future (Hendrix. 3:25). Featuring Matthew Montfort (Glissentar, fretless bass), Bui Huu Nhut (đàn bầu), and Abbos Kosimov (Uzbek percussion) with Mariah Parker (keys). Genres: World Music, Rock.
Digital 45 Sales Date: Friday, February 7, 2025. Pre-order Date: Wednesday, October 9, 2024. Purple Haze Instant Grats Date: Wednesday, November 27, 2024 (iTunes & Amazon Pre-release Download). Formats: Digital 45, Audio Download, Streaming.
Catalog Number: Ancient-Future.Com Records AF-20309. UPC: 825336203099. ISRC: US-N9P-24-20307 (Purple Nam) US-N9P-24-20308 (Purple Haze).
Compositions: "Purple Nam" by Matthew Montfort © 2024 Ancient Future Music (BMI). All rights reserved. "Purple Haze" by Jimi Hendrix © 1997, 1967 Experience Hendrix L.L.C. All rights reserved. Used by permission.
Recording Copyright: ℗ 2024 Ancient-Future.Com Records. © 2024 Ancient Future Music (BMI). All rights reserved.
Digital 45 Links:
https://itunes.apple.com/album/id/1763467873 (Apple Music, available February 7, 2025)
https://www.amazon.com/music/player/albums/B0DDJ8QNFH (Amazon Music, available February 7, 2025)
Check back for more digital retailer links February 7, 2025.

What's an Instant Grat?

It's the ability to download a track from a release on iTunes or Amazon before it's release, and have that download count on Internet music charts on the sales date. This means that people can enjoy ownership and listen to the track as much as they like before the sales date and after! With Internet access often at risk due to hacking, outages, and global conflicts, music ownership through downloads allows people to enjoy music even when the Internet is down. Each download supports the music financially, whereas it takes millions of streams to bring in significant income to artists. For example, 1,708,584 streams of a track by Ancient Future on YouTube Music netted Ancient Future only $101.16. That's less than 6/1000 of a cent per stream! Yes, thousandths of a cent!

iTunes Purple Haze I.G.: https://itunes.apple.com/album/id/1763467873 (Starting November 27, 2024)
Amazon Music Purple Haze I.G.: https://www.amazon.com/music/player/albums/B0DDJ8QNFH (Click far right three-dot menu)

Artist Pages

Artist Action Page: https://orcd.co/ancientfuture (Follow Ancient Future on Participating Streaming Sites)
Streaming Sites:
https://music.apple.com/us/artist/ancient-future/1380172 (Apple Music)
https://store.tidal.com/us/artist/3505703 (Tidal)
https://open.spotify.com/artist/5oQLP9K23E63u9BHB1b4LT (Spotify)
https://www.deezer.com/us/artist/12660 (Deezer)
https://us.napster.com/artist/ancient-future (Napster)
https://www.amazon.com/music/player/artists/B000QJW0DU/ancient-future (Amazon Music)
https://music.youtube.com/channel/UC-u6LeUkpy5gd2hdnU0CJFQ (YouTube Music)
https://soundcloud.com/ancient-future-band (Soundcloud Go)
https://www.pandora.com/artist/all-albums/ancient-future/ARKXJPKKJzVZb3J (Pandora)
https://www.kkbox.com/tw/tc/artist/-nZ0RdSsLGYcGZqJrU (KKBox, Japan, Southeast Asia)
https://www.freegalmusic.com/browse/artists/featured/QW5jaWVudCBGdXR1cmU (freegal music)
https://www.qobuz.com/us-en/interpreter/ancient-future/download-streaming-albums (Qobuz Hi-Res)
Social Media:
https://www.facebook.com/ancientfuture (Facebook)
https://www.instagram.com/ancientfutureband (Instagram)
https://bsky.app/profile/ancientfuturemusic.bsky.social (Bluesky)
https://ethnocloud.com/Ancient_Future (Ethnocloud)
https://twitter.com/ancient_future (X-Twitter Legacy Posts)

Biographies

Ancient Future has expanded its musical vision through collaborations with traditional musicians from all over the world who are now an integral part of what is today more than just a band. To enable its core mission of creating world fusion music, Ancient Future has grown to become a large chamber ensemble of world music masters with many smaller ensembles within it, including this quartet featuring world guitar pioneer Matthew Montfort, Vietnamese đàn bầu master Bui Huu Nhut, master Uzbek percussionist Abbos Kosimov, and keyboardist Mariah Parker.

Matthew Montfort (Glissentar, fretless bass)

Guitar Player Magazine Feature

Ancient Future leader Matthew Montfort acquired his Glissentar, an 11 string fretless guitar, via a 2006 artist deal with Godin Guitars. The December 2009 collectible commemorative Les Paul issue of Guitar Player Magazine includes a full page feature with a photo of Matthew Montfort superimposed over psychedelic artwork portraying Jimi Hendrix and an interview with Montfort with links to a GuitarPlayer.com lesson entitled "The Music of Jimi Hendrix Applied to Indian Raga" with a video of Montfort performing on Glissentar. He is a pioneer of the scalloped fretboard guitar, an instrument combining qualities of the South Indian vina and the steel string guitar. He has two solo releases: Seven Serenades for Scalloped Fretboard Guitar and Sympathetic Serenade, for which he is recognized as one of the world's 100 Greatest Acoustic Guitarists by DigitalDreamDoor.com along with such luminaries as Michael Hedges, Leo Kottke, Chet Atkins, Merle Travis, and John Renbourn. He has performed worldwide, from the Festival Internacional de la Guitarra in Spain to the Mumbai Festival in India. Montfort wrote the training manual Ancient Traditions – Future Possibilities: Rhythmic Training Through the Traditions of Africa, Bali, and India.

Hi-Res Photo of Matthew Montfort (5" x 3", 300 dpi, 678k):
https://www.ancient-future.com/images/yearningmatt300dpi5x3.jpg

Bui Huu Nhut (đàn bầu)

Hi-Res Photo of Bui Huu Nhut (3.5" x 2.8", 300 dpi, 742k):
https://www.ancient-future.com/images/nhut_purple_raga300dpi3.5x2.8.jpg

Bui Huu Nhut (pronounced "buoy who newt") is a leading performer on the đàn bầu, an instrument of purely Vietnamese origin. Its single string is stretched over a long box, attached to a tuning peg at one end, and to a flexible rod (which holds a resonating gourd) at the other. Its sound is said to "find its way into the secret places of the soul." A native of Saigon, Bui Huu Nhut has lived in the U.S. since 1989. He performs in traditional Vietnamese groups and ensemble variations of Ancient Future. He is featured on "Ja Nam," Matthew Montfort's reggae version of the Vietnamese folk standard "Ly Chim Quyen" (Song of the Nightingale), on Asian Fusion by Ancient Future. Putumayo included the track on their 2005 Asian Lounge sampler, and on November 5, 2005, Ancient Future performed with Bui Huu Nhut at Putumayo's album release party at the now defunct Supperclub in San Francisco.

"Ja Nam" (Matthew Montfort 3:53). >YTmusic.

Abbos Kosimov (Uzbek percussion)

Hi-Res Photo of Abbos Kosimov (6.2" x 10", 300 dpi, 2.2 MB):
https://www.ancient-future.com/images/abbos300dpi6.2x10.jpg

Uzbek percussion phenomenon Abbos Kosimov is a master of the doyra (frame drum with metal rings) known for taking the instrument to unprecedented new heights. He developed finger tapping techniques inspired by North Indian tabla masters, adding new dimensions to the instrument’s sonic capabilities. On "Purple Haze," Abbos also plays tar (frame drum), cajón (Peruvian percussion box), and shakers. Abbos was born in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, to a highly musical family and began playing doyra at age ten. He studied at the College of Culture and Music and the Tashkent State Institute of Culture and was given the title of Honored Artists of Uzbekistan by the president of Uzbekistan in 2001. His move to the U.S. in 2005 led to performances and recordings with artists such as Kronos Quartet, Omar Sosa, Stevie Wonder, and Zakir Hussain’s Masters of Percussion.

Mariah Parker (keyboards)

Hi-Res Photo of Mariah Parker (4.3" x 6.5", 300 dpi, 1.7 MB):
https://www.ancient-future.com/images/mariahpianohirez.jpg

Mariah Parker has been playing music from the time she could reach the keys on the grand piano in her family home. She is also known for her work on hammered dulcimer and santur (its Persian cousin). Her academic tenure at UC Santa Cruz was distinguished by her involvement with ethnomusicologist Fred Lieberman and the iconic drummer Mickey Hart on his Planet Drum project, marking her early foray into the fusion of musical traditions. She has toured with Ancient Future in the US and Spain. Her discography began with the critically acclaimed Sangria in 2009, followed by Indo Latin Jazz Live In Concert in 2017, and Windows Through Time, which received rave reviews upon its release in June of 2024. Her albums are celebrated globally for their innovative soundscapes and compositional brilliance.

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
12/1/2024
Contact: Ancient-Future.Com Records
415-459-1892 (no texts)
info@ancient-future.com

Spirit of Nirvana

by Ancient Future

Hi-Res Square Cover Art (1.1 MB): https://www.ancient-future.com/images/spiritnirvanacov6000sq.jpg

"Spirit of Nirvana (Double Single)" is a cover of "Smells Like Teen Spirit" paired with "East of the Sun," an original composition by Matthew Montfort that was recorded the same day.

Save Stream: https://orcd.co/spiritofnirvana (Participating Digital Music Platforms)
Preview: https://itunes.apple.com/album/id/1784353723 (Apple Music, Preview & Pre-order December 31, 2024)

The pre-order date is December 31, 2024, in honor of the last New Year's event that Nirvana played at. Ancient Future will celebrate Kurt Cobain's birthday (February 20, 1967) by offering their "Spirit of Nirvana (Streaming Edit)" cover as an Instant Grats (iTunes & Amazon pre-release download) starting February 20, 2025. The digital audio sales date is April 4, 2025, in recognition of an impactful live KPIG radio performance of "East of the Sun" on April 4, 2010.

Ancient Future Nirvana History

Ancient Future leader Matthew Montfort recalls his first exposure to the music of Nirvana: "After Nirvana exploded onto the scene in late 1991, one of my guitar students at Blue Bear School of Music in San Francisco meekly asked if he would be able play 'Smells Like Teen Spirit.' I had just read about the underground publicity campaign for Nevermind in the business section of a local newspaper, and then I heard it on the car radio on the way to Blue Bear so I paid attention to it. I told my student that the good news was that not only was the song within his technical abilities; he could also play the lead guitar part! When Tori Amos came out with her version in May 1992, it showed me that 'Smells Like Teen Spirit' has a very beautiful melody, which wasn't obvious in Nirvana's version of the piece. That inspired me to try the melody Indian raga style. I had some fun playing around with that idea in a few breaks between lessons."

In 1996, Plumas County Arts set up a series of Ancient Future performances in schools. It culminated with a public concert in Susanville, California on October 18, 1996. As Matthew Montfort recalls, "When we performed at Lassen High School, during a piece based on Turkish music, the students were mimicking a 'Walk Like an Egyptian' dance and it felt like we weren't quite reaching them with our world fusion music. The next piece up in our set was 'Indra's Net' by Jim Hurley. I had a solo introduction to the piece in the key of E minor, and I had the idea that perhaps we could reach them by playing something they would recognize. I yelled out the simple chord progression for 'Smells Like Teen Spirit' transposed into that key to the band, and we did an improvised version influenced by Indian classical music. It went over extremely well, and we had the students engaged for the rest of our performance." It's interesting to note that the official video for "Smells Like Teen Spirit" depicts a chaotic school event on a basketball court, and that's what Ancient Future's first performance of the piece helped to avoid at Lassen High School.

Ancient Future is finally releasing a live studio version of "Smells Like Teen Spirit" in 2025, but supporters of the Archive of Future Ancient Recordings, Ancient Future's fan-funded recording project, received early access starting on October 18, 2024, 28 years after the band first performed the piece.

There are many other echoes in Ancient Future -Nirvana history. On December 31, 1993, Nirvana performed what turned out to be their last California performance at the Oakland Coliseum Arena. That same night, Violin Sanity, violinist Jim Hurley's band including fellow Ancient Future alumni Matthew Montfort and Ian Dogole, performed at a private New Year's Eve party in the conservative Stockton area about an hour to the east. The retired couple hosting the party had invited their friends, but by an hour into the performance none of them had showed up. Perhaps they all went to see Nirvana in Oakland? Not likely. The hosts were fans of Rush Limbaugh.

Ancient Future's first official concert was at the Sleeping Lady Cafe in Fairfax, California on February 11, 1979, the day before Matthew Montfort turned 21. Exactly a decade later, on February 11, 1989, Nirvana performed at Marsugi's in San Jose the day after playing their first concert in California on February 10, 1989, at the Covered Wagon Saloon in San Francisco. Both Montfort and Cobain were 20 years old as their bands were forming and doing their first recordings. Born February 20, 1967, Kurt Cobain was 21 years old at the first official Nirvana concert on March 19, 1988, at Community World Theater in Tacoma, Washington.

On April 1, 2011, Matthew Montfort, Mariah Parker, and Benjy Wertheimer met for a recording session for Montfort's composition, "East of the Sun," the first studio track recorded for Ancient Future's fan funded Archive of Future Ancient Recordings. This led to an impromptu recording of a cover of "Smells Like Teen Spirit." On April 4, 2010, a new unnamed piece by Matthew Montfort was performed live on Please Stand By on KPIG, and an audience member called in suggesting the name "East of the Sun," making it the only Ancient Future piece so far to named by a radio listener.

These dates resonate with a sad period in Nirvana history. On April 1, 1994, Kurt Cobain jumped a fence at Exodus Recovery Center in Los Angeles and purchased a plane ticket to Seattle. On April 4, 1994, a missing persons report was filed on Kurt Cobain with the Seattle Police Department. On April 8, 1994, police were called investigate a dead body found at the Cobain residence. The body was formally identified as that of Kurt Cobain. The coroner declared Kurt Cobain's cause of death a suicide and listed his date of death as April 5, 1994.

On a positive note, the single "Smells Like Teen Spirit" entered Billboard magazine's Modern Rock Tracks chart at #27 on September 21, 1991. Exactly 33 years later, Ancient Future performed for the globally streamed September 21, 2024, UN International Day of Peace celebration at Civic Center Plaza in San Francisco. The concert featured Matthew Montfort, Mariah Parker, and Palestinian percussionist Antoine Lammam. They performed Ancient Future's upcoming single, "Spirit of Nirvana," and segments from it were shown on the CBS local news (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jrb4z2oRMdo)!

Early Nirvana Influences

These band's that inspired Nirvana have histories with Ancient Future!

Metallica

Members of Nirvana were found of Metallica, and Kurt Cobain and Krist Novoselic even attended the Metallica listening party at Madison Square Garden on August 3, 1991, that was considered the world's largest album listening party, with 19,000 attendees there not to see Metallica play, but just to hear their new record release! Like Metallica, Matthew Montfort was involved in lawsuits against Napster, where he was the proposed Class Representative for Independent Musicians vs. Napster based on the high number of Ancient Future tracks Napster users were downloading. But Napster recruited some independent musicians hoping to become better known to their side, and that case was ultimately thrown out because the judge ruled that Independent Musicians were not unified in their opposition, and didn't have a large enough financial interest to qualify as a class. Montfort then proceeded with a personal lawsuit against Napster. Members of Metallica were in the courtroom with Montfort at various points in the process, starting with his first court appearance on March 3, 2001.

Dead Kennedys

In a 1991 New York Times article, Nirvana bassist Krist Novoselic is quoted saying that when Nirvana formed, they started listening to punk rock, specifically mentioning the Dead Kennedys. Nirvana drummer Dave Grohl cited the Dead Kennedys album In God We Trust, Inc. as a major influence.

Eric Boucher, who became Dead Kennedy front man Jello Biafra, was a childhood friend of Ancient Future founders Matthew Montfort and Benjy Wertheimer, and was born the same day as Benjy. Eric was Matthew's locker partner at Baseline Junior High in Boulder. Their parents knew each other and arranged for private Spanish lessons. Eric managed to convince the instructor to teach them to swear in Spanish, which turned out to be an effective way of making learning fun.

Ramones

The "Smells Like Teen Spirit" music video features a chaotic high school pep rally, and is said to have been inspired in part by the Ramones' film Rock 'n' Roll High School. Kurt Cobain cited them as an influence, and according to The Guardian, wanted to play in a band like them.

Matthew Montfort Recalls Opening for the Ramones

"At the age of 18, I unexpectedly opened for the Ramones with my high school girlfriend, singer and pianist Bambe Marlin. She had gotten into punk rock and had a last minute invitation to open for them but didn't have enough material she could play solo, so she called me the day of the show to ask me to sit in on some original tunes from a band we started a few years before that was a lot like Steeleye Span and Renaissance. I had never heard of the Ramones, but was excited to play at my favorite Denver venue, Ebbets Field, a small club hosting major acts. Backstage I was talking with guitarist Johnny Ramone and he asked me what music I was into. I told him I was studying jazz at CU Denver. He said, 'I have to go take a $#!+.' I don’t think he liked my answer! Before they went out on stage, bassist Dee Dee Ramone asked Johnny if he was in tune. He said, 'Man, I've been playing back here for hours. I'm in tune!' Dee Dee Ramone replied, 'Yeah, but are you in tune to out there?' Johnny replied emphatically 'I'm in tune!' Then they got together in a football style huddle and chanted, 'What are we gonna do? We're gonna rock!' They went out on stage and Johnny Ramone was not exactly in tune with the rest of the band. But no one in the audience seemed to care. On August 31, 2024, Bambe's birthday, I tried to contact her to talk about this but found out that she had passed away in May of 2024. While the songs we played together were sadly never recorded, her rock band, Run Bambe Run, released an EP in 2015. While grieving, I began researching the date of the Ramones concert we opened for. I found that the Ramones were booked for a last minute March 15-16, 1977, residency at Ebbets Field after supporting Night City with Ray Manzarek there on March 14. I also found articles detailing that Eric Boucher (AKA Jello Biafra) had been at the March 14 and 15 shows. I called Eric and he told me the shows were important events that led to the formation of the Dead Kennedys. The Colorado punk band the Ravers opened the March 15 show. Eric hit it off with the Ravers and ended up on the Ravers Roadies team for about six months and that experience led him to the idea that he could be a front man for a punk band. Both Ancient Future and the Dead Kennedys formed in the San Francisco Bay Area in 1978 soon after Boulder High School graduates Eric Boucher, Benjy Wertheimer, and I moved there. I formed Ancient Future with Benjy and fellow Ali Akbar College of Music students Mindy Klein and Phil Fong. Eric formed the Dead Kennedys with East Bay Ray, who I met in 2013 due to our involvement in the formation of the non-profit Artist Rights Alliance, which is fighting for fair treatment for all creators in the digital world." – Matthew Montfort

Shared Venues

Members of Ancient Future and Nirvana have performed at many of the same venues and media outlets.

Western Washington University

Ancient Future performed at Western Washington University in Bellingham many times, including the 6th Annual Fairhaven College Renaissance Arts Faire on May 31, 1981, Mama Sundays in the Viking Union Lounge on May 14, 1982, the 8th Annual Renaissance Arts Faire on May 29, 1983, and again at Mama Sundays on February 9, 1986, during their fifth Pacific Northwest tour. On October 3, 1992, Nirvana performed at Sam Carver Gymnasium at Western Washington University.

University of Washington, Seattle

Ancient Future performed May 21, 1981, at the 1st Annual Global Music Festival in Kane Hall at the University of Washington, Seattle. Almost 8 years later, Nirvana performed at the HUB East Ballroom at UW on February 25, 1989. Matthew Montfort returned to Kane Hall to perform with Gary Haggerty (oud, violin) and Emam (tabla) in an opening set for Zakir Hussain's Masters of Percussion on April 26, 1998.

Evergreen State College

During their 1984 Pacific Northwest Tour, Ancient Future performed at the Daniel J. Evans Library at Evergreen State College, Olympia, on May 4. Four years later, Nirvana performed at The Evergreen State College in a field in front of a dorm on May 21, 1988, and then at a dorm party in 1989, and the Mods in 1990. Nirvana played at the Daniel J. Evans Library, where Ancient Future had performed 7 years prior, on January 18, 1991.

On May 6, 1987, Nirvana did a live radio performance at KAOS at Evergreen State College. Recordings from that performance served as demos for getting gigs. Ancient Future has a long history with KAOS, which has played all of Ancient Future's releases. Ancient Future has visited the station on multiple tours both before and after Nirvana's association with them.

Catalyst

On June 18, 1991, Nirvana performed at the Catalyst in Santa Cruz, CA. Three years earlier, Ancient Future performed a double bill there with Alex De Grassi on March 2, 1988.

KUSF

On February 14, 1990, Nirvana was photographed flipping off to the camera at KUSF Radio Studios, University of San Francisco, ahead of their performance at the Kennel Club in San Francisco. KUSF was one of the first stations to play Nirvana. Ancient Future also has a long history with KUSF, with many interviews, small ensemble live performances, and programming on different world music, folk, and jazz shows. KUSF is now an Internet radio station and still programs Ancient Future's music.

Great American Music Hall

On July 17, 1993, Nirvana drummer Dave Grohl performed with Scream at the Great American Music Hall, San Francisco. A month later, on August 18, 1993, Ancient Future performed there for the fourth time. It had been a dream to perform there when the band first started. Mindia Devi Klein and Matthew Montfort went there one evening to catch the band Oregon, and were standing in the line for a few tickets that might become available due to canceled reservations. Van Morrison, who was an early fan of Ancient Future having seen them perform in Mill Valley, happened to walk by and asked why they were standing in line. He said, "Wait here just a moment," went inside, and arranged for complementary tickets! A few years later Ancient Future was invited to perform there in their second incarnation, and their inaugural show at the venue on November 3, 1983, received a rave review from the respected music critic Philip Elwood of the S.F. Examiner.

Saturday Night Live

Nirvana performed on Saturday Night Live at NBC Studios, New York, NY, on January 11, 1992. Ancient Future violinist Jim Hurley performed on SNL with Queen Ida and the Bon Temps Zydeco Band on November 23, 1985. Nirvana returned to SNL on September 25, 1993. As of his October 28, 2023, Foo Fighters performance, Dave Grohl is the most frequent musical guest on SNL, performing on sixteen shows. That's 16 times as many as Jim Hurley, the only Ancient Future alumni to perform on SNL. But Jim Hurley was there first, so there's that...

Spirit of Nirvana Release Schedule and Specifications

Digital Double Single Sales Date: Friday, April 4, 2025. Pre-order Date: Tuesday, December 31, 2024. Spirit of Nirvana (Streaming Edit) Instant Grats Date: Thursday, February 20, 2025 (iTunes & Amazon Pre-release Download). Formats: Audio Download with Digital Liner Notes, Streaming.

1. Spirit of Nirvana (Double Single) by Ancient Future

"Spirit of Nirvana" shows the beauty of the melody of "Smells Like Teen Spirit" through elements from North Indian classical music. The double single pairs this Nirvana cover with "East of the Sun," an original composition by Matthew Montfort. In advance of sharing a bill with master Malian hunter's harpist Mamadou Sidibe on February 28, 2010, Matthew Montfort was inspired to compose a piece weaving in a West African 3 against 2 cross rhythm on the last two beats of a five beat groove. On April 4, 2010, his as yet unnamed piece was performed live on Please Stand By on KPIG, and an audience member called in suggesting the name "East of the Sun." The name stuck, and it was recorded on April 1, 2011, along with a cover of "Smells Like Teen Spirit," linking the two in Ancient Future history.

Track List:
1. Spirit of Nirvana (Streaming Edit) by Ancient Future (Cobain, Grohl, and Novoselic. 5:42). Featuring Matthew Montfort, Mariah Parker, and Benjy Wertheimer. Genres: World Music, Rock.
2. East of the Sun by Ancient Future (Montfort. 4:28). Trio version featuring Matthew Montfort, Mariah Parker, and Benjy Wertheimer. Genres: World Music.
Spirit of Nirvana Pre-order Date: Tuesday, December 31, 2024.
Spirit of Nirvana (Streaming Edit) Instant Grats Date: Thursday, February 20, 2025 (Apple iTunes & Amazon Pre-release Download).
Spirit of Nirvana Digital Audio Sales Date: Friday, April 4, 2025
Label: Ancient-Future.Com Records AF-20306. UPC: 825336203068. ISRC: US-N9P-24-20306.
Composition: "Smells Like Teen Spirit" by Kurt Cobain, David Grohl, and Krist Novoselic. © 1991 The End of Music, Primary Wave Tunes, Murky Slough Music, and Mj Twelve Music. All rights reserved. Used by permission.
Recording Copyright: ℗ 2024 Ancient-Future.Com Records. All rights reserved.
Mixer, Mastering Engineer, Producer, Arranger: Matthew Montfort. Assistant Tracking Engineer: Michael Braden.
Formats: Audio Download, Streaming
Save Stream: https://orcd.co/spiritofnirvana (Participating Digital Music Platforms)
Spirit of Nirvana Streaming Track Links:
https://itunes.apple.com/album/id/1784353723 (Apple Music, Preview & Pre-order December 31, 2024)

Biographies

Ancient Future has expanded its musical vision through collaborations with traditional musicians from all over the world who are now an integral part of what is today more than just a band. To enable its core mission of creating world fusion music, Ancient Future has grown to become a large chamber ensemble of world music masters with many smaller ensembles within it, including this trio featuring Matthew Montfort, Mariah Parker, and Benjy Wertheimer.

Matthew Montfort (scalloped fretboard guitar, fretless bass)

Hi-Res Photo of Matthew Montfort (5" x 3", 300 dpi, 678k):
https://www.ancient-future.com/images/yearningmatt300dpi5x3.jpg

Ancient Future leader Matthew Montfort is a pioneer of the scalloped fretboard guitar, an instrument combining qualities of the South Indian vina and guitar. He has two solo releases: Seven Serenades for Scalloped Fretboard Guitar and Sympathetic Serenade. Based on his originality, innovation, technique, and influence on guitarists over the years, he is recognized as one of the world's 100 Greatest Acoustic Guitarists by DigitalDreamDoor.com, joining luminaries such as Michael Hedges, Leo Kottke, Chet Atkins, Merle Travis, and John Renbourn. He has performed worldwide, including the Festival Internacional de la Guitarra in Spain, the Mumbai Festival at the Gateway of India, and the Music for People and Thingamajigs Festival in San Francisco, from which a segment of his performance and an interview about his guitar work was broadcast on the Rachel Maddow Show on MSNBC.

Mariah Parker (santur)

Mariah Parker with Santur Hi-Res Photo by Ross Pelton (1.6 MB):
http://www.ancient-future.com/images/mariah_santur_300dpi5x4.jpg

Mariah Parker has been playing music from the time she could reach the keys on the grand piano in her family home. She is also known for her work on hammered dulcimer and santur (its Persian cousin). Her academic tenure at UC Santa Cruz was distinguished by her involvement with ethnomusicologist Fred Lieberman and the iconic drummer Mickey Hart on his Planet Drum project, marking her early foray into the fusion of musical traditions. She has toured with Ancient Future in the US and Spain. Her discography began with the critically acclaimed Sangria in 2009, followed by Indo Latin Jazz Live in Concert in 2017, which enjoyed 16 weeks of prominence on the national Jazzweek airplay chart. Her third album, Windows Through Time, received rave reviews upon its release in June of 2024. Her albums are celebrated globally for their innovative soundscapes and compositional brilliance.

Benjy Wertheimer (tabla)

Benjy Wertheimer Hi-Res Photo (657 K)
http://www.ancient-future.com/images/benjy_tabla300dpi2.4x2.9.jpg

A founding member of Ancient Future, Benjy Wertheimer is a composer, vocalist, and multi-instrumentalist accomplished on tabla, congas, percussion, esraj, guitar, and keyboards. He has performed and recorded with such artists as Krishna Das, Deva Premal and Miten, Jai Uttal, The Hanumen, Walter Becker of Steely Dan, tabla master Zakir Hussain, and bamboo flute master G. S. Sachdev. He began his musical studies at age five, starting with piano and later violin, flamenco guitar, and Afro-Cuban percussion. Benjy has been a student of Indian classical music for over four decades, sitting with some of the greatest masters including Alla Rakha, Zakir Hussain, Ali Akbar Khan and Z. M. Dagar. Along with the Grateful Dead's Mickey Hart, he was a contributing composer and member of the Zakir Hussain Rhythm Experience. He and his wife Heather perform internationally in the kirtan group Shantala.

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Coming Soon:

Purple Nirvana

Hi-Res Square Cover Art (1.1 MB): https://www.ancient-future.com/images/purplenirvanacov6000sq.jpg

by Ancient Future

Purple Nirvana is an EP featuring the first ever popular cover songs by Ancient Future showing unique influences from world music traditions. The release features instrumental covers of "Purple Haze" by Jimi Hendrix and "Smells Like Teen Spirit" by Nirvana. The later was rediscovered in December of 2023 when Matthew Montfort was preparing his piece "East of the Sun" from the Archive of Future Ancient Recordings for public release. After recording "East of the Sun" on April 1, 2011, the inspiration came to record the cover that became "Spirit of Nirvana" at the same session. In honor of that, the EP includes the trio version of "East of the Sun" recorded that same day along with streaming and radio edits of "Spirit of Nirvana."

Digital EP Sales Date: Friday, April 4, 2025. Pre-order Date: Friday, February 14, 2025. Spirit of Nirvana (Streaming Edit) Instant Grats Date: Thursday, February 20, 2025 (iTunes & Amazon Pre-release Download). Radio Add Date: Tuesday, April 1, 2025. NACC (USA: World, Heavy, Folk, & Chill), !Earshot (Canada: International & Loud), ZMR, and WMCE (Europe: World Music). Formats: Audio Download with Digital Liner Notes, Streaming.

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