Tom Constanten

Infobox Musical artist
Name = Tom Constanten


Img_capt =
Img_size =
Landscape =
Background = solo_singer
Birth_name =
Alias =
Born = birth date and age|1944|3|19
Long Branch, New Jersey, U.S.
Died =
Origin = San Francisco, California, U.S.
Instrument = Keyboard instruments
Genre = Rock, classical
Occupation = Keyboardist
Years_active = 1968–present
Label =
Associated_acts = Grateful Dead, Jefferson Starship
URL = [http://www.tomconstanten.com/ www.tomconstanten.com]
Notable_instruments =

Tom Constanten (born March 19, 1944 in Long Branch, New Jersey) is an American keyboardist, best known for playing with the Grateful Dead from 1968–1970.

Biography

Known as T.C., he studied music at University of California, Berkeley, 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. [cite book |last=Prendrergast |first=Mark |year=2000|title=The Ambient Century: From Mahler to Trance - the Evolution of Sound in the Electronic Age|publisher=Bloomsbury Publishing|pages= p242 |isbn=1582341346] cite web |url=http://www.digitalinterviews.com/digitalinterviews/views/constanten.shtml |title=Tom Constanten in-depth interview| publisher=Rossgita Communication |work=Digital Interviews| date=October, 2002|accessmonthday=December 20 |accessyear=2007]

Though not yet a member of the Grateful Dead, T.C. played prepared piano on the group's second album, "Anthem of the Sun", and formally joined them in November 1968, to supplement Ron "Pigpen" McKernan's organ playing. He also played keyboards on 1969's "Aoxomoxoa" release, as well as on the "Live/Dead" live album, then left the band in January 1970. Dennis McNally (later the band's publicist) argues that he did not fit in with the Dead ethos; for example, he followed Scientology and refused to take LSD.

In terms of recorded output, Constanten became more active in the early 1990s, releasing an album of classical sonatas, as well as two albums mixing original material with a few Dead songs, and one album ("Dead Ringers") entirely composed of Dead and Bob Dylan songs. In 1994 he released an album with Jorma Kaukonen which included 11 different versions of Embryonic Journey taken from the studio sessions for "Morning Dew". T.C. has toured several times over the last ten years.

Les Kippel, founder of Relix Records, felt that Tom Constanten had a lot to say musicially, and worked with him to release a series of his projects over the years — "Nightfall of Diamonds" (1992), "Morning Dew" (1993), "Embroyonic Journey" (a 1994 project which was an outgrowth of getting Kaukonen and Constanten together for a recording of "Embroyonic Journey" to be used on "Morning Dew"), and "Grateful Dreams" (2000). Constanten was a favorite of Relix Records, and can be found on many of their releases, including the "Dead Delites" series, the "Gathering on the Mountain" series, and "Dead Ringers".

As of 2006, Constanten plays keyboards in the current line-up of Jefferson Starship, and in 2007 appeared as a guest with Grateful Dead tribute bands Terrapin Flyer and World Within. He has also sat in with other "Bay rock" bands, including Juggling Suns and Solar Circus.

He currently resides in Charlotte, North Carolina.

Philosophy

In 2002, Tom Constanten stated in an interview:

References

*Constanten, Tom. "Between Rock and Hard Places : A Musical Autobiodyssey." Hulogosi, 1992. ISBN 0-9384-9316-7
*McNally, Dennis. "A Long Strange Trip: The Inside History of the Grateful Dead." New York: Broadway Books, 2002. ISBN 0-7679-1186-5

External links

* [http://www.tomconstanten.com/ Tom Constanten] official website
* [http://www.deaddisc.com/GDFD_Tom_Constanten.htm Grateful Dead Family Discography: Tom Constanten]
* [http://www.archive.org/details/TomConstanten Tom Constanten collection] at the Internet Archive's live music archive

Footnotes