About Tunnels
Our collaborator and friend Frank Katz passed away.
This is a great loss for all drummers worldwide, Frank was a powerful drummer, with an almost sur-human sense of time. Performing and recording with him was a special treat. Fortunately, his playing was immortalized with the many recordings we did together, (Tunnels, Shadowlines, Brand X and Sarah Pillow). All available on this site. He will be missed.
See Frank & John play with Tunnels
Marc Wagnon Swiss born vibraphonist, Marc Wagnon is a strong leader and composer who has recorded with such notable figures as Mike Clark, Paul Jackson and Mark Feldman. Wagnon studied classical percussion at the Geneva Conservatory in Switzerland while performing as a drummer in several jazz-rock formations. After moving to the United States he studied at the Berklee College of Music in Boston, where he specialized on the vibraphone and percussion. In New York City, he co-founded the band Dr. Nerve with guitarist Nick Didkowski, which recorded 7 albums and toured extensively throughout Europe. During this period, he also founded his own band, Shadowlines, whose members included Dave Kikoski, Ray Anderson, and Dave Douglas. Since the early 90's Wagnon has worked with the group Tunnels, turning out critically acclaimed CDs and taking several tours.
Percy Jones has inspired bass players across the world with his unique sound and fearless approach to the fretless bass. He has been hailed by Bass Player Magazine as one of the best bassists in the world. A native of Wales, Mr. Jones began his career as a notable bass player with the Liverpool Scene, and the Scaffold in the U.K. He is also a founding member of BRAND X, a pioneer jazz- rock fusion outfit, working alongside John Goodsall, Robin Lumley and Phil Collins. He has also collaborated with numerous other musicians in performances and sessions; Brian Eno, Suzanne Vega, Bill Frisell, Roy Harper, Nova, Elliot Sharpe, and Bobby Previte, just to name a few. He has toured extensively in the United States, Europe and Japan as a solo artist as well as a bass player in various bands.
John O'Reilly Jr. grew up in Los Angeles, CA and started playing piano at a very young age. In 3rd grade, he began his rigorous study of the violin, which lasted well into his years at Arizona State University. While a set of drums was always around the house (his father is a drummer), John didn't begin serious study on the instrument until his second year of college. During the seven years that John lived in Arizona, he honed his craft both in and out of school, and played in every musical situation he could find. The highlight of these years was spent with a band called One, which signed to Mercury Records and began John's recording career. When it came time to move on, John left Arizona for Boston, MA. He lived there for two years, playing with the pop/rock/electronica group Jigawattica and freelancing around the Northeast.
John currently plays drums with Western Tread Recordings artists Reubens Accomplice and freelances on various touring and recording projects throughout the US and abroad.
Lance Carter has been a drummer/percussionist for over thirty years, touring the world with various major label artists. He appears on the Grammy nominated release "Blue Light 'Till Dawn" with Grammy Award winning jazz artist, Cassandra Wilson, as well as "Highlife," the final recording of jazz guitarist icon, Sonny Sharrock. Lance also appears with Sonny Sharrock on the theme song to the hit Cartoon Network series, "Space Ghost: Coast to Coast." He has collaborated with a number of other notable artists including jazz great Junior Mance, bassists Percy Jones and Eric Mingus, guitarists Mark Ribot, Chris Haskett and Robert Musso, Grammy nominee Joan Osborne, and producer Bill Laswell with whom he appears on the soundtrack to the 1999 film "Broken Vessels" and the 1999 release "Permutation." Lance's most recent recordings include Elliot Sharp's 2003 Intakt Records release, "Raw Meet", with Melvin Gibbs on bass; and the November 2003 release from MAROON, the Brooklyn based avant-jazz duo of Hillary Maroon and Benjamin Lackner called, "Who the Sky Betrays". Lance attended the Berklee College of Music and has studied privately with percussion masters Freddie Waits and Peter Erskine. Lance is the latest member of Tunnels (going on one year strong) and makes his first recorded appearance with the band on "Bad American Dream the 43rd", off of the 2004 release, "The Art of Living Dangerously". Lance passed away on November 1rst 2006
Frank Katz According to drummer Mike Clark:"Frank Katz is one of the most exciting discoveries since Jack Dejohnette and Tony Williams."Frank started playing drums at the age of six and appeared onhis first album at the age of seventeen. Two years later Frank joined the faculty of the Drummers Collective, the internationally renowned school for drums and percussion in NYC. Frank has toured extensively with Brand X and appears on their 1992 release X Communication and their latest album Manifest Destiny.
John Goodsall (Progressivity and The Art of Living Dangerously) began playing guitar at age 7 and at 15 he started his first band, Babylon, with members that would later become Joe Cocker's Grease Band. He then began touring extensively, first with Alan Brown, then with its chart topping band Atomic Rooster. While only recording one album with Rooster "Nice 'n' Greasy", John was no stranger to the studio. In London, his session work would eventually cross path with Rob Lumley and Pete Bonas, the players that would become Brand X. After Brand X's World tour (the last with Phil Collins), John came to L.A. and reemerged into the session scene. His session experience includes such name as: Bill Bruford, Peter Gabriel, Billy Idol, Bryan Adams, Toni Basil, Mark Isham...and release to albums with his solo band Fire Merchants, before reforming with Brand X and recording X-communication and Manifest Destiny.
Van Manakas ('with Percy jones, Painted Rock and The Art of Living Dangerously) has recieved widespread critical acclaim for his solo albums "Xompa" (physical) and "Love Songs" (Rounder), and from the coproduction of Scott Cossu's last two releases on Windham Hill Records, "Switchback" and "Stained Glass". In 2000, he released an instrumental album entitled "American Guitars", which coinsided with his move to Nashville, TN and led to countless gigs in the country music scene. He was a finalist in the 1991 New York Fulm Festival for his film score of "Mountain", which was also released on CD tjrough Windham Hull and stayed several weeks on the New Age charts. Van is also the author of two series of tapes about the guitar techniques of jazz and fusion. Van has toured the world extensively. He has peformed in Europe, Rusiia, Japan and South America with his own band and others, among them: Gil Evans, Carla Bley, Bob Moses, Miroslav Vitous.
Mark Feldman (Progressivity and The Art of Living Dangerously) unique style opens a new range of emotion in the music of the group. In 1994, 95, 99,2000 and 2001 violinist and composer Mark received the First Place award for "Talent Deserving Wider Recognition" in Down Beat magazine's critics poll. He has been recorded as a soloist on over 100 recordings, including his own release, Music for Violin Alone, (Tzadik) and his duo recording with pianist and composer Sylvie Courvoisier, Music for Violin and Piano,(Avant), as well as his music for string quartet, "Book of Tells" (Enja).
Julien Feltin (The Art of Living Dangerously) Up and coming guitarist from Switzerland, Julien tpoured with Sarah Pillow in the Fall of 2003 and got to join in with Tunnels in a few of the gigs. Julien has his onw trio called "Les Vautours" and plays with sony recording artist singer songwriter Malia, with whom he tour frequently around the world.
View a collection of Tunnels Video on YouTube
