Bob Moog Foundation Making Waves at Winter NAMM 2010

Happy 2010 to all of you from the Bob Moog Foundation! The year begins for us with big plans as we head out to Winter NAMM in Anaheim, CA next week. Our friends at Moog Music are once again sharing their booth space with us. You can find us there (Booth #6100) making waves with a new video about the Foundation and sharing some recently restored material from the tapes in Bob’s archives. We hope to see many of you there! For those of you who can’t make it, follow us on Facebook and Twitter for daily updates.

We are also proud to be co-sponsoring three events at NAMM that highlight the Moog Legacy and synthesizer history:

• Main Showcase at NAMM Features Items From Moog Exhibit

From January 14-17, the Bob Moog Foundation, in collaboration with the NAMM Museum of Making Music, will feature dozens of items taken from their exhibit Waves of Inspiration:The Legacy of Moog in the main showcase on the floor of the convention center. Of particular note, an extremely rare Eaton-Moog Multi-Touch Sensitive keyboard will be on public display for the first time. Numerous vintage instruments, photographs, articles and project notes will also be on display. The full exhibit runs at the Museum through April 30, 2010.

• Celebrating The Legacy of Vintage Keyboards Through Documentary Film

On Friday night, January 15^th, from 6-8pm in the Avila Room at the Anaheim Hilton, neo-symphonic synthesist Amin Bhatia and documentary filmmaker Dianna Dilworth headline an evening exploring the evolution and impact of vintage keyboards. Amin Bhatia will be joined by Michelle Moog-Koussa, Executive Director of the Bob Moog Foundation for a question and answer session followed by a screening of a short documentary on the making of his innovative realization of Bolero Electronica, for which he used over 70 synthesizers covering 75 years of evolution in synthesis in music. The documentary features rock legends Steve Porcaro and Patrick Moraz and Roland Founder Ikutaro Kakehashi.

Following Bhatia, Dianna Dilworth and Markus Resch of the Mellotron Archive will screen Mellodrama: The Mellotron Documentary which explores the rising and falling fortunes of the Mellotron – the first musical keyboard to “sample” the sounds of other instruments – from its birth in a California garage in the 1950s, through its dominance on concert stages in the 1970s, through its almost religious cult of followers in the 2000s. From the Beatles’ “Strawberry Fields” to Black Sabbath to Kanye West, Mellodrama traces a 50-year odyssey of musical invention, revolution, betrayal, and rediscovery.

• Panel Discussion To Explore the Impact of Bob Moog’s Work on the Music Industry Past, Present and Future as Interpreted though Museum Exhibit

On Sunday January 17^th from 3-4pm in the Idea Center at NAMM, The Bob Moog Foundation and the NAMM Museum of Making Music will present a panel discussion in celebration of the premiere exhibition Waves of Inspiration: The Legacy of Moog. The

discussion will involve industry and musical luminaries in an exploration of the impact of Bob Moog’s work on the music industry as it relates to the exhibition at the NAMM Museum of Making Music public display through April 30, 2010.

The discussion will be moderated by Museum Curator Tatiana Sizonenko

Panelists include:

• Craig Anderton (Senior Editor: Harmony-Central.com, Senior Editor: EQ Magazine, Contributing Editor: Keyboard Magazine)

When the Show Ends, An Exclusive Moog Tour Begins

The Museum of Making Music, in collaboration with Moog Music and the Bob Moog Foundation, is offering an exclusive tour of their exhibit Waves of Inspiration:The Legacy of Moog to NAMM attendees only. The exhibit is the first-ever public display of a rare collection of vintage instruments, photographs, diaries, schematics, catalogs and project notes from the Bob Moog Foundation Archives, along with the prototype of the first Moog modular synthesizer and much more.

On Monday, January 18, a bus will depart from Anaheim to the NAMM Headquarters (where the Museum is housed) in Carlsbad, California. Hosted by Michelle Moog-Koussa (Executive Director of The Bob Moog Foundation), Mike Adams (President, Moog Music Inc.), exhibition advisor Brian Kehew and museum staff, the tour includes lunch before departing back to Anaheim in the early afternoon. Space is limited and an RSVP is required. For more information and to RSVP, please contact Carolyn Grant at carolyng@namm.org or call 760-801-7180.

Celebrating the Moog Synthesizer with Pioneers Herb Deutsch and John Eaton

The week after NAMM, we will be at the NAMM Museum of Making Music to join electronic music pioneers Herb Deutsch and John Eaton for an evening of music and conversation regarding their collaboration with Bob Moog on two groundbreaking instruments. The event, Celebrating the Moog Synthesizer, takes place at the Museum on Saturday, January 23rd at 7pm. Tickets are available for purchase online through the Museum.

We’re off to a great start in 2010! Thank you all for your ongoing support that makes our work possible.

Happy Holidays!

I’m Sean McDonald, one of the board members of the Bob Moog Foundation. Like most people, my attention is turning from my job and day-to-day life, to focus on the things that matter most–the things that make my life rich, meaningful and happy.

The past year has been a great year for the BMF. We have had some huge accomplishments. I want to take the time to highlight a few and express my thanks for all of your support.

First and foremost, the BMF has been blessed to work with our incredible Executive Director, Michelle Moog-Koussa. Most people know Michelle–or “Mimi” to some of you–as Bob’s daughter. But it’s important to understand that Michelle is a talented, tireless and deeply committed individual who has built this foundation from the ground up. Her leadership and determination are among the things I am most grateful for this Thanksgiving.

We also hosted our first Bob Moog exhibit with our partner, the Museum of Making Music in Carlsbad, CA. If you are in Southern California anytime soon (think: NAMM 2010), make sure to visit the space.

We released a new version of MoogFoundation.org, and I am eternally thankful for our Web Development team, one of the many groups of our “Rockstar Volunteers.” (There are too many to thank individually, but we love you all!) In addition, we held several MoogedOut events with the support of actual rockstars, like Umphree‘s McGee and Toubab Krewe.

I hope you and yours have a wonderful Thanksgiving. We’ll be in touch soon.

Sincerely,

On Friday, November 6, 2009, George Duke, whose very name is synonymous with funk, R&B, pop, soul and jazz and who is heralded as a world class keyboardist, synthesizer pioneer, composer and Grammy award winning producer, will perform an intimate concert with his quartet at the Museum of Making Musicin Carlsbad, California. The concert is a celebration of  the Bob Moog Foundation and the Museum of Making Music’s exhibition, Waves of Inspiration: The Legacy of Moog, a first‐ever look at the life and work of synthesizer innovator, Dr. Robert Moog.

Tickets to the concert are $35 for the general public and $30 for museum members. Optionally, for $100 guests can enjoy both the concert event and a special VIP after‐party reception with George Duke that will take place following his performance. Attendance is limited. For tickets and information, please contact the Museum at 760‐438‐5996 or visit www.museumofmakingmusic.org.

In the past 40 years, Duke has released over 30 albums as well as appearing on countless other albums. Most recently Duke released Dukey Treats (2008), which highlights his skills as a jazz/funk master and song writer. Duke talks about the album in this video. He has  also worked with an array of artists, including: Jean-Luc Ponty, Frank Zappa, Stanley Clarke, Billy Cobham, Dianne Reeves, George Clinton, Anita Baker, Miles Davis, Denise Williams, Jeffery Osborne, Regina Belle and others. Additionally, Duke has worked as musical director at numerous large-scale musical events, including the Nelson Mandela tribute concert at Wembley Stadium in London in 1988. In 1989, he was the interim musical director of NBC’s late-night music performance program Sunday Night.

THE EXHIBIT

Waves of Inspiration: The Legacy of Moog focuses on Bob’s Moog’s work and the impact that he had on the world of music. It features rare vintage synthesizers and other related Moog instruments and memorabilia from the Bob Moog Foundation Archives and from various private collections. The exhibit explores the numerous musicians, engineers and colleagues who played a vital role in the evolution of the Moog sound and the relationship between and the inventor/toolmaker and the musician, as well as the genesis of a variety of musical interfaces.

Keith Emerson and Erik Norlander Provide Musical Tribute

Larry Fast and Brian Kehew Offer Historical and Technical Perspective

Next Saturday the Museum of Making Music, in partnership with the Bob Moog Foundation, launches a special exhibition on the work, impact and collaborations of synthesizer pioneer Bob Moog. The exhibit, Waves of Inspiration. The Legacy of Moog. marks the first of its kind, as hundreds of items from the inventor’s extensive archive will be on display alongside vintage instruments, equipment and memorabilia from other institutions and collectors.

The exhibit highlights themes of musician/toolmaker collaboration, motivations and the innovative spirit, technological evolution through the medium of synthesis and music and creativity as forms of self-expression. Prototype and early instruments will also provide exhibit highlights as many rare instruments will be displayed together for the first time, including:

• modular protoype designed in 1964, formerly belonging to Herb Deutsch
• breadboard prototype of the Eaton-Moog Multi-Touch Sensitive Keyboard
• Serial #001 of the Crumar Spirit
• prototype of Minimoog Voyager

The exhibit will feature over 250 items from Moog’s archive alone.

The weekend will be marked with events that celebrate the Moog Legacy. On Saturday night, August 29, 2009, the museum will host the public opening of the exhibit with an evening reception followed by a musical celebration by synthesizer virtuosos Keith Emerson and Erik Norlander. Keith Emerson will be demonstration his infamous Monster Moog modular and talking about his time with the instrument over the past 30 years. Erik Norlander will be performing a special set on three Moog synthesizers: the Minimoog Model D, the Memorymoog Plus (on loan from Bob’s archive) and the Minimoog Voyager along with a selection of his favorite moogerfooger pedals.

On Sunday, pioneering synthesist Larry Fast and Moog historian and exhibit advisor Brian Kehew will share their expertise about the evolution of Moog instruments and trace their use in live performance. They will also talk about the the wider world of synthesis and its implications to past, current and future music.

The Bob Moog Foundation is proud to have Bob’s archive on display for public viewing and has thoroughly enjoyed working with the very capable staff at the Museum of Making Music. This meaningful exhibit is part of fulfilling our mission to educate and inspire people through electronic music, and is a precursor to constructing a Moogseum in Asheville, NC.