The “Surmountable” Kickstarter project is funded as of March 1 at $15,011 with over 80 backers. The trip to scenes of historic protests around the United States and around the world begins immediately. Thanks to all of our backers for supporting this adventurous and ambitious project. I will be blogging from each destination throughout March and April, starting in San Francisco. USA destinations will include Seattle/ Vancouver, Standing Rock Reservation in North Dakota, Selma and Montgomery, Alabama, Charleston, West Virginia, Washington, D.C., the Alice Paul Institute in Mount Laurel New Jersey and New York City.

My “Six Days at Ronnie Scott’s: Billy Cobham on Jazz Fusion and the Art of Creation” is voted one of the year’s top four jazz books in the just released JazzTimes Reader’s Poll. The winner of the poll is Dexter Gordon: Sophisticated Giant by Maxine Gordon. Other runners-up are Playing Changes: Jazz for the New Century by Nate Chinen and Tony Bennett: Onstage and in the Studio by Tony Bennett with Dick Golden

Here is a first look at the March and April Travel Itinerary for the  “Surmountable” book project. I leave 2 March at 2:10am and will arrive in San Francisco with the Kickstarter campaign completed. I will be blogging throughout the project, sharing interviews and observations throughout.

OK, time’s here for Kickstarter campaign fans who like to torment Creators by funding at the 11th hour. We are a few thousand away from hitting our goal and the campaign ends in a day. As you know, if you don’t hit your goal, no moneys are drawn and the campaign fails. YIKES!

Surmountable was nominated last week by Kickstarter as one of their “Projects We Love.”

I hit the Bangkok airport tonight to start my travel around the USA and the world to scenes of historical political protests to gather stories for a playbook on citizen engagement. We have great Rewards for funders from signed books to events to a week of creative writing on a Thai island. My backpack is groaning from the extra gear and I’m all in. How about you???? America and the world need you. Big hugs from The Road. Hit this link or click on any of the images to find out more about the campaign.

“Surmountable” is Kickstarter’s top Print Journalism and featured Publishing project.

London jazz reviewer Frank Griffith reviewed the June London Cobham show and now publishes his review of the book. Check out the full London Jazz News review here, and enjoy the excerpts below.

Brian Gruber: Six Days At Ronnie Scott’s – Billy Cobham On Jazz Fusion And The Act Of Creation
(Book Review by Frank Griffith)

“Brian Gruber‘s new book has the hallmarks of one of the greatest tomes about perhaps the most influential drummers and bandleaders of this or any other era. Gruber has captured Billy Cobham‘s insights, humour and straightforwardness to an extent that no one else has previously achieved. One major reason for this is Gruber’s approach of interweaving the texts of one-to-one interviews with Cobham with his observations of the Billy Cobham/Guy Barker Big Band during their 2017 six-day residency at Ronnie Scott’s. This allows the reader to move between the two kinds of narrative in a balanced way, avoiding the need to absorb too much of either in one go. Not unlike a radio host playing frequent tracks interspersed with interviewing a noted guest, Gruber clearly gets the balance right, keeping the reader’s attention as he makes each new angle on how Billy ticks emerge into view.

“Six Days provides a terrific insight into the music and life of a world-class drummer resulting in a unique and challenging document for fans of Cobham, jazz, fusion and the culture of the 60s and 70s. A must and thoroughly enjoyable read.”