Dr. Patrick Gleeson

via Dr. Patrick Gleeson on MySpace:
"In 1968, jazz legend Herbie Hancock left Miles Davis' band (after 5 years) to pursue his solo career. Hancock's concept quickly moved deeper into electronic/jazz fusion and was perfected with the addition to his band of Dr. Patrick Gleeson. Dr. Gleeson performed on Moog and Arp synthesizers, old-school analog modular types, which were capable of creating a myriad of sounds that had never really been heard in a jazz/improv context. These sounds, as represented on the albums "Crossings" and "Sextant", from 1971/72, were brimming with abstract imagery both alien and organic. Although Hancock & Miles Davis both were reportedly influenced by avant garde composer, Karlheinz Stockhausen, it was Patrick Gleeson who truly brought the sonic world of Stockhausen to jazz music and created new definitions for the word "fusion"..."
Pictured: Dr. Patrick Gleeson and Herbie Hancock with the E-MU Modular.
See these previous posts for more.

Bob’s Electric Birthday ⚡at the Moogseum with Patrick Gleeson

via The Bob Moog Foundation

Celebrate Bob Moog’s 89th “Electric Birthday” at the Moogseum With Us!

Join us at the Moogseum on Tuesday, May 23, what would have been Bob's 89th birthday, as we welcome modular synthesis pioneer Patrick Gleeson as our guest presenter, offer rare guided museum tours with our executive director, Michelle Moog-Koussa (Bob's daughter) and share coffee, cake, and champagne during a deep dive into the history of synthesis.

Get tickets here. Space is extremely limited, and synth community members are already attending from as far away as Georgia and Massachusetts.

“Bob’s Electric Birthday” also includes a live demo of the vintage Moog modular heard on the soundtrack to “Apocalypse Now” from legendary synthesizer pioneer, composer, producer, and Herbie Hancock collaborator Patrick Gleeson -- a lifelong friend of Bob Moog.

This is followed by an interview with Michelle Moog-Koussa about his storied career, followed by a short DJ set from Dr. Gleeson.

Patrick Gleeson - Rainbow Delta

"'Rainbow Delta' was created by Patrick Gleeson using a custom Emu synthesizer built by Emu Systems engineer Ed Rudnick utilizing an Emu Modular with a double sequencer, 'The Blue Box', and two Sequential Circuits Prophet Tens wired together and controlled via a single keyboard

Patrick Gleeson was instrumental in introducing Herbie Hancock to the possibilities of the analog synthesizer, performing on the Arp 2600 on some of his early 70's recordings such as 'Crossings' and 'Sextant'. Amongst numerous other achievements he was also credited as 'Master Synthesist' for his work on the soundtrack to the film 'Apocalypse Now'. Slightly more under the radar is his hypnotic 1980 solo LP 'Rainbow Delta' which was originally released on the Passport label and recorded at his own Different Fur recording studios. Initially the result of an intensely creative acid trip, the album includes two long compositions ('Rainbow Delta' and 'Draconian Measures') that range from pulsating insect rhythms to warm melodic synth washes bringing to mind the work of a more classically based Tangerine Dream or Popol Vuh utilizing some of repetitive elements made famous by early minimalists such as Steve Reich."

click here for more including the audio.

via Mark Pulver on AH.

Don Preston and Dr. Patrick Gleeson Live at Analogue Haven

"Join us for an evening of sound with Don Preston and Dr. Patrick Gleeson as they perform seven impovised compositions live. Don Preston has had a career spanning almost 5 decades full of some of the most respected artists in modern musical history. Ranging from Nat King Cole & Elvin Jones to John Lennon. Dr. Patrick Gleeson's Arp work with Herbie Hancock as well as his contributions to film scores like Apocalypse Now and Star Wars stand to this day as measurments to aspire to. The show starts at 8:00pm so please come early to check out the store while you wait."

Title link takes you there.

Historic Moog Modular Coming to Bob Moog Foundation Booth at NAMM 2019

Update: the original image I had on top appears to actually be an EMU modular. Thanks to Malte Steiner in the comments for catching it. I moved the image below for reference and moved the image of the current owner Walter Holland on top. I also added an image of Don Preston with the Moog system in 1975.

via The Bob Moog Foundation

"We are excited to announce our return to the 2019 NAMM Show with an expanded booth presence celebrating our recently launched endeavor, the Moogseum. We will have two adjoining booths, 10310 and 10409, for the Foundation and Moogseum respectively, located in Hall A, the synthesizer section of the NAMM floor, with our friends from KORG, Casio, and Roland nearby.

As part of our Moogseum exhibit, and continuing our tradition of featuring unique, expansive Moog modular synthesizers, the Moogseum booth will be hosting a historic 1967 modular system previously owned by both Patrick Gleeson of Different Fur Studios and Don Preston of The Mothers of Invention. Both Gleeson and Preston will appear at the booth on Friday, January 25th, to pay homage to the synthesizer that helped shape their careers.

The modular is currently owned by Walter Holland of lauded Holland Synthesizers, designers of custom aerospace quality audio equipment. Holland and his musical partner Steve Leonard, keyboardist for The Cretones, will be demonstrating the synthesizer throughout the weekend.Holland’s monolithic four-tiered modular includes three prototype modules created by R.A. Moog, Co. in the late 1960s, making it a truly one-of-a-kind system."

Top: "Walter Holland with his Moog Modular synthesizer."

Middle: "Don Preston with the Moog Modular in 1975 at the Provisional Theater."

Bottom: Per the update above, "Patrick Gleeson assists Herbie Hancock in the early 1970s" on an EMU modular.

See the full post including additional pics at the Bob Moog Foundation website here.

Beyond the Stars Patrick Gleeson

Published on Apr 3, 2014 Mark Burgh

"Patrick Gleeson's Electronic version of Holst's The Planets
performed on the Emu Polyphonic Synthesizer 1975 Mercury Records. From my LP.

For Educational Purposes Only"

Formula Filter Array 24

Update: be sure to check out the comments for more. This was actually made by Bob Moog.

Title link takes you to shots, including some of the inside, via this auction.

"This auction is for one vintage Formula Sound Multiple Resonance Filter Array. This is a USA-made fixed filterbank / string filter from the 1970s that was (according to the engraved faceplate) custom made for San Francisco musician and producer Patrick Gleeson. Gleeson made some excellent albums on his own, but was better known as a session musician and producer/engineer who worked with artists as diverse and influential as Herbie Hancock and Devo. Though this model was advertised by Formula Sound in some magazines back in the 70s (see picture), this is the only actual unit I have ever seen or heard of. Since the faceplate says it was custom made for Gleeson, I believe it is the only one in existence. In theory it is similar to Moog String Filter but with greatly expanded and more tweakable facilities, but generally it excels at allowing you to electronically simulate the natural resonances of an acoustic chamber (like a violin or other stringed instrument).
This is also presumably somewhat of an inspiration for the Moog MURF pedal, as they seem to have taken the name from this unit (MURF stands for MUltiple Resonance Filter). Unit runs on 110V voltage and comes with a standard IEC power cord.

This piece is generally in very good cosmetic and functional condition, but has a few warts that I will be more explicit about in the following paragraph. All of the functions should be fairly self-explanatory... a mono signal goes to the input of the unit and is fed through 24 steep bandpass filters at various fixed frequencies, each of which can be assigned to one or both of the output channels via bus switches on the front panel. When all the sliders are down the unit is fully attenuated (silent).... as various frequency sliders are raised, that frequency becomes audible. There is a resonance shift rotary switch that allows you to change the overall harmonic tone of the selected frequencies and a drive knob which seems to have a compressor circuit built-in and sounds more like a tone control than a harmonic clipper.
In addition, there is a rotary switch that selects the overall mode---bypass (dry signal only), direct (unit engaged, frequencies sent directly to selected output bus), x-fade and x-pan (both similar in theory but different sounding). There are also 1/4" jacks for CV (control voltage) access so that you can integrate it into your modular system... one is a VCA input jack and the other is a modulation output jack that allows you to send the internal modulation LFO out to external equipment for coordinating sweep times. This is a very full featured unit that allows you to radically alter a sound, though it sounds very different and in a lot of ways a lot less radical than a standard lowpass filter.

Everything generally works as expected with a few exceptions, so I'll be pretty explicit here about everything that isn't quite perfect.
---The Drive pot is very scratchy.
---The Resonance Shift rotary switch is very loud and emits a loud thump through the outputs when switching, though this seems to be more by design than by a defective switch.
---The output Bus Selector switch for the 372 Hz frequency is wobbly and doesn't click into place like the others but it selects the output bus just fine.
---In Direct mode, in which is acts as a standard fixed filter bank, the B output bus is noticably quieter (about 15 db or so) than the A output when all frequencies are assigned to both buses. The overall volume difference, however, seems to depend on the drive level, input level and resonance shift amount. At certain settings the output levels are much closer to each other, though. I overcame this by running the 2 outputs into different hard-panned mono channels on my mixer and using the input gain pot to make up the difference.
---In X-fade mode it is the same as Direct mode---one channel is louder than the other. This is very noticable when using the 2 hard-panned mixer channel trick that is described above.
---In X-pan mode the output channels are pretty much equal volume and this mode sounds very similar to the X-fade mode, so I just used this mode instead.
---The front panels is very clean but there are numerous scratches and wear on the top, bottom and sides of the unit. There are some small paint marks that someone added to the selector switches and on one of the frequency slider caps.

This thing is built like a tank. All of the frequency sliders have very attractive machined aluminum tips. It does have some wear, but looks very good both inside and out, especially for a 30-plus year old unit. I've owned it for close to 10 years and I just had it serviced by analog guru Phil Cirocco in fall 2006 to fix a dead output channel. Though I don't have any schematics for the unit, any competent tech should be able to service it as the filter cards are modular (12, with 2 frequencies per channel) and all of the other stuff (VCAs, etc) are on breadboards and the circuits are clear and easily traceable. As you can see by the high quality parts and tons of circuitry, building something like this at today's prices would cost many, many thousands of dollars."

Formula Filter Array 24 Update

In case you missed the update to this post, apparently the filter was actually made by Bob Moog for Patrick Gleeson and it was the only one made. Comments in this post disabled to keep them with the previous post.

Frank Zappa's E-mu Modular

via the Mediatheque Museum. In Googlish here.

"The copy of the Music Museum was donated in 1993 by the musician Frank Zappa, one of the most famous users of modular and one of the few to be used on stage.

Patrick Gleeson has also used the modular EMU in an impressive system comprising more than 90 oscillators (Rainbow Rising). S'ajoutent à la liste de ses prestigieux utilisateurs Herbie Hancock, John Mac Laughlin, John Adams, Vince Clarke, et le groupe Tangerine Dream. In addition to the prestigious list of its users Herbie Hancock, John Mac Laughlin, John Adams, Vince Clarke, and the group Tangerine Dream."

1976 ARP 2600 Model 2601 v1.0 with Keyboard SN 3620 0153

Note: Auction links are affiliate links for which the site may be compensated.

via this auction

via the seller: "Features: 4012 "ladder" 4-pole filter; duo-phonic 3620 keyboard; matching keyboard/synth SE#s 0153; original cables, manual, service manual and patch book.

Condition: Unmolested, totally stock and original; panels, keyboard and over-all cosmetics in beautiful condition; a few modest tolex blemishes; oscillator 2 requires calibration; three slider knobs broken off (see photos - sliders fully functional, replacements readily available).
Provenance: Original owner, purchased new in spring 1976 from Patrick Gleeson, Different Fur Trading Co., San Francisco.

Highlights: This 2601 v1.0 is quite rare - it is equipped with the Moog style "fat" 4-pole filter with extended frequency range (which Moog forced ARP to discontinue), has superior jacks and sliders, and was manufactured mid-1976 at the peak of the quality curve for the 2600s. I have owned and treasured this synth for 39 years. If you are looking for a immaculate, single owner, best-in-class example of a ARP 2600, this is it."

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Vintage Moog Modular Demo | NAMM 2019

Published on Jan 28, 2019 Under the Big Tree

"Electronic Musician Walter Holland shows us his gorgeous Moog Modular - a synthesizer that has been in continuous use since 1967. Previously owned by Patrick Gleeson and Don Preston, this instrument is a thing of beauty. Musician Michael Gough then shows us how it's done, tickling the ivories in an improvisation that would make the late Keith Emerson proud."

Vintage E-MU 4060 w/ Flight Case & Output Panel

Note: Auction links are affiliate links for which the site may be compensated.

via Control Voltage

Here's something you don't see often.

"E-mu 4060 microprocessor keyboard controller and sequencer, with E-mu output panel and power supply in separate custom box, cables, operating manual, and Anvil flight case for keyboard. One of a handful ever built, this instrument has had one owner and is in beautiful cosmetic shape. Built in 1977, it received only studio use for its first 10 years, then was stored in its Anvil case until the present. It will output 16 CV's and 16 gates compatible with most any 1v/oct system, with programmable control of keyboard split, glide, transposition, and channel assignment mode. In the late 70s, the 4060 was the heart of E-mu's modular systems for Herbie Hancock, Patrick Gleeson, and Frank Zappa. A rare find indeed!"

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Electronic Voyager: Discovering Bob Moog Documentary From the Makers of I Dream of Wires & the BMF

via The Bob Moog Foundation

"We are thrilled to announce our collaboration with Waveshaper Media, the producers of the acclaimed modular documentary “I Dream of Wires”, on a new film about Bob Moog, Electronic Voyager.

A Kickstarter campaign in support of Electronic Voyager has begun.

In association with the Wave Shaper, we aim to create a definitive and personal documentary about the life of Bob Moog. Through the eyes of our Executive Director and Bob’s own daughter, Michelle Moog-Koussa – also a dedicated Moog archivist and historian – we will give viewers an insight into the man behind the iconic Moog brand.

Electronic Voyager takes us on a sonic journey into the often unpredictable life and stunning brilliance of Bob Moog, a man who ‘fell backwards on a banana peel’ into the music instrument business, as well as the psychedelic world of the 1960s music scene. Bob unwittingly revolutionized the face of music, and helped birth an enduring industry.

With Michelle Moog-Koussa as our guide, we are in a very unique position to tell Bob Moog’s story in a new and profound way – from the perspective of his own daughter, who has not only a deep personal connection to Bob Moog, but also a firm dedication to his work and legacy. Bob’s friends, associates and admirers open up when they speak to Michelle about her father, leading to uniquely candid, revealing and joyous stories and insights about Bob Moog.

Electronic Voyager documents a special personal journey for Michelle, to trace her father’s iconic story – visiting the places and meeting the people who were a part of Moog’s history. With exclusive access to unseen family photos and rare historical artifacts from the Bob Moog Foundation Archives, Electronic Voyager opens a window for the outside world to better understand the man behind the legendary Moog synthesizer.

Support the Kickstarter campaign here.

The recent, tragic passing of Bob Moog’s close friend and important collaborator, Keith Emerson – perhaps the most iconic Moog keyboardist – was just another reminder of how important it is to document Bob Moog’s crucial chapter in the history of electronic music, NOW. We are turning to Kickstarter – a direct link to Bob Moog’s friends, admirers and fans – to help us get to work on this important documentary as soon as possible.

Confirmed participants include:

Early electronic music pioneers: Herb Deutsch, Morton Subotnick, Bernie Krause (Beaver & Krause, Moog modular session musician – George Harrison, The Doors), Joel Chadabe, David Borden (Mother Mallard’s Portable Masterpiece Company).

Contemporary Moog musicians: Moby, Adrian Utley (Portishead, Moog Ensemble).

Friends and music industry contemporaries: Dave Smith (Sequential Circuits), Tom Oberheim, Roger Linn, Dave Rossum (E-mu), Mark Vail (Keyboard Magazine), David Mash (Berkelee College of Music), Dominic Milano (Keyboard Magazine), Wayne Kirby (University of North Carolina – Asheville).

Session musicians, composers, technicians: Patrick Gleeson (Herbie Hancock, film composer), Greg Phillenganes (Stevie Wonder, Michael Jackson), Edd Kalehoff (tv/film composer), Michael Boddicker (Michael Jackson, film composer), Will Alexander (Keith Emerson’s synth tech).

Moog employees/collaborators: Bill Hemsath, David VanKoevering, Tom Rhea, Roger Luther, Greg Hockman, Tom Gullo, Dale Ong.

As with any great Kickstarter campaign, we are offering a host of exciting perks, many of which are limited to the campaign and are not available elsewhere. Read all about them and get more details about the project here:

http://tinyurl.com/ElectronicVoyagerKickstarter

Please join us on this incredible journey, the sonic journey of Bob Moog!"

Vintage Moog Analog Modular Synthesizer Performance - NAMM 2019 Moogseum

Published on Jan 27, 2019 ustadkhanali

"Hear this amazing historic 1967 modular system previously owned by both Patrick Gleeson of Different Fur Studios and Don Preston of The Mothers of Invention. I recorded this very short video yesterday at NAMM, holding it right next to the speaker so you could actually hear the audio on the very loud NAMM floor.

The modular is currently owned by Walter Holland of lauded Holland Synthesizers, designers of custom aerospace quality audio equipment. Holland and his musical partner Steve Leonard, keyboardist for The Cretones, will be demonstrating the synthesizer throughout the weekend.Holland’s monolithic four-tiered modular includes three prototype modules created by R.A. Moog, Co. in the late 1960s, making it a truly one-of-a-kind system.

Both gentleman were saying that this required constant maintenance, and indeed, while we were there, they were tuning it. Leonard said that if you were to go in back of the synth and fart, it would probably go out of tune! :D

I hope you enjoy this rare peak into an amazing, historic modular synth! BWHOBUBUBUBUBUBUBUBUBUWAHWAHWAHWAH!!!"

don preston - filters, oscillators & envelopes 1967-75 (album preview)

"Excerpts from the album. Now available at Experimedia.net. LP version. Previously-unreleased electronic music from original The Mothers Of Invention keyboardist, Don Preston. 'We're coming to the beginning of a new era wherein the development of the inner-self is the most important thing. We have to train ourselves so that we can improvise on anything: a bird, a sock, a fuming beaker. This, too, can be music. Anything can be music.' --Don Preston, extracts from Uncle Meat, 1969, The Mothers Of Invention
One could hardly not see in Don Preston a key musician within Frank Zappa's oeuvre. He is not only that, but his presence has marked The Mothers' major records from 1966 to 1974. His touch was already there before the arrival of Ian Underwood, and it continued after Ian left. You all remember 'King Kong' (its magnificence as interpreted by Dom DeWild) from the second Uncle Meat suite. A certain form of jubilation emanates from this track, thanks to Preston's fluid style and lightly astringent tone on the Moog synthesizer -- that instrument never sounded quite like that before or after. This might have to do with his double training, his twin interests, since he had been simultaneously working with Gil Evans and listening intensely to Luciano Berio, Karlheinz Stockhausen, and Tod Dockstader. Immersed in jazz music, he was imagining secret ties with the nascent electronic music. In the mid-'60s, Preston started developing an electronic instrument, using a home-made synthesizer and a series of oscillators and filters. Out of this instrument came 'Electronic Music' (1967), his first piece. Two years later, he became a close friend of Robert Moog, and their discussions gave birth to a number of applications in relation with the flexibility of the instrument. Nowadays, you can't mention the Mini-Moog without thinking of Preston. Bob Moog himself said about his solo in "Waka/Jawaka": "That's impossible. You can't do that on a Moog." Filters, Oscillators & Envelopes features the other side, the hidden side of Don Preston: the composer of purely electronic music.
Released by: sub rosa
Release/catalogue number: sr334lp
Release date: Apr 12, 2012"

via Boing Boing

Don Preston and Dr. Patrick Gleeson where scheduled to be live at Analogue Haven in 2007. I don't believe I ever saw pics or video of the events. At least I'm not quickly finding any. If anyone knows, feel free to comment or shoot me an email.

The Incredible Sounds of the Synclavier II

via this auction

"Ultra rare private pressing demo record on clear blue vinyl, an artifact of electronic music history originally given out to prospective buyers of this innovative classic synth. It contains a montage of brief melodies and unique sound effects showing off the amazing capabilities of this system that combined sampled and FM synthesized sounds and was designed by legendary electronic composer Jon Appleton at Dartmouth College. The music and programming on this disc is credited to Denny Jaeger and Bill Keenan, plus there is an excerpt of a synthesized version of Vivaldi's Four Seasons by Patrick Gleeson (member of Herbie Hancock's 70s-era electric funk band). The Sync II has featured prominently in the recordings of Pat Metheny, Michael Jackson (who pretty much swiped the synth intro to "Beat It" from this lp!), Laurie Anderson, Siouxsie & The Banshees, Soft Cell, Marc Almond, Bronski Beat, ABBA, Genesis, Chick Corea, George Duke, Sting, Tomita, and Stevie Wonder."

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The Incredible Sounds of the Synclavier II Album on Translucent Blue Vinyl

Note: Auction links are affiliate links for which the site may be compensated.

via this auction

"Synclavier II LP NED 2 Synthesizer Private Press Blue Wax w/ inserts Issued in 1981

Cover is a plain white stock cover.No seam splits, creased corners, writing or stickers.

Record is Near Mint with no wear. Excellent gloss and shine.

Tracklist
A –Denny Jaeger Untitled
Programmed By [Major Programming], Keyboards [Performances By], Composed By – Denny Jaeger
Programmed By [Supplementary Programming], Composed By, Keyboards [Performances By] – Bill Keenan

B1 –Denny Jaeger Untitled
Programmed By [Major Programming], Keyboards [Performances By], Composed By – Denny Jaeger
Programmed By [Supplementary Programming], Composed By, Keyboards [Performances By] – Bill Keenan

B2 –Patrick Gleeson Summer
Composed By – Vivaldi*

The Synclavier was an early digital synthesizer, polyphonic digital sampling system, and music workstation manufactured by New England Digital Corporation of Norwich, Vermont. It was produced in various forms from the late 1970s into the early 1990s. The instrument has been used by prominent musicians."

Additional pics from a 2nd listing.

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