Artist description Both Chris Springer and Craig Ducommun are Vancouver born and raised. Chris began his interest in music early with the piano, but at age 11 he switched to the guitar. Similarly, Craig began with piano lessons at age seven, and after seeing the movie The Sting in 1973, Craig decided to continue with the piano. In 1986 Chris and Craig started the improvisational rock group Crazy Fingers. After four years together Chris and Craig went their own ways. Springer left for Hollywood, where he attended the guitar program at The Musician's Institute. Whereas Craig took the opportunity to travel throughout Southeast Asia. Upon both Chris and Craig's return to Vancouver the following year, they began The Harvesters, which was also based in the improvisational rock genre. The Harvesters released a CD and had a video on Much Music. The band enjoyed moderate success locally and toured across Canada and down the west coast of San Francisco. The band split in '94, Chris moved to New Orleans and after some time Craig joined him. It was here that Craig's love for jazz became most prominent in his composition style. Upon their return to Vancouver they recorded a compilation CD with songs by themselves and James Perry aka Bocephus King. The double disk called That's It? That's All! That's Everything, has many of Vancouver's finest musicians on it, however it was never released. In 1997 Chris and Craig formed a group called G.W. Downe, although still lyrically based, it leaned more towards a jazz structure. In 1999, they formed The Springer /Ducommun Group, a wholly instrumental jazz based group. The group has since released three albums, Germinal, Opaque and Two Weeks From Everywhere, the latter with local label Maximum Jazz.

Music Style Jazz

Similar Artists Steely Dan

Group Members Chris Springer-guitar Craig Ducommun-keyboards/synthesizer/voice Brad Ferguson-bass John Raham-drums Dave Say-tenor and soprano saxophone Jesse Zubot-violin/programming/samples Joseph "Pepe" Danza-percussion Danny Parker-acoustic bass Coco Love Alcorn-voice

Instruments Keyboard, guitar, bass, percussion, violin

Albums Germinal (1998), Opaque (1999), and Two weeks from Everywhere (2001)

Press Reviews "(Springer and DuCommun)...well conceived, vigorously delivered laid back deep funky dips and super jazzy sessions" - Lagniappe (New Orleans) Their latest release, "Two Weeks from Everywhere" is an electronic hybrid of jazz infused rock/pop/folk n' roots/drum&bass that bends and morphs into music you're ears have never quite tasted before. Guitarist Chris Springer and keyboardist Craig Ducommun compose, arrange and produce all their own music. Branching out from their roots in the West Coast improvisational rock scene, this latest release has them venturing into the hemispheres of jazz, funk, Latin, electronica and even spoken word in an "Indian Summer". Springer first joined forces with Ducommun in'86 with the band "The Harvesters". From there, they played everywhere from New Orleans to Vancouver Jazz Festival. The duo has developed their unique soundscape while picking up Canadian's Jesse Zubot (Zubot and Dawson), sax player Dave Say, bass man Brad Ferguson (CRASH) and drummer John Raham (Kinnie Starr) along the way. The finale, the main cuisine... Springer and Ducommun: here to push boundaries and explore the colour and language of modern music, that's definitely not just jazz! "...will please any listener whose tastes run toward the John Scofield/Weather Report side of the jazz spectrum" - Georgia Straight (Vancouver) "Unlike anything you've ever heard!" - The Question (Whistler) "Compositions are weighty and smart in the vein of '70s fusion trailblazers Weather Report, while snappy tunes tunes recall primetime Steely Dan." - Western Living Magazine "Off the top, hyper drum 'n' bass beats and electronic noises (on Fat Otis) signal that this is no trad-jazz album. The Vancouver-based guitar (Chris Springer) and keys (Craig Ducommun) duo leads a seven-player session through some Steely Dan-ish workouts, all intricate riffs and rhythms that get downright funky by track three (The Light Bulb Man) and hang in for the long haul. Ducommun injects Indian Summer with a muted spoken-word blurb, but other than rare vocals from Coco Love Alcorn this is an instumental album heavy on the improv. " - Tom Zillich West Ender

Location Vancouver, British Columbia - Canada

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