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Arts & Entertainment

Genre-Stretching Americana Artist Maurice Tani & 77 El Deora, featuring, Marin Resident Chanteuse Jenn Courtney & Bluegrass Belter Pam Brandon Deliver "Twang Noir" Sensibility & Adrenalin Packed Delivery to 142 Throckmorton Theatre's Stage

Maurice Tani, of the acclaimed group 77 El Deora, is consistently hailed for his highly literate alchemy of traditional music forms: wide  screen ruminations ranging from wry to romantic, blending a broad set of genre-stretching influences from country, jazz, and blues to film scores, gospel and classical music.

He then flash freezes them into an Americana melange dripping with rural soul, along with the superb, vibrant gifts of vocalist and Marin native Jenn Courtney, guest vocalist Pam Brandon (an Englishwoman well-known in the bluegrass world as “Belle” of Belle Monroe and Her Brewglass Boys, and as the singing chanteuse of Lost Weekend), 77 El Deoran and Mill Valley resident Steve Kallai on fiddle, bassist Paul Olguin (Shana Morrison, Maria Muldaur), drummer Ken Owen, fresh from his recent work with Buddy Miller and Emmylou Harris, and popular jazz pianist/composer Randy Craig.

Tani’s career began as a teen playing country-rock but wound over the years through jazz, experimental electronic music, pop, and then a fifteen-year stint as the singer-guitarist with the seminal and hugely popular Motown-style party bands Zasu Pitts Memorial Orchestra and Big Bang Beat. He also recorded a series of critically acclaimed albums with legendary Flamin’ Groovies frontman Roy Loney, and played with the fictitious 1960’s girl group The Coverlettes.

These days Maurice Tani, a San Francisco native and unparalleled songcrafter, is best-known as the force behind the surprising and always delightful 77 El Deora. It’s easy to understand why this group has garnered such a loyal following - listeners can’t help but return to experience the band’s distinctive humor, meticulous, powerful delivery, and “twang noir” sensibility.

As Jeep Rosenberg of Freight Train Boogie wrote: “...(these) songs are truly for grownups. This is thoughtful, heart-wrenching stuff about human asteroids that wonder where and how they lost their way and if there is a GPS that works. ...darkly funny comments on such faves as power, desire, adrenalin, ambivalence, and narco squad surveillance.”
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Maurice Tani & 77 El Deora
Maurice Tani: Lead Vocals, Guitar
Jenn Courtney: Vocals
Steve Kallai: Fiddle
Ken Owen: Drummer
Paul Olguin: Bassist
Randy Craig: Piano
Pam Brandon: Guest Vocalist

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