Sound Gallery
BCM Studios
recorded/broadcast 2001
00:00 Summer in Chicago
04:52 Joviality
09:22 Elastic
13:37 Attitude is Everything
18:43 Sunny Cloudy
23:11 Growth
27:02 Dr. Breaker (excerpt /end credits)
All compositions by Len Paterson
Len Paterson - guitar
Ellen Schoenwetter -bass
Jan Jackson - drums
Flowtilla’s recordings are available here:
Flowtilla is a San Francisco Bay Area based trio formed in 2000 by Len Paterson and Ellen Schoenwetter. Their driving sound is an eclectic mix of funk, rock, afro, jazz and world grooves.
Flowtilla’s influences include: King Sunny Ade John Coltrane, Pfunk, James Brown, Wes Montgomery,
The Meters, John Scofield , Medeski, Martin & Wood, Grant Green, Booker T & the MGs, Gabor Szabo, Jeff Beck, Albert King, Jimmy Hendrix , Miles Davis, Ravel & Chic.
Flowtilla released their first CD as the “Len Paterson Trio“. “Sunny Cloudy“ was self produced on their own label Acorn Sonata. It was voted one of the top 10 records of 2001 on JamBase. Len Paterson also made the top 10 guitarist list. Since then they have released three more CDs on Acorn Sonata:
“Out of the Inside“ in 2003; “Clariphonic“ in 2006: “Waves and Particles“ in 2011 and “Recalibration“ in 2013.
Flowtilla played at many Bay Area venues including Jupiter, The Boom Boom Room, Grant & Green, Cafe du Nord, Blake’s, Starry Plough, Sweetwater, Paragon Bar, and the Claremont Hotel. They performed at the High Sierra Music Festival and countless Bay Area festivals. Flowtilla shared the stage with New Monsoon, Will Bernard, Merle Saunders and Living Daylights.
Flowtilla recordings have been played on television and commercial cues, including A&E Biography specials on Stevie Wonder, Billy Crystal and Kirstie Alley, HBO’s Real Sex, Gene Simmons Family Jewels and Emeril Green’s “Green Planet.“
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As Flowtilla, Ellen and Len currently work with several drummers. Jan Jackson (of Will Bernard) is on most of their CDs and accompanies them most often. Adam Good is featured on “Recalibration“. Will Bernard sat in with Flowtilla on several occasions as well.
Len has played with many Bay Area groups including Aphrodesia, Bitches Brew (a Miles Davis tribute band), Jackie Ivory (of Junior Walker Allstars), Malcolm Mooney (of Can), Henry Kaiser, Beth Custer and Splatter Trio. He played a set of improvised rock music as a guest with Green Day . Len composed music for film and can be heard in collaboration with David Slusser on John Zorn’s Tzadik label.
Len and Ellen played in the free improvisational group “Pluto“ and were members of the Ralph Carney (of Tom Waits) band “Special Parrot“ whose gigs included The Elbo Room, Slim’s and Bimbo’s.
Ellen currently plays with Dave Workman and Workman’s Comp. She was a member of hardcore punk band Assassins of God. Assassins played the first Lolapalooza and toured Europe many times. She can be heard on their CD “Black Tongue Speaks.“ Ellen played with Dewey Redman and Joe Bonamassa and many Bay Area musicians including Morris Acevedo’s Electric Trio and S.F. bebop legend Bishop Norman Williams for two years.