Ken Field's Revolutionary Snake Ensemble

Biography

Ken Field, a saxophonist, flautist, and composer based in Boston, Massachusetts, began his musical journey at Brown University studying applied mathematics. An accident during his freshman year knocked out his front tooth, ending his clarinet playing and prompting him to self-teach flute while improvising at the Providence folk/blues venue Big Mother Coffee House. Influenced by innovators like John Coltrane, McCoy Tyner, Weather Report, and Frank Zappa, he later worked as a computer programmer, took up alto saxophone, and commuted to Boston to study with Joe Viola. He attended Berklee College of Music from 1977-1979, played with the psychedelic funk band Skin, and joined Birdsongs of the Mesozoic in 1988, replacing Steve Adams.[1][2][3]

In 1990, Field founded the Revolutionary Snake Ensemble (RSE) as an improvisational horn and percussion group with trumpeter Scott Getchell for a pagan women’s ritual celebration at a Cambridge loft party called the Chicken Loft, organized by the Snake Women. The positive response led him to continue it as a platform for regional free improvisers, evolving into a costumed funk/street beat brass band blending original compositions and tunes by John Scofield, Sun Ra, and Ornette Coleman with New Orleans second-line grooves. The band features spontaneous arrangements directed on the spot by Field, attracting a revolving cast of players, and has released albums like Year of the Snake (2003), Forked Tongue (2008), and Live Snakes, earning critical acclaim and performances for large audiences up to 20,000.[1][2][3][4][5]

RSE's avant-funk style, described as a 'twisted twist on the New Orleans brass band tradition,' has built a devoted following. Field has performed with Trombone Shorty, Charles Neville, Peter Wolf, the Jazz Composers Alliance Orchestra, and the Georgia Symphony Orchestra, composed for Sesame Street, and received a 2017 Music Composition Finalist award from the Massachusetts Cultural Council. The ensemble continues to perform actively, spreading its groove-oriented, improvisational sound.[1][2][3][6]

Fun Facts

• The band originated at a 1990 pagan women’s ritual celebration in Cambridge's Chicken Loft, where 'Revolutionary' spontaneously popped into Ken Field's head as they needed a name.
• An freshman-year accident at Brown University knocked out Field's front tooth, ending clarinet and sparking his flute improvisation career.
• RSE's Forked Tongue (2008) charted for 2 months on CMJ North American jazz top 20, peaking at #11, and featured unique takes on Billy Idol alongside Ornette Coleman.
• Field composed music for Sesame Street, with pieces featured on his solo releases alongside guests like Jessica Lurie and Amy Denio.

Musical Connections

Mentors/Influences

• Joe Viola - legendary saxophone teacher (private lessons leading to Berklee attendance) [pre-1977]
• Charlie Banacos - private improvisation teacher (improvisation studies) [1970s-1980s]
• Jerry Bergonzi - private improvisation teacher (improvisation studies) [1970s-1980s]

Key Collaborators

• Scott Getchell - trumpeter and co-founder (initial pagan ritual performance) [1990]
• Birdsongs of the Mesozoic - longtime band member since replacing Steve Adams (eight CDs) [1988-present]
• Tom Hall - tenor saxophonist in RSE (Revels performances and RSE recordings) [2000s-present]
• Jerry Sabatini - trumpeter in RSE (Revels performances and RSE recordings) [2000s-present]
• Jim Gray - tuba player in RSE (Revels performances and RSE recordings) [2000s-present]
• Phil Neighbors - drummer in RSE (Revels performances and RSE recordings) [2000s-present]
• Trombone Shorty - performance collaboration (live shows) [unspecified]
• Charles Neville - performance collaboration (live shows) [unspecified]
• Peter Wolf - performance collaboration with former J. Geils frontman (live shows) [unspecified]

External Links

• Spotify
• Wikipedia