INTERVIEW: Ari Joshua’s RAAR Trio

In the midst of a snowy Vermont winter during the peak of the pandemic, three musical virtuosos came together, creating a serendipitous meeting that would craft something extraordinary. Ari Joshua, Russ Lawton and Ray Paczkowski found themselves united after the Beacon Jams sessions, and their collaboration would soon produce captivating musical offering under the name RAAR Trio. Their latest release, “Kambo Wambo – Jam Version,” an extended musical journey, is a stunning showcase of their exceptional talent and improvisational prowess.

In 2021, they unveiled their collective musical vision with their debut single, “Father Time.” This introduction marked the beginning of a creative journey that has since seen the release of several singles and their eponymous record, RAAR.

With “Kambo Wambo – Jam Version,” they invite listeners on an extraordinary musical odyssey. This extended jam, spanning almost 20 minutes, is a revelation in musicianship and performance panache. It transports you directly into the studio, allowing you to witness their musical chemistry and the raw magic of a first take.

This track is an astonishing sonic journey that presents a perfect window into their extraordinary musicianship and improvisational talents. It’s as if you’re right their in the studio with them, witnessing their sonic chemistry light a musical fire first hand.

Serving up a sensational instrumental jam, with tinges of blues, jazz and funk, all filtered through a psychedelic lens, on “Kambo Wambo – Jam Version,” the RAAR Trio grooves and shuffles through a thrilling musical landscape. Full of precise drums, slick electric guitar leads, bouncy keys and pulsing bass guitar, it’s an unforgettable listening experience.

This extended jam is not a rehearsed or planned performance. It’s a living, breathing musical creation that captures the essence of improvisation at its finest. The imperfections and nuances of a first take are part of what makes it so special.

We caught up with the RAAR Trio’s Ari Joshua to find out more about the project, their new single “Kambo Wambo – Jam Version” and what they’ve got lined up for the future. Check out our interview with Ari Joshua below.

Hey Ari, how’s things?

Things are good. Thanks for digging this track, and for having me here. I am just chipping away one small piece at a time and feeling blessed to be able to do it.

How did the RAAR Trio form?

I just LOVE organ trio, and have since I heard Jimmy Smith’s ‘The Sermon’ in the 90’s. Russ and I were talking about drums, and music, and stuff and I played some organ trio stuff I was doing. Russ was a real sweetheart and was like let’s play some time! He and Ray both have some really busy schedules, but when with the pandemic there was talk of a remote session being scheduled. It ended up being put on hold as Trey Anastasio was just manifesting the Beacon Sessions. For those who don’t know, he had his band isolate safely for the right amount of time, and proceed to perform about 8 weeks of shows, in NYC at the Beacon Theater. They would introduce members each week, and there was sort of a protocol and they pulled it off perfectly. . It worked out to be the best kind of blessing because there became a protocol for us all working together amidst the peak of the pandemic. After the Beacon sessions the pandemic was still in full effect, it’s amazing what they did, they raised all this money for that rehab centre in Vermont. I was invited to fly out and isolate, and that’s what we did. I flew into Burlington, and checked into a residence inn, rented a van, and just wrote music for 10 days. It was so cool. It was like frozen out there, like lakes frozen over, aside from a few joy rides, I just sat in a room, and there was snow all around, it was almost too cold to walk outside. Ben Collette, the engineer, and the rest of the crew there had all been isolated with their families as well so we just went to work. It was like a dream situation. I just loved it. The chemistry was really sweet, and we just plowed through ideas. I really can see why a guy like Trey would keep these guys around for so long, they were just really great people, and super focused on making the art. There wasn’t really much to the plan, it all organically just came to be.

What’s the story behind the name?

Well it really just came about from the initials of the players which is something a lot of these types of ensembles do to honour the players a bit. It solidified when the art work for the first EP came in. The artist is amazing, his work is really cool, Brian at Steely Works, he does great work. The lion art has some meaning, I was actually named after this mountain called lions head in South Africa. The thing just fell together like RAAR sounds like a rawr! I named the EP that and then it kinda made most sense with the art, since I have so many different projects. I am not attached to the name but it works!

What are your main goals for this project?

On one hand I just love to record and be around great players. I also had a lot of backlog songs, and the pandemic had me busting at the seams needing to play. It kind of helped us all get through it and express some feelings. Also Trey is an absolute genius, and I absolutely love him and love these guys. I love the Jam scene, and what’s more I love a lot of similar music as to what these guys do . So the art is one side, as well I want so much to make art for that fanbase. For the future, I really hope to record and maybe play some more shows with those guys! Meanwhile it’s easy to get caught up in goals, and forget about the moments, and now I am mostly focused on just one step at a time, where I am today.

Which artists influence you for this endeavour in particular?

The styles are all over the place. As are the influences. I could go on a big list, but I’d rather folks just listen and make their own conjectures.

What would you say is the perfect setting for listeners to enjoy this project?

Hmm… Well headphones, or a good stereo image is ideal. If you use your phone be sure to tilt it sideways, a lot of people forget that makes a world of difference. Give each song a listen all the way through, and dig all the right left stuff. There’s a lot of parts and sections to all my releases. Any way you listen is a great way though, just do it.

How has your own style and sound evolved since you started out?

Not a lot. I mean I put in a lot of time on rudiments, and breaking down barriers so I could just express myself. The expression has moreless been the same, as well as the influences and styles. I would say by the time I was 25 I sort of had the bulk of what I was aiming for in tow. SInce then it’s just been more practice, and more recently it’s more about life in general, and less about the notes. The notes just come with life now, first comes all that is, then comes the observing, and co-creating.

What’s the best thing about collaborating together?

Collaboration is how life is created really. Evolution is about mixing DNA organically. A collaboration brings all the great things each person has to offer and also it gives a place to problem solve and grow past the ego. I have seen a lot of people excel who can include those around them and collaborate with them, those are the people I really admire and want to meet and work with.

How did you find making your new single “Kambo Wambo”?

This song was a one take wonder, but for that reason it was like 20 minutes long. I had a whole horn section concept, but I laid some of it on guitar. Ben and I as we mixed it where like dang, what do you cut? It’s kinda cool like it is. Loose and honest and raw. Mingus I heard only allowed first takes on his records, even if there were mistakes. We ended up with two versions, a 10 minute cut version, and a 20 minute uncut version. I love that. There is no label telling us what to do, and no one really invested in it so why not just share it all.

What message did you want to get across with this release?

I mean I wrote it thinking of the amazonian frog medicines. Powerful stuff. We forget we are all space dust, traveling through dimensional time and space. I wanted to just capture that essence in a track. I wanted an afro beat feel too, and to honor that Trey sound they all do.

What’s the main thing you want people to get out of listening to your music?

I put my whole heart and soul, and also all my resources, time, and money into this mission. Someday I would like to feel like, yeah I am not crazy there is something here for people to grab onto. I would love to be one of those artists that people resonate with or find some healing in listening to. But that’s out of my control, I have observed. I make it for that purpose, and I let god or whatever is in control here decide what happens.

What’s been your favorite live performance so far?

I loved playing in Vegas with Ray and Russ. That was pretty sweet. I think back to my band in high school, how magic it was to play with my friends, and play for a little tribe of misfits and creatives. I am not sure if it will ever be as good as it was but every time you play it can be the best time.

Do you have any advice for a new artist wanting to follow your footsteps?

My advice is if you really want to follow in someone’s footsteps, study them, study why they do what they do, and study the people they studied. But ultimately. I advise you to follow in your own footsteps. Figure out what you want to say, and identify what is in the way and let it rip.

Finally, what’s next for this Trio with Ray Paczkowski and Russ Lawton?

Well I hope to play some shows or do some more recording for sure! Meanwhile there are at least a dozen more gems to polish up and release into the world. There are some rocking tracks, and some more early phish/zappa style stuff, and always some great instrumental funky soulful organ tracks as well. I mean they are pretty busy with Trey and with LaMP which is with Scott from Joe Russo’s Almost Dead. What’s next is a bunch more releases as I can fit them into my schedule.

Listen to Kambo Wambo – Jam Version below