Peter's music has been heard on hundreds of radio stations and has been on SiriusXM rotation for over a decade. As a multi-award winning artist, Peter's music has also topped Billboard's Classical and Crossover charts.
For Captain Beefheart, a maverick-artist-musician, who was not just a complicated man but highly demanding and by most accounts very difficult to deal with. It was appropriate that Beefheart's Magic Band was to prominently feature a bassist as accomplished, bold and adventurous as Mark Boston, a.k.a Rockette Morton.
Born on July 14, 1949, Mark began life in the small town of Salem, Illinois before his family moved out to Lancaster, California when he was 13. With a bassist and steel player for a father, Mark gained a great appreciation for country and bluegrass along with the R&B and rock’n’roll that was on the rise. Within a year of the Boston clan moving out to Lancaster, Mark befriended a young guitarist by the name of Bill Harkleroad.
At a time when the bass guitar was seen as the dummy’s instrument, Mark left quite an impression on Bill with his talent and equipment, leading to the two joining forces to form BC And The Cavemen. With Mark’s mother sewing some outfits for them, the band developed a decent reputation, and the two would also play in a band with Jeff Cotton and John French known as Blues In A Bottle. And then a local hero came calling. Or perhaps screaming and howling!
In that same Lancaster scene, Captain Beefheart And His Magic Band were making a big splash as a top flight blues rock outfit, with 'Safe As Milk' having made a strong impression and 'Strictly Personal' being a strong record as well. But even with a sound that was speaking to people, one that perhaps would have been a more pragmatic one as far as a career goes, Don Van Vliet just wasn’t meant for conventional norms.
The Captain had all these ideas, ideas far too out for many, including early members. He needed new musicians, younger and more impressionable ones that wouldn’t object to his ideas. Already having John and Jeff in the band, now 'Drumbo' and Antennae Jimmy Semens, he then recruited Bill, dubbed Zoot Horn Rollo. And on bass, he found Mark Boston, who took the name Rockette Morton due to his love of outer space. And the classic Magic Band was born.
Trout Mask Replica (TMR) wasn’t an easy album to make. Yet even with all the bizarre ideas and the difficulty in preparing those ideas into music, Mark was a total champ through it all. The Beefheart sound is one of great dichotomy, and Mark can capture all of it. He’s so tight and precise, and yet there’s this raw grit and dirt. He’s highly intelligent and sophisticated in his playing, and yet there remains this childlike sense of wonder and curiosity.
He takes after all the great traditional American music, yet out into a whole other realm of time and space. The bass traditionally serves the role of grounding the harmony while locking in with the drums to provide a foundation, yet Mark’s playing often serves as another melody line in the music. In a lot of ways, he’s like a third guitarist that just happens to be playing bass.
The TMR on its own is a legacy few can compete with, and yet Mark contributed to more classic records like "Lick My Decals Off, Baby", "The Spotlight Kid", and "Clear Spot". There on Decals, you get the equivalent of Godfather II. With Mother Art Tripp on marimba and drums rather Jeff on guitar, you get an album that captures a great deal of TMR's brilliance while being brilliant in its own unique way.
Then you get to 'The Spotlight Kid', with bass godliness on cuts like “When It Blows Its Stack”, resulting in a bass solo that often opened shows, yet Mark proves himself just as talented on traditional in-the-pocket styles as demonstrated on cuts like “I’m Gonna Booglarize You Baby”. And that thing about bassists being failed guitarists? In the 'Clear Spot', with Mark taking guitar and the rhythm section now being a mini Mothers reunion of Art and Roy Estrada, yet nobody missed a beat. Throughout the record, Bill and Mark’s kinship really shines, their weaving right there with what Bill and Jeff had done, or what was done with Alex St Clair early on.
Of course, dealing with Don was quite a task of its own, so it’s inevitable that Mark and the others would all end up departing by 1974. He and Bill soon formed a group of their own called Mallard. For two albums, the first with Art and having some writing help from John French 'Drumbo', Mallard showed itself a pretty decent blues rock outfit. And giving that it was Mark who finally had a chance to create something that was truly his own rather than helping some achieve their vision, it’s understandably the work that he takes pride in. And over time, he’d end up making a solo record and create some cool artwork of his own, as well as performing with 'Drumbo' in the reformed Magic Band, allowing the music to live and breathe on stage again.
If you’re a Beefheart fan, how can you not love Rockette Morton? Not only a uniquely talented bass player but such a great stage presence full of joy, along with a lovably quirky personality and such a sweet guy. Easily one of my favorites from Magic Band members, you can’t help but smile when thinking about Mark. He’s been through some rough weather, including his health scares, and yet he’s still the same Mark we’ve known and loved all the years.
Happy birthday Mark! Thank you for all you have given us and look forward to more.
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Patrick Moore is a freehand drawing artist and freelance music writer.
By our reporter
BRAMPTON: Great location. Family-friendly environment. Never-tasted-before dishes. Choicest beverages and desserts. And hostesses and servers trained for high-quality service.
Welcome to Anokhi restaurant at 200 County Court Boulevard in Brampton – where quality beats price by a mile!
Indeed, with its newly opened patio and capacity to accommodate over 200 people, Anokhi is redefining dining experience in Brampton and Mississauga.
It’s diners new choice and becoming the go-to place for family fun, corporate events, celebrity hosting, and birthday, engagement and farewell parties.
And the good news for vegetarians is that they are served from an entirely separate section in the Anokhi kitchen. “The vegetarians coming to our restaurant can be rest assured that they are being served from a separate vegetarian section in our kitchen,’’ says chief chef Sarwan Singh Chauhan who has worked at major hotels in India such as Radisson in Gurgaon, and Park Plaza and Taj Mansingh in New Delhi.
[caption id="attachment_81424" align="alignnone" width="800"]
Anokhi owner Parminder Gill at the bar.[/caption]
So what is so unique about Anokhi? Quite a few things:
– unique dishes prepared with secret recipes.
– no use of colour in dishes.
– only home-made masalas used.
– specialty heavy menu that changes throughout the year.
– magic theme desserts.
– chefs with years of experience in top hotels in India.
Not surprisingly, Anokhi is becoming famous for its signature dishes.
“Dal Anokhi tops our signature dishes. No other restaurant offers it. It is an organic dal imported from Australia. Its tastes very different because it is cooked for 18-20 hours – as people in good old days in Punjab used to cook dal in earthen pots in open ovens called haara,’’ says restaurant owner Parminder Gill who micro-manages service at Anokhi.
To make Dal Anokhi even tastier, it is fried with ginger, tomatoes and garlic before being served.
Chief chef Chauhan lists Malai Mattar-Mushroom and Kali Mirch Paneer as their other top veg dishes.
“Unlike others, our Malai Mattar-Mushroom is rich in gravy which is based on cashew, onions, tomatoes, etc. In Kali Mirch Paneer, we use cashew and yogurt to give it a unique flavour,’’ he says.
[caption id="attachment_81430" align="alignnone" width="800"]
Chief chef Sarwan Singh Chauhan.[/caption]
Biryani prepared in Lucknow-style and Khatta-Meetha done in Chinese-style are two other speciality veg dishes at Anokhi.
How about their top non-vegetarian dishes?
"Dhaba Murg is our best-selling item. It is done over clay oven, using authentic spices. Once people try it, they get hooked on it. This dish is so delicious,’’ says chief chef Chauhan.
[caption id="attachment_81446" align="alignnone" width="800"]
Dishes at Anokhi in Brampton.[/caption]
Then they have another unique dish called Meat Beliram. “It is a Lahori lamb dish which no one else offers in the GTA,’’ says the chief chef.
And try their Galawat Kabab. It melts in your mouth.
Rampuri Boti is another rare non-veg dish served at Anokhi. “Just like Dal Anokhi, it is cooked overnight with spices,’’ says Chauhan.
Even their chilly chicken tastes totally different because of the home-made spices used in it.
Oh, one more thing! You would love their garlic naan which comes loaded with unique ingredients.
[caption id="attachment_81427" align="alignnone" width="800"]
The bar at Anokhi restaurant.[/caption]
Anokhi has also one of the well-equipped bars in town. “We have a large selection of whiskeys, including Amrut Fusion which is India’s best single malt whiskey. We also have quite a few brands that you won’t find elsewhere,’’ says bar hostess Navjot.
Talking about their desserts, chef Jatin Angrula creates magic fusion of Indian, Italian and French desserts.
"Try our cremebrule and you will never forget it,’’ he recommends. “It is an Italian dessert which we make with Indian spices – green cardamom and saffron,’’ says Jatin.
Anokhi’s another mouth-watering dessert is gulab-jamun cheesecake which is essentially a cheesecake with a gulab jamun inside it.
"Kalakand Tart (combination of paan ice-cream and barfi tart) is our another unique dessert. But I would say that our best-selling dessert is Matke-Wali Kulfi which we make here. I bet no restaurant can beat us in desserts,’’ boasts Jatin.
[caption id="attachment_81431" align="alignnone" width="800"]
Anokhi Brampton team.[/caption]
As the conveniently located Anokhi completes one year under owner Parminder Gill, he says he is determined to turn it into a respected brand and become a franchisor. “I left my other businesses when I took it over. One year down the line, I am very happy that we have become very popular with families. Customers who used to come alone earlier now bring their whole families and friends with them. We can accommodate over 200 people and we have just opened our patio. I am very excited about Anokhi.’’
Gill says he wants Anokhi to be anokhi (meaning unique in Hindi and Punjabi) in every sense of the word.
“That’s why I chose this name. We want to create a lasting memory for every single customer who ever steps into Anokhi,’’ Gill signs off.
[caption id="attachment_81449" align="alignnone" width="800"]
Anokhi's Canada Day party.[/caption]
Food and service at Anokhi Brampton are so good that I’ll give them 10 out of 10.
All their dishes taste very different, but my favourites are kebab and daahi-based dishes.
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I recently took my airline partner team to Anokhi Brampton. We were blown away by the quality and quantity of food. Just great!
Chicken curry and spinach with collage cheese are simply unmatched. Lall Mirch fish tikka is just zabardast and available nowhere in GTA.
Anokhi is now my first choice to host airline teams, families and friends.
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Anokhi Brampton lives up to its claim of inspired Indian cuisine! Its food is extraordinary and the service excellent.
Its full-service bar with premium brands is served by smiling hostesses.
The décor and atmosphere is very upscale.
There is also soothing live music on the weekends both inside and outside on the patio.
My recommended dishes are lamb sheekh kebabs, lamb cutlets, lamb masala, butter chicken, reshmi sheekh kebabs, paneer tikka, palak paneer, special Anokhi vegetarian bites and their ultimate Dal Anokhi.
After a hearty meal, you hit nirvana with their desserts like gaajar halwa, ras malai, gulab jamuns or something from their proprietary patisserie if you crave western desserts.
A great place to throw a splendid party! [updated version of the first article that appeared here on September 19, 2019]
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