Mats/Morgan Band
Mats/Morgan Band | |
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Genres | experimental, fusion, electronic, metal |
Mats/Morgan Band (formerly Hot Rats and Zappsteetoot) is a band that features Morgan Ågren and Mats Öberg. Morgan is a drummer and composer and Mats is a keyboard player and composer. The band is a showcase for their virtuosic skills on their respective instruments as well as their compositional skills. Their music is difficult to categorize, containing elements of jazz, electronic music, waltz, dance music, avant garde/free jazz, techno, rock, progressive and modern classical music.
Morgan Ågren has been a drummer since age four. Born in Umeå, Sweden, Ågren was spotted as an outstanding talent at a young age as he began performing publicly at age seven, and eventually joined forces with keyboardist Mats Öberg in 1981.
They later formed Zappsteetoot together in 1984, a band internationally known for performing Zappa's music. In 1988, Morgan Ågren age 20 was, along with Mats, invited by Frank Zappa to do a guest performance at Mr. Zappa's Stockholm performance. Blown away by his skills, Mr. Zappa invited Morgan to the states to partake in several projects, including the 1994 Grammy Award winning CD "Zappa's Universe" with Steve Vai as well as a sold out New York performance of Zappa's classical program at Lincoln Centers Great Performers Series at Avery Fisher Hall.
Morgan Ågren also collaborated with the guitarist of Swedish experimental metal band Meshuggah, Fredrik Thordendal, on the album Sol Niger Within, which was released in 1997.
Lineup
with
- Jimmy Ågren
- Robert Elovsson
- Tommy Tordsson
Guest musicians (in recordings and events)
- Fredrik Thordendal
- Jonas Knutsson
- Artis the Spoonman
- Mattias "IA" Eklundh
- Lars Hollmer
- JJ Marsh
Discography
Frank Zappa
- Frank Zappa - Stockholm 01.05.88 boot (Performed T’Mershi Duween with the band)
- Various Artists - Zappa's Universe
- Various Artists - Zappanale # 15 (2004, 3CD, arf society)
Mats/Morgan Band
- Trends and Other Diseases (1996)
- The Music or the Money… (1997)
- Radio Da Da (1998, ultimate audio entertainment)
- The Teenage Tapes (1998, ultimate audio entertainment)
- Live (2001, ultimate audio entertainment)
- On Air with Guests (2002, ultimate audio entertainment)
- Thanks for Flying with Us (2005, Cuneiform Records)
- Heat Beats Live + Tourbook 1991-2007 (2008, Cuneiform Records)
- Schack Tati (2014, Cuneiform Records)
External links
- Mats/Morgan Band's Cuneiform Records page
- Morgan Ågren's homepage
- Mats/Morgan Band's United Mutation page