Bob Susko, Guitarist
bob_susko.jpg (8930 bytes)Bob "Cantankerous Cowboy" Susko picked up the guitar at age 15. His formal training began with Robert Fripp of King Crimson and further studies with John Berenzy and Russ Defillippis. For the last fifteen years, Bob has played and recorded jazz with various groups including Derwin Holder, the bassist with Sonny Stitt and Sam Wayman, brother of Nina Simone. Bob came on board the Spoken Motion train in 1993.

 
Joe Isgro, Bassist
joe_isgro.jpg (14815 bytes)Bass player and loyal co-founder of Spoken Motion, Joe also also works with the acoustic band Charged Particles when the planets are aligned properly. Thankful to have collaborated on many musical voyages with the late, great guitarist Paul Thorbjarnarson; a shining star and a pillar of inspiration.
elliot_levin.jpg (12433 bytes)Elliott Levin, Saxophone and Flute
Born in 1953, Elliott Levin is a Philadelphia born and based jazz musician and poet. For ten years he toured the world with Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes, as saxophonist in The Sound of Philadelphia band. His poetry has been published in several periodicals including the LA Weekly, Blue Beat Jacket (Japan), The Painted Word, Po’ Fly, The Nile, Vital Pulse, Ozone, and Poets & Prophets. He regularly performs jazz and poetry with Gloria Tropp, Miguel Algarin, Cecil Taylor’s groups Phthongas and Unit Core Ensemble, New Ghosts, Interplay and Talking Free Be-Bop. His original music and poetry was recorded for broadcast throughout the USA as part of the New American Radio Series. Frank met Elliott in the summer of 1994 at the Lollapalooza festival in Philadelphia where Frank was booked as one of the featured spoken word artists. Elliott joined Frank and Courtney Love the night before at a local bar for some raucous stage antics and then reconvened the next day on the concert stage for some poetic and musical mayhem. Spoken Motion has never been the same since. Elliott appears on Cecil Taylor's latest album, Live in Berlin, on FMP Records.

Larry McDonald, Percussion

larry_mcdonald.jpg (12906 bytes)Born in Jamaica, the 'King of Sunshine' Larry McDonald grew up on the roots and rhythms of island music, calypso and reggae. In addition to recording with Frank Messina & Spoken Motion, Larry had recorded on over 25 albums including the works of Taj Mahal, Toots and The Maytals, The Skatalites, Gil Scott-Heron and Muta Baruka. He's performed regularly with Gil Scott-Heron's Amnesia Express for the past 20 years and has appeared on MTV's UnPlugged and The Jon Stewart Show. A fellow founder of Spoken Motion, Larry has been responsible, along with bass player Joe Isgro, for writing the music for several of Frank's early pieces including 'Father and Son in July', 'Song for the Poet' and 'Woman with a Handkerchief'.

Wes Jensen, Drums

wes_jensen.jpg (10731 bytes)Wes Jensen joined Spoken Motion in 1993,
completing the jazz influenced rhythm section and adding his own unique style of playing. Aside from playing with Spoken Motion, Wes has put together a variety of musical projects over the years ranging from jazz to electronic music. Since 1986, he's been increasingly involved with
electronic percussion and synthesizers and records his own music at his home studio. You can visit him at                     www.WESJENSEN.net for info, mp3's, links, etc.

The Official Frank Messina Website
 

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