Giorgio Gomelsky - Later Career

Later Career

In the 1960s Giorgio went on to manage and produce the The Yardbirds, and form a record label Marmalade Records. He also signed Julie Driscoll and Brian Auger & The Trinity and produced early recordings by Jeff Beck, Jimmy Page (both of whom played with the Yardbirds), Rod Stewart, and John McLaughlin (the album "Extrapolation"), Alexis Korner. Graham Bond and the Soft Machine.

He brought British rock musicians to record with American blues musicians including the Yardbirds featuring Eric Clapton with Sonny Boy Williamson, who was Giorgio's roommate for a period in Britain. Giorgio claims that Sonny Boy jammed with Rahsaan Roland Kirk in all keys on a single blues harmonica made to play in one key.

In the 1970s he became involved with progressive jazz rock bands such as Gong, Henry Cow and Magma. In the 80s he was pioneer of digital video winning awards for his work using the Video Toaster.

Through the 1970s to the 2010s from his recording and rehearsal studio in the Chelsea neighborhood of New York City, Giorgio has continued to nurture and mentor musicians. Following his relationship with the band Material, in the early 80's he produced "Tonka Wonka Mondays" at the Bitter End, featuring three bands a night who were unnamed "mystery guests", and then had professional music critics dissect their performances during the break: at the end of each evening, a better known featured guest would play their material backed up by "The House Band' led by composer / arranger Dave Soldier and featuring trumpeter Roy Campbell: featured guests included Wayne Kramer, Billy Bang, Frank Lowe, and Dennis Charles. Girogio was also a regular DJ at the club Tramps, introducing fans to an array of styles, including new African and experimental jazz music.

With the producer Joe Papp and early b-boy hiphop stars including Futura 2000, Mr. Freeze, Lori Eastside and composers Dave Soldier and Mark Mazur of Kid Creole and the Coconuts he attempted to produce the first hip-hop musical, Persons, at the Public Theater in 1982.

He was instrumental in bringing the important Czech group, the Plastic People of the Universe, to the international public eye by producing a benefit concert for the band's lyricist Egon Bondy at The Kitchen on January 29, 1989, featuring their exiled saxophonist Vratislav Brabenec and New York musicians including Ed Pastorini, the Soldier String Quartet, Craig Harris, Borbetomagus, Elliott Sharp and Gary Lucas, who played the Plastic People's repertoire. News of the concert in Prague is said to have helped to inspire the Velvet Revolution, a movement strongly influenced by experimental American rock and jazz music.

Giorgio was involved as guide, producer, and supporter to numerous adventurous New York bands including D Generation,1001 Crustaceans, and Band of Susans.