Born in Chicago Heights, Illinois, on August 16, [yearborn]1963[/yearborn], Kam Falk began his musical journey at the tender age of seven. Guided by the virtuoso concert pianist, Erna Salm, Falk spent his formative years learning the basic foundations of baroque and classical music, studying the compositions of Bach, Handel, Beethoven, Mozart, Brahms, Debussy, Fauré, Stravinsky, Copeland and many more. He began studying cello at the age of nine and, guided by Professor John Ehrlich of Drake University, continued performing in chamber ensembles and symphony orchestras throughout college. After three years of intensive jazz study, Kam began performing professionally as a bassist at the age of 17, while at the University of Florida earning a bachelor's degree in theory/composition. Heavily influenced by Weather Report, the Mahavishnu Orchestra, the YellowJackets, Miles Davis, Return to Forever, Jeff Lorber and other groups that defined the fusion era, Kam began to compose and record his own compositions, collaborating with many of the musicians with whom he has associated through the past four decades. Artists like Jaco Pastorius and Stanley Clarke were showing the world that bassists could play an integral role as both composers and performers, and Kam set out to do the same. Instrumental music of all styles has been Kam's lifelong passion. His sensibilities as a composer have been shaped by years of performing abroad and establishing a rapport with people and music of diverse cultures. He is currently earning a master's degree in Commercial Music at Florida Atlantic University, studying with professor Michael Zager. Kam's official website is: www.nativetongue.com. After years of performing, recording and developing his craft with some of today's most respected musicians, such as Elliott Randall (Steely Dan, Doobie Brothers), Delmar Brown (Sting, Miles Davis), and Gerry Brown (Stanley Clarke, Stevie Wonder), Kam has delivered his own brand of jazz with his debut offering entitled NATIVE TONGUE. Produced with no compromises over a ten-year span, Native Tongue is a CD with much to offer - ten songs with twelve special guests, along with a multimedia enhancement that includes a full-length video, liner notes, session photos and weblink to Kam's site. REVIEWS: jazzreview.com This group performs with high energy and enormous depth. Better to listen than to read, amen? The first three tracks, "Around the Bend," "Shifting Sands," and "Pursuit" would qualify as the harder-driven tracks on this CD. They're swift, a little rough and very ready as Falk and his groups come out swingin'. "Bolivia" is rather thought-provoking, classy and very cool. Falk does some really sweet piano work and his colleagues, Kushner and Mazzi perform like painters on a canvas. Still on the mellow side, "Zone Five" is a funky jam with Daryll Dobson's rock-based guitar carrying on nicely through this aural dreamscape. "Welcome Home" is totally funky with Elliott Randall's sleek guitar and good rhythm structure. "BopStop" has Falk and Delmar Brown answering each other on their keyboards bringing back a little taste of the old burners from the 60's and early 70's. With "Katy's Song," it's fair to assume it's a tribute to Falk's wife or at least a track with deep sentimental value and beauty, indeed. "One Summer" continues the mood with an almost classical sound. "Journey's End" speaks for itself as a very sweet close to a road well traveled. "Native Tongue" has a nice mix of ballads, mid- and up-tempo pieces which round things out. All musicians performed as if their only purpose was this project. That is what makes it all so appealing. Read with your ears for an accurate conclusion. - Denai Burbank CrossOver network Not to be compared with other albums, or even measured by the same criteria... let it speak for itself! - Tobias Audersch Native Tongue is a unique project that unites many musicians from around the globe and documents what was happening after hours during a decade of many sideman gigs as a bassist and keyboardist. Hope you enjoy it - thanks for listening. Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.