The Defenestration Unit, commonly known to family and (close) friends as TDU, began in June of 1996, when trombonist Mike Switzer and saxophonist Charlie Naked sent forth a plea for free jazz musicians in Houston to rally to their cry and come play a show on KTRU, Rice University radio, for the Local Show. Only one person came, but it was the enthusiasm of J.J. Watson on euphonium which proved to be the catalyst for the trio's consolidation into a regular band. After adding drummer Bir Grumbacher, the quartet explored spontaneous free improvisation on albums like "Temple of Sound" and "Evolution By Inches". When Grumbacher left to return home, membership in the group became liquid, with players coming in and out from rehearsal to rehearsal, show to show. Eventually, TDU regrouped around Switzer, Naked, and drummer Vaughan Boone. With Watson departing and members Ted Hill, Shaun Kelly, Carol Kelly, and Ben Lind joining, the third version of TDU became a regular lineup in early 2000, producing a string of roughhewn free jazz recordings, including "Content Specific," "Drenched... by Rain and Reverb," "River Fourcade," and "Dark Haggis". By "Double Speed Will Make Us Famous," TDU had again moved closer to a liquid lineup, and eventually dissolved. Rejuvenated again in 2002 to become a more song-oriented band, with Switzer, Naked, Boone, Hill (and later bassist Leroy Bell), trumpeter Jack Babylon, and guitarist Jim Otterson playing a funk/free jazz fusion, ultimately performing for awhile with vocalist Caretta Bell, and capping this lineup's tenure with a weekend recording at Sweatbox Studio in Austin, Texas, with Tim Kerr. By mid-2004, only Switzer, Naked, and Otterson remained, reforming the latest TDU as a psychedelic band influenced in large part by free jazz, krautrock, and Miles Davis' early 70s fusion work, with drummer Bill Savoie, bassist/keyboardist Joe Folladori, trumpeter/keyboardist/bassist Ryan Goodland, and percussionist/vocalist Tom Zermeno. With the departure of Folladori, Goodland, and Savoie, the band brought in Jeff Miller on bass and Kirk Suddreath on drums in mid-2006, contributing to a significantly amped up and psychedelic sound than previous versions of TDU... Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.