American bassist Hansford Rowe began his career in the clubs of New York City. With French drummer Pierre Moerlen he reformed the jazz-rock group Gong. PM's Gong is considered one of the great fusion bands of the late 70’s. The group was quickly signed to Virgin and later Arista Records. They recorded with Allan Holdsworth (a regular member) and with guests like Mike Oldfield, Mick Taylor (Stones), Steve Winwood and French violinist Didier Lockwood. International touring soon secured Hansford a place among the world's leading bass players and work with Mike Oldfield, John Martyn, Biréli Lagrène, La Monte Young, Gary Husband, Jon Catler and many more. Hansford, with microtonal guitar master Jon Catler, developed the first dedicated Just Intonation bass made by a major manufacturer (Warwick). Hansford has a signature bass with Tao Guitars called the Superleggera. He endorses Ashdown Amplifiers, Supro Basses, DR Strings, Lehle pedals, Applied Acoustic Systems, Peterson tuners and Sommer cables. He was a founding member of the band Gongzilla in the 1990’s which saw the participation of many fine musicians on their five records with LoLo Records including Allan Holdsworth, David "Fuze” Fiuczynski and David Torn.
Projects for 2026 include work with Michael Harrison's Raga Cycle and a new album with the band Enigmatic Sound Machines.
Hansford’s current jazz trio project is called HRIII.
Projects
HRIII
Hansford's current trio.
View project →
Gong Expresso
Second album composed by Hansford and Julien, featuring the PM Gong core rhythm section.
View project →
Moment
Catalonian jazz guitarist Jordi Torrens and Hansford collaborate on the album "Love's Appeal."
View project →
Selected Albums
Selected HR albums for Bandcamp purchasing. Full discography is below.
Decadence
HR3
Love's Appeal
Five Even
East Village Session
Live
No Other
Thrive
Suffer
Steel Blue
Discography
As leader:
Hansford Rowe - No Other - LoLo Records
Moment - Love’s Appeal - AL Records
HR3 - HR3 – Vega Records
Gong Expresso - Decadence – J McCracken Records
As co-leader:
PM's Gong
Expresso II - Virgin Records
Downwind – Arista Records
Gong Live – Virgin Records
Time is the Key – Arista Records
Leave it Open – Arista Records
Breakthrough – Arc Records
Wingful of Eyes – Virgin Records
Second Wind - Line/Ariola Records
Gongzilla
Suffer – LoLo Records
Thrive – LoLo Records
Live! – LoLo Records
East Village Sessions – LoLo Records
Five Even - LoLo Records
Steel Blue
Steel Blue – LoLo Records
Michael Harrison
Raga Cycle Project 2026 - Cantaloupe Records
Additional recordings:
John Martyn
One World – Island RecordsSweet Little Mysteries – Island Records
Mike Oldfield
Platinum – Virgin Records
Platinum/QE2/Five Miles Out – Island Records
Charlelie Couture
Crocodile – Island Records
Fretless Brothers
Footsteps – Freenote Records
Live at Shapeshifters – Freenote Records
BON Full Circle – LoLo Records
To the Bone – LoLo Records
Two Plus Two – LoLo Records
Project Lo
Dabblings In Darkness - LoLo Records
Geno White
Standing In Stereo – LoLo Records
Modern Man
Modern Man - Aquarius Records
Paparazzi
Paparazzi - Star Records
COMA
Coma – Disques Double Records
Antoine X
Coeur Sans Etui – IMF Records
Cecil Maury
Sentimenteur – Pathe Marconi (EMI Records)
Coule Douce (single) - Pathe Marconi (EMI Records)
Michael Zentner
Playtime – Warped Records
Present Time – Red Records
Jean-Yves Lievaux
Transformances – Trema Records
Voyages Sans Lumiere
Soul Attorneys
Soul Attorneys – Epic Records
Jeremie Arrobas
Le Grande Manège – Kebec-Disque/Musicor
Enigmatic Sound Machines - Divided By One - ProgRock Essentials
Michel Lalonde
Gaston Mandeville
Mitsou
Faton Cahen
Catherine Lara
Etc.
Social Links
Project
HRIII
When Hansford and Montreal guitarist Julien Sandiford first began composing together the result was the eponymously titled "HR3," featuring Max Lazich on drums. For their second album collaboration they went to Paris to record with Hansford's old compatriots from PM Gong, François Causse (drums) and Benoît Moerlen (vibes/marimba). This resulted in the album by Gong Expresso, "Decadence."
"Very rarely in this life does one get to see—up close and personal—an
eruption of singular young talent that is both mesmerizing and
thrilling.” Journalist Frank Beacham on HR3’s debut show in NYC. - Frank Beacham review of HR3 debut concert in NY
"I'm loving HR3! Check out the guitarist (Julien Sandiford) - a new player
playing the kind of guitar that's doing it for me - a young fresh voice
also embracing the older, more elemental. I really dig it - Yes guys!" - Gary Husband (Allan Holdsworth, John McLaughlin)
"HR3 is sublime!" - Stuart Zender (Jamiroquai, Mark Ronson)
"Hansford and HR3 are the future to my past!" - Lee Sklar (James Taylor, Billy Cobham, Hall & Oates etc.)
“My bad ass brutha in bottom end shenanigans, Hansford Rowe, and his outta control cohorts are digging deep for some next level intense artistry.” Norwood Fisher (Fishbone)
“Hansford Rowe was one of my very first inspirations on electric bass earlier
than Jaco Pastorius or Stanley Clarke. Today the spirited HR3 ensemble
reaches across a wide spectrum of rhythms and bass-guided harmonies with a fine new album." - Kai Eckhardt (John Mclaughlin, Garaj Mahal, John Scofield
“This music feels like "having no baggage"—in a physical and a spiritual sense. It's the feeling of being alive with the essentials; uncluttered—but not a Zen garden. It's a Wabi Sabi record. There's a purity about it. It makes no "wink, wink" references to any other music - Tilman Reitzle
Members
Hansford Rowe — bass
American bassist Hansford Rowe began his career in the clubs of New York City. With French drummer Pierre Moerlen, he reformed the jazz-rock group Gong. PM's Gong is considered one of the great fusion bands of the late 70s. Recording guests included icons like Mick Taylor, Steve Winwood and Didier Lockwood. International touring soon secured Hansford a place among the world's leading bass players and work with Mike Oldfield, Allan Holdsworth, John Martyn, Biréli Lagrène, La Monte Young, David "Fuze" Fiuczynski, Gary Husband,Jon Catler etc. Hansford, with Warwick bass guitars, developed the first Just Intonation bass. He is considered an expert in the use of alternate tuning systems. He is a founding member of the band Gongzilla. The new HRIII trio debuted live in 2019 at the Festival Quebec Jazz en Juin.
Julien Sandiford — guitar
Julien Sandiford is a Montréal based guitarist and composer. Over the course of his young career, he has performed with world-class jazz musicians and at several international jazz festivals, including the Hong Kong Jazz Festival and the Montréal Jazz Festival. His long-running collaboration with Hansford Rowe led to the internationally acclaimed recording by Gong Expresso, “Decadence,” with Gong alumni Benoît Moerlen and François Causse. HRIII’s third album is now his primary focus.
Related Releases
HR3 (2012)
Gong Expresso (2018)
Project
Gong Expresso
HRIII’s composing team of Hansford Rowe (bass) and Julien Sandiford (guitar) join Gong alumni François Causse (drums/perc) and Benoît Moerlen (vibes/marimba) for the recording of the album by Gong Expresso titled “Decadence.”
This near re-iteration of the PM Gong rhythm section (Hansford, François and Benoît) is the first such grouping since the passing of influential drummer Pierre Moerlen in 2005.
“Decadence”—the title song—means ‘falling away.’ Hansford, François and Benoît began playing together in 1977 in PM Gong; Julien joined decades later, yet the musical rapport feels infinitely long.
Members
Hansford Rowe — bass
Julien Sandiford — guitar
François Causse — drums / percussion
PM Gong alumnus.
Benoît Moerlen — vibraphone / marimba
PM Gong alumnus.
Related Releases
Project
Moment
An American bassist/singer from NYC living in Montreal meets a Spanish guitarist from Barcelona in Frankfurt. Worlds collide and the result is a kind of jazz — a strange blend of American and Spanish idioms purified into an organic mix reminiscent of Gilberto/Jobim. Super simple and super sophisticated.
The Paris/Montréal recordings by Denis Savage (Celine Dion) sound so good you’d think heart strings were nylon.
Jordi Torrens Hansford Rowe
Members
Hansford Rowe — bass
Jordi Torrens — guitar
Jordi Torrens is one of the best jazz guitarists Spain has produced. He has toured the world with Latin stars like Moncho, Dyango, Armando Manzanero and Olga Guillot (with Israel López Cachao on bass). He lives in Barcelona in his native Catalonia and has strong ties to Argentina. He is sponsored worldwide by Framus Guitars and Godin Guitars.
