Cherokee fusion band

Band Gives Gratitude[W]ith a scheduled performance Saturday, July 21 at Crosstown Community Center in Alameda, the current five musicians authenticate the label "fusion band."

Snappy jazz sizzles from the strings of electric guitar. Haunting notes float from Native American cedar-wood flutes—instruments carved by hand and adorned with animal ornaments.

Bradley Deetz, registered Cherokee of the Eastern Band, taps a traditional hand-drum, while John Rossillon, longhaired, side-burned, mustached (picture a well-preserved hippie) bangs away on a modern drum set.