A.O.O.F.C
recommends
Mizar6

babydancing




Get this crazy baby off my head!

30.3.08

Olive





Olive - Extra Virgin - 1996 - RCA

A good album in the vein of Portishead and Morcheeba. It is not groundbreaking , but it is a well above average album of it's type. Most of the tracks are well constructed musically, with some nice jazz influences, helped by British vocalist Ruth-Ann Boyle's angelic voice over a wide variety of beats and loops. Check out "You're Not Alone." The album has received mixed reviews, - more critical than complimentary, but many critics are looking for a second "Dummy" or "Walking Wounded, " and that's not being realistic. It's a cool, calm, relaxing album, and very enjoyable. Even if you're not into the techno/electronica/trip-hop scene, you may be missing out on a lot of good music by discounting albums like Extra Virgin. If you like Sade, you might just enjoy this album. For other music in this genre, check out Sade's "Diamond Life," Morcheeba's "The Antidote," and "Walking Wounded" by Everything but the Girl. Olive released a second CD, "Trickle" in 2000, on Maverick Records.

TRACKS

1 Miracle (7:31)
2 This Time (4:43)
3 Safer Hands (5:02)
4 Killing (4:17)
5 You're Not Alone (4:25)
6 Falling (4:52)
7 Outlaw (5:08)
8 Blood Red Tears (4:41)
9 Curious (5:00)
10 You Are Nothing (4:19)
11 Muted (3:37)
12 I Don't Think So (13:37)
13 You're Not Alone - TRACK 13 [This is a hidden version of Track 5, with no rhythm track on it.]

All compositions by Kellett/Taylor

CREDITS

Ruth-Ann Boyle : Vocals
Darren Campbell : Bass
Duke Quartet : Strings
Tony Foster : Bass, Guitar
Louise Fuller : Violin
Adrian Hackett : Drums
Tim Kellett : Flugelhorn, Keyboards, Trumpet
Richard Koster : Violin
George Lambert : Digital EQ
Henrik Linnermann : Flute
Ivan McCready : Cello
John Metcalfe : Viola
Omith Mukherjee : Guitar
Heitor Teixeira Pereira : Guitar
Ruth-Ann : Vocals
Mark Sheridan : Flute, Guitar
Robin Taylor-Firth : Keyboards

REVIEWS

A year after its initial release, Olive's debut album, Extra Virgin, finally produced a number one British hit with "You're Not Alone," a low-key lite trip-hop number with a graceful melody. It's a strong single, and there are similarly strong moments on Extra Virgin, yet Olive don't stand out from the post-Portishead pack. Like Everything but the Girl, they are essentially a folky, pop-oriented group that uses the stoned rhythms of trip-hop as hip window-dressing. Since that rhythm is appealing on its own terms, it doesn't matter that Olive use it as ornamentation, especially since they use it well. What is a problem is their lack of consistent songwriting. Only a few songs match the singles "You're Not Alone" and "Miracle" in terms of memorable, melodic construction, and the weaker tracks tend to float by on their admittedly entrancing production. And that leaves Extra Virgin an intriguing debut, but not necessarily one that promises great things from Olive. © Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide
There are all the standard trip-hop ingredients--two guys who could probably stand to get out of the studio a little more often, lots of keyboards, drum machines, and samples. And there's a female singer, who's been compared to Sade--rather unfairly, since Ruth-Ann can manage more than a monotone and still be sultry. But there's also guitar and--wait for it--real strings. And, um, songs. Granted, they're not your conventional verse-chorus-verse, but like an insect bite, they get under your skin until you're scratching away and can't ignore them. © Chris Nickson, Amazon.com

BIO (Wikipedia)

Olive were a dance/breakbeat/trip hop group from Sunderland, North East England. The founding membership consisted of producer, instrumentalist and songwriter Tim Kellett, producer and keyboard programmer Robin Taylor-Firth, and singer Ruth-Ann Boyle. The band released two albums, the second without Taylor-Firth, before ceasing activity. They are best known for the UK number-one single "You're Not Alone". Following Simply Red's 1991 album Stars, which garnered the band's greatest commercial success in the UK and worldwide at the time, Tim Kellett, last among its original lineup (as trumpet player), left the band. Meanwhile, Robin Taylor-Firth had just come off of George Evelyn's techno/hip hop project Nightmares on Wax.The two met through a mutual friend who had recently joined Simply Red as bassist, and formed a musical collaboration (Taylor-Firth cites the disparity between his relatively "underground" work among Sheffield's electronic music and DJ community, and Kellett's mainstream history). By 1994, three demos (which would become "Miracle", "Falling" and "You're Not Alone") were recorded in Kellett's cellar studio, upon which the two began their search for a singer. At this time, Kellett went on tour as keyboardist with Vini Reilly's The Durutti Column (which he played for a decade ago prior to joining Simply Red). While playing back pre-recorded keyboard samples on stage, Kellett heard a favourable vocal sample; the voice was that of Ruth-Ann Boyle, who had provided the samples for The Durutti Column's 1994 album Sex and Death. Kellett contacted Boyle about singing for the collaboration; at the time working in a bar, and though disillusioned from past experiences singing in bands, Boyle accepted. After a "kind of an audition" with "Miracle" Boyle's membership in the band was set. The completion of the three initial demos attracted the interest of various UK record labels, and Olive signed with the top bidder, RCA, in September 1995. The songwriting and recording process concluded with the completion of their first album in January 1996.The first single, "You're Not Alone," was released in 1996. Although the song took a year for audiences in England to catch onto, it eventually made number one in 1997, after the release of a new, remixed version, selling over 500000 copies. Popularity in America and Australia was muted, with the track falling short of an American Top 40 position and being restricted to a small musical niche with Australians. "Outlaw" followed not long after, with similar responses, as well as their first album, Extra Virgin in 1996. The band also toured with Slipknot drummer Joey Jordison in 1999. Going along with the success of the remixed single, Extra Virgin was re-released with a bonus disc of remixes (by producers including Monkey Mafia, Roni Size, and the famed duo of Paul Oakenfold and Steve Osborne) in 1997. The band went on tour to promote the album with a seven-piece band, playing three episodes of Top of the Pops ("You're Not Alone" twice in May 1997, "Outlaw" in August), a ten-date UK tour, as well as legs in Germany (alongside Faithless) and the U.S. In the time leading up to the release of the follow-up album, Taylor-Firth had left the group to return to Nightmares on Wax, bringing it down to a duo. Meanwhile, they lost the support of RCA's UK branch, which dropped the band; however, they were then picked up by Madonna's Maverick Records (supposedly, with Madonna's personal approval after she attended one of their concerts in Germany). In 2000, their presciently-named second album Trickle was released. While Trickle still displayed the distinctive Olive sound, the tunes were more dance-oriented. The best known song on this album was a cover of the 10cc song "I'm Not in Love"; it reached number one on the Billboard Hot Dance Music/Club Play chart, and was featured on the soundtrack to The Next Best Thing. Since then, like many trip-hop bands, little has been heard of them. The band has entered an extended hiatus. Kellett is focussing on songwriting for other artists so that he can spend more time with his family. Ruth-Ann joined Enigma as a vocalist, and released her first solo album 'What About Us' on June 4th 2007. It was released exclusively through iTunes. At the 1997 Ivor Novello Awards (May 28, 1998), Kellett and Taylor-Firth received the Best Dance Music award for "You're Not Alone". The song was also covered as a 2002 single by German dance producer ATB. During the American leg of the Trickle promotional tour, the band suggested that 60-70% of their audience demographic at the time was gay. This was recognized to the extent that the final show of the tour was played at the San Francisco Pride festival. Today, Olive is generally placed alongside mid-1990s trip hop/electronica artists such as Moloko, Beth Orton, and the Sneaker Pimps.

MORE ARTIST INFO

The epitomy of the quieter, coffee-table side of singer/songwriter electronica and trip-hop, Olive was formed by producers Tim Kellett and Robin Taylor-Firth (former members of, respectively, Simply Red and Nightmares on Wax) with vocalist Ruth-Ann Boyle. Kellett connected with Boyle while playing keyboards for a live incarnation of the Durutti Column (he manipulated her tape-looped vocals while on stage), and asked her to join him in a new recording project. With Kellett writing lyrics and the addition of Taylor-Firth, the trio recorded three songs and found plenty of labels ready to bid for their services. RCA Records won out and released "You're Not Alone" in 1995. Though it took almost a year to catch on with British audiences, the single eventually hit number one and sold half a million copies. America proved passingly fond of the track as well, making a home near the Top 40 for it. Their second album Trickle arrived in 2000 on Maverick Records. © John Bush, All Music Guide

29.3.08

Eye To Eye





Eye To Eye - Eye To Eye - 1982 - Warner Bros

The great producer, Gary Katz will probably be mostly associated with many of Steely Dan's great recordings, especially the legendary "The Nightfly" album for Donald Fagen, but he has produced many great recordings for artists as diverse as Bobby Darin, Mamas & Papas, Steppenwolf, Three Dog Night, 10 CC, & Joe Cocker. He is also a renowned A&R man/talent scout, and signed up artists like Jim Croce, Chaka Khan, Prince, Dire Straits, Christopher Cross and Rickie Lee Jones, mainly for Warner Bros. He was sent a recording of the American/British duo, Eye To Eye, was interested in their sound, and agreed to produce their debut album. It is a very good album full of quirky lyrics and catchy tunes. Katz, as is the norm with him assembled some of the best session musicians available, including part time Steely Dan members like Elliott Randall and Dean Parks to play on the album. Donald Fagen, himself played synth on "On The Mend." A single from this album, "Nice Girls" hit the Billboard Top 40." In 1983 they released their 2nd album "Shakespeare Stole My Baby" including the Billboard Top 100 single hit tune "Lucky." Again, it had an all star session list of credits, but had a much lesser impact than the first release which had been well reviewed by the New York Times and had also sold over 80,000 copies in the U.S. However, over the two albums, Warner Bros lost out financially. In 1983, Julian Marshall and Deborah Berg, had a band assembled which was comprised mainly of British musicians. They played a few N.Y gigs and were offered support band slot to a planned U.S tour by Fleetwood Mac. Warner, understandably were reluctant to finance Eye To Eye, and sadly the duo broke up soon after. It could have been their big break back then. Who knows? This very rare debut album from Eye To Eye is well worth listening to. Deborah's great voice combines the sounds of Steely Dan, Joni Mitchell, and Sade. The album has unusual quirky lyrics, very catchy tunes, and some crack musicians. .Eye To Eye's music has been described as heavily influenced Steely Dan "Basia-vein pop," and that is a good description. There was a single released by"Eye To Eye" called "Am I Normal ?" c/w "Tonight Insomnia" on Automatic Records UK. This single should be worth seeking out. In 2005, "Eye To Eye" recorded a third album, "Clean Slate," which has received some great reviews. It is also worth checking out the "Zazu" album, by Rosie Vela @ R.VELA/ZAZU , which is another Katz production in a similar style - unusual song structures, quirky lyrics, and clever hooks played by the Katz/Steely Dan ensemble. But if you really want to hear a classic and criminally underrated album, again in this music style, check out the superb "Flaunt The Imperfection" album by China Crisis. Incredibly cryptic lyrics, but every track is a rock masterpiece.The album, "surprisingly" enough was produced by The Dan's Walter Becker. Enough said.

TRACKS

Hunger Pains
Life In Motion
Nice Girls
More Hopeless Knowledge
Progress Ahead
Physical Attraction
Time Flys
On The Mend

All compositions by Julian Marshall & Deborah Berg

MUSICIANS

Julian Marshall - Keyboards
Deborah Berg - Vocals
Donald Fagen - Synthesizer on "On The Mend."
Jeff Porcaro - Drums
Jim Keltner - Drums
Chuck Rainey - Bass
Abraham Laboriel - Bass
Rick Derringer - Guitar
Elliott Randall - Guitar
Dean Parks - Guitar
Ian Underwood - Keyboards
Starz Vanderlocket - Percussion
Rush Underwood - Marimba
Timothy B. Schmit - Background Vocals
Produced by Gary Katz

BIO (Wikipedia)

Eye to Eye are a duo formed by Seattle, USA singer Deborah Berg and English pianist Julian Marshall. They first met in San Diego in 1980 at a performance of the dance ensemble Mostly Women Moving, for whom Berg danced. Berg had been injured and sang instead of dancing on the night of the performance Marshall attended; he spoke with Berg and a few weeks later asked her to fly to England to record with him. A deal with Automatic Records followed soon after, and their first single, "Am I Normal?", came out later that year. Signing with Warner Bros. Records, they released their debut album in 1981, and the lead single "Nice Girls" cracked the Top 40 in the US. A second album followed in 1983, produced by Steely Dan producer Gary Katz, but it did not receive much label support and did not sell well. In 2001, the members reunited, and in 2005 released a third album.

EYE TO EYE HISTORY

Eye to Eye was born in 1980 after a chance encounter between Julian Marshall and Deborah Berg in San Diego, California. Julian and his wife, Arabella, attended a dance performance by the San Francisco-based dance collective Mostly Women Moving, with whom Deborah danced and sang. She had a knee injury, so she sang instead of danced that night, and her voice dazzled Julian. They exchanged phone numbers, and, upon his return to London, Julian invited Deborah to fly across the Atlantic and try writing together. Three weeks later, Deborah and Julian had a tape of demos and a record deal in the works. Their first single, 1980's "Am I Normal?," attracted the attention of Steely Dan producer Gary Katz in Los Angeles at a Warner Brothers Artist and Repertoire meeting. Soon, Julian and Deborah signed with Warner Brothers in the States and were recording in Los Angeles with some of the world's finest session players. Deborah and Julian recorded two albums for Warner Brothers, both produced by Gary Katz. Their self-titled debut came out in 1981 and eventually sold 80,000 copies in the United States. "Nice Girls," the album's single, scored them a Billboard Top 40 hit. Deborah and Julian undertook a successful East Coast tour in support of the album, and received a wonderful review from New York Times reporter Stephen Holden. Their second album "Shakespeare Stole my Baby" was released in 1982. To their disappointment, the album sank without much notice. It has, of course, been reissued to considerable critical acclaim. After their second album, Julian and Deborah put the band on hiatus while they both dedicated their time to family and other pursuits. In 2001, Julian flew to New York, fired up with enthusiasm to play and sing with Deborah again. He came with the idea of forming a jazz quintet with her, but after one listen to old Eye to Eye songs, they reawakened the band. Many trips across the Atlantic later (with enormous apologies to the environment) and armed with eleven new songs, Eye to Eye recorded again. Roxy Music producer Rhett Davies co-produced this album, and recording took place in both New York City and Devonshire. Eye to Eye's third album, 'Clean Slate,' was born on June 27, 2005, and is currently being promoted in the United Kingdom to great response. This vibrant duo's smooth sound and evocative lyrics herald a new chapter in Eye to Eye's fantastic story. © www.eyetoeyemusic.com/secondary/theBand.html

MORE ABOUT THE DUO [ Words © from Adult Music In Japan]

"Eye To Eye" is the duo comprising of Julian Marshall, keyboard player coming from UK, and Deborah Berg, female vocalist coming from Seattle,USA. Julian Marshall had done another duo with female singer, "Marshall Hain" in late 70's, which released the album "Free Ride" in UK (same album released in USA was titled as "Dancing In The City". The reason why this unknown pop duo "Eye To Eye" was remarked was, as you guess, the works produced by Gary Katz known for his producing works with Steely Dan. It is said that "Eye To Eye" started its duo activity in 1979 by releasing their single record "Am I Normal ?" c/w "Tonight Insomnia" under Automatic Records UK. In 1982, they released 1st album "Eye To Eye" produced by Gary Katz and first single "Nice Girls" hit Billboard Top 40. Only one year later, they released their 2nd album "Shakespeare Stole My Baby" including the Billboard Top 100 single hit tune "Lucky". If I explain to their music style, "Eye To Eye" was "pop heavily influenced from Steely Dan."

23.3.08

Chris Potter





Chris Potter - Follow the Red Line [Live at the Village Vanguard] - 2007 - Sunnyside

Here's a quote from All About Jazz, and it says a lot about this stunning album - "It's an exercise in futility to find a name for the music of Follow the Red Line. But as Potter blurs the lines between jazz, rock, funk and even a little afro-beat in ways that are finally being accepted again two decades after The New York Times declared the "pestilence known as fusion is dead," the best word to describe this recording is, quite simply, great."
© John Kelman, AllAboutJazz

Born in Chicago in 1971, Potter grew up in Columbia, South Carolina. By the time he was fourteen, he was a professional and when he was eighteen, he moved to New York, enrolled at the Manhattan School of Music, and joined bop trumpeter Red Rodney's quintet until 1994. He has worked with some of the world's finest jazz musicians,. and some of his finest session gigs include work with the legendary Marian McPartland on her 1993 CD, In My Life, and with Renee Rosnes, Paul Motian, Dave Holland, John Patitucci, Dave Douglas, Steve Swallow, and Kenny Werner. He has toured with Steely Dan and played on their briliant "Two Against Nature" album. He was the youngest ever winner of Denmark's prestigious Jazzpar Prize in 2000. There have been many great recordings made from artists appearing at the legendary Village Vanguard venue in Manhattan, and this recording is up there with the best of them. An incredible mix of jazz funk, fusion, blues, and even a few great rock beats, this album should be heard by anybody remotely interested in good music. Even if you are not a jazz lover, it would be impossible not to like this album. A wonderful recording and VHR by A.O.O.F.C.. Check out his excellent 2006 album, "Underground," and for a great lesson in musical education, try and listen to Chris Potter's sax solo on the track, "West of Hollywood" from Steely Dan's "Two Against Nature" album, where he plays a seemingly impossible series of changes for over four minutes. It's breathtaking stuff from a living jazz legend.


TRACKS

Train - 15:59
Arjuna - 14:41
Pop Tune #1 - 11:56
Viva Las Vilnius - 12:59
Zea - 6:52
Togo - 12:55
Morning Bell - 9:19

All tracks composed by Chris Potter, except Togo, which is an Ed Blackwell tune.

MUSICIANS

Adam Rogers (guitar)
Chris Potter (tenor saxophone)
Craig Taborn (Fender Rhodes piano)
Nate Smith (drums)




REVIEWS

Saxophonist Chris Potter has been pushing the limits of the saxophone since his entrance to the jazz scene. Potter created the Underground band as a vehicle for his explorations in improvisation and composition. Though the band has only been around for a short time, it has proven to be one of the most engaging and far-reaching ensembles around. The new recording, Follow the Red Line, documents the band in its element, a live performance at the famed Village Vanguard, and expands upon their previous release, Underground (Sunnyside 2006). The band consists of young stalwarts Craig Taborn (keyboards), Adam Rogers (guitar) and Nate Smith (drums). This recording serves as a perfect expose of Potter’s prowess as composer and performer. © 2003-2007 Radical Moodswinger Music - All Rights Reserved


For the last half century, the tenor saxophone has been the top dog in jazz, the instrument that carries the most heft in the community. It’s the heavyweight voice that typically isn’t cute or clever. Not many tenor saxophonists will settle for being coy.
Chris Potter, album-by-album and show-by-show over the last ten years, has made a bid for the tenor title. He has been playing with the best bandleaders (from Dave Holland to Steely Dan), and he has been leading his own potent groups. Though Potter does not possess a larger-than-life persona, he builds gargantuan solos with the personality of a freight train: slow at first, then surging and bold, and finally explosive and spectacular. Potter’s band Underground is his most hard-hitting outfit, and this document of the band’s tenure in the legendary Greenwich Village basement club bristles with daring and funk energy. What a great record!
Follow the Red Line features not only Potter’s tenor but also a fully integrated rhythm section: Craig Taborn’s Fender Rhodes electric piano, Adam Rogers on electric guitar, and Nate Smith’s drums. This is a band that could court cliché—an electric “fusion” band that integrates funk rhythms with jazz—and that would seem to be lacking an important tool: a bass player. But, in fact, the opposite is true. Underground is a band that pulses with invention. With Potter out front, the band is precisely the opposite of generic. Each player is pressed into varied service: Taborn plays bass lines as well as ripping chords, Rogers is both distorted and clean, choppy and legato, and Smith is polyrhythmic fallout—a dizzying clatter of arms and legs in flowing groove.
Even compared to the band’s first studio outing from early 2006, this is a progression. While the tunes still begin with intelligently composed, carefully voiced arrangements, there is a boiling beneath the surface that rises quickly enough to the surface. On “Arjuna”, for example, the ensemble section bristles with Smith’s nasty stickwork, then Taborn’s solo starts at a simmer and starts to flare up as the punches of left-hand Rhodesplay is complicated by Rogers stuttering guitar. When Potter enters, it is predictably with his own stuttering ‘plosions of breath, adding another pointellistic layer to the polyrhythm. The solo climaxes in a series of serpentine rips that alternate with architectural steps through the harmony.
Equally impressive are the more consonant moments, such as the statement of melody on “Pop Song #1”, where a pleasant and inevitable tune is set amidst a flow of surprising chords. Rogers plays with a pungent simplicity, and Taborn patiently waits for each downbeat before playing his gospel-infused chords. On Potter’s solo, however, the band gets into an improbably hot funk groove that seems to build off the basic guitar line. “Viva las Vinius” is first built off a single rhythm lick, and the band seems ready to ride the thing through the whole performance. It’s even more of the treat, then, when Potter’s solo begins in a slowed-down free time that very gradually builds from slow and quiet back to the full strength of the original groove.
It’s an extra treat that Follow the Red Line allows Potter a long stretch for his outstanding sound on bass clarinet. Bass clarinet is a doublers specialty, of course, and inevitably gets jazz fans thinking about Eric Dolphy. So it’s wonderful to hear Underground place the oddball horn in a Rhodes-and-guitar pop ballad on “Zea” and then allow it to begin “Togo” in a Bennie Maupin vibe, muttering from its lower register as the rhythm section slowly picks up on the percussive groove. This last tune eventually gives way to a one-chord jam groove (and a burning tenor solo) that suggests how Potter’s electric band ultimately converges with the likes of Medeski, Martin, and Wood on the one hand and class Sonny Rollins on the other.
The magic in Red Line is ultimately in the drama that each player brings to his solos, each of which builds like a scene from a Hitchcock film. Top honors, as so often, go to Taborn’s versatile Rhodes playing. But they are Potter’s fiendish tunes and his group conception. In a year that saw the passing of Michael Brecker, Potter seems to have emerged as a steely-toned tenor player who blends harmonic adventure with groove. It’s not a question of talking about Potter as a Brecker successor—they’re totally different players and, frankly, I think that Potter’s range and imagination is wider. But it’s a joy to hear this young master put a hard-edged, Breckeresque foot forward. Chris Potter, one of finest saxophone players in jazz today, has made a great record. © Will Layman, © 1999-2008 PopMatters.com. All rights reserved


Nobody can replace the late Michael Brecker, but sax master Chris Potter has Brecker's sweeping technical command, and the ability not only to express just about any fleeting thought on the instrument, in flat-out real time and without repetition, but to hook the thoughts together as a shapely and dramatic spontaneous narrative. This live set from New York's Village Vanguard features Potter's best-ever group, with visionary keyboardist Craig Taborn, guitarist Adam Rogers and drummer Nate Smith. There's plenty of jolting Breckerish melodic edginess, but more avant-funk explorations, and abstract textural journeys through the sonic resourcefulness of Taborn and Rogers. The opening Train becomes a chunky funk strut, the fast Arjuna is like crisper, cleaner Bitches Brew music, and Pop Tune is a swelling ballad for sax and guitar that eventually becomes loping, Crusaders-like funk. Taborn's sumptuous ripples and lustrous chords usher in Potter's startlingly pure bass clarinet on the rapturously reflective Zea, and Togo is a long, slow-build finale that milks its riff to the utmost. © John Fordham, Friday November 2, 2007, The Guardian , guardian.co.uk © Guardian News and Media Limited 2008

BIO IWikipedia)

Chris Potter (born January 1, 1971) is an American jazz saxophonist, composer, and multi-instrumentalist. Born in Chicago, Illinois, Potter spent most of his childhood in Columbia, South Carolina where his mother taught psychology at the University of South Carolina. He exhibited an early interest in all kinds of music and quickly became a prodigy, mastering several instruments including guitar and piano, and finally gravitating toward the alto and tenor saxophone. Potter played his first professional jazz gig at age 13 and quickly developed a devoted local following. He attended college in New York City, first at the New School, and later at Manhattan School of Music. He currently resides in New York. Potter has released a number of albums as leader and has performed and recorded with many leading musicians including Kenny Werner, Red Rodney, Marian McPartland, the Mingus Big Band, Paul Motian, Ray Brown, Jim Hall, James Moody, Dave Douglas, Joe Lovano, Wayne Krantz, Mike Mainieri, Steve Swallow, Steely Dan, Dave Holland, Joanne Brackeen, and many more. His 1998 CD Vertigo was named one of the year's top ten jazz CDs by both Jazziz magazine and The New York Times. He was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Jazz Instrumental Solo for his work on the Joanne Brackeen recording Pink Elephant Magic. His 2004 CD Lift: Live At The Village Vanguard was named one of the year's ten best new jazz recordings by Fred Kaplan of Slate.

Heights Of Abraham





Heights Of Abraham - Electric Hush - 1995 - Pork Recordings

Pork recordings produced some amazing downtempo electronica albums. Electric Hush is a good one, although it doesn't have the same impact as their brilliant "Humidity" album. But then albums as good and original as "Humidity" are a rare commodity, and HOA would have found it hard to better that particular album. Nevertheless, "Electric Hush" shouldn't be missed by any lover of quality modern chill-out electronica. Check out their classic downtempo "Humidity" album @ HOA/HUMIDITY
It is worth listening to another Pork release, "East Coast Chip Shop" by Moss, and "Seven Up" by Baby Mammoth. There is info on a great compilation album by Pork recordings @ VA - PORK 100

TRACKS

1.The Cleric
2.Boogie Heights
3.High Times
4.Dolphins
5.What's The Number
6.Olive Branching
7.EVA
8.700 Channels
9.Sunyatta
10.Make Love

Composers - Fred Neil (tracks: 4) , Harries (tracks: 1 to 3, 5 to 10) , Lister (tracks: 1 to 3, 5 to 10) , Cobby (tracks: 1 to 3, 5 to 10)
Producer, Mixed By - Heights Of Abraham

BIO

The Heights of Abraham is an electronica collaboration based in Sheffield and Kingston upon Hull, Yorkshire in North-East England. Formed in the mid 1990s by Steve Cobby, Sim Lister and Jake Harries, they play electronica, ambient techno, and chill out. Formed in 1992 their debut releases (Tides EP and Humidity LP) came in 1992 on the ambient-downtempo label Pork Recordings (also based in Hull). With David McSherry; who forms Fila Brazilia with Cobby; Cobby and Lister created their own music label, Twentythree Records.

21.3.08

Mama Lion





Mama Lion - Give It Everything I’ve Got - 1973 - Family Productions

Good Lynn Carey rocker, in the same style as the self titled 1972 "Mama Lion" release. Check out Mama Lion/ML/PW/BIO for more info on Mama Lion / Lynn Carey and the band's "Mama Lion", aka "Preserve Wildlife" album from 1972.

TRACKS

Give It Everything I've Got
I Wanna Be Your Woman
Life Is Just A Four Letter Word
Mama Never Told Me
Crazy Place
Dark Garden
From Bad To Worse
I'm Tired
Criffins
Saved

BAND

Ed Mikenas - Bass
Lynn Carey - vocals
Neil Merryweather - bass/vocals
James Newton Howard - keyboards/vocals
Coffi Hall - drums/percussion
Alan Hurtz - guitar
Bob Rose - Guitar

Stevie Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham





Stevie Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham - Buckingham Nicks - 1973 - Polydor

A very good debut album featuring the duo of Lindsey Buckingham and partner Stevie Nicks. This album was a commercial failure, and Polydor dropped them while they were recording tracks for a second album. Buckingham's guitar playing is very impressive on this album, and Stevie Nicks' likable voice comes from the heart. The tracks are interesting, and the album includes the song "Crystal", which was re-worked for the duo's first album with Fleetwood Mac. The tracks are varied in style. Some of the tunes (like "Don't Let Me Down Again") sound similar to the songs the duo would eventually record with Fleetwood Mac. Other tracks (like "Lola (My Love)") sound very different. Buckingham Nicks is a good album, and should be of interest to anybody who likes the music of the later Fleetwood Mac. Check out Lindsey Buckingham's great "Law and Order " album from 1981, and Stevie Nicks' "Bella Donna " album from the same year.

TRACKS

"Crying in the Night" (Nicks) - 2:48
"Stephanie" (Buckingham) - 2:12
"Without A Leg To Stand On" (Buckingham) - 2:09
"Crystal" (Nicks) - 3:41
"Long Distance Winner" (Nicks) - 4:50
"Don't Let Me Down Again" (Buckingham) - 3:52
"Django" (Lewis) - 1:02
"Races Are Run" (Nicks) - 4:14
"Lola (My Love)" (Buckingham) - 3:44
"Frozen Love" (Nicks, Buckingham) - 7:16

CREDITS

Lindsey Buckingham - Guitar, Percussion, Vocals
Stevie Nicks - Vocals
Ronnie Tutt - Drums
Jim Keltner - Drums
Jerry Scheff - Bass
Gary Hodges - Drums, Percussion Overdubs
Monty Stark - Synthesizer
Peggy Sandvig - Keyboards
Jorge Calderon - Percussion
Waddy Wachtel - Additional Guitar on Lola (My Love)
Richard Hallagan - Strings Arranged By
Producer: Keith Olsen
Executive Producer: Lee Lasseff
Engineer: Keith Olsen
Assistant Engineer: Richard Dashut
Photography: Jimmy Wachtel
Album Design: Jimmy Wachtel

ARTIST INFO (Wikipedia)

Buckingham Nicks is a 10-track LP by Stevie Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham. The album, produced and engineered by Keith Olsen, was recorded in 1973 for Polydor Records, right after Buckingham and Nicks disbanded their long-time band, Fritz. It was released that September and proved to be a commercial failure. The album has since gained cult status. It was reissued in 1976 when Buckingham and Nicks hit the big time with Fleetwood Mac. It should be noted that Nicks' name is misspelled as "Stevi" on the record. A short tour through the American south commenced after the release of the album; Buckingham and Nicks had already joined Fleetwood Mac, but the band was still committed to the dates that were scheduled. Bootlegged concert recordings have recently surfaced on fan-sites and on peer-to-peer trading sites of two concerts in Tuscaloosa and Mobile. The touring band consisted of Tom Moncrieff on bass (who later played bass on Nicks' first solo album Bella Donna), Bob Aguirre (from Fritz) on drums, and Gary "Hoppy" Hodges who played drums on the album. Moncrieff and Hodges later formed the band Sinai 48 with a new singer-songwriter duo in 2006, marking the first reunion of any members since disbanding, aside from the continued collaboration of Buckingham and Nicks. Despite the enduring popularity of both of its key contributors, the album was never officially released on CD. Bootlegs dubbed from vinyl have circulated since the late 1980s. It has become one of the most requested titles for CD release. In 2003, Rhino Records announced the album's pending release as a deluxe CD with bonus tracks; however, the CD was never released. Buckingham and Nicks share ownership of the album. Two of the album's ten songs have been issued on CD so far. "Long Distance Winner" was released as part of Nicks' "Enchanted" box set, and "Stephanie" turned up on a promotional only CD release by Buckingham entitled "Words and Music (A Retrospective)." Another song from the album, "Crystal", was recorded by the revamped Fleetwood Mac for the group's 1975 breakthrough LP, Fleetwood Mac. "Don't Let Me Down Again" was rerecorded by Fleetwood Mac for their live album, and "Frozen Love" was performed several times during the tour to support the Fleetwood Mac album. On an interview on WRLT 100.1 Nashville (9/11/06), Buckingham has expressed an interest in the album seeing the light of day on CD. He also suggested the possibility of a future joint Lindsey Buckingham-Stevie Nicks tour in the next few years to support the re-release. Buckingham-Nicks backing musicians Tom Moncrieff and Gary Hodges have also expressed interest in reuniting with Buckingham and Nicks in a possible future tour.

ABOUT STEVIE NICKS

Singer/songwriter Stevie Nicks, who is famous for her husky voice, reached the pinnacle of her musical career with Bella Donna (1981), a 5x platinum album that received heavy airplay through the single “Stop Draggin’ My Heart Around” (with Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers). She is also praised for her work in “Stand Back” (1983), the Grammy-nominated “Violet and Blue” (soundtrack from the 1984’s drama Against All Odds), “Talk To Me” (1985), “Rooms on Fire” (1989) and “Planets of the Universe” (2001, popularized by its remixed version). Previously, Nicks earned public recognition as a member of the band Fleetwood Mac, who scored success with such self-penned songs as “Rhiannon” (1975), “Landslide” (1975), “Gold Dust Woman” (1977) and “Gypsy” (1982). She, along with the band, earned a Grammy nomination for their reunion project, The Dance (1998). Amid her well-built musical career, Nicks had serious drug problems, which started off in the mid 1980s. Although, in 1986, she was in cocaine rehab at the Betty Ford Rehabilitation Center, the artist was then addicted to Klonopin, a sedative used to counteract her anxiety after reducing her cocaine dose. In late 1993, she had a 47-day detoxification from Klonopin. On a more private note, Nicks was once involved with Lindsey Buckingham, Mick Fleetwood of Fleetwood Mac, the late Warren Zevon, and Don Henley of Eagles. During 1983-1984, she was married to Kim Anderson. Nicks now remains unmarried and lives in Paradise Valley, Arizona.

Childhood, Family, Career

On May 26, 1948, Stephanie Lynn Nicks (later famous as Stevie Nicks) was born in Phoenix, Arizona. Her grandfather, a struggling country singer, taught her to sing when she was four. With her well-developed musical talent, 16-year old Stevie wrote her first song, called “I’ve Loved and I’ve Lost.” On August 10, 2005, her father died. While attending Menlo Atherton High School, she formed a band named the Changing Times and met future musical and private partner Lindsey Buckingham. They created the band Fritz, along with friends Javier Pacheco and Calvin Roper, and launched their pro career in music. Amid her attempt to pursue a musical career, Stevie continued her studies at the San Jose State University in Northern California. As for her romantic life, Stevie was involved with some of her musical partners before eventually marrying Kim Anderson on January 29, 1983. Previously, Kim’s wife, who was also Stevie’s best friend, died of leukemia and Stevie felt obliged to marry him and become his child’s mother. However, in April 1984, they divorced..
Stevie Nicks and the Fritz earned some recognition in the West Coast music community with their opening acting for Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin and Creedence Clearwater Revival. Yet, the band quickly parted ways, leaving Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham working as a duo. In 1973, they released their only duo album, Buckingham Nicks, which apparently made little impact, save for drummer Mick Fleetwood. He then asked them to join his band, Fleetwood Mac. In 1975, Fleetwood Mac released an eponymous album, which included Nicks’ self-written hit single “Rhiannon” and “Landslide,” as well as the re-released Buckingham Nicks’ song “Crystal.” Soon, the band had their first success by topping the Billboard 200 chart and selling over 5 million copies. It was ensued by the bestseller album Rumours (1977), for which Nicks contributed the No.1 Billboard Hot 100 single “Dreams,” “Gold Dust Woman” and “I Don’t Want to Know.” Fleetwood Mac’s next recording, the double album Tusk (1979), did not fare as well due to its more experimental sound. In Tusk, Nicks wrote several songs, including “Sisters of the Moon,” “Angel,” “Beautiful Child” and “Storms.” At the time, the band began falling apart. Nicks, who formerly recorded “Whenever I Call You Friend” (1978) with Kenny Loggins, went solo and launched her debut album, Bella Donna, in 1981. Scoring huge success, the debut recording became the No.1 Billboard 200 album and by 1990, had received 5x platinum certification. Bella Donna dispatched the No. 3 Billboard Hot 100 single “Stop Draggin’ My Heart Around” (with Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers), “Leather and Lace” (with Don Henley), “Edge of Seventeen” and “After the Glitter Fades.” It brought her to the movie industry, where she sang the self-written “Blue Lamp” for the animated adventure movie Heavy Metal (1981). Rejoining Fleetwood Mac, Nicks penned “Gypsy,” “That’s Alright” and “Straight Back” for the band’s double platinum album Mirage (1982). The artist then launched her sophomore solo album, The Wild Heart (1983), which also went double platinum. It spawned three hit singles, “Stand Back,” “If Anyone Falls” and “Nightbird,” as well as broke the Mainstream Rock chart with “Enchanted,” “Nothing Ever Changes” and “I Will Run to You.” Performing “Violet and Blue” for the drama Against All Odds (1984), Nicks was nominated for a Grammy for Best Album of Instrumental Score Written for a Motion Picture. Two years later, she issued the platinum album Rock a Little (1985) with major hit tracks “Talk To Me,” “I Can’t Wait” and “Has Anyone Ever Written Anything for You.” Amid her cocaine rehab, Nicks returned to Fleetwood Mac to work on the album Tango in the Night (1987). The recording became Buckingham’s final involvement with Fleetwood Mac and he was replaced by Rick Vito and Billy Burnette. In 1988, the band released their Greatest Hits album. The Other Side of the Mirror (1989), Nicks’ third solo album, managed to go platinum thanks to such singles as “Rooms On Fire,” “Whole Lotta Trouble” and “Long Way to Go.” After the release of Fleetwood Mac’s gold album, Behind the Mask (1990), she decided to leave the group. The next year, she issued a greatest hits collection called Timespace (1991), which featured her collaboration with Jon Bon Jovi (“Sometimes It’s a Bitch”) and Bret Michaels of Poison (“Love’s a Hard Game to Play”) and saw the album go platinum. The same success, however, did not happen to her studio album Street Angel (1994), whose lead single “Maybe Love Will Change Your Mind” only hit the 57th spot on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart. Taking a break for her drug problem, Nicks still did movie soundtracks, such as the self-penned “Twisted” for Twister (1996) and “Somebody Stand By Me” for Boys on the Side (1995, written by Sheryl Crow). She next marked her comeback by working with Fleetwood Mac in their reunion project, the live album The Dance (1997). The project eventually brought the band a Grammy nomination. The following year, she released the gold-selling box set album The Enchanted Works of Stevie Nicks (1998). Nicks regained fame with her gold studio album Trouble in Shangri-La (2001) and created success among club music listeners with the remixed version of her “Planets of the Universe.” She re-teamed with other members of Fleetwood Mac in Say You Will (2003), their first studio album in 16 years. Nicks still gives special performances around the world, which included performing in Australia and New Zealand (February-March 2006) and at the inaugural Rock’N the Rally Music Fest (August 2006). © www.superiorpics.com/stevie_nicks © SuperiorPics.com 2007

ABOUT LINDSEY BUCKINGHAM (Wikipedia)

Lindsey Adams Buckingham (born October 3, 1949) is an American guitarist and singer with the musical group Fleetwood Mac. During his career he has also done some independent recording since he first became a member of that group. He is married to photographer Kristen Messner and has three children. As a member of Fleetwood Mac, he was inducted into The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1998. Born in Palo Alto, California, Buckingham was the third and youngest son of Morris and Rutheda Buckingham. He had two older brothers, Jeff and Greg. Growing up in the Bay Area community of Atherton, California, Buckingham and his brothers were encouraged to swim competitively. Though Buckingham dropped out of athletics to pursue music, his brother Greg Buckingham went on to win a silver medal at the 1968 Olympics in Mexico City. Buckingham's first forays into guitar playing took place on a toy Mickey Mouse guitar, playing along to his brother Jeff's extensive collection of 45s. Noticing his talent, Buckingham's parents bought their son a $35 Harmony guitar. His biggest influence is The Beach Boys. Buckingham never took guitar lessons and does not read music. By age 13, he became interested in folk music and, influenced by banjo methods, practised the fingerpicking styles of The Kingston Trio. At 15 he joined a small folk group, providing vocals and guitar work. Buckingham met Stevie Nicks while they both attended Menlo Atherton High School, and later formed The Fritz Rabyne Memorial Band with her and three other friends. Buckingham's fingerpicking style gave him difficulty playing rock guitar, and thus he moved to bass. After gaining popularity at Menlo-Atherton High School, "Fritz" became a popular local act and even opened for such acts as Santana, Jimi Hendrix and Janis Joplin. After cutting some demos with Fritz for producer Keith Olsen, Buckingham and Nicks struck out on their own, and Fritz disbanded in 1971. Buckingham and Nicks became involved romantically, dropping out of San Jose State to pursue a career making music together. Buckingham was stricken with a case of "mono" (Infectious mononucleosis) and his illness forced Nicks to begin waiting tables and cleaning houses to support the couple, while allowing him the free time to master his guitar techniques. Buckingham and Nicks recorded seven demos in 1972 on an analog 4-track. They drove to Los Angeles to pursue a record deal. In 1973, Polydor Records signed the pair. Their album, Buckingham Nicks, was released in September of 1973; soon after its release, Polydor dropped the duo due to poor sales. Despite the record company misstep, Buckingham Nicks has been championed by rock critics since its release. It features gorgeous two-part harmonies backed by notable LA session musicians, including superstar drummer Jim Keltner. Other session musicians include: Ron Tutt, Drums (Elvis Presley TCB Band); Peggy Sandvig, Keyboards; Robert "Waddy" Wachtel, Guitar; Jorge Calderon, Percussion; Jerry Scheff (Elvis Presley TCB Band), Bass; Monty Stark, Synthesizer; Gary Hodges, Drums; and Mark Tulin, Bass. (from the album jacket). Although money was tight, the hardworking duo caught the attention of many budding musicians, including Warren Zevon, who is rumored to have been a roommate of Nicks and Buckingham in a Fairfax district apartment. A short tour promoting the Buckingham Nicks album commenced shortly after the joining of Buckingham and Nicks with Fleetwood Mac. Bootlegs of two concerts in Mobile and Tuscaloosa exist and are widely distributed on peer-to-peer networks and fansites. The touring band included drummers Bob Aguirre (from Fritz) and Gary Hodges playing simultaneously, bassist Tom Moncrieff (who later was featured playing bass on Stevie Nicks' album Belladonna), and, of course, Buckingham and Nicks. To help make ends meet, Buckingham toured with Don Everly's back-up band, singing Phil Everly's parts. Buckingham and Nicks were eventually forced to move in with record producer Keith Olsen, who helped the pair work on several demos for the next Buckingham/Nicks album, including "I'm So Afraid", "Monday Morning", and "Rhiannon". Buckingham Nicks has never been released on CD (although a bootleg version exists). Both Buckingham and Nicks have hinted at a possible remix and re-release on CD in the near future. Buckingham has also suggested a tour in support of the collection could be something the two may be interested in. Moncrieff and Hodges, from the original Buckingham Nicks touring band have also expressed interest. While checking out the Sound City recording studio in California, Mick Fleetwood heard the song "Frozen Love" from the Buckingham Nicks album. He asked who the guitarist was, and immediately stated that he wanted him to fill a recent vacancy. Buckingham insisted to Fleetwood that he and Nicks were a package deal--if Fleetwood didn't want Nicks, he wouldn't get Buckingham. The duo was quickly asked to join Fleetwood Mac on New Year's Eve, 1974. After the resounding commercial success of the group's second album, Rumours (during the making of which Buckingham and Nicks famously split), Buckingham was determined to avoid falling into repeating the same musical pattern. The result was Tusk, a two album set that Buckingham primarily directed. It was during this time that Buckingham moved in with record company secretary, and aspiring model, Carol Ann Harris, with whom he lived until 1984. Though by most standards a hit, Tusk failed to come anywhere close to what Rumours had done, and Buckingham, who also produced the albums, took the brunt of the criticism. Buckingham never fully got over his animosity towards the band for putting a commercial price tag on their art, and it finally came to a head with the release of their 1987 recording, Tango in the Night. Buckingham had already given up much of the material for what would have been his third solo album to the project, including "Big Love," "Tango in the Night," "Family Man," "You and I," and "Caroline." On several of these tracks Buckingham played every instrument. "Big Love" charted as a single, and many (including talk show host David Letterman) thought the "love grunts" on the track were sung by Stevie Nicks. But the vocals on these tracks were, in fact, all sung by Buckingham, who used studio technology to alter the pitch of his voice. Just prior to touring for the release of the album, and citing an aversion to live performance, Buckingham left Fleetwood Mac. He was replaced by guitarists Rick Vito and Billy Burnette. During the time he worked on Tusk, Buckingham also produced albums for Walter Egan and John Stewart in the late 1970s. In 1981, Buckingham released his first solo album Law and Order, playing nearly every instrument and featuring guest appearances by bandmates Mick Fleetwood and Christine McVie. The album pursued the quirky, eclectic, often lo-fi and new-wave-influences of Tusk, and spawned the hit single "Trouble," a slice of Southern California Beach Boys-inspired pop that reached #9 on the US Charts and #1 in Australia (for three weeks). Two years later, he wrote and performed the songs "Holiday Road" and "Dancin' Across the U.S.A." for the film National Lampoon's Vacation. "Holiday Road" was released as a single, but reached only #82 on the Billboard's Hot 100. He did other soundtrack work, including the song "Time Bomb Town" from Back to the Future. In 1984, after ending his 7-year relationship with Carol Ann Harris, he released his second solo album, Go Insane. The title track was a modest hit, reaching #23 on the Hot 100. The last track of the album, D.W. Suite, was a tribute to the late Beach Boys drummer Dennis Wilson. The next year, Buckingham performed on USA for Africa's fundraising single, "We Are the World". Following his split with Fleetwood Mac, Buckingham spent much of the next four years in the studio, working on his third solo album, Out of the Cradle, which was released in 1992. Many of the songs seem to deal with the death of his father, and the sudden death of his brother Greg in 1990. "Wrong" was a gentle rebuke of former bandmate Mick Fleetwood's tell-all biography. Out of the Cradle was not successful commercially, but received some favorable reviews and was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Production[citation needed]. However, Buckingham toured throughout 1992-93 for the first time as a solo artist; his band included an army of seven other guitarists (Buckingham himself calls them "the crazy band" on his Soundstage DVD), each of whom he individually taught the entire two-and-a-half hours of music from the concert (Lindsey Buckingham: Behind the Music documentary for VH-1, 2001). A subsequent solo album, entitled Gift of Screws, was recorded between 1995-2001 and presented to Warner Bros./Reprise for release. Executives at the label managed to persuade Buckingham to hold the CD back and instead take several tracks from Gift of Screws and re-record them with Fleetwood Mac. Thus, seven songs from Gift of Screws ("Murrow Turning Over In His Grave," "Miranda," "Red Rover," "Come," "Steal Your Heart Away," "Bleed to Love Her," and "Say Goodbye") appear on the Fleetwood Mac album Say You Will, and in substantially the same form as Buckingham had recorded them for his solo release. Excellent bootleg copies of Gift of Screws -- taken from an original CD-R presented to Warner Bros/Reprise -- are known to exist and have been widely distributed among fans through the use of torrent sites and other peer to peer networks. Other songs from Gift of Screws appear on Buckingham's 2005 Soundstage DVD, and on his 2006 solo album, Under The Skin. Buckingham contributed the song "Shut Us Down" (co-written with Cory Sipper) to the soundtrack of the Cameron Crowe movie, Elizabethtown. In November of 2005, he released his Soundstage performance (taped in 2003) on DVD, and on his 57th birthday, (October 3, 2006) an acoustic album entitled Under the Skin was released. Under The Skin features Buckingham on almost all instruments, with the exception of two tracks that feature Fleetwood Mac rhythm section John McVie and Mick Fleetwood. The album includes a cover of The Rolling Stones classic "I Am Waiting." Three days after the album's release, Buckingham started a tour promoting the album that lasted until the end of June 2007. Buckingham plans to follow Under the Skin with another solo album in 2008. A CD/DVD combo of his Fort Worth concert in January 2007, titled Live at the Bass Performance Hall, will be released on March 25 2008 In 1992, newly-elected president Bill Clinton asked Fleetwood Mac to come together to perform the song he had chosen for his campaign, "Don't Stop", at his inaugural ceremony. Buckingham agreed to be part of the performance, but the experience was something of a one-off for the band, who were still very much at odds with one another and had no plans to reunite officially. While assembling material for a yet-to-be-released fourth solo album in the mid 1990s, Buckingham contacted Mick Fleetwood for assistance on a song. Their collaboration lasted much longer than anticipated, and the two eventually decided to call upon John and Christine McVie. The band's old chemistry was clearly still there, and plans for a reunion tour were soon in the works. In 1997, Buckingham and all four of his bandmates from the original Rumours line-up of Fleetwood Mac went on the road for the first time together since 1982 in a reunion tour titled The Dance. The tour was hugely successful and did much to heal the damage that had been done between Buckingham and his bandmates. In 2003, the reformed band released the first studio album involving Buckingham and Nicks in 15 years, Say You Will. However, Christine McVie opted only to add some minor backing vocals and keyboards to the project, and the band carried on as a foursome. Buckingham's song "Peacekeeper" was the first single off of the album. This album was followed by a world tour that would last almost a year and a half. Unlike many rock guitarists, Buckingham does not use a plectrum, or a pick. Instead, he uses his fingers and fingernails. He has developed his own style of playing, which can be heard on all of his albums. In 1979, he worked with Rick Turner, owner of Renaissance Guitars to create the Model One. He has used it exclusively since, with Fleetwood Mac and his solo efforts. On July 8, 1998, Buckingham's girlfriend, Kristen Messner, gave birth to their son, William Gregory Buckingham. Buckingham and Messner subsequently married in 2000, and she gave birth to a daughter, Leelee, the same year. Their third child, Stella, was born on April 20, 2004.

Mama Lion





Mama Lion - Mama Lion - 1972 - Family Productions (released by Philips as "Preserve Wildlife")

Produced by Neil Merryweather, Mama Lion was a group destined to show off the Joplinesque voice of Lynn Carey, a sculptural blonde beauty previously in Ivar Avenue Reunion. As often with the Merryweather outputs, the music is a rather loose mix of blues and rock. Their records are now mostly remembered for their sleeves, especially the first with Lynn Carey breastfeeding a lion cub. © Stephane Rebeschini, [Taken from Fuzz, Acid & Flowers - American Garage, Psychedelic & Hippie Rock 1964-1975]

Not a bad blues rock album. The album is probably remembered more for the inside album cover which depicts Lyn Carey suckling a lion cub, than the music. The album itself features a few good tunes sung by the sometimes overpoweringly strong vocalist, Lyn Carey. There are good covers of "Can't Find My Way Home", "Ain't Too Proud To Beg" and "Ain't No Sunshine" Her backing band were by no means great musicians, and yet the playing and backing vocals suited Lyn Carey's old style hard hitting bluesy vocals. Check out their 1973 album, "Give It Everything I've Got."

TRACKS

Ain't No Sunshine
Be Bad With Me
Ain't Too Proud To Beg
Wildcat
Candy Man
Mr. Invitation
Sister,Sister(She Better Than A Man)
Can't Find My Way Home
It's Only A Dream
Cry

BAND

Lynn Carey - vocals
Neil Merryweather - bass/vocals
Rick Gaxiola - guitar
James Newton Howard - keyboards/vocals
Coffi Hall - drums/percussion
Alan Hurtz (guitar)

REVIEW

Released shortly after Led Zepplin hit big, this LP walks in the shadow of that style. Now mostly remembered for the promoition blitz for this album - that included the lead singer Lynn Carey topless on the LP cover breastfeeding a lion cub and a stint as the September 1972 Penthouse Pet of the month (keep in mind these were different times and promotion like this was edgy but acceptable). The music shares more in common with bands like Cold Blood and Rare Earth than Janis Joplin. Its what 1972 really sounded like. All that said, the songs themselves just are not that good, most are average at best. Good intentions lost in translation. Even with that excuse the LP has not aged well. I really wanted to like this album, but in the end its mearly O.K. ... © Michael Wilson, © 2008 All Media Guide, LLC

LYNN CAREY BIO (Wikipedia)

Lynn Carey is a singer and songwriter best known as the lead vocalist in the band "Mama Lion." She is the daughter of actor Macdonald Carey. She is remembered for her beauty and figure as well as her powerful voice. First band was C.K. Strong Mama Lion recorded an album in 1972 called "Preserve Wildlife." In addition to performing on the album as a singer, Lynn Carey appeared on the inside of the album cover with her blouse open and breast exposed, pretending to nurse a lion cub. Lynn Carey was Penthouse Magazine's Pet of the Month in December 1972. She performs big band music these days. Her personal website is http://www.lynncarey.com She provides thhe vocals for Kelly McNamara (lead singer with The Carrie Nations) in Beyond the Valley of thhe Dolls Ms. Carey talked about her career and activities in an interview with Steve Escobar in 2001 @
www.steveescobar.com/rock/lynn.html

19.3.08

Luke Kelly





Luke Kelly - 'Baile Átha Cliath' - 1977 - Ard-Ri

The late Irish patriot, and great Dubliner, Luke Kelly (1940-84), was probably known as the greatest Irish folk singer and balladeer of modern times. He was a member of the renowned Irish folk group, The Dubliners for many years. Nearly 25 years after his death, Luke Kelly is a sore loss to the world of folk music. On June 30, 1980, at a concert in County Cork, Ireland, Luke collapsed on stage with what turned out to be a brain tumour. It is said that the whole of Dublin grieved his early death in January 1984. Luke Kelly, will never be forgotten

This is not typical of the music found on A.O.O.F.C, but an exception will be made for Luke Kelly. Like Ewan McColl, Pete Seeger, Joan Baez, and Bob Dylan, the songs come from the heart. They tell a story. They relate to real sociological issues, and they are very relevant to modern day music, and even more so in the times we presently live in. The sound quality varies on this album, but it gives an idea of the great singer that Luke Kelly was, and the real emotion he brought to the songs he sang.

"Walking all the day, near tall towers where falcons build their nests. Silver winged they fly, they know the call of freedom in their breasts. Saw Black Head against the sky with twisted rocks that run down to the sea. Living on your western shore, saw summer sunsets, asked for more. I stood by your Atlantic sea and sang a song for Ireland." © Phil and June Colclough [ from the song "Song For Ireland"]


TRACKS / COMPOSERS /ABOUT THE SONGS

1.Dirty Old Town - The song was written about Salford, Lancashire, England, where MacColl was brought up. The 1949 song is a scornful description of industrial Northern England, and in some ways forecast the industrial collapse in Britain, over 20 years later. It is said that Luke Kelly sang the song as a scathing reference to the similarities to his own hometown, Dublin, Ireland. - Composed by Ewan McColl
2.Joe Hill (A.K.A I Dreamt I Saw Joe Hill Last Night) - Joe Hill b. Sweden, as Joseph Hillstrom was a Swedish-American union organizer; . He came to the United States in 1902 and, as a maritime worker, joined the Industrial Workers of the World in 1910. He wrote many labor songs, including “Casey Jones” and “The Union Scab.” Found guilty in 1915 of murdering a prominent Salt Lake City man, Hill was executed. He has become a legendary hero of radical labor. - Composed by Earl H. Robinson
3.Peggy Gordon - A beautiful traditional Irish love song.
4.Raglan Road (A.K.A Dawning Of The Day) - An achingly beautiful love song, with many references to Dublin locations. Lyrics by Paddy Kavanagh [from the traditional air 'Fainne Gael an Lae' - The Dawning of the Day]
5.Scorn Not His Simplicity - A song about Phil Coulter's handicapped son and demonstrated Luke Kelly's love of mankind, and their societal rights. He loved the song, and only recorded it once for a TV broadcast. - Composed by Phil Coulter
6.Song For Ireland - This great song has become a kind of celebratory anthem in Ireland, but the writers were actually an English couple from Staffordshire, who were inspired to write it when visiting the Dingle peninsula. - Composed by Phil and June Colclough
7.Thank You For The Days (A.K.A Days - Composed by Ray Davies [Kinks]
8.The Black Velvet Band - Traditional song about a man being led astray by a woman who leaves him penniless. This is a very common theme in Irish pub songs.
9.The Bonny Shoals Of Herring - A song about the hardship and the proud tradition of the brave trawlermen of the British fishing industry - Ewan MacColl
10.The Foggy Dew - An Irish rebel ballad commemorating the Easter Rising in 1916, in Dublin against the British occupation of Ireland. Luke Kelly was very much an Irish Nationalist and a very patriotic Irishman. - Composed by Milligan, E./Fox
11.The Rare Ould Times - The song tells of the changes that have occurred in Dublin since the 60's. Progress can come at a high price. - Composed by Pete St. John
12.The Town I Loved So Well - is a song written by Phil Coulter about his childhood in Derry, and focuses on "The Troubles" which was the high price paid by the people of Northern Ireland, after the British occupation in 1969. It is a song of optimism - Composed by Phil Coulter
13.The Travelling People - A great Scottish folk standard about the plight of the underprivileged travelling nomadic societies in Scotland. Pete Seeger composed similar songs about the American poor. - Composed by E. McColl / Noel Mcloughlin
14.The Wild Rover - Traditional - “The Wild Rover” is the man whose faithless girlfriend convinces him that his only dependable companion is “Whiskey in the Jar,” the Irish drinking song is usually much more of a celebration than a cautionary tale. Many of these songs were introduced to a wider audience during the folk revival of the 1960’s, when Irish musicians such as the Clancy Brothers, gained popularity throughout the world

BIO

Luke Kelly was born on November 17, 1940, into a working class family in Sheriff Street, a quarter of a mile from Dublin's O'Connell Street. His grandmother, who was a McDonald from Scotland, lived with the family until her death in 1953. His father worked all his life in Jacobs biscuit factory and enjoyed playing soccer. Both Luke and his brother Paddy played club GAA football and soccer as kids. In 1953 the Corporation moved the family to Whitehall, then a north city suburb. Luke left school at 13 and after four years of odd-jobbing went to England in 1958. Working at steel fixing with his brother Paddy on a building site in Wolverhampton, he was sacked after asking for more money. He worked odd jobs from oil barrel cleaning to vacuum salesman. The first folk club he came across was in Newcastle in early 1960. Having already acquired the use of a banjo, he started memorising songs. In Leeds he brought his banjo to sessions in McReady's pub and was often to be seen at Communist Party headquarters. The folk revival was under way in England: at the centre of it was Ewan McColl who scripted a radio programme called Ballads and Blues. The skiffle craze had also injected a certain energy into folk singing. Luke started busking. On a trip home he went a fleadh ceoil in Miltown Malbay on the advice of Johnny Moynihan. He listened to recordings of Woodie Guthrie and Pete Seeger. As he sought out the musician in himself, he also developed his political convictions which, as Ronnie Drew pointed out after his death, he stuck to throughout his life. As Ronnie also pointed out, he learned to sing with perfect diction. He befriended Sean Mulready in Birmingham and lived in his home for a period. A teacher who was run out of his job in Dublin after a Catholic witchunt over his communist beliefs, he also had strong music links. A sister, Kathleen Moynihan was a founder member of Comhaltas Ceoltoiri Eireann. He was related by marriage to Festy Conlon, the Co Galway whistle player. His wife's brother, Ned Stapleton, taught Luke The Rocky Road to Dublin. Luke bought his first banjo, a five-string, started a lifelong habit of consummate reading and even took up golf - on one of Birmingham's municipal courses. He got involved in the Jug O'Punch folk club run by Ian Campbell. He befriended Dominick Behan and they performed folk clubs and Irish pubs from London to Glasgow. In London pubs like The Favourite he would hear street singer Margaret Barry and musicians in exile like Roger Sherlock, Seamus Ennis, Bobby Casey and Mairtín Byrnes. Luke Kelly was by now active in the Connolly Asssociation, a left-wing grouping strongest among the exiles in England. His political development was significant. It gave edge and conviction to his performance and lent weight to The Dubliners' repertoire at a time when the youth in Ireland were breaking away from Civil War 'Tweedledum' politics. He was also to start frequenting Ewan McColl and Peggy Seeger's Singer Club in London. In 1961 there was a ballad boom in waiting in Ireland. The Abbey Tavern sessions in Howth was the forerunner to sessions in the Hollybrook, Clontarf, the International Bar and the Grafton cinema. Luke Kelly returned to Dublin in 1962. O'Donoghues was already established as a session house and soon Luke was singing with among others Ronnie Drew and Barney McKenna. Other early people playing at O'Donoghues included the Fureys, father and sons, John Keenan and Sean Og McKenna, Johnny Moynihan and Mairtin Byrnes. A concert John Molloy organised in the Hibernian Hotel led to his Ballad Tour of Ireland with the Ronnie Drew Ballad Group. (Billed in one town as the Ronnie Drew Ballet Group). The success trail led to the Abbey Tavern and the Royal Marine and then to jam-packed sessions in the Embankment, Tallaght. Ciaran Bourke joined the group, followed later by John Sheehan. The called themselves The Dubliners. In 1964 Luke Kelly left the group for nearly two years and was replaced by Bobby Lynch. With the late Deirdre O'Connell, founder of the Focus Theatre, whom he was to marry the following year, he went back to London and became involved in Ewan McColl's "gathering." The Critics, as it was called, was formed to explore folk traditions and help young singers. Luke Kelly greatly admired McColl and saw his time with The Critics as an apprenticeship. "It functioned as a kind of self-help group to develop each other's potential," said Peggy Seeger. Bobby Lynch left The Dubliners and Luke rejoined. They recorded an album in Cecil Sharpe House, London, played the Cambridge Folk Festival and recorded Irish Night Out, a live album with, among other, exiles Margaret Barry, Michael Gorman and Jimmy Powers. They also played a concert in the National Stadium in Dublin with, to Luke's delight, Pete Seeger as special guest. They were on the road to success: Top Twenty hits with Seven Drunken Nights and Black Velvet Band, the Ed Sullivan Show in 1968 and a tour of New Zealand and Australia. The ballad boom in Ireland was becoming increasingly commercialised with publicans building even larger venues for pay-in performances. Christy Moore became a friend after they met in 1967. During his Planxty days he got to know Luke particularly well. "Mind you at that time I think his best singing days were over. I think Luke ran out of steam in The Dubliners as a singer. I've heard tapes of him singing as a younger man and he was wonderful". Luke took to the stage, surprising many with his performance as King Herod in Jesus Christ Superstar. In 1972 The Dubliners themselves performed in Richard's Cork Leg, based on the "incomplete works" of Brendan Behan. An unlikely alliance with Derry composer Phil Counter produced two of Luke's greatest performances: The Town I Loved So Well and the deeply moving Scorn Not His Simplicity. The latter was about Phil's handicapped son and showed Luke as passionate in caring for the individual's plight as he was about the good of society. He had such respect for the song that he only performed it once for a television recording and rarely, if ever, sang it at The Dubliners' often boisterous concerts. On June 30, 1980, during a concert in the Cork Opera House Luke Kelly collapsed on stage. He was rushed to hospital and a brain tumor was diagnosed. Following a lengthy operation there was every hope of a full recovery. He performed again with the group but became ill on a tour of Switzerland and had to pull out. He died in hospital on January 30, 1984. He united Dubliners in their appreciation of their own music and street songs and, years later, when the City Council was divided along Civil War lines over the naming of a new Tolka River bridge, the councillors quickly united as Tony Gregory proposed that it be named after Luke Kelly. © Ronan Nolan, 2008. www.iol.ie/~ronolan/luke_kelly.htm


Leggo Beast




Leggo Beast - From Here to G - 2000 - Pork (UK)

Leggo Beast presents another aspect of the Pork Recordings amazing pool of talent. This incredible label has produced some of the finest downtempo electronica albums ever released.This album produces beats that have continuity throughout the album but would not bore you. Incredibly original melodic rhythms are mixed with kick ass beats that make your heart thump and your mind relax and let you just go with the flow to these wonderfully mixed tracks. For other brilliant Pork recordings, you just have to listen to "Humidity" by Heights Of Abraham," and "East Coast Chip Shop" by Moss. Marvellous music.

TRACKS

1.Mudlark (5:22)
2.There And Back (2:14)
3.One Size Fits All (6:12)
4.A New Home (5:02)
Flute - Bernard Moss
5.Meanwhile... (0:58)
Bass [Additional] - Paddy Tobin
6.Bizarre Love Pentangle (6:30)
7.Step Up (5:27)
8.Break In New Shoes (6:25)
9.Tumbledown (4:47)
10.Dream Topping (4:40)
Vocals - Audrey Okyere-Fosu
11.Summer Lightning (2:01)
12.Itchy Feet (5:21)
13.On Loan (5:59)
14.In (6:16)
15.Flik Flak (3:49)
16.Unplugged (3:59)

CREDITS

Clark Murray, Bernard Moss (Bass)
Bernard Moss (Flute), Bernard Moss (Vocals)
Audrey Okyere-Fosu (vocals)
Mr. Moss (flute)
Clark Murray (Producer)

18.3.08

Various Artists (Pork Recordings) - Downtempo





Various - Pork 100 - 2002 - Pork Recordings [Subtitled: "...in the craters the flowers are blooming"]

Great electronica downtempo compilation featuring Baby Mammoth, Leggo Beast, Momma Gravy, Moss and more great artists with many unreleased tracks. An ultra cool compilation from the great Pork Recordings label. Try and listen to the albums, "Humidity" by Heights Of Abraham, "Motion Without Pain" by Baby Mammoth, and "From Here To G" by Leggo Beast.

TRACKS

1 Baby Gravy You Really Are (6:31)
2 Momma Gravy Hadakemus (5:24)
3 Sheik And Arch Deacon* As You All Know (5:26)
4 Moss Ching (5:19)
5 Leggo Beast Elephant Legs (7:00)
6 Baby Mammoth Spike's Lament (7:50)
7 Shapes, The Fossilized Oesophagus (4:58)
8 B & B (3) Mrs Ripley (5:56)
9 Rawcliff Piggy Back Wind (5:37)
10 Tetris Diving Up (5:13)
11 Last Supper Danceband New Bionic Boogie (5:29)
12 Dustin Another Missing Link (10:46)

Silhouette Brown





Silhouette Brown - Silhouette Brown - 2005 - Ether (USA)

An incredible record -- one that's steeped in the best London sounds of the past few years, and which stands as a summation of the groove-based genius that's emerged from that city's scene! Silhouette Brown is the team of Dego and Kaidi Tatham -- working in a sparkling jazzy groove that draws on all their histories as 4Hero, Neon Phusion, Agent K, and New Sector Movements -- but which somehow manages to push the sound even more, and come up with a style that's incredibly warm and soulful overall. Part of the real strength of the set is vocalist Deborah Jordan -- the third member of the group, and a key component in the cohesive, song-based grooves of the set. Deborah's vocals are incredible -- somehow managing to be both cosmically grooving, yet also soulfully down to earth at the same time -- and working with Dego and Kaidi, she's emerging here as one of the strongest new soul voices we've heard so far this century! One you'll be playing for years -- and a perfect set of tunes that includes "Whose In Charge", "Looking Back", "Time Waits For No One", "Spread That", "Monday's Coming", "Just A Little More", and "Check It". © 1996-2008, Dusty Groove America, Inc.

A brilliant contemporary heartfelt mix of R&B, soul, and London Broken Beat music. Again, you don't have to be a clubber to enjoy this music. If you like neo-soul, nu-jazz, and/or R&B, you will enjoy this album.

TRACKS

A1 Whose In Charge (Backing Vocals - Bembé Segué)
A2 Looking Back
B1 Pain (It’s Gonna Come Heavier)
B2 Time Waits For Nothing
B3 Spread That
C1 Check It (Calling You)
C2 They Can’t Tell Us
C3 Looking Back (Reprise)
D1 Monday’s Coming
D2. Just A Little More
Monday's Coming (Instrumental) - Bonus Track On Some CD Issues

CREDITS

Co-producers - Dego & Kaidi Tatham,
Vocals - Deborah Jordan.

REVIEWS

Fresh for 2005 is Silhouette Brown, the next guise for the acclaimed pairing of Dego and Kaidi Tatham. Both producers turn another corner to serve up a new batch of beats, for the mind, body and most definitely, soul. On diva duty is the impressive Deborah Jordan with Bembe Segue in well-honed support. And it’s the cruise-controlled vocal and songwriting detail as well as the soulful tangent which set this new group formation apart from earlier collaborative efforts. Silhouette Brown’s music is determined to find its place in your playlist: more accessible and yet in keeping with what both producers have released under their previous aliases. Dego’s signature breaks blend in harmony with Kaidi’s synthed-out melodies to create some lingering, soulful delights that hark back to the funkateers of yesteryear. The tempered influences of Herbie Hancock’s jazzy jaunts and Rick James’ freaky funk are discerned. This retrospective theme carries on throughout; gratifying heads in the mood for cool unrushed vibes from West London’s finest. An outstanding cut comes in the form of Pain, which is the closest one can cheekily assume a broken beat ballad would sound like - D and K face off and pull the rabbit out the hat with this one. Just A Little More needs to be called out too. It strums like an obscure soul gem from a UK pirate radio playlist of the early '80s. Who’s In Charge and Monday’s Coming also get the draft treatment. In a nutshell, there are no two for the price of one shelf-fillers. This is an LP’s worth of quality stock. With the dance floor massacre of DKD’s Future Rage still ringing fresh in our blown out minds, Silhouette Brown proves itself to be a tasty contrast that will be making its own kind of impact with no less authority. Don’t keep it to yourself, Spread That! © Ike Ikwuemesi, www.knowtheledge.net/index.htm

Put together by Kaidi Tatham (Bugz In the Attic, Misa Negra and lots more) and Dego (4-Hero and even more aliases than Kaidi) the self-titled album on Ether got great support from jocks Gilles Peterson, Trevor Nelson, Patrick Forge and Benji B. Wide-ranging appeal then if they cover that quartet. Another reason the project was a great success was that whilst Bembé Segué was helping out on writing lyrics and providing lyrics, the lead vocals were taken by friend of FLY, Deborah Jordan (also Robert Mitchell’s Panacea and shortly Abstract Blue Recordings). Perhaps, it is the female influence that gave the production more of a soulful feel than you would have thought. As new tour dates have just been announced, it’s a good opportunity to look again at the album. The opener ‘Whose In Charge’ is a bit of an anthem together with the single that was released, ‘Spread That’. Not only that, ‘Spread That’ got in the top ten of Gilles Peterson’s Worldwide Awards for 2005. ‘Pain’ is a stuttering jazz lounge with minimal keys from Kaidi whilst ‘Time Waits For No One’ takes the same mood down into funky basement beats with some distorted guitar (provided by guest, Somatik who has worked with Mark de Clive-Lowe in the past). Along with the brokenness, there are also minimal beats, Amp Fiddler flavas, mellow Break Reformisms and all sorts of goodness; particularly ‘They Can’t Tell Us’. There’s even a touch of 80s soul girl on ‘Just A Little More’. CC Some Rights Reserved FLY 2006

Silhouette Brown features two of the leading lights of the hugely exciting London broken beat scene and with this album the standard has been raised to a whole new level. More melodic, more sexy, more poised. Each play will offer you a deeper interpretation of a seemingly unostentatious approach to music. In truth, this record is riddled with diverse layers of sound and complexity. Subtle perhaps, intoxicating for sure. Shapeshifters Dego MacFarlane and Kaidi Taitham pushed the outer limits of musical form to create, co-write and co-produce the concept of Silhouette Brown. Amazingly enough, after over 15 years producing some of the most influential electronic music, this is the first full vocal album that Dego has ever produced. Kaidi Tatham (keyboards) was a founding member of the Bugz in the Attic collective who are widely regarded as the premier broken beat collective and are currently storming the charts with their release on V2. Dego MacFarlane (beats and samples) set up Reinforced Records, the label widely credited with pioneering drum n bass in the UK, and the 2000black label as well as being one half of the hugely successful and critically acclaimed, Mercury nominated and Mobo-winner Talkin’ Loud group, 4 Hero. Deborah Jordan (lead vocals) is one of the hidden gems of the London jazz scene. A spectacular voice, Deborah was plucked from relative obscurity by Dego whilst doing backing vocals for Bembe Segue. Bembe Segue (backing vocals) returns the favour on this album with her unique tones and irresistible harmonies. Silhouette Brown is a mightily assured album and as one would expect from its participants, full of energy, soul, and funky beats. Broken beats - never predictable, always on time. © www.multiadaptor.com/clients/ether/releases.php?rid=60

BIO

Deborah Jordan is the kind of lady who finds inspiration “Just waking up every day!? Four years ago she was involved in a very serious accident. The paramedics thought she was dead on the scene. She wasn’t able to walk properly for months. Forunately she recovered with a new found passion and drive. Deborah has been signing all her life. Raised in a musical family with a father who was a lead vocalist and bass player, Deborah says music was “always around the house growing up and I was always taken in by what was playing so seemed natural to join in.? She began developing her musical interests at school first on recorder, then violin, then flute and piano. She started joining groups right out of school and by the time she got to university in London (age 18) she started exploring jazz, mostly standards at that time. She says she developed her style by “listening to anything and everything and trying things out. I hear someone do something I realize I haven't tried and try to figure it out, see if it works when I do it. Just as an instrumentalist practices so should a vocalist - so I thought I should try to keep learning.? After university she started to seek proper musical work. For the last four years that has involved work with Robert Mitchell's acclaimed jazz band Panacea – a London avant-garde jazz band that has been breaking new ground (and recorded for UK jazz imprint Dune). She says, “Panacea has been a great challenge as I hadn't really explored contemporary jazz as a vocalist until then. It's been a great learning curve and I've gotten to try stuff wouldn’t have otherwise. Robert's writing really stretches even a good vocalist so it's great!? Deborah is also featured on the bands forthcoming second album. Alongside this she also became backing vocalist and musical director for singer Eska (who was also in both Robert Mitchell’s Panacea, rapper TY’s band and IG Culture’s broken beat band New Sector Movements) and backing singer for vocalist Bembe Segue, whose best known for her covers of jazz songs like Norman Connors “Mother Of The Future? and her work with Dego [of London soul/electronic band 4 Hero on records for his 2000 Black label. Deborah has performed at both the North Sea jazz festival and Impact festival with Bembe. She has also been featured on a couple of releases in Japan through Dome Records and last year a 12" she made with Konrad Gordon for Smokin Beats was named a top tune in IDJ magazine. Silhouette Brown however is her first proper solo record as the lead singer. Deborah’s influences are diverse. She says “I'm definitely a soul girl at heart“ citing Minnie Riperton, Deniece Williams, Patrice Rushen and Patti Austin all as key influences. She also loves the big band arrangements of Rotary Connection and Quincy Jones. Her greatest find of the last few years is Kim Burrell – “She is just unbelievable - a great consummate artist - phrasing, tone, sensitivity, the whole package.? Male vocalists also get a look in with Marvin Gaye, Eric Benet, Brian Mcknight and Stevie Wonder all getting a mention. But she’s keen to point out “I generally just get inspired by good music - no matter what genre as long it's good. Hence my admiration for Frank Zappa!!? In fact she’s really a massive fan of Zappa- laughing she says “I didn't get him before but have had the revelation of what a musical genius he was and am working my way through his catalogue of material which is huge! The world would be a better place if everyone listened to Zappa! I know this also makes me sound mad! ha ha!? Deborah was introduced to producers Dego [4 Hero] and Kaidi Thatham [Bugz In the Attic / Agent K / Mark De Clive Lowe Band] through fellow singer Bembe – “I'd been doing backing vocals for a short time when she mentioned they were working on a new project together but needed a new vocalist who wasn't already part of the scene to front it. Bembe brought Dego to a gig I was doing with Panacea - not a good start! It was a football night with some important game on TV and if you know Dego you know not to mess with the football schedule!! He was pretty quiet and aloof so I thought he hated me and that was the end of it - til next thing I know, I'm at a preliminary meeting with them all scheduling studio time. They didn't throw me out of the studio so I kept going back!! and before you know it the album was finished!.? She says working with the duo was challenging with the producers making her reach for different techniques and voices for the album. The songs on the album were written with “no hard and fast rule.? Adding, “Some were real collaborations happening there and then; some more one or two people; some words and music done together; some words and music separately - just whatever felt right and whoever had the best ideas! There’s lots of day-to-day stuff in the songs. That's the main thing - stuff that everyone can relate too. Who’s in charge, Pain, Spread that all about stuff we all go through...? Next Deborah plans to take Silhouette Brown live. “The real test is performing in front of the public - getting a genuine instantaneous response.? and the US is the top of her list of places outside the UK she'd like to perform - "I'd love to get the stateside reaction to our British vibe! I hope they like and support us.? Now that is where you come in. © www.giantstep.net

MORE ABOUT THE ARTIST

Silhouette Brown is one of the guises of Dego (4 Hero) and Kaidi Tatham (Bugz in the Attic). With the co-writing talents of Bembe Segue and the glorious voice of Deborah Jordan (Robert Mitchell's Panacea) they produced the self-titled album of 2005 championed by the likes of Gilles Peterson, Trevor Nelson, Patrick Forge, Junior and L'il Dave and many more. The live band have performed at the North Sea Jazz Festival, Roma Jazz Festival, Paradiso (Amsterdam) and Cargo (for both Gilles Peterson's Independent Mix and Ross Allen's Destination Out) amongst many others and are continuing to take the album on tour this year. Both album and single were nominated for the Gilles Peterson Worldwide Awards. © www.brahma.com/trocabrahma/artists/silhouette_brown.html

Gong





Gong - Live 2 Infinitea - 2000 - Snapper Music

Great live album from Gong. There are some amazing sounds here. The psychedelic funk jazz rock sound of Gong may not appeal to everybody, but the album is well worth a listen for it's musical originality and ingenuity. It is worthwhile checking the great "Gong Est Mort" album @
Gong Est Mort
and also their 1978 "Expresso 2" album @
Expresso 2

For similar music in this vein, check out the great "Tago Mago" album by Can.

TRACKS / COMPOSERS

1.Foolfare (0:48) - Allen, Daevid/Travis, Theo
2.Zeroid (6:08) - Allen, Daevid/Howlett, Mike/Travis, Theo
3.Magdalene - Intro (2:15) - Malherbe, Didier
4.Magdalene (5:05) - Allen, Daevid/Malherbe, Didier/Howlett, Mike/Travis, Theo
5.Infinitea (3:58) - Allen, Daevid/Smyth/Howlett, Mike/Taylor/Travis, Theo
6.The Mad Monk (3:29) - Allen, Daevid/Howlett, Mike/Taylor/Travis, Theo
7.Zero The Hero And The Witch's Spell (9:26) - Allen, Daevid/Tritsch
8.Bodilingus - Intro (0:53) - Malherbe, Didier
9.Bodilingus (5:19) - Allen, Daevid/Howlett, Mike/Taylor/Travis, Theo
10.Inner Temple (2:36) - Allen, Daevid/Malherbe, Didier
11.Yoni On Mars (6:57) - Smyth/Travis, Theo
12.Tropical Fish (3:42) - Allen, Daevid
13.Invisible Temple (9:07) - Allen, Daevid/Malherbe, Didier/Smyth/Howlett, Mike/Taylor/Travis, Theo
14.Selene (6:50) - Allen, Daevid/Smyth

CREDITS

Alto & Soprano Saxophones, Doudouk, Flute - Didier Malherbe
Bass - Mike Howlett
Drums, Backing Vocals - Chris Taylor
Keyboards, Electronics, Backing Vocals - Gwyo Ze Pix
Producer - Theo Travis
Space Whisper - Gilli Smyth
Tenor & Soprano Saxophones, Flute - Theo Travis
Vocals, Guitar, Glissando Guitar - Daevid Allen
Notes: Recorded live at Subteranea, London, England 6 April 2000 (Tracks 1, 3 - 11), The Phoenix, Exeter, England 27 April 2000 (Tracks 12, 13) and The Garage, Bergen, Norway 29 April 2000 (Tracks 2, 14)

REVIEWS

Live 2 Infinitea was recorded live during Gong's European tour in Spring 2000, following the release of the studio album Zero to Infinity. Although it does serve as an addendum to the 1995 live set The Birthday Party, it delivers more than that. Special care has been taken not to duplicate tracks already included on the latter (except for "Inner Temple," but this one is really only a frame for jamming) and once-discarded old obscurities like "Zero the Hero and the Witch's Spell," "Tropical Fish," and "Selene" get an inspired (and much welcomed) treatment. The remainder of the set is taken (and derived) from Zero to Infinity, including the energy-packed "Zeroid" and "The Mad Monk." The band is a lot tighter than in 1995 and original members Daevid Allen (vocals, guitar), Gilli Smyth (vocals), Mike Howlett (bass), and Didier Malherbe (saxes, flute) are joined by Soul II Soul drummer Chris Taylor, saxophonist Theo Travis, and the enigmatic keyboardist Gwyo ze Pix. Travis blows some mean solos and contributes the jazzy number "Yoni on Mars." Except for the disappointing song "Bodilingus" (well performed but simply weakly written), this disc is fabulous Gong candy for the fan. While The Birthday Party was drowning in its own nostalgia, Live 2 Infinitea presents a band still very active, engaging, and relevant. Sound quality is excellent, although some crowd noises are intrusive on "Zeroid." © Franois Couture, All Music Guide
In the age of digital precision, it’s a reassurance to know that the spontaneity of live recording is not extinct. And when the band in question has a sum total of over 100 years of professional experience it’s a tonic to hear the power of the record. The disc provides ample evidence that Gong both should and shouldn’t be included under the jazz rubric! The selection of 14 tracks includes 10 pieces from February’s funk-jazz inspired ZERO 2 INFINITY(SNA 824), featuring all 7 musicians on that CD in league with the same man behind the mixing console since 1973, Switch Doctor David Id. The band’s style still veers like that of its co-founder Daevid Allen between sheer outer-spacedness of his multiple echoed ‘glissando guitar’ (Infinitea and Invisible Temple), to an earthy freeform interplay with the 2 reed layers, veteran Gongist Didier Malherbe on flute, soprano and alto saxes, and doudouk, and newcomer Theo Travis on saxes and flute (on Foolefare and Magdalene). As an introduction to the music of Gong this album represents the same potpouri of styles that has been typical of their production for over 30 years. However the main focus, as the title suggests, is singularly the music of this millenium’s tour lineup. The 10 new pieces are the combined works of all band members – from north african Dervish wind work by Malherbe, to the disco-funk of drummer Chris Taylor and more standard freeform saxophony of Travis. Blended in are 3 standards from Gong’s ‘classic LP’s of the early ‘70’s, Zero the Hero and the Witch’s Spell, Inner Temple and the wistful, poetic Selene, first penned in 1969 by Allen with co-founder Gilly Smyth. She adds her characteristic vocal witchery (originally described as ‘space whisper’) here and elsewhere, while bassist Mike Howlett slips in odd allusions to other of the band’s golden oldies from those halcyon years. Instead of swaying new listeners to the far-fling Gong diaspora (the band currently being on a 3 continent tour), this album shows their abiding strength is in live performance. They demonstrate energy far beyond that appropriate for a band with an average age well into the 50’s, skills honed during those intermittent decades on the road, and proof that audience contact was the spice that was missing from their last 2 studio CD’s. I can vouch that seeing is believing (a 2½ hour plus non-stop performance witnessed during the summer), but in lieu the of direct experience LIVE GONG will resound around your cranium to your continuing delight. © Anthony Shaw, All material copyright © 2008 All About Jazz and/or contributing writers/visual artists. All rights reserved.

BIO

Gong slowly came together in the late '60s when Australian guitarist Daevid Allen (ex-Soft Machine) began making music with his wife, singer Gilli Smyth, along with a shifting lineup of supporting musicians. Albums from this period include Magick Brother, Mystic Sister (1969) and the impromptu jam session Bananamoon (1971) featuring Robert Wyatt from the Soft Machine, Gary Wright from Spooky Tooth, and Maggie Bell. A steady lineup featuring Frenchman Didier Malherbe (sax and reeds), Christian Tritsch (bass), and Pip Pyle (drums) along with Allen (glissando guitar, vocals) and Gilli Smyth (space whisper vocals) was officially named Gong and released Camembert Electrique in late 1971, as well as providing the soundtrack to the film Continental Circus and music for the album Obsolete by French poet Dashiel Hedayat. Camembert Electrique contained the first signs of the band's mythology of the peaceful Planet Gong populated by Radio Gnomes, Pothead Pixies, and Octave Doctors. These characters along with Zero the Hero are the focus of Gong's next three albums, the Radio Gnome Trilogy, consisting of Flying Teapot (1973), Angel's Egg (1974), and You (1975). On these albums, protagonist Zero the Hero is a space traveler from Earth who gets lost and finds the Planet Gong, is taught the ways of that world by the gnomes, pixies, and Octave Doctors and is sent back to Earth to spread the word about this mystical planet. The band themselves adopted nicknames -- Allen was Bert Camembert or the Dingo Virgin, Smyth was Shakti Yoni, Malherbe was Bloomdido Bad de Grasse, Tritsch was the Submarine Captain and Pyle the Heap. Over the course of the trilogy, Tritsch and Pyle left and were replaced by Mike Howlett (bass) and Pierre Moerlen (drums). New members Steve Hillage (guitar) and Tim Blake (synthesizers) joined. After You, Allen, Hillage, and Smyth left the group due to creative differences as well as fatigue. Guitarist Allen Holdsworth joined and the band drifted into virtuosic if unimaginative jazz fusion. Hillage and Allen each released several solo albums and Smyth formed Mothergong. Nevertheless the trilogy lineup has reunited for a few one-off concerts including a 1977 French concert documented on the excellent Gong Est Mort, Vive Gong album. Allen also reunited with Malherbe and Pyle as well as other musicians he had collaborated with over the years for 1992's Shapeshifter album. Hillage also worked as the ambient-techno alias System 7. A number of Gong-related bands have existed over the years, including Mothergong, Gongzilla, Pierre Moerlin's Gong, NY Gong, Planet Gong, and Gongmaison. During the new millennium Gong material continued to be released, including Live 2 Infinitea issued in fall 2000, as well as numerous reissues. I Am Your Egg appeared in 2006 from United States of Distribution. © Jim Powers, All Music Guide , © 2007 All Media Guide, LLC