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28.2.09

Cuby + Blizzards




Cuby + Blizzards - Travelling With The Blues - 1997 - Munich Records

This Dutch band have been around for over forty five years now, have recorded many albums, and undergone countless personnel changes, and are still rockin'. The band's nucleus is Harry Muskee (vocals) and Eelco Gelling (guitar) who originally formed the band back in 1964. The numbers on this CD give a good overview of Harry Muskee's blues career. Recorded Live during the Beaphar Blues Tour 1996-1997 at De Lantaarn, Hellendoorn, 31-1-1997 / 1-2-1997. Check out the band's comprehensive "Universal Masters Collection" album.

TRACKS

1 Another Day, Another Road
2 Just For Fun
3 Too Blind To See
4 Distant Smile
5 Appleknockers Flophouse
6 For Real
7 Somebody Will Know Someday
8 No News Is Good News
9 Brother Booze
10 Five Long Years
11 Travelling With The Blues
12 The Zoo
13 Hobo Blues

BAND

Bass - Herman Deinum
Drums - Hans La Faille
Guitar - Erwin Java
Harmonica - John Lagrand
Piano, Organ - Helmig van der Vegt
Saxophone [Guest] - Martien Stientstra
Trombone [Guest] - Arend Huisman
Trumpet [Guest] - Peter van Soest
Vocals - Cuby, aka Harry Muskee

ABOUT CUBY + BLIZZARDS

Although unknown to the English-speaking market, Cuby & the Blizzards have been one of Holland's top blues bands since the mid-'60s. Some of their early singles had a beat/punk orientation, particularly "Stumble & Fall" and "Your Body Not Your Soul," both of which would be reissued on various Dutch beat compilations a few decades later. They quickly settled into a straighter blues groove, however. Their claims to fame in the larger rock/pop world are that they briefly backed Van Morrison in the gap between his departure from Them and the beginning of his solo career, although details of the association remain murky; also, at one point lead guitarist Eelco Gelling was asked to join John Mayall's Bluebreakers, although he declined. © Richie Unterberger, allmusic.com

MORE ABOUT CUBY + BLIZZARDS

This group from Grollo in Drente can be called a patriarch of the Dutch blues groups. The two frontmen, Harry "Cuby" Muskee (v, h, ex-Oldfashioned Jazzband) and Eelco Gelling (g), had already played together in the Rocking Strings (1962) and the Sharks (1963). Together with bassist Willy Middel and drummer Dick Beekman they played rock & roll in those early years. They changed their name into Cuby & Blizzards after adding guitarist Hans Kinds. Their first gig was set to take place at the Emmen zoological gardens, and soon the group became so popular, that they had to rush-produce their first recording, followed by a tour through Italy. The group's fame eventually spread throughout Europe and reached the shores of Albion. Also worth noting is that Eelco was asked to come and play with John Mayall's Bluesbreakers, and the group toured through the Netherlands with Van Morrison. They also recorded an LP together with the then-52-year old American bluesman Eddie Boyd, entitled, "Praise The Blues". Other memorable feats: the Edison that was presented to them by Wim Sonneveld for the LP "Desolation", a performance on the Grand Gala du Disque in 1968 and a visit by John Mayall to Cuby's little farm in Grollo. Apart from Harry and Eelco, who were present in the group continuously, the line-up was as follows: bassist Willy Middel was replaced in 1967 by Jaap van Eyck (ex-Blues Dimension, in 1969 to Focus). Drummer Dick Beekman left the group temporarily from 1966-67 to play in the Rodijs, and was replaced in that era by Hans Waterman (ex-René Five, later in Solution) and Peter de Leeuwe (ex-Bintangs, later in Ekseption), respectively. A keyboard player was added to Cuby in 1966, one Henk Hilbrandie, who then yielded that spot to Herman Brood (ex-Moans). Hans Kinds left the group in 1967, but was not replaced. In 1969, Harry, Eelco, Herman Deinum (b, ex-Blues Dimension), Helmig van der Vegt (o, p, ex-Blues Dimension) and Hans Lafaille (dr, ex-Blues Dimension). In 1972, after Hans and Herman departed to join Rob Hoeke's band, the group disbanded. Harry and Eelco remained musically active in the 70s, with their new project, the Red White & Blue Band, an outfit which re-billed itself as Cuby & Blizzards at the end of 1975. In 1975, when it turned out that the Red White & Blue Band wasn't quite working out, it was decided to reform Cuby & Blizzards, albeit in the new line-up: Harry, Eelco, Lou Leeuw (b, ex-Rocking Tigers), a succession of drummers: Herman van Boeyen (ex-Supersister, to Vitesse), Cesar Zuiderwijk (Golden Earring, temporary replacement) and Mels Bol (ex-Fontessa). On the LP, Frank Nuyens (g, ex-Q'65) and Robert-Jan Stips could be heard as well. Following the change of name, Frank and Piet de Leeuwe (o, p, ex-Child Of Nature and Toermalijn) completed the group. In 1976, the line-up was: Harry, Eelco, Charles van der Steeg (s, ex-Bintangs), Bernard Reinke (g, ex-Capital C), Jan Groenink (dr, ex-Shamrock) and Lou Leeuw (b). During the course of that year, Harry and Eelco parted ways: Eelco went on to tour with Golden Earring, and Harry continued on as the Harry Muskee Band with Bernard and Lou. Other members included: Martin van Dijk (o, p, ex-Parnassus, later in Werk In Uitvoering) and the aforementioned Jan Groenink (dr, to Shakey Sam). This band stayed together till 1979. But prior to its break-up, Bernard joined Phoney & Hardcore and was replaced by Ruud van As (g), Lou joined Nina Hagen Band and Phoney & Hardcore. In 1980, Harry re-emerged in the Muskee Gang with the following line-up: Hans Lafaille (dr, ex-Sweet d'Buster), Jan Holder (tr), Rudi van Dijk (s, ex-Flash & Dance Band and Farrago), Bas Munniksma (s, ex-Human Orchestra) and Cees v.d. Laarse (b, ex-Jan Akkerman, to Tao). Finally, the 1981 line-up : Hans Lafaille (dr), Herman Deinum (b), Paul Smeenk (g), all three ex-Sweet d'Buster members, Rudi van Dijk (s) and Jeff Reynolds (tr). © www.alexgitlin.com

CUBY + BLIZZARDS (Wikipedia)

Cuby & the Blizzards are a Dutch blues group that started in 1964. Right from the start they were a big hit in the Netherlands. This band is completely different from another Dutch band in the same time period, Peter & the Blizzards.In 1967 they toured with Van Morrison (in lieu of his band Them), played with Eddie Boyd, scored a hit with Window of my Eyes and received an Edison award. That year, John Mayall stayed at their farm and the next year they regularly played with the 'king of British blues' Alexis Korner. The line-up of the band changed regularly, but founders Harry Muskee (vocals) and Eelco Gelling (guitar) remained at the core of the band, despite regular unsuccessful attempts to form other bands. Herman Brood was the pianist shortly in 1967 (which kick-started his career) and again in 1976. The spelling of the name varies, with 'Cuby' also written as 'QB' and the ampersand (&) also written as 'and' or '+' and the 'and sometimes left out. The spelling 'Cuby + Blizzards' was used on the first albums. Late sixties line-up: - Harry Muskee, vocals, Eelco Gelling, guitar, Herman Deinum, bass guitar, Hans Lafaille, drums, Helmig van der Vegt, piano

27.2.09

Hatfield and the North




Hatfield and the North - Hatwise Choice: Archive Recordings 1973-1975, Vol. 1 - 2005 - Burning Shed

Hatwise Choice is the band's own selection of unreleased material culled from their tape archive. It consists of over 68 minutes of live concert tapes and radio recordings, the latter mastered from first generation sources. The gig tapes show aspects of Hatfield's music never before heard on record - on stage, the tight control of the group's studio work is replaced by a looser, improvisatory approach. Flashes of humour give way to frightening electronic landscapes, interspersed with extended arrangements of the band's compositions and occasional moments of utter musical madness. Features selections from live concert tapes and radio shows recorded 1973-1974. Unreleased tracks include Hattitude, Strand on the Green, Dave Intro, Son Of Plate Smashing Dog, Blane Over Paris, Laundry Soup, Effing Mad Aincha and many more. A rare 1973 studio demo, made prior to recording the first album, is also included as a bonus track.

Check out the band's Canterburty Rock masterpiece album, "The Rotter's Club".

N.B: Track 9, "Dave Intro" seems to have "faults" (slight skips) over the first 15 seconds. It may be a fault in the CD manufacture, or on the original recording. If anybody else has noticed this, or if there is a better version of track available, any info is welcome.

TRACK INFO.

1. Absolutely Wholesome (John Peel Show 1974) (3:16)
2. La Barbe est La Barbe (Top Gear 1974) (6:51)
3. Sober Song (Top Gear 1974) (2:59)
4. Hatitude (John Peel Show 1974) (3:13)
5. Strand on the Green (John Peel Show 1974) (1:02)
6. Hotel Luna (John Peel Show 1974) (3:34)
7. The Lonely Bubbling Song (John Peel Show 1974) (1:20)
8. Stay Jung and Beautiful (John Peel Show 1974) (0:56)
9. Dave Intro (Live - London 1975) (1:55)
10. Take Your Pick (Live - London 1975) (8:09)
11. Son Of Plate Smashing Dog (Live - Emmen 1974) (1:16)
12. Thanks Mont! (Live - Emmen 1974) (2:27)
13. Amsterdamage 11/19 (Live - Amsterdam 1974) (6:20)
14. May The Farce Be With You (Live - Paris 1973) (0:39)
15. Finesse is for Fairies (Sounds Of The 70s 1973) (1:28)
16. Ethanol Nurse (Sounds Of The 70s 1973) (2:56)
17. Writhing and Grimacing (Sounds Of The 70s 1973) (3:42)
18. For Robert (Top Gear 1973) (2:09)
19. Blane over Paris (Live - Paris 1973) (6:20)
20. Laundry Soup (Top Gear 1974) (0:57)
21. Effing Mad Aincha (Live - Rotterdam 1973) (2:58)
22. Top Gear Commercial (Top Gear 1974) (1:22)
23. K Licks (Demo - Summer 1973) (2:58)

BAND

Richard Sinclair / bass, vocals
Phil Miller / guitars [R.I.P]
Pip Pyle / drums, percussion
Dave Stewart / keyboards, tone generator

p/w is aoofc

ABOUT HATFIELD AND THE NORTH

Emerging from the Canterbury, England musical community which also launched Gong and Kevin Ayers' the Whole World, the whimsical progressive rock unit Hatfield and the North formed in 1972. Named in honor of a motorway sign outside of London, the group's founding membership brought together a who's-who of the Canterbury art-rock scene — vocalist/bassist Richard Sinclair was a former member of Caravan, guitarist Phil Miller had tenured with Robert Wyatt in Matching Mole, and drummer Pip Pyle had served with both Gong and Delivery. After a series of line-up shuffles, keyboardist Dave Stewart (an alumnus of Egg) was brought in to complete the roster, and in tandem with the Northettes — a trio of backing vocalists consisting of Barbara Gaskin, Amanda Parsons and Ann Rosenthal — the group began gigging regularly. Upon signing to Virgin, Hatfield and the North recorded their 1974 self-titled debut LP, a jazzy, largely improvisational work halfway between melodic pop and more avant-garde stylings. A single, "Let's Eat (Real Soon)," appeared at the end of the year, and in 1975 the group resurfaced with The Rotters Club; although the record briefly landed in the U.K. charts, their commercial future looked dim, and so Hatfield and the North disbanded within months of the album's release. Sinclair soon joined Camel, while Stewart recorded with Bill Bruford before finding pop success in 1981 with ex-Zombie Colin Blunstone on a cover of the Jimmy Ruffin chestnut "What Becomes of the Broken Hearted?" In 1989, Hatfield and the North reunited, minus Stewart, for a series of live dates; a document of the performances, Live 1990, followed in 1993. © Jason Ankeny, allmusic.com

BIO (Wikipedia)

Hatfield and the North was an experimental Canterbury scene rock band that lasted from October 1972 to June 1975, with some reunions thereafter. The band grew out of a line-up of Delivery in mid-1972 consisting of Phil Miller (guitar, from Matching Mole), Steve Miller(†) (keyboards; Phil's brother), Pip Pyle(†) (drums, from Gong) and Richard Sinclair (bass and vocals, from Caravan). The band played a few live shows between July and September that year, but with Steve Miller being replaced by Dave Sinclair (from Matching Mole and Caravan), the band soon changed its name to Hatfield and the North. The Delivery line-up reunited for a BBC session in November 1972 with Steve Miller, Phil Miller, Lol Coxhill, Roy Babbington (bass), Pip Pyle, and Richard Sinclair on vocals. (Steve Miller went on to release a couple of duo albums with Coxhill in 1973/74.) Dave Sinclair left in January 1973, shortly after the band's appearance (with Robert Wyatt on guest vocals) on the French TV programme "Rockenstock", and was quickly replaced by Dave Stewart (from Egg) before the band's first recordings were made. The band recorded two albums, Hatfield and the North and The Rotters' Club. Backing vocals on the two albums were sung by The Northettes: Amanda Parsons, Barbara Gaskin and Ann Rosenthal. On the Autumn 1974 "Crisis Tour", which Hatfield co-headlined with Kevin Coyne, the opening act was a duo of Steve Miller and Lol Coxhill (also previously of Delivery) and Coxhill usually guested with Hatfield on the jamming sections of "Mumps". After disbanding, Dave Stewart joined National Health with Alan Gowen from Gilgamesh; Miller was a member throughout the band's existence, and Pyle joined in 1977. (Richard Sinclair also sat in on a couple of gigs and a BBC radio session that year.) Hatfield and the North and Gilgamesh had played a couple of shows together in late 1973, including a joint "double quartet" set, in some ways the prototype for National Health. Miller, Stewart, Pyle and Sinclair also worked together in various combinations on other projects. In March 1990, the group reformed to record a TV show with Phil Miller, Richard Sinclair and Pip Pyle joined by Sophia Domancich (keyboards, Pyle's then-girlfriend and band mate in Equip'Out). In January 2005, the band reformed again with Alex Maguire (from Pip Pyle's Bash!) on keyboards and toured between 2005 and 2006 (notable appearances included a short Japanese tour in late 2005, and the BajaProg and NEARfest festivals in North America). On a small number of European dates in June 2005, Mark Fletcher (from Miller's In Cahoots band) reinforced the band while Pyle was recuperating from a back operation and only played on part of each gig. Pyle died in August 2006 after travelling back from a Hatfield show in Groningen. Following Pyle's death, Hatfield played two previously booked gigs with Mark Fletcher on drums, including the Canterbury Festival in October 2006. In 2005/2006, the band released two archival collections, Hatwise Choice and Hattitude, featuring the classic Miller/Pyle/Sinclair/Stewart line-up and distributed by the UK label Burning Shed. Both releases contained a mixture of BBC radio sessions and live recordings, along with the odd demo. In 2007, Cuneiform Records re-released two albums by Steve Miller and Lol Coxhill with bonus material including 20 minutes of material by the proto-Hatfield and the North line-up of Delivery playing "God Song", "Bossa Nochance/Big Jobs", and "Betty" (a variation on some of the Sinclair bass riffs that also produced Hatfield's "Rifferama"). Jonathan Coe's novel The Rotters' Club takes its title from the band's second album. The novel also mentions them several times.

24.2.09

Michael Osborn




Michael Osborn - Background In The Blues - 1996 - Blue Rock'It

This is modern Blues by a West Coast original whose seven years as John Lee Hookers lead guitar player provide him with a solid base. Michael Osborn is a real blues original. He grew up In Ukiah, Ca. along with the Ford brothers, Robben, Patrick, and Mark and was an original member of the Charles Ford Band. He went on to develop a really unique style of playing guitar that is easily recognizable as his own. Though Mike spent years playing with many West Coast blues artists it was his seven year stand with John Lee Hooker that really set him apart. It is because of Hookers appreciation of Michael's talent that John Lee chose to be on this CD. He wanted to support Michael in his solo efforts. This is a wonderful release and features Michael at his strongest. Both his guitar work and his vocals are impressive throughout and of course the tracks with John Lee on them are very special. © cdbaby.com

"There is so much to be admired about a craftsman... someone who learns his trade and his art through dedications, hard work, ingenuity and at times, the sheer gift of inspiration. You hold in your hands the latest efforts of such a man. With A Background In The Blues, Mike has produced a gem of a solo album that features such Blues Hall of Fame names as John Lee Hooker and Elvin Bishop. The contributions from Roy Rogers, Andy Just, Jimmy Pugh, and Duke Jethro also add to what is surely one of the most satisfying blues releases of the year. Along with Mike's talent as a songwriter, this recording is replete with Mike's lively vocals and consummate guitar skills, both lasting qualities of this artist who's a bluesman to the core. Meet Michael Osborn, craftsman extraordinaire. © Blue Rock'It Records 2001--2007

A great album from a wonderful songwriter, and a guitar master. Even on a straight-ahead blues track, Mike adds his own special touch, and seems to make everything an Osborn original. "Background In The Blues" will enthrall you with the blues guitar prowess of the great Michael Osborn. Check out Michael's great "Touch Tone" album @ MIOS/TT and you can find his "What Goes Around" album, with Robben Ford @ MOS/WGA

TRACKS / COMPOSERS

1 Midnight Crawl Osborn 5:39
2 Miss Goody Two Shoes Osborn 4:00
3 I Wouldn't Have You Osborn 4:00
4 Shake It Down Hooker, Osborn 5:23
5 Little Miss Blues Hooker, Osborn 4:25
6 Delta Soul Time Osborn 4:21
7 I've Been Daydreamin' Osborn 4:07
8 Smokin' Osborn 3:05
9 Mabel Hooker 3:39
10 Slow Squeeze Osborn 4:25
11 Doctor Please Osborn 4:24
12 Puppy Dog Blues Osborn 3:40
13 The Kaley Shuffle Osborn 3:12

MUSICIANS

Michael Osborn - Guitar, Guitar (Rhythm), Vocals
John Lee Hooker - Guitar, Vocals
Roy Rogers - Guitar (Rhythm), Slide Guitar
Elvin Bishop - Slide Guitar
John Mazzocco, Steve Hazlewood, Steve Ehrmann - Bass
Bruce Kaphan - Bass, Keyboards
Duke Jethro, John Burr, Jimmy Pugh - Keyboards
Ron Beck - Drums, Vocals (Background)
Patrick Ford, Brent Rampone - Drums
Andy Just - Harmonica
Garth Webber - Vocals (Background)

p/w is aoofc

BIO

During the mid-60's Michael Osborn was introduced to blues music through his friendship with Robben and Patrick Ford. Out of this association, Michael began playing bass guitar with the Ford brothers in various blues, rhythm & blues bands over a three-year period, from 1967 thiough 1969. In 1970, Michael (having switched to playing rhythm guitar, joined the first incarnation of the Charles Ford Band featuring Gary Smith on harmonica and Lou Bottoni on bass guitar. After many months of club dates, Pat and Robben left the band to join Charlie Musselwhite. (The Charles Ford Band disbanded until Pat and Robben reformed the following year as a quartet with Mark Ford on Harmonica and Stan Poplin on bass.) In the early 1970's, Michael recorded wlth the Charles Ford Band and Charlie Musselwhite. He also continued to build his guitar chops through the 70's while performing in various blues bands with Gary Smith, Mark Ford, Mixed Nuts (featuring Bonnie Raitt's brother, David Raitt) and an occasional Charles Ford Band reunion. In June of 1981 Michael became lead guitarist for the great John Lee Hooker. He toured all over North America, Europe, Japan and Brazil with John Lee for the next 13 years. During this same period, he backed such people as Robert Cray, Elvin Bishop, Brownie McGee, Willie Dixon, Jarnes Cotton and Charlie Musselwhite. He has also played on stage with such notables as Bonnie Raitt, Johnny Johnson, Albert Collins, Ry Cooder, Carlos Santana, John Hammond, Etta James, Curtis Salgado, and The Nighthawks. Michael has performed at many prestigious venues in the United States and Europe such as Carnegie Hall, Madison Square Garden, The Montreaux Jazz Festival in Switzerland, The North Sea Jazz Festival in Holland, The New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival, Newport Jazz Festival, Newport Folk Festival, The Hammersmith Odeon in London, The Monterey blues Festival,etc. Since he left John Lee Hooker's Coast to Coast Blues Band, Michael fronts his own band and also performs with blues singing sensation Sista Monica. He was one of the headliners at the Mountain Winery Summer Series blues Festival '94, and has toured Europe several times, playing festivals and clubs throughout, including Djurs Bluesland Festival in Denmark. He has toured Western Canada, the Pacific Northwest and various Northern California venues (including the Monterey Jazz Festival and the Sacramento Blues Festival) with great success. © Blue Rock'It Records 2001-2007

Teresa James & The Rhythm Tramps




Teresa James & The Rhythm Tramps - Live - 2000 - Jesi-Lu

A relevant quote from a music website stated that, - "Teresa is where Texas meets New Orleans-funky and greasy-and everyone has a good time! Texas-born Teresa James has been called "a singer's singer" - but she deserves wider recognition".
"Teresa James is a true original. When she sings you can feel it in your bones." © Levon Helm, "The Band"

"...She is one of the most honest, gutsy, incredible singers you'll find. The Texas-bred James takes creative chances, investing amazing soul and spirit in her music." © The Pasadena Weekly

Teresa, from Houston, Texas has spent the past few years in Los Angeles, with her band, The Rhythm Tramps. She has performed live with artists of the stature of The Band's Levon Helm , Bonnie Raitt, Lee Roy Parnell, Delbert McClinton, Kirk Whalum, Paul DeLay, Jeffrey Osborne and Asleep At The Wheel among others. Her voice can be heard on albums by Randy Newman and Walter Trout. Teresa’s intense, bluesy voice, backed by the great Rhythm Tramps make this a Grade A live blues album. You can find info on her great "Oh Yeah" album @ TJ&TRT/OY Why not buy Teresa's "The Whole Enchilada" album. It's another great blues rocker. For more music in the same genre, check out the superb "Midnight Flyer (With Maggie Bell)" album @ MBELL/MF

TRACKS / COMPOSERS

Daydrinking - Stephen Bruton
She's got the bug - Terry Wilson
I want a love - T.James/T.Wilson
In my dreams - Terry Wilson
Trouble with Angels - Terry Wilson
Going to the Zoo - Terry Wilson
That's what it takes - T.Champlin/T.Wilson
Something's happening - Jerry Williams
Shake a Leg - J.Herron/T.Wilson
My boy Lollipop - Spencer/Roberts
I know what love can do - Terry Wilson
Zipcode - Terry Wilson
Love is for all time - D.Everitt/T.Wilson
The Mambo - Terry Wilson
Life is hard - L.Wilson/T.James/T.Wilson
Trying not to laugh - Terry Wilson

BAND

Teresa James - Keyboards, Vocals
Billy Watts - Guitar, Vocals
Terry Wilson - Bass, Vocals
Debra Dobkin - Percussion, Vocals
James Cruce - Drums
Jerry Peterson - Saxophone
Lee Thornberg - Trumpet

N.B: p/w is aoofc

ABOUT TERESA JAMES

Originally from Houston, Texas, Teresa now lives in Los Angeles where she works with her band, The Rhythm Tramps. They have been working together for several years in the LA area and at blues festivals around the country, and throughout Europe. The band has been a featured act the last 7 years on Delbert McClinton’s Sandy Beaches Blues Cruise. She has performed live with such legendary artists as Levon Helm, Delbert McClinton, Bonnie Raitt, Kirk Whalum, Marcia Ball, Tommy Castro, Al Anderson, Asleep at the Wheel, Lee Roy Parnell, and many others. Her voice is featured onalbums by Kirk Whalum, Randy Newman, Tommy Castro, Lee Roy Parnell, Walter Trout, Stephen Bruton, and Glen Clark, among many. She has sung for television and movie soundtracks; She and her band can be heard in the movie, “Holes”. Teresa’s band is an eclectic mix of Los Angeles based musicians who have worked with a wide range of artists including: Jimmy Reed, Eric Burdon, Jackson Browne, Taj Mahal, Bonnie Raitt, Kim Carnes, Jennifer Warnes, Was Not Was, Johnny Nash and many, many others. As one listener put it: “There are no clichés in this band…” Together they have created a sound that is funky and greasy, where New Orleans meets Texas Blues and everyone has a good time. © 1998--2007 Jesilu Management, All Rights Reserved

23.2.09

Gwyn Ashton




Gwyn Ashton - Fang It! - 2000 - Riverside

"Ashton doesn't just sing and play, he grabs his music by the throat and squeezes every ounce of life out of it." © Maverick

" ...unlike many of his contemporaries Ashton does not resort to cliché, pomp and bluster, but lays down terrific riffs and inserts just enough light and shade to make him a leader in this genre. Add into this heady mix a more than useful songwriter and impassioned vocalist and he is a triple threat…this is top drawer stuff." © Blues Matters

Welsh born Gwyn Ashton migrated to Adelaide, South Australia in the mid-sixties. He began to play guitar in 1972.. He has jammed with the legendary Canned Heat, and Chris Duarte, and has toured with Junior Wells, Rory Gallagher, Peter Green, Dr Feelgood, Nine Below Zero, Sam Brown, Bernie Marsden, Micky Moody, and Albert Lee. He performs globally, and has regularly toured Europe since 1996 where he set up base in England, playing with bassist, Gerry McAvoy, and drummer, Brendan O'Neill, who were great sidemen to the legendary late, great Irish bluesman, Rory Gallagher. Rory would have appreciated this great album. Buy Gwyn's brilliant "Beg, Borrow and Steel" album.

TRACKS

1. Breaking All The Rules
2. Living On A Faultline
3. Gettin' On Down
4. How Can I Leave You (If You're Gonna Come Too?)
5. Gettin' Better
6. Cold As Ice (Tribute to Albert Collins)
7. Leave That Girl Alone
8. Hot In Here
9. I Boogied
10. Who's That Comin'?
11. Faded Memory

All songs composed by Gwyn Ashton, except "Who's That Coming?" by Rory Gallagher

BAND

Gwyn Ashton - guitar, vocals
Gerry McAvoy - bass
Brendan O'Neill - drums

N.B: p/w if required is aoofc

REVIEWS

"Fang It!" showcases all aspects of Gwyn Ashton's talent: from hard-rocking tracks "Breakin' All The Rules", "I Boogied", "Getting Better" and "How Can I Leave You", which are packed with energy, and are indicative of the band's powerful performances on stage, to slower blues/jazzy songs such as "Hot in Here", which are steeped in the greatest of musical authenticity. Gwyn also shines on the closing acoustic number "Faded Memory", with soulful, emotion fuelled vocals. "Fang It!" promises to be an even bigger showstopper than Gwyn's critically acclaimed debut album "Feel the Heat", acknowledging Gwyn as one of the fastest rising guitarists on the rock/blues scene today. © http://cdbaby.com/

Gwyn Ashton recorded his second album “Fang It!” at Matrix Studios in London with ex-Rory Gallagher sidemen Gerry McAvoy on bass and Brendan O’Neill on drums. The album was produced by Nine Below Zero’s Dennis Greaves and engineered by Kenny Jones (Oasis, Robbie Williams…). Gwyn Ashton composed ten of the eleven songs on “Fang It!” which reveals his immense talent as a musician and songwriter. The rendition of Rory Gallagher’s “Who’s That Coming” is the ultimate tribute to the great Irish musician, recorded with Gerry and Brendan, Rory’s killer rhythm section. “Fang It!” showcases all aspects of Gwyn Ashton’s talent: from hard-rocking tracks “Breakin’ All The Rules”, “I Boogied”, “Getting Better” and “How Can I Leave You”, which are packed with energy, and are indicative of the band’s powerful performances on stage, to slower blues/jazzy songs such as “Hot in Here”, which are steeped in the greatest of musical authenticity. Gwyn also shines on the closing acoustic number “Faded Memory”, with soulful, emotion fuelled vocals. “Fang It!” promises to be an even bigger showstopper than Gwyn’s critically acclaimed debut album “Feel the Heat”, acknowledging Gwyn as one of the fastest rising guitarists on the rock/blues scene today. © 1996-2009, Amazon.com

BIO

Gwyn Ashton's one-man-band solo show is a blend of alternative swamp blues and boogie, all played on his resonator, lap-slide, 6 & 12 string guitars, harmonica and a homemade foot stomp board. His latest project is an alternative guitar and drums blues and roots/rock power duo with drummer Kev Hickman, making creative use of fuzzed-out bottleneck slide, octave dividers, delays, loops and drums, kicking the blues into the 21st century. Like a band possessed, Ashton’s ­fiery 2-man combo pulls no punches and delivers the goods every time. These guys are Lo-Fi, analogue, wild and dangerous, as witnessed in Berlin at Popkomm ‘08, broadcast across Europe by ZDF television. From opening for blues legends such as BB King and Buddy Guy to sharing the stage and recording with members of Rainbow, Black Sabbath and Whitesnake, Ashton is one of the few musicians today who can hold their own in either capacity and is responsible for turning a lot of younger people onto the blues, as well as appealing to an older audience. He has been praised by such luminaries as Robert Plant, Johnny Winter and Eric Johnson. Over the years Ashton has played onstage with Mick Fleetwood, Hubert Sumlin, Marc Ford, Jon Paris, Canned Heat and has opened for Rory Gallagher, Ray Charles, Robin Trower, Vanilla Fudge, Wishbone Ash, Van Morrison, Jeff­ Healey, Tony Joe White, Johnny Winter, Mick Taylor, Peter Green, John Hammond and Pat Travers. He also appears and gives tutorials in numerous guitar magazines, has two of his songs in movie soundtracks in France and Asia, conducts masterclasses in Australia and Europe (inc GIT and Guitar X, London) and performs live on radio and television worldwide. From supercharged four-on-the-floor rockers to gritty blues, Ashton's playing, songwriting and singing are in top form. This is in full evidence on his last release, Prohibition, whose guests include Chris Glen, Ted McKenna (Sensational Alex Harvey Band, Michael Schenker Group, Ian Gillan rhythm section) and Deep Purple keys man, Don Airey. Welsh-born Gwyn Ashton migrated to Adelaide, South Australia in the ‘60s, picked up a guitar at 12 and from the age of 16, played every bar, festival and seedy biker show imaginable. Aussie audiences are tough and like their rock & roll loud, hard and fast. This is where Ashton learned how to play his ass off­. Entertain or be beer bottled! In the ‘90s he moved to Melbourne, played shows with Jim Keays and Mick Pealing, recorded his first two albums and opened for Junior Wells, Rory Gallagher, Steve Morse and Albert Lee. He relocated to Sydney in the ‘80s, playing stints with Swanee and Stevie Wright. With his own band, he carved up stages nationwide - some in the middle of nowhere, fronted with chicken wire, sometimes driving for days through the outback to get to the next show. In the 90s he moved to Melbourne, played with Jim Keays and Mick Pealing, recorded his fi‑rst 2 albums and opened for Junior Wells, Rory Gallagher, Steve Morse and Albert Lee. Promoting his then current album Feel The Heat, Ashton’s band opened for UK rock icons Status Quo on their 15-date British arena tour in ‘99. This included dates at Birmingham NEC and Wembley Arena. In 2000 Ashton recorded Fang It! with Gerry McAvoy and Brendan O’Neil, former Rory Gallagher rhythm section now with Nine Below Zero. He then fronted Band of Friends, replacing ex Motörhead guitarist Brian Robertson. This was a tribute to Rory, with Gerry, Brendan, Lou Martin, Mark Feltham and Ted McKenna who all played with Rory over the years. © www.gwynashton.com

MORE ABOUT GWYN ASHTON

Blues guitarist, singer, and songwriter Gwyn Ashton was born in Wales and raised in South Australia. At an early age he developed a love for blues and rock music that was fueled as a result of recordings by renowned artists like Chuck Berry, Jimi Hendrix, Buddy Holly, Rory Gallagher, Muddy Waters, and many others. At the age of 11, Ashton picked up his first guitar and began the chore of learning to play the instrument. His natural talent didn't take long to show through. When he was a teenager, he teamed up with a couple of friends to form his first professional band. He stood in as frontman. The little group often managed to land jobs at local blues clubs and bars. After building a small fan base and landing some positive press, Ashton took his act on the road across Australia. He also spent time serving as a member with other groups now and then. In 1993, Ashton finished recording his debut album, Feel the Heat. It took three long years before his sophomore full-length offering, Beg, Borrow and Steel, was released. By now he was touring and performing in countries worldwide, including finding a market in the United States for his slide guitar-filled blues-rock. Some of the musicians who have been part of his recording band along the way include drummers Brendan O'Neill, Rick Tredrea, and Michael Wiedrich; along with bassists Geoff Brown, Sambor Kansy, and Gerry McAvoy. © Charlotte Dillon, allmusic.com

Charles 'Hog' Hayes




Charles 'Hog' Hayes - Raw Blues! - 2007 - St. George Records

Charles Hayes is a terrific guitar player, as well as a great singer. He plays some devastating electric blues songs. His guitar-playing is razor-sharp and his sound rather dark but always moody. He is backed by a terrific band, including Rick Kreher on guitar. Charles Hayes learned blues while his dad played guitar with neighbour Washboard Sam. From his first pro gig backing up Sonny Boy Williamson, Charles has been playing hard edged guitar blues from Mississippi to California to Illinois. This album was recorded cut live in the studio in Chicago.

TRACKS / COMPOSERS

1. Wild About You Baby - Elmore James
2. Eyesight To The Blind - Rice Miller
3. That’s Alright - Othum Brown
4. Crosscut Saw - T.McClennan
5. Black Cat Bone - Paulus/Grimaldi
6. Blus King Mambo - Paulus/Grimaldi
7. Rattlesnake - Paulus/Grimaldi
8. Mouthful Of Gold - Paulus/Grimaldi
9. Highway 49 - C.Burnett
10. Crazy Women - Paulus/Grimaldi
11. Same Thing - W.Dixon
12. Milk Chocolate - Paulus/Grimaldi
13. Real Fine Mama - Hayes/Paulus/Grimaldi

MUSICIANS

Charles Hayes - vocals, lead guitar
Studebaker John - guitar, harp
JR. Kreher - rhythm guitar
Felton Crews - bass guitar
Willie Hayes - drums

N.B: p/w if required is aoofc

22.2.09

Teresa James & The Rhythm Tramps




Teresa James & The Rhythm Tramps - Oh Yeah - 2003 - Jesilu

This is a relevant quote from a music website about Teresa James, - "Teresa is where Texas meets New Orleans-funky and greasy-and everyone has a good time! Texas-born Teresa James has been called "a singer's singer" - but she deserves wider recognition".

She certainly does. Teresa has worked with Tommy Castro, Bonnie Raitt, and Levon Helm, and has appeared on albums by Randy Newman, and Walter Trout. Her great voice takes centre stage on this album. "Oh Yeah" includes great guitar work fron Dean Parks. All the musicians are Grade A. The final album track is a cover of the late, great John Martyn's "May You Never". A "cracker"of an album from a very underrated vocalist. Talent like this has got to be rewarded. "Oh Yeah" is HR by A.O.O.F.C. Listen to the great "Teresa James and the Rhythm Tramps: Live" album, and buy Teresa's "The Whole Enchilada" album.

TRACKS / COMPOSERS

1 When the Winds Die Down - Wilson 3:31
2 Come Up and See Me Sometime -Timms/Seigel 3:38
3 My Heart Took a Beating - Wilson 3:09
4 Easy Come, Easy Go - Gibson/Katona 4:06
5 High Maintenance Man - Wilson/Everitt 3:47
6 Wind Cries the Blues - Wilson 6:02
7 Easier Said Than Done - Wilson 4:26
8 In and Out of Love - Wilson 4:22
9 All That I Am - Wilson 4:46
10 I'll Find Someone Who Will - James/Wilson 5:09
11 I Want It All - Clark/Swan 2:37
12 May You Never - Martyn 4:09

MUSICIANS

Teresa James - Piano, Vocals (Background)
Billy Watts - Guitar, Guitar (Rhythm), Vocals (Background)
Terry Wilson - Guitar (Acoustic), Bass, Guitar (Bass), Guitar (Rhythm), Vocals (Background), Wurlitzer, MIDI Programming, MIDI Percussion
Dean Parks, Johnny Lee Schell - Guitar
Mark Shark - Bottleneck Guitar
John "Rabbit" Bundrick - Organ (Hammond)
Dillon O'Brian - Organ (Hammond), Vocals (Background)
John Herron, Marty Grebb - Wurlitzer
Daniel Timms - Piano, Vocals (Background)
David Raven, James Cruce, Tony Braunagel, Tom Fillman - Drums
Debra Dobkin - Percussion, Vocals (Background)
Jerry Peterson - Horn, Saxophone, Horn Arrangements
Lee Thornberg - Horn, Horn Arrangements
Stevie Gurr - Harmonica

N.B: p/w for all rar files is aoofc

REVIEWS

We don’t get enough of the type of gutsy, barrelhouse blues vocals that Teresa James offers here in bucketloads. A fine pianist as well as a singer, James invites comparisons with Bonnie Raitt and there’s a similarly raunchy feel to numbers such as My Heart Took a Beating and the wry High Maintenance Man. But James brings her own style and some great gospel-like piano playing to cuts such as Come Up and See Me Sometime and I Want it All . But it’s not all full throttle. Just When I Thought benefits from a classy, uptown soul approach and both Wind Cries the Blues and All That I Am give James a chance to show her mastery of the blues ballad. She benefits from some great backing, too, especially from her bass player and husband Terry Wilson, the guitarist Billy Watts and the horns player Jerry Peterson. Born in Texas, but now working in Los Angeles, James has already earned the approval of Raitt and Levon Helm. This, her third album, shows that for once the hype is justified. © John Clarke, 2009 Times Newspapers Ltd

"...It was as if her voice reached down deep inside me and ministered to me. People ask me in interviews all the time about that girl who sang "When The Night Rolls In" and "Drowning In The Sea Of Love". This is definitely a chapter in my life I rewind often ...working with with someone like Teresa James, who has influenced me and affected me so profoundly... © Kirk Whalum

"Teresa James is a true original. When she sings you can feel it in your bones." © Levon Helm, "The Band"

"I haven't heard pipes of this caliber in a long time... this is an amazing body of work...this lady has star written all over her." © James "the Blueshound" Nagel producer/programmer KPFT Houston

"...She is one of the most honest, gutsy, incredible singers you'll find. The Texas-bred James takes creative chances, investing amazing soul and spirit in her music." © The Pasadena Weekly

ABOUT TERESA JANES & THE RHYTHM TRAMPS

Originally from Houston, Texas, Teresa now lives in Los Angeles where she works with her band, The Rhythm Tramps. They have been working together for several years in the LA area and at blues festivals around the country, and throughout Europe. The band has been a featured act the last 7 years on Delbert McClinton's Sandy Beaches Blues Cruise. Now with the release of her new cd....THE BOTTOM LINE...on New Light Entertainment Records which is distributed by Universal Records, Teresa for the first time will have major national distribution and radio promotion. She has performed live with such legendary artists as Levon Helm, Delbert McClinton, Bonnie Raitt, Kirk Whalum, Marcia Ball, Tommy Castro, Al Anderson, Asleep at the Wheel, Lee Roy Parnell, and many others. Her voice is featured on albums by Kirk Whalum, Randy Newman, Tommy Castro, Lee Roy Parnell, Walter Trout, Stephen Bruton, and Glen Clark, among many. She has sung for television and movie soundtracks; She and her band can be heard in the Disney movie, "HOLES". Teresa's band is an eclectic mix of Los Angeles based musicians who have worked with a wide range of artists including: Jimmy Reed, Eric Burdon, Jackson Browne, Taj Mahal, Bonnie Raitt, Kim Carnes, Jennifer Warnes, Was Not Was, Johnny Nash and many, many others. As one listener put it: "There are no clichés in this band." Together they have created a sound that is funky and greasy, where New Orleans meets Texas Blues and everyone has a good time. © 1998-2007 Jesilu Management, All Rights Reserved

Karen Dumont




Karen Dumont - Blues Cruise - 2008 - Karen Dumont

Karen Dumont has a smooth, classic jazz blues voice with gritty undertones. She can sing with blazing intensity and also cooling softness. Singing since the age of two, by four she was performing on Gospel radio shows in San Fransisco. Her Contemporary Blues style has taken her to festivals and performances all over the Pacific Northwest, including Blues On The Bay (California). Karen has sung with Earl Thomas (the famous Blues/R&B artist), The Arcata Interfaith Gospel Choir, and more. This is a good jazz blues album from Karen Dumont. Any info on song composers and musicians would be very helpful.

TRACKS

1. Blues Cruise
2. Neighbor Neighbor
3. Don't Cha Do It
4. Crossfire
5. Bebop Queen
6. Wish You Were Here
7. 29 Ways
8. Slow Your Roll
9. I Still Believe In Love
10. Hard Luck Pain and Trouble
11. Not Finished yet

MUSICIANS

Karen Dumont - vocals
Lloyd Jones - guitar
Sonny Hess - guitar
Lisa Mann - bass
Garry Meziere - guitar

N.B:P/W for rar file is aoofc

ABOUT KAREN DUMONT

A skilled singer exuding both originality and experience, Karen Dumont effortlessly weaves the styles of Blues, Jazz and Gospel into a sound all her own. She has been described by one industry professional as possessing “one of the most authentic and soulful blues and gospel voices that I have heard.” With her just-released album Blues Cruise, Karen Dumont takes the listener on an exciting musical journey. Hailing from Arcata, California, Karen began honing her craft at the tender age of two. She spent her childhood singing in her parents' music ministry, and made her radio debut at only four years old. Tapping into vocal influences such as Etta James, Sarah Vaughn and Dinah Washington, Karen parlayed her musical gifts into a sustaining career. As the leader of her own band, Karen Dumont has opened for national blues/R&B acts such as Shamika Copeland, Marcia Ball, and Maceo Parker. Karen Dumont's wealth of talent and experience has paid off in the release of her brand new CD: Blues Cruise. The album's studio musicians include some of the Northwest's best known blues luminaries such as Lloyd Jones, Sonny Hess, Lisa Mann, and Garry Meziere. Featuring many original tunes penned by Karen and musical collaborators, Blues Cruise also includes several old favorites given a new treatment. The CD showcases many stellar performances by the individual players, while Karen Dumont's heartfelt vocals take center stage. © 2003-2009 MySpace. All Rights Reserved

21.2.09

Jan Akkerman




Jan Akkerman - Live at Alexander's - 1999 - Akkernet

This is a superb, storming live recording recorded on July 27th, 1998 at the Alexanders Jazz Theatre in Chester, England in front of a packed house. Jan played an excellent two hour set of acoustic and electric pieces which were played on his new graphite guitar. This recording is up to the Master's usual high standards. If you can find this very rare album, buy it. Jan Akkerman is probably the world's "greatest" all round guitarist, as he can play any music genre effortlessly. "Greatness" is a very general word, but Jan Akkerman helps to define the definition. Listen to this album and you'll understand what "great" guitar playing really means. Search this blog for more Jan Akkerman releases. Jan's "fromage a trois" album is @ JANAK/frat and his "The Noise Of Art"album is @ JANAK/NOA and if you haven't heard Focus' incomparable "Live At The Rainbow" album, don't waste any more time !
p/w for rar file is aoofc

TRACKS / COMPOSERS

1. Hocus Pocus/Pietons - Muleta
2. Crackers - Muleta
3. Mercy Mercy Mercy - Zawinul
4. Tommy - Barlage
5. No Hang Ups - Stoppelman
6. Pool House Blues - Muleta
7. Sylvia's Grandmother - Muleta
8. My Pleasure - Muleta
N.B: Some issues of this album contain a 9th track, called "Interview" which doesn't really add much to the album's musical quality. Better to listen to Jan's playing than a few irrelevant spoken words.

MUSICIANS

Jan Akkerman / Guitars
Ton Dijkman / Drums
Wilbrand Meischke / Bass
Jeroen Rietbergen / Keyboards

BIO

Jan Akkerman was born on Christmas Eve 1946 and first picked up a guitar aged 5. Legend has it that he played accordian aged 3, and was entirely self-taught on the guitar, but in actual fact he took classical guitar lessons, studied at Amsterdam Music Lyceum for 5 years and won a scholarship. His father was a guitarist, and his mother played the accordian. He took a keen interest in group music-making, joining local bands The Friendship Sextet and The Shaking Hearts. In 1961, aged 15, he recorded his first single with his current band, Johnny & The Cellar Rockers, which also featured Pierre Van der Linden. The Cellar Rockers became the Hunters, and the first hit was scored with a cover of "Mr Tambourine Man", but an even bigger hit came from an original song called "The Russian Spy and I", inspired largely by the Shadows, but with a notable guitar solo from Akkerman. During the mid 1960s, Akkerman visited England, where he saw the guitarist Julian Bream performing Mediaeval lute music. This was an inspiration that was never to leave Akkerman. In the late 1960s, he formed Brainbox, with his old friend Van der Linden on drums, who negotiated a signing to Parlophone. During a recording session, Akkerman, who was fond of jamming and session playing, hooked up with the embryo Focus, and was ejected from Brainbox as a result. Brainbox's first (and only) album is regarded as a Dutch Prog Rock classic in some circles.
Not to be deterred, he recorded his own material, assisted by his friends from The Hunters; a solo album called "Talents for Sale", and joined Focus for recording the backing music to the musical "Hair", and their debut album "In And Out Of Focus". In 1971, Akkerman's old sparring partner Van der Linden is taken into Focus on drums, and "Moving Waves" is recorded. Despite the international success of this album, Akkerman relentlessly carried on recording his own material with the albums "Profile" and 1974's "Tabernakel", which features Akkerman's playing his newly acquired lute, and carries a Mediaeval flavour. Following "Moving Waves" and "Focus 3", Akkerman was pronounced best International guitarist by Melody Maker, in a poll that put him above Clapton, Beck and Page. In 1978, Akkerman's contract with Atlantic was ended due to the high costs involved with his insistence of hiring full symphony orchestras and low record sales, and Akkerman went off to persue other musical avenues, pausing only to attempt a Focus re-group. The album of this year "3" is an unusually funky album with very little ecelcticism. This didn't work out, so Akkerman carried on working, attempting to reform Focus once again in 1984, producing the rather raw "From the Basement". In 1989 he had a more successful collaboration with Miles Copland resulting in the successful "Noise of Art". His collaborations and various projects from then until now are too numerous to mention one by one, including work with B.B. King, Mike Kenealy, Alan Price, Charlie Byrd and Ice-T, but 1999's "Passion" is particularly notable. On February 16th 2005, Akkerman was awarded with a Golden Harp award at the Harpen Gala, proving that he is still not only going strong, with his favourite annual Dutch and UK tours, but still impressing with his skills. © Prog Archives, All rights reserved

MORE ABOUT JAN AKKERMAN

A musician of near-legendary prowess, Jan Akkerman for a time eclipsed Eric Clapton, Jimmy Page, and Jeff Beck among reader polls in England as the top guitarist in the world. Akkerman was born in Amsterdam, Holland, and showed his musical inclinations early, taking up the guitar while still in grade school. His taste and interests were extraordinarily wide-ranging, from pop-rock to classical, with room for blues, Latin, and other influences. He joined his first band, Johnny &The Cellar Rockers, in 1958, at age 11, which included his boyhood friend Pierre van der Linden, on drums. Later on, the two were members of the Hunters, an instrumental group whose sound was heavily influenced by that of the Shadows. He acquired a special interest in the lute while on a visit to England during the mid-1960's, during which he saw a performance by legendary classical guitarist Julian Bream, whose repertory of medieval works also fascinated Akkerman. This interest, which broadened to embrace a fixation on medieval England and its countryside, later manifested itself in such works as "Elspeth of Nottingham" from Focus 3. During the late 1960's, Akkerman, Van der Linden, bassist Bert Ruiter, and singer Kaz Lux formed Brainbox, who were good enough to get a recording contract with Parlophone Records. He was involved with an early incarnation of the group Focus, founded by conservatory-trained flautist Thijs Van Leer, but join until after that group had issued its unsuccessful debut album — he took Van der Linden with him from Brainbox and, with Van Leer and bassist Cyril Havermans (later succeeded by Ruiter) from the original Focus, formed a new group of that name. With Akkerman's virtuoso guitar work and arrangments coupled to Van Leer's classical influence (and his yodeling on their breakthrough hit, "Hocus Pocus"), the new group found a large international audience beginning in 1972, which transformed Akkerman into a superstar guitarist. His solo career actually dated from 1968, though his attempt at a solo album, later titled Guitar For Sale — containing his covers of numbers such as "What'd I Day", "Ode To Billy Joe", and "Green Onions" -was so primitive by the standards of the time, that it was deemed unreleasable until Akkerman started topping reader surveys in the mid-1970's. Profile, released in 1972 after he'd begun making some headway with his reputation, also dated from 1969 and his days with Brainbox. Akkerman's first real solo album reflecting his music and interests at the time appeared in 1974, in the form of Tabernakel, which was recorded during the summer of that year at Atlantic Recording Studios in New York — having finally acquired a medieval lute of his own, he taught himself to play it and the results comprise more than half of this LP, made up of authentic medieval music and originals composed in a medieval mode. It was certainly the most unusual record ever to feature the playing of Tim Bogart (bass) and Carmine Appice (drums), as well as soul drummer Ray Lucas. After leaving Focus in 1976, Akkerman began releasing a stream of solo albums, which frequently embraced classical, jazz, and blues, and started leading his own bands. Much of his work during the 1980's wasn't released officially outside of Holland, but his periodic recordings with Van Leer, coupled with efforts to revive Focus with its two major stars, kept his name circulating in international music circles. The only problem that Akkerman faces derives from the sheer eclecticism of his work, which makes him very difficult to categorize — two different branches of Tower Records in the same city list him as a jazz and a rock artist, respectively, but one could just as easily make a claim for him as a classical artist. © Bruce Eder, allmusic.com

20.2.09

Chris Beard




Chris Beard - Live Wire! - 2005 - NorthernBlues Music

The late Luther Allison was responsible for a sub-genre of Midwest electric blues guitar players. Many of these players do not always do justice to Luther Allison's style, but Chris Beard, as a member of this sub-genre, balances the thin line between blues, and high powered rock n’ roll. Chris Beard lays down some searing guitar here, and his funky horn section really rocks. This is a high-powered live album with excellent songs, top class performances, and great presentation and timing. Often live blues albums can be pipe-line fillers that bands use to sell to inebriated fans off the stage. If this record is an indication of Chris Beard’s live shows then inebriated blues fans are par for the coursse ! It is often said that the drummer is the difference between a “good” band and a “great” band, and: Buddy Honeycutt proves this point by propelling the band through songs like a Russian Ice Cutter through Arctic ice. Chris Beard has created a good album here, without using overplayed blues covers. The album combines live, and studio tracks, and some music critics maintain that tracks like "Tribute to Luther Allison", and " It's Over" are overlong, and self indulgent. These tracks are long, but there is no denying the quality of the music. What do you think? Buy Chris' 1997 "Barwalkin'" album which showcases Chris Beard's talent to the maximum effect.

TRACKS / COMPOSERS

1 Born to Play the Blues - Beard
2 Ten Toes Up - Beard
3 It's About Time - Beard
4 Tribute to Luther Allison, Pt. 1 - Peterson
5 Tribute to Luther Allison, Pt. 2 - Peterson
6 Caught Up - Beard
7 It's Over, Pt. 1 - Beard
8 It's Over, Pt. 2 - Beard
9 It's Over, Pt. 3 - Beard
10 Street of Broken Dreams - Cain
11 Never Felt No Blues - Walker
12 A Change Must Come - Allison
13 Can't Walk Away - Walker
14 Lock My Dreams - Walker
15 Who You Can Trust - Cain

Recorded at Kingston Mines, Chicago, Illinois; Village Gate, Rochester, New York; Blues At The Mall, Grand Rapids, Michigan (2005).

MUSICIANS

Chris Beard (vocals, guitar)
Steve Grills, Brother Wilson (guitar) [ B.Wilson plays rhythm guitar on tracks 8, & 10 only], [S.Grills plays rhythm guitar on tracks 10, & 11 only]
Darren Robinson, Tony Jackson, Marvin Parker (bass guitar) [M.Parker plays bass on all tracks, except 7,11, & 12], [T.Jackson plays bass on tracks 7, & 12 only], [D.Robinson plays bass on track 11 only]
George Snell , Alan Murphy, (keyboards) [A.Murphy plays keyboards on all tracks except 7,11, & 12], [G.Snell plays keyboards on tracks 11, & 12 only]
Buddy Honeycutt (drums)
Quinn Lawrence (horns)

REVIEWS

Chris Beard, son of blues guitarist Joe Beard, literally grew up at the feet of blues legends like Buddy Guy, Matt "Guitar" Murphy, and of course, his father. Encouraged to play at a young age, he was tutored by the best. By 15, Chris was playing with his father, always keeping in mind the lessons learned from the masters. After years of honing his craft, Beard brings it all home with a real treat entitled Live Wire. Live Wire is a combination of live performances and studio recordings. While that sounds like an odd combination, it's effective, showcasing Beard's ability to express himself in any setting. Whether studio or nightclub, the spontaneity and pure joy in Beard's music is evident. Backed by a talented band, including horns, Chris creates a fully emotional and altogether entertaining CD. My favorite cut is Ten Toes Up, a playful, yet seductive and energetic number that many of my friends have agreed is top-notch blues. I've listened to Live Wire over and over, and I have a feeling you'll do the same. Pick up a copy today. It's worth every penny. © Joan Hunt, Published June 29, 2005, © http://blogcritics.org/music/

You could say that Chris Beard likes to play guitar — the nine minutes of fretboard pyrotechnics that make up the opening "Born to Play the Blues" make that all too apparent. This is a full-on electric blues (mostly) live disc, full of scintillating lead guitar (check out the inspired "Tribute to Luther Allison"), backed by a top-notch band, whose players also get a good workout, like keyboardist Alan Murphy on "It's About Time." But the inevitable focus is on Beard's massive skills. He's a good singer, if not outstanding, but he's a dynamic, inventive guitarist who seems to be at his happiest when dazzling an audience. Those cuts have an immediacy and energy that's missing on the three final studio tracks — even the aching "Lock My Dreams," where he makes his guitar cry, lacks that energy. Having already established his reputation with his previous work, Beard cements his stature with this record, and sets himself up to take a place among the contemporary blues guitar greats. © Chris Nickson, allmusic.com



ABOUT CHRIS BEARD

Guitarist, singer and songwriter Chris Beard is the son of Rochester-area blues guitarist Joe Beard. He has been patiently paying his dues on the club circuit around the Northeast for the last 20 years. Beard, who goes by the nickname "Prince of the Blues," is one of the young lions of blues in the 1990s. He can be safely grouped with other idiom-expanding artists like Larry Garner, Tutu Jones and Michael Hill. Beard began playing guitar at age five, inspired by all the blues talent his father had over to the house — artists like Buddy Guy and Matt "Guitar" Murphy. He learned to play "Green Onions" as a 6-year-old, and at 15 he began playing with a local classic rhythm & blues ensemble. He continued playing in local bands and sitting in with his father's band through high school. After graduation, he began fronting his own group and writing his own songs, taking inspiration from people like Albert King and Johnny "Guitar" Watson. Beard's debut album, Barwalkin', for the London-based JSP Records, is a 12-track showcase of style and songwriting virtuosity. Produced by Johnny Rawls, who also plays guitar on the recording, Beard is accompanied by Hammond B-3 organist Brian Charette, former Johnny Copeland Band bassist Randy Lippincott, and drummer Barry Harrison. The Nutmeg Horns, consisting of Bruce and Robert Feiner on saxophones and Jim Hunt on trumpet, add body to some songs. © Richard Skelly, allmusic.com

19.2.09

Jade Warrior




Jade Warrior - Way of the Sun - 1978 - Antilles Records (U.S.A)

A wonderful, inventive blend of rock, jazz, classical and world music, full of dreamy, atmospheric, melodic passages, and reminiscent of some of Brian Eno's works. This album is regarded by many people as a progressive rock/electronica masterpiece. Jade Warrior were ahead of their time, musically, and this album is a highly original instrumental work of electronic/progressive rock. For similar albums, listen to the brilliant "The Snow Goose" by Camel, and buy Jade Warrior's terrific and imaginative "Last Autumn's Dream" album. It is also worth hearing Brian Eno's wonderful "Another Green World", which has some similarities to ""Way of the Sun". You can fin info on Jade Warrior's "Waves" album @ JWAR/WAVES

TRACKS

01 - Sun Ra
02 - Sun child
03 - Moontears
04 - Heaven stone
05 - Way of the sun
06 - River song
07 - Carnival
08 - Dance of the sun
09 - Death of Ra
All tracks composed by Jon Field, & Tony Duhig,

MUSICIANS

Tony Duhig - guitars, percussion
Jon Field – percussion, flutes
John Dentith - drums (on Sun Ra and Carnival)
Graham Morgan - drums (on Dance Of The Sun)
Bill Smith - bass (on Carnival)
Skalia Kanga - harp (on Sun Child)
Gowan Turnbull - sax (on Carnival)
Dick Cuthell - flugel horn (on Sun Ra)
Godfrey, Kuma, Alan – drums, bass, congas (on Way Of The Sun)

REVIEWS

If you don't fall in love with the place this music takes you, you won't like anything else in my music collection. Jade Warrior, in their moments of clarity, exist outside your imagination - calling you to a bright, sunny, English hillside in summer, with the reassuring warmth of your Mum's cooking, floating above the scent of freshly mown lawns. If you want to be direct about it, there's a hint of Santana about the more lively tracks on Way of the Sun, like 'Carnival' - but immediately followed by the powerful and cinematic 'Dance of the Sun' - with a vague hint of Kate Bush, circa 'Jig of Life' and a side order of pre-electronic Ozric Tentacles. Frank Zappa once said, "Talking about music, is like fishing about architecture" and if any album by any artist sums that statement up, it's this. Simply said - just buy it! If the Mahavishnu freak in you doesn't love it with all your heart, you probably need help - consult your nearest dealer. © Jim Gardner 1973, © 2006-2008 MOG Inc. All Rights Reserved

Eclectic Discs are pleased to release the classic albums recorded by the legendary Jade Warrior for Island records between 1974 and 1978. The duo of guitarist Tony Duhig and virtuoso flautist and woodwind player Jon Field were signed to Island records in 1974, following the recent break up of the four piece Jade Warrior (who recorded three albums for Vertigo records between 1970 and 1973). Island founder Chris Blackwell signed the duo upon the recommendation of Steve Winwood, declaring Jade Warrior to be "an ornament to my label". Blackwell gave Duhig and Field access to unlimited studio time to create four albums that were later hailed as instrumental masterpieces, all of which fused ethnic African and far eastern influences with superbly innovative rock guitar playing by Tony Duhig. Way of the Sun was perhaps the band's most fully realised work, drawing upon South American musical influences which blended effortlessly with western rock. Way Of The Sun has been re-mastered from the original master tapes and features extensive liner notes, deluxe slip case packaging and fully restored artwork. © amazon.com

To Central America and the world of the Aztecs, 1978's Way Of The Sun captures a more vibrant and festive feel, with upbeat melodies and percussive intensity. Here the music shines boldly like the sun god it seems to worship, with an almost-orchestral fervency and driving spirit. This was unlike anything the band had done before. Tracks like "Carnival", "Dance of the Sun" and the title track are at once overtly rhythmic and infused with a strong multifaceted melodic sensibility. Other pieces, like "Moontears" and "Heaven Stone" explore other sides of their sound in a more subtle and relaxed atmosphere, while the closer "Death of Ra" has an almost pensive melodic figure, full of emotion and imagination, like an unforgettable soundtrack theme. This would be Jade Warrior's final release for the Island label. © Peter Thelen 9-April-2001, http://gnosis2000.net/reviews/jadewarrior.htm

Each of Jade Warrior's Island albums was a revelation, both musically and thematically. Floating World's exploration of the Japanese philosophy of Ukiyo, Waves' oceanic voyage, the ninth century Buddhist monk whose story is told on the B-side of Kites (and who takes airy flight across the flip) — all were extraordinary expeditions into the Orient. Having conquered the East, Warrior now turned their Jade eye westward, toward Latin America. By this time, Jade were already moving toward a more orchestral sound, as Kites had evidenced, but Way of the Sun was positively cinematic. Within, the duo — aided by a host of guest musicians — created an incredibly vibrant set that quivers with emotion and life itself. Dawn announces itself with a clap of thunder on "Sun Ra," waking the earth's denizens from their slumbers. Birds soar into the sky, creatures large and small scamper through the meadows and woods, while overhead the sun majestically rises, all of which Jade bring to vivid life across both "Sun Ra" and "Sun Child." "Heaven Stone" and the title track are similarly interconnected, both thematically and musically, and tied to the spiritual beliefs of the continent's indigenous peoples, while broadly hinting at the coming of the conquistadors and their conquering culture. But even as the Spanish laid waste to the land and its peoples, they too would be changed by them, which is reflected by "Carnival" and "Dance of the Sun," songs melding together indigenous and Spanish traditions. The album ends with the haunting "Death of Ra," as the sun sinks below the horizon. Although Latin styles predominate across the set, Warrior weave in myriad other musical threads — Eastern, jazz, surf, and more. The album itself was arguably Jade Warrior's best, their apotheosis, or at least their grand finale, for after its release, Island promptly dumped the duo. John Dentith and Graham Morgan now went their separate ways, and the Warrior were no more. © Jo-Ann Greene, allmusic.com

BIO

Jade Warrior was an eclectic group led by Jon Field and Tony Duhig, who met during the 1960s while working in a factory. The two did not immediately but spent several years improving their musical skills, Field on percussion, Duhig on guitar. They finally created a group named July, with Tom Newman, Chris Jackson and Alan James. Newman would later engineer (Mike Oldfield's landmark album Tubular Bells. July released one album of eccentric psychedelic pop in 1968, then folded. After the demise of July, Duhig traveled to Iran, where he met guitarist and future bandmate Glyn Havard. Field remained in England, learned to play flute and created the Jade Warrior identity while writing music for a friend's dance drama. Jade warriors were the samurai of ancient Japan, cultured killers well schooled in arts ranging from poetry to murder. Duhig and Havard returned from the Middle East and contacted Field. The trio adopted the Jade Warrior name. Duhig and Field created most of the music, with Havard playing bass and contributing lyrics and vocals. This initial formation, supplemented at times by guitarist David Duhig and drummer Alan Price, signed with Vertigo Records and released three albums in three years: Jade Warrior, Released and Last Autumn's Dream. The band's sound combined a straightforward rock style with the sudden tempo changes and experimental instrumentation typical of early '70s art rock bands. Jade Warrior developed a loyal but small following. Vertigo canceled its contract, although the band had recorded nearly two albums worth of followup material. Most of this work was squelched for 25 years. The albums Eclipse and Fifth Element were recorded in 1973 but not released until 1998. The group was on the verge of breaking up when Island Records offered a three album deal that eventually stretched to four records. But the change in labels reflected a similar shift in the band's sound. Island wanted to emphasize instrumentals. This left little room for Havard, who left the band. Jade Warrior became a duo, as Duhig and Field played numerous instruments to realize their increasingly exotic musical vision. The music became increasingly dreamlike, pushing a lighter jazz sound to the forefront. During the Island period of 1974 through 1978, Jade Warrior albums featured myriad percussive sounds but drum kits were rarely in evidence. The band liked to create a soothing, ethereal feel, then shatter it with gongs and unexpectedly raucous electric guitar, usually from guest David Duhig, Tony's brother. The albums featured occasional celebrity guests such as Steve Winwood, but Jade Warrior had a style of its own. The band's foray into what would later be labeled world and ambient music parallels the excursions of Brian Eno, who described Floating World as an important album. During the 1980s, Field and Tony Duhig released a pair of albums, Horizon (1984) and At Peace (1989) but couldn't rise beyond cult status. Duhig was under a great deal of stress during much of this period. He opened a recording studio, mortgaging his house for funds. The studio flopped and Duhig's lender foreclosed the house. Field became a session player, but after meeting bassist Dave Sturt, he took steps to revive Jade Warrior. He recruited guitarist Colin Henson. Tony Duhig was about to rejoin the fold when he died of a heart attack. Field and the others carried on, releasing two albums on Red Hot Records, Breathing the Storm and Distant Echoes, the latter featuring a guest appearance by former King Crimson violinist David Cross. The band began another album in 1996, but it has never been finished. Field, Henson and Sturt scattered to live in different parts of England and showed no inclination to finish the project. © Casey Elston, allmusic.com

BIO (Wikipedia)

Jade Warrior are a British music group that were formed in 1970, evolving out of the band July. The founding members were Tony Duhig (Guitar), Jon Field (Flute, Percussion, Keyboards) and Glyn Havard (Vocals, Bass). Their self-titled first album Jade Warrior was released in 1971 on the Vertigo label and establishes their trademark sound of soft/loud contrasts, and Fields multi-layered flutes and percussion vying with Duhig's cutting guitar. This was followed in the same year by Released and then in 1972 by Last Autumn's Dream, both with appearances from Dave Duhig (solo Guitar) and Allan Price (Drums). (Price is not to be confused with Alan Price of The Animals.) Material for another two albums, Eclipse and Fifth Element was also recorded during 1973, but Vertigo cancelled the contract and these projects were shelved, not to see the light of day, until their subsequent release in 1998. In 1974, Steve Winwood (of Traffic) urged Chris Blackwell of Island Records to listen to Jade Warrior, he did, but would only sign them as an instrumental duo, which meant there was no place for bassist/singer Glyn Havard. Tony Duhig and Jon Field (who also provided flute on Mike Oldfield’s Tubular Bells) were to create four albums on Island Records, with their sonic arsenal now expanded to include choirs, harp, and a string quartet. Guest musicians on these albums included Steve Winwood (Keyboards), Fred Frith of Henry Cow (Violin) and Tony Duhig's brother Dave (solo Guitar). The four albums were Floating World (1974), Waves (1975), Kites (1976), and the final album on Island, the 1978 release Way Of The Sun. Personal issues, illness, and Duhig moving house to set up a studio, meant that the next album to be released was the 1979 compilation Reflections taken from their Vertigo years and containing some (at the time) unreleased tracks, and it was not until 1984 that any new material emerged with the release of Horizen and then, in 1989, At Peace which was performed solely by the duo. This was followed by another long hiatus until Jade Warrior were to start their next project with new band members, Colin Henson on Guitar and Dave Sturt on Fretless bass. However, they were dealt a tragic blow by the sudden death of guitarist Tony Duhig in 1990 before he could contribute to the album. The band decided to continue on with the album, which became the 1992 release Breathing The Storm on the Voiceprint label. This trio then released a follow-up album Distant Echoes in 1993 with guest appearances from Theo Travis of Gong (Saxophone), David Cross of King Crimson (Violin) and Tom Newman. It seemed for a while that Jade Warrior may have disbanded as their only output was the previously mentioned Eclipse and Fifth Element, but these were recently joined by the re-issue of all four Island albums in 2006. And in 2008 Jade Warrior, with Glyn Havard back in the band, released their 14th studio album NOW on the WindWeaver label.

THE HISTORY OF JADE WARRIOR [ History compiled from writings © Dave Platt and Charles Wilkinson. © www.jadewarrior.com/journey.htm ]

The (very) early days... The core membership of Jade Warrior is/was Jon Field (flute etc.) and Tony Duhig (guitar). During their youths, Jon and Tony independently developed an interest in Jazz, African music, and Latin American music. They met in the early 1960s while driving forklift trucks in a factory, and soon learned that they shared musical interests and intentions. At the time, they were just beginning to play instruments themselves (Jon a set of congas, and Tony a cheap guitar which he tuned quite unconventionally to open C). Each of them bought a quarter-track tape recorder, capable of sound-on-sound "pingponging". They began composing their own music, and experimenting with building up multi-layered overdubbed amalgams of the sorts of music which moved them... all done with practically no money. Jon has described this process as "our training... trying to build a cathedral with the sort of things you'd find in your back yard." This complex layered and overdubbed sound would be a hallmark of Jade Warrior's music throughout their entire career to date. They spent the next years going to clubs, listening to jazz and blues, and in 1965 formed a rhythm & blues band called "Second Thoughts" headed up by lead singer Patrick Lyons. Second Thoughts released one four-song EP. During the same period, Tom Newman (later the engineer for Mike Oldfield's Tubular Bells), Alan James, Pete Cook and Chris Jackson had formed the first incarnation of the "Tomcats" (one of several bands known to have used this name). In 1965, both of these two bands split up. Patrick Lyons departed, joining up with Alex Spyropoulos in a duo named "Nirvana" which subsequently released an on-the-charts single "Rainbow Chaser" and a total of five LPs (with Jade Warrior members performing on one of them: 1971's Local Anaesthetic). The Tomcats re-formed with a new line-up: Tom Newman, Alan James, Chris Jackson, Jon Field and Tony Duhig. The band spent the best part of 1965 and 1966 in Spain, acting as a spearhead for British pop music in that country. They released four EPs which did very well on the Spanish charts. The four EPs by The Tomcats were collected onto a single LP by Acme Records, and a pressing of The Second Thoughts' four-song EP was included. After returning to England in 1966, the Tomcats were re-named "July", playing psychedelic-pop/rock written mostly by Tom Newman. July issued one album, which has been released in three different versions. The original version was July. A later release Second of July contains alternate versions and additional outtakes, and a third release Dandelion Seeds is a re-release of July plus the outtakes. July disbanded in 1968. Tony Duhig auditioned successfully for a role in a band called Unit Four Plus Two (a group which had released a hit song "Concrete and Clay" a few years earlier but had since lost all of its original members save the lead singer). Other recent additions to Unit Four Plus Two were bass guitarist and vocalist Glyn Havard, and drummer Allan Price. This line-up of Unit Four Plus Two did a brief club tour in the U.K., and then broke up. Musical ideas continued to develop and they hooked up with Glyn again to work them in to songs. The first piece they worked on became ‘The Traveller’ (released on the first Vertigo album). They called the band Jade Warrior after one of the dance dramas they had composed for a London drama school. The Vertigo Years - Jade Warrior put together some demonstration material, shopped it around and were signed to a record deal with Vertigo in the early seventies. According to Glyn Havard, this signing was due in part to the fact that they were being managed by Mother Mistro, the same company which was managing the "Afro-rock" band Assagai which was being actively pursued by Vertigo. Mother Mistro said "If you want a deal with Assagai, you'll have to sign Jade Warrior as well" and Vertigo agreed. This may have been helped along by the fact that their old band-mate Patrick Lyons - now Patrick Campbell-Lyons - had become an important producer and talent-spotter for Vertigo. This left Jade Warrior with a signed contract, but one with a record company which had little actual interest in the band and very little willingness to support or promote them. With this basic line-up (with Tony's brother David Duhig, Allan Price, and Dave Conners also taking part at times) they released three albums in as many years on the Vertigo label: Jade Warrior, Released, and Last Autumn's Dream. They toured the U.S. once, as the opening band for Dave Mason and Earthquake. The tour was promoted by Mercury Records, which was pleased with Jade Warrior's sales in the United States. Mercury also arranged for Billy Gaff's Gaff-Masters Management to take over responsibility for the band, replacing Mother Mistro which hadn't done much since arranging the signing with Vertigo. The band was apparently captured on film during this period. They, along with Rod Stewart, and several other bands were filmed at The Marquee Club in London as part of an event put on by Gaff-Masters Management. The whereabouts of this film are unknown. After the end of the American tour, the band went back into the studio, and entered a rather troubled time marked by personal and musical disagreements among the members of the band. They completed an additional set of tracks, selected an album's worth and did a test pressing of Eclipse. Before the album was actually manufactured, Vertigo Records shelved it and cancelled the band's contract. At about the same time, the band began a second tour (of Holland this time), but it did not go well and was cancelled partway through. As a result of the contract cancellation, and of the disagreements and pressures which had developed within the band, Jade Warrior dissolved. The band's first era was over. The Vertigo albums were followed by a retrospective/compilation album Reflections which includes tracks from Released and Last Autumn's Dream, and three tracks originally recorded for Eclipse. Reflections was released on Butt Records. Two other tracks from Eclipse were released on various versions of a Vertigo Records sampler LP called Suck It And See. These "first era" albums are characterized by a style which has its base in rock music (some tracks are basically straightforward rock) with a Jethro Tull flavour, and significant admixtures of what we'd probably call "world music" influence today. Many of the characteristic "signatures" of Jade Warrior music were present from the beginning... rapid dynamic shifts between quiet and suddenly-very-loud-and-percussive, Jon's flute playing off against Tony's guitar, the use of the "wordless chorus" and the cyclical bell-tree themes, and a complexity of composition which reminds me at times of some classical music. Your average garage-rock band, these guys are NOT. The three Vertigo albums were released on CD by the German label LINE in 1988. The CD transfers are disappointing - the sound is dull, distant, and muddy, with no liveness or sparkle – avoid – and go for the recent, much better, Repertoire releases. Reflections has not been released on CD. The Eclipse album has been released by Acme Records, as both a limited-pressing LP and a CD. The post-Eclipse material (eight tracks, 36 minutes) has been released on the Background label by Hi-Note Music under the title Fifth Element. Jade Warrior did some movie soundtrack work during these years: they wrote and performed the main theme song of "Bad Man's River" (a re-spin of "Too Many Heroes" from the Eclipse album, with different lyrics), and also did the music for "Game for Vultures". The Assagai Connection - Jade Warrior had some interesting interactions with fellow Vertigo band Assagai during this time. Assagai was anchored by respected African musicians Louis Moholo, Mongezi Feza, and Dudu Pukwana, and was signed by Vertigo in the label's attempt to capitalize on the popularity of Afro-rock bands such as Osibisa. Assagai released two albums; the first (self-titled) contained their cover version of Jade Warrior's "Telephone Girl", and a song "Irin Ajolawa" co-written by Tony Duhig. The second album (released originally as "Zimbabwe", and re-issued by a different label under the name "AfroRock") contains covers of Jade Warrior's "Barazinbar" (from Released) and "Sanga" (from Eclipse), and a song titled "Kinzambi" written by Tony Duhig.Duhig, Field, and Havard are credited with performances on the second Assagai album. They recorded one session together with several of the members of Assagai, under the band name of "Simba". Two songs from this session were released on a 45 single, and later issued on a multi-band collection LP entitled "Afro Rock Festival". The songs: "Movin' On" and "Louie Louie"! The Island Years - Steve Winwood (of Traffic fame) had heard Jade Warrior's music, and had been quite impressed with it. He urged Chris Blackwell of Island Records to give Jade Warrior a hearing and consider signing them up to do some instrumental albums once they were available. Blackwell did so, liked what he heard and proposed that Jon and Tony re-form the band and sign a contract for three albums (later expanded to four) "as an ornament to my label". He was interested in a primarily instrumental sound (possibly as an Island label equivalent to the music of Virgin Records' new artist Mike Oldfield), and the contract offered by Island was not extended to include Glyn Havard. On these Island albums Jon and Tony reorganized a bit, and took their music in a direction which was less overtly rock-oriented (but still uses many rock techniques) and towards a more theme-oriented approach to doing their albums. Once again, David Duhig played an occasional track, and there was a large and changing bill of associate musicians (including Steve Winwood and Fred Frith). The four Island albums were released between 1974 and 1978 and were, almost without exception, VERY hard to get here in the U.S., and even harder to get in the U.K. Island's U.S. affiliate had lousy distribution and really fouled up the pressings and quality control in several cases. 1974's Floating World is a musical exploration of the Japanese concept of Ukiyo - floating along, free of cares, accepting life as it comes and conscious of beauty all around. The album's second side is punctuated by a striking "Monkey Chant" which combines a Balinese kecak chant with a Hendrix-influenced guitar solo by David Duhig. Waves, in 1975, carries us through dawn-lit countryside full of birdsong, downriver to the ocean, and out among the great whales. With Kites, in 1976, we drift through the aeolean landscapes of Paul Klee, and get a glimpse at 9th Century China and the wandering Zen master Teh Ch'eng. 1978's Way of the Sun arrives, like a thunder-filled dawn, in Central America before and after the arrival of the Hispanic conquerors. In all four of these albums, the characteristic Jade Warrior sound and skills are applied to good ends. These albums have a similar sound, and yet they're individually unique. Jon Field has described this relationship as being like "...digging into a mountain, to find a pot of gold... you'd never quite get there, so you'd back off and come in again from a different angle." These albums have been re-released on CD on Island, Island Masters, and/or PolyGram. Floating World and Way of the Sun are excellent CD transfers, available on the Island Masters label from the U.K. These two CDs were remastered by Jon Field, recovering the wide dynamic range that he and Tony wanted to achieve but were unable to capture on vinyl. Kites and Waves are rumoured to have been re-released individually on CD, but I've never been able to get any solid information about these alleged re-releases, and believe that this is an urban legend. All four albums have been released by Island/PolyGram in a single two-CD set Elements. This set includes a retrospective essay and history of Jade Warrior, written by Vivian Goldman. Elements was issued by PolyGram without any prior notice to the band - in fact, PolyGram mistakenly believed that Jade Warrior had completely disbanded after Way of the Sun and had never recorded again. The albums were remastered for CD by PolyGram without Jon's creative input, and for this reason the result does not reflect Jon's desire to recapture the original dynamics that he and Tony had envisioned. They have recently been re-released on Eclectic records. At some point during this period, Island Records' Chris Blackwell commissioned a live performance of the band. The performance would have included the band itself, and selected orchestral assistance. Some additional material was written and rehearsed, a venue was selected and rented... and the performance was cancelled shortly before its scheduled date, due to serious confusion and lack of follow-through at Island Records. To the best of my knowledge, Jade Warrior never again performed in a live venue. The "missing years" There was a long hiatus after 1978's Way of the Sun... long enough that I thought that Jade Warrior must have gone completely out of the business (not the first time I made that mistake, and not the last). During this time, Jon got divorced, and moved out of London to the country. Tony became ill, decided that he too was fed up with living in London, and moved to Glastonbury, first buying a house and then setting up a commercial studio a stone's throw away from Glastonbury Abbey. Two albums were released during this period. Horizen was released in 1984 on Pulse Records, and didn't see release on CD until February of 2001. It's a darker and moodier album than the previous few, due in part to the "Dune" theme of one side. Horizen was almost entirely a Tony Duhig project - he wrote all of the music, and Jon performed on only a few of the tracks. In 1989, At Peace was released on the British label Earthsounds. At Peace is perhaps the least typical of the Jade Warrior albums in many respects... it's far quieter, meditative, and could be classed as "ambient" music or even as "new age" (whatever that means). The composition and performance was simply credited to Jade Warrior; this album was apparently a Field/Duhig project with no additional musicians. According to one report, this album was recorded at Tony's studio, in only four days. Jon Field is not particularly happy with either of these albums... He feels that he and Tony were not "following the rules" that made their musical collaboration so successful, and he does not consider either of these albums to be truly representative of Jade Warrior. The Red Hot era - Jon sold his country house and moved back to London, doing session work on a bunch of pop recordings, playing at jazz clubs around town, and eventually setting up a small studio. While doing some session work at his studio, Jon met Dave Sturt, a young bassist from northern England. He was so struck by Dave's sound and music that he asked Dave to join his jazz combo, and then raised the subject of Jade Warrior. Jon hoped that he, Dave, and Tony could get Jade Warrior "back on track". Jon and Dave were joined in London by Colin Henson, a guitarist that Jon had met through his girlfriend Carol Bellingham. They began "putting together some bits", sent some tapes up to Tony to listen to, and actually got together with Tony as a foursome for an evening of "light jamming". Colin says that this first jam, although "nothing that would ever have made it to CD", showed real potential for the new group line-up. Before Tony was able to contribute to the new album Breathing the Storm, he had a massive and fatal heart attack. This was a hard blow for Jon - he remains very sad to this day about Tony's loss and about the fact that Tony was never able to play as part of the new Jade Warrior line-up. Breathing the Storm was released in 1992 on the Red Hot Records label. Its theme is one of chaos, in the mathematical and physical sense - the fact that one small change somewhere in the world can have large, unexpected effects elsewhere. The album captured a relaxed and sometimes sombre mood. The addition of Colin's precise guitar playing and Dave's distinctive fretless bass provided new dimensions to the band's sound and has been critically acclaimed. Late 1993 brings us to Distant Echoes, also on Red Hot Records. This album's theme reaches back to our ancestors: our human and pre-human forbearers who walked the earth long ago. The group line-up was augmented by a host of guest musicians including Theo Travis (of Gong and Soft Machine Legacy) and David Cross (of King Crimson). This album revisited some of the world music influences and extreme dynamics of the Island era and joined Breathing the Storm in receiving great reviews. Work began on another album but various pressures resulted in the work being shelved. The band lay dormant for a decade but momentum built up over the last few years and musical ideas were passed around. After a few preliminary recording sessions a meeting was arranged with original vocalist Glyn Havard and he was invited to rejoin the fold. As the album progressed it became clear that Colin was not comfortable with the direction the band were moving in and so he decided to leave. A New era - Their latest album NOW was released in 2008 on the WindWeaver Music label. It features guest appearances from Tim Stone on guitar, Jeff Davenport on drums, saxophonists Theo Travis and Gowan Turnbull, pianist Chris Ingham, and Jon's daughter Charlotte, which musically reflects all eras of Jade Warrior with it’s blend of classic seventies psychedelia, modern rock and orchestral arrangements. On October 23rd 2008 Jade Warrior performed live at the Astoria2 after a 35 year absence from the live circuit.

Steely Dan




Steely Dan - Live At the Hard Rock MGM Grand Las Vegas 10.8.96

Only for diehard Dan fans. Sound quality is bad, but some of these "reel to reel" recordings can sound worse. Anyway, it gives some idea of SD performing during the band's "Art Crimes" tour. SD have always primarily beem a studio band, and DF and WB have recorded many classic jazz rock albums. The duo are famous/infamous for doing whatever is necessary to achieve the sound they want on their albums. Time, or budgets have never meant anything to these perfectionists. Many of the world's greatest session players have been drafted in to try and achieve a certain required "sound" , and very often, many of these artists' works have never been used on Dan albums. Nothing to do with talent or musical ability, simply "failure" to reproduce results measuring up to what is in B and F's heads ! Indeed, it is well known that B and F have discarded some outstanding tunes because they do not meet their, some say impossibly high standards. There is one particular song, "The Second Arrangement", a killer jazz rock classic, which has never been officially released. It has been covered by The Steely Damned, a great American S D cover band. It's a shame that the song was never released officialy by the Dan, as it's up there with classics like "Dr.Wu", and "Deacon Blues". There are two different outtakes of the song available, both with varying lyrics. Try and hear them. To listen to SD at their best, listen to their "Aja" album, or DF's magnificent "The Nightfly" album.


TRACKS

CD 1

01. Do It Again
02. Bad Sneakers
03. Everyone’s Gone To The Movies
04. Josie
05. Jack Of Speed
06. Hey Nineteen
07. FM
08. Green Earrings
09. Rikki Don’t Lose That Number
10. Green Flower Street
11. Peg

CD 2

12. East St. Louis Toodle-oo
13. My Waterloo
14. Cash Only Island
15. Midnight Cruiser
16. Black Cow
17. Home At Last
18. Kid Charlemagne
19. Don’t Take Me Alive
20. My Old School
21. Outro

MUSICIANS

Donald Fagen: Vocals, Keyboards
Walter Becker: Electric Guitar.,Vocals
Wayne Krantz: Electric Guitar
Tom Barney: Electric Bass (finger)
John Beasley: Keyboards
Ricky Lawson: Drums
Ari Ambrose, Cornelius Bumpus: Saxophone
Michael Leonhart: Trumpet
Michelle Wiley, Carolyn Leonhart-Escoffery: Vocals