Category Archives: Jazz
THE LIFE AND CAREER OF NORMA WINSTONE.
The Life and Career Of Norma Winstone. There aren’t many British jazz singers who have enjoyed the longevity, commercial success and critical acclaim that Norma Winstone MBE has. Her career has lasted over fifty years. Despite all the commercial success, critical acclaim and awards, the seventy-seven year old singer shows no signs of slowing down. Norma Winstone isn’t …
HALLELUJAH-THE SONGS OF LEONARD COHEN.
Hallelujah-The Songs Of Leonard Cohen. Label: Ace Records. On the ‘21st’ of October 2016, Canadian singer-songwriter, novelist and poet Leonard Cohen released what was to be his swan-song You Want It Darker to widespread critical acclaim. Sadly, just seventeen days later Leonard Cohen passed away on the ‘7th’ of November 2016, aged eighty-two. That day, music lost …
DR JOHN-THE ATCO YEARS 1968-1974.
Dr John-The Atco Years 1968-1974. Gris Gris. When a copy of Dr John’s debut album Gris Gris was sent to Atlantic Records’ founder Ahmet Ertegun he disliked the album so much, that he was reluctant to even release the album and said: “how can we market this boogaloo crap?” This wasn’t the response that Dr …
MOGOLLAR’S CAREER OF TWO PARTS.
Moğollar’s Career Of Two Parts. By 1976, Anatolian rockers Moğollar had been together for the best part of a decade, and were now one of Turkey’s most successful bands. Everything seemed to have been going well for Moğollar until they lost their latest vocalist. This was nothing new, and was a problem that had haunted the group over the years. Vocalists had been Moğollar’s …
THE LIFE AND TIMES OF SANDY DENNY.
The Life and Times Of Sandy Denny. In December 1969, an announcement was made that Sandy Denny had left Britain’s leading folk band, Fairport Convention. This came as a shock to many as Fairport Convention, who were Britain’s first electric folk band, popularity been rising over the past two years. Playing her part in the rise and rise of Fairport Convention was Sandy Denny who had previously been …
THE RISE AND FALL OF THE YOUNGBLOODS.
The Rise and Fall Of The Youngbloods By 1965, bassist and vocalist Jesse Colin Young was twenty-four and had already enjoyed a degree of success as a folk singer. He had already released two albums The Soul Of A City Boy in 1964, and Young Blood in 1965. However, Jesse Colin Young’s solo career was …
THE JUNIE STORY: FROM OHIO PLAYER TO SOLO ARTIST, FUNKADELIC AND BEYOND.
The Junie Story: From Ohio Player To Solo Artist, Funkadelic and Beyond. In 1970, most sixteen years in Drayton, Ohio, were still at high school and were making plans for college or the world of work. Some were worrying about being drafted, and heading for Vietnam to fight in a war that America was struggling to win. …
LIGHTHOUSE-THE RISE OF LIGHTHOUSE-1969-1974
Lighthouse-The Rise Of Lighthouse 1969 1974. In 1968, Skip Prokop the former drummer and vocalist with the Canadian psychedelic rock band The Paupers, met Brooklyn born keyboardist Paul Hoffert in a New York nightclub. The men bonded over their mutual love of music. However, when they parted company at the end of the evening, they …
ATOMIC-PET VARIATIONS.
Atomic-Pet Variations. Label: Odin Records. Release Date: ‘22nd’ March 2019. Eighteen years ago, Scandinavian supergroup Atomic was founded by Swedish trumpeter Magnus Broo and his fellow countryman and reed player Fredrik Ljungkvist who joined forces with Norwegian pianist Håvard Wiik, bassist Ingebrigt Håker Flaten and drummer Paal Nilssen-Love. By then, each musician was a familiar face in their own country, but …
THE ENIGMATIC WILLIAM ONYEAEBOR
The Enigmatic William Onyeabor Enigmatic. That was the perfect word to describe synth funk pioneer, William Onyeabor who died on January 16th 2017 aged just seventy. Nigerian music lost a musical pioneer. However, William Onyeabor was, without doubt, one of the most mysterious and elusive musicians in musical history. There’s a good reason for this, Much of William Onyeabor’s …
THE LIFE AND MUSIC OF SEA LEVEL.
The Life and Music Of Sea Level. By August 1975, all wasn’t well within The Allman Brothers. It hadn’t been for the last couple of years. That was despite The Allman Brothers being at the peak of their popularity. Their last three albums had sold over a million copies and were certified platinum. Meanwhile, The Allman …
HEDVIG MOLLESTAD TRIO-SMELLS FUNNY.
Hedvig Mollestad Trio-Smells Funny. Label: Rune Grammofon. Ever since the Hedvig Mollestad Trio was founded in 2009, this inimitable group has been pushing musical boundaries and creating inventive and innovative genre-melting music. That is the case on their latest album Smells Funny, which was released by Rune Grammofon. It’s the sixth album since the Hedvig …
THE LIFE AND TIMES OF RADKA TONEFF.
The Life and Times Of Radka Toneff, One of the most overused word in tRadka Tonefhe English language is classic, with critics often hailing the latest book, play or album a “classic.” More often than not, this is hyperbole, and it’s only much later, that the same critics realise that they were rather fulsome in their praise …
LIGHTHOUSE-THE RISE OF LIGHTHOUSE 1969-1974.
Lighthouse-The Rise Of Lighthouse-1969 1974. In 1968, Skip Prokop the former drummer and vocalist with the Canadian psychedelic rock band The Paupers, met Brooklyn born keyboardist Paul Hoffert in a New York nightclub. The men bonded over their mutual love of music. However, when they parted company at the end of the evening, they never …
THE LIFE AND TIMES OF MUSICAL MAVERICK HOLGER CZUKAY.
The Life and Times Of Musical Maverick Holger Czukay. Although the word innovator is one of the most overused words in the English language nowadays, it perfectly describes Holger Czukay who cofounded Can in 1968. This was the start of a near fifty year career where Holger Czukay continued to make groundbreaking music, and push musical boundaries to their limits, and sometimes way …
ERIC GALE-9 IN 10, THE SOLO YEARS 1973-1983.
Eric Gale-9 In 10, The Solo Years 1973-1983 Jazz guitarist Eric Gale was born in Brooklyn, New York on September the ‘20th’ 1938, and by the time he was eleven, had already discovered music. Fittingly, it was guitarist Les Paul that piqued Eric Gale’s interest in music. When he heard Les Paul and his wife Mary Ford …
L.A. EXPRESS: TOM SCOTT’S SHORT-LIVED JAZZ SUPERGROUP.
L.A. Express: Tom Scott’s Short-Lived Supergroup. Musical history is littered with artists and groups that never enjoyed the commercial success that their music deserved. That was the case with L.A. Express an oft-0verlooked fusion supergroup who released a quartet of albums between 1973 and 1976. Sadly, these albums never found the audience they deserved and it was only later, that L.A. Express’ music started to be appreciated by jazz …
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