Category Archives: Jazz
CULT CLASSIC: TEA AND SYMPHONY-AN ASYLUM FOR THE MUSICALLY INSANE.
Cult Classic: Tea and Symphony-An Asylum For The Musically Insane. When the original lineup of Tea and Symphony was founded in Birmingham, England, in the late-sixties, they were an acoustic group who have since been compared to Marc Bolan’s Tyrannosaurus Rex. The group was founded by Jeff Daw, James Langston and Nigel Phillips, but when they played …
CULT CLASSIC: HERBIE HANCOCK-THE PRISONER.
Cult Classic: Herbie Hancock-The Prisoner. In the summer of 1968 Herbie Hancock left Miles Davis Quintet to form his own group. This was a risky move, but one he felt he had to make to develop as a composer, bandleader and pianist. During the summer of 1968 Herbie Hancock also released his sixth album for Blue Note …
CULT CLASSIC: DR JOHN THE NIGHT TRIPPER-THE SUN, MOON AND HERBS.
Cult Classic: Dr John The Night Tripper-The Sun, Moon and Herbs. By July 1970, twenty-nine year old Dr John was about to begin recording his fourth album for Atco which eventually became The Sun, Moon and Herbs. He had written six new track and cowrote Familiar Reality (Opening) with Jesse Hill and he planned to record …
CULT CLASSIC: DEXTER GORDON-A SWINGIN’ AFFAIR.
Cult Classic: Dexter Gordon-A Swingin’ Affair. Tenor saxophonist Dexter Gordon was only seventeen when he joined Lionel Hampton’s band in 1940, and for the next three years, played alongside Illinois Jacquet and Marshal Royal. However, by 1944 he was a member of the Fletcher Henderson band before featuring in Louis Armstrong and Billy Eckstine’s bands. …
CULT CLASSICS: TABANSI STUDIO BAND-WAKAR ALHAZI KANO AND MUS’EN SOFOA.
Cult Classics: Tabansi Studio Band–Wakar Alhazai Kano and Mus’en Sofoa. Philadelphia International Records’ house band was MFSB, while Motown the Funk Brothers and Fame Records had the Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section between 1961 and 1969. These three house bands played an important part in each label’s sound and success. That was also the case with the …
CULT CLASSIC: HIDETO SASAKI, TOSHIYUKI SEKINE QUARTET +1-STOP OVER.
Cult Classic: Hideto Sasaki, Toshiyuki Sekine Quartet + 1–Stop Over. Ever since the sixties, rather than sign to a label, many artists and bands have released their albums as private pressings. However, the majority of the labels releasing private pressings during this didn’t have the same resources as the major labels or even an indie …
CULT CLASSIC: PHILOPSIS.
Cult Classic: Philopsis. Over the last few years, there’s been a resurgence of interest in library music, with British and European independent record labels releasing lovingly curated compilations that are welcomed by a coterie of musical connoisseurs who have a passion for library music. This includes DJs, producers and record collectors who are willing to …
CULT CLASSIC: NANCY PRIDDY-YOU’VE COME THIS WAY BEFORE.
Cult Classic: Nancy Priddy-You’ve Come This Way Before. Nowadays, many people remember Nancy Priddy as an actress who appeared in Bewitched, The Waltons and Matlock and later, alongside her daughter Christina Applegate in the television series Married…With Children and the film The Sweetest Thing. However, other people remember Nancy Priddy as a singer-songwriter who in 1968, …
CULT CLASSIC: ART TAYLOR-A.T.’S DELIGHT.
Cult Classic: Art Taylor-A.T.’s Delight. One of the most influential drummers in the history of jazz is Art Taylor, who was born in New York, on the ‘6th’ of April 1929, and as a teenager, played in a local Harlem-based band that featured pianist Kenny Drew and saxophonists Sonny Rollins and Jackie McLean. Each of these …
CULT CLASSIC: LOCOMOTIVE-WE ARE EVERYTHING YOU SEE.
Cult Classic: Locomotive-We Are Everything You See. By 1965, all over Britain, new groups were being founded every day. They had watched as The Beatles and the rest of the British Invasion groups took America by storm. The new groups watched enviously, hoping and dreaming that one day soon, they would be signed by a …
CULT CLASSIC: STANLEY TURRENTINE-COMIN’ YOUR WAY.
Cult Classic: Stanley Turrentine-Comin’ Your Way. When bandleader and saxophonist Stanley Turrentine entered Van Gelder Studio, Englewood Cliffs, in New Jersey on January the ’20th’ 1961, he was twenty-six and about to record what would eventually become Comin’ Your Way. It was the third time he had made this journey since he had signed to Blue …
CULT CLASSIC: PHAROAH SANDERS-WELCOME TO LOVE.
Cult Classic: Pharoah Sanders-Welcome To Love. By the time Pharoah Sanders began recording Welcome To Love on the ‘17th’ of July 1990, at Studio Gimmick, Yerres, France, the American saxophonist and pioneer of free jazz was fifty, and was signed to the Dutch independent label, Timeless Records. Pharoah Sanders debut for his new label was …
CULT CLASSIC: TERRY CALLIER-TURN YOU TO LOVE.
Cult Classic: Terry Callier-Turn You To Love. Talent alone sadly, is no guarantee of success. If it was, the late, great, Terry Callier would’ve enjoyed a long and successful career. Sadly, for much of his career, he was one of music’s best kept secrets whose music was appreciated more in Britain than it was in …
THE LIFE AND TIMES OF MUSICAL PIONEER EMILIO APARICIO.
The Life and Times Of Musical Pioneer Emilio Aparicio. Nowadays, the words pioneer and innovator tend to be overused, and musicians who create truly groundbreaking music seem to be sadly, few and far between. While there are some pioneering musicians whose music continues to push musical boundaries, there are no longer as many as there once …
CULT CLASSIC: DON ELLIS-SHOCK TREATMENT.
Cult Classic: Don Ellis-Shock Treatment. Bandleader, composer and trumpeter Don Ellis’ life was changed forevermore in 1974, when he was diagnosed with an abnormal heart condition, and a year later, in 1975, suffered his first heart attack which very nearly cost him his life. Fortunately, Don Ellis recovered and in 1977 signed to Atlantic Records. …
CULT CLASSIC: BEN JAGGA-HOLD ON PRETTY WOMAN.
Cult Classic: Ben Jagga-Hold On Pretty Woman. Nowadays, every third rate, regional bar band has delusions of becoming the next Led Zeppelin, Deep Purple or Black Sabbath and spend their days dreaming of fame and fortune. Alas, these poor deluded fools shouldn’t give up their day job and should stick to pumping gas and parking cars because they usually lack …
CULT CLASSIC: RALPH THOMAS-EASTERN STANDARD TIME.
Cult Classic: Ralph Thomas-Eastern Standard Time. Back in 1980, saxophonist and flautist Ralph Thomas released his debut album Eastern Standard Time on the obscure Zebra Jazz imprint. Sadly, when this future spiritual jazz cult classic failed to find the audience it deserved until much later. By then, copies of Eastern Standard Time were almost impossible to find, and …
CLASSIC ALBUM: OSCAR PETERSON-MOTIONS AND EMOTIONS.
Classic Album: Oscar Peterson-Motions and Emotions. By 1969, forty-four year old Oscar Peterson was signed to the MPS label and was well on his way to becoming one of the greatest pianists in jazz history. The man who Duke Ellington called the Maharaja of the keyboard eventually won eight Grammy awards and released over 200 …
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