Saturday, December 10, 2016

Acker Bilk - Jazz (Easy Listening)


Bernard Stanley "Acker" Bilk, MBE (28 January 1929 – 2 November 2014) was an English clarinettist and vocalist known for his appearance – goatee, bowler hat and striped waistcoat – and breathy, vibrato-rich, lower-register clarinet style.

Bilk's 1962 instrumental tune "Stranger on the Shore" became the UK's biggest selling single of 1962: it was in the UK charts for more than 50 weeks, peaking at number two, and was the first No. 1 single in the United States by a British artist in the era of the modern Billboard Hot 100 pop chart.





The Ace-Tones ‎(Garage Rock)




A couple of years ago, when no-one seemed really interested in playing garage punk anymore, bassplayer Miss Jean decided that she wanted to put such a band together anyway. After a couple of months of going through wild versions of just about all the classic 'Pebbles-type' songs they could dig up, the band (by then named Ace-Tones, after a crappy old organ) were invited to record an album for the German label Music Maniac, known for their releases of Dead Moon, The Fuzztones and others. The release of this album (released as "Teen Trash, Vol.6") brought some enthusiastic reactions from all over Europe, and even the United States!
What followed was an EP on the American Tombstone-label, an EP on the Dutch Lada label (in shocking pink vinyl), and their 2nd album (called "Sixteen") was released late 1996 by Henk's Crazy Diamond Records.
A split single with the Australian band MeMeMe will appear on the Australian Phantom label later this year, featuring the anthem for sixties 'nozems' "OUWE PUCH", being the first Ace-Tones song in Dutch! 
All over Holland, the Ace-Tones have gained quite a reputation as a live band, playing local smalltown clubs to the famous Amsterdam Paradiso and the prestigeous 'Noorderslag' festival in Groningen. Jazz-veteran saxophone player Hans Dulfer jammed with the Ace-Tones on Vpro national radio, and Ace-Tones Eric and Rob toured Europe with Rudi Protrudi (the Fuzztones) as Link Protrudi and the Jaymen. Two years (and lots of Ace-Tones gigging) after this, they teamed up with Link Wray himself, no less, and recorded an album together called "Shadowman" and a live album called "Walking Down A Street Called Love". Also with Link, they played for the BBC (Radio One and BBC Scotland), and toured Europe and Australia (!) as Link Wray and his Ace-Men. 
Nice advertising for the Ace-Tones for sure, quite a thrill for the guys, too; Link will every now and then take them on short tours - but right now it's time for all five Ace-Tones to rock out again!

The Ace-Tones are and will be:

Ad 'Ace' van Dijk - vocals, blues harp
Andre Elskamp - guitar, vocals
Eric 'Danno' Geevers - organ, guitar, vocals
Miss Jean - bass guitar
Rob Louwers - drums, vocals, blues harp







Friday, December 9, 2016

Rick Wakeman & Jon Lord... Face to Face


Este encontro realmente aconteceu, em 2011. 

Texto a seguir retirado de ( http://jonlord.org/2011/07/09/lord-wakeman-world-premiere-at-sunflower-jam/ )

"The Sunflower Jam 2011 will be remembered for one of Jon Lord’s most rewarding appearances of 2011 – musically daring and performed with sharp excellence.
On an evening already rife with musical talent, Jon Lord shared the stage with Rick Wakeman for the pair’s brand new composition It’s Not As Big As It Was (allegedly about the music biz although it was preceeded by jokes about old age and prostate problems). This was without a doubt The Sunflower Jam’s musical crown jewel benefitting the good cause of helping children suffering from cancer. Donations are still welcome." 


This is Rasmus Heide’s report:
Jon Lord appears onstage after almost an hour of excellent music from the likes of Danny Bowes (Thunder), Gary Brooker, Joe Bonamassa and Newton Faulkner. These gentlemen (and woman) have entertained the crowd with blues and rock classics that fare very well, particularly Gary Brooker’s rendition of A Whiter Shade of Pale and Joe Bonamassa’s Thrill is Gone. However, Jon will proceed to seize the show and push up the excitement level several  notches.

“One of the greatest keyboardists in rock’n’roll, Mr. Jon Lord!” Joe Bonamassa introduces the maestro and kicks off a slowly evolving Ballad of John Henry. Bonamassa’s bluesrock signature tune is the perfect choice for the two masters to pool their forces. Building its riff to a roar before dipping to the verse – and then lifting itself up to the menacing chorus, Jon’s swirling Hammond backdrop has touhes of the quietly contemplative work he did for the band Ride some years ago.


Standing at the edge of the stage – having pushed the organ chair to a side – Jon is in great shape and form; focused and well prepared for what will turn into an absolute musical feast celebrating almost every aspect of his musical prowess – and in the stately old Royal Albert Hall where his work first came to prominence in 1969 – and again in 1999.

Bonamassa’s John Henry is taken down to a shimmer and Bonamassa steps up to the theremin to make it squeal eerily to the fascinated crowd – until Jon Lord gently takes over. His solo is stormy and intense, developing to a massive Hammond crescendo full of his trademark wails and runs. Bonamassa moves closer and teases Jon into a guitar-organ chase the likes of which we’ve not heard for nearly 20 years… Majestic and spine-shivering.


Thanking Bonamassa, Jon introduces the next piece as Bourree from his Sarabande album. The contrast is tangible. With the evening’s musical director Paul Wickens on synthesizer, Jon handles piano and then Hammond for the solo. Anna Phoebe adds a particularly mean solo violin to the piece, expanding again the range of musical flavours of an already boundary pushing evening.

“I’ve got a big ask of you. Not a big ass – although it used to be bigger – but a big ask. Into every show a quiet song must fall,” explains Jon Lord before presenting ”the rather wonderful” Steve Balsamo to sing Jon’s most popular solo piece. Balsamo delivers a particularly tender and confident Pictured Within – in his element, gazing out at the crowd, inspiring pin drop silence. Lacking the sweeping string section of its standard orchestral arrangement, in its place Anna Phoebe displays immaculate delicatesse on her fiddle. The piece is a gorgeous contrast to the previous rackets and again, Jon Lord’s musicality proves its extraordinary range.

Palhinha:




E o álbum...





The Sunflower Jam
Royal Albert Hall
London
England
07/08/2011

1 Who Killed John Henry (Joe Bonamassa, Jon Lord, Sunflower Band)
2 Bouree (Jon Lord, Anna Phoebe, Sunflower Band)
3 Pictured Within (Jon Lord, Steve Balsamo, Anna Phoebe, Paul Wickens)
4 Eleanor Rigby (Rick Wakeman)
5 It’s Not As Big As It Was (Jon Lord, Rick Wakeman, Sunflower Band)
6 Life on Mars (Jon Lord, Rick Wakeman, Newton Faulkner, Anna Phoebe, Sunflower Band)

Sunflower Band:
Paul Wickens – keyboards
Murray Gould – guitar
Micky Moody – guitar
Nick Fyffe – bass
Jerry Brown – drums

Ace Frehley - The KISS Guitar


Paul Daniel "Ace" Frehley is an American musician, singer and songwriter best known as the former lead guitarist and founding member of the rock band Kiss. Origins, Vol. 1 is a covers album by American guitarist Ace Frehley, released on April 13, 2016 in Japan and April 15(USA). The album will feature guest appearances from Slash, Lita Ford, John 5, Mike McCready, and Frehley's former Kiss bandmate Paul Stanley. The album was announced on February 11, 2016. In addition to covers of tracks by Cream and Thin Lizzy, Origins, Vol. 1 will feature newly-recorded versions of several Kiss songs which were written but not sung by Frehley, such as "Cold Gin" and "Parasite", as well as a new version of the Kiss song "Rock and Roll Hell" which he did not perform on as he was leaving the band at the time. 







Thursday, December 8, 2016

ACI - Progressive Electronic • Germany


Sci-fi intersidereal electronic symphonies with discreet cheesy rockin disco tendencies lead by Udo Dahmen, accompanied by a pleiad of artists. Published on Harvest in early 80s this album seems to take advantage of Giorgo Moroder fashion like style during this period. 

Similar artists: Harald Grosskopf, Michael Bundt, Baffo Banfi





Wednesday, December 7, 2016

Achterbahn Band - Kraut-Prog Rock (Germany)


The Achterbahn Band's self released Richmond Road Riot LP seems to be the only record the group from Delmenhorst in northern Germany released. Now that is a damn shame, because in my little world Richmond Road Riot is a wonderful and timeless crown jewel...
But it always gives me a hard time when trying to talk/write about it. It's not easy to describe their very eclectic style of music - not really Progrock, not 100% Pop, Jazz? yes maybe..... Dammit I hate this category stuff! Maybe it's just incredibly good pop music with hints of progressive rock and easy latin á la High Llamas. And whatever it may be, it doesn't sound like "1979" to my ears. More like "sometime between 1969 and 2009".
Please get an impression and tell me what you think about it!






Ace Spectrum - Funk & Soul



Ace Spectrum was an R&B/soul/disco musical group most popular in the mid 1970s. Based in New York City the group consisted of Rudy Gay, Elliot Isaac, Aubrey "Troy" Johnson, Frederick G. Duff, and Henry "Red" Zant[2] (also known as Edward "Easy" Zant) who led the group and provided management. These four began collaboration as a group in 1966. Don't Send Nobody Else, written by Ashford & Simpson, was their biggest single. From their Tony Sylvester-produced debut album, it peaked at number 57 on Billboard's Hot 100 while finding its way to the top 20 on the R&B Singles chart. The b-side to their single Without You was released as a 12-inch single, and heavily promoted by their record label at disco clubs. Another single Live And Learn with lead vocals by Frederick, reached position 35 on the Dance Music/Club Play Singles chart. Their first two albums saw chart action. Inner Spectrum attained position 28 on the R&B Albums chart, and Low Rent Rendezvous saw action on the Billboard 200 (#138), as well as on R&B Albums (#35). Patrick Adams produced and arranged the group's 1976 recordings, but consequential success eluded them.