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BENEFITS
British Blues Archive Benefit at The New Crawdaddy Club - 21st June 2012
Billericay in Essex enjoyed a taste of Leyton's Coach & Horses Blues Jam on June 21st as twelve stars of the C&H dropped by to promote the British Blues Archive with two hours of superlative British Blues Jamming. The venue was The New Crawdaddy Club, and our gracious hosts were Paul Dean and Chris Patchett of resident band The Heaters, who kindly provided their keyboard and bass rigs for our backline. Our performers were, in alphabetical order, Clive Mulcahy, Jamie Rowan, Malcolm Smith, Marc Turner, Martin Fieber, Phil Hughes, Reg Patten, Steve Taylor, Terry Duggan, Tim Hill and Tony Myers, and we're grateful to them all for pledging their time, talents, and equipment in support of the Archive. Our IT man Chris Lafbury was there as cameraman, our researcher Ernie King operated the camcorder, and Jam Roadie Wayne Mills gave a hand with the gear, but a great deal of credit must also go to the Crawdaddy's regular sound and lighting crew for some excellent on-the-fly mixing and mood setting, well done lads! The result of this great collaborative effort was six terrific sets of red hot Blues, fronted by Clive, Jamie, Martin, Tim, Phil and Malcolm respectively, and a stonking encore where Yours Truly was put in front of a superstar line - up of slide, piano, harp, sax, bass & drums and allowed to belt out a bit of classic British R&B, the late Graham Bond's "Long Legged Baby." Thanks, guys, for doing me the honour, with a band like that behind me, I think I could've sung all night! During the interval, after Paul & Chris had held their raffle and announced the coming attractions, Peter had the opportunity to take the mic, and speak in more detail about the aims of the Archive, as well as voicing our appreciation for the efforts of all concerned, and at the close of the day, I'm pleased to say our Treasurer, Tina, was able to add enough to the kitty to keep our new website afloat for some months to come. But of course these events are about more than just raising money, they're also about raising awareness of the Archive, making new friends, bringing Blues musicians and fans together, and giving us the opportunity to play and hear some beautiful British Blues, that great music which means so much to so many people. Thanks again to Paul & Chris of The New Crawdaddy for giving us the opportunity to do all that, and to all the talented musicians of the Coach & Horses Blues Jam for entertaining us in such fine fashion. We're already looking forward to our next fundraising event. Link to the Coach and Horses Blues Jam web site to see videos and hear audio: www.coachandhorsesbluesjam.com/bba_crawdaddy.shtml The Musicians:
All above photographs © Chris Lafbury LRPS ====================================================================================================================== British Blues Archive Benefit at The Coach & Horses - 27th November 2011
On 27th. November John O'Leary, Tim Aves & WOLFPACK, Mike 'Dr Blue' McKeon, Paul Garner & Friends, The Untouchables and Ian McCann all gave us an experience I will always remember. They played in our first British Blues Archive Festival. Thank you so much - it was a very special day. 
Go to the Coach & Horses Blues Jam website at http://www.coachandhorsesbluesjam.com/blues_legacy_festival.shtml and you will be able to see and hear the Festival HERE'S THE FESTIVAL BROCHURE John O'Leary Irish born, JOHN O'LEARY began playing the blues in 1962 after listening to Cyril Davies in London at The legendary Ealing Jazz Club. He is one of the earliest blues harmonica players in Britain. Initally influenced by the great American harmonica players Sonny Boy Williamson, James Cotton, Little Walter and Junior Wells he has now established his own style. In the late 70's, he led The Famous Blues Blasters and in the early 80's the jazz/blues fusion group Mainsqueeze with whom he recorded a live album at Ronnie Scott's Jazz Club. He has accompanied many American artists during their European tours before forming his own band in 2002. In 2011, John was voted No 2 in the harmonica poll conducted by writers in Blues Matters magazine. John has a new album out 'Two For The Show' and a re-release in November of 'Mainsqueeze Live At Ronnie Scott's' on Trapeze Records"
Paul Garner & Friends Since arriving in London in 2005, Paul Garner has found himself much in demand as a guitarist for his mastery of authentic Chicago and West Coast blues styles. His own group, The Paul Garner Band , bring a new twist to the blues with original songs and radical arrangements of classic blues standards. For the Blues Legacy Festival, Paul will be joined by his regular drummer, Jason Ribeiro, along with blues-piano maestro, Eric Ranzoni, and Costa Tancredi on electric bass. Paul Garner has: in 2010 recorded an album with Louisiana blues legend, Lazy Lester, for veteran record producer Mike Vernon and has opened for artists such as Kenny Wayne Shepherd and Jools Holland Eric Ranzoni is the first-call pianist for artists such as Mud Morganfield (the eldest son of Muddy Waters), Big Joe Louis, Bill Hurley ('The Inmates') and guitar ace Otis Grand. Costa Tancredi has performed with Eric Clapton and Guy Tortora, The Incredible Blues Puppies and many more acts on the London blues scene. What they say about Paul Garner…….. "It's always a pleasure when you hit upon a CD that takes you by total surprise, especially when it's home grown talent. The Paul Garner Band are a young band from London, and, on this, their debut release, they show an incredible maturity, with a unique and refreshing approach to the Blues. The quality of musicianship is mightily apparent from the off, with heavy doses of fantastic Hammond organ interspersed with Paul Garner's excellent stinging lead guitar breaks." "Arguably the most talented guitarist in London. Paul's sound is completely unique and fuses a number of genres to create his very own version of the Blues." "...his debt to blues men like Albert King, Albert Collins and Johnny 'Guitar' Watson is evident, but his influences become drawn into a style all his own as he alternates between plectrum and finger-picking, mixing fluid runs with staccato stabs and searing, soaring licks... There is no doubt that this young man's a talented musician with style, energy and originality. He posses the kind of humility and sense of humour that puts an audience at its ease and allows him to do what he does best - play some killer blues guitar!" Ian McCann Ian McCann discovered the blues at the age of 12 when his dad brought home some records he'd bought from a man in a pub, most of which were by Hank Snow, but one was by BB King. Unfortunately, lots of other people had already discovered the blues, so Ian's attempts to spread the word about this amazing music were misguided. Undeterred, he set about collecting all the blues records he could find. After playing guitar in some teenage bands in the 70s - The Bungalows, The Five Wallpapers, Jerk Wimbies' Allstars - Ian began DJing at parties and developed a huge reputation. In 1984 he began writing about music, working for Black Echoes, Melody Maker, NME, The Face, i-D, The Telegraph, The Independent … and Sindy comic. Oh, and the News Of The World . During the 1990s he was a regular reporter for the Radio 1 show Soundbite and has also worked for Radio 2 and Five Live. His DJ slots include the Twilight Festival, the Wag Club during its 80s heyday, and the acclaimed Talking Musical Revolutions in London. A fan of reggae, soul, jazz, funk and, grimly, West Ham United, Ian is now the editor of Record Collector magazine. He has compiled and/or written sleevenotes for around 300 albums yet would gladly swap them all to be able to play at least one decent blues guitar solo. His favourite musicians are Bobby Bland, Ernest Ranglin, Grant Green and Jackie Mittoo. The favourite requests Ian has received as a DJ include "play something meaningful - I don't know what, but it must be meaningful", "put on the best record you ever heard", and best of all, "Why are you playing all this Michael Jackson?" at a Michael Jackson tribute event. Most requests he has had as a guitarist have suggested that he should go forth and multiply and he wishes he had taken up the Hammond organ instead. He plays a Gibson Barney Kessel and Technics SL 1200s. His ideal DJ gig would be one that mixes all forms of black American and Jamaican music with some mid-60s rock. True to his roots in the blues, Ian is an unrepentant alcoholic and spends his days on a stoop in the south (of England) with a skulking dog, his woman done left him for the ice man, and he even woke up this morning - a deeply overrated activity. He awaits the day when Marshall Chess pulls up in a black sedan and suggests he makes a comeback with some hot session players. But he may have a long wait… Tim Aves and WOLFPACK HOWLIN' Wolf was the biggest, baddest, evilest bluesman ever to stalk a stage on planet earth... there'll never be another like him... simple as that. Tim Aves & WOLFPACK (yes, their name is always spelled out in capital letters!) are NOT a tribute band. They play the music of Wolf and other blues greats with reverence and passion - and a large dollop of 21st-century Essex attitude. WOLFPACK was founded by award-winning frontman, writer and broadcaster TIM AVES (Rockin' Armadillos, Automatic Slim). He is joined by erstwhile Armadillos bandmates, ROB "Tank" BARRY (bass) and PAUL LESTER (drums), plus the hottest young guitar talent on the British scene, 25-year-old JOEL FISK. Joel was Best Guitarist in the 2009 Digital Blues Awards and also performs with acclaimed British Blues Award-nominated Cool Buzz Records artistes HOKIE JOINT. As the band's name suggests, the tough, scary blues of Howlin' Wolf is central to the WOLFPACK repertoire, though it touches all points in between Wolf and artistes from Hound Dog Taylor and Muddy Waters, to The Red Devils, ZZ Top and the ARC Angels... The band's debut CD, "The WOLFPACK Burnham Sessions", (Square One Records Cat No Square 034) is now enjoying worldwide airplay and rave reviews. It is available online via the band's website and to download on iTunes. Frontman Tim Aves says: "I was first captivated by Wolf's music as a teenager in the Seventies. It just sounded so raw, elemental and powerful. For me, I supposed it all started when another hero of mine, my friend, the late, great Lee Brilleaux, of Dr Feelgood, turned me on to him. "We have about ten WOLF songs in our set, but my favourite is probably "Tail Dragger"… It is just so full of power and menace. As with a lot of our set, we've given the song a very different treatment from the original, which has a horn section and piano on it. Ours probably owes more to those wonderful electrified country blues things Muddy did, like "Rollin' Stone". It's a great live number - full of tension, to the point where I often stop the song at the end of second verse and just let it hang in the air for several seconds. For more information about Tim Aves & WOLFPACK, visit www.timwolfpack.moonfruit.com
The Untouchables Their story… It all began in 2005 when Keith Parker and Pete Ellison became regulars at The Bishops Blues Club weekly jam sessions. They found that their musical styles seemed to mesh and decided to work together to form an acoustic duo, specialising in early blues and folk music of the 20s and 30s. Pete bought a ukulele and a resonator guitar - and Keith invested in a kazoo. Double Trouble was born and became successful on the folk club and festival circuit.
After running a few unsuccessful auditions, they approached Malcolm Buckland, the drummer with the house band at Bishops Blues. He was the perfect choice but was he ready to commit? As a member of a successful soul band, would he want to join the Untouchables? At the same time, Pete put a few ads on blues and musicians' websites for a jazz-influenced double bass player. When Paul Green answered an ad, a rehearsal was set up. Over the next five years, the band developed into one of the most exciting and joyous experiences in blues music. Luckily, their rise coincided with a resurgence of interest amongst young music-lovers in the sounds of vintage blues. New clubs opened up and welcomed The Untouchables. They had found their audience and they continue to give them shows to remember.
I am very excited and proud, to be able to support the recently formed British Blues Archive. I embrace the principals of collecting and celebrating a genre of music that has been a part of my life, since I was a child. The music is vibrant and alive. It is primarily a grass- roots movement, accessible and democratic. It is available to anyone who wants to play or listen, supported and loved as it is, by its loyal fans. Blues is found in small clubs like Round Midnight or St Harmonicas and in pubs. When Seasick Steve was asked what it was like, playing in the Royal Albert Hall? He said: "We turned it into a bar!". You only have to look up any of the listings pages, to see how many blues jams, gigs and festivals there are. My own particular favorite is the brilliant Ian Siegal, known to some as the 'Gov'nor. Ian's albums are reputed to have outsold Eric Clapton in some parts of Europe recently, yet he is still relatively unknown here in the UK. Many fans are aware of the American Blues greats like Robert Johnson, Bessie Smith , and Koko Taylor . However it took bands like the Rolling Stones to go over to the U.S.A. and seek out their musical hero's in the 1960's, to bring the likes of Muddy Waters, Howlin' Wolf and Jimmy Reed to the attention of the American mainstream and over to Europe in person. This tradition started by Jazz greats like Ella Fitzgerald and Lois Armstrong, is still carried on today with the yearly visit of Buddy Guy. Blues is a genre that can be accessed, played and enjoyed by anyone. It seems to resonate somewhere very deeply in many of us. Blues celebrates life, applauding many joys, like love, sex and partying. At the same time as chronicling: sadness, heart- ache and loss. My own interest in the Blues goes back to my father playing jazz and swing records to me when I was a kid. He came back from a trip to New Orleans carrying two albums by Pete Fountain, once I heard St Louis Blues I was hooked. My father also taught me to play the harmonica, playing it and singing to my sister and I, when he came home from work sometimes. It was this experience that is the inspiration for the track Rocking Chair, on my album Heaven Bound. I have over the years performed in many different types of bands including a Country Rock Duo with Dave 'guitar' Piggott as well as in Doctor Blue and The Prescription. I have always enjoyed writing my own material. It is more than wanting to add my own creative mark, it's like an itch I have to scratch! Heaven Bound, my latest album, was written in Kashmir in India during the summer of 2010. It was to a backdrop of birdsong, civil unrest and gunfire that I finished writing the title track. No sooner had I completed arranging Heaven Bound, I got a call to say Ray Bartrip had died. He was a typical British Blues Man. He started the Coach and Horses Blues Jam for example. He performed regularly across London and Essex, hauling his Hammond into the back of his battered old Volvo. His life, summed up in a way, my love for the music, a passion that gets me out of the house to hang out and play with friends, but also to write and record the music I love. It is to Ray that Heaven Bound is dedicated.
British Blues "Get your kicks on the A406" The Coach and Horses House Band
Jam Organiser Terry Duggan is the house bass player. With a wealth of experience playing in groups from The Billy Chong Blues Revue to Steve's Green Onions, he now plays in his own combo 'Hungry Joe'. Singer and guitarist Stevie King is our MC and has played with The Hot Hob Jam House Band, The Blues Engine, Bad Hair Day, and his own groups The Blue Cats, Bop Cats and Paw Boys. He's also a founder of the Blues Archive. Reg Patten, our regular house drummer, has worked with a string of bands including Bob Brunning's Deluxe Blues Band and Bad Town Blues. Reg runs his own Jam at Mama K's Bar in Croydon. Talented multi-instrumentalist and lighting expert Steve Taylor provides keyboards, backing John O'Leary for the Festival. Taxi-driving ex big-band drummer Marc Turner stands in for Reg whenever he's needed. We're pleased to have him behind the kit for today's great event.
Blues Archive Launch Review: On Tuesday 6th October 2011, The Blues came calling at Loughton's Methodist Church Hall, in the shape of popstar, actor, broadcaster and award-winning harmonica player Paul Jones. Before an audience of Jazz and Blues fans of all ages, ex-Manfred Mann member Paul was interviewed by newly-appointed Trustee Peter Harvie, to officially mark the inauguration of the Blues section of the National Jazz Archive. After an introduction from our ever-ebullient Digby Fairweather, Paul spoke entertainingly and at length about his career and his interest in The Blues. He recounted his earliest fascination with Jazz greats like Louis Armstrong, Sidney Bechet and Jelly Roll Morton, and how the chart success of Lonnie Donegan's "Rock Island Line" in 1956 led him to seek out the recordings of Leadbelly, Big Bill Broonzy, Big Joe Turner, and Sonny Terry & Brownie McGhee. But it was when he heard an LP of T-Bone Walker featuring the harmonica of Chicago blues-harp maven Junior Wells, said Paul, that he was inspired to play the mouth organ. Paul went on to talk about his first days learning the instrument, pulling a harmonica from his pocket to demonstrate playing in both the first and the second position- for the uninitiated, the difference between Jimmy Reed and Little Walter. After we heard a snatch from his old hit "Do Wah Diddy," Paul recalled his time with Manfred Mann, or as they used to be, the Mann-Hugg Blues Brothers. He also told the story of how he was invited to leave his first band, Thunder Odin's Big Secret, to help Brian Jones form The Rolling Stones- an offer he said he's never regretted refusing. Peter then brought Paul up to the present day, and discussed his new CD "Starting All Over Again." Paul told us about his experiences recording with American Soul star Percy Sledge and British Rock icon Eric Clapton, and we listened to a minute of music from his re-working of Van Morrison's "The Philosophers Stone" which drew a spontaneous round of applause. As Peter observed, "That's what I call The Blues." There were a few more reminiscences about The Blues Band, their self-bootlegged first album, and gigging at The old Bridgehouse in Canning Town, before the time for talking ran out, and it was time to let the music speak for itself. After a short break for refreshments, Paul returned, accompanied by Digby on trumpet, John Altman on soprano sax, and Dominic Ashworth on guitar, and showed us exactly why he's been voted best Blues harmonica player of the year in 2010 and 2011. The quartet gave an informal but excellent performance that mixed jazz, funk, soul, and gospel into a bluesy set, punctuated by Paul's entertaining announcements of introduction and explanation. We were treated to "Back At The Chicken Shack," "If You Love Me Like You Say," "The Bad Boy," "Woke Up This Morning With My Mind Resting On Jesus," and, most appropriately "Ain't Got Nothin' But The Blues," before four o'clock rolled round and our celebrity event had to draw to a close. But though this is only the beginning for our new British Blues Archive, I'm sure that under the guidance of dedicated enthusiast Peter Harvie, with Paul Jones as its patron and inspiration, it will go on to both celebrate our past and make its mark on the future. As a footnote, Peter and advisor Stevie King have already organised a fundraising event for the end of this month. “The Blues Legacy Festival, celebrating over 50 years of British Blues,” will take place on Sunday 27th November at The Coach & Horses 391 Leyton High Road E10 5NA. Starting at 2pm, it features performances from John O'Leary, Tim Aves & Wolfpack, Paul Garner & Friends, The Untouchables and Mike "Dr. Blue" McKeon, supported by DJ Ian McCann, and culminating in a Blues Jam from 8 until 10.30pm. Tickets for the whole day are £7.00 and all proceeds go to the Archive, for details contact Peter on 020 8254 8540 or e-mail britbluesarchive@btinternet.com
Preview: British Blues Archive Launch Night
6th OCTOBER 2011, 1.30 - 4pm Loughton Methodist Church, Essex Tickets £10, with all proceeds going towards the archive, available from David Nathan at the Archive at Loughton Library (open M/Tu/W/Fri 10-1pm), or on 0208 502 0181 or david.nathan@essex.gov.uk On 6th October the British Blues Archive will be launched at an event hosted by Paul Jones. There will be an interview with Paul for around an hour about blues and his career and then he'll be playing blues with Dominic Ashworth on Guitar and Digby Fairweather for another hour. The archive will record the British Blues Scene from it's start to the present day and will become the national treasure house of British blues information and memorabilia. Sax player Peter Harvie says "The National Jazz Archive have asked blues jam Host Stevie King and I to set up a British Blues Archive. The National Jazz Archive has been going a long time and has an impressive collection of memorabilia from the Jazz world. They feel it's time to document the British Blues, and you know they are right. We need to record what has happened and what is happening in the Blues scene in Britain while we can, after all who would have thought Gary Moore would leave us this year". Bluesman Paul Jones thinks a British Blues Archive is so important he has agreed to become a trustee (the National Jazz Archive, with it's Blues Archive, is a charity) and will launch the archive with an interview and then play some blues with his band. In the interview Peter Harvie will be asking him about the blues and the blues people he has worked with, 'I'll keep it to the blues, but I did buy Paul's 'Do Wah Diddy' when it came out' says Peter. When did the British blues explosion start? Stevie says you could claim it started with Alexis Korner's release of 'R&B at the Marquee' in 1962 or Cyril Davies's recording for Pye later in the same year, but then perhaps only aficionados would've known what was happening with the Blues in 1962. For Peter, Willie Dixon's 'Little Red Rooster' by the Rolling Stones, released at the end of 1964, was his introduction to the blues, as it was for many. Whatever got you into the blues you should be at the start of this important archive and you will be most welcomed. If you have anything you would like to contribute to the blues collection (do you still have that ticket for John Mayall in 1971? What about that poster for Chicken Shack?) then the Blues Archive would love to keep it as a national treasure. Please contact Peter Harvie on 0208 5248540 to discuss your donation, All donations are held at the National Jazz and Blues Archive, which has premises at Loughton Library, Trap's Hill, Loughton Essex. We can collect. Anything donated to the archive will never be sold and will be kept forever for future generations to see. The Blues Archive is not for profit and we treasure everything that is donated. This event is expected to be the first of many. If you would like to be at the start of this compilation of the history of British Blues then do come along.
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