Graham Bond underated British master

[Michael Ward]

Graham was one of the founders of the British RnB scene in the 60's and his bands with Jack Bruce, Ginger Baker, John Maclaughlen and the amazing Dick Heckstall Smith on tenor and soprano were just incredibly exciting.
Check them out on Spotify. Graham sounds like Jackie Mac on alto and his ideas and concept are wonderful. His organ playing and singing are equally superb.
Dick has that real King Super 20 sound ..so distinctive and his two horn playing ala Rahsaan while Grahem wails just blows me away.

[baylistenor]

Yes - fantastic natural Alto Sax player - check his solos on Roarin,
The solo he plays on Blue Monk - that just knocks me out - you have to be an extrordinary character to pull that off - and in 61 in England.
I heard that Jackie Mclean heard him then and was knocked out.
I think Graham got to the free Alto thing firstly in England (cept for Joe Harriott)- Ive wondered if Osborne and others were influenced .
On Ho Ho Country Kicking Blues (w young John Mclaughlin) he,s where others would be by the early 70s.
PB

[BOPITY FUNK]

OH! Yeah, the "Organisation" was light years in front of everyone else in those wonderful far off days. One good thing they all became stars --except poor Graham of course.
Impossible to believe how stagnant UK has now become. Do you remember how Bondy used to play Bachs D min Toccata & Fugue to introduce "Wade in the Water" mindblowin' to a kid like me in '64--'65.
BF

[A Greene]

I just happened to find this on YouTube.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c56a_Jd5aPI&feature=related

Graham is the keyboard/alto player. Very intense stuff. Michael thanks the info.

[Michael Ward]

I was too young to see the Organisation but my tenor mate who is a bit older remembers seeing Graham playing alto and organ at the same time at the old Mojo club in Sheffield. He must have forgot his sling because he had his alto hanging off a coat hanger!
Thanks for all the great info. I think Mike Osbourne was influenced by Jackie and Ornette also. I did see him a few times and he always tore the house down. There's quite a few Ginger Baker Airforce performances on Youtube with that great horn line up Bud Beadle and Steve Gregory with Graham.
One recent revelation I had while listening to Donovan live on Spotify...
Harold McNair ...unbelievable tenor playing on Preachin' Love..just out of this world. He was also in Airforce at one time with Graham.
While I'm at it I just bought Jack Bruce BBC sessions which has just been reissued Graham's on one session and Art Themen who sounds fantastic.
That's on Spotify too. Cheers

[BOPITY FUNK]

Michael i'm gonna check the 'you tube' stuff. Nice mention of Harold McNair there beautiful
player he was one of my heroes back then especially on flute. Dont forget Ray Warleigh an Australian cat, dunno what happened to him.
Regards BF

[nachoman]

can any of you guys recommend essential albums by Bond etc (spent ages looking for any Dick Hextall Smith albums that were even a shadow of his live show.... failed)?

[Michael Ward]

I would get Solid Bond. If you want to hear Dick at his finest check out " Things we like" by Jack Bruce both on Spotify. Ray Warleigh is a monster also.
I have a great Ronnie Scott album with him , Ronnie and John Surman . Just plain fantasic. I also like the Mike Gibbs record where Ray, Surman and Skid just tear up Sweet Rain soloing one after the other..cheers

[kelp55]

And not to jack the thread, but those Colosseum Lps with Heckstall-Smith are pretty great, too.

[BOPITY FUNK]

This was the first"Supergroup" without a doubt before the term was invented.
What DID happen to Ray Warleigh? anyone know? Harold died in his 30's, Bondy went under a train. Our American cousins NEED to hear these guys, they have never been replaced. Dick Heckstall-Smith died a few years back but he'd been ill for a long time.
This generation of British musicians invented Jazz/Rock, and played it better than anyone before or after. Dick Morrisey, another world class tenor man and a great guy as well could have fronted Tower of Power and played with Hank Mobley on the same night with the same reed and mouthpiece ! We were truly spoiled and thought it would last forever.
RIP to the ones who have left us--their inspiration will never be forgotten BF

[baylistenor]

can any of you guys recommend essential albums by Bond etc (spent ages looking for any Dick Hextall Smith albums that were even a shadow of his live show.... failed)?

You have to hear Roarin, . Its reissued on BGP CD Don Rendell w Graham Bond.
Graham is on Alto throughout - before he started playing keyboards on gigs.

[Michael Ward]

This has turned into a great thread. Thanks for all the information. I will definitely try and buy Roarin today. I bought a book dedicated to Graham Bond a few years ago and there are some great pics of him playing with Don Rendell .I think they were both sponsered by Buffet at one time.
Dick Morrisey was world class. I got an Alexis Corner live Party album recently and the three saxes are Dick M, Dick Heckstall playing great alto and Surman. That generation did produce some outstanding players Tony Coe was another. I saw Don Rendell on TV a couple of years ago playing soprano in front of a big band. His sound and concept were just so exciting, clearly out of Trane but with his own thing. It made me remember why I loved these players originally.

[Michael Ward]

Got Roarin thanks!

[baylistenor]

Dick HS was interviewed about Graham and that time by Barbara Thompson on the BBC some years ago - I have it on tape somwhere.
There are bootlegs of broadcasts by the Roarin, band but I dont have them.

Boz told me that Graham turned up at his place one morning and said
"Do you want to see some great musicicans in here now"
Boz says yes and Graham rolls up the carpet ,chalks out a pentagram and starts invoking them ....!:shock:

[BOPITY FUNK]

That Black Magic stuff really did Grahams head in, a lot of the heavy cats were into it then, Zoot Money went Phsycadelic! Jimmy Page was into it big time, dark forces were at work and I mean that seriously, some seriously strange sh-t was going down and what with the drugs, prematurely decimated the Blues/Jazz scene. One thing you have to respect Mayall for, he would not tolerate dope or excessive drinking, even with his star players, and lets face it these guys made history. BTW the Andy Somers book is a good read about these times, he knew and played with all these guys long before stardom with the 'Police'
Truly great thread fella's its a Brit thing! Bopity

[Kritavi]

I listened to that Donovan live disc recently. Harold McNair is one of my favorite flutists. I can't say I'm as big a fan of his tenor playing but his flute was exceptional. Gone much too soon.

[BOPITY FUNK]

I listened to that Donovan live disc recently. Harold McNair is one of my favorite flutists. I can't say I'm as big a fan of his tenor playing but his flute was exceptional. Gone much too soon.

+++1 to that. BTW alto was his main axe. should have heard him with the "John Cameron" Quartet.
BF