machinations which delayed its UK release until 1989.
Things seemed to be improving when the guitarist was approached by Antilles. the jazz subsidiary of Island Records. who numbered the likes of Courtney Pine. Andy Sheppard and Danny Thompson among their British-based artists. Before a deal could be concluded. however. Island was sold to Polygram. precipitating a still-unresolved confusion over the future direction of the label. By now thoroughly fed up with the course of events. Martin decided to take matters into his own hands.
‘I was increasingly aware of the long gap without a new record.‘ the guitarist explained. ‘and obviously I was aware that Elliot Meadow. whom I have known for years, was producing records by both Carol Kidd and David Newton for Linn in Glasgow. David has been playing in my band for a long time now. and I had really enjoyed working with Dave Green and Alan Ganley in the past. so I just called Elliot and we took it from there.‘
Don ’t Fret is a lovely record. both in terms ofTaylor‘s own beautifully judged and executed performance. and the superb support he receives from the trio. They play with an assurance and scrupulous good taste which may be a little low-key for some. but the subtlety of their
interpretations — ranging from familiar tunes like ‘Moonlight in Vermont‘ and Miles Davis‘s poignant ‘Blue In Green‘ to rarities like Oscar Pettiford‘s jaunty ‘Laverne Walk' — is entirely convincing.
‘The last record had more of a pop feel to it. and I wanted to do something much more straight- ahead this time. We recorded directly onto DAT in the studio. with no'overdubs. in order to try to capture the kind of feel we would get on a gig. They are great musicians. and I am very pleased with the results. I wasn‘t looking to break any new ground on this session. it was more a case ofdocumenting the work I had been doing with this bandf
Taylor may have had to wait for that record release. but he has been busy nonetheless. and 1991 shows no sign of a let-up. He will be widely featured in a Yamaha advertising campaign for their guitars. and unless the war in the Gulfdictates otherwise. will undertake a British Council tour of India. Pakistan and Sri Lanka in February and March. followed by a British tour. and a visit to Australia later in the year.
In addition. he has been invited to play at the annual Django Reinhardt Festival in Sanoys. near Paris. and has been approached to score a film about the life of the gypsy guitarist.
Martin Taylor: back in the groove tor Linn
He has already laid down the music for climber Hamish McInnes‘s forthcoming BBC documentary series on Scotland‘s mountains. a project which took him into the uncharted waters of Scottish traditional music.
His other projects include both an instructional video and an album with guitarist Gordon Giltrap. and a possible collaboration with former Yes guitarist Steve Howe. while a book oftranscriptions ofhis recorded work is already available.
Plans are also in hand to record a solo album for Linn. an area in which he has evolved arguably his most distinctive musical voice. and one which has developed considerably since the excellent Tribute to A rt Tatum set for HEP Records back in 1983. Like the quartet album. it will be a long-overdue documentation of his work. and should be one to savour.
Martin Taylor‘s Don 't Fret and David Newton's Victim of Circumstance are available now on Linn Records. who launched their jazz roster in style with one of the best-sellingjazz albums of 1990. Carol Kidd‘s The Night We Called It A Day. There was further good news for both the singer and the label when Carol walked off with the Best Vocalist prize in last month's British Jazz Awards. held this year at the prestigious MIDEM in Cannes.
MARC MINNIE
IMUSIC PREVIEW NEARLY £200 mm or TICKETS T0 erwom SEE PAGE 38
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I My Bloody Valentine: Tremolo EP (Creation) Anticipation for the album can now reach fever pitch. Last year‘s Glider EP demonstrated that My Bloody Valentine are one of the few British bands that show the remotest interest in pushing back the boundaries of pop. but Tremolo pushes the boat out further. They‘ve risked a fortune in studio time on an openingtrack that shreds the needle like a ragged garage band orchestrated and produced during a savage brawl between John Cale and John Cage. It sounds like there's no going back now. I hope. (AM)
I The Wild River Apples: | Can’t Wait for Heaven (Chrysalis) Intense. emotional pop ofthe blue-eyed variety. WRA‘s musical competence has developed speedily since their pre-Chrysalis days of independence. as testified to by the ease ofthis debut single. Behind the imperious vocals lie sublime backing harmonies and uplifting crescendos. Magical material. but probably too deviant from chart presuppositions for its own good. (CMCL)
I Them: Baby Please Don't Go (London) This record's cluttered sleeve is a reflection ofthe times all right. Not only doesit proclaim ‘From the acclaimed David Lynch film Wild at Heart' but. down at the bottom. 'Also featured on the TV commercial for the Peugeot 205‘. Hard sell. or what? With that kind of firepower. it'll be Number One next week. And deservedly. As raw and rudimentary as the punk bands of the following decade. it‘ll make you cry. ‘They coulda been as big as the Stones.’ The three-track 12in is more important than any Peugeot. or even David Lynch. and the grumpy. tousled singer is especially good. Wonder what he‘s up to now'.’ (AM)
The List 8— 21 February 199133