JAZZ
INDIE BRAKES King Tut's, Glasgow, Fri 1 Dec
Brighton has long been an incestuous indie breeding ground, so when news broke of a side-project ‘supergroup’ featuring members of British Sea Power, Electric Soft Parade and Tenderfoot, it came as no surprise.
What was surprising was the way Brakes took off. Their debut album, last year’s Give Blood, was a daftly raw knockabout country-punk thriller, created in five days. It received a fantastic reception and saw the band being invited on tour with the likes of Belle and Sebastian, Editors and, most recently, The Killers. Things got suddenly serious. Playing to 3000 people every night was a long way from the band’s booze-fuelled origins.
‘l was singing these acoustic songs,’ says frontman Eamon Hamilton. ‘And one night Tom and Alex [from
RANDY CRAWFORD AND JOE SAMPLE
Royal Concert Hall, Glasgow, Tue 5 Dec; Usher Hall, Edinburgh, Wed 6 Dec
If they had never done anything else together. singer Randy Crawford's assoCiation With Joe Sample and the Crusaders would have gained immortality for their 1979 classic Street Life alone. As it turned out. though. they went on to work quite a bit together over the years. and are reunited again this month as part of a European tour.
Sample first met the singer when he played piano on her debut album three decades ago. The Ja// Crusaders. the band he shared With fellow Houston natives Wilton Felder. Stix Hooper. and Wayne Henderson. were already well-establishe('l. initially as a f()isty hard bop outfit. and latterly ijust as The Crusaders) as a commercially successful crossover soul and funk fusion outfit.
The pianist liked what he heard. and iiiyited Crawford to sing as a guest on their own album. writing Street Lite for the occasion. Their latest album together. Feeling Good. was released this summer. and gives a fair indication of what to expect from these concerts.
Although the singer, who was born in Macon. Georgia. but brought up in Cincinnati. £t(I(ltlli()(l an early ia/x pedigree working With OuinCy Jones. Cannonball Adderley and George Benson. Crawford has never been an outnand out ia/x singer. and Sample has enjoyed working across an eclectic range of music that has brought his work ‘ espeCially With the Crusaders ~ to a much Wider audience.
The mixture of classic soul. ja/x. gospel. pop and blues is aimed at the broad fan base enjoyed by both artists. For the album. they drew on the stellar talents of Christian McBride on bass and Steve Gadd on drums. but Sample's tetiring trio Will feature Nikolas Sample and Johnny VidacOVich in those roles. (Kenny Mathieson)
Electric Soft Parade] came up after a gig and said I needed a band and they would be my band. It was pretty simple really.’
Simple indeed. And so to Brakes circa 2006. The second album, Beatific Visions, is a more expansive and diverse outing, with riff-tastic rock, heartbreaking country, comedy punk and thrilling pop all jostling for attention. Recorded in Nashville with The White Stripes’ producer, it’s a much more serious album. Not that it was serious to make, mind you.
‘We basically stayed in a college dorm for three weeks and partied,’ says Hamilton. ‘We met a bunch of other musicians and played some gigs, you know, just hung out.’
Fair enough. So no plans to get serious in the near future then? Hamilton just laughs.
‘Not much is planned in Brakes, believe me.’
(Doug Johnstone)
Vic Galloway chews over the last turkey in the shop that is the festive compilation album. It's time once again to approach our impending festive doom! Yes. Christmas is upon us and has been so since the Hallowe'en decorations came down. What does this mean for the world of music? A morass of greatest hits compilations. that‘s what. Do we really need another U2 or Paul Weller best of? Have the Sugababes and Girls Aloud actually had enough hits to warrant one at all? And don‘t start me on George Michael — his 25 year career in music should be a severe warning to us all. not cause for celebration!
I do. however. like Christmas albums. I love that sense of fun and (mis)adventure when a ‘serious' artist has a go and does something ill-advised for the festive season. Why not? If it's good enough for James Brown, The Beach Boys and Phil Spector. it’s good enough for anyone. I have a friend who collects Christmas records and has an incredible selection of yuletide oddities. Having stated as a hobby. it‘s become an obsession for him. I came across the Studio One 'Reggae Christmas’ LP last year — a frankly ridiculous record and all the better for it. Why aren't more people doing this? Wouldn't it be good to hear Radiohead do a bleak. electronica-s0undscape version of ‘Walking in the Air'. or some emo band scream their way through 'I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus'? and U2 a Christian- rock ‘Silent Night’ . . OK. maybe not!
However. one-off Christmas singles can make your festive playlist come alive and upset your grandparents on the big day. into the bargain. If not. there is the option of having to suffer the consolation prize of eating your bodyweight in mince pies and listening to the Cliff Richard Duets album. No thank you. Bah humbug to you all!
4 Vic Ga/loway presents on BBC Radio 7, Thursdays. 7. 30pm; BBC Radio Scotland. Mondays. 8.05pm; ‘Vi'c's Most Wanted '. Fridays, 6.05pm and ‘The Music Show’. BBC2, 7.30pm.
30 Nov M [)(x: 90061115 LIST 63