INDO JAZZ SUITE

The Indo-Jazz

After hearing Mathar by Dave Pike and other pieces on a compilation by Gilles Peterson, I understood that Indian music had been mixed together, in an excellent way, with pop but also with jazz. That’s when, like always, I began to get to the bottom of things seeing that both Indian music and jazz were favourites of mine. During this period I was in London visiting some friends and as I wandered about the shops I found myself in front of Honest Johns that is by the underpass in Portobello Road. I remembered that once my friend had told me that you could find some good jazz at H. J…. so I decided to go in. I was in the jazz section that was just inside the front door but in the basement (today the entrance is different) and I started to look through the hundreds of pieces of vinyl. After a while I decided to ask one of the assistants, looking after this section, if they had any jazz mixed together with Indian music. The guy thought for a few seconds and then he got out the gatefold LP’s of John Mayer and Joe Harriott called “Indo-Jazz Suite” and “Indo-Jazz Fusions”. The records had that typical smell / perfume of old vinyl and cardboard sleeves, I asked if I could have a listen and seeing that the price was very high the guy put them on the deck and began to play them. They were very different to what I had heard on the compilation, they were a double quintet of Jazz Musicians and Indian Musicians, the sound was fantastic and very early 60’s jazz flavours! There is no point mentioning that those two pieces of vinyl were the first in a long line of Indo-Jazz vinyl in my possession. I want to talk for a second about John Mayer even if Gabor Szabo, Dave Pike, Wolfgand Dauner, Alan Lorber Orchestra and many others have united Jazz and Indian Music together with some excellent results. John Mayer was born in Calcutta in 1930 and began getting a passion for music right from an early age of seven when he used to play the Violin, he then began to study basic Jazz drum rhythms and started getting into this genre. After winning a purse for studying he arrived in London in 1950 we he studied and composed mixtures of Indian music with Western music and then became part of the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra up until 1965. One year earlier the EMI producer Dennis Preston asked him if he could create an Idiom in a jazz key to complete an album that he was working on and Mayer accepted. Soon Preston told Mayer that he had played the piece to Atlantic Records in New York and that they had liked it a lot, enough so that they recommended that he created a piece of work that forged together Jazz and Indian Music. For some time Mayer was thinking about making up a quintet formed of Sitar, Tambura, Harpsichord, Tablas and Flute, the idea of Atlantic was to unite this quintet with that of the saxophone player called Joe Harriott. After one month of writing the LP “Indo-Jazz Suite” was recorded in two days and was released in 1966 in both England and America, it was a success straight away and soon after it was followed by the release of “Indo-Jazz Fusions”. This is the story of how John Mayer created this sound called Indojazz that I will now describe to you in more detail. Indojazz is divided into two suites and the first contains “Contrast”, “Raga Megha” and “Raga Gaud-Saranga” that are based around Raga, a scale of Indian Music that is characterised by ascending and descending patterns that never have less than five notes. The second is composed of “Overture” that instead is much more Jazz based over a rhythm of beats extended to ten. In this direct recording by Mayer the Tablas make the rhythm and the Tambura, a kind of 4 chord Sitar offers the tone whilst the Sitar follows the Raga. After intros in pure Indian style Joe Harriott who was noted for his ‘Alto Sax Free Jazz Attitude’ had no problems following the pattern, just like the pianist Pat Smythe, the bass player Coleridge Goode, the drummer Allan Ganley and also the other musicians. There came an album that was highly structured where the pieces started with Sitar and Tambura sequences and then let enter one by one the other instruments that created that avantguard jazz sound where the East is no longer the East and the West is no longer the West! Peace all over the land.

Interview to Brian Auger

Im proud and excite to introduce to you another of my chats with a great Organist and Pianist that need no presentation ...Brian Auger , his Organ style groove us from the 60's till now !
Trinity , Oblivion Express , The Steampacket and all the London scene !
I hope you enjoy this interview i did .



Whats you favourite Bands and your musical tastes in the beginning and now ?




My Favourite bands early on were Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers, Miles Davis, John Coltrane, Blood Sweat & Tears, Steely Dan, Yes, Led Zeppelin, Mothers of Invention, Herbie Hancock Quintet, Aretha Franklin, Donnie Hathaway, Stevie Wonder, Marvin Gaye and many many
more.
Today Tears for Fears, Brand New Heavies, Incognito, Jamiroquai, John Mayer, Coldplay, Foo Fighters, Down To The Bone. etc etc.




Can you tell me about when you decide to move from Jazz and Piano to join Organ and R'n'B ?




I switched to the R&B/ Rock scene in 1964 and bought my first Hammond Organ in Early 1965. I have not left the Jazz Scene and I incorporate much Jazz in my music, and play on many Jazz Festivals. I also never left the piano and still play piano pieces every night on tour.




Flamingo Club in London was one of the many Clubs in where you played , how was the Club vibe in the 60's , which were the Sound of that period .




The three most influential clubs in Central London in the 60s were The Ronnie Scott Club ( strictly Jazz, and still going), The Flamingo, (home of the R&B organ based bands) and the Marquee Club ( home to Jazz, Blues and the new pop bands like The Who, Spencer Davis Group, The Steampacket, The Move etc etc. As one of the only musicians that played in all three clubs, always liked the Flamingo for its mixed audience of English kids, West Indian fans and American soldiers and airmen who came into London on the weekends. This was a dancing audience and had the best atmosphere.




I saw an Auger Driscol Compilation called " The Mod Years " , whats your relation with Mods ?




My connection with Mods began in the Steampacket. We wore tailored suits and Carnaby Street clothes and the public called us Mods for our "modern Style of Stage Wear'. Indeed the unknown Rod Stewart who really started his career in the Steampacket became known as Rod the Mod.




What you remeber about the Steampacket period and Long John Baltry , Stewart and Jules ?




Steampacket was a great group. The first Supergroup. Unfortunately there were three managers, one for Baldry, one for Rod and one for myself and Julie. This caused a lot of problems and we never got to record properly because we were all on different labels. The only tracks available were pirated.




Then the Trinity with Auger and Driscoll in '66 , "Open" in '67 and so on , did you get the feeling to be starting a group like that ?




At the end of the Steampacket, I already knew that I wanted to start a band that would be a bridge between the separate scenes of Jazz and Rock. I wanted a rhythm section that could play funky R&B + jazz and I wanted to put Organ Solos on that base using my Jazz Harmony chords and with a positive vocal message. This was the Trinity, the first band of its genre to headline the Montreux Jazz Festival , The Berlin Jazz Festival, The Rome Jazz Festival , and all in 1968 with our first album OPEN and our single SAVE ME.




How did you define the Trinity Sound and how the Oblivion Express sound ?





The sound of the Trinity and the sound of Oblivion Express were pointed out in the recording studio. I simply tried to make sure that everything that was played by each musician was clearly heard, and a little reverb was added. I am not a Phil Spectre who is trying to create a particular sound to every one of his recordings.



When and how you decide to form the Oblivion Express ?




After the Trinity broke up in 1970, I really wanted to push the musical envelope and develop the Jazz Fusion music that I had started.
As this meant that I would be going against the wishes of the record company who wanted more and more commercial music, I thought I was going the quickest way to Oblivion,( Oblio) so I called the band The Oblivion Express, (Il Rapido a Oblio). We are still going, but now with my Daughter Savannah on Vocals, and my son Karma on drums. This is the happiest Express so far.





I know you played a lot in Italy and also that you speak Italian , tell me something about your Italian side .




I first came to Italy as a student when I was 16 years old and instantly loved Italy and the Italian people. In 1967 I came back as a musician to play in a club in Milano and met my wife, who is from Cagliari Sardegna. This was the best thing that ever happened to me.I already had studied French and Latin at college, and Italian came easily for me. My connection with the Italian fans grows stronger every year, and I sent my three children to study in Italy so my whole family speaks fluent Italian.




Can you tell me something special , a funny thing or a story about your B3 ?



My Hammond B3 in the USA, originally was built in London England, but when I moved to the US, I had to install an American tone generator in it. So it is the only Anglo American Hammond that I know about.




Whats your future plans ?




My future plans are to play live with my band until I leave the Planet.

Interview to Alan Hawkshaw

It is roughly 15 years that I delight in selecting, collecting and proposing in the clubs this sound that mixes various sounds such as jazz, Bossa Nova, orchestral r’n’b from the end of the 60’s, soul funk, oriental influences in jazz music, rare grooves, soundtracks, themes and many other kinds of music that has been produced in a range of time that goes from the middle of the 60’s to the beginning of the 70’s. As it is a rather vast subject, after many years spent amongst such sounds there has risen in me the need to define it all with just one definition… thus was born ‘The Soul Beat’, a column where I will touch on, from time to time, all of the above mentioned genres! I will start off by telling you about the so called ‘library’ music, re-discovered recently and created by labels that, giving a free hand to better and less known composers, produced themes (with the help of the cream of session men of the time) that were used as background music for radio or television spots. The labels in questions were CONROY, MONTPARNASSE 2000, DE WOLFE, TELEMUSIC, BURTON, the most famous KPM and many others, Italian also, with whom collaborated names of the calibre of Umiliani, Morricone and Alessandroni! The re-discovery came about around 94 when three English DJ’s, with their “The Sound Gallery” compilation, brought back in a big way great grooves and great composers. It was however the DJ’s from Blow Up in London who found the skein in the web by launching “Exclusive Blends” that put into evidence the KPM label, putting up the prices even to this day (and who knows for how much longer)… Think about it a KPM could cost anything up to £150! The sound was very varied and touched on easy listening, pop, jazz, Bossa, beat, jazz funk and soul but it also wasn’t rare to find some ethnic or experimental sounds. There is nothing better now than to give you a run down of some of the more significant KPM’s that I have picked up throughout Europe or the most significant composers starting off with the mythical Alan Hawkshaw, an organist who composed, together with Keith Mansfield and Alan Parker in the KPM ‘green’ or ‘1000’ series, the most costly and sought after pieces, “Move Move Move”, “Soul Organ Impromptu”, “Beat Me Till I’m Blue”, “Dr Jekyll & Mr Hyde Park”, “Senior Thump” or “The Storm”, some of which are contained on a very rare and very expensive album from the Mohawks (1968 – PAMA Records) where Hawkshaw played under the The Hawk name, re-discovered in the 80’s becoming celebrated with that organ riff “The Champ” that made hip-hop history (see KRS ONE and others). Many groups today, such as Corduroy, Jtq or Big Boss Men, have clearly been influenced by the ‘KPM Big beat’, also many DJ’s and collectors search for these pieces in places such as on line auctions in an effort to enrich their own collections, to drive the floors wild and, above all, to have new samples of drums, bass and various grooves… For those who are looking for KPM I will list a few titles: The Essential KPM’s 1000 series > Flamboyant Themes Vol. I, II, III, IV, Gentle Sound Vol. I, Flute For Moderns, Accent On Percussion, The Big Beat Vol. I and Vol. II, Music For A Young Generation, The Sound Of Pop, Beat Incidental and Colours In Rhythm. The Essential Composers > Alan Hawkshaw, Alan Parker, Alan Moorhouse, Keith Mansfield, Syd Dale, Johnny Pearson, Ray Cameron, David Lindup, Johnny Hawksworth.


After a lot of researching i get in touch with Alan Hawkshaw , one of my KPM and Organ player heroes .
I decide to ask him some questions about that music , that period and other things
Alan Hawkshaw were rediscovered in the mid 90's by Blow Up's DJ's for the " Exclusive Blends " Compilations .
Hawkshaw were one of the most wanted Organists during the Library music recordings period in the 60's till mid 70's and he’s still riding now days .
He recorded more than 7000 tracks for labels like KPM , Bruton Music , Music House etc . He was the leader of the mithic band called " Mohawks " , his 60's and 70's recordings are sold today up to 300 UKP and his riffs were sampled by loads of Hip Hop bands .His style is unmistakable songs like " Move Move Move " , " The Champ " , " Beat me till i'm Blue ", "Pepsi " , "Hot Pants", " L.S.D " , "Piccadilly night ride " are now masterpieces .
I had a chat with him trying to understand more about this man wich is not so easy to get informations about

INTERVIEW TO ALAN HAWKSHAW

Lets talk about the Mohawks , how did they born and who were the Mohawks ?we have so less informations about them .

The Mohawks was a scratch session of various well known session
musicians of which I was one. There was no actual band called the
Mohawks. My name on the record is Morris Hawk. Its that simple.

Which musicians did influence you at the beginning of your career ?

Musicians that influenced me early in pre-teens would have been Fats
Waller, Benny Payne, who are both pianists. Jazz pianists continued
to influence me right into my teens and beyond including Oscar
Peterson, George Shearing, Bill Evans, E rrol Garner.

How the relationship between you and KPM started?

An introduction to Robin Phillips who was head of KPM in 1962 by Guy
Fletcher . This led to a long association with Robin through various
other library companies including Music House and Bruton Music.

How do you define the end of 60'S KPM/ Mohawks sound , R'n'B , Pop ...

The Funky sound began to change during the early seventies as other
forms of popular music began to take shape. That it has been revived
in the 21st century is a mystery to me but I am flattered that this
gendre of music has sustained itself all these years.


How the relationship with Keith Mansfield started ?


Keith Mansfield met in the mid sixties while I was still in a rock
group called The Original Checkmates. He used me on most if not all
of his recording session from the mid sixties into the late seventies.


What about the Swinging London feeling we get listening to "Move Move Move" or "Soul Organ Showcase" album . Is still London Swinging now days?

I would say that the term Swinging London applies to the sixties
period. That decade was quite different than any other decade in that
it contained the tidle wave of the Beatles and the subsequent
Liverpool sound plus people were more aware of fashion. Hot Pants,
Flower Power were all part of the culture of that time and with the
advent of boutiques in fashion streets such as Carnaby Street the
term Swinging London encompassed all these elements. It may still be
swinging today but not in the same way as the sixties.


At the Big Beat vol 1/2 recording sessions was you thinking about create music for a spot or an advertisement or to make Youngster dance ?

Big Beat had no ulterior motive other than its energetic content. It
was typical of the music of that period.


You worked with loads of musicians , touching many kind of music , also near Rock things like Rumpletiltskin or the Hawkshaw version of Hair .
How these collaborations happened ?

All the musicians I worked with were part of the London session scene
and we all met on our various day to day sessions, of which I
recorded approximately 7000 during a 13 year period.


What you think about todays Organists wich are inspirate by Hawkshaw Style ?


I am flattered that organists are inspired by my style.


Whats your feeling about knowing that KPM records like "Big Beat vol 2" costs about 200 uk pounds or more?

I know collectors are paying large sums for certain vinyl albums of
the sixties. None of this money ever reaches me by the way.


Did you ever think about a Mohawks / KPM all-stars reunion after the Jazz Cafe success , some years ago?

I'd love to do another Jazz Cafe live concert with the KPM writers
and musicians and this will almost certainly happen within the
forseeable future.

Wich label gived you more creative space ? De Wolfe , KPM , Studio2 ?

KPM was without a doubt the first company to give me free license to
pursue my library writing and playing.


Some days ago KPM all stars played again at Jazz Cafe with a lot of energy and a lot of positive response .