J. M. Katz, Stanmore, Middlesex - MELODY MAKER December 28, 1964 |
| Bond Is Best! |
It is high time Graham Bond's group got the recognition it deserves. Bond is far and away the best rhythm-and-blues
man in the country. He swings like no other group playing.
|
Chris Welch - MELODY MAKER January 16, 1965 |
| Backstage With Chuck |
. . . . . During the whole of Graham Bond's act roaring feedback could not be traced, and deafening crackling
noises ruined the climax of "Got My Mojo Working". Ginger Baker broke his bass drum pedal in the first number and immediately broke the replacement rushed on
stage just as his solo began. At the end of the set Baker snatched up his pedal and smashed it on the floor.
|
Chris Welch - MELODY MAKER August 14, 1965 |
| Animals Big Band Howls Out A great Festival |
. . . . . On Saturday night the Mark Leeman Five did well, especially with "Blues March", Ronnie Jones and the Blue
Jays drew the first real crowd fever of the evening, the T-Bones appeared, then Graham Bond detonated with a violent set that culminated with Ginger Baker's
solo on "Camels and Elephants" . . . . .
|
Chris Welch - MELODY MAKER August 20, 1966 |
| Jon Hiseman |
"Go Johnny Go!" is the cry echoing round the club circuit as new face Jon Hiseman blows up a storm on drums with
the Graham Bond Organisation. At London's Marquee last week, Jon proved to be a more than a worthy successor to the departed Ginger Baker, but a fantastic
technician and an individualist who is already radically altering the sound of the band. Jon Himself is also making the transition from a pure modern jazz
drummer, and judging from the audience reaction, he can now knock out drum happy fans as well as all the drummers who come to hear him play. Jon was featured on
"When Johnny Comes Marching Home", and also contributed fine drumming to "Wade In The Water", the group's next single. Chris Barber joined in "Night Time Is
The Right Time". Earlier Mike Fallana was featured on trumpet on his own composition "Toes", and Dick Heckstall-Smith blew tenor and soprano combined on
"Oh Baby".
|
Chris Welch - MELODY MAKER July 22, 1967 |
| The Power And The Glory Of Graham Bond |
Loud, hypnotic and neurotic is the music of Graham Bond. It wails, screams and tears at the senses
for minutes on end, demanding either complete attention or complete rejection. There are no half measures about Bond music. At Blaises Club, London last week
the group musically shocked the night club crowd, a crowd usually hardened to most modern forms. Upon analyzing the group, Graham is seen as the constantly
urging demoniac power, inspiring his musicians to endless toil with harsh, violent vocals and organ. Jon Hiseman's beautiful drumming is equally important,
combinating speed and power with invention and taste. Next comes tenorist Dick Heckstall-Smith, sometimes blowing two instruments at once creating and Eastern
drone effect above the crashing organ and rolling waves of drums.
|
Ann Moses - NEW MUSICAL EXPRESS September 28, 1968 |
| Short Ones |
. . . . . Buddy Miles, former drummer for the Electric Flag, opened this week at the Whiskee-a-go-go [sic] with his
newly formed group - Buddy Miles Express . . . For the last number of the night, the group on the Whiskee stage consisted of Jimi Hendrix (lead guitar), Graham
Bond (organ), Buddy Miles (rhythm guitar), Noel Redding (bass), Mitch Mitchell (drums), and Eric Burdon (vocals)! |
Richard Williams - MELODY MAKER October 25, 1969 |
| Graham Bond |
Bond nearly blew it. The extravagant return of the Great Graham almost turned into a fiasco - but happily everything
came out all right. His "comeback" concert at the Albert Hall last Friday night was not well attended, but the audience was warm and happy to be there. Pete
Brown's Piblokto were well received and played some very nice things including a pastoral 11/4 number called "Country Morning", with a neat bass solo, and Pete's
version of "She Moved Through The Fair", retitled "The Fire Song". When Brown introduced Bond, the spotlights swung up to the console of the mighty, majestic
Albert Hall pipe organ, and there he was - hands clasped above his head, clad in a long red robe. But instead of playing some straight Bach to blow our minds,
Graham chose to make it up as he went along. And what came out wasn't very pretty. He doodled around, veering erratically between Bach and the Blues, and
almost lost the audience in the process. However, everyone forgave him after the interval when he brought on his new band, the Initiation, to play a solid set.
The sound, with two saxes most of the time, has echoes of the old Organisation, but it's not quite as tough and uncompromising. He played some of the old things
("Long Legged Baby" and "Wade In The Water" were two) before launching into newer material like "Love Is The Law", which had a startling resemblance to some
of Tim Hardin's songs, and a raga featuring Dave Howard on sitar and Dave Sheen on tables, joined by Graham on alto and Dave Usher on tenor. Then, for the
final set-piece, the band was joined on stage by Ginger Johnson's African Drums, and a long percussion number featuring dancer Diane Stewart, ensued. It wasn't
exactly a triumphal return, but it was a pleasant, sometimes enlightening evening with a musical innovator who still has a lot to say.
|
M. C. - BIRMINGHAM MAIL January 13, 1970 |
| A Galaxy Of Talent, But . . . |
The combined biographies of the artists on stage read like a Who's Who what was good in 1969. Traffic, Cream,
Blind Faith. But for all this galaxy of talent, including Birmingham's Stevie Winwood, the music they produced was disappointing. The result, was at the best,
ten individuals playing together. The music was stereotyped and repetitive because it was only through the use of musical clichés and the constant repetition of
phrases that these ten individualists could find each other. Best song of the evening was "I go B.I.A." where the strict form of the song precluded any of
thehesistant improvisation which marred the rest of the evening.
|
Chris Welch - MELODY MAKER January 17, 1970 |
On the day of the first Jumbo Jet flight across the Atlantic, another first flight was greeted with a roar of approval
on Monday night. It came at the end of a hectic and frequently thrilling fly-past by Ginger Baker's Airforce at Birmingham Town Hall. The all-star band, ten strong
and powered by three ram-jet drummers proved a great success and said Ginger later: "It was a good gig. It's a drag we are only doing two concerts. This has gone
so well, we may do a few more. But there were a few tense moments as the the line-up, including Steve Winwood, Phil Seaman, Graham Bond and Denny Laine, got to
grips with their freshly-minted material. One one up-tempo rave-up the horn section had difficulty getting back to the main theme and a period of rather obvious
confusion began to sap confidence among musicians and audience. One lad near me shouted rather prematurely: "Bilge"! But somebody else replied: "All right, you
go and do better". The band hastily recovered itself and tore into Harold McNair's fast and complicated "Da Da Man" without a sign of discomfort. Despite these
minor goofs there was some fine solo playing by McNair and Chris Wood on flutes and saxes particularly. The rhythm section were just too "much". Remi Kabaka on
African drums added al kinds of extra rhythms and Phil darted about the stage playing his regular drums, timpani and a kind of obscene-looking rhythm log. Ginger's
playing was the best I have heard from him in many moons. Seated right behind him I was able to observe his boots slamming into the twin bass drums, keeping time
with his left foot and patterns with the right. Sticks battered snare and tomtom heads like pistons and the stage shook. He played an interesting duet with Phil
alongside Remi on an African chant number and finally convinced the crowd that Airforce is a band that should fly back soon with a thunderous solo on "Do What You
Like".
|
Gordon Coxhill - NEW MUSICAL EXPRESS January 17, 1970 |
| Air Force A Flying Success |
Air Force, the group that isn't a group, took off on Monday night at Birmingham Town Hall, and despite a few scaring
moments when one or two of the pilots almost crash-dived, the exercise was an unqualified success. It was a first class display of powerhouse music, big band
stuff that depended on "head" arrangements, made up almost as they went along. Those of you who see Airforce at the Royal Albert Hall this week will doubt wonder,
along with the Brum audience, how they can think of disbanding straight after, and maybe never play together again. As Stevie Winwood said to me in the dressing
room when it was all over, "It seems a terrible shame to spend three weeks rehearsing until we almost dropped and then to play only twice. "But none of us would
want to look upon it as a permanent thing, the whole idea of it is just to gather some musicians around who can bounce off each other. "I really enjoyed myself
tonight, there was no feeling of responsibility, just some nice music and I think the audience really dug it". He was so right! If anything was lacking from this
debut and penultimate performance, it was any semblance of stage presence, and gloss but to my mind that's not a bad thing, and you don't really expect jazz
players to parade about like so many acrobats. The accent was on percussion, with Ginger Baker never letting up for a second, his pale face often pointed at the
floor for five minutes at a time, but those flaying sticks seemed to be everywhere. Phil Seaman, often said to be Ginger's mentor, almost succeeded in making his
marraccas heard but on kettle drums, he was something else again. Remi Kabaka from Ghana, excelled on his massive African drums, and wrote what was to my mind the
highlight of the night, a beautiful African chant, sung by the equally delicious Jeanette Jacobs, a former vocalist with Dr. John The Night Tripper. On saxes were
Graham Bond whose talent is as vast as his girth. Harold McNair who first delighted my ears on a Donovan album when he was playing flute, and former Traffic man
Chris Wood. There was Steve Winwood on organ of course, and while that was in fine form, his voice on his own composition, "Do What You Like" seemed rather
laboured. Denny Laine, who is going to do big things again this year, sang his song, "Man Of Constant Sorrow" and very moving it was too. Ric Grech's bass didn't
come over too well from my position at the side of the hall, but on a night like this, it was the overall sound that mattered; no stars, no front man and no
backing group.
|
Chris Welch - MELODY MAKER January 24, 1970 |
| Airforce |
One of the pleasures of Airforce is seeing Ginger Baker playing at his best. At their Royal Albert hall, London
concert last week, the band had wiped out much of the roughness that affected their Birmingham debut, and earned an ovation. There is so much more they can do,
it seems foolish of certain critics to suggest Airforce should be "grounded". If some of the riffs were repetitious, the sheer rhythmic pulse, which only Ginger
can inspire, was enough to lift them along with cheering force. Denny Laine almost stole the show with his solo spot when the band took off on a kind of country
hoe down. Remi Kabaka blew up a typhoon on "BIA", a mixture of African and Western drumming behind Denny and Jeanette Jacobs' vocals. Ginger was playing a lot of
snare drum, and during his later, major solo, he played beautifully - inventive, flowing with none of the "brickwalls" which can affect his playing in less
productive circumstances. Ginger is in his element with a band to play FOR instead of against. Producer Jimmy Miller recorded the whole show. Let's hope he got it
all down. This is a band that should be kept together. Keep 'em flying!
|
Bob Dawbarn - MELODY MAKER March 7, 1970 |
| Graham Bond |
Despite the usual blasé Marquee audience doing their waxworks imitations, Graham Bond recreated much of the old
excitement during his stint last Tuesday. The Bond fingers have lost none of their cunning on the organ and his alto is as individual as ever. Apart from the
excellent drummer, I have some reservations about the rest of Initiation who seem unable to keep up with the leader's invention or ability to build tension.
|
MELODY MAKER March 21, 1970 |
Graham Bond's session at the Roundhouse Sun festival turned into an all-star jam with Graham (alto), Brian Auger
(organ), Jack Bruce and Rick Grech (basses) and Mitch Mitchell (drums).
|
Roger Ryan - NEW MUSICAL EXPRESS APRIL 4, 1970 |
| Airforce Woe Ends As Wow! |
Sunday night at the Lyceum was a disaster from start to finish for Ginger Baker's Airforce. It all started on Sunday
morning when the band were returning from a gig at the Le Bourget Airport the previous night. First of all a wheel came off their van, and after this delay all
their equipment was impounded by French customs officials at Calais. The customs demanded £3,000 to release the gear, but obviously the band did not have that kind
of money with them, and so they rushed back to England and set about borrowing some equipment, which included Mitch Mitchell's drum kit, for the show. It was not
until 9.45 pm that the band got started, 75 minutes late. But that is not all that went wrong. African drummer Remi Kabaka, who has been with Airforce since its
formation, was unable to appear and Trevor Burton and Alan White, who went out to find guitarist Denny Laine failed to return, although Denny turned up just
before the show got started. Once they finally got going, Ginger's depleted "squadron" blasted their way through a five number first set, which finished with the
Cream classic "Sunshine Of Your Love, with Ginger and Phil Seaman featured n a drum duet, which earned them a standing ovation. After the interval, during which
the roadies had been busy adjusting equipment, the band played a six number set, the quality of which was far higher than the first. The roughness which dominated
the first half had gone, and right from the first number, "Da Da Man", the capacity audience knew that this was the Airforce they had come to hear. After playing
another Cream number, "Sweet Wine", and Remi Kabaka's "I Go BIA", the band closed with Ginger's "Do What You Like", which of course featured a solo from the
maestro. Amid a barrage of cheers, wolf whistles and shouts of "more", Ginger mumbled the title of a song and they lurched into an African-style number. I do not
know what it was called but the audience certainly enjoyed it, and when I left just before 12 midnight they were merrily dancing into Monday morning. One thing is
certain, despite all the hang-ups Airforce proved beyond a shadow of doubt that whatever circumstances they perform under, they give their best, as only first-rate
musicians can.
|
MELODY MAKER May 2, 1970 |
Ginger Baker's Airforce were tremendous at the Roundhouse, but the MM's fighter squadron of Wentzell and Welch would
have liked an air-lift home . . .
|
Bob Dawbarn - MELODY MAKER May 2, 1970 |
Ginger Baker's Air Force brought the Pop Proms to a fitting climax on Saturday - both musically and in the way they
drew final ovations from a packed audience. Ginger's band is, to me, symptomatic of the way popular music has grown up in the last couple of years. Its music not
only has the surface excitement of all good pop, but much of the playing has an underlying subtlety and the arrangements frequently have a complexity that would
have sent audiences scurrying for cover a couple of years back. And it's something of an achievement on Ginger's part to hold together a bunch of stars that
includes Graham Bond, Harold McNair, Denny Laine and Rick Grech. The music is often rough and chaotic in the sense that Charles Mingus is chaotic and the
occasional goof doesn't really detract from the overall effect of adventurousness. And I personally, would go a long way to hear Ginger doing his compere bit.
I should add that the much improved Jody Grind drew enormous applause for their set.
|
Roy Carr - NEW MUSICAL EXPRESS May 23, 1970 |
| In Germany, At Dusseldorf Festival. . . . |
. . . . . . Saturday proved reasonably peaceful. Ginger Baker, as an individual, proved to be the hit of the day.
The actual billing read "Airforce (Blind Faith)". Still well into the cream thing, the audience went wild when the band broke into the familiar riff of
"Sunshine Of Your Love" . . . . .
|
Richard Green - NEW MUSCAL EXPRESS May 30, 1970 |
| Phenomenal |
. . . . . Air Force played for about two hours and were phenomenal! Ginger is obviously the driving force with his
superb command of the drums, but the massive squadron on stage with him helps generate a powerhouse of noise that really gets the audience going. It took a little
time to get really together but when it did, it was tremendous. Denny Laine recaptured a lot of the Moody Blues' feel on "I Just Don't Want To Go On Without You"
and got a lot of loud applause - obviously quite a few Moodies fans about there. Bob Dylan's "Million Dollar Bash" had a new treatment that had Ginger going
berserk and newly-married Graham Bond producing some fine sounds from his organ. The three girl singers provided excellent vocals that were too good to call
backings. Rick Grech's "You look Like You Could Use Some Rest", from the new album, had graham on alto sax contrasting nicely with the brass. After the tepid
reviews I've been seeing about the group, I was happy too see them all proved wrong . . . . . |
Alan Smith - NEW MUSCAL EXPRESS May 30, 1970 |
. . . . . Reports from the second and last day of Plumpton are that Ginger Baker's Air Force were in fine form, as
were Gracious, Savoy Brown, Chicken Shack and Steamhammer. . . . .
|