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Track Listings
| 1. Yellow Hill |
| 2. Discovering Metal |
| 3. Last Word |
| 4. Shelley |
| 5. Godbucket |
| 6. Like Life |
| 7. Village |
Product Description
Product Description
Previously unreleased live session recorded at Ronnie Scott's in 1990 by Loose Tubes, the innovative big band that brought together many of the leading young jazz musicians of the day.
With over 20 members, Loose Tubes was one of the biggest of big bands and it drew on a considerable pool of writing as well as playing talent: particularly from Django Bates, Eddie Parker, Steve Berry and Chris Batchelor. Its m\usic was an exotic blend of jazz, rock and sundry world musics plus a substantial dash of British humour.
Founded in 1984 the group was a great concert draw and it released 3 albums, including one produced by Teo Macero, the producer of many of Miles Davis's classic albums. None of these albums have been available for many years so this CD of previously unreleased material will be welcomed by Loose Tubes' many thousands of fans.
Personnel: Eddie Parker (flutes), Dai Pritchard (clarinets), Steve Buckley, Iain Ballamy, Mark Lockheart, Julian Nicholas, Ken Stubbs (saxophones), Lance Kelly, Chris Batchelor, Ted Emmett, Paul Edmonds, Noel Langley (trumpets), John Harborne, Steve Day, Paul Taylor, Richard Pywell, Ashley Slater (trombones), Dave Powell (tuba), Django Bates (keyboards), John Parricelli (guitar), Steve Watts (bass), Martin France (drums), Thebi Lipere (percussion)
Review
For several generations of jazz listeners, the release of Dancing on Frith Street will be cause for celebration. Recorded live at Ronnie Scott’s in September 1990, in the days before Loose Tubes broke up, the album has never before seen the light of day. Bursting with energy, invention and fun, the music is highly danceable. It balances tight arrangements and fiery solos with the band’s quirky sense of humour.
In the years since they split up, Loose Tubes have acquired mythical status for those who remember them or have only heard of their exploits by word of mouth. Between 1985 and 1988, they released three studio-recorded albums on vinyl, long since unavailable. The limited availability of those recordings only enhanced the band’s reputation. Dancing on Frith Street will surely enhance it further still.
Catching the 23-piece band on top form, it clearly demonstrates why they were such a popular live attraction. With 18 wind instruments plus a five-piece rhythm section, their emphasis was always on exuberant blowing. As on their 80s releases, there are no cover versions here; the compositions and arrangements all originated within the band. Taking their inspiration and rhythms from far and wide – including ska, South African township jazz, New Orleans second-lining and beyond – they created their own distinctive blend.
The root of the band’s success lay in the number of fine players, writers and arrangers included in its ranks, many of whom have gone on to greater things since 1990. Saxophonist Iain Ballamy, trumpeter Chris Batchelor, keyboardist Django Bates, flautist Eddie Parker and guitarist John Parricelli represent just the tip of the iceberg.
Despite its vintage, Dancing on Frith Street still sounds remarkably fresh and contemporary. That is fitting as the music and attitude of Loose Tubes have been very influential on many current bands, notably those from the F-IRE and Loop collectives.
To follow up its release, let’s hope that the three original Loose Tubes albums are soon made readily available on CD. Until they are, this delightful album will do very nicely, thank you.
--John EylesFind more music at the BBC This link will take you off Amazon in a new window
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
29 of 30 people found the following review helpful
Amazon Verified Purchase
I was amazed to see this album appear on Amazon! For the last 10 -15 years I have heard about Loose Tubes as the band that jolted the British Jazz scene and provided its best new musicians for the decades to come. But could I hear any of this music? Nowhere has there been any recorded evidence of what excited everybody in the late 80s, before they disbanded in the 90s!
I have met and talked to many of the players involved - like Julian Nicholas, Chris Batchelor,John Paricelli, Steve Watts etc. - and have asked some of them about hidden tapes or old vinyl albums...but until now - nothing!
So finally we get to hear what they were really like, as leader Django Bates has re-mastered live tapes from their final week at Ronnie Scott's club! And what an awesome sound it is...a huge and raucous, but very tight sound - except when it is deliberately loose, as per its name!
So - we have funk, ska, african rhythms - with huge arrangements of horns - incredibly dense, but also there is clarity, of vision and sound. 5 Saxes,5 Trumpets, 5 Trombones, Tuba, Clarinet, Flute, as well as a great rhythm section and percussion. The sheer scale of the sound is unlike anything else - more an orchestra than a big band.
But to hear such an ensemble playing funky syncopated tunes is just indescribable - you will have to buy this album to hear what it's like as there is nothing else that goes into this territory. Except maybe the Vienna Art Orchestra - but this is so much more ...fun! You can hear the youthful exuberance of the players - their excitement at discovering a new music that is the culmination of all their influences - township, ska, big band Jazz, European oompa bands(!) and much more that you can discover for yourself!... Read more ›
I have met and talked to many of the players involved - like Julian Nicholas, Chris Batchelor,John Paricelli, Steve Watts etc. - and have asked some of them about hidden tapes or old vinyl albums...but until now - nothing!
So finally we get to hear what they were really like, as leader Django Bates has re-mastered live tapes from their final week at Ronnie Scott's club! And what an awesome sound it is...a huge and raucous, but very tight sound - except when it is deliberately loose, as per its name!
So - we have funk, ska, african rhythms - with huge arrangements of horns - incredibly dense, but also there is clarity, of vision and sound. 5 Saxes,5 Trumpets, 5 Trombones, Tuba, Clarinet, Flute, as well as a great rhythm section and percussion. The sheer scale of the sound is unlike anything else - more an orchestra than a big band.
But to hear such an ensemble playing funky syncopated tunes is just indescribable - you will have to buy this album to hear what it's like as there is nothing else that goes into this territory. Except maybe the Vienna Art Orchestra - but this is so much more ...fun! You can hear the youthful exuberance of the players - their excitement at discovering a new music that is the culmination of all their influences - township, ska, big band Jazz, European oompa bands(!) and much more that you can discover for yourself!... Read more ›
12 of 13 people found the following review helpful
By ThirdPrize
Being a fan of Bates and Ballamy, I have always been curious about Loose Tubes. Every now and again I would type the name into Amazon and see the odd 80s issue CD on sale for £30+. Last time however, this CD popped up.
What does it sound like? Well, it is a well recorded live album. No complaints on that front. If you are familiar with Django Bates and his friends then the music will be what you expect. Big band arrangements that go from quiet and jazzy to explosions is a brass factory. It must have been marvellous to see them when they really got going.
Does anyone know why their stuff has been unavailable for so long?
What does it sound like? Well, it is a well recorded live album. No complaints on that front. If you are familiar with Django Bates and his friends then the music will be what you expect. Big band arrangements that go from quiet and jazzy to explosions is a brass factory. It must have been marvellous to see them when they really got going.
Does anyone know why their stuff has been unavailable for so long?
9 of 10 people found the following review helpful
Amazon Verified Purchase
As someone lucky enough to have seen Loose Tubes in their prime, I have been amazed that their albums are so hard to find, even on vinyl. I still haven't got the first LP though. There is still nothing quite like this Big Band who could have the flexibilty of a trio but could then rein themselves back to a tight ensemble sound. If Dancing at Frith Street achieves its deserved success, can we please have reissues of the three albums. This is a wonderful mixture of many threads- hints of Weather Report, South American rhythms, New Orleans funeral jazz, with lots of Englishness including the deadpan links between the tracks. Anecdotes suggest that keeping 21 musicians in a big band without a leader was not easy, and for that reason we will not see their likes again, but if there was any justice Iain Ballamy would be far better known than he is; I know that many young musicians will be inspired by this disc and understand what their Dads were banging on about. Essential for anyone interested in contempary English music.
7 of 8 people found the following review helpful
By droflim
Amazon Verified Purchase
Surprised to find this - you bet! A worthy if delayed (!) follow up to my treasured 3 vinyl LPs but these days what a shame the CD's only LP length - where's the rest of the gig? Believe all the superlatives about this band. They were a dose of salts especially live - and this is live.
Roll on any reissues - as I remember the CDs had more tracks than the vinyl.
Roll on any reissues - as I remember the CDs had more tracks than the vinyl.
6 of 7 people found the following review helpful
By quaver beat
An eye-opening, ear-grabbing blast from the past from Loose Tubes. One of the most important British jazz ensembles from the 1980s, their three recordings are currently not in print, which makes this live album all the more valuable. And the band does not disappoint: fizzing with energy and humour, and a perhaps surprising level of musical discipline, considering that everyone knew the band was about the split up. The sound production is also of the highest quality.
This album features compositions from some of Loose Tubes' foremost writers, including Django Bates, Eddie Parker, and Steve Berry.
This album features compositions from some of Loose Tubes' foremost writers, including Django Bates, Eddie Parker, and Steve Berry.
Amazon Verified Purchase
This is a cracking example of Loose Tubes live. Lots of good stuff here, but worth buying for "Village" alone. I have all the studio albums but this was a new one on me. What a way to end a concert and the life of the band! I'd love to describe it but I think you need to hear the music rather than read about it.
By paul
A tremendous cd , so glad to have this as my cassettes from the 1980s have worn thin. I saw them in 1988 & loved the fun they had with music - many musical gags - but also with the skill of their performance & quality of writing. You gain the feeling that they really enjoyed playing this music and look over the following 20 years to see how influential many of them have been in British/European jazz.
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