Jazz Warriors
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Jazz Warriors | |
|---|---|
| Origin | 1986 |
| Years active | 1986-1992 |
| Label(s) | Antilles Records |
| Associated acts | Nu Troop Jazz Life |
| Former members | |
| Orphy Robinson, Courtney Pine, Tony Remy, Cleveland Watkiss, Philip Bent, Steve Williamson, Gary Crosby, Ray Carless, Julian Joseph, Gail Thompson, Harold Beckett, Cheryl Alleyne, Claude Deppa, Brian Edwards, Andy Grappy, Ike Leo, Kevin Robinson, Roland Sutherland, Fayyaz Virti, Trevor Watkiss, Jason Yarde, Dennis Rollins | |
The Jazz Warriors were an all-black London-based group of jazz musicians that made their debut in 1986. According to musician/writer John Chilton, "...[the Jazz Warriors] proved to be the launching pad for the stellar talents of a number of important jazz musicians."[1] The group remained together until 1992, though many of the original members had since left to start their own careers.[2] The group had tension sometimes between themselves and the mostly white Loose Tubes (also a British jazz band). The Loose Tubes would sometimes refer to the Jazz Warriors as the Daktari Band, referencing a 1960s television program about a family living in the jungle. According to Adrian Reid, the nickname was intended to mean the 'guys out of Africa.'[2]
Former member Gary Crosby has said of the Jazz Warriors:
There were all these different writers, but everything ended up sounding with the same energy. I've never felt anything like that energy — raucous, raw ...It wasn't the most accurate of bands, but the actual power, and the wildness of the soloing...It was so exciting. Regardless of who wrote what, once we got to the meat of the music, there were fireworks...A lot of spunk, man, a lot of testosterone going around![2]
The idea for the Jazz Warriors cames from the Abibi Jazz Arts in 1985, a London organization that promotes black music and black culture. The Jazz Warriors would provide black musicians with a venue to showcase their talents, which until that time was limited mostly to funk music and reggae.[3]
[edit] Notes
- ^ Chilton, John. Who's Who of British Jazz. Continuum International Publishing Group.
- ^ a b c Moore, Hilary. Inside British Jazz: Crossing Borders of Race, Nation and Class. Ashgate Publishing, Ltd., 126-130.
- ^ Carr, Ian; Digby Fairweather; Brian Priestley. The Rough Guide to Jazz, 404.
[edit] References
- Carr, Ian; Digby Fairweather; Brian Priestley (2004). The Rough Guide to Jazz. Rough Guides. ISBN 1843532565.
- Chilton, John (2004). Who's Who of British Jazz. London: Continuum International Publishing Group, 193. ISBN 0826472346.
- Moore, Hilary (2007). Inside British Jazz: Crossing Borders of Race, Nation and Class. Ashgate Publishing, Ltd.. ISBN 0754657442.
