Bootsy’s Rubber Band was an American funk band from Detroit that released four albums between 1976 and 1979 on Warner Bros. The band was headed by namesake bassist Bootsy Collins, a Parliament mainstay who also played with James Brown, Funkadelic, and Parlet. Members: Bootsy Collins (bass, vocals, guitar, percussion), Catfish Collins (guitar, vocals), Frank Waddy […]
Birthright was an American jazz tentet from Buffalo, N.Y., that released the 1974–76 albums Free Spirits and Breath of Life on Freelance Records. Members: Joe Ford (alto saxophone, tenor saxophone, electric piano), Paul Gresham (tenor saxophone), Nasar Abadey (drums, percussion), Jim Kurzdorfer (acoustic bass, electric bass), Onaje Allan Gumbs (electric piano, piano), Jimmy Manuel (piano), […]
Bernie Worrell (April 19, 1944 — June 24, 2016) was an American funk keyboardist, composer, and arranger with lengthy Seventies tenures in Funkadelic, Parliament, and Bootsy’s Rubber Band, followed by Eighties stints with Material and the Golden Palominos. As a solo artist, he made the 1978 Arista album All the Woo in the World. Background […]
Hank Crawford (Dec. 12, 1934 — Jan. 29, 2009) was an American post-bop/jazz-funk alto saxophonist, arranger, and composer from Memphis. From 1958 to 1963, he served as musical director for Ray Charles. Crawford commenced his bandleader catalogue with the 1961 Atlantic release More Soul, then recorded for Kudu/CTI and Milestone with collaborators including Grant Green, […]
Eddie Harris (Oct. 20, 1934 — Nov. 5, 1996) was an American post-bop/jazz-funk tenor saxophonist, keyboardist, and composer from Chicago. He entered the national jazz market with the 1961 Vee-Jay album Exodus to Jazz and reached a wider audience through the 1969 Les McCann collaboration Swiss Movement, which included “Compared to What.” Harris extended his […]
Ted Curson (June 3, 1935 — Nov. 4, 2012) was an American post-bop/jazz-funk trumpeter, composer, and bandleader from Philadelphia. Curson played with Cecil Taylor and Charles Mingus, then co-led a quintet with tenor saxophonist Bill Barron through the mid-Sixties. His leader catalog stretched from Plenty of Horn and Tears for Dolphy through Atlantic, Arista, and Inner […]
Johnny Heartsman (Feb. 9, 1936 — Dec. 27, 1996) was an American jazz-funk/blues multi-instrumentalist who played guitar, keyboards, bass, and flute. He worked the Bay Area studio circuit from the early Fifties and scored a No. 13 R&B hit with the 1957 instrumental “Johnny’s House Party,” followed by session and touring work with artists including […]
John Handy (born Feb. 3, 1933) is an American post-bop/jazz-funk multireedist from Dallas who established his career in the Bay Area and New York. He recorded with Charles Mingus on Mingus Ah Um, Mingus Dynasty, Blues & Roots, and Jazz Portraits: Mingus in Wonderland, then began his leader catalog on Roulette with In the Vernacular […]
The Hastings Street Jazz Experience was an American post-bop ensemble from Detroit that recorded the 1976 album Detroit Jazz Composers Ltd. for Midnite Records, the label operated by the Detroit Jazz Composers Ltd. organization. Background Drummer Ed Nelson formed the Hastings Street Jazz Experience in Detroit in 1972 with bassist Dedrick Glover and saxophonist/flutist Charles […]
Hadley Caliman (Jan. 12, 1932 — Sept. 8, 2010) was an American post-bop tenor saxophonist whose career began in the late 1940s with drummer Roy Porter. He worked through the 1960s with Gerald Wilson, Don Ellis, and Mongo Santamaria. As a bandleader, he made the 1971/72 albums Hadley Caliman and Iapetus on Mainstream Records, followed […]
Byron Morris & Unity were an American avant-garde jazz ensemble from N.Y.C. that released two albums between 1974 and 1978 on self-press EPI Records. The project developed from a namesake 1972 album by saxist/bandleader Morris and trumpeter Gerald Wise. Members: Byron Morris (saxophone), Vincent McEwan (trumpet), Gerald Wise (trumpet), Jay Clayton (vocals), Mike Kull (piano), […]
The Abrial Stratageme Group was a French hard-rock/art-rock band that released the 1977 album Mannderly on Sonopresse. Members: Patrick Abrial (vocals, acoustic guitar, harmonica), Rémy Devillard (guitar, vocals), Gérard Mottée (bass, vocals), Jean-Pierre Pollet (drums, vocals) Background Abrial Stratagème Group formed in the Paris region in 1976 when singer-songwriter Patrick Abrial combined with Stratagème guitarist […]
Acintya was a French classical-rock band that released the 1978 album La Cité des Dieux Oubliés on SRC. Members: Philippe De Canck (synthesizers, keyboards), Bernard Petite (drums), Jean-Louis Tauvel (bass), Philippe Clesse (guitar, violin) Background Acintya formed in Nancy in 1976 with keyboardist Philippe De Canck, guitarist-violinist Philippe Clesse, bassist Jean-Louis Tauvel, and drummer Bernard […]
Subversion was a French electro/jazz-rock studio band behind a 1976 self-titled album on Pôle Records. Members: E. Bailen, Eric Mallet, J. Hurel, Jean-Luc Fauvel, M. Chiarutini, Pierre-Jean Gidon Background Subversion coalesced by April 1976 around singer-bassist Mauricio Chiarutini, drummer Patrick Smadja, cellist Eliot Bailen, saxophonist Pierre-Jean Gidon, keyboardist José Hurel, and guitarists Eric Mallet and […]
Perception was a French free-jazz/rock band that released two albums and a live disc between 1971 and 1974 on Futura, A.D.M.I., and Le Chant du Monde. Members: Yochk’o Seffer (sopranino saxophone, soprano saxophone, tenor saxophone, bass clarinet, piccolo), Siegfried Kessler (piano, electric piano, clavinet), Didier Levallet (double bass), Jean My Truong (drums, percussion) Background Perception […]
Patchwork was a French jazz-rock band behind the 1978 album Ouvertures on Cobra. Members: J.P. Salle, H. le Coz, J.F. Courteaux, J.P. Pestre, L. Begeue, S. Bouland, A. Aunis Profile Patchwork emerged in 1977 around bassist Hervé Le Coz, drummer Jean-Paul Pestre, guitarist Jean-Pierre Salle, keyboardist Louis Begue, and reedist Jean-François Courteaux, who juggled flute […]
Ométaxalia et Bucchi were a French avant-garde/chanson duo that released the 1977 double-album Lettre d’ocre on Uniteledis. Background Ométaxalia et Bucchi formed as a studio project betweenpianist Jean-Louis Bucchi and singer Hugues Ométaxalia. Bucchi joined Louis Xavier’s Synchro Rhythmic Eclectic Language at the end of 1971 on the recommendation of drummer Eddy Gaumont. During 1972, […]
Olivier Bloch-Lainé is a French composer, multi-instrumentalist, and vocalist who recorded under his forename during the mid-1960s. In 1976, he released the album Des Mots on CBS. Background Olivier Bloch-Lainé was born in 1947 to François Bloch-Lainé, a French finance official. He played guitar as a child and built an electric-guitar amplifier with a speaker […]
Maggie Bell is a Scottish singer who fronted soul-rockers Stone the Crows on four albums between 1970 and 1972. As a solo artist, she debuted with the 1974 Atlantic release Queen of the Night, followed by Suicide Sal on Led Zeppelin‘s Swan Song label. In 1981, she recorded one album with super-group Midnight Flyer. Background […]
Michel Ripoche is a French violinist who emerged in the brass-rock band Zoo at the turn of the 1970s. Between 1975 and 1987, he released four albums and a collaborative set on Atlantic, Spalax, and Musique-Image. Backgrounds Michel Ripoche emerged in late-1960s France as a multi-instrumentalist adept at violin, tenor saxophone, and trombone. In October […]
Nemo was a French funk-rock band behind the 1973/74 Agave albums Nemo and Doin’ Nuthin’. Members: François Bréant (keyboards, vocal), Marc Perru (guitar, vocal), Pascal Arroyo (bass, piano), Clément Bailly (drums), Emmanuel Lacordaire (percussion, guitar), Ronnie James (trumpet), Albert Marcœur (alto saxophone, clarinet, bass clarinet), Claude Samard (dobro), Arthur Young (trumpet), José Bartel (tumbas, gong) […]
Mosaic was a French jazz-rock band that released the 1978 album Ultimatum on self-press Ekimoz. Members: Hubert Brebion [aka Hubert De Nampcel] (drums, percussion), Yves Brebion (guitar, piano, vocals, 1972-78), Jean-Yves Escoffier [aka Jye Esko] (keyboards, guitar, 1974-79), Philippe Lemongne [aka P.L.M.G.] (bass, double bass, cello, acoustic guitar, percussion, synthesizer, vocals, 1974-79) Background Mosaïc formed […]
Monk Montgomery (Oct. 10, 1921 — May 20, 1982) was an American jazz-funk bassist from Indianapolis. Montgomery joined the Lionel Hampton Orchestra in the early 1950s and became one of the first jazz musicians to record on Fender electric bass, followed by extensive work with Buddy Montgomery in the Mastersounds and with Buddy and Wes Montgomery […]
Mike Longo (March 19, 1937 — March 22, 2020) was an American jazz pianist, composer, arranger, and bandleader from Cincinnati. He served as pianist and musical director for Dizzy Gillespie from 1966 through 1975, with appearances on Swing Low, Sweet Cadillac, The Dizzy Gillespie Reunion Big Band, The Real Thing, and Portrait of Jenny. Longo […]
Mark Colby (born 1949) is an American jazz-funk tenor and soprano saxophonist from Brooklyn. He spent 1975–78 with Maynard Ferguson, then joined Bob James, who signed him to Columbia for the albums Serpentine Fire and One Good Turn. Colby later worked with Jaco Pastorius, Frank Sinatra, Sarah Vaughan, and Charlie Haden while maintaining a Chicago-based […]
The Lyman Woodard Organization was an American jazz-funk ensemble from Detroit led by Hammond organist Lyman Woodard, who formed the group after his 1970–73 tenure as musical director for Martha and the Vandellas. In 1975, the Organization debuted on Strata with Saturday Night Special, followed by the live Don’t Stop the Groove and the 1985 […]
Leroy Vinnegar (July 13, 1928 — Aug. 3, 1999) was an American post-bop/jazz standup bassist on the LA studio scene. He recorded extensively with Stan Getz, Chet Baker, Shelly Manne, Hampton Hawes, and Les McCann while also contributing to film and television sessions. Vinnegar led albums from Leroy Walks! in 1957 through later releases for […]
Larry Willis (Dec. 20, 1940 — Sept. 29, 2019) was an American jazz-funk pianist and composer from Harlem. He emerged with Jackie McLean and Hugh Masekela, then spent 1972–78 on keyboards with Blood, Sweat & Tears. Willis later worked with Woody Shaw, Jerry González’s Fort Apache Band, and Roy Hargrove while maintaining a leader catalog across […]
Stuff was an American jazz-funk supergroup that released three albums and two live discs between 1976 and 1980 on Warner Bros. Bassist Gordon Edwards assembled the New York session players Cornell Dupree, Eric Gale, Richard Tee, Steve Gadd, and Chris Parker around a standing engagement at Mikell’s in Manhattan. Stuff played the 1976 Montreux Jazz […]
Reggie Lucas (Feb. 25, 1953 — May 19, 2018) was an American jazz-funk guitarist and producer from Queens who played with Miles Davis and recorded the solo album Survival Themes. He later formed a songwriting and production partnership with James Mtume and produced early recordings by Madonna. Background Reggie Lucas was born Reginald Grant Lucas […]
Ray Bryant (Dec. 24, 1931 — June 2, 2011) is an American post-bop/jazz-funk pianist from Philadelphia. He backed Charlie Parker, Miles Davis, Carmen McRae, Sonny Rollins, and Aretha Franklin while building a parallel trio and solo career from the mid-Fifties onward. Bryant scored crossover singles with “Little Susie,” “The Madison Time,” and “Ode to Billie […]
Paul Jackson (March 28, 1947 — March 18, 2021) was an American jazz-funk bassist from Oakland, best known for his work with Herbie Hancock and the Headhunters. He also recorded the 1978 solo album Black Octopus. Background Paul Jerome Jackson Jr. was born March 28, 1947, in Oakland, California. Jackson started double-bass lessons at age […]
Oliver Nelson (June 4, 1932 — Oct. 28, 1975) was an American post-bop/jazz-funk saxophonist, clarinetist, arranger, composer, and bandleader from St. Louis. He began recording as a leader on Prestige in 1959 and established his best-known composition, “Stolen Moments,” on the 1961 Impulse! album The Blues and the Abstract Truth. Nelson arranged Sixties sessions for Jimmy […]
Stanley Turrentine (April 5, 1934 — September 12, 2000) was an American post-bop/jazz-funk tenor saxophonist. He emerged from Pittsburgh’s hard-bop scene in the 1950s, first gaining notice with Earl Bostic, Max Roach, and Horace Silver before making his Blue Note debut in 1960. Through the 1960s he recorded a string of organ-combo soul-jazz classics with […]
Michel Polnareff is a French singer, songwriter, pianist, and composer who emerged in 1966 with “La Poupée qui fait non” and “Love Me, Please Love Me,” followed by hits including “Le Bal des Laze,” “On ira tous au paradis,” “Lettre à France,” and “Goodbye Marylou.” His Disc’AZ run culminated with the 1971 song-cycle “Polnareff’s”. He […]
Michel Moulinié is a French multi-instrumentalist and composer who released the 1978 Crypto album Chrysalide. Background Michel Moulinié was born on November 1, 1945, in Nérac, Lot-et-Garonne, France. His family ran a local plumbing and heating business. Moulinié taught himself guitar by ear. In 1967, he formed Les Gaulois with Nérac musicians Violette Maestro, Christian […]
Metal Urbain was a French synth-punk band, active between 1977 and 1979 with one single per-label on Cobra, Rough Trade, and Radar. Celluloid collected the band’s tracks on the 1981 comp Les Hommes Morts Sont Dangereux. Members: Eric Débris (vocals, rhythm guitar, drum machine, 1976-present), Jean-Louis Boulanger [aka Hermann Schwartz] (bass, guitar, synthesizer, vocals, 1977-present), […]
Mémoriance was a French symphonic-rock band that released two albums and a standalone single between 1976 and 1981 on Eurodisc and Philips. Members: Didier Guillaumat (vocals, guitar), Jean-Pierre Boulais (guitar), Jean-François Périer (keyboards), Michel Aze (bass), Didier Busson (drums, 1975-79), Christophe Boulanger (drums, 1979-81), Pascal Liberge (keyboards, 1979-81) Background Mémoriance formed in Le Havre in […]
Marie-Paule Graffard (born June 4, 1945) is a French folk-psych singer/songwriter who performed under the moniker Maripol. Between 1969 and 1978, she released four albums on Le Chant Du Monde and Kelenn. Background Maripol was born Marie-Paule Subié on June 4, 1945, in Plurien, Côtes-du-Nord, France. She first sang in church choir as a child. […]
Magical Ring was a French electro/space-funk project headed by library musician Jean-Pierre Decerf. The project yielded the album Light Flight / More and More, released in 1977 on Chicago 2000. Members: Jean-Pierre Decerf Background Magical Ring formed in France in 1976 when keyboardist-composer Jean-Pierre Decerf teamed with singer-songwriter Clarel Betsy and guitarist Gérard Zajd, a […]
Madrigal was a French art-rock band that self-released the 1977 album School of Time. Members: Michel Chavarria (acoustic guitar, electric guitar, keyboards, vocals), Bruno de Gaulejac (keyboards, guitar, vocals), Nicolas de Gaulejac (drums, percussion, vocals), Jean-Noël Nomico (guitar, flute, vocals), Paul Saurat (bass, cello, vocals) Background Madrigal emerged in Toulouse in 1975 when guitarist-singer Michel […]
Machin was a French folk band that debuted with the 1976 album Moi, je suis un Folkeux… on Disques Festival, followed with Tout Folkant and the 1978 Sterne release Râles Folk. Members: Tony Carbonare (vocals, bass, synthesizer, psaltery), Jean-Pierre Robert (guitar, clarinet, flute, keyboards), Alain Carbonare (piano, lyra, guitar, psaltery, 1975-76), Jean-Paul Simonin (drums, percussion, […]
Rough Diamond was an English hard-rock band that released a self-titled album in 1977 on Island Records. Singer David Byron formed the band after his dismissal from Uriah Heep. They included guitarist Clem Clempson (Colosseum, Humble Pie) and drummer Geoff Britton (East of Eden, Wings). After Bryon left for a solo career, the others carried […]
Les Variations were a French psychedelic hard-rock band of Moroccan origin. Between 1970 and 1974, they released the albums Nador, Take It or Leave It, and Moroccan Roll. With singer Robert Fitoussi, they cut the 1975 international release Cafe de Paris. Fitoussi resurfaced with “Words,” an Eighties synthpop classic under the name F.R. David. Members: […]
Laurence Vanay is a French keyboardist and composer who made the 1974 album Galaxies on SFP. In 1975, she led Gate Way on the Galloway release Evening Colours. Background Laurence Vanay is the recording name of French composer, keyboardist, and multi-instrumentalist Jacqueline Thibault. At age four, Thibault gave her first public concert. Her father gave […]
Lard Free was a French improve/electroacoustic band that released three albums through 1977 on Vamp and Cobra. Material from their original 1971/72 lineup later appeared on the Unnamed disc, courtesy of Spalax. Members: Gilbert Artman (drums, piano, vibraphone, organ, percussion, tenor saxophone, clarinet, 1970-78, 2009), François Mativet (guitar, 1970-75), Jean-Jacques Miette (bass, double bass, 1970-73), […]
Jef Gilson (July 25, 1926 — Feb 5, 2012) was a French pianist, composer, and arranger; active as a bandleader for a quarter century. He proliferated in the 1970s with albums on Palm and other labels in lead and collaborative configurations. Background Jef Gilson was born Jean-François Quiévreux on July 25, 1926, in Guebwiller, Haut-Rhin, […]
Jean-Yves Liévaux is a French singer-songwriter who cut multiple Pathé singles and a 1976 self-titled folk-psych album. He then formed Lievaux-Transfo, a new wave band behind the 1980/81 albums Passage Public and Porte 50. Liévaux followed with the 1983/84 solo albums Transformances and Petit à petit pas à pas – L’électricité. Background Jean-Yves Liévaux was […]
Jean-Pierre Decerf is a French electronic musician and composer. Between 1976 and 1981, he made six library albums, both solo and collaborative, on CAM, Patchwork, and Pema Music. In 1978, he partook in the one-off project Open Air with guitarist Gérard Zajd and vocalist Clarel Betsy. Background Jean-Pierre Decerf was born on July 11, 1948, […]
Jean-Pierre Alarcen is a French symphonic/jazz-rock guitarist and composer who played in the bands Eden Rose and Sandrose during the early 1970s. Later that decade, he released back-to-back solo albums on L’Escargot and Scoppuzzle. Background Jean-Pierre Alarcen was born in 1944 in France. His earliest documented groups included Les Murator’s and Les Guitares du Dimanche, […]
Jean-Louis Bucchi is a French keyboardist, composer, and conductor who released the 1978 jazz-rock album Sunflower on De l’autre côté. During the 1980s, he released three library albums on RCA and Koka. Backgrounds Jean-Louis Bucchi joined the Paris ensemble Synchro Rhythmic Eclectic Language in late 1971 on a recommendation from drummer Eddy Gaumont. Martiniquan bassist […]
Pierre Moerlen’s Gong was a French jazz-rock band that functioned as a continuation of Gong following the departure of Daevid Allen, with percussionist Moerlen assuming the reigns. This iteration of the band released six albums between 1975 and 1981, the last three of which bear the affixed nameplate. Members: Pierre Moerlen (drums), Benoit Moerlen (percussion, […]
Mike Nock (born Sept. 7, 1940) is a New Zealander jazz pianist with an international career in music dating back to the early 1960s. At the turn of the 1970s, he recorded three album with stateside jazz-rock pioneers the Fourth Way. In 1971, he debuted as a bandleader with the MPS release Between or Beyond. […]
Mother Goose was a New Zealander art-rock band behind the 1977–79 Mushroom albums Stuffed and Don’t Believe in Fairytales, followed by the 1982 Parole release This Is the Life. Members: Craig Johnston (vocals), Marcel Rodeka (drums), Pete Dickson (lead guitar, 1975-79, 1983-85), Justin McCarthy (lead guitar,1979-83), Kevin Collings (rhythm guitar), Steve Young (keyboards, 1975-82), Neil […]
Guy Skornik (born 1947) is a French art-pop musician and songwriter who released two EPs on in 1967 Polydor, followed by a stint in the band Popera Cosmic with François Wertheimer and William Sheller. At the start of the 1970s, Skornik issued three singles and a debut solo album on Pathé. Between 1973 and 1980, […]
Gérard Manset is a French chanson and art-pop singer-songwriter who emerged with a 1968 self-titled album on Odéon, followed by twenty-four albums through 2026 on Pathé, EMI, Capitol, and Parlophone. His 1975 single “Il voyage en solitaire” sold more than 300,000 copies in France. Background Gérard Manset was born Gérard Henri Manset on August 21, […]
The Wurzels were an English comedy-folk band from Nailsea, Somerset, originally formed in 1966 as a four-piece with vocalist Adge Cutler. In this configuration, the band released four albums on Columbia between 1967 and 1969, plus a 1972 fifth on Starline. Trimmed to a trio, the band released six proper albums between 1975 and 1983, […]
François Wertheimer is a French chanson-folk singer/songwriter who emerged in the pop-psych combo Popera Cosmic, which also featured Guy Skornik and William Sheller. Between 1971 and 1977, Wertheimer released two solo albums on BYG and Philips. Background François Wertheimer was born May 4, 1947, in Paris, France. He attended Lycée Michelet in Vanves, where he […]
François Jeanneau (born 1935) is a French saxophonist, keyboardist, and composer who played in the bands Experience and Triangle in the early 1970s. During the second half of the decade, he released three solo albums on Palm and Owl. Background François Jeanneau was born June 15, 1935, in Paris, France. His mother played piano at […]
François “Faton” Cahen (July 24, 1944 — July 13, 2011) was a French keyboardist who played on the first two Magma albums and co-founded Zao. Between 1975 and 1979, he made three solo albums and Thank You Friends, a collaborative disc with Didier Lockwood. Backgrounds François “Faton” Cahen was born on July 24, 1944, in […]
Fernand Péna et Puzzle were a French folk/psych band behind a 1977 album on the self-operated Centaur Records. Members: Fernand Péna (vocals, bass), Bernard Coutelan (guitar), Jean-Jacques Barbette (drums) Background Puzzle emerged in 1976 around singer-guitarist Fernand Péna, guitarist-singer Henri Espéjo, and singer Patricia Laidet. Péna began playing in 1964 on a homemade guitar. He […]
Emmanuelle Parrenin is a French multi-instrumentalist and composer who played in the Seventies folk bands Gentiane, Mélusine, and La Confrérie des Fous. Between 1974 and 1976, she recorded four collaborative albums, including two with then-husband Phil Fromont. Her singular solo album of the era, Maison Rose, appeared in 1977 on Ballon Noir. Background Emmanuelle Parrenin […]
The Spiders From Mars were an English hard-rock band formed in 1971 as the backing band for David Bowie. Guitarist Mick Ronson and drummer Mick “Woody” Woodmansey backed the singer on the 1969–70 albums Man of Words, Man of Music and The Man Who Sold the World. With the addition of bassist Trevor Bolder, they […]
Supercharge was an English R&B big band from Liverpool led by saxophonist Albie Donnelly. They debuted with the 1974 album Between Music and Madness on Stag Music, followed by five albums through 1979 on Virgin. Donnelly guested on albums by City Boy, Graham Parker, The Boomtown Rats, and The Members. After their 1977 release Horizontal […]
Emergency Exit was a French jazz-rock band behind the 1977 album Sortie de Secours on Pôle. Members: Robert Latxague (guitar, vocals), Pierre Maggioni (bass, acoustic guitar, vocals), Roger Levy (drums, percussion), Michel Lacrouts (electric piano, percussion) Background Emergency Exit formed in 1974 in Bayonne when guitarist-singer Robert Latxague, bassist Pierre Maggioni, and drummer Roger Lévy […]
Didier Lockwood (Feb. 11, 1956 — Feb. 18, 2018) was a French violinist with Seventies stints in Magma, Surya, Synthesis, Visitors, and Zao. Starting with the 1976 Music-Zag release Jazz Rock, he made thirty-plus albums for MPS, JMS, and other labels. Background Didier Lockwood was born Didier André Paul Lockwood on February 11, 1956, in […]
Didier Bocquet is a French electronic musician who released the 1977 album Eclipse on Le Kiosque D’Orphée, followed by three further titles through 1983 on F.L.V.M. and Pulse. Background Didier Bocquet was born in 1957 and began playing drums with local groups in Bourges at age twelve. In 1976, Bocquet sold his drum kit and […]
Dan Ar Braz is a French guitarist and vocalist who backed Alan Stivell on eight albums and played in the Seventies folk groups Mor and Gabriel et Marie Yacoub. After a brief stint with Fairport Convention, Braz released three solo albums (1977–79) on Hexagon, followed by three Eighties titles on Keltia. Background Dan Ar Braz […]
Confluence was a French avant-garde jazz-rock band that debuted with the 1976 live album 4 Voyages on RCA Victor, followed by the 1977–79 titles Arkham and Chroniques Terrestres. Members: Jean-Charles Capon (cello), Didier Levallet (double bass), Jean Querlier (oboe, english horn, flute, saxophone), Christian Escoudé (guitars), Armand Lemal (percussion), Christian Lété (drums) Background Confluence formed […]
Coïncidence was a French jazz-rock band that made a 1977 self-titled album on Disques Tromblas, followed by the 1979 Village disc Clef de Ciel. Members: Jean-Pierre Llabador (guitar), Jean-Claude Llabador (keyboards, guitar), Michel Montoyat (bass), Joël Allouche (drums, percussion), Olivier Chabrol (saxophone, piano) Background Coïncidence formed in spring 1974 in Montpellier when guitarist Jean-Pierre Llabador […]
The Pyramids are an American spiritual-jazz ensemble from Yellow Springs, Ohio, that released the 1973–76 albums Lalibela, King of Kings, and Birth / Speed / Merging on the self-operated Pyramid Records. They reactivated in the 2010s for a further round of titles on Cultural Odyssey, Strut, and Philophon. Members: Idris Ackamoor [Bruce Baker] (saxophone), Margo […]
Random was an American avant-rock band from Illinois that self-released the album Nothin’ Tricky in 1977. Members: Ralph Athey (clarinet, saxophone, vocals), Jerry Fiddler (acoustic guitar, electric guitar, percussion, vocals), Sam Kolmodin (bass guitar, contrabass, vocals), Sandy Robinson (violin, viola, vocals), Paul Shimandle (12-string guitar, percussion, vocals) Background Random formed circa 1977 in Champaign-Urbana, Illinois, […]
So & Co were a French avant-psych band that released a self-titled album on Pathé in 1975. That same year, the band backed veteran singer/songwriter Gérard Entremont on his first full-length album, released on Pathé as Gérard Entremont & Co. Saxophonist Alain Potier subsequently appeared in Plat du Jour and Urban Sax. Members: Jacques Brely […]
Schtüng was a New Zealander symphonic-rock band that released a self-titled album in 1977 on Polydor. Members: David Bowater (saxophone, flute), Geoff Bowdler (percussion), Andrew Hagen (keyboards, vocals, guitar), Paul Jeffery (keyboards, vocals), Rob Sinclair (bass, vocals), Morton Wilson (guitar, vocals) Discography: Schtüng (1977)
Space Waltz was a New Zealander art-rock band that released a self-titled album on EMI in 1975. Members: Alastair Riddell (vocals, guitar, synthesizer), Eddie Rayner (piano, Hammond organ, Mellotron, synthesizer), Greg Clark (electric guitar), Peter Cuddihy (bass), Brent Eccles (drums) Background Riddell (b. 1952; Auckland) got his musical start as the guitarist and singer of […]
Think was a New Zealander art-rock band behind the 1976 Atlantic album We’ll Give You a Buzz. Members: Alan Badger (bass), Phil Whitehead (guitar), Neville Jess (drums), Don Mills (keyboards), Ritchie Pickett (vocals), Kevin Stanton Background Think formed in Auckland in 1974 when guitarist Kevin Stanton partnered with drummer Neville Jess from the Hamilton group […]
Joe Vitale (born April 2, 1949) is an American drummer, keyboardist, songwriter, and occasional vocalist from Canton, Ohio, who played in the garage-psych bands The Chylds and The Echos during the late 1960s. During the 1970s, he played on albums by Rick Derringer, Michael Stanley, Stephen Stills, Bill Wyman, the Outlaws, Jay Ferguson, and Dan […]
