HOME OR TO GABI's MUSIC CLUB

 
INCLUDINGS:
December 8, 1998 - Sinkkasten - Frankfurt/Germany (Cancelled Gig!)
December 6, 1998 - Wedgewood Rooms - Portsmouth, Southsea/UK
June 26, 1998 - 7th Blues On The Farm Festival - Chichester/UK
May 15+16, 1998 - Kultur im GUGG - Braunau/Austria
May 15+16, 1998 - Kultur im GUGG - Braunau/Austria
March 27, 1997 - Burnley National Blues Festival - Burnley/UK
Oktober 14, 1996 - Leverkusener Jazztage - Leverkusen/Germany
August 25+26, 1995 - Anniversary of Radio Bremen - Bremen/Germany
April 23, 1993 - Jeff Beck with The Big Town Playboys - La Cigale, Paris/France
June 2000 - Bradford Festival/UK

Im Monat des Blues, der sich in unserem Club zum Jahresausklang in vielen Spielarten darbietet, fuegen sich die Big Town Playboys bestens ein. Erdiger, sandiger Rhythm'n' Blues von Musikern, die auch schon mit einigen Groeßen, sei es Jeff Beck, Eric Clapton, Van Morrison und und und Aufnahmen gemacht haben bzw. live auf der Buehne standen. Britische Power, so echt und authentisch wie Fish and Chips in durchgeweichtem Zeitungspapier. VVK: 18,­ AK: 22,­ DM

The Playboys really are the UK's number one Jump-Jive-Boogie-Woogie Blues Band, often featuring Eric Clapton's sideman Andy Fairweather-Low. Led by manic piano-playing frontman Mike Sanchez they quite literally rock!

Closing band on the Friday, the Big Town Playboys. Known locally as our 'resident group' are back once again to give their all. With guys like Frank Mead on sax and harp, Andy Fairweather Low on lead guitar and Mike Sanchez on keyboards and vocals this promises to be a late night session!

Bands like the Big Town Playboys are the rare piece. Not often bands are able to connect the roughness and edges of 50's Rock'n'Roll and R&B with such a high musical brilliance and amazing Live - Show.
Who wonders The Playboys are first choose in Europe whenever US Bluesstars - such like Champion Jack Dupree (R.I.P.), Carey and Lurrie Bell, Lowell Fulson and Little Willie Littlefield - come over to the continent.

Bands wie die Big Town Playboys sind eine Raritaet. Selten verbindet eine Band die Rauhheit und Kanten des 50er Rock'n Roll und R&B mit solch hoher musikalischer Brillianz und einer Live - Show die einzigartig ist.
Nicht umsonst sind die Playboys die erste europaeische Adresse, wenn US-Bluesstars wie Champion Jack Dupree, Carey und Lurrie Bell, Lowell Fulson und Little Willie Littlefield auf den Kontinent kommen.

Raucous, rarin' to go, red hot and blue: the Big Town Playboys are already Eric Clapton's favourite band - recently supporting ol' Slow Hand during his annual Albert Hall marathon. You can find out just why Eric adores the Playboys tonight. Mike Sanchez and the boys will dare you to stay in your seat... dancing in the aisles, dancing on the tables... that's more like it for a Big Town Playboys gig! Joined by 'Clapton Band' member Andy Fairweather Low, there'll be no sleep tonight as the 1997 Burnley National Blues Festival kicks off in the company of the finest jump 'n' jive masters in the U.K.

Die 'Big Town Playboys' sind ein Rhythm & Blues- und Rock'n'Roll-Sextett von der Insel, das einige kreditwürdige Zeugnisse von Rockstars wie Eric Clapton und R&B-Größen wie Johnny 'Guitar' Watson vorzuweisen hat. Nun weiß man, daß derartiges Lob gelegentlich das Papier nicht wert ist, auf dem es steht, weil die Hochlobenden die Gelobten nur flüchtig kennen. Das gilt in diesem Falle überhaupt nicht: Mit Clapton spielten die Playboys eine ganze Tournee und wiederholt als Ehrengäste, man kann sie auf Claptons Platte 'Color Of Money' hören, auf der CD 'Crazy Legs' von Jeff Beck, und 'Guitar' Watson staunte glaubhaft: 'Die Jungs können spielen'.

Das sie nicht nur spielen können, sondern auch noch eine richtige Show abreißen, wurde ebenfalls mehrfach verbürgt. Dabei wurde der Kontrabassist 'auf' seinem Instrument gesichtet, der Tenorist biegt sich wie in Krämpfen und marschiert auch mal mitten durch den Saal, und Frontman Mike Sanchez mimt den Tastenclown, den flexiblen Sänger und den brillanten Entertainer. Das klingt nach einem heißen Fest.

The 10th anniversary of Radio Bremen was planned to be celebrated with the Big Town Playboys as headliner playing two open air shows in the beautiful old town of Bremen. I've thought hey, it's close enough to Hannover (where I live) to go to see and meet the band.
In the early afternoon I arrived at the hotel. The band already has had checked in, so first thing to do after I'd entered my room was giving a call to Mike to let him know I've had arrived. We were chatting about this & that for about half an hour when by pure chance we realized our rooms were wall by wall! I had a good chuckle when Mike then started describing his bathroom to compare it with mine. How weird can be men?!!
When I was on my way to Bremen it was drizzling a bit - in the meantime the rain was pouring and nearly nothing was to focus when I was looking out of the window. Mike and me were wondering what would happen at the gig tonight (open air, you do remember...). To cut a long story short, Mike took a shower (in fact he just would have had to walk out on the street to get wet to the bone in one second!) and I went down to the lobby to crash into Frank Mead (t-sax & harp) who was reading a newspaper.
We took some coffee/tea and had a very interesting conversation about flying, aeroplanes, music (of course) and a town named Southend. Frank sometimes was at the airport there, hobbywise, and me always spends much time driving through the town or hanging around on the beach whenever I give a visit to "(Dr) Feelgood" friends on Canvey Island, which is just "around the corner" of Southend. A while later it was time to get ready for the show. In the hall to our rooms we've met Mike who told us the gig has been cancelled! It happened that the rain had been such strong it crashed down the roof of the stage with all its spotlights, there was no chance to get it fixed till stage time.
So what's the best to do with an unexpected "night off"? The band, soundman Roy and me took the chance to have a visit to local pubs, not missing to eat the famous german "Bratwurst" (roasted sausage, very tasty!) on our walk into the old town. Do I have to mention we've enjoyed a nice evening with a few beers, chatting all the time? It was getting late and as most of us wanted to go back to the hotel we went. On the way back we were passing the place with the stage (or better said: the bit which was left of it) was standing/laying around. Funny enough the rain had stopped BEFORE we went to the pub...
Back in the hotel I've said to the boys "Have a nice sleep" and anyone went into direction of his room, while Mike and Roy agreed with me, it was too early to call it a day. Meant: Party in Mike's room!
By the way, when inspecting his bathroom I've found it quite similar to mine. On MTV Edwyn Collins "A Girl Like You" was running (we all agreed, it is a great song and excellent video-clip) and, believe me or not, Mike, Roy and me started to discuss UFOs and aliens, the sense of life and similar important stuff. It was such interesting the hours were running by but we didn't recognized. I remember me a few times saying "I'll better go to bed now" - but still was going on nattering with the guys hours later!
It really was one of the best nights in my life I've spent with two guys in a hotel room (Don't get me wrong here, please!!!). Any time when I think back on that "aliens & things" thoughts we've shared that night it makes me smile. I still can hear Roy saying "it's the best to believe (or to think) the whole life around of you exists in your imagination only" - Maybe he's right, who knows - although I do prefer to think (or know?) the people around me are real, especially if its one of my favourite musicians... Ask the next alien you will meet if he/she/it knows the truth!
No idea when we finally went to bed.

The following (late mid-)day some sightseeing and shopping was on the list. Later, back again in the hotel, the chance to chill out was a gift before it was time to take off for the show. As the stage still was not fixed the gig hastely was re-arranged to take place in a sort of old fashioned cinema-theatre (Culture center?). Not just to me it was a bit of a strange gig: the audience sat on those typical cinema chairs all through the show and well-behaved clapped when a song was finished. How great, yeah! It was absolutely hard for me to stand because I can not stay on a seat when I listen to great music! Some of the people seemed to be dummies, although it was obvious they've enjoyed the show. Anyway, I was very happy to see the band playing again, I don't care too much what happens around me at a good gig! They've played some songs I've had not heard performed by them before. A nice surprise. The whole stuff became recorded and Radio Bremen made a broadcast of it some weeks later.

Back in the hotel we all have met in Ian's room for a drink. It went out as real fun because when turning on the TV one of these silly (and boring) "sex" movies of the 70ies was running (you know, the stuff where our parents used to watch secretly to fetch some inspiration) and the boys asked me to translate the dialogs into English! We laughed a lot but after a short time preferred to switch over to MTV (Edwyn Collins was on again!) to go on more seriously as before... Unfortunately we had to say bye bye to each other too soon because the band had to get up early the following morning to drive to the next gig.

Two more nice days I've had the pleasure to add to my life.

This story was written down at February the 26th, 1998 - long time after it happened, but to me it seems like if the two days in Bremen 1995 were just two days ago...

In April 1993, after practicing for four days on the south coast of England, Jeff Beck and the Big Town Playboys were ready for their premier live performance as a temporary working unit. Doing mostly the Crazy Legs - Vincent/Gallup tribute, they rounded out their set with a few other numbers from that era, from people like Carl Perkins and the Johnny Burnette Trio. As a balancing move, the first part of the set was a showcase of the Playboys without Jeff while the last twenty minutes or so were set aside to bring back a few Beck signature tunes as well as a surprise or two. Wanting to see if they could pull it off live, Jeff Beck opted for a club atmosphere venue at a trendy spot in Paris, France called La Cigale. At this juncture they did not know that the planned major U.S. - nine city tour beginning in Cliff Gallup's home town of Norfolk, VA and ending in LA would unfortunately not proceed in the ensuing months.

April 23, 1993 saw the Big Town Playboys start the evening with a very tight, energenic set and then all hell broke loose as vocalist/pianist Mike Sanchez simply announced, "Please welcome Jeff Beck". Without a moment of hesitation the group broke into "Crazy Legs" as from then onwards Mr. "Crazy Fingers" nimbly pulled off all of those exacting Gallup riffs just as he did on the Lp. Also just like the Lp, they blended right from "Crazy Legs" to "Double Talkin' Baby" without skipping a beat! Other highlights from that part of the evening include "Believe", "Pretty Baby" and "Baby Blue".

The risk taken at this gig was enormous. Playing at low volume and a clean tone, Jeff had to play each note precisely. All of which he had to do on a much harder to play old Gretsch Duo Jet guitar rather than his customary fast action Fender Stratocasters. It was all worth the risk as that authentic old rockabilly sound was pulled off with style and grace by Jeff. I was amazed at the live recreation of "B-I-Bickey-Bi-Bo Bo Go" which was Cliff Gallup at his wildest. Yet on this song and other numbers, Jeff still managed to throw in some of his up the neck-down the neck patented Beck trademark licks!

Whatever pre-tour apprehensions Jeff may have harboured seemed to have vanished by the time he switched back to his Fender Tele and roared into a spellbinding version of the Freddy King classic "The Stumble". With just a hint of tasteful distortion, Beck launched into a slightly louder solo and hit some nice emotional high notes that accentuated that lovely number. Towards the end of the evening, Mike Sanchez said, "Let's see if you know this one" as they launched into a down and dirty but true to the original version of the Johnny Burnette Trio's "Train Kept A Rollin'". The crowd didn't need any coaxing when Sanchez asked, "You want a little bit more?". As The Big Town Playboys laid down a refreshing medium paced backbeat, all of a sudden Sanchez let the cat out of the surprise bag with the piano intro of "Going Down". Jeff Beck climbed into the upper stratosphere with feedback, harmonics and nasty gut wrenching wails! As if this weren't enough, the volume hushed and Sanchez asked again if the audience wanted a little more (which is like asking if the Pope is Catholic!).

The drummer, Clive Deamer, changed his time signatures and with a one-two-three-four bang and roll it was then the familiar driving tempo of the classic Don Nix song "Going Down" complete with yet more fresh discordant rapid-fire licks from Jeff and sudden band stops featuring some finger lickin' Beck Chickin' Pickin'! I'm telling you people right now that this is the best seven and one half minutes of live Jeff Beck on tape and that includes comparison to any of the FM tracks from the original Jeff Beck Group's Fillmore East-Bill Graham Broadcast Show! A great though slightly anticlimatic "Hold Me, Hug Me, Rock Me" was the encore as Mike Sanchez yelled out one more time, "Ladies and gentlemen, Jeff Beck" and that was it.

Whatever you listen to as a Jeff Beck fan as well as a fan of the Big Town Playboys, make sure you get a hold of this concert on a private collector's tape! For Beck memorabilia collectors, in addition to the concert tape there was a commemorative T-shirt with the front being the Crazy Legs Lp cover and the back, a picture of the poster advertisement for the Paris gig. Good Hunting!

A trip to Bradford for a Whit weekend festival (June), writes Dave Clarke, found the (new) Big Town Playboys on the outdoor stage. The new line up has Big Joe Louis fronting a new band in a Joe Turner bag. They rocked and shouted the blues through 'Letter From Home,' 'Marked Deck,' 'T-Model Boogie.' etc, and did a short downhome set in the middle. Standout of the night was Wes Weston who played good piano on the R&B numbers and stunning harp in the downhome trio, a Red Little Walter to Big Joes' Johnny Shines - styled powerhouse singing. Some of the best downhome I've heard anywhere - then back to the R&B for Willie Egans' 'Wow - Wow' and Johnny Rogers' 'Calling Baby': tenor and baritone sax, some killer vintage styled guitar and Big Joe shoutin' the blues. It's a tough little outfit which you shouldn't miss if you get a chance to see them. Congrats to Ian Jennings who has shaped this combo, after the departure of Mike Sanchez, into a new style a little closer to a blues band for to be reckoned with.