Georgie Fame trio
Georgie FameGeorgie Fame trio (GB)
Georgie Fame’s swinging, surprisingly credible blend of jazz and American R&B earned him a substantial following in his native U.K. He also peppered his repertoire with Jamaican ska and bluebeat tunes, helping to popularize that genre in England; during his later years, he was one of the few jazz singers of any stripe to take an interest in the vanishing art of vocalese, and earned much general respect from jazz critics on both sides of the Atlantic.
He renamed his real name (Clive Powell) to Georgie Fame and in the summer of 1961 joined the Blue Flames. They played specific combinatiom of rock, pop, R&B, jazz, and ska. Later he discovered the Hammond B-3 organ, becoming one of the very few British musicians to adopt the instrument in late 1962. From there, the Blue Flames became one of the most popular live bands in London.
Finally, in early 1965, Fame hit the charts with “ Yeh, Yeh “, a swinging tune recorded by Latin jazz legend Mongo Santamaria and given lyrics by vocal virtuoso Jon Hendricks of Lambert, Hendricks & Ross. “ Yeh, Yeh “ went all the way to number one on the British charts. After several more minor hits, he had another British number one with “Getaway” in 1966. Over the next few years, his backing bands included drummer Mitch Mitchell (later of the Jimi Hendrix Experience) and the young guitarist John McLaughlin (Miles Davis, Mahavishnu Orchestra).
At the outset, Fame’s solo career was just as productive as before, kicking off with the Top Ten big-band LP Sound Venture (recorded with Harry South’s orchestra); thanks to its success, he toured with the legendary Count Basie the following year. Several hit singles followed over the next few years, including “The Ballad of Bonnie and Clyde,” which became his third British chart-topper in late 1967 and, the following year, his only Top Ten hit in America. In 1971, he teamed up with onetime Animals organist Alan Price and recorded an album “Fame and Price, Price and Fame: Together!”. The partnership produced a near-Top Ten hit in “Rosetta,” but ended in 1973. Fame re-formed the Blue Flames in 1974 and attempted to return to R&B. In 1989, Fame played organ on Van Morrison’s Avalon Sunset album, which grew into a fruitful collaboration over the course of the ‘90s; Fame played on all of Morrison’s albums through 1997’s and even served a stint as Morrison’s musical director. Meanwhile, Fame’s own solo work during the ‘90s received some of his best reviews since the ‘60s, starting with 1991’s jazzy Cool Cat Blues, which featured a duet with Morrison on “Moondance”. He is going to perform at Nisville Festival with “Three Line Whip”, with his sons Tristan (g) and James (dm).