mardi 5 novembre 2024
lundi 4 novembre 2024
Music giant Quincy Jones dies at 91
Musical titan Quincy Jones, the composer and producer who added his tasteful polish to recordings by everyone from Ray Charles and Frank Sinatra to Michael Jackson, has died, according to his representatives. He was 91.
Jones died Sunday night at his home in Bel Air, California, surrounded by his children, siblings and other family members, his publicist told CNN in a statement.
“Tonight, with full but broken hearts, we must share the news of our father and brother Quincy Jones’ passing,” the Jones family said in the statement. “And although this is an incredible loss for our family, we celebrate the great life that he lived and know there will never be another like him. He is truly one of a kind and we will miss him dearly; we take comfort and immense pride in knowing that the love and joy, that were the essence of his being, was shared with the world through all that he created. Through his music and his boundless love, Quincy Jones’ heart will beat for eternity.”
A renowned jazz and pop musician, Jones was also a prolific cross-genre arranger, conductor, record label executive and civil rights advocate. His talent and drive led to an almost unparalleled career in entertainment.
His long and varied list of credits include composing the score for the Oscar-winning film, “In the Heat of the Night,” producing Michael Jackson’s blockbuster “Thriller” album and gathering dozens of pop and rock stars to record the 1985 charity single “We Are the World.”
Born in Chicago to a carpenter father and a mother who suffered from mental illness, Jones developed a love of music early on and took up the piano.
His family eventually moved to Seattle, Washington, where Jones began taking lessons from famed horn player Clark Terry.
He also met and became close friends with a then-unknown pianist named Ray Charles. The pair would enjoy a lifelong friendship.
A teenaged Jones began performing with jazz bands, and his talent at composing and arranging music drew the attention of bandleader Lionel Hampton.
Jones was only 15 when Hampton invited him to tour with the group, something Hampton’s wife, Gladys, put a stop to right away.
“I got on the band bus right away, and Gladys got on and said, “Hamp, what’s that child doing on the bus?” Jones recalled in an interview with the National Endowment for the Arts. “And I was so upset. And she said, ‘Get him off here. Make him go back to school. We’ll call him later when he gets his schooling.’”
Jones heeded her advice, finished school and earned a scholarship to Schillinger House (now known as Berklee College of Music) in Boston, from which he graduated in 1951.
After graduation, he headed out on tour with Hampton and his band.
Thus began a storied a career which found Jones soon arranging and recording for such legends as Count Basie, Duke Ellington, Sarah Vaughan and his friend Ray Charles. Bandleader Lionel Hampton, trumpeter Dizzy Gillespie and other giants also tapped the young Jones for their European tours.
In 1961, Jones was hired by Mercury Records as their artists-and-repertoire director. He made history three years later when he was promoted to vice president, making him the first African-American man to hold such a position within a white owned record label.
He had his first pop hit with Leslie Gore’s 1963 single “It’s My Party,” which shot to No. 1. Jones also worked with the likes of Sinatra and Peggy Lee during his time with the label.
That same year found him scoring what would be the first of many Grammys, with the initial one being for the arrangement the Count Basie Band song “I Can’t Stop Loving You.”
The 1960s also began Jones composing film soundtracks, including “In The Heat of the Night” and “In Cold Blood.”
He worked with A&M Records from 1969 to 1981 and formed his own record label, Qwest.
In 1982. Jones had one of his most famous collaboration when he produced Jackson’s best-selling album “Thriller.”
Three years later, he called on Jackson and a host of other stars for the charity single “We Are the World.” That same year he found success on the big screen with producing the Steven Spielberg-directed film “The Color Purple.”
Jones also had a hit on the small screen with and the television series “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air,” which starred his mentee Will Smith.
Jones delved into the world of publication in 1993, when he founded the music/cultural magazine Vibe, which he sold in 2006.
A brain aneurysm in 1974 caused Jones to temporarily lighten his workload. He reflected on his health scare years later in a social media post.
“While operating for 7.5 hours, my doctors discovered a second aneurysm that was ready to blow, so they had to schedule a second operation. During this time, it didn’t look too promising, so my friends planned a memorial service for me at The Shrine in LA, & I basically attended my own funeral,” Jones wrote. “Man, everyone was there…Sidney Poitier, Sarah Vaughan, you name it. It was special to see so many people there to celebrate what would’ve been my 41 years of life.”
Over the years, he had three marriages and seven children.
Jones was married to his high school sweetheart Jeri Caldwell from 1957 to 1966, and the couple had had one daughter, Jolie.
In 1967, he married Swedish model Ulla Andersson, and they had two children, Martina and Quincy Jones III, before divorcing in 1974.
That same year Jones married actress Peggy Lipton, a union which lasted until 1990, and produced two daughters, actresses Rashida Jones and Kidada Jones.
He also had a daughter, Rachel, with dancer Carol Reynolds, and a daughter – fashion model Kenya Kinski-Jones – with actress Nastassja Kinski.
Jones didn’t slow down personally or professionally in his later years. In 2014, he produced the documentary “Keep on Keepin’ On” about his mentor, jazz trumpeter Clark Terry.
Reflecting on his own career that year, Jones told Rolling Stone, “I never thought about it until I hit 80, but I have been blessed to work with every major music star in the history of America — including Louie Armstrong.”
“You can’t plan that,” Jones said. “You can’t say, ‘Mr. Sinatra, I want to work with you.’ No. You have to wait until he calls you.”
In his 2022 book, “12 Notes On Life and Creativity,” Jones reflected on the essence of his life’s work.
“Creativity is one of the most beautiful gifts we possess,” Jones wrote. “If utilized properly, not only does it serve as an outlet, but it also holds the power to transform heartache into something beyond a singular sentiment.”
dimanche 3 novembre 2024
Ed Motta
Son of Luzia Motta, sister of Tim Maia, and Antonio Motta,[2][3] from an early age Ed Motta listened to disco, soul and funk, and then later rock music, which he became deeply involved with from then onwards. His musical career started as vocalist of the hard rock band Kabbalah.[4] After hearing Jeff Beck's album "Blow by Blow", he realized that the British guitarist had soul and funk influences.[5] Still in his teens, he abandoned his studies to dedicate himself to music, especially now fascinated by black music. He worked as a DJ and produced the fanzine "Curto Circuito",[6] eventually meeting guitarist Luiz Fernando Comprido,[5] with whom he formed the "Expresso Realengo", later renamed "Conexão Japeri" which recorded their first album in 1988.
In 1990 Motta departed to begin his solo career, recording his debut Um Contrato Com Deus, where he played almost all the instruments by himself. Since then he has released several solo albums. In 1997 he supplied the soundtrack to the film, Pequeno Dicionário Amoroso (The Book of Love).[7]
In 1994, he lived in New York City for a year. There he recorded an album with American musicians that has not been released yet. He discovered the universes of classical music, which eventually reflected on his musical conception. Once opposed to Brazilian music, he discovered that foreign artists had recorded Brazilian songs, such as recordings of Francis Hime's Minha by jazz artist Bill Evans,[8] and discovered a partnership between Brazilian Marcos Valle and American Leon Ware,[9] famous for composing the song I Wanna Be Where You Are, recorded by Michael Jackson.
In 1999 he translated Phil Collins's songs for the Disney film Tarzan into Brazilian Portuguese.[11]
His album Aystelum was nominated for the Latin Grammy Awards of 2006 in the Latin jazz category.[12]
Motta has worked with Cassiano, Roy Ayers, 4 Hero, Seu Jorge, Eliane Elias, Incognito, Bo Diddley and Ryuichi Sakamoto among others.[4]
His work covers a variety of genres from jazz to popular Brazilian music, rock to Hollywood film soundtracks, funk, classical music, AOR, bossa nova and reggae.
During a 2015 tour, Motta criticized Brazilians who at concerts would request songs in Portuguese, Brazil's native language. The singer would go on to claim those were "simple-minded", "rednecks", "native", "Brazilian bricklayers" fans of other musical genres who "jumped like animals", while calling Brazil a "shitty", "ignorant land". He has since apologized.[16]
During an Instagram live broadcast he called hip hop fans "stupid", prompting backlash from fans and artists.Behind the Tea Chronicles 2023
After releasing 2018's utterly wonderful Criterion of the Senses, an homage to late-'70s smooth soul, contemporary jazz, and funk, Ed Motta took five years to realize his next direction. The Brazilian multi-instrumentalist, producer, bandleader, composer, arranger, and icon has, for more than three decades, offered kaleidoscopic combinations and reinventions of the sounds, styles, and genres that influenced him. But Motta doesn't merely utilize them, he invents new uses for them as aesthetic touchstones in a vast musical vocabulary and vision. His creative persona is a highly individualized sum total of the music he loves, approaches, composes, and plays. On Behind the Tea Chronicles, Motta brings his lifelong love of movie and television soundtracks under his already large creative umbrella. He hired an all-star cast of Brazilian studio aces including bassist Alberto Continentino, pianist/keyboardist/musical director Michel Limma, and guitarist João Oliveira. Motta recorded backing vocals in Los Angeles, horns in Detroit (directed by Kamau Kenyatta, Gregory Porter's producer), and strings in Prague by the Czech Republic's FILMharmonic Orchestra, conducted by Adam Klemens.
A sextet and strings fuel the opener, "Newsroom Customers." Limma threads together Rhodes, grand piano, and funky clavinet buoyed by Motta's xylophone fills. They elasticize the tune's harmonic center and rhythmic flow. Motta's smooth tenor vocal is cultivated, joining together jazzy soul and airy polished funk around a hip lyric that namechecks Philip Marlowe. "Slumberland" is a sweeping midtempo groover introduced by Cristina Braga's crystalline harp, strings, drums, piano, and harpsichord. When horns and guitars enter, the tempo jumps, revealing the seam where 1980s film soundtracks, Joe Jackson's classy pop, and Steely Dan's Aja meet; for his part, Motta transforms them into something wholly other with backing vocals provided by Philip Ingram and Paulette McWilliams. "Safely Far" joins yacht rock, smooth soul, and disco. Governed by a bumping funk bassline, Motta and the backing vocal chorus soar above celebratory horns. The pulsing, carnivalesque "Of Good Strain" finds him accompanied only by Limma's organ, piano, and Rhodes under a noirish lyric. "Shot in the Park" is a slippery, midtempo jazz ballad layered with three lead guitars (Motta is in the right channel), horns, and Ingram and McWilliams. Swinging out of the gate, it features a lovely flute solo from Marcelo Martins and is gently kissed by the influences of Ben Sidran and Michael Franks, though Motta adapts them to more cinematic ends. His own funky clavinet introduces "Deluxe Refuge," an uptempo, elegant samba-jazz groover. Motta and his singers offer syncopated, staggered phrasing in verses and refrains above the cascading trombone section. Furthermore, Limma's killer post-bop Rhodes solo adds heft and dimension.
Due to ambitious composition and complex yet audibly uncluttered charts, Behind the Tea Chronicles moves farther afield than any recording in Motta's catalog -- including Poptical, AOR, and Perpetual Gateways. Here he dissects his musical roots, repurposes them, and makes what he needs to create a jazz-pop masterpiece.
Perpetual Gateways 2016
Perpetual Gateways is Ed Motta's first album recorded in the U.S. It's only the second time he's worked with another producer, Kamau Kenyatta (Gregory Porter). The Brazilian songwriter, singer, multi-instrumentalist, producer, and arranger has, on 11 previous albums, displayed a canny ability to realize an astonishing array of musical and lyrical ideas in virtually any genre he chooses. Cut over five days in Los Angeles, Perpetual Gateways features a studio dream team of players: Patrice Rushen on various keyboards, Marvin "Smitty" Smith on drums, bassists Tony Dumas and Cecil McBee, and horn men Rickey Woodard and Curtis Taylor on tenor sax and trumpet, respectively. Like its predecessor, the superb AOR, Perpetual Gateways is structured in halves like a vinyl record. The first leans more toward sophisticated pop, soul, and funk. "Captain's Refusal," with Greg Phillinganes on clavinet, directly references Aja-era Steely Dan with its loping horns, breezy melody, and funky backbeats. "Hypochondriac's Fun" follows suit with an even meatier groove à la Stevie Wonder's Music of My Mind. Rushen delivers a killer piano solo through the funky clavinet and horn vamps. The "Mister Magic" reference on "Good Intentions" is an excellent touch, and it remains funky as the melody develops into something more compelling (Donny Hathaway's M.O. on Extension of a Man comes to mind). Here and on "Reader's Choice," Motta's prodigious vocal gifts shine. The second half of the album contrasts, moving in a contemporary jazz direction. It's accessible, sophisticated, and groove conscious. "Forgotten Nickname" is a spacy ballad framed by Rushen's Rhodes and acoustic piano as they illuminate the intimacy in Motta's tender vocal. A gorgeous flute solo from Hubert Laws adds depth and texture. "The Owner" and "A Town in Flames" are more uptempo. The former showcases Motta's gift for vocal syncopation, and it feels almost like George Duke producing early Andy Bey with lyrics by Ben Sidran. (The words in each song are remarkable. They're alternately humorous, passionate, and poignant.) The latter is a rhythmic powerhouse with Smith double-timing the band as the horns rise to meet him with tough, earthy vamps. "I Remember Julie" is excellent vocal jazz. Motta's voice is sweet but strong. It reins in the knotty melody and elastic rhythms to illuminate the groove. "Overblown and Overweight" is killer modern jazz, Brazilian style. It's unusual for Motta; his compositional focus has almost always revealed the subtleties and complexities of Brazilian jazz harmony rather than its celebrated -- and obvious -- polyrhythmic adornments. But this track is far more Hermeto Pascoal than Joao Gilberto. Motta's wonderful scat singing inspires the band to cut loose and engage in stellar interplay, and Smith and Rushen dazzle. With Perpetual Gateways, Motta builds on the polished pop and R&B of AOR with a more spiritual soul- and jazz-oriented approach. This may be a sequel, but it's one that extends the reach of its predecessor immeasurably. The music may sound familiar on first listen, but similarities vanish on the second, where Motta's complex, refined, and utterly revelatory vision emerges.
AOR 2013
Brazilian producer, multi-instrumentalist, composer, arranger, translator, and fanatical record collector, Ed Motta has long been a musical renaissance man; a forward-thinking standard bearer to music fans in his own country, as well as a club, radio and festival presence in Europe and Japan; he's less well known on the American side of the Atlantic. While previous offerings -- notably Poptical, Dwitza, and Aystelum -- have brought his love for the crossover jazz, rock, and R&B of the late 1970s into MPB, and he has never assembled them so completely as he does here. As a genre/radio format, "AOR" refers to "album-oriented rock." For Motta it has always been more complex, deeper, and wider; it was American music, regardless of popular genre, that displayed a specific standard in writing, playing, and production. Though this adheres closely to Steely Dan's Becker and Fagen, one can also hear Maurice White, Rene & Angela, Gino Vannelli, and Jay Graydon in both charts and mix. He enlisted a cast of Brazil's finest studio players to assist him in this project's realization. Guitars, horns, crisp drums, organic hand percussion, elegant basslines, Rhodes piano, clavinet, Moog, etc., all capture the vibe perfectly. But the writing and singing are pure Motta: tender, sensual, soulful, and airy, his voice carries a remarkable range that adorns gorgeous melodies and poetic lyrics. Virtually any song here could have been a single. The breezy opener "Playthings of Love," with graceful interplay between his Rhodes, electric guitar, bass, and a ticking snare, create a space for the horns to enter subtly on the second verse. By then the listener is completely enveloped in the grooving hook. "Simple Guy" is a summery love song with a brilliant horn chart that dialogues -- line for line -- with his vocal. "Dondi" features a guest appearance by legendary American session guitarist David T. Walker (of Innervisions, Let's Get It On, and dozens of others). His colorful chord voicings and lead fills enhance layers of flutes, horn, and crystalline Rhodes, while his lyrical solo shines through. "Smile," with Incognito's "Bluey" Maunick on guitar, contains a funky bassline as irresistible as the tune's melody. The jazz cadence in "Dried Flowers," illustrated by Wurlitzer, ARP strings, vibes, fat brass, and reeds, is underscored by Sergio Melo's breakbeats binding the tune forever to R&B. The set's most musically ambitious moment is "Farmer's Wife," which artfully melds sophisticated pop, progressive rock, and jazz. The only track in Portuguese (on the American English version) is "Mais Do Que Ei Sei," co-written with Dudu Falçao. It is a sinuous rock tune that adds considerable contrast and dimension to what's already here. For Motta, AOR is not mere nostalgia for an era, but a musical standard he aspired to. He not only accomplished it but left his own mark as well.
As Segundas Intenções do Manual Prático 2000
This album evokes right in the title the connection with Manual Prático Para Bailes, Festas E Afins, Vol. 1 from 1997, which sold 250,000 copies, of which this one is a continuation. It has partnerships with Blake Amos, Rita Lee, Ronaldo Bastos, Zélia Duncan, Lulu Santos, Nelson Motta, and others. Ed Motta is an extremely competent and versatile singer, with potent vocal ranges. The album marks his return to the pop universe (according to him, due to João Donato's influence) after his experience with an acoustic jazz trio in the sophisticated show Músicas de Antigamente E Algumas Inéditas. Defining his niche in the pop music, in spite of his comprehensive tastes (his personal CD/vinyl collection reaches 10,000 items), he nevertheless dedicates to jazz the instrumental "A Tijuca Em Cinemascope," with excellent musicians and exciting solos, in Latin style, and "Outono No Rio," taken from the mentioned show, a four-to-the-bar swing with a distinctive and longing vibraphone. But the album is dominated by the danceable soul/pop sonorities where the biggest virtue, after Motta's inspired interpretations and the beautiful melodies, is the use of mainly acoustic instruments and discrete use of electronics, contrarily to Brazil's production trends in 2000, resulting in the best of two worlds: you can dance to it, you can sit and listen to it.
Manual Prático para Festas, Bailes e Afins 1997
The competent soul/funk singer Ed Motta brings some of the best Brazilian musicians to this dance album. In hits like "Vendaval," the band's strong grip over dance grooves and the brass idiom gives Ed full room to exercise his experienced vocal abilities. The expertise of the producer Liminha makes sure the listener will find here everything needed for a successful dance party.
Ao Vivo (live) 1993
Competent soul singer Ed Motta performed in the mega event Rio Show
Festival at the Riocentro stadium in May 1991. The show, recorded live,
free from overdubbing, was only released in 1998. Surrounded by
excellent musicians (several of them former members of Motta's uncle Tim Maia's
band Vitória Régia), Motta delivers with his potent vocal qualities his
early successes "Manuel" and "Vamos Dançar" (originals) and other hits
such as "Ladies Night" (Brown/Kool & the Gang), "You and I" (Rick James), "Goodnight Irene" (Leadbelly/John Lomax), and others, creating an energetic and fully danceable album.
Conexao Japeri 1988
Ed Motta, nephew of the great late Brazilian funk/soul singer Tim Maia, followed the footsteps of his uncle regarding musical preferences. This is the CD reissue of his opening album (1988), the only one recorded together with the band Conexão Japeri -- he would depart for a successful solo career two years after this album, which scored two big hits with "Manuel" and "Vamos dançar." His powerful vocal abilities and funk mannerisms also are reminiscent of Tim Maia's. The album is a typical danceable funk release, from slow to medium tempo grooves, with competent brass arrangements and executions by some of the musicians of Tim Maia's band Vitória Régia.
samedi 2 novembre 2024
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vendredi 1 novembre 2024
Magnum Force - Share My Love 1982
Soul group from Chicago, Illinois, founded by brothers Rick & Rory (Star) Sizemore in 1978.
Zinc – Street Level 1982
Zinc, taste that name, Zinc. A strange name for a band or perhaps even odd but nonetheless pretty cool. A band with such an unusual name got to produce something special huh? To some degree they did!
Background
Petrus and Malavasi produced the set that was equally conducted and arranged by the latter. It was completely recorded at Media sound studios in New York by Michael Barbiero and mixed by Michael Brauer. All albums that year from Little Macho were in fact recorded in that studio. By that Petrus temporarily left the Italian and US split recordings procedure of the albums. But it was just for that year. In 1983 everything was back to normal, even though the studios were different.
The cover featured two sensual legs from a lady in a purple mini skirt stepping out from a classic yellow cab in New York, a rather conventional cover design in other words.
The
music was written, the musicians and singers were assembled,
all was set for the anticipated release, but was it going
to stand the pressure?
The surprising album
The album "Street level" on Jive records was not like the rest of the music from that year that emanated from Petrus empire and the inner core of the mastermind Italian musicians. Zinc was a mix of pop, funk, rock and a bit folk in a very interesting and surprising way. Even though Change's album in 1982 was Petrus' and Malavasi's best effort Zinc didn't came far behind. The excellent title track was the Kashif written "Street level" that managed to catch the street and city life feeling from the time in an excellent way. The song was also perfectly backed up by the lyrics, also written by Kashif. The uprising musician, singer and producer Kashif did some gigs with Petrus in 1982 on Zinc's and High fashion's albums with a good result and on this great tune he showed his potential. The most interesting thing with "Street level" is the subtle mix of styles and instruments brilliantly mixed with Gordon Grody's lively, energetic and irresistible song effort. Even though it's much pop it never gets over the top getting main stream. It hold on to the groove almost without knowing it self. The appealing synth patterns, but most of all the highly addictive, playful and distinctive guitars seamlessly drifting from hard punch to soft, made it complete.
The three following grooves were all written by Malavasi and was easy listening and descent stuff but didn't reach the same level as the first track even though the last track "This is where the love is" had some interesting and quirky guitar riffs and an expressive song by Grody. On the B side however another notable track was presented by Zinc in the funky gem of "Punkulation" featuring some fat bass guitar riffs and a great singing effort. Romani wrote it and it became maybe his most surprising and bold track. The two last ones included the mysterious jungle influenced "Amazon" by Malavasi and the album was ending up with the average "Livin' in the boggie now" by Gianolio and Malavasi.
All in all was the interesting and tasteful album without a doubt more than a few steps above average, showing some experimental and innovative ideas from the main songwriters, especially on "Street level", but also on "Punkulation".
1982
was a change of time for Petrus and Malavasi and Zinc was
a very good effort in the last moments of their cooperation.
The year after Malavasi, Romani and many others left Petrus
due to Little Macho's severe economical problems. In that
perspective Zinc was unique as one of their last joint project
before the changes within the organization and outside musical
poprevolution towards the mid 80s.
One more try...
The story of Zinc didn't stop after "Street level" however. One last effort on the Jive label with a 12" with the thoughtful title of "I'm livin' a life of love" was released. The track was in fact originally written in 82 for B. B. & Q band but didn't make it for the album that year and was instead used here. The B-side featured "Livin' in the boogie now" once again. The song was a poor pop track written by Malavasi lacking of glove and enthusiasm and flirting way to much with new trends. It wasn't a surprise that Malavasi was the composer among Petrus personnel that had the courage to try new formulas. He was much more liberal and open minded for new musical constellations than Romani for example that wanted to slowly continue the old and successful formula without to much notable changes. Unfortunately most of Malavasi's innovative and experimental songs didn't reach any commercial success and non of them were musically as exiting as his classic hits.
More releases?
The pale 12" unfortunately became their last effort on Jive and perhaps any other label as well. However the name Zinc appear on other releases that might have a connection. One of them is the band Zinc featuring Sherwin that at least came with two releases, "Hollowood city" in 84 and "State of the nation". Both are 12" singles released on the small French label Sneak preview, the latter with no printed year. "State of the nation" was written by Carin Caronia and produced by Marco Tansin, the credits of the other 12" are unknown. The name and the fact that Tansini had been involved with Petrus since at least 79 make it likely that these are authentic recordings by Zinc, but that is still unknown.
Zinc was no commercial success but is a highly regarded project among the composers and the musicians that participated today and among a handful of serious collectors as well.
Despite the short story, not unusual among the projects of Petrus' stable, Zinc proved more than enough and more than once that the basic idea of the band could stand the pressure and that Zinc was a metal to take in to consideration.
Reissues
On the 15th of November 2005 the Italian label Fonte records released the album by Zinc on CD as a part of a box of five CD's that also included one album by Armed gang, one album by Flowchart and two albums by Firefly. More info about this box and the additional four exclusive boxes in the series can be found here
Peter Jacques Band
Peter Jacques Band was an Italian disco band, created by French-Italian-American businessman Jacques Fred Petrus (1949–1987) and songwriter and producer Mauro Malavasi (1958–present).
They released three albums all reaching minor success but most of all opened up the US market for Italian made disco. In 1979, his greatest single hit was "Walking on Music" from the "Fire Night Dance" album. All tracks from this album peaked #6 on the US disco chart.[1] Other albums were, "Welcome Back" released in 1980 and "Dancing In The Street" released in 1985. After financial problems Petrus had less means and studio time to succeed with PJB and his other projects like Change and B. B. & Q. band. In 1987, while in Guadeloupe, Petrus was assassinated and a Swiss tourist was accused of murder.[2] After which PJB vanished.
The band is considered one of the pioneers of Italian produced Disco music in the U.S. and Europe. Still, the style of the music of the band is not an Italo disco (a specific dance music genre that developed in Europe in the 80-s). It's rather a real, "traditional" (US-rooted) disco music produced in Italy. It's clearly reflected in its "cold" dance-style sound and upbeat rhythm, and in the fact that it was mainly marketed in the US, where it gained a huge popularity.
In 2007, Turbofunk (Patrick Alavi) released "Gotta Move" which was a remix of "Dancing in the Street".
One year after Jacques Fred Petrus' and Mauro Malavasi's first production together, 1979 was to become one of their most hectic year in their common career.
After a rather slow start in 1978 with their studio group "Macho's" mini-album Petrus/Malavasi aimed much higher this time with four complete albums simultaneously produced. One of them was Petrus "own" group Peter Jacques band (PJB), a name that played a little bit with his own name reversing the order of it.
Down to business
The release only included four extended tracks like most of the early albums of Petrus and Malavasi. The music breathes power and energy with sleek melodies even though the material is inconsistent. The first track "Walking on music" got the perhaps best hit potential with a fast tempo explotion of strings, hight pitched voices and a sleek melodie. "Devil's run" got a more modern and funkier sound palette showing a strong piece with a long appealing break. The tracks on the B-side continues in the same style, fast, energetic and polished disco but without making any major impression. Besides Malavasi as a lead character that composed, arranged and conducted the album fellow Italians of Gianolio and Trevisi played crucial roles. Trevisi even was the co-arranger, composer and conductor together with Malavasi. The engineer of Maurizio Biancani in the Bologna studio was also an important man at the time with his skillful technical knowledge that was well used by Petrus. Besides Malavasi, Gianolio and Trevisi no other musicians are mentioned on the album that instead refer to the musicians from Macho's album in 78 as the musicians on PJB. The most well known of them was Leroy Burgess that worked with many great disco acts during the late 70s and early 80s like "Black ivory", "Aleem" and "Inner life". Petrus himself was both the producer and executive producer even though all the productions practically were a thing that Malavasi handled. Petrus also contributed with the idea of the cover that was different on the European and American releases. The European was a bit dark an mystical and the US release more colorful and expressive.
The debut was musically not very interesting, the tracks sounded very much the same but the first two tracks showed a potential that also brought attention to the new band. Malavasi also had the chance to learn and develop the sound that led to even further and greater success later on. When it comes to PJB they were to come back one year later and this time with a more interesting and broader material. "Dire night dance" sold not bad though and in that perspective it was a relatively good affair. A better production of Goody music to catch that year was Revanche's one and only mini-LP "Music man" that showed some real disco potential, an album that can be highly recommended.
Their most successful result
All in all this was PJB's most enjoyable set of music with enough quality and variation among the tracks to make it one of the better disco albums of the year and over all. This year PJB also did get a much more band like identity.
Interesting new line-up
The new and even more successful PJB in 1980 included Jacob Wheeler (lead vocals), Dianne Washington, Sandi Bass and Von Gretchen Shepard, all depicted on the cover and, except Sandi Bass, natives from Chicago, Illinois. Wheeler was the key figure and had Petrus confidence finding the new PJB members.
Despite being presented as the "Peter Jacques band group" on the album cover they had nothing to do with the creation of the music it self and they didn't play any instruments either. Their role was simply to look good and sing nice. However contracted for their "pretty faces" all of them had more to offer than just that. In fact they had all a really versatile and interesting background.
Dianne Washington, born in Chicago she became first a mannequin and then ended successful studies both in the song and dance disciplines in Paris. She participated as a dancer in a group In Paris. She made a positive impression on Wheeler that hapen to see one of her dancing performanced and not long after asked her to be a part of PJB.
A long time of silence
After Peter Jacques band
The saga of PJB was thereby over and no more catchy grooves was to be heard from them again. Most of the more or less actual members of this changing project continued in other fields than music. Von Gretchen Shepard and Sandi Bass continued their earlier careers as models. Sandi became a very successful model working for top designers in Paris, Rome and Tokyo. After that she returned to America and appeared on different TV shows, published several articles about modeling and fashion in different magazines both in the US and the UK. Most recently Bass has worked as modeling/talent scout with her own company Bass International Modelscout & Management. Sandi did also marry Wheeler in the late 70s and they have at least one child together.
Among the members of the last line up from 85 the Swede Carmen Bjornald is the most interesting. She became later on a successful jewelry designer with her own collection. The 39 year old Brazilian Ilto Sampaio today works as masseur in the Swiss basket team "Giocatori".
One, perhaps two years after PJB's last album Jacques Fred Petrus was killed as a result of illegal affairs with the Mafia. It was a sad end for a rarely seen power force in dance music.
Reissues
There are several bootlegs on CD in circulation, but none of them are official releases, even though they are sold under that premises, so, be aware of those impostors!
Better news though is the fact that all three albums were released on the 15th of November 2005 on the Italian record label Fonte records as a part of a box of five CDs. The other two CDs included two double CDs of Petrus/Malavasi productions. More info about this box and the additional four exclusive boxes in the series can be found here
On the 28th of March 2007 "The very best of Peter Jacques band" was released on the Italian record label Fonte records.
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