Graham Bond

GRAHAM BOND ORGANIZATION был основан в сентябре 1963 года,отпочковавшихся от группы Алексиса Корнера (Alexis Korner) BLUES INCORPORATED музыкантов, в которую входили Джек Брюс (Jack Bruce), Дик Хекстэлл-Смит (Dick Heckstall-Smith), Чарли Уоттс (Charlie Watts), Сирил Дэвис (Cyril Davies) и Грэм Бонд (Graham Bond).Чарли Уоттс очень быстро выбыл из состава группы, став одним из основателей ROLLING STONES, и порекомендовал взамен себя барабанщика Джинджера Бэйкера (Ginger Baker). Этот состав BLUES INCORPORATED, впрочем, как и все остальные, оказался очень недолговечным.В состав GRAHAM BOND ORGANIZATION вошли: Ginger Baker — ударные, Jack Bruce — бас, John McLaughlin — Guitar, Graham Bond — Клавиши Саксофон Вокал, Dick Heckstall-Smith — Саксофон, Jon Hiseman — Ударные. Эта группа успела выпустить всего два альбома. К сожалению, ее жесткий риджазованный ритм-энд-блюз не нашел должного отклика у публики, и группа очень быстро распалась. Значительную роль в этом сыграла нездоровая атмосфера, сложившаяся в коллективе. Первым ушел МакЛафлин. Точнее, его "вежливо попросили" из группы, в связи с его тяжелым неуживчивым арактером. Свою черную роль сыграло так же увлечение Грэма Бонда наркотиками, которое и стало, в последствии, причиной его самоубийства. Но настоящей бедой для коллектива стали, мягко выражаясь, натянутые отношения между Брюсом и Бэйкером. В конце концов, Брюс был уволен, но группу это не спасло. Просуществовав чуть более года, она распалась. Бонд набрал новый состав, который работал (к сожалению, не очень коммерчески успешно) вплоть до самой его гибели в 1974 году, а Хекстэлл-Смит и Хайзмэн впоследствии приобрели всемирную известность в группе COLOSSEUM.

This rather odd double LP is a patchy, yet good assortment of '60s material that Bond did not put out during that decade, and which remains unavailable on any other release. Nine of the 12 tracks date from 1966, with Bond accompanied by Dick Heckstall-Smith on sax and Jon Hiseman on drums (Jack Bruce and Ginger Baker had by this time left to join Cream). Most of those nine songs are not on the two proper albums he issued in the '60s (The Sound of '65 and There's a Bond Between Us), and though a few did appear on those albums and non-LP singles, these recordings are different versions. While not up to the level of the best cuts waxed by the Bruce/Baker lineup, these Hiseman/Heckstall-Smith-backed numbers are still solid jazzy R&B with that aura of faint menace unique to Bond's mid-'60s work. His singing is particularly effective in its drawn-out
anguish on "It's Not Goodbye" and "Springtime in the City" has those uneasy descending chord progressions and creepy R&B black-mass organ that were Bond specialties. "Neighbour Neighbour" and "Walkin' in the Park" aren't as good as the versions he did with Bond and Baker on the first two Graham Bond Organization LPs, but they're different enough to merit hearing. The three remaining songs were done in 1963 with Bruce, Baker, Heckstall-Smith, and John McLaughlin, and are long, straight jazz pieces that are much different in nature. Historically they're interesting, particularly in their documentation of the period in which McLaughlin (who solos well, though his free jazz style was a long way off in coming) was in the band. However, Bond's outfit became much more distinguished as an R&B group than they were as an average jazz one, making the 1963 material more of a curiosity than a highlight of his discography.

One of the founding fathers of the British blues movement, Graham Bond released two spectacular albums in 1965 as the Graham Bond Organization. The "Sound of '65" and "There's a Bond Between Us" are essential jazz/blues albums for any music fan. When Bond broke up the Organization, he moved to the United States where he recorded two "solo" albums in 1965. In 1966, he returned to England where he became a member of Ginger Baker's Air Force for a time then left and formed the band Magick with his wife Diane Stewart. Holy Magick, the band's debut album, was originally released on the "progressive" Vertigo label in 1970 . The album was based on Bond's interest in white magic and Druid and Celtic mysticism. Holy Magick consists of two parts containing 18 songs based around mantras, rituals, and improvisational pieces. The band, a flexible unit, featured some of the top musicians Britain had to offer in 1970 including Rick Gretch (Blind Faith), Victor Bronx, Alex Dmochowski, Jon Moreshead from the Aynsley Dunbar Retaliation, and a host of session performers.
While barely accessible to a rock audience, this album has been both dismissed and praised by critics and fans, depending on one's musical taste. The music was very much jazz oriented. When it was originally released it did not sell well and became a collector's item. In 1971 Bond released the second Magick album which was intended to be the second part of his Magick trilogy. The theme behind this album was Eastern mysticism, in particular the Hindu and Aquarian philosophy. The lineup for this album had changed, but the sound was an extension of the debut only with different themes and more of a blues direction. Again the album was released on Vertigo but did not sell well so Bond postponed the third part of the trilogy and took a break from the music business. Unfortunately, he died a tragic death in 1974, and the trilogy was never completed.