Various Artists – Jools Holland’s Big Band Rhythm & Blues (2001)

Julian Miles Holland OBE DL (born 24 January 1958) is an English pianist, bandleader, singer, composer and television presenter. He was an original member of the band Squeeze and has worked with many artists including Marc Almond, Joss Stone, Jayne County, Sting, Eric Clapton, Mark Knopfler, George Harrison, David Gilmour, Ringo Starr and Bono.

From 1982 until 1987, he co-presented the Channel 4 music programme The Tube. Since 1992, he has hosted Later… with Jools Holland, a music-based show aired on BBC2, on which his annual show Hootenanny is based. Holland is a published author and appears on television shows besides his own. He regularly hosted the programme Jools Holland on BBC Radio 2. In 2004 he collaborated with Tom Jones on an album of traditional R&B music.

Holland was born on 24 January 1958 in Blackheath, South East London. At the age of eight, he could play the piano fluently by ear. By his early teens he was appearing regularly in many of the pubs in South East London and the East End Docks.

Holland was educated at Shooters Hill Grammar School in southeast London, from which he was expelled for damaging a teacher’s Triumph Herald.

Holland began his career as a session musician. His first studio session was with Wayne County & the Electric Chairs in 1976 on their track “Fuck Off”

Holland was a founding member of the British pop band Squeeze, formed in March 1974, in which he played keyboards until 1980, through its first three albums, the eponymous Squeeze, Cool for Cats and Argybargy, before pursuing his solo career.

Holland began issuing solo records in 1978, his first EP being Boogie Woogie ’78. He continued his solo career through the early 1980s, releasing an album and several singles between 1981 and 1984. He branched out into TV, co-presenting the Newcastle-based TV music show The Tube with Paula Yates. Holland used the phrase, “be there, or be an ungroovy fucker” in one early evening TV trailer for the show, live across two channels, causing him to be suspended from the show for six weeks. He referred to this in his sitcom The Groovy Fellers with Rowland Rivron. Holland also appeared as a guest host on MTV.

In 1983, Holland played an extended piano solo on The The’s re-recording of “Uncertain Smile” for the album Soul Mining. In 1985, Squeeze (which had continued in Holland’s absence through to 1982) unexpectedly regrouped including Holland as their keyboard player. Holland remained in the band until 1990, at which point he again departed to resume his solo career as a musician and a TV host.

In 1987, Holland formed the Jools Holland Big Band, which consisted of himself and for the show Gilson Lavis from Squeeze, which gradually grew and was renamed as Jools Holland’s Rhythm and Blues Orchestra. In May 2022, it was a 17-piece orchestra and included singers Louise Marshall, Ruby Turner and Holland’s daughter Mabel Ray, as well as his younger brother, singer-songwriter and keyboard player, Christopher Holland.

Between 1988 and 1990 Holland performed and co-hosted along with David Sanborn during the two seasons of the music performance programme Sunday Night on NBC late-night television. Since 1992, he has presented the music programme Later… with Jools Holland, plus an annual New Year’s Eve Hootenanny.

In 1996, Holland signed a recording contract with Warner Bros. Records,[4] and his records are now marketed through Rhino Records.

On 29 November 2002, Holland was in the ensemble of musicians who performed at the Concert for George, which celebrated the music of George Harrison. In January 2005 Holland and his band performed with Eric Clapton as the headline act of the Tsunami Relief Cardiff.[citation needed]

On BBC Radio 2 Holland regularly hosted the programme Jools Holland, a mix of live and recorded music and general chat, featuring studio guests, along with members of his orchestra.

In March 2023, Jimmy Barnes announced the formation of supergroup The Barnestormers, featuring Barnes, Chris Cheney, Slim Jim Phantom, Jools Holland and Kevin Shirley. A self-titled album was released on 26 May 2023

Although credited to Jools Holland, according to Allmusic the album is more of a collection of different songs with different singers, with Holland’s band acting as a kind of “house band” including Eric Clapton, Steve Winwood, Van Morrison and George Harrison. The song “Horse to the Water”, which Harrison wrote with his son Dhani, is the last song recorded before Harrison’s death in 2001 and is therefore his legacy. Jools Holland was able to use the contacts he made as host of the BBC programme Later with Jools Holland for the line-up. The singers range from musical veterans such as Van Morrison and Steve Winwood to representatives of the younger generation such as Jamiroquai and Joe Strummer, a founding member of The Clash.

In addition to the majority of blues and rhythm and blues titles, other styles are also among the songs chosen, such as the ska title “Oranges and Lemons Again” with Suggs or the title “Valentine Moon” with Sam Brown. In addition to cover versions, such as “I Put a Spell on You”, there are songs that were created especially for the album (“The Return of the Blues Cowboy”, “The Hand That Changed It’s Mind”).

The album reached number 19 in the Billboard Heatseekers Charts (wikipedia)

The world of pop music is very much part of show business, and as such, there as much a culture of stars and celebrities as there is in the movies or television. And for generations, recordings have billed themselves on their star power — combining two or more musical celebrities on one song or album. More of than not, the musical combination is one undertaken with the market in mind, rather than real musical collaboration. But there are exceptions, and I think this week’s CD qualifies as an interesting, and indeed very ambitious venture into combining a remarkable number of well-known musical artists in a single recording, in a record that is also a lot of fun to listen to. It’s the newest CD by veteran British keyboard man Jools Holland, called Jools Holland’s Big Band Rhythm & Blues, and it has guest appearances by not less than 22 different significant, mostly British, musical figures, including Eric Clapton, Steve Winwood, Van Morrison, Sting, and what is reputed to be the last recording by George Harrison recorded a bit more than a month before his death in November. In addition to the noted guests, the CD lives up to its title with no less than 52 studio musicians also providing accompaniment at various times, including a big band and a string orchestra.

Jools Holland is best-known for his tenure as keyboard player in the British band Squeeze. But since then, he has had a program on the BBC called “Later with Jools Holland” a music show spotlighting various well-known guests, so that provided him with the contacts that eventually led to this CD. He also is a big fan of early rock & roll, R&B and soul, and his own recordings over the years have reflected that. So those two facets were combined on this CD, with the guests doing both original songs and old standards in the style. In some cases, it’s a bit out of character for the guest, such as Sting or Soft Cell’s Marc Almond, but at others, such as for Taj Mahal, Dr. John, and Eric Clapton, it’s a perfect fit. And throughout, there is a spirit of good fun, and that really sets this CD apart from other star-studded records, which usually reduce to lowest-common-denominator light-pop. It’s interesting hearing Van Morrison doing a Louis Armstrong song, or John Cale doing some Vegas style crooning. Obviously, some parts are more successful than others, but the lighthearted nature of the CD, in which a lot of stars are apparently having fun, makes up for any of the less satisfying parts of this very generous, 80-minute CD.

Ever since the 1960s, when the British Blues phenomenon happened, with young English musicians essentially re-packaging and bringing back to American rock audiences the great American art form of the blues, the Brits have had a distinctive approach which has evolved into its own style, but still has designs on the original American recordings. Jools Holland, in his recent releases, shows that dichotomy, with echoes of the British Blues bands, but also a distinctly American retro sound, though like other Brits, he sometimes goes a little too far, with too many horns, guitars cranked up a bit too much, tempos taken a bit too fast, and not enough space in the music — something that is essential in the blues. This CD has the same kind of pumped-up, frenetic sound, and that can make this record wear a bit on the listener at times, especially after the novelty of all the stars on the same CD fades, but Holland does mix the album up stylistically some, and overall, it’s an admirable recording, and would be even if there were not as many big names on it.

Though Holland is a decent vocalist, he defers to his guests most of the time on this CD. He does sing a verse here and there, but for the most part, the guests get to sing the songs, quite of few of which were collaborative compositions between Holland and the respective guest.

The track with Sting opens the CD. It’s the old Willie Dixon blues classic Seventh Son, and it’s interesting hearing the normally sophisticated Sting getting down with the blues, and doing a very respectable job. The track illustrates the kind of big-production sound that dominates the CD.

That is followed by what turns out to be its most poignant track, Horse to the Water, featuring George Harrison, and recorded in October 2001, the month before his death. It’s a song Harrison co-wrote with his son Dhani, and while it has the upbeat sound of the rest of the CD, the cryptic, philosophical lyrics made the piece fascinating. Harrison, considering his declining health at the time, sounds in good form.  The guitar solo is presumably by George.

One of the more unusual choices of guests is Joe Strummer, a founding member of the Clash. His guest slot comes on an original joint composition by Strummer and Holland called The Return of the Blues Cowboy. It’s also the track with the least instrumentation. Despite the some tasteful piano work by Holland, Strummer shows he is not exactly a blues singer.

Dr. John appears on another original joint composition with Holland called The Hand That Changed Its Mind. Holland does the introductory lead vocal, before the Dr. John makes his entrance. Musically, the track perhaps best captures the spirit of jump band blues that for which Holland seems always to be striving.

There are some slower tracks, including an unexpected treatment of Screamin’ Jay Hawkins’ classic I Put a Spell on You, sung by Mica Paris with guitar from Pink Floyd’s David Gilmour. The result quite engaging, though the addition of the string section does go a bit over the top.

Another of the most fascinating combinations is the track featuring Van Morrison, the Louis Armstrong composition, Back o’ Town Blues. The arrangement maintains the spirit of the original music, though like a lot of Holland’s work, the tempo is a little too fast and there are too many horns.

Dire Straits founder Mark Knopfler appears in a straight rockabilly arrangement of his song called Mademoiselle Will Decide. Although Knopfler has explored the edges of this style with Dire Straits, this track works particularly well.

The CD is not without some disappointments. One of my favorite acoustic bluesmen, Eric Bibb, makes an appearance on All That You Are, a song he co-wrote with Holland. The song’s lyrics lend themselves to the kind of intimate arrangements that mark Bibb’s own albums, but the arrangement here is more along the lines of a Phil Spector production, and it just sounds overblown.

Steve Winwood, who got his start in the British Blues days, appears on what is definitely one of the CD’s highlights, I’m Ready, another Willie Dixon song, first recorded by Muddy Waters.

John Cale, who first came to fame as a member of the Velvet Underground, appears on I’ll Be Around an old Johnny Mercer song, done as a kind of Sinatra/Vegas production. It definitely leaves one scratching one’s head wondering if it was serious, or done as high camp. It doesn’t quite work either way.

The CD ventures into some ska on two tracks. One features Jamiroquai doing another Tin Pan Alley standard I’m in the Mood for Love. Despite the interesting concept, the result has a kind of perfunctory sound, never really catching fire.

The final track features Eric Clapton in a soulful performance of Ray Charles’ What Would I Do without You. In this case all the horns and strings work well, and Clapton is in great form.

Even among all-star recordings, Jools Holland’s Big Band Rhythm & Blues is impressive for its roster of special guests, who also include Taj Mahal, Paul Weller, Chris Difford, Holland’s former band-mate in Squeeze, The Stereophonics, and Mick Hucknall. The fact that the music is fun, and generally unpretentious also sets this project apart. About the only drawback is the fact that the CD very much lives up to his title. Often the horn and string sections can be a little overwhelming often to the point of being musically bombastic. Fifty-two backing musicians can be a bit much at times, and the music can have a kind of in-your-face quality than makes one want to take at least one intermission in the course of the hour and twenty minutes of the CD.

That pushy quality also extends to the album’s sonics. The mix is heavily compressed and almost constantly loud, even when the music tries to slow down. Sometimes that results in noticeable distortion on the vocals, and it also contributes to a somewhat fatiguing sound — as interesting as it is, I felt I needed to take a break from listening after a while, especially considering the CD’s length. Some restraint in both the scale of the musical arrangements and the volume of the mix would have helped a great deal.

Even in these days of media-driven celebrity culture, it’s rare to get as many well-known artists on a single CD. But Jools Holland’s Big Band Rhythm and Blues despite a few lapses, is an album that’s both fascinating and a lot of fun. (by George D. Graham.)

Personnel:

Tracklist:
01. Sting: Seventh Son (Dixon) 3.04
02. George Harrison: Horse to the Water (G.Harrison/D. Harrison 5.00
03. Paul Weller: Will It Go Round in Circles (Fisher/Preston) 3.31
04. Sam Brown: Valentine Moon (Brown/Holland) 4.02
05. Joe Strummer: The Return Of Zhe Blues Cowboy (Holland/Strummer) 2.41
06. Dr. John: The Hand That Changed It’s Mind (Holland/Rebennack) 3.25
07. Ruby Turner: Nobody But You (Mann/Weil 3.45
08. Stereophonics: Revolution (Lennon/McCartney) 3.18
09. Mica Paris & David Gilmour: I Put A Spell On You (Hawkins/Russell) 4.07
10. Suggs: Oranges And Lemons Again /Holland/Suggs) 3.38
11. Eric Bibb: All That You Are (Bibb/Holland) 3.15
12. Mark Knopfler: Mademoiselle Will Decide (Knopfler) 2.24
13. Van Morrison: Back O’ Town Blues (Armstrong/Russell) 3.27
14. Chris Difford: Town And Country Rhythm And Blues (Difford/Holland) 3.49
15. John Cale: I Wanna Be Around (Mercer/Vimmerstadt) 3.04
16. Steve Winwood: I’m Ready (Dixon) 3.15
17. Marc Almond: Say Hello, Wave Goodbye (Almond/Ball) 4.35
18. Mike Hucknall: T-Bone Shuffle (Walker) 3.01
19. Paul Carrack: It’s So Blue (Carrack/Holland) 4.01
20. Taj Mahal: Outskirts Of Town (Jacobs/Weldon) 4.53
21. Jamiroquai: I’m In The Mood For Love (Fields/McHugh 3.07
22. Eric Clapton: What Would I Do Without You (Charles) 3.27

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More from Jools Holland in this blog:
The official website:

Mark Knopfler – Golden Heart (1996)

Mark Freuder Knopfler OBE (born 12 August 1949) is a British singer-songwriter, guitarist, and record producer. He became known as the lead guitarist, singer and songwriter of the rock band Dire Straits. He pursued a solo career after the band first dissolved in 1988. Dire Straits reunited in 1990, but dissolved again in 1995. He is now an independent solo artist.

Knopfler was born in Glasgow, Scotland, and raised in Blyth, near Newcastle in England, from the age of seven. After graduating from the University of Leeds and working for three years as a college lecturer, Knopfler co-founded Dire Straits with his younger brother, David Knopfler. The band recorded six albums, including Brothers in Arms (1985), one of the best-selling albums in history. After they disbanded in 1995, Knopfler began a solo career, and has produced nine solo albums. He has composed and produced film scores for nine films, including Local Hero (1983), Cal (1984), The Princess Bride (1987), Wag the Dog (1997) and Altamira (2016). He has produced albums for Tina Turner, Bob Dylan, and Randy Newman.

Described by Classic Rock as a virtuoso, Knopfler is a fingerstyle guitarist and was ranked 27th on Rolling Stone’s list of the “100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time”. As of 2009, he and Dire Straits had sold more than 120 million records. A four-time Grammy Award winner, Knopfler is the recipient of the Edison Award, the Steiger Award and the Ivor Novello Award, as well as holding three honorary doctorate degrees in music from universities in the United Kingdom. Knopfler was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of Dire Straits in 2018.

Golden Heart is the debut solo studio album by British singer-songwriter and guitarist Mark Knopfler, released on 26 March 1996 by Vertigo Records internationally and Warner Bros. Records in the United States. Following a successful career leading British rock band Dire Straits and composing a string of critically acclaimed film soundtrack albums, Knopfler recorded his first solo album, drawing upon the various musical influences he’d engaged since emerging as a major recording artist in 1978. The album reached the top-10 position on charts in Austria, Belgium, Finland, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom. The album peaked at 105 on the Billboard 200 in the United States.

Following the release of Dire Straits’ final studio album, On Every Street, and a grueling 15-month world tour of Europe, North America and Australia—a tour seen by 7.1 million people that ended in October 1992—Knopfler quietly dissolved the popular British rock band that had become one of the world’s most commercially successful bands, with worldwide album sales of more than 120 million. He would later recall, “I put the thing to bed because I wanted to get back to some kind of reality. It’s self-protection, a survival thing. That kind of scale is dehumanizing.” He spent two years recovering from the experience, which had taken a toll on his creative and personal lives. In 1994, he began work on what would become his first solo album. (wikipedia)

Mark Knopfler’s debut non-soundtrack solo album, Golden Heart, was, in effect, the follow-up to the last Dire Straits studio album, On Every Street (1991). But it was also a compendium of the various musical endeavors in which Knopfler had engaged since emerging as a major figure in 1978. “Imelda” was cast in the mold of “Money for Nothing,” with its trademark electric guitar riff and sardonic lyrics about Imelda Marcos, and other songs resembled Dire Straits songs, notably “Cannibals,” which recalled “Walk of Life.” But “A Night in Summer Long Ago” was presented in a Scots/Irish traditional folk style, complete with a lyric about a knight and a queen and would have fit nicely on Knopfler’s soundtrack for The Princess Bride, and “Are We in Trouble Now” was a country ballad featuring pedal steel guitar and the piano playing of Nashville session ace Hargus “Pig” Robbins that would have been appropriate for Knopfler’s duo album with Chet Atkins.

For all that, there was little on the album that was new or striking, and Knopfler seemed to fall back on familiar guitar techniques while intoning often obscure lyrics. You get the feeling that there was a story behind each song, but except in the cases of “Rudiger,” a character study of an autograph hunter, and “Done with Bonaparte,” the lament of a 19th century French soldier on the retreat from Moscow, you might have to read Knopfler’s interviews to find out what the songs were actually about. Knopfler hadn’t used the opportunity of a solo album to challenge himself, and at the same time he had lost the group identity (however illusory) provided by the Dire Straits name. The result was listenable but secondhand. (by William Ruhlmann)

When I ask others if they know Mark Knopfler (founder, lead singer, and main composer for the group Dire Straits), and get a negative response, my heart feels a little dejected…. and, then I feel immense sympathy for them. The media falls all over Clapton (still haven’t figured that out….I suspect deep-seated nepotism), whilst this gifted musician is roundly ignored. Yet, Knopfler’s compositions demonstrate authentic genius at play; his guitar playing and singing are closely married and are both heavily nuanced, smoky, mellow, articulate (his composition style is in fact a new language introduced to the human race).

Not a bad track here. This collection is amazingly varied and each track refreshingly timeless. This music simply cannot be ushered into a niche, or conveniently shown a pigeon-hole; because, simply put, it is the magnificent expression of one man’s soul.

How can one assemble 14 tracks without a dog or two in attendance -when some are only able to provide a memorable tune or two in the midst of a kennel of woofers? [Keep in mind, this is not a “Best of” compilation – but, a release of newly original music.] Genius can be the only answer. Knopfler tells stories about people and places as an intimate, sensual experience. His melodies, once heard, will haunt the psyche (sometimes out of the clear blue….love that). Few musicians have the ability, with their story-telling finesse, to make me smile, bring tears, and an occasional chill in quite the same way. (Tim Faulkner)

Personnel:
Eddie Bayers (drums on 01., 05., 09., 10. – 12., 14.)
Barry Beckett (piano on 09. + 12.)
Derek Bell (irish harp on 01.)
Richard Bennett (guitar, tiplé on 10.)
Paul Brady (whistle on 01.,076. + 13.)
Robbie Casserly (drums on 13.)
Steve Conn (accordion on 10.)
Chad Cromwell (drums on 02. – 04., 06. + 08.)
Danny Cummings (percussion, background vocals)
Bill Cuomo (organ on 06.)
Michael Doucet (fiddle on 10.)
Guy Fletcher (keyboards on 03., 04., 08. + 12., background vocals)
Paul Franklin (pedal steel-guitar on 01., 09., 11., 12. + 14.)
Seán Keane (violin on 01., 07. + 13.)
Mark Knopfler (guitar, vocals)
Sonny Landreth (national steel guitar , background vocals on 10.)
Dónal Lunny (bouzouki on 01., 07, + 13.)
Terry McMillan (djembe on 05.)
Paul Moore (bass on 07. + 13.)
Steve Nathan (keyboards)
Liam O’Flynn (uilleann pipes on 07. + 13.)
Máirtín O’Connor (accordion on 01., 07. + 13.)
Hargus “Pig” Robbins (piano on 14.)
Don Potter (guitar on 14.)
Michael Rhodes (bass on 01., 05., 09 ´. – 12. + 14.)
Matt Rollings (piano on 01., 05. + 11.)
Jo-El Sonnier (accordion on 08.)
Billy Ware (triangle on 10.)
Glenn Worf (bass on 02., 03, 04., 06. + 08.)
+
background vocals:
Brendan Croker – Vince Gill

Tracklist:
01. Darling Pretty 4.31
02. Imelda 5.26
03. Golden Heart 5.01
04. No Can Do 4.54
05. Vic And Ray 4.36
06. Don’t You Get It? 5.16
07. A Night In Summer Long Ago 4.43
08. Cannibals 3.41
09. I’m The Fool 4.28
10. Je Suis Désolé 5.14
11. Rüdiger 6.03
12. Nobody’s Got The Gun 5.25
13. Done With Bonaparte 5.06
14. Are We In Trouble Now 5.54

All songs are written by Mark Knopfler

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More from Mark Knopfler:

Randy Newman (feat. Mark Knopfler) – In Sessions At The BBC Concert Hall (1988)

Land of Dreams is a 1988 album by Randy Newman featuring vignettes of his childhood in New Orleans. The best-known song on the album is “It’s Money That Matters”, which rose to the top of the Mainstream Rock chart for two weeks (and peaked at #60 on the Hot 100), to become Newman’s only number one hit on any U.S. chart; it features Mark Knopfler on guitar (by wikipedia)

In November 1988, Randy Newman recorded his album Land of dreams on which Mark Knopfler played on several tracks. As a promotion for the album, Randy and Mark appeared in various shows and played some tracks. Some rare recordings and rarely performed songs. Very interesting interview, mainly with Randy Newman but also with Mark Knopfler.

And here is this very intimate session.

What a great treat – Randy Newman and Knopfler !

Personnel:
Mark Knopfler (guitar)
Randy Newman(piano, vocals)

Tracklist:
01. Dixie Flyer 3.44
02, Inteview with Randy and Mark 4.50
03. Roll With The Punches 3.37
04. Interview with Randy and Mark 3.21
05. You’ve Gotta Move On 3.49
06. Interview with Randy and Mark 3.48
07. Blue Monday 1.28
08. Interview with Randy and Mark 1.31
09. Bad News From Home 2.55
10. Interview with Randy and Mark 2.48

All songs written by Randy Newman

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Mark Knopfler – Kill To Get Crimson (2007)

Kill to Get Crimson is the fifth solo studio album by British singer-songwriter and guitarist Mark Knopfler, released on 17 September 2007 by Mercury Records internationally, and by Warner Bros. Records in the United States. The album’s title comes from a line in the song “Let It All Go”. The album cover image is taken from the painting Four Lambrettas and Three Portraits of Janet Churchman by John Bratby, painted in 1958. The first singles from the album were “True Love Will Never Fade” in Europe, and “Punish The Monkey” in North America. The album debuted at number 26 on the US Billboard 200 chart, selling about 23,000 copies in its first week. The Kill to Get Crimson Tour promoting the album started on 29 March 2008 in Amsterdam, Netherlands and ended on 31 July 2008 in Miami Beach, Florida. The album was released on CD, CD/DVD, double vinyl LP, and a Deluxe Set of 180g vinyl LP and CD.Kill to Get Crimson is the fifth solo studio album by British singer-songwriter and guitarist Mark Knopfler, released on 17 September 2007 by Mercury Records internationally, and by Warner Bros. Records in the United States. The album’s title comes from a line in the song “Let It All Go”. The album cover image is taken from the painting Four Lambrettas and Three Portraits of Janet Churchman by John Bratby, painted in 1958. The first singles from the album were “True Love Will Never Fade” in Europe, and “Punish The Monkey” in North America. The album debuted at number 26 on the US Billboard 200 chart, selling about 23,000 copies in its first week. The Kill to Get Crimson Tour promoting the album started on 29 March 2008 in Amsterdam, Netherlands and ended on 31 July 2008 in Miami Beach, Florida.

The album was released on CD, CD/DVD, double vinyl LP, and a Deluxe Set of 180g vinyl.

Knopfler supported the release of Kill to Get Crimson with the Kill to Get Crimson Tour of Europe and North America, which started on 29 March 2008 in Amsterdam, and included 94 concerts in 88 cities, ending in on 31 July 2008 in Miami Beach, Florida. The tour lineup included Mark Knopfler (guitars, vocals), Richard Bennett (guitars), Danny Cummings (drums), Guy Fletcher (keyboards), Matt Rollings (keyboards), Glenn Worf (bass), and John McCusker (fiddle, cittern). The tour included a six-night run at the Royal Albert Hall in London, with Bap Kennedy as the supporting act. Jesca Hoop was the opening act for the North America leg of the tour. (by wikipedia)

Given that Kill to Get Crimson follows Mark Knopfler’s yearlong collaboration with Emmylou Harris — inaugurated by the album All the Roadrunning and followed by a tour, subsequently documented on the live set Real Live Roadrunning — it might be reasonable to presume that it bears a slightly heavier folk influence, as if Emmylou had rubbed off on the guitarist. And that’s true to a certain extent: “Heart Full of Holes” has an old-timey carnivalesque lilt to its middle section and “Secondary Waltz” is simple, low-key two-step driven by accordions, while “The Fish and the Bird” is a spare allegory that recalls old folk tunes, as does the stately grace of “Madame Geneva’s.” Also, “Let It All Go” (the song that bears the lyric that lends the album the title) is a minor key dirge that could be seen as a winding folk tune, but it hearkens back to the evocative mood pieces that often up ate up large sections of the second side of a Dire Straits album, and that’s hardly the only time either Knopfler’s old band or his solo works are brought to mind here.

Despite the few folk trappings, most of Kill to Get Crimson resembles nothing so much as another tastefully low-key album from Knopfler, one that resides comfortably in his mellow Americana niche, where country, blues, and rock gently blend into a sound that resembles no particular style but evokes plenty of past sounds. Knopfler rides this soft groove as easily as he ever has, maybe even a little easier than usual, but the big difference here is although mood is key — as it always is on a Knopfler solo album — the emphasis is not on guitar; it’s on the song. Thing is, the mood tends to trump the sound unless the album is heard closely, which is something Knopfler’s dedicated cult will surely do, but less dedicated listeners can’t be blamed if they enjoy this merely as background music if they choose to enjoy this at all. (by Stephen Thomas Erlewine)

Personnel:
Danny Cummings (drums, percussion)
Guy Fletcher (keyboards)
Mark Knopfler(vocals, guitar)
Ian Lowthian (accordion)
John McCusker (violin, cittern)
Frank Ricotti (vibraphone)
Steve Sidwell (trumpet)
Chris White (flute, saxophone, clarinet)
Glenn Worf (bass)

Tracklist:
01. True Love Will Never Fade 4.24
02. The Scaffolder’s Wife 3.54
03. The Fizzy And The Still 4.10
04. Heart Full Of Holes 6.38
05. We Can Get Wild 4.21
06. Secondary Waltz 3.46
07. Punish the Monkey 4.40
08. Let It All Go 5.21
09. Behind with the Rent 4.51
10. The FishAnd The Bird 3.47
11. Madame Geneva’s 4.01
12. In the Sky 7.31

All songs were written by Mark Knopfler

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Various Artists – The Color Of Money (OST) (1986)

The Color of Money is a 1986 American drama film directed by Martin Scorsese from a screenplay by Richard Price, based on the 1984 novel of the same name by Walter Tevis. The film stars Paul Newman and Tom Cruise, with Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio, Helen Shaver, and John Turturro in supporting roles. It features an original score by Robbie Robertson.

Newman won the Academy Award for Best Actor for his performance, his first Oscar win after eight nominations, seven of them for Best Actor.

The film continues the story of pool hustler and stakehorse Edward “Fast Eddie” Felson from Tevis’ first novel, The Hustler (1959), with Newman reprising his role from the 1961 film adaptation. It begins more than 25 years after the events of the previous film, with Eddie retired from the pool circuit. Although Tevis did author a screenplay, adapting the storyline from his novel, the filmmakers decided not to use it, instead crafting an entirely different story under Tevis’ title.

Eddie Felson is a former pool hustler turned successful liquor salesman. One night he meets Vincent Lauria, a young, charismatic pool player and video gamer who plays small-time nine-ball games while working as a sales clerk at a toy store. Eddie, who still stakes bets for players, persuades Vincent and girlfriend/manager Carmen to go on the road, where he can teach Vincent how to make much more money through hustling pool.

With Eddie staking their bets, Vincent visits a series of billiard halls where Eddie tries to teach him that “pool excellence is not about excellent pool.” Although Carmen is a quick study, Vincent chafes at Eddie’s scams, which routinely require him to play well below his abilities. Eventually, Fast Eddie picks up a cue himself, and does well in several games, but is taken in by a pool shark named Amos. Humiliated, Eddie leaves Vincent and Carmen with enough money to make it to the championships in Atlantic City.

Wearing new prescription eyeglasses, Eddie begins working out and practicing. He enters the 9-ball tournament in Atlantic City and, after several victories, finds himself facing off against a more world-wise Vincent. He beats Vincent, but later, when he is celebrating with girlfriend Janelle, Vincent arrives and informs Eddie that he intentionally lost in order to collect on a bet. He gives Eddie $8,000 as his “cut.” During his semi-final match against Kennedy, Eddie sees his reflection in the cue ball; disgruntled, he chooses to forfeit the game.

Out-hustled again, Eddie returns the money, saying that he wants to beat Vincent legitimately. The two set up a private match, where Eddie informs Vincent that if he doesn’t beat him now, he will in the future because “I’m back!” (by wikipedia)

Ex-Band songwriter/guitarist Robbie Robertson put together this soundtrack, which allowed him to collaborate with blues master Willie Dixon and jazz master Gil Evans, though it was his collaboration with Eric Clapton that produced the album’s hit song, “It’s in the Way That You Use It.” Also featured: Don Henley, Robert Palmer (three tracks), and B. B. King. (by William Ruhlmann)

Okay, here you´ll find a lot of rare tracks … and: this was the sound of the Eighties !

And “Werewolves Of London” was of course stealed/borrowed from Lynyrd Skynrd (“Sweet Home Alabama”).

Tracklist:
01. Don Henley: Who Owns This Place? (Henley/Kortchmar/Souther) 4.48
02. Eric Clapton: It’s In The Way That You Use It (Clapton/Robertson) 3.56
03. Robert Palmer: Let Yourself In For It (Palmer) 5.18
04. Willie Dixon: Don’t Tell Me Nothin’ (Dixon) 4.43
05. Mark Knopfler: Two Brothers And A Stranger (Knopfler) 2.41
06. B.B. King: Standing On The Edge Of Love (Williams) 3.53
07. Robbie Robertson + Gil Evans: Modern Blues (Robertson) 2.55
08. Warren Zevon: Werewolves Of London (Marinell/Wachtel/Zevon) 3.21
09. Robert Palmer: My Baby’s In Love With Another Guy (Brightman/Lucie) 2.27
10. Robbie Robertson + Gil Evans: The Main Title (Robertson) 2.44

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Chris Barber – Jazz Diaries feat. Mark Knopfler (2001)

This is a very nice radio show that Mark Knopfler did for Chris Barber in his radio show the Jazz Diaries. They recorded four songs exclusively for this show, two instrumentals and two with vocals.

Interesting to hear Mark Knopfler play with a jazz band and nice interview in this one hour show. Mark Knopfler joins at about half time in the show – the part about Mark Knopfler is from track 8 to track 18. Goin’ home is not the Mark Knopfler song, and it is played only by the Chris Barber Band, also recorded exclusively for this radio show. Perfect sound quality.

A more or less unknown Chris Barber album … with lots of personal memories of Chris Barber about his Career …

And … did you ever believe … that Chris Barber and Mark Knopfler … can play together ? …  YES … they can ! Listen !

Personnel:
Chris Barber (trombone)
John Crocker (reeds)
John Defferary (reeds)
Pat Halcox (trumpet)
Colin Miller (drums)
Vic Pitt (bass)
Paul Sealey (banjo & guitar)
John Slaughter (guitar)
+
Mark Knopfler (guitar, vocals)

Tracklist:
01. Isle Of Capri (Kennedy/Grosz) 3.36 (2)
02. Talking 0.49
03. I can’t Be Satsfied (Morganfield) 2.39
04. Talking 1.08
05. Sweet Georgia Brown (Lewis) 2.42
06. Talking 0.48
07. Ory’s Creole Trombone (Ory) 3.03
08. Introduction 0.25
09. Blues Stay Away From Me (A.Delmore/R.Delmore/Raney/Glover) (1) 3.42
10. Talking 0.08
11. Sultans Of Swing (Knopfler) 1.58
12. Interview 4.01
13. Dallas Rag (Traditional) (1) 2.46
14. Interview 3.34
15. I’ll See You In My Dreams (Kahn/Jones) (1) 4.41
16. Interview 3.46
17. The Next Time I´m In Town (Knopfler) (1) 3.27
18. Talking 0.28
19. Goin’ Home (Dvorak) (2) 4.41
20. Talking 0.28
21. Better Git It In Your Soul (Mingus) 7.21

(1) Chris Barber Band  & Mark Knopfler – special recording for this Show
(2) Chris Barber Band – special recording for this Show

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Donald Christopher “Chris” Barber (born 17 April 1930)
… he´s still alive and well … he´s  65 years on the road and he will play in September 2017 many gigs in Germany !