ERROL LINTON ( II )
Crecí en Brixton así que toda mi vida que estaba escuchando el reggae en Radio Capitol cuando David Rodigan tuvo su espectáculo y el ska y bandas como The Specials y The Beat eran la última moda. Cogí un armónica un día, empezé a soplar y de momentono he parado. La armónica me llevó a los BLUES , no al revés. Mis padres son de Jamaica, por lo que crecí improvisando con los registros Louis Jordan ,que oía de mi padre , aunque claro alló lo que predominaba era el reggae, y el ska y. Soy de Jamaica, no de Mississippi, por lo que mis raíces! son jamaicanas ! A continuación, los amigos me empezaron a pasar cintas de BLUES y cuando escuché por primera vez a Sonny Boy Williamson me impactó. Pero hay armónica en Big Youth, Bob Marley y The Staple Singers. Incluso en el de Augustus Pablo a algo similar.
Estaba escuchando la melodía de WOLF , 'Howlin' For My Baby ', donde oí una línea de bajo de reggae en la sección de vientos , así que la introduje en la versión de mi banda . Hay un montón de Nueva Orleans music en la música jamaicana porque solían escuchar las emisoras de radio de Nueva Orleans. Ahí es donde encuentro el blues y el reggae realmente se funden.
Cuando empecé era sólo yo, un guitarrista y un músico con una washboard - hacíamos un sonido del país. Ahora hemos evolucionado y desarrollamos , estudiando la música que se hace en los distintos lugares .
Errol Linton porta el llegat de Little Walter i Sonny Boy Williamson al segle XXI, es mou cap endavant el gènere mitjançant la combinació de 50s Chicago blues amb ritmes de reggae de Jamaica suaus.
Ha aparegut a la ràdio i la televisió i els seus dos discos s'han convertit en fites de blues britànics, filades amb regularitat a la ràdio per Andy Kershaw i Paul Jones, i la seva banda va ser qualificat a la tarda Charlie Gillett com un dels més grans bandes en viu del Regne Unit.
http://sentirelblues.blogspot.com.es/2011/10/errol-linton.html
Errol Linton - vocals, harmonica
Adam Blake- guitar
Petar Zivkovic - piano
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Although countless thousands have walked past Errol as he busks in London’s underground, blowing his harp through a small amplifier, Errol Linton remains largely unknown to most music fans. Linton is one of London’s well hidden treasures. The Brixton harmonica blaster, singer and songwriter has made a living playing his highly original and distinctive blues & reggae-flavoured songs for two decades.
‘The London Underground has changed a lot in the last 20 years…but my favorite tube station is still Oxford Circus’ says Errol, ‘that’s where BBC’s John Walters found me few years back, and that’s also where I met Abram Wilson. Abram was surprised to find out I was a Londoner and not from the USA!’
But with the release of Mama Said, Errol is about to receive the attention he deserves. Consisting of twelve songs, Mama Said (Ruby Records) distills Linton’s mercurial talent, the songs being both loving and acoustic and tough and electric. Linton’s previous albums’ – 1998’s Vibin’ It (Ruby Records) and 2002’s Roots Stew (Ruby Records) - showed Linton’s songwriting developing a unique blues-reggae groove. Strong response to both albums found Errol touring internationally, sharing the bill with Nigerian Afro-beat legend Tony Allen, joining New Orleans’ trumpet prodigy Abram Wilson’s touring band and representing Brixton on Radio 2’s World On Your Street on-line roundup of British community music.
‘I sing the Brixton blues, with an obvious Jamaican influence,’ says Linton. ‘My knowledge of Jamaica comes from stories told by my parents and friends. The food, the history, the politics have seemed to always been present in my life, as well as reggae and ska,’ adds Errol, ‘Of course, I used to play Big Youth, Bob Marley and The Staples Singers on the harp but when I first heard Sonny Boy Williamson, his playing just blew me away. Really, it is the harp which led me to the blues’.
With Mama Said Linton has not simply crafted a striking album but one consisting of classic London songs. As Errol sings of contemporary urban hassles then reflects on a child putting 10p in the gas meter he draws a lyrical portrait of working class London life. Songs like ‘Stressed Out’ should soundtrack any report on the recession and rising prices while the lyrical detail of ‘Roll On Tomorrow’ is worthy of Squeeze or The Kinks.
Errol’s notes on some of his favourite Mama Said songs: Roll On Tomorrow is about growing up in Brixton’s Acre Lane as the child of Jamaican immigrants, in the 60s and 70s. Hooked On Love is a love song to my bus driving wife, Maggie. Mama Said a tough blues based on all the things my mother use to say to me. J.Y.’s is an instrumental referring to a hill in Jamaica where my grandfather built the family’s home. Through My Veins is a song about relationships with both people and London. Stressed Out is a contemporary London blues about how modern life adds to our stress levels.
The album features old friends in crime Adam Blake on guitar electric and bass and Jean-Pierre Lampe on double bass – Kenrick Rowe on drums – ‘very few drummers can play a reggae rhythm and blues shuffle sometime within the same song!’ - Pete Zivkovic on piano and organ – ‘Pete is versatile player who can play reggae, blues and funk’ - and Abram Wilson on trumpet – ‘New Orleans born player based in London, Abram is top class player who can play a good blues on his trumpet.’ Mama Said was recorded at London’s RMS Studios in 2010, and produced by Errol Linton & Adam Blake.
And why have we had to wait so long for album number three? ‘Even though I had the songs I had to gather enough money to pay for these new recordings,’ says Linton with a chuckle. ‘This album was paid for by busking. So thank you to the guys who threw a coin my way!’
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