A Phil Brodie Band
Tribute Page
JON
HISEMAN
~ A Little
Background ~
Jon
is one of Britain's leading drummers; he was born
June
21st
1944 in Woolwich, London where he started his musical journey playing
sessions, after which in 1966 he replaced Ginger Baker in the Graham
Bond Organisation and also played for a brief spell with Georgie Fame
and the Blue Flames. He then joined John Mayall & the Bluesbreakers
in 1968 playing on the iconic album 'Bare Wires'. In April of 1968 he
left to form what has been critically claimed as the "seminal"
pioneering jazz rock/progressive rock band, Colosseum. Colosseum made
their live debut in Newcastle and were promptly recorded by influential
BBC Radio 1 DJ John Peel for his Top Gear Radio program. Their first
album, "Those Who Are About To Die Salute You", was released
by the Fontana label in 1969. This was followed by four further albums
before Colosseum disbanded in November 1971. Jon later formed Colosseum
II with Don Airey and Gary Moore in 1975. Between these first two versions
of Colosseum, Jon formed the progressive rock band Tempest along with
Allan Holdsworth, Paul Williams and Colosseum bandmate Mark Clarke and
later the great Ollie Halsall. The supergoup released two albums, their
self titled debut album in 1973, followed by "Living in Fear"
in 1974. Also a show at Golders Green Hippodrome, was released as a
bootleg "Live in London 1974". Also in 1974 Jon formed The
United Jazz + Rock Ensemble aka URJE, developed from a group of jazz
musicians that was formed for a 1974 to 1975 television show of Süddeutscher
Rundfunk. Almost all future members of the band were present from the
beginning. During the twenty seven years of its existence they produced
fourteen albums, all of them on Mood Records. The final cast of 2002
was Jon
Hiseman-drums,
Barbara Thompson-saxophone,
Christof Lauer -saxophone,
Wolfgang
Dauner-piano, Dave King-bass, Ian Carr-trumpet, Volker Kriegel-guitar,
Ack van Rooyen -trumpet, fluegelhorn,
Rüdiger Baldauf-trumpet, and Albert Mangelsdorff-trombone. Jon
has played in many jazz groups, notably with his wife, saxophonist Barbara
Thompson, with whom he has recorded and produced fifteen currently available
albums. In
the 80's
he built a state-of-the-art recording studio next to his home, and together
with the compositional skills of Barbara Thompson produced many recordings
for film and television soundtracks. The 80's was also the start of
a 10 year working relationship with
Andrew Loydd Weber. Colosseum
reunited in June 1994 with the same line-up of musicians as when they
broke up 23 years earlier, also his wife Barbara joined the line up
and
have recorded five further albums through the 1990s and 2000s.
Colosseum' present line -up includes Jon Hiseman,
Barbara Thompson,
Chris Farlowe, Clem Clempson, Dave Greenslade, and Mark Clarke, they
will be touring parts of Europe this Summer of 2011.
~
The Book ~
PLAYING THE BAND
The
Musical Life of Jon Hiseman
Author:
Martyn Hanson.
Editor: Colin
Richardson
This
book takes you on the roller-coaster ride that is the life of Jon Hiseman
- one of Britain's top drummers. It's a personal journey through one
of the most intriguing and fascinating periods in rock and pop history,
telling in detail of the forces, the personalities, the triumphs and
disappointments that make up a life spent at the centre of modern music...and
all set against the background of how, in the second half of the 20th
century, the British music industry reached dizzying heights…until
the advent of new technology brought it back to earth with a bump! It
is not just a story of a life in music; it is a tale of individualism,
survival, friendships and rivalry, romance, brutal reality and the occasional
insanity. Above all, it's the story of a man who describes himself as
'a cautious optimist' and who considers his greatest achievement, the
enduring love affair with saxophonist and composer Barbara Thompson.
CKA
Limited ~ Temple Music Books
~
THE MEDIA
~
Review
quotes of…
"Playing the Band" - The Musical Life
of Jon Hiseman
"…the
absorbing inside story of Hiseman's professional journey…meticulously
produced… a thoroughly absorbing account of a richly varied life
on the road and in the studio."
Russell Newmark in "The
Beat" magazine.
=========================
"….very
impressed by this entertaining and informative biography of one the
greats of British jazz and jazz fusion, Jon Hiseman".
"…I am pleased to report that this is one of the most comprehensive rock/jazz/(blues) biographies I've read in respect of its completeness and balance…"
"…extremely
readable - I can't recall at any time flicking through any dull pages".
Dick Heath for ProgArchives
website
=========================
"Playing
the Band" features an extensive cast of musicians and others industry
figures with whom Jon Hiseman and Barbara Thompson have been associated
over the years. Some of the great characters of British music are here,
among them Graham Bond, John Mayall, Ginger Baker, Jack Bruce and Colosseum's
original saxophonist the great Dick Heckstall-Smith. Inevitably there
are some great stories, some of them highly amusing, but at other times
the book can be surprisingly moving.
If you're a fan
of any phase of Hiseman's career this book has much to offer and for
its comprehensiveness alone is highly recommended.
Ian Mann - The
Jazzmann website.
=========================
A thorough
chronicle of one of Britain's all-time great drummers…
Martyn Hanson's authorised biography recounts every step of a long and
amazingly wide-ranging career…meticulously researched.
Geoff Nicholls, "Rhythm"
magazine.
=========================
We highly
recommend Jon's book "Playing the Band"…
Alex Hutton & Kate Winter:
www.thejazzshowonline.com
=========================
Anyone
remotely interested in British blues, jazz and rock of the past 50 years
will find much to relish in the detail on such diverse figures as Graham
Bond and John Mayall…Jack Bruce and Dick Heckstall-Smith…Neil
Ardley and Gary Moore.
…a suitably sized tribute to an often gargantuan talent, its 400 plus pages complemented by many a black & white or colour photograph…of keen documentary interest.
...an essential
read for anyone interested in Hiseman and his times.
Michael Tucker in Jazz
Journal.
=========================
Hiseman's
story is one of single mindedness, tenacity, versatility, foresight
and hard work…. musically speaking, he was at the heart of the
British jazz/blues boom in the '60s, working with the likes of Graham
Bond, Mike Taylor, Georgie Fame, John Mayall and Jack Bruce.... a well
written and truly inspiring story of one of Britain's great musical
assets.
Brent Keefe in "Drummer"
magazine
~.~.~.~.~.~.~
~
THE FINAL
TOUR ~
COLOSSEUM
2011 ~ Summer Tour
~ 2011
15.06.2011:
Oldenburg - "Kulturetage"
16.06.2011: Wuppertal - "Live Club Barmen "
17.06.2011: Berlin - "Kesselhaus/Kulturbrauerei"
18.06.2011: Kelly "Ulmenhofschule"
19.06.2011: Osnabrück - "Rosenhof
22.06.2011: Knowledge "Kulturwerk"
23.06.2011: Dresden - "Alter Schlachthof"
24.06.2011: Hannover "Pavillon"
25.06.2011: Lorsch - "Nibelungenhalle"
26.06.2011: Freiburg - "Jazzhaus"
28.06.2011: Stuttgart - "Theaterhaus"
29.06.2011: Göttingen - "Musa"
30.06.2011: Aschaffenburg - "Colos Saal"
01.07.2011: Ulm - "Ulmer Zelt"
03.07.2011: I-Isola Liri - "Liri Blues
05.07.2011: Genua I - "Arena of the Sea"
06.07.2011: I-Chiari - venue tba
07.07.2011: A-Graz - "Orpheum"
08.07.2011: A Meadows - "Lovely Days Festival"
23.07.2011: FI-Äänekoski - "Kejtelejazz Festival
13.08.2011: PL-Slupsk - "Dolina Charlotty"/Legends
Of Rock
20.08.2011: Bad Doberan - "Zappanale"
Colosseum...the
end of the road.
BLOG
~
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
VISIT
JON HISEMAN
Temple-Music
and on
Facebook
Phil Brodie Band profile
page ~ June 2011
webmistress
