NMS is . . .
Eddie Roberts: Guitar & Tambourine / Producer & Bandleader
Born: 1971 Swansea, Wales
1989. Arriving from Wales in Leeds at age 18 to study Jazz at Leeds College of Music, Eddie soon found he was more interested performing and finding his musical voice, than in the college work. He brought together the best players in town and set up his first band The Jazz Mailmen. By 1997, via several other auspicious line-ups (Jupiter Mission, Gaucho, The Eddie Roberts Organization, The Three Deuces) Eddie was fronting The Mastersounds – a quirky boogaloo quartet combining Eddie’s guitar with bass, drums and congas. They released a vinyl 45 - ‘GT bw Minnie The Kicker’ (Yardbird Suite Records) - before the bassist and conga player went their separate ways. Eddie, with drummer Simon Allen, tried out various other players before finding Bob birch and Pete Shand to play Hammond and bass respectively. In 1999 The New Mastersounds formed, initially to be resident at The Cooker, the weekly club night Eddie was promoting in Leeds. (“We played solidly every week for over two years – good grounding.”) This band has been taking care of Eddie’s funk requirements ever since, but his jazz voice still had to find an outlet. When Eddie was commissioned to produce a hard bop track for a ‘Messin’ Around’ compilation (London jazz-dance scene) he accepted, but had ulterior motives – to record a number of original old-school tracks with re-arranging and remixing in mind. The resulting solo project is called Roughneck, a term often used to describe his dynamic guitar style. The first album was released in 2004 (the sound was compared to the French jazz-house of Saint-Germain). Eddie put a live band together to perform the material. Roughneck - Live in Paris was released in Japan in 2006, and the second studio album will be finished mid-2007.
As a composer and producer Eddie will never stop progressing, but his dedication to NMS and the instrumental format is clear, when he says of the future: “I would love to play live with some of the great soul singers who are still active – Marlena Shaw, Spanky Wilson, Marva Whitney etc, and the NMS would be the perfect backing band for that, but I would never want to give up doing what we do now.” That’s great, Eddie, because US audiences agree whole-heartedly, as evidenced by the band’s growing popularity here.
Joe Tatton (touring with NMS for 2007)
Hammond Organ / Fender Rhodes / Tambourine
Born: 1977 Bedfordshire, England
Joe will be joining The New Mastersounds on tour for 2007 while Bob is on sabbatical. Joe’s sister was the first to spark his musical interest by sharing her interest in early metal artists such as AC/DC and Black Sabbath. Just as Simon does, Joe credits the vibrant music scene in Leeds with influencing his musical style the most. Joe’s intuitive and reactive playing style has developed playing internationally with various groups beginning with gigs with notable Jazz singers, and visiting such inspirational places as Japan and Africa. Some high points of Joe’s history include working with: Corinne Bailey Rae, Cara Robinson –and most recently, look for Joe on UK’s Haggis Horns’ latest album playing keys and some guitar! Joe thrives in the improvisational atmosphere and is as excited to be playing with NMS as we are to hear his eclectic contributions.
Pete Shand: Bass Guitar
Born: 1961 Leeds, England
Pete’s musical journey began singing gospel with his parents, which has continued to have a big impact in the development of his talent. At the age of thirteen Pete started playing rhythm guitar, then drums for a while, before settling on the bass guitar. Starting in 1983 with Nuff Sed a soul band, he’s played in jazz, hip hop, dub metal, country, blues, UK pop, dance, urban, and funk bands. He says of the variety, “Having to make it work in various genres has strengthened my musical awareness and discipline, whilst keeping me open to new ideas and influences.” He’s extremely adept at balancing the jam with his solid-but-carefree style; a master at laying down the foundations and turning over the groove in an uncomplicated, old school fashion: much to the delight of the NMS fans.
Simon Allen: Drums
Born: 1972 Warwickshire, England
Simon's humble music initiation as a teenager collecting Hendrix, Doors and Zeppelin on vinyl never hinted at the dynamic talent he was to become. He started learning the drums while working a Saturday job in an independent record store in his hometown of Leamington Spa. He had dabbled in so-called 'Acid-Jazz' bands before studying film in college, but his focus changed in 1997 when he started collaborating with Eddie Roberts in the Mastersounds. Simon's expressive and communicative style has emerged from his days playing in the tight-knit Leeds music scene. Some of Simon's most influential experiences have involved UK Hammond star James Taylor (JTQ); Dan 'One Note' Brown (original Mastersounds bassist, now a hip producer on the Bristol scene - Simon's on his album 'They Died for Beauty'); jazz wizard Dan Goldman (keyboard player with Morcheeba); and Lou Donaldson, when NMS was Lou's backup band for a UK tour. Keeping the jam together for NMS, both on and off-stage (he has managed the band since 2002 and runs their UK label One Note Records) Simon's persistence, cynical wit and intimate understanding of Eddie's emotional foibles have helped enable this outfit to gel into the freshest voice in the Jam Band scene today.
Rob Lavers: Tenor Sax / Flute
Born: 1969 York, England
Adding sparkling wind flavor is funny-man Rob, who took a more traditional path to igniting his musical journey. Starting in youth with his first favorite, Schumann and later moving to the Jazz greats, he pays homage, and credits Miles Davis as his biggest musical influence. (Perhaps Miles should be considered the father of the Jam Band culture.) Joining his first band in 1994, he traveled and played in the Caribbean developing into a jam master while playing everything from Cuban & Latin, Afro-beat, Flamenco, Jazz and of course Funk, allowing him to develop his theory of harmonic anarchy. Rob is a key part of the process that takes the New Mastersounds’ music beyond what is simply ordinary and enjoyable, and makes it extraordinary and unforgettable. Some of the diverse talent Rob has worked with includes: Evelyn Glennie, Rob Fordjour, Asaf Sirkis, Laurent Robin, and Juan Martin.
Bob Birch: Hammond Organ / Fender Rhodes Piano
Bob is currently on break, and will not be joining NMS on tour in the US for 2007. He is featured on all the New Mastersounds releases, including 102%. Please visit: www.myspace.com/newmastersounds for current information.
