2nd album pressing and another Prestatyn Appearance
We are pleased to announce that Freestyle are doing a second pressing of our album It Remains To Be Seen as the first pressing has sold well!
Also we are playing the Prestatyn Weekender again - Friday night, Midnight - 1am on October 10th 2008. Here are some video clips from the night:
Band Lineup:
Simon T Bramley - Bass
Phil Nelson - Drums
Neil Burditt - Keys
Tommy Emmerton - Guitar
Robin Jones - Congas
Jamie Harris - Sax
Graeme Flowers- Trumpet
Cherri Voncelle - Vocals
Live review and video clip from Prestatyn Soul Weekender March 2008
Taken from soul-source.co.uk
"...Onto the last of the live acts and that was Afro Elements ..I wasn't sure what to expect but what we got was musicianship of the highest order, they absolutely rocked ..showcasing tracks from their album in such a way that made their music come totally to life, they were totally awesome. Every single one of them was a top musician, the horn section just blew me away and the percussionist was in a class of his own, he was an older gentleman who the band said toured on the Northern Soul circuit in the 60ts !!!! absolutely astonishing, the whole band is class, they would have been stunning enough on their own but the inclusion of their vocalist Cherri (who I've since found out is the niece of Mica Paris) made an even bigger impression and not just on the ten young lads with our party (and even some of the older lads with our party :-)!!) , not only was she stunningly beautiful but the girl has a lovely laid back style and an amazing voice which blended perfectly to interpret the jazzy vibes of their groove...I loved them, they were top class, and I have to add that the sound engineers must have pulled out all the stops because every single musician could be heard to perfection with crystal clear clarity ..and that was the case with all the live acts .....what an absolutely incredible finish to a weekender... unforgettable!!!"
Simon T Bramley - Bass
Phil Nelson - Drums
Neil Burditt - Keys
Tommy Emmerton - Guitar
Robin Jones - Congas
Jamie Harris - Sax
Ben Searle - Trumpet
Tim Smart - Trombone
Cherri Voncelle - Vocals
New single 'Stop You're Killing Me' released worldwide
Freestyle Records (UK) have just released the single 'Stop You're Killing Me' on 7" vinyl worldwide. The flip side features the track 'Latinspiration'. Both tracks are taken from the forthcoming album 'It Remains To Be Seen', which should get a worldwide release in the first quarter of 2008.
Click here for sound clips.
Here are some photos from the recording of the album:
Black Gold Massive 'Stories' released in Japan
The Japanese release of the Black Gold Massive Album 'Stories' was released on January 19th on Swanky Records. BGM are Cindy Mizelle, Simon Bramley and Chris Morgans. Cindy has sung with artists such as Luther Vandross, Steely Dan, Whitney Houston, Beyonce, Alicia Keys, Anastacia, Regina Belle, George Benson and Masters At Work.
The album features many musicians connected with Afro Elements including Simon Bramley, Phil Nelson, Robin Jones, Neil Hunter and Tommy Emmerton.
Go to the Swanky Website for details, sound clips and links to purchase the album.
The new Down To The Bone 12" 'Angel Baby', released Narada Jazz via Giant Step has recently been released which includes a remix by the Afros, the track is titled 'Wildfire Woman (Afro Elements Jazzin' Bossa Remix)'
The original version appears on the 6th Down To The Bone album 'Spread Love Like Wildfire'.
16th October 2005 - Club Naktine Oaze, Baltu ave. 16, Kaunas, Lithuania visit the website
Band lineup:
Simon T Bramley - electric bass
Phil Nelson - drums
Neil Burditt - fender rhodes, vocoder
Tommy Emmerton - guitar
Neil Hunter - keyboards
Jamie M. Harris - saxes, flute
Tim Smart - trombone
Ben Searle - trumpet
Tim Desmond - congas, percussion
Some images from the gig:
Black Gold Massive 'Stories' Released in the US
This week saw the US release of the Black Gold Massive Album 'Stories'. BGM are Cindy Mizelle, Simon Bramley and Chris Morgans. Cindy has sung with artists such as Luther Vandross, Steely Dan, Whitney Houston, Beyonce, Alicia Keys, Anastacia, Regina Belle, George Benson and Masters At Work. The album features many musicians connected with Afro Elements including Simon Bramley, Phil Nelson, Robin Jones, Neil Hunter and Tommy Emmerton.
The album has been very well received in the US and went straight to No.1 Most Added on SmoothJazz.com (with 16 Adds) and No.1 Most Added on the Radio & Records Radio Indicator Chart (peaking at No.13). Go to http://www.majormenace.com for details, sound clips and links to purchase the album.
Gary Bartz & Eddie Henderson gigs
27th January - Eddie Henderson - Rock Cafe, Tallinn, Estonia - go to the website 28th January - Eddie Henderson & Gary Bartz - Jazz Cafe, London, UK - go to the website 29th January - Eddie Henderson & Gary Bartz - Jazz Cafe, London, UK 30th January - Eddie Henderson & Gary Bartz - Phoenix, Exeter, UK - go to the website
Members of Afro Elements/Mr Gone backed these jazz legends and performed some of their classic tracks including Eddie Hendersons 'Kumquat Kids', 'Butterfly', 'Say You Will, and Gary Bartz tracks 'I've Known Rivers', 'Celestial Blues' and 'Music Is My Sanctuary'.
Band line up:
Eddie Henderson - trumpet / flugelhorn
Gary Bartz - saxes / vocals (Jazz Cafe & Exeter gigs)
Simon T. Bramley – electric bass
Phil Nelson – drums
Neil Burditt – keyboards / fender rhodes
Tommy Emmerton - electric guitar
Robin Jones – percussion
Jamie M. Harris – saxes & flute (Tallinn & Jazz Cafe gigs)
Images from the Stamford Riverside Ferstival, Lincs on Saturday 5th July, backing Mr Gone
Simon T Bramley
Neil Burditt
Phil Nelson
Ben Searle
Tim Smart
Jamie M Harris
Tommy Emmerton
Robin Jones
Eddie Henderson Jazz Cafe review in Blues & Soul magazine
Eddie Henderson - trumpet / flugelhorn
Jamie Harris - saxes / flute
Simon Bramley - bass
Neil Burditt - fender rhodes / synth / piano
Phil Nelson - drums
Robin Jones - percussion
Neff Irizarry - guitar
"Eddie Henderson was one of the few major jazz fusion artists who didn't perform live in the UK in the late 70's/early 80's, when jazz funk was at the height of its popularity. This is surprising considering that Eddie was voted ahead of most of his contemporaries in B&S polls at that time.
Being at this concert was like being taken back in time to those heady halcyon days, and one of the best gigs of this style of music that I have ever witnessed having seen all the greats: Grover, Herbie, Donald, Ronnie, Crusaders and of course Roy Ayers at their peak. Ably supported by UK fusionists Mr.Gone, Eddie a sprightly 61 year old, performed all his great tunes from the 70s (as featured in his recent anthology set on Soul Brother Records) to a capacity crowd.
Starting with "Open Eyes" with Neil Burditt on keyboards sounding like Patrice Rushen, the band set the pace for the gig; jazzy alright, but downright funky too. "Hopscotch" was followed by his classic "Say You Will", with Dr. Henderson blowing hard but serenely. The beautiful "Amoroso" with all its subtle changes showed Henderson at his finest on muted trumpet and flugelhorn. "Inside You" slowed the pace a little, and then came Herbie's "Butterfly".
Jamie Harris on flute, saxes and keyboards showed what a great musician he is, and his interplay with Eddie, augmented by a tight funky band was a notable highlight amongst many. The track became heavier and funkier as it went on and so did the audience! "Movin On", with its throbbing bass line, was followed by Henderson's dance anthem "Prance On" and the audience went suitably wild. Eddie using an echoplex to recreate those spacey trumpet riffs sounded just great.
After a short break, the band returned for an encore with veteran percussionist Robin Jones treating us to a breathtaking conga solo. Eddie followed with more spacey effects, then Simon Bramley's heavy bass took us into "Kudu", as funky a jazz number as you could imagine. A big shout should also go to soundman Kevin, who somehow managed to achieve a crystal clear sound despite all the energy coming from the stage.
The audience left having witnessed one of the greatest ever fusion gigs, performed by one of the greatest living trumpeters and his funky band, 90 minutes of pure magic. When Eddie Henderson returns, as he must surely do, be there or be very square."
Baltic live dates
Mr Gone, backed by Afro Elements, recently completed a short mini tour with 4 gigs in 6 days. The tour took in Stockholm (Sweden - The Lydmaar Hotel), Helsinki (Finland - Tavastia Club) and Tallinn (Estonia - Club Spirit) as well as their home town of Leicester (England - Cafe Coyote). The band would like to extend many many thanks to the clubs, promoters and everyone who looked after them and made them feel welcome, especially Tom in Tallinn.
All dates were very successful, in Helsinki Mr Gone himself was interviewed for both radio and TV. The DJ for the night was none other than Snowboy, who graciously joined the band for the final number. In Estonia the band could have sold out The Spirit club twice over and would like to thank everyone who turned up for making it one of the most enjoyable gigs the band has ever played.
l-r : Neff Irizarry (guitar), Jamie Harris (sax/flute), Simon T. Bramley (bass), Tim Smart (trombone),
Neil Hunter (keyboards), Phil Nelson (drums), Neil Burditt (rhodes/synth), Ben Searle (trumpet).
Live review and video clip from Prestatyn Soul Weekender March 2008 
