| Gilgamesh | |
|---|---|
| Origin |  United Kingdom |
| Genre(s) | Jazz fusion |
| Years active | 1972-1975, 1977-1978 |
| Former members | |
| Alan Gowen Mike Travis Jeff Clyne Phil Lee Neil Murray Mont Campbell Hugh Hopper Trevor Tomkins |
|
Gilgamesh (1972-1975, 1977-1978) was a jazz fusion band in the 1970s led by keyboardist Alan Gowen, part of the Canterbury scene. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located A music genre is a categorical and typological construct that identifies musical sounds as belonging to a particular category and type of music that can be distinguished from other Fusion or more specifically jazz fusion or jazz rock, is a Musical genre that merges Jazz with elements of other styles of music particularly Alan Gowen (born 19 August 1947, North Hampstead North West London - 17 May 1981) was a fusion / Progressive rock Jeffrey Ovid 'Jeff' Clyne (born 29 January 1937, in London) is a British Jazz Bassist (playing both Bass guitar and Philip Neil Murray (born 27 August 1950 in Edinburgh Scotland is a British bass player best known for his work in Whitesnake and Black Sabbath Hugo Martin Montgomery Campbell, formerly known as Mont Campbell, now Dirk Campbell (born 30 December 1950 in Ismalia Egypt) is a Hugh C Hopper (born 29 April 1945, Canterbury, Kent, England) is a Progressive rock / ( fusion) Jazz Trevor Ramsey Tomkins (born 12 May 1941 in London) is an English Jazz drummer best known for his work in a number of British bands Fusion or more specifically jazz fusion or jazz rock, is a Musical genre that merges Jazz with elements of other styles of music particularly Alan Gowen (born 19 August 1947, North Hampstead North West London - 17 May 1981) was a fusion / Progressive rock The Canterbury scene (or Canterbury sound) is a term used to loosely describe the group of Progressive rock, Avant-garde and jazz musicians many of whom
The original basis of Gilgamesh was Gowen and drummer Mike Travis, the two working together on a band project with guitarist Rick Morcombe. The original Gilgamesh line-up consisted of Gowen, Travis, Morcombe, Jeff Clyne and Alan Wakeman on saxophone. Jeffrey Ovid 'Jeff' Clyne (born 29 January 1937, in London) is a British Jazz Bassist (playing both Bass guitar and Alan Wakeman (born 13 October 1947, in Hammersmith, West London) is a saxophonist known for his work in Soft Machine during 1976
The band's line-up took a while to stabilise, with, for example, Richard Sinclair depping for Clyne on its debut performance in January 1973; soon afterwards it settled on the quartet of Gowen, Travis, Phil Lee on guitar (recommended by Travis) and Neil Murray on bass. Richard S Sinclair (born 6 June 1948 in Canterbury, England) is a Progressive rock bassist guitarist and vocalist who has been a member of several Philip Neil Murray (born 27 August 1950 in Edinburgh Scotland is a British bass player best known for his work in Whitesnake and Black Sabbath Regular gigs followed throughout 1973, including two special performances co-headlining with Hatfield and the North which included a "double-quartet" set consisting of a 40-minute composition by Gowen. Hatfield and the North was an experimental Canterbury scene Rock band that lasted from October 1972 to June 1975 with some reunions thereafter A demo tape was also recorded for gig- and contract-hunting purposes.
In late 1973, Murray was replaced by Steve Cook, but gigs subsequently became ever sparser, despite a series of radio sessions for the BBC's jazz programmes. For one of those the quartet was augmented with a second keyboard player, Peter Lemer. In 1975, Gilgamesh finally secured a contract with Virgin's subsidiary label Caroline Records, and recorded its debut album in downtime at the Virgin-owned Manor Studios, with Hatfield's Dave Stewart acting as co-producer. Caroline Records started out as a subsidiary of Richard Branson 's Virgin Records label during the early to mid 1970s
Gowen and Stewart had become friends over the previous months and discussed a possible collaboration, but Stewart was hesitant about being in two bands simultaneously. When Hatfield and the North finally broke up in mid-1975, Stewart joined Gilgamesh as auxiliary member, playing one gig and a couple of radio sessions with the group. Hatfield and the North was an experimental Canterbury scene Rock band that lasted from October 1972 to June 1975 with some reunions thereafter Meanwhile plans were laid for the Stewart-Gowen collaboration, which eventually materialised as National Health and also (briefly) included Gilgamesh guitarist Phil Lee. National Health was a Progressive rock band associated with the Canterbury scene. Gilgamesh itself ceased operations in late 1975 following the cancellation of a proposed Scottish tour.
After leaving National Health, in 1977 Gowen reformed Gilgamesh as a rehearsal-oriented unit with Murray, Lee and drummer Trevor Tomkins (a longtime collaborator of Lee's) for occasional rehearsals. Trevor Ramsey Tomkins (born 12 May 1941 in London) is an English Jazz drummer best known for his work in a number of British bands A second album was recorded in June 1978, Another Fine Tune You've Got Me Into (released 1978 on Charly Records), with Gowen, Lee, Tomkins and bassist Hugh Hopper, but the band had no further existence. Hugh C Hopper (born 29 April 1945, Canterbury, Kent, England) is a Progressive rock / ( fusion) Jazz Gowen died a few years later in 1981.
In 2000, Cuneiform Records released archive recordings of the band under the name Arriving Twice. Cuneiform Records is an Independent record label based in Silver Spring Maryland. It consists of the 1973 demo as well as two radio sessions from 1974-75. It features variously Gowen, Lee, Travis, Murray, Cook, Clyne and Peter Lemer, and includes several previously unheard compositions, notably "Extract", from the unrecorded Gilgamesh/Hatfield and the North double-quartet piece. Peter Lemer (born June 14, 1942) is an English Jazz Musician.
Discography
- Gilgamesh (1975, Caroline Records)
- Another Fine Tune You've Got Me Into (1978, Charly Records)
- Arriving Twice (2000, Cuneiform Records)
Sources
Caroline Records started out as a subsidiary of Richard Branson 's Virgin Records label during the early to mid 1970s Cuneiform Records is an Independent record label based in Silver Spring Maryland.Dapyx Software network: MP3 Explorer | Ebook Manager | Zenithic