Angel Air have done us all a great service by excavating the recorded history of this
little jazz to rock band.
They've really dug deep here, because 'Origins 65-67' does exactly what it says on the
tin. It discovers a nascent Affinity, gigging at Sussex University in the swinging sixties when they
were known as US Jazz Trio.
Not surprisingly, the trio featured a set of jazz standards rather than original compositions.
However, the recording made 'in the debating chamber and various noisy bars' is unintentionally
atmospheric. With the clatter of student pint-pots in the background it gives classic Sloopy period Ramsey Lewis
a run for his money. It's the sort of stuff that Louis Balfour (of Fast Show fame) would have trembled over.
Indeed you can almost smell the hairy armpits and unshaven faces of the assembled multitude - and that's not just
the band we're talking about. It is a superb period piece and adds a little to our understanding of this rather special jazz-rock band
who strangely might achieve more notoriety now - thanks to Angel Air's practised archaeology - than in the good old days.
The genial Mo Foster (to whom we have to thank for helping dust off the tape reels) plays drums whilst a bonus track
features the great Linda Hoyle on vocals in 1980. Hey, Mo, how about a reunion?
***** Out of this world | **** Pretty
damn fine |
*** OK, approach with caution unless you are a fan |
** Instant bargain bin fodder | * Ugly. Just ugly
