Rescue Rooms in Nottingham, UK on September 27, 2006
Just under a week after appearing in Nottingham with "Artie Fishel and the Promised Band", Gilad Atzmon was back in town, this time with the Blockheads, the late Ian Dury's band. This wasn't your normal jazz gig; you might say it wasn't even a jazz gig, but the Blockheads always were great musicians and jazz was always a big influence on Ian Dury. The bass line for "Sex and Drugs and Rock and Roll" was lifted from Charlie Haden's solo on "Ramblin'", from Ornette's "Change of the Century" album, and one of the "Reasons to be Cheerful" was John Coltrane's soprano... The venue was packed, the band gave 100 percent, everyone went home happy. After the gig I asked Gilad if the Blockheads' music was in any way jazz. "It's jazz with an audience," he said.
JazzReview.com
