So, Chord Rush, who are you?
We’re a five-piece band made up of Greg Francis on trumpet, Simon Crowther on keys, guitarist Dennis Jackson, bassist Peter Cabara, and Phil Glazzard on drums – we got together in early 2012.
So it’s still early days, then. How would you describe your sound to SoGlos readers?
Labels are always a difficult one. We’d probably describe ourselves as a jazz-funk ensemble with a bit of a Latin twist. Our aim is to find and play tunes that have strong melodies and rhythms, as well as some that people won’t have heard at loads of other gigs.
That’s quite a variation. Where are you all from, and what’s your link to Gloucestershire?
All over the place! Dennis moved from Kent about 18 months ago, Simon’s from Hampshire, Greg started out from Wales, and Peter moved over from the Czech Republic a few years ago – so you see, we’re quite the mixed bag.
We all now live in Herefordshire but gig regularly in Gloucestershire.
And how did you all get together?
Well, Simon and Dennis met through the formation of another band, which never took off, so they advertised for like-minded musicians to join them, and the rest as they say is history. We’re all highly experienced musicians with varied backgrounds in all sorts of genres, so came together well.
Would you say that you’re covers band then?
We’ve only been gigging for a short while and source our material from anywhere. So you could hear something written by Amy Winehouse, followed by a Rogers and Hart Tune.
We don’t like to do straight covers though, and always try to come up with a fresh arrangement or put a twist on the material. You can have a listen to some tracks we recorded not long after we formed, and see whether you agree.
Our repertoire ranges from popular hits such as Groove Armada’s ‘At the River’, Stevie Wonder’s ‘I Wish’ and ‘Rehab’ by Amy Winehouse, to lesser-known and classical songs such as Strauss’ ‘Also Sprach Zarathrustra’, ‘Morning’ by the late Clare Fischer, and Carlos Jobim’s ‘How Insensitive’.
So what’s been your favourite venue to play at so far?
Anywhere with an appreciative audience and a good vibe. We particularly like the Courtyard, Bull at Ludlow and The Barrels in Hereford, but are looking forward to our next Gloucester gig very soon!
Where would you most like to play in Gloucestershire?
Probably the Cheltenham Jazz Festival, or The Daffodil would be nice too.
Can you recommend an album to SoGlos readers that you don’t think they will have discovered?
We love Derek Nash’s music – he’s the lead saxophonist with Jools Holland’s band, but fronts other outfits too – so try Intrepid by his jazz funk band Protect the Beat. It’s intelligent, funky and full of superb musicianship.
And our second recommendation would be Gregory Porter’s Water or Be Good. He’s a talented singer and composer who blew us away at this year’s Cheltenham Jazz Festival.
Good stuff. And finally, where can Gloucestershire fans see you perform in the next month or so?
We’re playing at The Wharf House Restaurant at Over on Saturday 1 September 2012. We’ll be on the beautiful riverside terrace as part of its Beer, Cider and Perry Festival that weekend. See you up front!
By Shelly Elcock
© SoGlos
Tuesday 21 August 2012
