Winwood's Jammin' Good 'Time'
Posted: Sat Jun 21, 2003 4:33 pm
A background article on Stevie Winwood's new release...40 years in the business, next year !!!
Has ANYONE picked up this cd yet ????
Winwood's Jammin' Good 'Time'
Sat June 21, 2003 03:24 PM ET
By Melinda Newman
LOS ANGELES (Billboard) - The connection between the music of Steve Winwood and today's jam bands is a linear one: a music fan only has to listen to his late-'60s/ early-'70s work with Traffic and then throw on some Phish to see it.
So it's no surprise that Winwood's music is resonating with a new generation of jam band fans on the road or that he has linked with one of the genre's leading lights to release his newest album.
His new project, About Time, came out June 17. The album marks his departure from longtime home Virgin Records and his first album on his own label, Wincraft Music. The label is administered by String Cheese Incident's SCI Fidelity Records.
When Winwood first heard String Cheese Incident (SCI) last year, he loved its spirit. "I did find that their music was rather refreshing in that it had a freedom that one doesn't hear on the radio very often now," he says. He was also delighted to find out that SCI covered a number of Traffic songs in concert.
While not influenced musically by SCI, Winwood adopted a similarly carefree attitude when making his new project.
"I think I have been influenced by who the audience is or by the radio a bit more than I would have wanted to be in the past, which has led to me making a record like this," he says. "I hadn't made the record I exactly wanted to make on my few previous efforts, for whatever reason. With this one, I just felt that I knew what I wanted to do -- whether anyone else likes it is another question."
Winwood's trademark organ work drenches the album and is bolstered by guitarist Jose Neto and drummer Walfredo Reyes Jr. The trio, occasionally supported by such outside musicians as Karl Denson, recorded the album primarily live in Winwood's Gloucestershire, England, studio.
Currently on tour, Winwood is playing a number of festivals this summer, as well as touring with the Dead for several dates. For jam fans, there are plenty of extended tracks on the album that will translate well live, including "Cigano (For the Gypsies)," "Bully," and the 11-minute "Silvio (Who Is She)."
Winwood's goal is to bring other acts to Wincraft Music. "I'm certainly excited about the prospect of signing artists," he says. "I do have my eye on quite a few people, but I'm not ready to commit to that yet. There are a lot of people out there who may not be quite right for the mainstream record companies."
It's hard to believe, but 2004 will mark 40 years since Winwood first entered a studio. "I haven't thought of how to celebrate, but I do enjoy celebrations," he says. "So I'm sure I'll think of something."
Reuters/Billboard
http://asia.reuters.com/newsArticle.jht ... ID=2966699
Has ANYONE picked up this cd yet ????
Winwood's Jammin' Good 'Time'
Sat June 21, 2003 03:24 PM ET
By Melinda Newman
LOS ANGELES (Billboard) - The connection between the music of Steve Winwood and today's jam bands is a linear one: a music fan only has to listen to his late-'60s/ early-'70s work with Traffic and then throw on some Phish to see it.
So it's no surprise that Winwood's music is resonating with a new generation of jam band fans on the road or that he has linked with one of the genre's leading lights to release his newest album.
His new project, About Time, came out June 17. The album marks his departure from longtime home Virgin Records and his first album on his own label, Wincraft Music. The label is administered by String Cheese Incident's SCI Fidelity Records.
When Winwood first heard String Cheese Incident (SCI) last year, he loved its spirit. "I did find that their music was rather refreshing in that it had a freedom that one doesn't hear on the radio very often now," he says. He was also delighted to find out that SCI covered a number of Traffic songs in concert.
While not influenced musically by SCI, Winwood adopted a similarly carefree attitude when making his new project.
"I think I have been influenced by who the audience is or by the radio a bit more than I would have wanted to be in the past, which has led to me making a record like this," he says. "I hadn't made the record I exactly wanted to make on my few previous efforts, for whatever reason. With this one, I just felt that I knew what I wanted to do -- whether anyone else likes it is another question."
Winwood's trademark organ work drenches the album and is bolstered by guitarist Jose Neto and drummer Walfredo Reyes Jr. The trio, occasionally supported by such outside musicians as Karl Denson, recorded the album primarily live in Winwood's Gloucestershire, England, studio.
Currently on tour, Winwood is playing a number of festivals this summer, as well as touring with the Dead for several dates. For jam fans, there are plenty of extended tracks on the album that will translate well live, including "Cigano (For the Gypsies)," "Bully," and the 11-minute "Silvio (Who Is She)."
Winwood's goal is to bring other acts to Wincraft Music. "I'm certainly excited about the prospect of signing artists," he says. "I do have my eye on quite a few people, but I'm not ready to commit to that yet. There are a lot of people out there who may not be quite right for the mainstream record companies."
It's hard to believe, but 2004 will mark 40 years since Winwood first entered a studio. "I haven't thought of how to celebrate, but I do enjoy celebrations," he says. "So I'm sure I'll think of something."
Reuters/Billboard
http://asia.reuters.com/newsArticle.jht ... ID=2966699