Acid Jazz Forefathers Galliano Return with a New Album

Almost three decades after their last release, Acid Jazz forefathers Galliano are back with news of their new LP ‘Halfway Somewhere’ released on Gilles Peterson’s Brownswood Recordings on 30 August. Listen to the lead single ‘Circles Going Round The Sun’ here

Galliano emerged from London’s underground clubs and warehouse parties in the mid to late eighties. Their debut single was released on the Acid Jazz label in 1988. The band was part of a culture encompassing music, dance, fashion, art, design, and the written word.

In 1990, they debuted as the first act on Gilles Peterson’s Talkin’ Loud label with ‘Welcome to the Story’, produced by Chris Bangs, who coined the term Acid Jazz. They were dressed in Gabicci sweaters, beads, and skullcaps, capturing a scene centered on reinvention. “We were all experimenting with whatever we could find, whether it was a 1970s book on Jamaican style or old Last Poets and Watts Prophets records,” says Gallagher. “We had been repurposing things for a few years, but suddenly everything came together, creating a solid amalgamation.”

For their first album since ‘Live at The Liquid Room (Tokyo)’ in 1997, Rob Gallagher and his partner, vocalist Valerie Etienne, are joined by Galliano stalwarts Ernie McKone on bass, Crispin Taylor on drums, and Ski Oakenfull on keys (with guests including saxophonist Jason Yarde and percussionist Crispin ‘Spry’ Robinson).

Where the old Galliano recycled records they heard at clubs, today they are responding to the kaleidoscopic global jazz scene – from Total Refreshment Centre in London to International Anthem in Chicago. More than forty years since they came together, Galliano is still only ‘Halfway Somewhere’ but, listening to the album, they are having fun getting there. “I think the stars have to be aligned when you redo things,” says Gallagher. “Coming at it from this door is very different to the door we came into back then. But once it’s existing it is something. But I’m still not sure what that something is.”

Source: Image provided by Practice Music

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David Emmanuel Noel

David Emmanuel Noel is an avid blogger, film fanatic, art enthusiast, music lover, and theatergoer. He is an interdisciplinary artist, curator, and PR consultant who has been involved in several music events and visual art exhibitions at venues such as the Kennedy Center Washington DC, Bernie Grant Arts Centre London, the Landmark Arts Building New York, and Whole 9 Gallery in Culver City, California. He has worked closely with institutes, professional bodies, and agencies such as the Royal Institute of British Architects, New York Mayor’s Office, CAMBA- the New York-based agency, the NSPCC, and several London Boroughs on projects supporting the environmental and therapeutic benefits of the arts. He is based in London and New York.

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