Top San Francisco band are bound for two Highland dates in July 2006.
The latest review of The Crooked Jades' new album, 'World's On Fire', sums the band's music up like never before.
“It smells of San Francisco, fish, Chinese laundries, the Pacific ocean, red wine, sourdough bread, opium dens and French perfume. It's mysterious, exotic and sensual,” said the enthusiastic Washington writer.
These five musicians make up what is one of the best old-time mountain music string bands in the world, if not THE best. And, they arrive in the UK for a first ever tour here in July, with a date scheduled for The Warehouse Theatre in Lossiemouth.
The band has played just about every major festival in their native USA, and received a standing ovation when they appeared at Doc Watson's huge outdoor bluegrass bash, MerleFest, attended by 80,000 in North Carolina, in 2005.
The five-piece, from San Francisco, are on a mission to reinvent old-time music, pushing boundaries and blurring categories with their fiery, soulful performances, driving dance tunes and haunting ballads.
It was long before Oh, Brother, Where Art Thou? created a new interest in old-time music that the band began digging up and reviving songs and tunes from the distant past.
But, although known for a repertoire that is filled with rare and obscure nuggets, it’s invariably The Jades’ beautiful ‘in-keeping’ original compositions, inspired arrangements and eclectic style, much played on vintage instruments that win the critics’ praise.
The band started out back in 1994 when leader/founder Jeff Kazor had a vision to revive the dark and hypnotic sounds of pre-radio music.
A blend of West and East Coast pickers with equal parts attitude and respect, the band performs with a unique energy that has audiences on their feet dancing, and reviewers comparing them to everyone from The New Lost City Ramblers and The Pogues to Gillian Welch, Nick Cave and Tom Waits.
The Crooked Jades are Jeff Kazor (guitar/ukulele) Jennie Benford, who is well-known to fans of Jim & Jennie & The Pinetops (mandolin/guitar), Adam Tanner (fiddle/mandolin), Megan Adie (bass), and Seth Folsom (banjo/banjo uke/minstrel banjo/slide guitar/fiddle).
Up until this year, The Crooked Jades had released four critically-acclaimed albums on Copper Creek Records. The brand new release has been attracting widespread praise both here and in America.
Playing tracks on his BBC 2 radio show, Bob Harris told his listeners it was "a wonderful album".
Andy Kershaw is another confirmed fan and loves the band so much he has invited them to record a one-hour special for his BBC Radio 3 show while they are here.
The band is in Europe for a string of dates including festival appearances (HebCeltFest in Stornoway and Brampton ‘Live’ in Cumbria), for the UK launch of the album on June 26.
Reviewing ‘World’s On Fire’ The Boston Herald told readers: "This San Francisco quintet keep true to their old-time string band heart. It makes for a haunting, sophisticated trip to Appalachia. Mixing originals and traditional songs flawlessly, this might be the finest album to come out of the string-band resurgence."
Meanwhile, The Chicago Tribune confirmed too that barriers were being broken down across the normal age divide and said they make music that “might appeal as much to the pierced generation as to their great-grandparents.”
The UK tour has been organised in conjunction with the Scottish Bluegrass Association. SBA secretary John Sheldon says the band is “one of the best” and not to be missed.
“From a perspective of cracking ‘live’ entertainment, it just doesn’t get much better than this," he said.
"Bands such as Nickel Creek and Old Crow Medicine Show have had mainstream exposure and are better known, but many of the best on the circuit plough their own furrow and there is a growing number of fans in Scotland who who know their stuff and know when something a bit special is heading their way.
"We have tried to bring The Crooked Jades over here many times and they are in such high demand in America that it's been impossible before now.
"It's only since their latest album - their fifth - made such an impact here, that the band suddenly realised there's an audience for their music in Europe too."
Kazor maintains that his own writing style, by happy coincidence, is perfectly suited to the genre.
"The songs that I write come out that way. That’s just how it is,” he says.
And what is it about those old obscurities that he finds so appealing?
“There's a charm in old-time music that I don't hear in music after the 1950s.
“These days, more and more people keep telling me they see it that way too.”
GIG GUIDE DATE: 14 & 15 July 2006 - HEBRIDEAN CELTIC FESTIVAL, Stornaway 01851 621234
http://www.hebceltfest.com/festival/artists/jades/ 18 July 2006 - The Warehouse Theatre, (in conjunction with Medicine Music) Pitgaveny Quay, Lossiemouth, IV31 6TW. 8pm. Tickets (£10) from 01343 814004.
