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Biography
Infobox musical artist | name = Jade Warrior| image = Jade_Warrior_group.jpg| caption = Jade Warrior, left to right: Glyn Havard, Jon Field, Dave Sturt.| image_size = | background = group_or_band| origin = United Kingdom | genre = Progressive rock , Symphonic rock , World Music | years_active = 1970& ndash;present| label = Vertigo Records , Island Records , Red Hot Records, Acme Records , Eclectic, WindWeaver Music| associated_acts =| website = http://www.jadewarrior.com Jade Warrior| current_members = Jon Field, Glyn Havard, Dave Sturt | past_members = Tony Duhig (deceased), Colin HensonJade Warrior are a United Kingdom|British musical ensemble|group that were formed in 1970, originally evolving out of a band named July (band)|July . The founding members were Tony Duhig ( guitar ) (born Anthony Christopher Duhig, 18 September 1941, Acton, London|Acton , west London ; died 11 November 1990, Somerset , England ), Jon Field ( flute , Percussion instrument|percussion , keyboard instrument|keyboards ) (born John Frederick Field, 5 July 1940, London Borough of Harrow|Harrow , Middlesex ) and Glyn Havard ( Human voice|vocals , bass guitar|bass ) (born 15 February 1947, Nantyglo , South Wales ).
History
Jon Field and Tony Duhig met in the early 1960s when working in a factory (both driving forklift s).cite web | author = Casey Elston| date = | url = http://www.allmusic.com/artist/jade-warrior-p2618/biography| title = Jade Warrior biography | publisher = AllMusic| accessdate = 2011-01-01 Soon they found common musical interests ( jazz , African music|African and Latin American music ), started playing instruments (Jon a set of congas , Tony a guitar, which he tuned unconventionally to Open chord|open C (music)|C ), bought a four-track tape recorder each and started experimenting with multi-layered overdubs. According to Field, the process was not unlike "...trying to build a cathedral with the sort of things you'd find in your back yard," but still, as it turned out, formed a blueprint for Jade Warrior's music throughout their career.cite web | author = | date = | url = http://www.jadewarrior.com/journey.htm| title = Short History| publisher = www.jadewarrior.com| accessdate = 2011-01-01
In 1965, the two formed a rhythm & blues outfit called Second Thoughts with Patrick Lyons on vocals, which released one four-song EP. Meanwhile, in a parallel line of development, Tom Newman (musician)|Tom Newman (later the engineer for Mike Oldfield 's Tubular Bells ), Alan James, Pete Cook and Chris Jackson had formed the Tomcats.One of several bands known to have used this name. In 1965, both bands split up, Lyons joining Alex Spyropoulos in a (then) duo Nirvana (UK band)|Nirvana , which released five LPs (with Jade Warrior members guesting on 1972's Local Anaesthetic ). Reformed with a new line-up - Newman, James, Jackson, Jon Field and Tony Duhig – Tomcats spent 1965-1966 in Spain where they released four EPs to much local acclaim (later Acme Records released them as a single LP, having included The Second Thoughts' EP). In 1966, Tomcats returned to England, changed their name to July, and released their one only (eponymous) album, a Psychedelic rock|psychedelic pop-rock collection. (Later it was re-issued as Second of July with some alternate versions and outtakes, and then as Dandelion Seeds with yet a different tracklist).
July disbanded in 1968. Tony Duhig traveled to Iran , where (according to AllMusic ) he met guitarist and future bandmate bass guitarist and vocalist Glyn Havard. In the words of David Duhig, Tony's brother (and later a band member), "Tony met Glyn Havard and Allan Price,Not to be confused with Alan Price of The Animals . and they formed a band, which nobody really mentions about because they went off to Persia to do some sort of money gig. I suppose the most notable thing about that is that Tony caught some sort of disease he called 'Persian Leg,' which plagued him from there on it. That was around the end of '69."cite web | author = | date = | url = http://www.radagast.org/jade-warrior/archive/DavidDuhigInterview.html | title = An interview with David Duhig | publisher = www.radagast.org | accessdate = 2011-01-01 On return, Tony Duhig successfully auditioned for Unit Four Plus Two , of which Havard and drummer Allan Price were already members at the time. Soon the band broke up, but Field, Duhig, and Havard stuck together, and soon named themselves Jade Warrior after a certain dance drama Tony had had composed for a London drama school. According to Havard, though, - quote|''We all agreed that whatever we called ourselves would need to express the dualistic nature of our music - the 'soft/hard' quality if you like. Working along those lines, we sat down in Jon's living room and drew up two lists, one comprising words we identified with the quieter, meditative side of the band, and the other expressing the heavier, more menacing aspect. The hard list featured a more macho selection such as 'Spear' and, of course, 'Warrior'. Jon's first wife, Jenny, had made the suggestion that we might select our name from a choice of verbs rather than nouns, but after some deliberation, we ditched this idea as being too outre. In the end we decided on 'Jade', from the soft list, and 'Warrior' from the hard one. I guess had it gone differently, we might just as easily have been called something like 'Lotus Spear'. cite web | author = | date = | url = http://www.radagast.org/jade-warrior/archive/history.html | title = A History of Jade Warrior (version of 28 June 2010) | publisher = www.radagast.org | accessdate = 2011-01-01Later a Red Hot Records press release stated that, "Jade Warrior was a Japanese term for a samurai warrior who was also a poet and scholar", but Havard expressed doubts as for the literal truth of this interpretation.
Vertigo years. 1970-1973
In 1970, Jade Warrior signed a deal with Vertigo Records|Vertigo (their old band-mate Patrick Lyons, now Patrick Campbell-Lyons, had become a producer and a scout for this record label|label ), according to Havard, 'in a package' with Assagai , an Afro-rock band, with whom they shared the same management. This (according to an official biography), "left Jade Warrior a contract with a record company, which had little actual interest in the band, and very little willingness to support or promote them." Their debut album , Jade Warrior (album)|Jade Warrior , released in 1971, established their trademark sound of soft/loud contrasts, and Field's multi-layered flutes and percussion vying with Duhig's cutting guitar.
This was followed in the same year by Released (Jade Warrior album)|Released with appearances from Dave Duhig (solo guitar), Allan Price on drums, and guest saxophonist Dave Conners.cite web|url= http://www.jadewarrior.com/journey.htm |title=A short history |publisher=Jade Warrior |date=2008-10-23 |accessdate=2011-03-12 Here Jade Warrior sharpened their rock edge ("Three Horned Dragon King", "Minnamato's Dream", the fifteen minute rock jam "Barazinbar"), their quieter side represented by pieces like "Yellow Eyes" and "Bride of Summer". According to critic Peter Thelen, "where the first album featured an array of sonic possibilities, this is an album that highlighted the contrasts within that sound".cite web | author = Peter Thelen | date = | url = http://gnosis2000.net/reviews/jadewarrior.htm gnosis2000.net | title = Jade Warrior | publisher =gnosis2000.net | accessdate = 2010-01-18 "If Jade Warrior's second album has any overwhelming flaw, it is that its predecessor traveled so far off the conventional beaten tracks of early-'70s prog that anything less than absolute reinvention could only be regarded as a rerun of past glories", AllMusic argued years later. "…There is little here that Jade Warrior itself did not predict, but the unerring delivery of those predictions is a marvel in itself", critic Dave Thompson concluded.cite web | author = Dave Thompson | date = | url = http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll? p=amg& sql=10:jnfixqw5ldhe | title = Released, review | publisher =www.allmusic.com | accessdate = 2010-01-18
In 1972, '' Last Autumn's Dream (album)|Last Autumn's Dream '' followed, both Price and David Duhig taking part in the procedures. The album, taking a step back to revisit “the wall-of-all-colors approach of their debut with a more surefooted and substantive instrumental approach,” featured mysterious-sounding, introspective instrumental tunes ("Dark River", "Obedience", "Borne on the Solar Wind") juxtaposed with melodic pieces like "A Winter's Tale" and "May Queen" and harsh rockers ("Snake", "The Demon Trucker", "Joanne"). "One might sense in the overview that the band lost their way on the second album, and tried to put themselves back on track with the third", Peter Thelen argued. Nevertheless, as Dave Thompson put it, "For anybody just discovering Jade Warrior, Last Autumn's Dream is certainly the last of its truly essential albums".cite web | author = Dave Thompson | date = | url = http://www.allmusic.com/album/last-autumns-dream-r83187/review | title = Last Autumn Dream, reviewed | publisher =www.allmusic.com | accessdate = 2010-01-18 Taken as a whole, the first three albums saw the band creating and perfecting an innovative style, which (according to Dave Platt and Charles Wilkinson's biography) "ha its base in rock music… with a Jethro Tull (band)|Jethro Tull flavour, and significant admixtures of what we'd probably call 'world music' influence today". The band toured the U.S. at the time (as the opening band for Dave Mason , Long John Baldry , and Earth Quake (band)|Earth Quake , and has been reportedly captured on film during this period, at the Marquee Club in London. Material for another two albums, Eclipse and Fifth Element was also recorded during 1973. Vertigo first decided they would rather release it as two separate albums, and even went so far as releasing a couple of the songs from the fourth album on various samplers, then changed their mind again and cancelled their recording contract altogether. The project was shelved, only to be released in 1998.
Island years. 1974-1978
In 1974, Steve Winwood (of Traffic (band)|Traffic ) urged Chris Blackwell of Island Records to listen to Jade Warrior. He did so, but would only sign them as an instrumental duo, which meant there was no place for Havard. Duhig and Field (who also provided flute on Mike Oldfield 's Tubular Bells ) http://www.allmusic.com/album/tubular-bells-r129945/credits Mike Oldfield . Tubular Bells . Credits. - www.allmusic.com were to create four albums on Island Records, with their sound expanded to include choirs, harp, and a string quartet. Guest musicians on these albums included Steve Winwood (keyboards), Fred Frith of Henry Cow ( violin ) and Dave Duhig.cite web|url= http://www.radagast.org/jade-warrior/archive/discography.html |title=Jade Warrior discography |publisher=Radagast.org |date= |accessdate=2011-03-12
First came Floating World (Jade Warrior album)|Floating World (1974), a complex concept set themed around the Japanese philosophy of Ukiyo , with the songs revolving around two interrelated and interlaced series of compositions. According to AllMusic, " sheer diversity of sounds and moods, the constant clash or gentle intermingling of Eastern and Western styles, and the set's glittering atmospheres made Floating World an undeniable masterpiece".cite web | author = Jo-Ann Green | date = | url = http://www.allmusic.com/album/floating-world-r208110/review | title = Floating World review | publisher = AllMusic | accessdate = 2011-01-01 The band's foray into what would later be labeled world and ambient music came parallel to that of Brian Eno , who described Floating World as an "important album".
It was followed by Waves (Jade Warrior album)|Waves (1975), another concept album dedicated to "...the last whale" and featuring Steve Winwood as a guest on piano and moog. The album consisted of a single composition, divided into two parts (each taking ap an LP side); this, according to AllMusic, proved "a nightmare for radio programmers who might have provided Waves with the airplay it desperately needed to push Jade Warrior beyond cult status".cite web | author = Casey Elston | date = | url = http://www.allmusic.com/album/waves-r107079 | title = Waves review | publisher = AllMusic | accessdate = 2011-01-01 1976's Kites (album)|Kites recorded with guest musicians, Fred Frith among them, presented the band at their most musically abstract and progressive, each side being essentially a long concept piece, inspired by Paul Klee 's painting "The Kingdom of the Air" and 9th century China's wandering Zen master Teh Ch'eng. The last of the four Island albums, Way of the Sun , represented a spacial, cinematic sound journey to Latin America, described by AllMusic as an "incredibly vibrant set that quivers with emotion and life itself".cite web | author = Jo-Ann Greene | date = | url = http://www.allmusic.com/album/way-of-the-sun-r107081/review | title = Way of the Sun review | publisher = AllMusic | accessdate = 2011-01-01
1980-2007
Personal issues, illness, and Duhig moving house to set up a recording studio , meant that the next album to be released was the 1979 compilation album|compilation , Reflections , taken from their Vertigo years and containing some (at the time) unreleased tracks. It was not until 1984 that any new material emerged with the release of Horizen on Pulse Records, described as definitely a "Tony Duhig project": he wrote all of the music, while Field performed on only a few of the tracks. In 1989, At Peace was released by Eartsounds label. This album, recorded at Tony Duhig's studio in only four days and performed solely by the duo, has been seen as the least typical of the Jade Warrior albums, close to ambient and even new age music.
This was followed by another long hiatus until Jade Warrior started their next project with new band members Colin Henson (guitar) and Dave Sturt (fretless bass). However, they were dealt a blow by the sudden death of Tony Duhig in 1990,cite web|author=Doc Rock |url= http://thedeadrockstarsclub.com/1990.html |title=The Dead Rock Stars Club 1990 - 1991 |publisher=Thedeadrockstarsclub.com |date= |accessdate=2011-03-12 before he could contribute to the album. The band decided to continue on with the album, which became the 1992 release Breathing the Storm on the Red Hot Records (re-released on CD by Voiceprint Records|Voiceprint in 2001). This trio then released a follow-up album Distant Echoes in 1993, with guest appearances from Theo Travis of Gong (band)|Gong ( saxophone ), David Cross (musician)|David Cross of King Crimson (violin) and Tom Newman (musician)|Tom Newman . It seemed for a while that Jade Warrior may have disbanded, as their only output was the previously mentioned Eclipse and Fifth Element , but these were then joined by the re-issue of all four Island albums in 2006.
In 2000, Glyn Havard and Allan Price joined David Duhig in a band named DogstarPoets to release the Off-Planet (2002)album. http://www.dogstarpoets.com/makingof.html How We Recorded Off-Planet. In the summer of 2005, Havard officially rejoined Jade Warrior as a fourth member (alongside Field, Sturt and Henson). After about a year, Colin Henson withdrew from Jade Warrior, citing severe creative differences with the other band members.
2008 - present
On June 30, 2008, Jade Warrior as a trio released their fourteenth studio album NOW (Jade Warrior album)|NOW on the WindWeaver label. It's been described as "a top-flight album boasting cinematic dynamics, thoughtful instrumentation, and the strategically astute placement of a roster of guest artists" ( Record Collector ), "as challenging as it is atmospheric" ( Classic Rock (magazine)|Classic Rock ), "the most mature and most deeply human album Jade Warrior has ever created" ( FOJW ) and "uber-cool, very well-produced, & well-executed album & one that... Tony Duhig would be very proud of" ( Amazon.com|Amazon review). http://www.jadewarrior.com/theysay.htm Reviews and comments. A selection of press reviews.
In May 2010, news came that Jade Warrior was working on an instrumental album Haiku and the as yet untitled 'song album'.cite web | author = | date = | url = http://www.jadewarrior.com/oldnews.htm | title = The Old News page | publisher = www.jadewarrior.com | accessdate = 2011-01-01 According for the April 2011 Official website News entry, Haiku was "inching its way towards a conclusion", albeit slowly.cite web | author = | date = | url = http://www.jadewarrior.com/news.htm | title = The Newsdesk | publisher = www.jadewarrior.com | accessdate = 2011-01-01 It is expected to be released later in 2011. http://www.progressiveears.com/asp/newrel.asp? bhcp=1 New releases. - www.progressiveears.com.
Elements: An Island Anthology (Island Records, 1995)
Eclipse (Acme Records, 1998)
Fifth Element (Hi-Note Music, 1998)
Floating World , Waves , Kites , Way Of The Sun (Eclectic, 2006) also on Esoteric Records as separate CD albums in 2010.
NOW (Jade Warrior album)|NOW (WindWeaver Music, 2008)
Singles
"We Have Reason To Believe" (Vertigo, 1971)
"A Winter's Tale" (Vertigo, 1972)
"The Demon Trucker" (Vertigo, 1972)
Film soundtrack
A Game for Vultures (1979)
References
Reflist
External links
http://www.jadewarrior.com Jade Warrior official website
http://www.radagast.org/jade-warrior/ Jade Warrior fan site
http://www.myspace.com/jadewarriormusic Jade Warrior on Myspace
DEFAULTSORT:Jade Warrior Category:New Age music Category:British progressive rock groups Category:British world music groups Category:Musical groups established in 1970 Category:Vertigo Records artists
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