Post by Emerald City on Feb 6, 2005 15:04:50 GMT -5
Here is an interview with Jack Ashford and Uriel Jones, conducted when they visited Manchester, England back in February 2004, during the promotion for Standing In The Shadows.... It's short and sweet ;D
The Funk Brothers - Jack Ashford and Uriel Jones interview
When the legendary Funk Brothers rolled into town for a gig in Manchester, Jim Clarke couldn't resist the chance to go backstage at the Apollo and talk to his musical heroes..
Here he talks to Jack Ashford and Uriel Jones.
JACK ASHFORD (Vibes and tambourine)
Tambourine might not sound like an important instrument was but it was central to the Motown Sound. Listen to the beginning of "Heard it Through the Grapevine" or "Dancing in the Street"
Jim Clarke talked to Jack..
On... the tambourine sound:
"The boss of EMI here in England back in the early days said Motown would never sell in Britain because the tambourine was too loud! The reason it was so loud was a simple one…there wasn't enough mikes in the studio for the tambourine so I had to sit in the drum booth with Benny (Benjamin) . As the session went on I was edging closer and closer to the drum mikes because I was watching what the guys were doing. So when it came to mixing the track they couldn't turn the tambourine down without turning the drums down..then they realised they liked the sound they were getting, so it stayed that way.!
On... the film and the tour. Has the adulation come too late?
"Adulation is never too late ..never!!" he says with a laugh. "We probably seem a bit laid back about it all but that's just because we're a pretty old bunch of guys. But no, its nice. We saw this type of life before..we just never lived it."
On.. Marvin Gaye:
"He brought me and Uriel Jones into Motown so we've got a lot to thank him for. But when you look back on what he did.."What's Going On" was an incredible piece or work. We all loved it because it was so different musically to what we'd been doing for ten years..it took us up to a whole new level..
URIEL JONES (Drummer)
The drummer on "Heard it Through the Grapevine" - looks good on your CV!
Uriel on... English soul fans:
"We last came over here with a Motown revue in 1964. We remember Manchester because we went for a ride in Georgie Fame's car and he nearly killed us somewhere round here…English fans are different from the ones at home because they got more interest in the musicians. I remember being here with Freda Payne and seeing this crowd coming towards us outside the gig. They didn't want her though..they were from the James Jamerson Apprecation Society. Man,we couldn't believe it!
The Funk Brothers - Jack Ashford and Uriel Jones interview
When the legendary Funk Brothers rolled into town for a gig in Manchester, Jim Clarke couldn't resist the chance to go backstage at the Apollo and talk to his musical heroes..
Here he talks to Jack Ashford and Uriel Jones.
JACK ASHFORD (Vibes and tambourine)
Tambourine might not sound like an important instrument was but it was central to the Motown Sound. Listen to the beginning of "Heard it Through the Grapevine" or "Dancing in the Street"
Jim Clarke talked to Jack..
On... the tambourine sound:
"The boss of EMI here in England back in the early days said Motown would never sell in Britain because the tambourine was too loud! The reason it was so loud was a simple one…there wasn't enough mikes in the studio for the tambourine so I had to sit in the drum booth with Benny (Benjamin) . As the session went on I was edging closer and closer to the drum mikes because I was watching what the guys were doing. So when it came to mixing the track they couldn't turn the tambourine down without turning the drums down..then they realised they liked the sound they were getting, so it stayed that way.!
On... the film and the tour. Has the adulation come too late?
"Adulation is never too late ..never!!" he says with a laugh. "We probably seem a bit laid back about it all but that's just because we're a pretty old bunch of guys. But no, its nice. We saw this type of life before..we just never lived it."
On.. Marvin Gaye:
"He brought me and Uriel Jones into Motown so we've got a lot to thank him for. But when you look back on what he did.."What's Going On" was an incredible piece or work. We all loved it because it was so different musically to what we'd been doing for ten years..it took us up to a whole new level..
URIEL JONES (Drummer)
The drummer on "Heard it Through the Grapevine" - looks good on your CV!
Uriel on... English soul fans:
"We last came over here with a Motown revue in 1964. We remember Manchester because we went for a ride in Georgie Fame's car and he nearly killed us somewhere round here…English fans are different from the ones at home because they got more interest in the musicians. I remember being here with Freda Payne and seeing this crowd coming towards us outside the gig. They didn't want her though..they were from the James Jamerson Apprecation Society. Man,we couldn't believe it!
