Thirty years ago this week, I received a phone call, inviting me to audition for Paul Weller and Mick Talbot and the result was a European tour and appearances on TV, radio, a top five single and The Style Council's Cafe Bleu. Some very happy times and now I've finally framed the posters from the first ever gig and the last of the tour. I'm not wallowing in memories, but it's nice to have them up on the wall, alongside other memories.
Big Wade and Black Swan Theory collectively blends funk, soul, jazz and everything that fills the cracks between those genres: his new album - Piano Man - on all major streaming platforms ahead of the Piano Man Tour 2024 , which has dates across the US. Piano Man brings a selection of original and covers, including a stunning version of Autumn Leaves , which reinvents the song as the funky, electronic Autumn . Big Wade's voice takes the song's melody and improvises around and around, with backing vocals and a deliberately sparse arrangement underpinning the song. Similarly, on Children of the Ghetto , the lead and backing vocals blend in with the soulful musicians of Black Swan Theory. Electronics are used with dexterity, often expanding the vocal lines, as in the ethereal and ghostly opening of Don't Let Me Go . However, the tools never dominate - simply adding depth and layers to the funk. Never more than when Big Wade enters a new world in Interludes , including vocals...

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