Paul Wassif | |
|---|---|
 Paul Wassif performing at Queen's Hall, Edinburgh, August 2010 | |
| Background information | |
| Born | 25 April 1963 Bristol, England |
| Genres | Folk, folk rock, blues |
| Occupation(s) | Guitarist, singer-songwriter |
| Instruments | Guitar, banjo, vocals |
| Labels | Black Brown & White |
| Website | www |
Paul Wassif (born 25 April 1963) is a British musician, guitarist, and singer songwriter.
Paul Wassif's early career included a brief spell with Punk/Rock band The London Cowboys. This was followed by various stints in New York City bands including The Ugly Americans with ex New York Dolls members, Jerry Nolan and Sylvain Sylvain. The 2008 London Cowboys retrospective release 'Relapse' [1] features the song 'Dragging in the Dirt' with band founder Steve Dior.
Wassif formed a group in the late 1990s with Henry Olsen (of Primal Scream) named Distant Cousins. The band toured across America with Eric Clapton on his Pilgrim World Tour in 1998 performing at such venues as New York's Madison Square Garden. [2] [3] Just before the tour Clapton gave Wassif his Martin 000-28 EC signature model acoustic guitar which he occasionally borrowed back during the tour. [3] Wassif has also appeared as a featured guitarist on albums by Steve Knightley, Sam Sallon, Mark Abis and Saiichi Sugiyama.
Wassif is also a member of Blues/Folk trio Three Pilgrims with Mark Abis and David Watson. [4]
Wassif collaborated on two of Bert Jansch's albums. On the album Edge of A Dream, released in 2002, Paul duets with Bert on 'Black Cat Blues'. This track was subsequently featured on the soundtrack of 'Calendar Girls'. [5] On Bert Jansch's final studio album The Black Swan, released in 2006, Paul co-wrote 'Magdalina's Dance' and performs on 'My Pocket's Empty' and 'A Woman Like You'.
In an interview for Acoustic Guitar Magazine Bert Jansch described Paul Wassif as "a fantastic player. He's got a very, very gentle touch". [6]
Wassif also played regularly on stage with Bert Jansch. [7] One review of Bert's 2007 Somerset House concert (that also featured Bernard Butler and Beth Orton) described that "Wassif adds a country tinge to the music, which remains as sweet as ever as their first number ignores vocals to revel instead in these guitarists' undiluted skill". [8] In August 2010 Paul opened for Bert Jansch playing two nights at the Queen's Hall as part of the Edinburgh Festival. [9]
On 3 December 2013 he performed on four songs at the concert "A Celebration of Bert Jansch" at London's Royal Festival Hall alongside Robert Plant, Lisa Knapp, Donovan and various members of Pentangle, amongst others. [10] The concert was broadcast by BBC4 in the UK on 28 March 2014 under the name The Genius of Bert Jansch: Folk Blues and Beyond. [11]
| Looking Up Feeling Down | |
|---|---|
| Studio album by Paul Wassif | |
| Released | September 2011 |
| Label | Black Brown & White |
| Producer | Paul Wassif, David Watson |
Paul Wassif's first solo album Looking Up Feeling Down was released digitally on 5 May 2011 and on CD on 5 September 2011. [12] [13] The album features guest appearances from Bert Jansch and Eric Clapton [14] playing and recording together for the first time on two tracks; 'Please Don't Leave', written by Paul Wassif and 'Southbound Train' written by Big Bill Broonzy. Jansch also played on a further three tracks on the album in what was to be his final released recording. [7] [15] The album also features drummer Evan Jenkins from the Neil Cowley Trio, [16] David Watson, James Watson, Robin Clayton, Lynn Glaser, Steve Counsel and Seamus Beaghen.
Looking Up Feeling Down was produced by Paul Wassif and David Watson, mastered by Tony Cousins at Metropolis Studios in London, and is released on Black Brown & White Records, [17] a record label owned by Stephen Lyttelton [18] (son of jazz musician Humphrey Lyttelton) and Karen Sonego (daughter of Brazilian folk musician, Zé Tapera)
Eric Patrick Clapton is an English rock and blues guitarist, singer, and songwriter. He is regarded as one of the most successful and influential guitarists in rock music. He ranked second in Rolling Stone's list of the "100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time" and fourth in Gibson's "Top 50 Guitarists of All Time". He was also named number five in Time magazine's list of "The 10 Best Electric Guitar Players" in 2009.
John Mayall is an English blues and rock singer and musician whose career spans over sixty years. In the 1960s, he formed John Mayall & the Bluesbreakers, a band that has counted among its members some of the most famous blues and blues rock musicians.
British blues is a form of music derived from American blues that originated in the late 1950s, and reached its height of mainstream popularity in the 1960s. In Britain, blues developed a distinctive and influential style dominated by electric guitar, and made international stars of several proponents of the genre, including the Rolling Stones, the Animals, the Yardbirds, Eric Clapton, Fleetwood Mac and Led Zeppelin.
Peter Allen Greenbaum, known professionally as Peter Green, was an English blues rock singer-songwriter and guitarist. As the founder of Fleetwood Mac, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1998. Green founded Fleetwood Mac in 1967 after a stint in John Mayall's Bluesbreakers and quickly established the new band as a popular live act in addition to a successful recording act, before departing in 1970. Green's songs, such as "Albatross", "Black Magic Woman", "Oh Well", "The Green Manalishi " and "Man of the World", appeared on singles charts, and several have been adapted by a variety of musicians.
Pentangle are a British folk band, formed in London in 1967. The original band was active in the late 1960s and early 1970s, and a later version has been active since the early 1980s. The original line-up, which was unchanged throughout the band's first incarnation (1967–1973), was Jacqui McShee (vocals); John Renbourn ; Bert Jansch ; Danny Thompson ; and Terry Cox (drums).
Paul Francis Kossoff was an English guitarist, best known as the co-founder and guitarist for the rock band Free. He was ranked number 51 in Rolling Stone's list of the "100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time".
Herbert Jansch was a Scottish folk musician and founding member of the band Pentangle. He was born in Glasgow and came to prominence in London in the 1960s as an acoustic guitarist and singer-songwriter. He recorded more than 28 albums and toured extensively from the 1960s to the 21st century.
John Renbourn was an English guitarist and songwriter. He was best known for his collaboration with guitarist Bert Jansch as well as his work with the folk group Pentangle, although he maintained a solo career before, during and after that band's existence (1967–1973). He worked later in a duo with Stefan Grossman.
David Michael Gordon "Davey" Graham was a British guitarist and one of the most influential figures in the 1960s British folk revival. He inspired many famous practitioners of the fingerstyle acoustic guitar such as Bert Jansch, Wizz Jones, John Renbourn, Martin Carthy, John Martyn, Paul Simon and Jimmy Page, who based his solo "White Summer" on Graham's "She Moved Through the Fair". Graham is probably best known for his acoustic instrumental "Anji" and for popularizing DADGAD tuning, later widely adopted by acoustic guitarists.
Stefan Grossman is an American acoustic fingerstyle guitarist and singer, music producer and educator, and co-founder of Kicking Mule records. He is known for his instructional videos and Vestapol line of videos and DVDs.
Beverley Martyn is an English singer, songwriter and guitarist.
Raymond Ronald Jones, better-known as Wizz Jones, is an English acoustic guitarist, singer and songwriter. He was born in Thornton Heath, Surrey, England and has been performing since the late 1950s and recording from 1965 to the present. He has worked with many of the notable guitarists of the British folk revival, such as John Renbourn and Bert Jansch.
Colin Harper is an Irish non-fiction author and composer.
Edge of a Dream is the 22nd album by Scottish folk musician Bert Jansch, released on 8 October 2002.
Roderick Parry Clements is a British guitarist, singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. He formed the folk-rock band Lindisfarne with Alan Hull in 1970, and wrote "Meet Me on the Corner", a UK Top 5 hit in March 1972, which won Clements an Ivor Novello Award. Lindisfarne broke up in 1973 and Clements became a founding member of Jack the Lad, also working with Ralph McTell and Bert Jansch. Lindisfarne reformed in 1977 and Clements continued to be part of the line-up until 2003. Rod rejoined Lindisfarne in 2015 and is currently touring and performing with the band.
John James is known, primarily, as a solo acoustic fingerstyle guitarist, composer and entertainer.
The Black Swan is the 23rd and last studio album by the Scottish folk singer Bert Jansch. It was released in 2006 through Drag City. Jansch described the album: "It's been fantastic working with everyone who's been involved on the record. They all came to it from a standpoint of being fans of my music, so while there are lots of great musicians making wonderful contributions to the record it still has a very acoustic, intimate feel – and there's still a lot of me on there!"
"Anji" is an acoustic fingerstyle guitar piece composed and recorded by noted folk guitarist Davy Graham in 1961 and originally released as part of his EP debut 3/4 AD. The piece is one of the best-known acoustic blues-folk guitar pieces ever composed, with many notable artists covering it, such as Bert Jansch, John Renbourn, Lillebjørn Nilsen, Paul Simon, and Harry Sacksioni. The song is in the key of A minor and is notable for its trademark descending bassline. However, the original recording by Davy Graham is in the key of C minor with a capo at the third fret.
David Watson is an English record producer, singer and musician. Born and raised in North London, he has produced albums for Paul Wassif, Mark Abis, Sam Sallon, Dylan Howe and Claudia Brücken, and has worked with artists such as OMD, Rufus Wainwright, Neil Cowley, Beth Rowley, Eric Clapton and Bert Jansch. He is the father of actress Indica Watson.
Bert Jansch was a Scottish folk musician. His discography consists of 21 studio albums, 8 live albums, 36 compilations, 5 videos, 2 EPs, and 12 singles. In addition, his compositions and guitar work have been featured on a number of albums by other artists.
| International | |
|---|---|
| Artists | |
