A Groovy Night Patrol
Sam Qs Night Patrol is an up to date take on ‘accessible’ jazz. Sam’s had a colourful past and was in at the very early days of UB40. Nowadays he’s getting to be a big noise in Brazil and a growing appreciation by snappy souls worldwide.
There are only 2 types of music
Sam Q’s night patrol is Mod-Bossa. Night Patrol is a fresh mix of Samba, Bossa Nova and Cuban, with a dash of Manchester too. Even Brazilian youngsters see it as a modern take on Bossa and he’s signed to i-musica in Brazil, one of the big boys. The tunes are catchy, hip and not up your arse jazz. Sam’s been attacked by jazz ‘purists’, but remember, Oscar Peterson said ‘There’s only 2 types of music. Good… and bad’.
Saved by UB40
It started in Birmingham 1976 when Sam got attacked in a pub by the National Front (Far right group). A crowd at the bar saw what was happening, piled over and beat the s**t out of them. The Police turned up and chucked them all in cells. After they’d been let out, he went to their rehearsal rooms. His saviours were to become UB40. That’s how Sam got into music. When UB40 charted, the band bought him an alto sax and he’s still got it. Believe it or not, Sam came up with the title ‘Food for thought’. Oh, and he was responsible for a punch up between UB40 and Dexy’s Midnight Runners on Top of the Pops.
Ug! Ug! Ug! I’m a caveman!
Sam’s first band was ‘The Cavemen’. He and the guitarist wrote 1960s, blue note label stuff whilst at Ronnie Scott’s. He then spent 10 years busking across Europe. Sonny Rollins said ‘10 minutes busking is worth 4 hours’ practice’. After Europe, Sam played raves, jamming with a DJ as ‘The Jazz Exorcists’. Most raves were illegal and if he got collared, he’d say… ‘I don’t know the organizer, I was in a pub with me sax and a bloke asked me to play a gig’. After the raves, he busked with a Brazilian troupe. However, they didn’t like it when he spoke. Everyone assumed he was Brazilian and the illusion was shattered when his Brummie accent erupted. They’d say, ‘Sam, don’t talk, just play!’
Pele’s Groove – Mod-Bossa
One of Sam’s greatest fans, friends and colleagues was Joe Moss, he’d managed The Smiths. He stated ‘Sam would do to Jazz what the Smiths did to Indie’. Unfortunately, Joe succumbed to terminal cancer. After his death, Sam to play at his wake. The name Sam Q’s night patrol, came from Joe’s problem of having to introduce Johnny Marr as ‘the guitarist of the Smiths’, he didn’t want that nightmare again, so it was Sam Q’s Night Patrol, in order to just say ‘Sam Q’.
Sam’s track ‘Pele’s groove’ played out on a New York radio station and a guy who’d been John Lennon’s manager, heard it and called the band, the Beatles of Bossa Nova. He got Sam into a studio with an Abbey Road producer. They started promoting it and Sam put snippets on You Tube, before he knew it, he’d got a massive following of mods about the place. The original mods listened to Coltrane and had a Miles Davis, Kind of Blue album look, so it was no great leap of imagination for them to latch onto Sam.
Turn Left at Abbey Road
The future? ‘Turn Left at Abbey Road’ is on the bubble.
Sam defends the four letter word (jazz) to the hilt and recommends the below three tracks to as a way into jazz… Lee Morgan – Sidewinder, Horace Silver Quintet – Song for my father and Miles Davies – All Blues. These people into the Blue Note music.
Sam is great live, and with all this pre-manufactured, pre-processed guff all over the place, the world needs live bands more than ever. Just come down to one of his gigs and you’ll get it.
If you want to get a quick handle onto Sam’s groove, just google Sam Q. Pele’s groove – there’s loads of places to get it from. Face book, You tube, you know the score. I’ll leave it to all you hipsters, flipsters and finger poppin’ daddies to search, swipe and select your way over to his Mod Bossa beats.
Words and pics
Rik
Spotify….https://open.spotify.com/artist/4OxVodhYk7FA0m9ClKvPCF?si=Os-6ktNyTKmm-RRvy37WZA
https://youtu.be/bnQwgG8wkN4 (Peles Groove video)
website link ….
https://spinningwheelrecords.com/
direct email to purchase the Vinyl:
[zombify_post]
