MJ12, featuring Brand X bass legend Percy Jones, will be releasing their
eagerly awaited debut album on Gonzo Multimedia UK on June 24, 2016. Recorded
in the summer of 2015 at Shelter Island studios in Manhattan, MJ12 is
jazz, fusion, and progressive music at its finest. Featuring virtuosic performances by all
four band members, in many ways this album is an extension of what Percy Jones
created with Brand X!
Says Percy,
“We took the name from Majestik 12, which was supposedly a group of 12
scientists and engineers assembled in the late 40's to investigate UFO's. There
is an ongoing debate as to whether this group actually existed or not. Stephen
Moses and I had been doing gigs for a
while where we would invite guests to
sit in. We did all improv, so this was actually M&J +1 or 2. After a while we started using David Phelps
and Chris Bacas on a regular basis if they were available. At this point we
started writing stuff, but keeping a lot of the improv thing going to keep it
spontaneous. The end result was bits and pieces of ideas coming from everybody that
were all tied together to try and make a coherent tune, but with lots of
blowing inside. By last Summer we felt like it had shaped up well enough to
record it, so we went in and recorded it over 2 days.”
Track
listing:
1) Call 911
2) Bad
American Dream Pt2
3) Magic
Mist
4) Talk Time
5) The Wow
Signal
6) Big Daddy
Road
7) The
Phantom Maracas
8) Guns And
Pussy
9) Magic
Mist Reprise
MJ12 is:
Percy Jones
Percy Jones
grew up near Llandrindod Wells, Wales. He studied electronic engineering at the
University of Liverpool before joining Liverpool Scene in 1967 He was a member
of jazz fusion band Brand X from 1974 to 1980, and a reformed version which
lasted from 1992 to 1997. He was in NYC based band Tunnels from 1990 until
2005. Still residing in New York, he is currently a member of MJ12. Jones is
best known for his unique fretless bass sound. Jones was also briefly a member
of the jazz fusion group Soft Machine, and has contributed to recordings by
David Sylvian, Brian Eno, Steve Hackett, Roy Harper, Paranoise, Suzanne Vega,
Richard Barbieri, Nova and Fovea Hex, amongst others.
Stephen
Moses
After
several years playing as part of “the loft jazz scene” in NYC with the likes of
James Chance, John Zorn, Phillip Johnston, Ken Simon, Dave Hofstra (and many
others) drummer/trombonist Stephen Moses started getting busier with more rock
and jazz/rock in the CBGB's scene with Giant Metal Insects and Quality Trio with
Jim Matus & Percy Jones. Alice Donut formed after that and took Stephen on
the road and the studio for several years and a dozen albums followed by a few
tours with Rasputina. Then a few years ago Stephen rejoined Percy to do what we
do today.
Dave Phelps
Guitarist
David Phelps is currently a member of Peter Apfelbaum's 11-piece band The New
York Hieroglyphics, which includes many of today's best creative musicians,
including drummer Dafnis Prieto, bassist Patrice Blanchard, trombonist Josh
Roseman and vocalist Abdoulaye Diabate. Their newest album “It Is Written” was
released in August 2005 on the ACT label. He also leads his own band the
Eclectic Troubadours. David grew up in Denton, Texas, the home of the
University of North Texas, formerly known as North Texas State. As a youngster,
he started playing the bass clarinet and later played in bands with many of the
children of North Texas faculty members. David, along with his twin brother,
bassist Drew Phelps, attended North Texas, studying with Rich Matheson and
guitar guru Jack Peterson, among others. David then traveled to Alberta, Canada
where he studied at the Banff Centre with jazz greats Dave Liebman and Dave
Holland (both Miles Davis alumni). He also studied with John Abercrombie, Steve
Coleman and Kenny Wheeler.
Chris Bacas
Saxophonist
Chris Bacas began his career at age fifteen as a sideman with a club band in
York, PA, and after attending North Texas State, he began his jazz performance
career in earnest. Beginning in 1983, Chris played in the Glen Miller Band, The
Tommy Dorsey Band, the Artie Shaw Band, and Buddy Rich's legendary Big Band
until Rich's passing in 1987. Over the past twenty years, Chris has appeared at
festivals all over the world, including the Nice, North Sea, Cork, Santiago, Montreal,
Moers Texaco, Annapolis, JVC New York, and Central PA Jazz Festivals. He has
performed in Copenhagen at the Tivoli Gardens; in Los Angeles at The Hollywood
Bowl and LA's Comedy Store; in New York's Blue Note and Birdland; at Chicago's
Jazz Showcase; and in Washington D.C. at Blues Alley and One Step Down.
In
conclusion Percy has this to impart, “Well, I hope people like this record. I
have a lot of appreciation for everyone who supported Brand X back in the day,
or any of the other projects I was involved in. The band follows on from
stuff I've done in the past, trying to
keep the music unpredictable, interesting and moving in a new direction.”
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