Brian Auger and The Trinity with Julie Driscoll tonight. A live in-studio appearance in Paris for ORTF (RFI in France now), recorded in April of 1968.
My first encounter with Brian Auger & The Trinity came by way of their debut Atlantic album, Open in 1967. To me, it blurred the lines between Jazz and Pop with elements of Blues. They represented what came to be known as Progressive Rock, but at the time they were characteristic of what music in the 60s had come to be about; no pigeon-holes and a melting pot of influences. Later on, when BYG Records in France issued a multi-lp set of bands during the early stages of the British invasion, along with dimly recorded concerts of British Blues acts in 1963, were samples of some of the lesser known, but highly influential bands later to arrive. One of those bands was Steampacket – a band which consisted of Brian Auger, Julie Driscoll, Long John Baldry, Vic Briggs and Rod Stewart. It was through that album that I started picking up on a connection – the thread that went through many of these bands at the time, and how they were actually pioneering a whole new approach to Pop music. It was a fascinating excursion – and I wound up wearing most of those albums out in the process.
So there was Brian Auger and Julie Driscoll and a new band named The Trinity – and their music was running the gamut, from Dylan to Wes Montgomery – and it all made sense, and the pieces of the puzzle fit. This was music that had appeal on a lot of levels and held interest to people who normally kept a pretty rigid limit on what they liked musically. It was reaching across already blurred lines and mixing them up further. We didn’t know it at the time, but it was a harbinger of the future.
This session, a live in-studio appearance by the band from the Paris Studios of the ORTF (French Public Radio/TV before the name change and now known as RFI) was recorded in April of 1968 – days away from the great French Strike in May. Turbulent times and groundbreaking music. Julie Driscoll went on to become Julie Tippetts and became a member of Keith Tippetts‘ Centipede before embarking on a solo career as one of the most distinctive Jazz and Experimental vocalists currently on the scene. She has a substantial catalog of releases that are essential listening. Brian Auger formed Oblivion Express in 1970 and it became the proving ground for a number of new artists, including original Average White Band drummer Robbie McIntosh. Still doing it to this day; new artists, new proving grounds, new ideas.
Further evidence music never stops evolving, sifting and refining.
Here’s a reminder of what was going on in April of 1968.
