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Eddie Roberts

Eddie started his music career proper in 1989 aged 18, having left his Welsh homeland to study Jazz at Leeds College of Music. More interested in live performing and getting his own thing going than in college work, he quickly rooted out the best players in town and set up his first band, The Jazz Mailmen, dedicated to playing the golden era of Art Blakey’s Jazz Messengers. After transcribing all the parts and enforcing a dress code of Bop suits, he set about taking the UK Jazz Dance scene by storm. During this time British Hard Bop legend Tommy Chase asked him to relocate and join his band, but Eddie had other ideas…Around 1991 Eddie’s love for Grant Green inspired him to put a Hammond-based line up together. With the sound of Big John Patton, Lou Donaldson and Ivan Boogaloo, his band The Eddie Roberts Organisation toured UK and managed to get its first European dates at the ‘Queen’s Birthday Celebrations’ in Amsterdam, The Netherlands.

The next step in 1993 was to downsize to a Hammond trio - this happened after meeting two guys who nailed it down more than the seven-piece that the Organisation had become. The Three Deuces were born. After a live album was released, (recorded at Leeds’ legendary Jazz dance club The Yardbird Suite) great reviews ensured extensive touring opportunities: headlining Italy’s Jazz festival in Bari with Greg Osby as well as many UK festivals, and the start of a regular slot at the Jazz Cafe, London. “Down at Art’s” was playlisted on Jazz FM for most of 1996 - Art’s Cafe in central Leeds being the place where it all started and ran weekly for 3 years.

Other projects in tandem with the Deuces included Gaucho - inspired by Joe Henderson, Chico Hamilton, Gabo Szabo, Sam Rivers etc., comprising percussion, double bass, guitar, tenor sax & flute - and The Mastersounds with Simon Allen, Dan Brown and percussionist Sam Bell. In 1999 Eddie’s focus shifted towards Deep Funk, and hence The New Mastersounds who started out performing a mix of Eddie’s quirky Meters-inspired funk ditties and covers of Jimmy McGriff andGrant Green tunes in clubs and bars around Leeds and Manchester. Soon after, the first 7” was released on Blow it Hard Records (“One Note Brown” is now a rare collectors’ 45) they gigged at Jazz Cafe alongside Funk DJ & collector Keb Darge. This meeting proved to be a fruitful one - 3 singles and 1 album on Keb’s label Deep Funk Records earned them the dubious title ‘Best Funk Band in the World at this Moment’. 2001/2002 saw some heavy international touring for the extended 8-piece band which featured Cleve Freckleton and The Haggis Horns. Late 2002, whilst various options for a second NMS album were being considered, Eddie’s own Cooker Records teased fans with a couple of new 7” singles, as well as re-releasing the highly sought-after debut album.

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Chats with Cats

The Musician / Entrepreneur: Eddie Roberts

Read "The Musician / Entrepreneur: Eddie Roberts" reviewed by B.D. Lenz


Throughout my Chats with Cats columns I've tried to seek out information and advice from professionals across the jazz spectrum to give musicians, like myself, the tools to forward their own careers. This is an unprecedented time where technology has put it all out there for the taking. I discuss all of this in my Mind Your Business columns as well. In this installment I interviewed a prime example of the musician/entrepreneur. Eddie Roberts, best known as the ...

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Recordings: As Leader | As Sideperson

Mardi Gras Day

Eleven Music Experience
2023

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Mardi Gras Day

From: Mardi Gras Day
By Eddie Roberts

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