Jess Roden is oft heralded as one of the greatest of all British RnB Voices in the same manner as his more widely known contemporaries such as Steve Marriott, Joe Cocker, Paul Rodgers, Jack Bruce and Steve Winwood.
During the course of 2010 nearly 800 pieces of music were logged – ranging from after hours studio-jams to rehearsal tapes; from demos to live recordings; almost all of the key masters together with a good deal found on reels that bore no relation to what was written on the actual tape-box itself. The original Seven Windows analog recordings were also unearthed in New York and the digitisation process begun on both sides of the Atlantic.
In 2012, the limited edition of “Hidden Masters: The Jess Roden Anthology” was made available as a pre-sale exclusively through PledgeMusic on November 12th 2012. The edition was limited to 950 hand-numbered copies and presented in a 12” hard-back, casebound book format in which the 32-page booklet contains the first interview Jess has given in 30 years discussing many of the song selections.
The deluxe edition was a 6CD, 94-track edition that – for the first time ever – chronicled Jess’ entire career; from his late-teens fronting the Mod-Soul of The Alan Bown! during the late 60s – to his long Island Records’ sojurn with Bronco, The Butts Band – his first solo album recorded with Allen Toussaint and Chris Blackwell. That led to the Brit-Funk of The Jess Roden Band before his move to New York and further, highly acclaimed, solo recordings and into the 80’s by way of The Rivits and, post Island with the Seven Windows and The Humans albums.
Containing well over 50% of previously unreleased material, the Anthology included never-before-heard demos, alternative mixes, long-thought-lost masters, completed but discarded tracks, alternate takes – as well as a wealth of live recordings. All of the selections were re-mastered in the UK and US from the original 1⁄4”, 1” or 2” analog tapes.
With Jess himself overseeing the project from the get-go, the complete set was mastered by Richard Whittaker at FX Mastering in London with the exception of the Seven Windows selections which were mastered in New York by A. T. Michael MacDonald, (the original engineer and co-producer of the Seven Windows project).
Back to 1970 – “Guy started producing the album but our musical feelings were different so we ended up doing our own (production). ‘We had a demo of Love down on the sixteen-track and it turned out so well, we were allowed to do our own production. I did the firstmore …
After quitting The Alan Bown!, Jess headed back to Kidderminster to re-think his longer-term goals and take stock away from London. Giving his first major interview, early in 1970, Jess said: “The stuff I was writing was too soft and light for Alan Bown. After about a year of that, Imore …
Despite the body-blow to the band, the band’s management managed to concoct a bit of PR spin - and simply announced that Jess was taking a break as advised by his doctors. Doubtless a public relations exercise in satisfying honour on both sides since that self-same announcement trumpeted the arrivalmore …
Ironically, shortly after the pressing plant strike, and its effect on their appearance on Top of the Pops, the group appeared on the (appropriately named) Innocence, Anarchy & Soul television spectacular host by Jack Good. Two further singles (Toyland c/w Technicolour Dream in October and Story Book c/w Little Lesley) keptmore …
The Alan Bown Set – a musically daring mix of horns and rock – was conceived in the Summer of 1965 by four former John Barry Seven members: Alan Bown (trumpet); Dave Green (saxophone / flute); Jeff Bannister (organ / vocals); Stan Haldane (bass) together with Vic Sweeney (drums) and Petemore …
With Billy Davies’ departure, the line-up behind Jess became: Kevyn Gammond (lead guitar); John Pasternak (guitar); Sean Jenkins (drums) and Pete Waldron (bass). And... the band started to step on the gas a bit because, in their early days, all Midlands’ ‘beat groups’ set their sights on gaining a toe-hold asmore …
With Billy Davies’ departure, the line-up behind Jess became: Kevyn Gammond (lead guitar); John Pasternak (guitar); Sean Jenkins (drums) and Pete Waldron (bass). And... the band started to step on the gas a bit because, in their early days, all Midlands’ ‘beat groups’ set their sights on gaining a toe-hold asmore …
‘Up the road from where I lived there was another young lad who I’d spotted playing guitar in his front room. I’d also seen him about the town. He wore sharp suits, Cuban-heel boots and there was a touch of back-combing about his hair”. Jess was now sixteen. The birth ofmore …
Digging that Scene Factually, it goes something like this: Jess Roden was born three short days after Christmas 1947 and brought up in Kidderminster – a town mainly distinguished since the late 18th Century as a central element within Britain’s carpet-manufacturing industry. Kidderminster – essentially – is a small middle-England marketmore …
Sadly, the limited edition "Hidden Masters: The Jess Roden Anthology" is unavailable. Three and a half-plus years in development, the deluxe edition was a 6CD, 94-track edition that – for the first time ever – chronicled Jess' entire career; from his late-teens fronting the Mod-Soul of The Alan Bown! duringmore …