Billy Jenkins

Don't bother with comparisons

BILLY JENKINS is a guitarist, composer, bandleader and innovator in a class entirely of his own making. There is nobody else like him and although he's been compared to countless greats from Frank Zappa to Billy Connolly, no comparisons can ever do him justice.

Imagine a leader who conducts his band by jumping up and down, will halt a drum solo by walking over to the drummer and yelling "SHUT UP!", slams the piano lid down mid solo and announce "I'm sorry about that, I just didn't like it". Imagine a composer who writes a bouncy little ditty with a crashing turnaround and call it 'Fat People', who will write a dreamy ballad for saxophone and call it 'They Built A Ring Road In My Garden' or 'The Perfect Lawn', or a traditional jazz-style piece and call it 'Benidorn Motorway Services'. All of these are things Billy Jenkins has done.

I first encountered Billy Jenkins at the Outside In jazz festival in Crawley, Sussex, in September 1993. I was reviewing the festival for The Stage and Television Today and although I was aware of Billy I had yet to hear him. The room was packed and I stood with about 40 others who couldn't find seats for what felt like five minutes but was probably 45. The main thing that struck me about Billy was his energy and the sense of organised chaos he created. With frequent cries of "Jurassic", Billy led his then band - the Voice of God Collective - and guest four-piece section, the Fun Horns of Berlin, through a break-neck set which culminated in a brilliant tongue-in-cheek cover of 'What A Wonderful World'. I hastened backstage to meet the wild bandleader, found him to be a highly approachable, warm and genuine person. I wrote him up as "Jimi Hendrix, Louis Armstrong and Billy Connolly rolled into one" and resolved to see and hear much more of this wonderful player.

At the same festival I also met Billy's then manager, Oliver Weindling of Eccentric Management and subsequently the Babel Label. Through this meeting I had the honour to be invited to watch the recording of Billy's landmark album 'East and West Now Wear the Same Vest' on May 14, 1994. It was an incredible day which seemed to pass in a flash as Billy led his Voice of God Collective and the Fun Horns of Berlin to put together 12 tracks - some arranged, some free improvisations and some speech.

The album was subsequently released on Oliver Weindling's Babel Label two years later, meticulously mixed into a stunning programme which dissects The Carpenters, Lee Marvin's 'Wanderin' Star' and knocks Louis Armstrong's Wonderful World out of the galaxy. The meeting of musicians from former East and West Germany with UK improvisers produces awesome free-form playing and catalogues a musical mental breakdown at the same time.

Billy has produced an awesome range of records, tapes and CDs, many of them released on his home-grown Voice Of The People (VOTP) label and eight on the Babel Label, including a CD reissue of Scratches of Spain - a wicked parody of Miles Davis' classic and a dark personal impression of Spain in general. Billy loves to take popular icons and poke fun at them. This can be through the music, the packaging - three of his tapes have been cleverly designed to look like popular British chocolate brands, or the overall concept - suburbia regularly pops up as an album theme from 'Sounds Like Bromley' in 1982 to 'Suburbia' in 1999.

He has turned free improvisation into a spectator sport by presenting it in a boxing ring - one player in each corner, a timekeeper rings the bell and they come out playing for two minutes. The rules are simple - no biting, no gouging, no holding, no standards and definitely no rubbish. There is a referee to keep things in order and an MC to keep the crowd going.

Billy broke up the Voice of God Collective in 1998 and since then has focused his live and studio activities on his Blues Collective. The band was formed in early 1996 and the first album was 'SAD', tracing the progression of winter blues from autumn with tracks like 'Pissed Off Boy' through the depths of winter gloom with 'Every night You Turn Away' to the first signs of spring with 'Walking Back To Crappiness'.

Three more blues albums have subsequently appeared on Billy VOTP label. 'Sadtimes.co.uk' in 2000 featured the great song 'Badlands' which describes the grim side of suburban life and 'Life' in 2002 describes a nightmarish first encounter with the outside world at nursery school in 'First Day In Hell'. 'Blues Zero Two' includes a rare cover of a Charles Brown song along with typical Billy originals, my favourite of which is 'I'm Staying In The Car' which describes a cop-out strategy which just about anyone who has experienced family life will recognise.

Billy Jenkins is a great British innovator who deserves an international reputation. Check him out - you may be hooked for life.

Here are some links to a few of Billy's albums on Amazon...

East and West Now Wear the Same Vest - Billy in partnership with the Fun Horns of Berlin... features the craziest version of What A Wonderful World ever!

Still Sounds Like Bromley - Billy revisits his home town and finds they built a ring road in his garden.

The True Love Collection - An exhumation of some great pop songs with the help of some great performers. Billy takes a magnificent duet with vocalist Christine Tobin on How Deep Is Your Love?

SAD - The winter blues with the Blues Collective.

Blue Moon In A Function Room - This is actually a Steve Arguelles album with Billy playing wild second guitar. Features the only known jazz version of the Vision On theme.

Billy sites

More details about Billy Jenkins can be found at the following sites:

www.billyjenkins.com - Billy's official online HQ

www.sadtimes.co.uk - a site devoted to Billy's 2000 release 'Sadtimes.co.uk'