Plain and Fancy: The Pete York Percussion Band - The Pete York Percussion Band (1972 uk, sensational jazz brass blues rock)

Pete was born in Middlesbrough, England on 15th August 1942. The Second World War was raging but he had nothing to do with it.

1950 He began to play on a toy drum and his mother’s cooking pots while listening to American jazz on the radio; probably his first exposure to drum legend, Gene Krupa.Pete played drums throughout his school years and joined the Trent College Jazz Club, School Orchestra and Army Cadet Force Band. On leaving school in 1960 he had acquired some rudimentary technique on the drums and his enthusiasm was growing fast for a life in music. He went to Birmingham and soon got involved in the music scene there, playing everything from Dixieland to modern jazz. In 1962 came his first TV appearance with an award-winning new jazz group.

Pete had also begun to play blues and R & B with Spencer Davis, Steve and Muff. Eventually the Spencer Davis Group would record in 1964. The record releases that followed resulted in critical acclaim in many countries and ever-increasing chart success. “Keep On Running” reached Number One in 1965 to be followed in the next year by “Somebody Help Me”, “When I Come Home”, “Gimme Some Lovin’” and “I’m A Man”.

Pete appeared with the SDG in several films, countless TV shows around the world and is heard on all the million selling singles and albums. But there always comes that time to move on and Steve and Muff had already left.

In 1969 Pete left Spencer on friendly terms to form a unique duo with Eddie Hardin. Hardin and York were sometimes dubbed “the World’s Smallest Big Band” and released several albums with great success, especially in Europe. The duo often played as opening act for bands like Deep Purple and it is from this time that Pete’s friendship with Jon Lord and Ian Paice stems.

Pete York originally formed The Percussion Band back in 1971 as a solo project, and recorded a solitary studio album produced by Ian Paice. After that he maintained it on a part-time basis, roping in friends such as Paice and Jon Lord to take part in live shows.

'Sombrero Sam' is a second highly enjoyable jazz instrumental from the Percussion Band album. It's something of a percussion fest. The style rotation continues with the brass lead jazz of 'Moleshawk' , with busy drums and an even busier guitar solo. Good stuff. This is an enjoyable, and sometimes very exciting album, though much more successful in the jazz-rock rather than the r&b direction.