Ray Hood profile picture

Ray Hood

About Me

I work as a soloist, duoist (that means just me with one other musician, I think) or as the Ray Hood Quartet which currently is Ray Hood, guitar/vocals, Mike Mathews/bass, Gustavo Moreno, drums, David Jones,/Keys, and assorted drummers. Playing a mix of hard bebop, latin, acid and fusion with some politcal and humour overtones.
Song List
I have a huge rep' either as a solo artist or with band.
Highlights of the show include
The World is a Ghetto
Killer Joe
Night and Day
Cause we've ended as lovers
Impressions
Days of Wine and Roses
I have got you under my Skin
St Tropez
Mellow Town
Stella by Starlight
Amsterdam
So What
Where do you go to my lovely?
Afro Blue
All Blues
Footprints
Stolen Moments
Four on Six
One Note Samba

About Ray
I am Jazz guitarist and vocalist. I work on a regular basis around Melbourne town in Australia. I have spent some years in London gigging. Guitar style in the tradition of modern contemporary limits (whatever that means!) with overtones of Pat Martino, Wes Montgomery and Scofield, I released an ep Metafour in 04 and have worked with various jazz heads in London, Sydney and Melbourne. Studied with Mark Murphy, Steve Ostrow and Joy Yates, at the Sydney Conservatorium, Steve Brien, the City Lit in London, Mediterranean Jazz Summer School with Pete Churchill and Alan Barnes. I am currently recording a new cd.
The things I love
Miles of course... Pat Martino was brilliant at Pizza Express last year... Yamandú Costa, Mike Stern, he was brilliant at North Sea. Sport: Association Football... Food: good coffee, ie New York and Melbourne... Comedy: well dig Boris Johnson, (well he is a more talented stand up than Mayor), Death at a Funeral, Bullitt, Steve Coogan, Dudley Moore, Chris Morris (The Day Today, Brasseye), John Doyle, John Clarke, Bryan Dawe, Woody Allen, Armando Iannucci, Norman Gunston, Catherine Tate is very bovvered, and very brilliant.
and things I hate
The 2012 London Olympics logo... what a mongrel! of visual porridge, people who slurp when drinking tea or coffee, vegan beer, white pepper, zealous political correctness, being put on hold by fat useless corporations, like Optus, Telstra, Century 21, Jetstar Vodafone and CityLink, they all have really appalling customer service. Country and Western Music, Dixieland, what a cacophany! South Africans who say "flet woight pliz", Fox News, Christian and Islamic mentalists, the Bretheren (creepy), born agains, (BACs) and any creationists... I was born fine first time.
Music and lyrics for Mellowtown by Ray Hood, my tribute to the northern suburbs of Sydney where I grew up. Scatting by Ali Carter
Together Alone written by Liam Alexander, www.liamalexander.com
.
Studio photography by Tashkah www.tashkah.com, South Melbourne
My band 'Speakeasy' was finalist on Starsearch in 1989... phew...

My Interests

Music:

Member Since: 03/01/2007
Band Website: This one
Band Members: Musicians I work with are: Mike Mathews: Seekers, Lisa Edwards Band, Channell 9 show band, Bass, Ben Harmsen: Bass. David Jones: Keyboards and Vocals, Gustavo Moreno from Colombia, Marek Podstawek from Poland and John Perri from Coburg: on drums and percussion,
Influences: Guitarists that have influenced me:
Wes Montgomery, Jeff Beck, Pat Martino, Stochelo Rosenberg, Django Reinhardt.

Male vocalists who I admire:
John Lennon, Nick Cave, Thomas Callaway, Sting, Jacques Brel, Frank Sinatra,

Female vocalists I admire:
Ella Fitzgerald, Roisin Murphy, Nina Simone, Peggy Lee, Anita O'Day, Rosemary Clooney, Dee Dee Bridgewater, Joni Mitchell
Sounds Like: Ray Hood
Record Label: unsigned
Type of Label: Major

My Blog

What a week!

Who is this Godwin Grech! Please tell me. Such a medieval name, King Harold, (who William the Conqueror booted off the throne at Hastings, you know... 1066 et al), well his dad was Godwin... actuall...
Posted by on Thu, 25 Jun 2009 05:50:00 GMT

Your weekly international update!

Amanda Vanstone, our wonderful ex immigration minister (remember, locking up Australian citizens who had evil German accents and poor Filipino maids and packing them back to the third world) is Aust...
Posted by on Sat, 04 Apr 2009 22:20:00 GMT

Marcus Einfeld

Did you see the Four Corners splash on this?. Talk about hubris... he had been doing this for years. Get a fine... okay send off a false statutory declaration... how can one of Her Majesty's Judges do...
Posted by on Mon, 23 Mar 2009 06:30:00 GMT

GFC part 2

California is now looking to legalise marijuana and reap millions in new tax revenue from sales tax, to boost dwindiling state revenue. They are considering slogging heavey taxes on porn! Rush Limbaug...
Posted by on Fri, 06 Mar 2009 06:14:00 GMT

Bullitt

What a classic... !! just watched it... anyone know who is the jazz combo in the restaurant that Steve and Jacqueline frequent? Great flute solo. Lalo Schifrin wrote the original score, a mix of jazz...
Posted by on Wed, 25 Feb 2009 04:45:00 GMT

Other leading ladies

Our wonderful Queen has a new website... www.royal.gov.ukIt is truly marvelous... you know we are officially listed as a "realm" yes along with other leading nations such as St Kitts and Nevis, Grenad...
Posted by on Thu, 12 Feb 2009 16:06:00 GMT

GFC

Jóhanna Sigurðardóttir, a Social Democrat, and ex air hostess, will be the world's first openly gay leader of a western country. Yes, she is the new prime minister of Iceland. Now we have first black ...
Posted by on Wed, 11 Feb 2009 16:00:00 GMT

More freezing inaugurations

Well wasn't it wonderful, great speech, but what about Robert's gaff in the oath, what a dimwit how could you stuff that up. Its rumoured he had to retake it inside, as it is illegal (ie Obama was le...
Posted by on Wed, 21 Jan 2009 04:43:00 GMT

Free Optus calls

Did you know if you are in central Melbourne, you can use the phone in the Optus shop at the corner of Elizabeth and Collins St, to make local and STD calls. Just take an old bill in with you or just...
Posted by on Tue, 20 Jan 2009 03:49:00 GMT

Less than 24 hours

Less than 24 hours of Bushdom left. Why do Americans have their presidential inaugurations in January?. All those poor punters freezing their butts off to see history in the make. Why not September? o...
Posted by on Mon, 19 Jan 2009 15:41:00 GMT