Ray Russell - ProfilesArchive

About Me

Fame means nothing.
Real musicians know the only true accolade is the admiration of ones peers.
Ray Russell is a star in the eyes of musicians across the World.
Over four decades, Gill Evans, John Barry, Tina Turner, Phil Spector, The Ronettes, Van Morrison, Art Garfunkel, Dionne Warwick, Bryan Ferry, Jack Bruce, Cat Stevens, Phil Collins, Alex Harvey, Mark Isham, Georgie Fame, Frankie Miller are but a few of the artists and producers who have known that Ray Russell would add something special to their work.
A consummate professional as guitarist, composer and producer, Ray has an extraordinary capacity for both virtuosity and versatility. More than just a great session player, Ray has been a collaborator, front man, band member, arranger, composer and friend to many of the Worlds most influential musicians, bridging the chasms between different musical genres with ease. His talents span different media as well.
From Plain Jane, a period drama to the ITV flagship detective series A Touch of Frost, many of televisions best loved shows are uplifted by Rays music.
Happy with the respect of other musicians, Ray is content that the World outside music knows his work, without necessarily knowing him.
-Neville Farmer
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My Interests

Music:

Member Since: 11/6/2005
Band Website: rayrussell.co.uk
Band Members: Amy Baldwin- Double Bass

Mo Foster- Electric Bass

Anthony Jackson- Contra Bass

Miles Evans- Sax

Gil Evans- Keys, Arranging

Mark Isham- Trumpets

Jeff Babko- Synths

Gary Husband- Drums

Simon Phillips- Drums

Ralph Salmins- Drums

Engineered by Rik Walton
Influences: John Coltrane, Archie Shepp, Hendrix, Gil Evans, Miles Davies, Delius, Ravel, Shostacovich...
Sounds Like: Russell, whos played with everyone from Georgie Fame and Alex Harvey to Bill Fay, developed a friendship with Miles Daviss arranger Gil Evans (anagram of Svengali) which lasted until the latters death in 1988. One of the last recordings Evans made was on the electric keyboard, duetting with Russell on Charles Mingus Goodbye Pork Hat. Russell recently added a new guitar track and made it the centrepiece of his latest album. The remainder of the album is an exhilarating throwback to late 60s jazz-rock fusion which ranges from Fripp-esque ambience (Wailing Wall) to the unabashed rock of `Prayer to the Sun.

David Stubbs - Uncut (4stars)

Russell's tone especially on the slower tracks is a beautifull synthesis of hard and sumptuous.

ANdy Hamilton - The Wire.

CLICK ON THE BLOGS BELOW THE MP3 JUKEBOX PLAYER TO READ MORE QUOTES AND REVEIWS!

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RMS LIVE AT MONTREUX (NOW ON DVD!)

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NEW LIVE VIDEO! Songs "Goodbye Svengali" and "Blaize" from the new album "Goodbye Svengali" OUT NOW on Cuniform Records
Record Label: Cuneiform Records
Type of Label: Major

My Blog

Quotes, comments and Reveiws!

"His lines are not so much melodic variation, or even Coltrane-like walls of sound. Instead it is like a Pollock painting mounted with guitar pickups, the sound of explosions. Russell makes it sound ...
Posted by Ray Russell on Fri, 05 May 2006 12:38:00 PST

Ray Russell Album Reveiw by Bill Tilland

On the strength of this CD, it's a mystery why Ray Russell has been so severely under-recorded throughout his career. As part of an exploratory group of British musicians in the late 1960's, Russell r...
Posted by Ray Russell on Fri, 05 May 2006 12:19:00 PST