Member Since: 6/16/2006
Band Website: chrishigginbottom.com
Influences:
As a kid I was fixated first with the Beach Boys and then Status Quo. The first tape I ever bought was Michael Jackson Bad, the first cd Jamiroquai Emergency on Planet Earth. I was lucky enough to sing in a great choir in a beautiful abbey (Waltham) from aged 8-14 and all of the music that I learnt during that period of my life had a profound and lasting impact. There are a couple of songs that my dad played me that really had an impression on me in my early teens - Queen's Bohemian Rhapsody, Lynyrd Skynyrd's Freebird. He also took me to see some great bands including the Rolling Stones, Elton John, Eric Clapton, Joe Cocker. In secondary (or 'high') school I was pretty much obsessed with Led Zeppelin and would listen to them every day and dream of rock stardom. There a few jazz albums that I clearly remember where I was when I heard them for the first time - the Keith Jarrett trio album The Cure (in a minibus in france aged 16), the Pat Metheny trio Question and Answer (an early mentor loaned me the disc at age 18 and it was my first exposure to the great drummer Roy Haynes ), Miles Davis the Complete Concert 1964 - I was completely blown away when my aural skills teacher played this album in my first year class at college aged 19. Visiting a friend in freezing cold Toronto in January '99 he played Brad Mehldau's Art of the Trio Vol 2 live at the Village Vanguard and pretty much there and then I decided that I had to move to New York. Stevie Wonder for me is truth, as is John Coltrane. The Beatles constantly inspire me, particularly Paul's voice and Ringo's love of playing the song. Beck is one cool dude, Bob Dylan makes me smile, Chaka Kahn kicks arse, John Mayer is brilliant and I don't quite understand why some people think it's not 'cool' to like him. Eminem's a badass, Joni Mitchell amazes me, Oscar Peterson 'swang' his butt off, the Ahmad Jamal trio makes me want to practice, and I have absolutely no idea how Paul Simon writes what he writes.
Record Label: Basho Records
Type of Label: Indie