REVIEW

DAVE PEABODY TRIO FLEA BITING BLUES
INDEPENDENT

Here we have an album that sounds familiar and pleasing as soon as the first notes roll out of the speakers with Too Many Drivers. Lovely barrelhouse piano from Tim Penn, driving acoustic guitar from Dave Peabody and wailing blues harp from Alan Glen.
The audience at the Bull's Head in Barnes took to these three seasoned performers immediately and lapped up Drifting Blues and a jaunty Statesboro Blues. Vocals are shared between Peabody and Penn and the trio perform in an authentic, straight ahead, no frills manner and to my ears provide welcome relief from the torrent of rock/ blues currently dominating the blues scene.
I treasure my copy of Cyril Davies' harp spectacular Country Line Special and Alan Glen gives it a good seeing to here before another old favourite Sleepy John Estes wonderful Floating Bridge stomps by.
The material is mostly old chestnuts but there are a couple of originals here including the charming title track Flea Biting Blues and the pleading slow blues Let's Try To Get Along both written by Dave Peabody. Tim Penn's piano lights up whenever You're Lonesome and the oft covered Look On Yonder Wall is a right rave up! The album closes with Lieber & Stoller's romping K C Lovin' and a good time was had by all.
I wish I'd been there on the night but am pleased to have this lovely album which features all of this trio's collective talent. experience and ability to communicate this joyous music to the listener.

DAVE DRURY

BLUESMATTERS Nov2019

FLEA BITING BLUES

DAVE PEABODY TRIO

Dave Peabody (vocals, guitar), Alan Glen (harmonica), Tim Penn (vocals, piano)
Three of the finest players on the British Blues scene
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Dave Peabody knows a thing or two about the blues having played guitar and toured with a host of American bluesmen such as Mississippi Delta legend David ‘Honeyboy’ Edwards, Grammy award winning harmonica player Charlie Musselwhite, and Cincinnati boogie and blues pianist Big Joe Duskin. Dave has perfected his craft with over fifty years of live performances in the UK and Europe, numerous trips to perform in the USA… including the San Francisco Blues Festival and six consecutive years performing at the Low Country Blues Bash, Charleston, South Carolina. Dave has played on fifty seven albums and CD’s and has been voted UK Acoustic Blues Artist of the Year three times.

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Alan Glen started playing harmonica after seeing Muddy Waters and the 'American Folk-Blues Festivals', which visited London in the late ‘60s. Early bands he was involved with were The Radical Sheiks and Brothers Grimm before going on to join Nine Below Zero (1991–1995) and The Yardbirds (1996–2003 and 2008–2009). Alan has played on over fifty albums and as well as six albums with Little Axe, and has recorded with Jeff Beck, Steve Vai, ‘Slash’, Skunk Baxter, John Mayall, Peter Green. With Dr. Feelgood he recorded the album ‘On The Road Again’. Alan has played Montreux and Nice Jazz festivals plus such prestigious venues as Hollywood’s House of Blues, Las Vegas’s Hilton, and London’s Royal Albert Hall, Hammersmith Odeon, Ronnie Scott’s and Wembley Arena.
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Tim Penn is one of the most ‘in demand’ keyboard players on the scene. Going back to the 1970s, he was a member of Dorris Henderson’s Eclection and also the Kevin Coyne band alongside Andy Summers (The Police) and Gordon Smith. He currently holds down the piano chair with the swing-blues band The Cadillac Kings as well as his own band The Second Line. His influences range from stride and barrelhouse piano styles of the 1920s, through to the great New Orleans piano players like Professor Longhair, Fats Domino, and Dr. John.

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The new CD “Flea Biting Blues” captures the trio performing live at the famous Bull’s Head jazz venue in Barnes, London. Recorded on two separate evenings the music reflects the trios collective love, understanding, and ability to play the kind of straight ahead, no frills, no nonsense blues that used to be performed by small acoustic ensembles back in the 30’s, ‘40’s and early ‘50’s, but which has now all but disappeared under the torrent of “Rock Blues” that dominates the current blues scene.

Link to YouTube to watch videos of the Dave Peabody Trio performing various selections
from the CD including “Too Many Drivers”, “Drifting Blues” and “Flea Biting Blues”

Enjoy

Contact: Barcodes Music 020-7732-1127 or glenalan9@aol.com
Website: www.thebarcodes.co.uk

Dave Peabody has been voted ‘Acoustic Blues Artist of the Year’ 3 times by the British Blues Connection and Blues In Britain magazine. He’s also been a guitar accompanist for such U.S. blues artists as legendary Mississippi guitarist David ‘Honeyboy’ Edwards, Cincinatti pianist Big Joe Duskin, North Carolina vocalist Big Boy Henry, and award winning harmonica man Charlie Musselwhite. Dave is adept playing as a solo performer, or in a variety of duos, or fronting the King Earl Boogie Band as lead vocalist (and playing electric guitar). Dave has been rocking out for close on 12 years with the band… whose pianist is Colin Earl from Mungo Jerry fame and whose drummer is John Coghlan from the original Status Quo. Dave has performed in over 20 different countries playing festivals and clubs, and has appeared on over 40 albums, making him one of the most experienced and seasoned British blues men performing today.

Alan Glen is best known for his work with The Yardbirds, Nine Below Zero, Little Axe, and his own band The Barcodes. Alan started playing harmonica after seeing Muddy Waters and the 'American Folk-Blues Festivals' which visited London in the late ‘60s and early ‘70s. Early bands he was involved with were The Radical Sheiks and Brothers Grimm before going on to join Nine Below Zero (1991–1995) and The Yardbirds (1996–2003 and 2008–2009). Alan has played on over 50 albums and as well as 6 albums with Little Axe… has recorded with Jeff Beck, Steve Vai, ‘Slash’, Skunk Baxter, John Mayall, Peter Green, plus many more, and with Dr. Feelgood he recorded the album ‘On The Road Again’. He played with Peter Green, Paul Jones, and Hubert Sumlin at the Long Beach Blues Festival and Alan has played Montreux and Nice Jazz festivals plus such prestigious venues as Hollywood’s House of Blues, Las Vegas’s Hilton, and London’s Royal Albert Hall, Hammersmith Odeon, Ronnie Scott’s, and Wembley Arena.

VIDEOS IN THIS PLAY LIST

Waiting for photo

THE DAVE PEABODY TRIO

Dave Peabody, Tim Penn & Alan Glen