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Let me introduce you to the musicians- as Hank would say- “they’re the best in their price range!” Alan Jones, ex-Shadows Bass GuitaristWhat more can be said about this wonderful musician?! I’ve known Alan several years now, through running the South Wales Shadows Club and I was delighted when he agreed to come to the Berry Hill Recording Studio and play on and co-produce this album. He is a consummate musician and his years of experience both as the Shadows bass player and as a session musician were invaluable during the recording sessions. In addition, Alan arranged the vocal harmonies and his input to this part of the project was immense. Many thanks, Alan, for your fantastic contribution to this album- we are honoured to have recorded with you! Jim McCoy - Drums & Percussion
We are very fortunate to have found Jim to replace Richard Cooke who has recently emigrated to Denmark.Jim is a dedicated Shadows fan and his experience, dedication, and professionalism is a huge asset to the band. Mike de Souza - Bass Guitar
Phil McGarrick - Rhythm/Lead Guitar - Visit Phil's website
His interest in the Shadows was reawakened in the late 80’s/early 90’s and began playing Shadows music at home again. Between 1996-7, Phil joined an Irish duo called ‘Emerald’ with whom he recorded a CD-‘A Touch of Emerald’- Phil says at least two people he knows like it! Phil and myself met at a Shadows Club meeting in 2003 and discovered that we could both play either the rhythm or lead guitar parts to ‘Bossa Roo’- I offered him the opportunity to audition on rhythm guitar with the band- the rest is history! Phil is an excellent lead guitarist as well as rhythm player - enjoy his lead playing on ‘Fandango’! Andrew McGarrick - Keyboards
Maurice Woodcroft - Lead/Rhythm Guitar
I met Mike Sullivan (keyboards), my best friend and extremely talented classically trained musician, while working with a band called ‘Europa’ in the late 70’s and we have remained firm friends ever since. Mike arranged and played all the string and synth arrangements on this CD. Listen in particular, to his gorgeous string arrangement on ‘Blue Sky, Blue Sea, Blue Me’-outstanding! Putting together ‘Bungleflint’ and playing lead guitar with this fine group of musicians has been a dream come true for me……..I hope you enjoy ‘Déjà vu’ !! Maurice Woodcroft
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Jim joined the band in May 2007.
He has been drumming ever since he can remember and gigging for over 40 years
and also plays guitar. His Dad was a drummer in an Army Pipe Band and was a big influence.
He bought Jim a snare drum when he was 9 and taught him all the rudiments and then his
first kit when he was 11; an old Ajax kit which cost the princely sum of £15. Later on,
when Jim was 13 he joined his first group “The McCoys” in Luton, his Dad bought him a
new kit from Jim Marshalls’ music shop in Ealing. He got a free lesson out the back of
the shop from Jim Marshall who of course, was a drummer himself in his early days.
The McCoys were an all instrumental group, 3 guitars, sax and drums and very popular
in around Luton in the early 60’s and this was where Jim’s love of Shadows and other
instrumental music grew. At 15 he went into the Royal Navy and there was not much in
the way of making music during that time. Returning to civilian life in 1972,
he resumed his drumming and was in a variety of semi-pro bands and was pro for 2 years
with an 8 piece Irish Showband. He has been drummer in bands playing, Blues, Rock, Jazz,
Big-Band, Country, Latin, Pop, infact just about every style of music.
His early influences include, Louis Bellson, Lionel Hampton, Jack Parnell,
John Bonham, Tony Meehan, Brian Bennett, Sandy Nelson and his hero was Joe Morello
who played with Dave Brubeck of “Take Five” fame. Jim says, “Joe was and still is
probably the finest technical drummer on the planet and his experiments with different
time signatures just knocked me out when I was a kid”. Jim has a great passion for his
drumming and gets a terrific buzz from playing with Bungleflint. “They are just superb
musicians and great guys” he says.
The band are delighted to welcome on board the newest member of Bungleflint, Mike de Souza. Mike is a superb bass player and has fitted seamlessly into the bands’ line up. He began playing 6-string guitar at 16, but on hearing a bass guitar in an R & R band in 1807 was immediately hooked! After playing with several groups in the Bristol area, in 1966 he joined ‘The Waikiki Islanders’, a pro band for whom he played bass on their first LP: the session fee?-£250!!…he very nearly retired as a result!! In fact, he went on to play with the band on a couple of BBC radio and TV shows in the Midlands.
Following a stint in the RAF, he moved with his family to Bridgend and played with several bands including holding down a couple of night club residencies.
Mike has a slightly unorthodox style of playing, using his thumb as a ‘plectrum’ a la Mark King and the great jazz guitarist, Wes Montgomery. His love of the music of The Shadows is the added special ‘ingredient’ to our line-up.
Phil began playing guitar at the age of 13 and during guitar lessons
at that time learnt the lead line from ‘The Boys’ and the
rhythm part to ‘Stars fell on Stockton’. Phil has come back
to ‘Shadow Music’ in recent years having branched out to play
in 70’s rock bands such as ‘Astral Traveller’ and ‘Bagshot
Row’ in his native Gloucestershire - he was asked to join them full
time, but decided to keep his day job- just as well, because, as he says,
“the bands never made it without me anyway!”
Andrew joined the band in July 2007 following the sad passing of our keyboard player
Geoff Morgan who we all miss very much. At 27 he is the youngest member of the band.
Andrew is Phil’s son and consequently has been exposed to Shadows music ever since he was born !
He has always been very interested in music of all kinds from Led Zeppelin, Steely Dan to
Fats Waller & Teddy Wilson and Classical . Phil taught him to play guitar from age 14, but
he has now totally overtaken his teacher and Phil now learns from him !. His interest
in piano playing led him to follow a music degree at Exeter University where he obtained
a BA in Music. He has a great interest in playing Jazz on the Piano and guitar.
Andrew has produced some fine studio work, examples of which are on Phil’s web site.
He was very impressed with the keyboard playing of Cliff Hall – such numbers as
“Equinox” & “Mountains of the Moon” when he went to a Shadows concert at Bristol’s Colston hall.
The band welcome him on board and are now enjoying those orchestral sounds which
greatly enhance many of The Shadows songs.
My inspiration to play guitar was hearing the Shadows recording of ‘The
Breeze & I’- hence its inclusion on this CD. I was struck by
the sheer beauty and feel of the guitar playing- I’ve loved The
Shadows ever since! I went straight out to my local music shop in Luton
and bought a 7-guinea Eko guitar with my paper-round money and…well,
it hurt! However, I persevered, and I was the first person in my area
to play the chords to ‘The War Lord’! “Fame at last!”
I thought, “this’ll get the girls!”, but it wasn’t
until I moved to Birmingham in 1968 that I played in my first gigging
band, ‘The Kay Gees”. As my playing improved, I joined better
standard bands including working the local Mecca circuit, culminating
in forming a dinner/dance band called ‘Pastiche’ around 1982/3.
We were the resident band at the Drayton Manor entertainment complex near
Tamworth and backed several top-line acts such as Ruby Murray, Jess Conrad,
Wee Willie Harris and worked on shows with comedians Jim Davidson, Bernard
Manning and Stan Boardman in our time together. We recorded at Zella studios
in Birmingham and have a dusty tape recording to prove it! My musical
influences?-The Shadows, Joe Pass, Wes Montgomery, Steely Dan, Antonio
Carlos Jobim and melody divine, folks!