Heavyshift
Encyclopedia
Heavyshift is the name of a British acid jazz
trio composed of William South (piano
) and John Wallace
(saxophone
) and Julian Fenton (drums), who first met and started gigging together around 1994. They have so far released four albums (The Cocktail Years not officially representing Heavy Shift but rather Wallace/South) . Their debut album, Unchain Your Mind, featured the hit single "90 Degrees in the Shade" and went to the Top Five on the new adult contemporary charts and Billboard
jazz charts being named "Album of the Year" by Jazz FM.
Heavyshift music has been used for various soundtracks including Baywatch
and 9½ Weeks 2. A new version of Say Hello to Teddy (which was released on Jazz FM's label in 2004) is to be taken up by respected US jazz imprint Instinct Records.
South & Wallace have also lent their recording talents to a wide range of individuals, including David Bowie
, Tom Jones
, All Saints
, and James Taylor
.
Acid jazz
Acid jazz is a musical genre that combines elements of jazz, funk and hip-hop, particularly looped beats. It developed in the UK over the 1980s and 1990s and could be seen as tacking the sound of jazz-funk onto electronic dance: jazz-funk musicians such as Roy Ayers, Donald Byrd and Grant Green are...
trio composed of William South (piano
Piano
The piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
) and John Wallace
John Wallace (UK musician)
John Wallace is a British saxophonist/singer noted for his work in the Acid Jazz ensemble Heavyshift. Wallace has appeared in many various groups in the UK music scene including JoBoxers and The Stargazers...
(saxophone
Saxophone
The saxophone is a conical-bore transposing musical instrument that is a member of the woodwind family. Saxophones are usually made of brass and played with a single-reed mouthpiece similar to that of the clarinet. The saxophone was invented by the Belgian instrument maker Adolphe Sax in 1846...
) and Julian Fenton (drums), who first met and started gigging together around 1994. They have so far released four albums (The Cocktail Years not officially representing Heavy Shift but rather Wallace/South) . Their debut album, Unchain Your Mind, featured the hit single "90 Degrees in the Shade" and went to the Top Five on the new adult contemporary charts and Billboard
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
jazz charts being named "Album of the Year" by Jazz FM.
Heavyshift music has been used for various soundtracks including Baywatch
Baywatch
Baywatch is an American action drama series about the Los Angeles County Lifeguards who patrol the beaches of Los Angeles County, California, starring David Hasselhoff. The show ran in its original title and format from 1989 to 1999, sans the 1990-1991 season, of which it was not in production...
and 9½ Weeks 2. A new version of Say Hello to Teddy (which was released on Jazz FM's label in 2004) is to be taken up by respected US jazz imprint Instinct Records.
South & Wallace have also lent their recording talents to a wide range of individuals, including David Bowie
David Bowie
David Bowie is an English musician, actor, record producer and arranger. A major figure for over four decades in the world of popular music, Bowie is widely regarded as an innovator, particularly for his work in the 1970s...
, Tom Jones
Tom Jones (singer)
Sir Thomas John Woodward, OBE , known by his stage name Tom Jones, is a Welsh singer.Since the mid 1960s, Jones has sung many styles of popular music – pop, rock, R&B, show tunes, country, dance, techno, soul and gospel – and sold over 100 million records...
, All Saints
All Saints (band)
All Saints were a British/Canadian girl group. Founded in 1993 as All Saints 1.9.7.5, the group consisted of founding members Melanie Blatt and Shaznay Lewis, and sisters Nicole Appleton and Natalie Appleton...
, and James Taylor
James Taylor
James Vernon Taylor is an American singer-songwriter and guitarist. A five-time Grammy Award winner, Taylor was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2000....
.
Discography
- Unchain Your MindUnchain Your MindUnchain Your Mind was the first studio album by the Acid Jazz band Heavyshift. Released in 1995, it went on the Billboard Jazz Charts at number two and was named Jazz FM's 'Album of the Year'...
(1995) - The Last Picture Show (1996)
- The Cocktail Years (Wallace & South)
- The Conversation (2004 - US)
- Say Hello To Teddy (2003)
- "Hampster on the Wheel" (2009)