Think of your ideal musician, songwriter and all round nice guy and you would probably be thinking of Chaz Jankel.
Primarily known as the co writer of all of the most important songs in the incredible canon of work that is Ian Dury and the Blockheads' output from inception to Ian’s untimely death some ten years ago, songs like “Sex and Drugs and Rock and Roll”, “Hit me with your Rhythm stick” and “Clever Trevor” continue to delight audiences worldwide as the Blockheads continue to keep the memory of Ian alive.
But Chaz is no mere exponent of heritage music. His love of Black Soul music has led to him being regarded as one of the prime exponents of British funk and soul, albeit in the area marked “cool” with hits like “Get myself together”, “Number one” and the recent 12 inch release of “I come Alive”.
Who can forget the incredible “Ai No Corrida“ which was covered by none other than Quincy Jones and which became a hit worldwide.
His work in the dance field has won him a legion of younger fans and the tracks “Questionnaire”, “Glad to know you” and “3,000,000 synths” continuing to be recurrent spins on the more discerning decks in town.
He has also co-written and produced “Secrets and Words“ the debut album for hotly tipped singer songwriter China Soul, daughter of 70’s supercop David Soul (Starsky) and the result is a beautifully crafted record of great depth and charm showcasing another side of his musical personality.
2009 saw the result of his frequent trips to LA to write with one of the world’s biggest stars being released in the form of “Do you mind”, one of the standout tracks on the great Mr Robbie Williams number one album “Reality killed the video star”. Robbie, a lifelong Ian Dury fan personally invited Chaz to participate and collaborate in the creative process over a lengthy period leading to a classic Robbie tune.
Finally things came full circle with the life and times of Ian Dury brought to the cinema in the form of a biopic entitled aptly ”Sex and Drugs and Rock and Roll“ and the experienced score composer (yes he does that as well!) Chaz was proud to be asked to compose the original music score to this fantastic film. Already nominated for a Bafta award for the score S&D&RR was released in UK cinemas in Jan 2010 to immense critical acclaim. It is a truly wonderful film and features the acting skills of some of the UK’s finest talents including Andy Serkis (Bafta nomination for Best Actor), Ray Winstone and Mackenzie Crook .
Always creative, this year has seen Chaz complete a new solo album called “The submarine has surfaced” a collection of brand new songs written and produced by the man himself. Expect remixes to be hitting the decks sometime soon . The album featuring vocal contributions from several hot new talents in the UK dance underground, is a return to Chaz's more club oriented roots and has already spawned a limited edition 12” vinyl single “I Come Alive” which sold out with days of its release last October sparking demand for more remixes and live performances a request that Chaz is aiming to fulfil this coming Summer. Release date April 2010 (tbc)
Never one to rest on his laurels Chaz is busy co-writing and creating music with a number of new and established artists and writers and continues to thrive on the creative process.
For further information contact:
STEVE TANNETT
Espresso Songs Ltd
stannett@aol.com
Publishing:
BMG Rights Mangement.
