Thursday 1 November 2007
Jamie McLean is most widely known as the guitarist for the New Orleans jazz, funk institution The Dirty Dozen Brass Band.
He has toured the world over playing for hundreds of thousands of people on stages such as Madison Square Garden, Shoreline Amphitheater, and Fuji Rock. He has recorded with everyone from Norah Jones to Dr. John and has performed with The Black Crowes, Widespread Panic, North Mississippi Allstars, Robert Randolph; among many others.
While the Dirty Dozen Brass Band groove is infectious and timeless, the sideman guitar slinger slot holds it’s limitations. Having always been a songwriter, singer and front man, Jamie began to focus on his roots and in the early part of 2004 he formed his own group the Jamie McLean Band. Over the past year and a half Jamie’s songwriting, filled with catchy hooks, beautiful lyrics and scorching guitar work has mingled with the soulful gumbo of the deep south and while The Jamie McLean Band is based in New York City, the influences of southern rock, blues, R&B and funk is unmistakable.
Jamie’s music is rich with rock and roll, dirty blues, beautifully crafted original songwriting, and if Keith Richards and Van Morrison could have a bastard child this might be what he would sound like. Rolling Stones (Exile on Main St., Sticky Fingers era.), Black Crowes and the Allman Brothers are easy comparisons and while Jamie acknowledges these artists as influences, he is just as easily found dialing in Bob Dylan, Sting, Bruce Hornsby, Coldplay, or Eric Clapton on his iPod.
The Jamie McLean Band features Jamie on guitars and lead vocals as well as his brother Carter McLean (drums, percussion), Derek Layes (bass), Jon Solo (organ, piano, keyboards) and Shelby Johnson (backing vocals). Jamie, Carter and Derek knew each other while living in Colorado and playing in the group One Flight Up. After Jamie began touring with the Dirty Dozen Brass Band, Carter and Derek moved to New York City to look at all the pretty lights and pursue music in the greatest city on earth. In early 2004 Jamie spent some time in NYC with his brother and Derek armed with a handful of original songs. Rehearsals began as a trio and grew to include Solo, Johnson and other guests. Juggling his rigorous touring schedule with the Dirty Dozen, Jamie began to book his new project in New York City clubs as time permitted and in early 2004 the group recorded their first EP entitled 15 Minutes.
Most recently Jamie McLean has really been turning up the heat and focusing on his sound and the direction for the band. In January of 2005, the Jamie McLean Band was booked for weekly residencies at clubs in New York City and Boston. Playing every week in these cities truly developed the group’s live sound, stage presence and fan base. During the last week in January, with the group firing on all cylinders, studio time was booked at New York’s Loho Studios. This amazing recording studio has been home to Keith Richards, Phish, Ryan Adams and John Mayer among many others.
The result of these sessions is This Time Around, an amazing collection of 11 original songs and Jamie’s first full length studio album. Combing rock, blues, country, jazz, R&B and the sounds of southern rock and funk, This Time Around is a powerful debut and a sure hit with fans of just plain good music. The songwriting is Jamie’s strongest to date. There is no fluff, no filler, no endless nonsense. The performances are tight and track after track leaves the listener tapping their toes to confident guitar work, smart songwriting, inspiring lyrics and choruses that will keep you up at night. It is these hooks that keep the music familiar and has you singing along by the second go around.
Jamie is joined on This Time Around by some of the baddest players on the scene. Along with his core group of Carter McLean (drums, percussion), Derek Layes (bass), and Jon Solo (organ, piano, keyboards) Jamie enlisted the help of longtime back up singer Shelby Johnson (D’Angelo, Roy Hargove), harmonica virtuoso Gregoire Maret (Charlie Hunter, Pat Metheny) and the super funky horn section of Ryan Zoidis (Soulive) on saxophones and Ravi Best (Ani Difranco, David Murray) on trumpet. The band has already shared the stage with The North Mississippi Allstars and Soulive and has performed at venues such as the Bowery Ballroom, Knitting Factory, CBGB’s, Paradise Rock Club, The Bitter End, Higher Ground and others
Jamie McLean Band will be touring in support of This Time Around throughout the year. Look for their entertaining and energized sets throughout the Northeast and across the country this year both on their own and supporting national artists.