If

Biography

If was Great Britain’s contribution towards the jazz-rock motion begun and popularized in the late ’60s/early ’70s by Bloodstream, Perspiration & Tears and Chicago. Created in 1969 by Melody Manufacturer jazz poll winners Dave Quincy, Dick Morrissey, and Terry Smith, the music group never found well-known success in america. However, If created many albums noteworthy for putting jazz players inside a pop/rock and roll music group context and creating a accurate fusion of both styles without diluting the players’ improvisational abilities. Unlike the majority of their horn-band contemporaries, If experienced no brass players within the music group, relying solely within the saxophones of Dick Morrissey as well as the flute and saxophones of Dave Quincy. But what actually offered If its exclusive sound had been the vocals of J.W. Hodgkinson and your guitar of Terry Smith. Hodgkinson’s vocal timbre was uncommon — smooth, versatile, and strong within the top quality, sounding like no additional vocalist. Smith’s trebly acoustic guitar audio was also exclusive, merging a rocker’s usage of sustain using the jazz fluency of Wes Montgomery and Django Reinhardt. The initial incarnation of If created five superb albums between 1970 and 1972, but these albums didn’t find an target audience. Morrissey soldiered on using the If name for just two even more albums with a completely different lineup and a far more generic rock-type audio, but these, as well, proceeded to go nowhere. Drummer Dennis Elliott was afterwards a member from the platinum-selling rock-band Foreigner.

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