Album Notes

Imagine Frank Sinatra crooning David Bowie songs out in front of a rock band, or David Bowie singing Ol' Blue Eyes favourites with a jazz quartet..!

... That's the premise for the new album recorded by the inimitable Jeff Duff and his brilliant new quartet 'Duffo'.

You'll hear original Duffo compositions, inspired arrangements of Bowie classics including CHANGES and REBEL REBEL. Rock anthems SPACE ODDITY and SUFFRAGETTE CITY also get a groovy jazz makeover. Ol' Blue Eyes might just roll over in his grave on hearing Duffo's modern interpretations of UNDER MY SKIN or THAT'S LIFE, but he'd have to agree it's a brave band which tackles any of his sacred songs with such total disregard!

In an inspired career, this is Jeff Duff's twentieth album but his first with the new Duffo lineup.

Jeff Duff first came to international attention as a punk singer in London where he released half a dozen albums and built up a fanatical fan base throughout the UK and Europe during the eighties. He formed a band under the Duffo name to promote his recordings and the band quickly gained a reputation for their spectacular live performances.

Jeffs musicians were some of the finest in the world among them Peter Green guitarist and founding member of Fleetwood Mac,Chucho Merchan bassist from Eurythmics and members of top British band Ultravox.

Duffos debut single in the United Kingdom 'Give me back me brain' was an instant hit, storming up the national British charts in its first week of release. The television appearances that followed were some of the most memorable events from that particular era.

Duffos music utilizes his amazing baritone voice and many musical styles, the result of sophisticated arrangements and a wealth of live performances.

If you add equal parts of Duffo originals to equal parts of Bowie and Sinatra, throw them in a blender and mash them together, you'll get a rough idea.

Apart from featuring the amazing voice of Jeff Duff, the talented Duffo quartet is made up of Sydney's top young jazz rebels, each possessing incredible skills on their respective instruments. Tim Jenkins, surrounded by a wall of keyboards, [piano, fender rhodes, hammond organ and synthesizers] is musical director. Andy Davies is currently one of the most in demand drummers in Sydney and also a member of Jeff's Big Band. Aaron Michael not only plays tenor sax, soprano sax and flute but also adds the unusual sounding EWI [electronic wind instrument] which helps give the Duffo sound it's unique character. Kevin Hailey plays both the double bass and electric bass ...walking the big bass through the cool jazz grooves and slapping the electric in the harder edged Duffo funk.

It's hard to categorize the music; it has everything, jazz, lounge, blues, rock, pop, funk. Jeff's description of the Duffo sound as Cartoon Jazz [a reference to the satirical nature of his own compositions] is as close as you're going to get!

'Sinatra, Presley, Jagger, Popeye...& now Duffo!' [Andy Warhol 1980]

www.jeffduff.com www.duffo.com.au