ZOOT! ROCKS WORLD (OFFICIAL) CREDIT WHERE IT'S DUE courtesy of the February 2004 edition of Record Collector Magazine. The All-Happening... ZOOT MONEY'S BIG ROLL BAND at KLOOK'S KLEEK aka ZOOT! LIVE AT KLOOK'S KLEEK Just re-issued on Repertoire Records, it's already earned five stars from Amazon and four-and-a-half from the highly respected All Music Guide, who have voted it an AMG pick. Don't try and buy it from there, though, because the "buy" buttons weren't working on their site when we last checked. Zoot! Live at Klook's Kleek was the Big Roll Band's first proper album. Coincidentally it was also the first album to be produced by the legendary Gus Dudgeon, who was reminiscing fondly about it the day before his tragic death in 2002. To read Gus's contemporaneous account of the whole Big Roll Band experience, go to the on disc page and click on the album cover. To buy the CD reissue, which also carries a new interview with Zoot himself, click here. To see the Amazon comedy entry, crediting Ian Gillan as the main vocalist, click here. Amazon has been alerted, so perhaps the CDs will be correctly identified by the time you get there (there is also a proper listing in Amazon - this one's extra!). This month's Record Collector carries a feature on the original album plus plenty more on all Zoot's old mates. Open the pages, read a bit, close your eyes and you'll swear the last 38 years never happened. last updated: 16th April 2004 back to top of page

tour news (1) DANISH BLUES Three plucky Brits, Zoot Money, Cliff Bennett and Tony Sheridan, are heading a belated counter-invasion of Denmark next week - a mere 1139 years after the great Viking incursion into Britain in 865. Through till May they'll be special guests on the Hit House Tour hosted by Danish entertainer Peter Belli, whose band LES RIVALS was one of Denmark's biggest sensations in the 60s. Individual dates are on the gigs page. Taking care of business in Zoot's absence for the regular bash at the Bull's Head, Barnes, on April 29th , will be the highly recommended Andy Roberts and his Blues Patrol. If you can't get to Denmark, this one's definitely not to be missed. Peter Belli Cliff Bennett Tony Sheridan Andy Roberts     REISSUE NO.3 DUE SOON ZOOT MONEY'S BIG ROLL BAND - IT SHOULD HAVE BEEN ME (Columbia 33SX 1734) 1965 The original LP boasted a sleevenote by Alexis Korner - click here to read it Following on from the successful CD releases of the Big Roll Band's early recordings: Zoot Money's A's and B's Scrapbook and Zoot! Live at Klook's Kleek, Repertoire Records is soon to reissue a third album - It Should Have Been Me, featuring many of the classic numbers that contributed to the band's success in the 1960s. We don't know the exact release date yet (so there's no point in asking!) but rest assured we'll let you know as soon as we hear when it is, at which point you can dust off your credit card and order this unique slice of musical life from the decade everyone who was there claims not to be able to remember. tour news (2) SUPERCHARGE TOUR ARCHIVE NOW ONLINE In February Zoot joined forces with one of the biggest names (and characters) on the mainland European Blues scene - Albie Donnelly. The occasion was a tour to celebrate 30 years of Albie's band, Supercharge, also featuring Albie's long-time sideman Gaz Gaskell, and the result, as might be predicted when three such large personalities get together - was explosive. Much fun and gratuitous silliness was experienced by all, and most importantly, the music was terrific. BigRoll now has a Supercharge Tour Special archive page online - click here to read more about what they all got up to and to access the good, bad and downright shameful pictorial evidence. COPYRIGHT DISCLAIMER   MONEY IN THE JUKE COMING SOON: Need a quick fix of R'n'B, the Big Roll way? Want to hear Zoot playing the guitar? Pining for a quick snatch of the unique Zoot Money sound? Never fear - your prayers - and the requests of a large number of visitors to this site - are about to be answered. The Big Roll Jukebox, containing 16 samples of tracks from throughout Zoot's varied career, is about to be delivered to these pages. WATCH THIS SPACE!! back to top of page

now what?     SUCCESS FOR ZOOT-PRODUCED TRACK Road Movie - the Director's Cut: available from Cuppa Records Road Movie, the title track from Woodstock Taylor & the Aliens' debut CD, produced by Zoot and also featuring the talents of Colin Hodgkinson, Ronnie Johnson and Pete Brown, was voted runner-up Record of the Year 2003 on alternative music station Radio Six International after being nominated for the second year in a row. Following its long spell on the Radio Six playlist, the song is now online at Sonic Garden for your listening pleasure. STIR IT UP: PORRIDGE SETS AT No 7 In a parallel universe, Johnny Vaughan championed the case for Porridge, starring Ronnie Barker, as part of the BBC's lengthy poll for Britain's Best Sitcom. The votes are now in and counted and Porridge settled at a respectable No. 7 - not bad for a show that hasn't been showing back-to-back repeats for the last decade. It isn't really a contest, of course, it's just a combination of taste, PR and media exposure, not to mention a good opportunity to celebrate the Best of British comedy. Check out the final tally here. Dedicated followers of Zoot's career will know that he played inmate Lotterby in the Porridge movie (named after the director, Sidney Lotterby). ZOOT ON FILM: Click here to see IMDB listing of many of Zoot's screen roles Site built and maintained by NMC Production & Marketing