Amancio D'Silva - 1969 Integration

Amancio D'Silva

1969

Integration

01. Ganges

02. Jaipur

03. Integration

04. Maharani

05. We Tell You This

06. Cry Free

07. Joyce Country

Bass – Dave Green

Drums – Trevor Tomkins

Guitar – Amancio D'Silva

Saxophone – Don Rendell

Trumpet, Flugelhorn – Ian Carr

Amancio D’Silva (1936-1996) was born in Bombay to Goan parents. Keen to learn the guitar after hearing jazz on the radio, D’Silva’s first professional instrument was a converted bass guitar. The Maharani of Jaipur bought him his first proper guitar – a Gibson – after becoming a fan of his playing, during a residency at the Rambagh Palace Hotel in Jaipur, which the Maharani owned. Back in Bombay, with his new Irish wife Joyce, D’Silva worked as a session musician on Bollywood films. In New Delhi, he worked with celebrated Goan saxophonist Braz Gonsalves.

In 1967, a plan to move to Ireland to seek medical treatment for their infant son, Stephano, became derailed, and they ended up staying in London instead of taking an onward flight. D’Silva found work at the Prospect of Whitby pub in Wapping, where he cleaned toilets as well as performing. He met the influential record producer, Denis Preston, and through him, secured his first recording sessions. He released his debut album ‘Integration’ in 1969. Produced by Preston, and featuring the talents of Don Rendell, Ian Carr, Dave Green and Trevor Tomkins, the album is an impressive early example of a fusion of jazz and Indian music. This was quickly followed by Hum Dono with Joe Harriott and Norma Winstone, then an easy listening album of standards and pop songs, ‘Reflections’. In 1972, D’Silva released ‘Dream Sequence’ as Cosmic Eye, a collaboration with fellow Indian ex-pat, John Mayer.

D’Silva moved to Essex in 1974, and found work teaching and developing electric guitar pick-ups to augment his jazz earnings. A stroke in 1992 ended his playing career. He died shortly after his 60th birthday. A 1974 session with Rendell, Alan Branscombe, Stan Tracey, sitar and two tablas, remained unreleased until 2006.

'Introducing Amancio D'Silva' indeed. Like a Lord Fauntleroy strutting peacock style as minions bow in his presence, D'Silva's overture places him in company enough to make any lofty ambitions wobble; In no such tribute to mere good luck, D'Silva's exotic tone makes an instant transition from regal court to boxing ring, his entourage demanding he roll his sleeves up, something he does with immediate effect, washing clean any suspicion that he might expect a free ride. Nonsense - with playing that earmarks him a bona fide pioneer, Amancio's Asian tinted Jazz captures his work at a zenith he could easily maintain, a complimentary cast thriving on the alchemy.

A wonderful cross cultural jazz LP from the late 60's UK scene that has started to see the light of day again thanks to the Impressed reissue series.This record by Indian born guitarist D'Silve is a fantastic delicate one that embraces traditional Indian musical ideas into the jazz realm just as well as the likes of Yusef Lateef had been doing in the USA.D'Silva's guitar playing is almost sitar like in its execution which leads to the exotic feel.UK horn stalwarts Ian Carr and Don Rendell feature too.The album opens on fairly conventional ground with the likes of "Ganges" & the fantastic "Jaipur" and then features some more introspective numbers with a more eastern feel.The band's rhythm section are tight and really show off there considerable skills on "Maharani".Fans of the likes of Lateef of Ahmed Abdul Malik should track down this CD.