Brian Auger's Remastered Albums Coincide With UK Tour

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Castle Music announced a massive reissue campaign that will encompass eight digitally re-mastered catalogue albums released in October and November from the legendary jazz rock organist and Godfather of Acid Jazz – Brian Auger. This comprehensive reissue campaign coincides with Auger's forthcoming European tour. Auger will perform three rare UK concerts in late November - Stratford upon Avon's Civic Hall (Monday 27th), London's Pigalle Club (Tuesday 28th) and Brighton's Concorde 2 (Wednesday 29th).

The first two albums are released on 16th October hail from the funk jazz legend's seminal jazz rock fusion ensemble the Oblivion Express' classic mid 70s period. First up is the 2-CD set "Live Oblivion – Volumes 1 & 2", followed by the critically acclaimed studio album, "Reinforcements". Both albums have been previously unavailable in the UK for many years.

As part of the ongoing Brian Auger reissue campaign, Castle release six more rare Auger albums on 13th November including "Search Party", "Here and Now", The Oblivion Express' "Keys To The Heart" and "Voices Of Other Times", Karma Auger's "Blue Groove" and Ali Auger's "Soft & Furry". All CD inlays include original album artwork, new liner notes and rare archive photographs. "Voices Of Other Times" and "Keys To The Heart" albums include rare bonus tracks.

For over forty years, Brian Auger has been a musician's musician. Jazz pianist, bandleader, session man, Hammond B3 innovator, and key player in the rise of jazz-rock fusion, Brian has done it all and then some. An incredible gentleman with one of the most varied careers in music, he has incorporated jazz, early British pop, R&B, soul and rock into an incredible catalog that has won him legions of fans all over the world.

Auger is considered to be the foremost exponent of the Hammond B3 organ and has been a professional musician since 1963. By 1964, Auger won the Melody Maker Jazz Poll before he kicked off his collaborations with Rod Stewart, Jimi Hendrix and Eric Burdon, to name but a few. He is credited with being the first jazz rock fusion artist who made it big in the jazz and rock worlds with his three distinctive bands – Steampacket (1966, featuring Rod Stewart), The Trinity (1967-1970) and The Oblivion Express (1970 to present). He has toured as an opening act for Led Zeppelin, ZZ Top and Herbie Hancock's Headhunters, to name a but a few.

In 1968 he scored his first UK Top 10 single with "This Wheel's On Fire" featuring Julie Driscoll on lead vocals. By 1970 he formed the Oblivion Express, and by the late 80s and early 90s he was hailed the "Godfather of Acid Jazz".

Auger's stated intention had always been to overlay soul and funk rhythms with jazz harmonies and solos. His current band line-up of the Oblivion Express includes his daughter Savannah on vocals and son Karma on drums. Brian is one of the originators of the high energy Hammond organ style along with Larry Young in the tradition of Jimmy Smith. In the late sixties our paths crossed in London at different times, socially and also playing with the likes of Jimi Hendrix and the guys from Cream.

Photoby Angie Gray

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