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THE TROJANS (GAZ
MAYALL)
Specialising in ska &
reggae with a dash of soul, funk, R&B, irish folk
and world roots, The Trojans were formed in late 1986
by the elder son of British Blues legend John Mayall.
Several albums
were licensed to Japan from '88 with 'Spirit of Adventure'
on Sony records, opening up an avenue of succesive tours
with mainstream coverage to a large audience where they
are still very popular today.
- TROJANS
GIGS
- Live
Pictures
- Official
Gaz Mayall Site
- The Trojans
- myspace.com/skatrojans
- Gaz Rockin' Blues
- myspace.com/gazrockinblues
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THE TROJANS
Specialising in ska & reggae with
a dash of soul, funk, R&B and world roots, The Trojans
were formed in late 1986 from the ashes of the premature demise
of Gaz Mayall's first band Gaz's Rebel Blues Rockers where
brief emergence on the London pub/club scene lasted from early
1982 to mid 83.
 Debut
gig was the Astoria on Charing Cross road by London's center
point on the 23rd December 1986 supporting premier ska band
Potato 5 and ska legend Laurel Aitken. Within two and a half
years the Trojans headlined the same venue with the above
acts supporting them. During the first few years they recorded
several albums well received on the UK underground all on
Gaz Mayall's own independent label Gaz's Rockin' Records,
the first being 'Ala-Ska' featuring the classic single 'Gaelic
Ska' launching a whole new genre of Afro-Celtic fusion that
has since become a hallmark of The Trojans' sound.
Several albums were licensed to Japan
from '88 with 'Spirit of Adventure' on Sony records opening
up an avenue of succesive tours with mainstream coverage to
a large audience where they are still very popular today.
 Some
original band members are still regular performers with the
band including saxophonist Rudy Jones and drummer Mark Hamilton
who began as percussionist. The line-up often features bagpipes,
violin, guest female vocalists, on top of the regular two
guitars, drum, bass percussion regular touring group with
Gaz at the centre stage singing and playing melodica. Occasionally
guest horn players and the Trojan's long time founder saxman
Colin Humphries appear.
The trojans tour often mainly in Europe
and do lots of one-off special shows at festivals, clubs,
bars and private parties being popular with the young and
old and people of all cultures to suit our multicultural day
and age.
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 GAZ
MAYALL
Gaz Mayall DJ's and hosts London's longest
running one-nighter Gaz's Rockin Blues. He occasionally plays
live with his ska band The Trojans. He first began Gaz's Rockin'
Blues in July 1980 after a few guest appearances at the Two-Tone
club, Oxford Street in 1979.
The eldest son of Blues legend John Mayall,
Gaz was raised on a musical diet of R&B and was dragged
around every beat, pop & rock festival and venues throughout
the sixties as a child. First becoming a lifelong fan of reggae
as a kid on the football terraces in the skin head era circa
1968-72.
Gaz began collecting records aged 17,
bulk buying cheap reggae and ska collections down street markets
such as Portbello road and Brick Lane at a time when it seemed
no one wanted them.
Also a great fan of boogie woogie, Rock&Roll,
traditional Irish music, funk and world music, Gaz, heavily
influenced by a family friend Radio One DJ and blues musician
Alexis Korner, pursued his love of music in earnest and now
has a world famous collection of predominantly black dance
music ranging from the first tribal drum beats to the latest
drum & bass.
For the last nineteen years Gaz has been running his own record
label Gaz's Rockin' Records producing ska acts and artists
around the world. |
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 GAZ
ROCKIN' RECORDS
Gaz's Rockin' Records kicked off in October
1985 with the launch of Potato 5's debut 7 & 12 inch singles,
leading to the labels first album release "Floyd Lloyd
& Potato 5 meet Laurel Aitken" in February 1887.
Gaz had been temporarily managing the
group and needed to launch his own dream indie label to promote
his club, sound system style modeled on the 1960's Jamaican
ska labels like Prince Busters, Coxsones & Duke Reids.
With the advent of his own band, The Trojans,
Gaz made more singles and another album in 1987 to put his
label on the ska world map & continued at a rate of about
an album release or more per year. Mainly devoted to the field
of ska & its hybrids, Gaz has often branched out with
his productions to include world music such as the well acclaimed
Baghdaddies debut CD "Last Tango in Babylon" featuring
the gypsy flavour of the underground festy scene. |
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 GAZ
ROCKIN' BLUES
Gaz's Rockin' Blues is London's longest
running one-nighter club. It was founded on 2 July 1980 had
been held at Gossip's on Dean street for 14 and half years
until it moved to its current venue St Moritz on Wardour Street
in 1995.
The club generally promotes live bands
each week.St Moritz
159 Wardour street, Soho, London W1F 8WL
Every Thursday 10pm-3:30am
Admission £7 (£5 before 11pm) |
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NOTTING HILL CARNIVAL SOUND SYSTEM
Every year at Europes largest street festival,
the Notting Hill carnival, Gaz's sound system has featured
outside thThe Globe, 103 Talbot Road. Each year a different
theme is used for the decor of the stage - Cowboys And Indians
(2000), A Space Odyssey (2001), House Of Voodoo ( 2003), Pirates
Of The Caribbean (2004).
 2005
paid homage to Japan where Gaz has been perenially popular
with 30 visits since 1986. So for 2005 it' was Place Of Fu
Manchu with a three storey peace pagoda, upholding Gaz's position
as the best dressed sound system, and features The Trojans
live, clad in orient express kit with Gaz at the helm leading
a host of Gaz's Rockin' Blues top dj's...
2006 was even more impressive, Talbot
road being turned into the "Lost World" with a couple
of giant dinosaurs, 30 feet monster squeletons, a vintage
nazi airplaine crashed in the middle of a real jungle insfested
by cannibal dancers, pilots and half naked air hostesses being
served as diner. The line up included maroon town, The trojans,
Ska Cubano members, Tantan Thornton, and a brief appearance
of Prince Buster to name a few. |
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MOST OFTEN SEEN MUSICIANS IN THE
TROJANS
 Every
gig:
Gaz Mayall - Vocals & Melodica
Tony Uter - Percussions
Rick Baxendale - Drums
Neil Aptaker - Bass
Benoit Viellefon - Lead Guitar
Charlie Night Doctor - Rhythm Guitar
Tantan Thornton - Trumpet, Vocals
Rudy Valentino Jones - Tenor Saxophone
Colin Humphries - Tenor Saxophone
Miss megumi - Alto Saxophone
Sean MacGloin - Violin, Harmonica, Bagpipes
Anton Ban O'Dochairtaigh - Bagpipes, Banjo, Percussions
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TROJANS DISCOGRAPHY - (LPs only,
singles & 7" not mentioned)
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