Song:Peepers
Album:Peepers
When I first heard this song, I thought it was very intriguing music from the Los Angeles based band Polar Bear led by former Jane's Addiction bassist Eric Avery. It turns out that this Polar Bear is a British jazz group led by former Babyshambles drummer Seb Rochford. He formed Polar Bear in 2004 with sax players Pete Wareham and Mark Lockheart, bassist Tom Herbert and mandolin player Leafcutter John (real name-John Burton). All were part of F-IRE Collective creative music community. Rochford was best known for his work with Babyshamles. Lockheart was a member of the 80s band Loose Tubes and also plays sessions and teaches music. Leafcutter John not only plays mandolin but likes to experiment with electronics and remixes. Polar Bear released their debut CD Dim Lit in 2004. They were nominated Best Band at the 2004 BBC Jazz Awards and Rochford was nominated for the Rising Star award. Their second album Held On The Tips Of Fingers was nominated for the 2005 Mercury Music Prize and a 2006 BBC Jazz Award. It seems the group isn't known outside England but their mix of jazz, funk and electronic music will be of interest to jazz fans in North America. Peepers is Polar Bear's latest CD. The members of the group do other things. Seb Rochford has been working with Corinne Bailey Rae and Herbie Hancock and also plays in Acoustic Ladyland with Wareham and Herbert. That band is now called Silver Birch. Mark Lockheart teaches at Trinity College Of Music and plays sessions. Leafcutter John does a lot of remix work. Here's Polar Bear performing Peepers in studio for The Guardian 2010.
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