The Nice
The Nice was an English progressive rock band. The group was founded in August 1967 by musicians accompanying the singer PP Arnold. Keith Emerson (keyboards, organ), David O'List (guitar, vocals), Brian Davison (drums) and Lee Jackson ( bass, vocals ) united in their musical style jazz and rock with classical music. Her interpretations are, for example, works by Leonard Bernstein (America from West Side Story ), Johann Sebastian Bach ( Brandenburg Concertos ) and Jean Sibelius ( Intermezzo from the Karelia suite).
Band History
After an appearance at the Windsor Blues Festival, they were soon a recording contract of Immediate offered. In 1968 out their debut album The Thoughts of Emerlist Davjack. The album is very similar to the organ music of Johann Sebastian Bach. But Emerson's organ pushed the guitarist O'List out of the picture, who retired shortly thereafter.
In July of the cover version of Bernstein's America came into higher realms of the charts. Even otherwise, the single attracted great attention. The cover consisted of a compilation of different pictures of the heads of Robert F. Kennedy and Martin Luther King. At a concert at the Royal Albert Hall in London was in America even a U.S. flag in flames. This led to a lifelong banned from performing for the Royal Albert Hall.
Ars Longa Vita Brevis on, the end of 1968 came on the market, were able to listen to different revisions of classical pieces, including Bach, Sibelius and Tchaikovsky. Stylistically, they united on the album influences of rock, blues and jazz. The eponymous for the album took a suite the second side of the record and was accompanied by an orchestra.
1969 appeared the album Nice, which advanced in the British charts under the " Top 5 ". It contained very rich, symphonic sounding instrumentation and was highly praised by critics. In October of Emerson Five Bridges Suite was listed for the London Symphony Orchestra was hired.
The following year, The Nice toured Europe and played at the Prague Beat Festival. Shortly before a planned U.S. tour Emerson was but surprisingly the separation of Nice known. On the three-day Pop & Blues Festival on Easter weekend 28-29. March 1970 in Hamburg's Ernst- Merck -Halle celebrated The Nice once their music in an empathic night. On March 30, 1970, the band played their farewell concert at the Berlin Sports Palace. Posthumously published in 1971, the LP and the Elegy Sampler Autumn '67 - Spring '68.
Keith Emerson founded with Greg Lake ( King Crimson ) and Carl Palmer ( Atomic Rooster ), the group Emerson, Lake and Palmer (ELP ).
Lee Jackson founded the group Jackson Heights and Brian Davison Group Brian Davison's Every Which Way.
Brian Davison and Lee Jackson founded in 1974 along with keyboardist Patrick Moraz the Refugee group which, however, remained together for only one LP, as Moraz changed to Yes. In March 2007, a concert recording from Newcastle City Hall ( 1974) is with the English label Voiceprint been published, the two strong umkomponierte The- Nice- Covers ( The Diamond Hard Blue Apples of the Moon and She belongs to me ) includes.
Jackson and Davison finished after the dissolution of Refugee her musical career until Keith Emerson The Nice in 2002 revived for a short time.
This year, the group reunited for a series of live concerts, one of them was under the title Vivacitas 2003 - released Live at Glasgow 2002.
Brian Davison died on 15 April 2008 fündundsechzigjährig a brain tumor.
Discography
Studio albums
Concert albums
Compilations
Sources and links
- Martyn Hanson: Hang On To A Dream. The Story of The Nice. London 2002. ISBN 1-900924-43-9.
- Edward Macan: Endless Enigma. A musical biography of Emerson, Lake and Palmer. Open Court Publishing Company, Chicago, Illinois, 2006. ISBN 0-8126-9596-8
- A comprehensive bibliography on the Progressive Rock can be found on pages derProgressive rock Bibliography, an English-speaking, but the German site.
- Reviews to all the albums on the Baby Blue Pages
- The Nice - live (list of Nice - Concerts 1967-2003 )
- ELP History site with lots of information about Emerson, Lake and Palmer and The Nice
- Progressive rock band
- English band