ART TERRY

Since moving here from his native Los Angeles in the early 90s, Art Terry has established himself as one of London’s characters. As a regular presence on the live scene on his own and with his band The Fairys, as Resonance FM dj, reluctant jazz pianist, and magnetic personality…you don’t usually need to go far to meet someone else with an Art Terry story…

For most of his London tenure Mr Terry has traded under the name The Fairys, recording his two singles to date in this guise (the self-released ‘Scary In London’ b/w ‘Marystopes’, and ‘Princess’ b/w ‘Percy’ for Day Release Records in 1999), and establishing the live band on the alternative music scene through the institution of the Fairys Xmas Parties at the 12 Bar Club in London’s Denmark Street, and regular appearances anywhere open-minded enough to accomodate their balance of pure pop, psychedelia and avant-garde madness…

The band’s ever-changing line-up has brought an assortment of colourful characters into Art’s orbit over the years, with the band becoming almost a rite of passage for a certain type of London musician. Past Fairys have included Audley Genus, Flippy Baulsch, Vivian Barchild, Naoko Aota, Wesley Dring, Genene Edwards, Iona Grant, Hypnotique, Dan Livette, Vedina Mose and Tom Rodwell, amongst many others…

If the name The Fairys challenges peoples’ assumptions, maybe raises their homophobic hackles a little, that’s all good; but it’s real significance is it’s reference to intangible magic, to the fairy dust that Art takes care to sprinkle into his arrangements…

With this in mind, Art’s decision to record his debut LP, ‘Anutha Kinda Brotha’, under his given name represents something of a change of tack. There was some simple element of chance in the move, findinghimself between Fairys line-ups, with only himself and keyboardist Naoko Aota left on board, (and Naoko’s UK visa about to expire), he re-kindled his relationship with ex-Fairys guitarist/percussionist Raphael Mann (also August mainman, and Mr Hudson & The Library bassist), and this partnership blossomed into home-recording sessions, and before very long an LP’s worth of material. This solo incarnation was a little bit more than a stroke of chance though, seeming to represent the closing of a chapter, stripping the Fairy flamboyance to something more sober and direct, and to some extent a reassessment of his musical roots, a home-coming at the end of the Fairys adventure; or it’s first chapter at least…

The original premise for ‘Anutha Kinda Brotha’ was as a stripped down, acoustic record. Art and Raphael recorded basic tracks quickly, in the latter’s Hackney bedroom studio, with Art playing mostly acoustic guitar and minimal accompaniment from the producer on bass, some percussion, and a couple of sessions with Naoko Aota’s striking keyboard treatments. The idea was to focus on an easily achievable goal, get the essence of the songs down, release it quickly and move on…but before too long their Brian Wilson fantasies began getting the better of them, and it was too difficult to resist inviting contributions from former Fairys and heavy friends to add just a little fairy dust to the bare bones…

The result is an orchestral pop record full of sonic inventivenes, whether it’s the blend of Shuggie Otis’s 60s California and Sun Ra’s ancient Egypt on ‘Bible’, Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons leading a mariachi band on ‘Escort’, or the Walt Disney music box orchestra of ‘Miss Dominatrix’. Vedina Mose’s backing vocals, Dan Livette’s cello, Hypnotique’s theremin and clarinet, Kevin Davey’s trumpet, and Probyn Gregory (moonlighting on his day off from touring with the real Brian Wilson) on French horn and melodica, all lend their own distinctive characters across the record; whilst Art’s unique vocal presence and Raphael’s knack for imagining the songs into life with his arrangements give the whole thing cohesion…

Since recording the album, The Fairys has taken on a new life as Art’s backing band, currently based around a core of August alumni, past and present – Clean Cut Mark on drums, Raphael Mann on bass, vocals & piano, Maree Choie on clarinet and vocals, and ex-August guitarist Earl Grey on trombone, plus Shohei Kawamoto (AKA Japanese producer & soundtrack composer Baraki) on bass clarinet & flute; and this line-up has begun work on a follow up LP. Early drafts suggest a liver, funkier sound than first album, with the marked influence of the August rhythm section behind some of Art’s most striking compositions to date…

Describing Art’s sound to the unitiated usually involves debunking some of the stereotypes of what the ‘typical’ black Californian might play. Despite his jazz training, and coming of age to the sounds of classic soul and funk, these styles are only bit part players in his musical vision. He sings with soul, certainly, his compositions are informed by jazz theory, and (especially in the company of Clean Cut and Raphael) he can turn on the funk when he feels the need; but he is no straightforward soul brother. You can also find a link to the hip hop culture of his contemporaries in his freeform vocal improvisations, but he is no conventional emcee. His fascination with folk styles, classical music, punk rock, pure pop, easy listening, musical theatre and the European avant garde have taken him on different paths from most…

Perhaps the closest comparison is with his old bandmate Stew, and his band The Negro Problem. Certainly they exist in similar worlds at surface level, but whilst Stew’s persona is darkly humorous and wordlywise, there is an innocence and good-heartedness in Art’s work that gives him a distinctly different voice. He shares with Stew an extraordinary lyrical adeptness, with a knack for unique and colourful imagery, and like a great short story writer he is able to paint an engaging picture whilst keeping back from casting judgement on his characters, and always leaving open ends for the listener to tie; giving us the feeling that however far astray someone might have gone, there is always sympathy and human feeling for them in Art’s mind…

An easy parallel is often drawn with Love’s Arthur Lee; and the ‘Forever Changes’ sound is certainly an influence, but perhaps more accurate reference points might be such fellow genre-shifting iconoclasts as Serge Gainsbourg, Lou Reed, John Cale or even Steven Malkmus; artists who share his uncompromising sense of adventure and disgregard for trends, but also never stray far from their innate pop sensibilities…

Challenging those same stereotypes is also the raison d’etre of Art’s radio show on London’s Resonance FM. Entitled ‘Is Black Music?’, the programme sets out to showcase black musicians who are disregarding what’s expected of them, and following their own unique musical path. Art’s rich vocal tones were made for radio, and the show has featured a Who’s Who of black innovators past and present…

Art’s single-minded dedication to his song-writing means that he can rarely be tempted into outside projects, but in recent years his collaborative urges have got the better of him on a few occasions, indulging in a little jazz piano (albeit usually interpreting his favourite Disney or Motown songs), alongside such London luminaries as Byron Wallen, John Edwards & Larry Bartley, some musical theatre, and being coerced into a few select side-man roles, lending his stage presence to incarnations of August and Last Man Standing (on keyboards) and I Blame Coco (on keys & trumpet, alongside members of Mr Hudson & The Library)…