Pacifico Blues - Contemporary Blues in London
Contemporary London Blues Band
Legendary guitarist Chris Newland and his Blues Harp sidekick, Paul Pacifico, have been playing together for over 15 years. Their music very much reflects their love of the swamp and down right dirty grooves.
They met through their involvement with The AllStars Collective, an organisation of world-renowned session musicians, based in London.
When Paul got up with the band and played harmonica at one of their Christmas parties, Chris grabbed him by the shoulder and uttered \ the now immortal words ‘Hey, screw these guys, let’s form a Blues band and go play some dives!’. That spark kicked off a project which has seen Paul, Chris and friends perform across the UK and Europe at festivals, parties and intimate venues in a style they describe as ‘deliberately shambolic’.
What began as a fun side-project has gathered momentum, a fine selection of foot-thumping songs and some seriously hot guest musicians from the ranks of The AllStars and beyond.
Paul Pacifico remembers, ‘Things got a little more serious when we were asked to do a Blues gig for Save the Children at the Roundhouse, and we got to collaborate with James Cotton, Dr John, Ronnie Wood, KT Tunstall and other artists. We had been indulging our passion for Blues as a side project, but that’s when we started to talk about taking things to the next level and maybe even making an album’.
The result was their debut release One More Party, which brought together a core 5-piece lineup, including Winston Blisset on bass and Tony Mason on drums. Added to that is a carnival of friends from across the world of music, including a guest vocal by the one and only Jocelyn Brown.
Paul Pacifico (Harmonica)
Paul grew up in Soho and worked in finance for almost a decade before realising his mistake and going back into music. As a harmonica player, Paul has performed live with a variety of artists including James Cotton, Ernest Ranglin, Marcella Detroit, Alfie Boe, Ronnie Wood, Dionne Warwick, Maceo Parker and Adam Gussow. Paul’s recording credits include High Contrast, Nacha Pop, Holy Nothing, The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, and the theme to the Amazon Prime series, The Grand Tour.
Chris Newland (Lead Vocal / Guitar)
From Massachusetts in the USA, Chris is a highly experienced professional guitarist. After attending Berklee College of Music in Boston, he immediately became a busy touring and recording guitarist, moving to the UK in 1992. He has worked with Soca/Calypso artist Arrow, featuring on his massive hit Hot Hot Hot, as well as Sister Sledge, Odyssey, Mick Ronson and Felix Pappalardi. Other artists Chris has worked with include Stevie Wonder, JossStone, Bonnie Tyler and Melanie C.
Richard Simmons (Keyboards)
Having spent a lifetime between the South London Blues scene and the clubs of the French Quarter, Richard Simmons’ musical roots are deeply embedded in New Orleans and Blues. He is Musical Director for New Orleans musical ambassador Lillian Boutte and has performed with Peter Green, Eddie Floyd and Hamish Stuart of The Average White Band.
Winston Blisset (Bass)
Originally from South East London, Winston’s playing has been heard by most people on the planet, having appeared on numerous pop hits. His regular gig these days, when not playing with Pacifico Blues, is touring with Massive Attack. Over the years, Winston has performed and recorded with Kylie Minogue, Robbie Williams, Cher, Lionel Ritchie, Rod Stewart, Boy George and Phil Collins.
Tony Mason (Drums)
Originally from Trinidad and Tobago, Tony began playing steel drums in his uncle’s steel drum band. He then moved to New York City to study at the Drummer’s Collective, and stayed there for four years. During this time, Tony took lessons with a number of drum ‘masters’ including Lenny White, Kenwood Dennard, Peter Erskine, Tommy Campbell and the late Frank Marlabe. Tony moved back to London in 1986 and became a professional drummer. He has worked with a wide array of artists including Eddy Grant, Ronny Jordan, Martin Taylor, Matt Bianco and Mary J. Blige.