Jan Akkerman at Trading Boundaries

It was my joy to be down in Sussex last Friday at Trading Boundaries to catch the first of three concerts by Jan Akkerman and his band - the first time in a while. The concert was in two halves and was more jazzy for the first half (a nice section Crackers to Angel Watch) and more rocky for the second (though Focus 2 and Anonymous are unique). The bass player has broken his leg and so had to sit and Jan didn't seem quite happy with his two Gibson guitars for some of the time. I got a little lost on Tommy's Anniversary but otherwise it was a great concert. Nice to meet Jan and Mrs Akkerman, looking after the merchandise. Jan seemed tired at the end of a long day. He is 75, of course.

Answers? Questions! Questions? Answers!

Answers? Questions!

???

Besides the Answer element in the long track Eruption (Moving Waves) and Answers? Questions! Questions? Answers! (Focus 3) Focus have at least five tracks that ask questions.

They are

1. Why dream?
2. Someone's crying ... what?
3. How long?
4. Who's calling?
5. Sto Ces Raditi Ostatac Zivota?

Longest Focus Tracks

The 10 longest Focus tracks are

1 Anonymus 2 (26:19)

2 Eruption (22:57)

3 Hamburger Concerto (20:15)

4 Beethoven's Revenge extended (18:42, short version 10:49)

5 Who's calling (16:14, short version 07:33)

6 Maximum Live (13:58, studio version 08:40)

7 Answers? Questions! Questions? Answers! (13:50, live version 11:28)

8 Virtuous Woman (10:57)

9 Beethoven's Revenge (10:49 - the extended version is 18:42)

10 European (Rap)sody (10:25)

Track by track 26 Answers? Questions! Questions? Answers! (Live)

Archive number: 26 

Title: Answers? Questions! Questions? Answers! (Live)

Main Album: Focus at the Rainbow

Track number: 2

Genre: Live Progressive Rock Instrumental

Venue: Rainbow Theatre, Finsbury Park, 232 Seven Sisters Road, N4 3NX (recorded using Pye Studios Mobile Unit and edited from the two performances).

Length: 11' 28”

Composer: Bert Ruiter, Jan Akkerman

Musicians: Jan Akkerman – Electric guitar (Gibson Les Paul Custom); Thijs van Leer – Hammond organ, Voice, Flute; Bert Ruiter - Bass; Pierre van der Linden – Drums

Producer: Mike Vernon

Engineer: Phil Dunne

Label: LP – Polydor, Sire CD – EMI-Bovema, IRS, Red Bullet, JVC Victor Date of recording/release: May 4, 5 1973/October 1973 (May 4 concert televised UK July 1973) CD 1988, 1993, 2001, 2002, 2004, 2006

Alternative version: The original of this is on Focus 3

Notes: The opening section begins with Ruiter's bass riff alongside guitar, drums, organ and (unlike the original) van Leer's voice. (00:00-00:31). At 00:31 the guitar cuts in to give the bridge (with a little help from the organ) to the point where the Hammond leads (00:41) until replaced again by a jazzy chopped guitar (00:54). The section is brought to a close (01:09) by four decisive chords. This first section is then partly repeated, van Leer's voice sounding a little more manic (01:10-01:43). After the bridge (01:44-01:53) it is the guitar that briefly leads (01:54-02:32) beginning with ascending chords and ending with the thrice-repeated riff or scale. The third section (02:33-03:47) is led, after the slightest caesura, first by the guitar, now in plaintive mood and partly 'violined'. Then (from about 03:10) by the organ (apparently Akkerman's guitar string snapped at 3:02 but he continues on five strings for a while). Just before 03:47 the sombre and mysterious mood is introduced and we come to the lengthy flute-led section (03:47-06:19). The guitar joins in at 05:53 (string replaced) and the flute stops at 06:19, the whole thing then slowing right down until only organ and drums are heard until at 6:40 sparse guitar lines begin to come in. Akkerman, backed by the band, then leads, slowly building things up with some great fretwork, until at 10:29 with a distinctive final riff he leads into the final very slow section and the last long drawn-out chord from the band which then fades (ending at 11:19). Applause follows and the opening organ chord for the next track (Focus 2) is heard.

Track by track 21 Answers? Questions! Questions? Answers!

Archive number: 21

Title: Answers? Questions! Questions? Answers!

Main Album: Focus 3

Track number: 6

Genre: Progressive Jazz Rock Instrumental

Studio: Olympic Studios 'B', 117 Church Road, Barnes, London SW13 9HL

Length: 13' 50"

Composer: Bert Ruiter, Jan Akkerman

Musicians: Jan Akkerman – Electric guitars (Gibson Les Paul Customs?); Thijs van Leer – Hammond organ, Flute; Bert Ruiter - Bass; Pierre van der  Linden – Drums (brushes and sticks)

Producer: Mike Vernon

Engineer: George Chkiantz

Label: LP – Imperial, Polydor, Sire CD – EMI-Bovema, IRS, Red Bullet Date of recording/release: July 1972/November 1972 CD - 1988, 1993, 2001

Alternative version: A live version can be heard on the Rainbow album. Akkerman has played it live. Notes: Jan Akkerman apparently had a sound stage built in the studio for Focus 3 and once again here is a track that chiefly has a very live sound, though there are some overdubs. The song was being played by Focus from Ruiter's arrival and he gets a credit. The idea of musical calls and responses is a common one in jazz and it forms the basis of much of the Focus repertoire. Here, slightly differently, the response or answer precedes the call or question. The opening section (00:00-01:21) begins with Ruiter's bass riff, which gives the track its initial impetus. Bass and guitar play in unison backed by snare, cymbals and a struck high hat. From 00:19 a swelling Hammond vibrato pans out across the sound spectrum. At 00:37 the guitar cuts in to form a bridge to the point where the Hammond takes up the lead (00:47) until replaced again by a jazzy guitar (01:21). The section is brought to a close by four decisive chords. This first section is then partly repeated but with no lead organ and a longer guitar-led section that ends again with the decisive chords plus a thrice-repeated riff or scale and a repeated drum beat (01:22-02:51). A short third section (02:52-03:58) is led first by the guitar, now in plaintive mood and dubbed over the existing track which also features guitar, and then (from 03:27) by the organ. At 03:59 a sombre and mysterious mood is introduced and we come to a lengthy flute-led section (03:59-08:06). Again there is evidence of some overdubbing to achieve this. The guitar provides a subtle undercurrent until (around 06:59) it becomes a little harder and more insistent and the atmosphere becomes less mysterious and more heavy. By 08:07 we are into a new guitar-led section that is increasingly heavy and ever wilder, with Akkerman moving up and down the fretboard with some dexterity. This lasts until around 11:25 where there is an unexpected change in the style. A final section (11:27-13:50) is then led by a weeping or 'violined' guitar. This slower section ends with a virtually solo but multi-tracked guitar riff that breaks down at the end, the one guitar letting out a final long-drawn-out note that employs feedback to sustain itself for over 20 seconds. The influence of Django Reinhardt has been observed with regard to this piece but certainly Jimi Hendrix has also had a strong influence on the guitar work too. On the original vinyl LP 5 seconds of manic laughter can be heard in the distant background after this, at the close of the second side of the album. On the CD version this is now attached to the beginning of the track that follows (Elspeth of Nottingham).