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Gilgamesh | |
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Origin | United Kingdom |
Genres | Jazz fusion |
Years active | 1972–1975, 1977–1978 |
Labels | Caroline Records,Charly Records,Cuneiform Records |
Past members | Alan Gowen Mike Travis Jeff Clyne Phil Lee Neil Murray Mont Campbell Hugh Hopper Trevor Tomkins Richard Sinclair |
Gilgamesh (1972–1975, 1977–1978) were aBritishjazz fusion band active during the 1970s, led by the keyboardistAlan Gowen. The group were associated with theCanterbury scene.
The original foundation of Gilgamesh was the collaboration between keyboardistAlan Gowen and drummer Mike Travis, who worked together on a band project with guitarist Rick Morcombe. The initial Gilgamesh line-up comprised Gowen, Travis, Morcombe,Jeff Clyne on bass, andAlan Wakeman on saxophone.[1]
The band's line-up took some time to stabilise, with musicians such asRichard Sinclair deputising for Clyne during their debut performance in January 1973. Shortly thereafter, the line-up settled into a quartet featuring Gowen, Travis,Phil Lee on guitar (recommended by Travis), andNeil Murray on bass. Throughout 1973, the group performed regularly, including two notable co-headlining gigs withHatfield and the North, which featured a "double-quartet" set based on a 40-minute composition by Gowen. During this period, the band also recorded ademo tape for use in securing gigs and a recording contract.
In late 1973, Murray was replaced by Steve Cook, but performances became increasingly infrequent despite the band recording several radio sessions for the BBC's jazz programmes. For one such session, the quartet was joined by a second keyboard player,Peter Lemer. In 1975, Gilgamesh secured a recording contract withVirgin's subsidiary labelCaroline Records. Their debut album was recorded during studio downtime at the Virgin-ownedManor Studio, withDave Stewart from Hatfield and the North co-producing.
Gowen and Stewart, having become friends, discussed potential collaboration. Stewart, however, was initially reluctant to join two bands simultaneously. After Hatfield and the North disbanded in mid-1975, Stewart briefly became an auxiliary member of Gilgamesh, participating in one gig and several radio sessions. During this time, plans for a Stewart-Gowen collaboration took shape, ultimately resulting in the formation ofNational Health, which also featured Gilgamesh guitarist Phil Lee for a short time. Gilgamesh themselves disbanded in late 1975 following the cancellation of a proposed Scottish tour.
After leavingNational Health in 1977, Gowen reformed Gilgamesh as a rehearsal-focused group, featuringNeil Murray,Phil Lee, and drummerTrevor Tomkins (a longtime collaborator of Lee's). This line-up convened for occasional rehearsals. In June 1978, the band recorded their second album,Another Fine Tune You've Got Me Into, which was released in 1979 onCharly Records. The album featured Gowen, Lee, Tomkins, and bassistHugh Hopper, but the band ceased to exist after the recording. Gowen passed away in 1981.
In 2000,Cuneiform Records releasedArriving Twice, a collection of archival recordings by Gilgamesh. The album includes the 1973 demo and two radio sessions from 1974–75, featuring various line-ups with Gowen, Lee, Mike Travis, Murray,Steve Cook,Jeff Clyne, andPeter Lemer. It also includes several previously unheard compositions, notably "Extract", which was part of the unrecorded Gilgamesh/Hatfield and the North double-quartet piece.
KeyboardistAlan Gowen died from leukaemia on 17 May 1981, at the age of 33.[2]
BassistsHugh Hopper andJeff Clyne both passed away in 2009. Hopper died from leukaemia on 7 June, aged 64,[3] while Clyne suffered a heart attack on 16 November, aged 72.[4]
DrummerTrevor Tomkins died on 9 September 2022, at the age of 81,[5] and drummer Mike Travis died in September 2023, aged 78.[6]
GuitaristPhil Lee passed away May 2024.