BATTI MAMZELLE - I SEE THE LIGHT ( 1974 ). WONDERFUL ALBUM .Produced by Robert Bailey (keyboards, timbales) from the big group Osibisa and brother of Richard Bailey.-Winston Delandro also played with: African People, Annette Peacock, Bob Marley, Doris Troy, Joan Armatrading, Johnny Nash, Linda Lewis, Mark Ashton, Paul Carrack, Real Thing, Tony Bird.-Richard Bailey also played among others with: Ali Thomson, Gonzalez (great English group), Johnny Nash.-Jimmy Chambers also played among others (I do not know if it's the same as Dada: Background Vocals, Percussion) with: Dada (single album and a masterpiece).

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Produced by Robert Bailey (keyboards, timbales) from the big group Osibisa and brother of Richard Bailey.-Winston Delandro also played with: African People, Annette Peacock, Bob Marley, Doris Troy, Joan Armatrading, Johnny Nash, Linda Lewis, Mark Ashton, Paul Carrack, Real Thing, Tony Bird.-Richard Bailey also played among others with: Ali Thomson, Gonzalez (great English group), Johnny Nash.-Jimmy Chambers also played among others (I do not know if it's the same as Dada: Background Vocals, Percussion) with: Dada (single album and a masterpiece)

Peter Duprey (Peter Earl Duprey )( – Bass Guitar, Backing VocalsWinston Delandro ( Winston Dellandro ) – Lead Guitar, Backing Vocals, Electric Piano, Spanish GuitarRichard Bailey – Drums, Backing Vocals, Percussion, TimbalesMiguel Barradas – High Tenor Pan, Backing Vocals, Percussion, Timbales and other PansRalph Richardson – Tenor Pan, Backing Vocals and other PansRussell Valdez – Double Tenor Pans, Backing VocalsFrank Ince – Congas, Backing VocalsJimmy Chambers (James Chambers)(– Lead Vocals


Lament - J. ChambersSan Juan - C. Charman / J. ChambersCaroni - J. Telfer / R. RichardsonSeasoning - M. Barradas / W. DelandroVoodoo Man - R. RichardsonGet Out Of My Way - R. RichardsonLove Is Blind - R. Richardson / J. ChambersBird - R. Richardson / J. ChambersI See The Light - R. Richardson / J. Chambers
All music arranged by BattiMamzelle Special thanks to Robert Bailey who had a jam on Mellotron Produced by Robert Bailey for Straight Ahead Productions Recorded at Essex Music Studio, London, 1974Engineer: John Rollo
Front cover illustration by Peter GoodfellowBackcover photo by Brian Cooke/Visualeyes LtdPAN-JUMBIE - Archive of International News Items :

This Album has been a long time coming. Seems like Batti Mamzelle have spent the best part of a year in various recording studios trying, perhaps too desperately sometimes, to capture on vinyl the essence of their live music. It’s been a struggle. The band originally started on this album way back in June 1973, but always there seemed to be one basic problem. That fusion of raw excitement and musical expertise, which works to well for the band on stage, never quite made the right connection.

Well, a few months back, Batti finally picked up on Robert Bailey as producer. Bailey, of course, was formerly the Keyboards player with Osibisa. His kid brother, Richard, is Batti’s drummer and their father. McDonald, is the band’s manager. A family affair. This album is the result. Enjoy it.

The idea behind Batti Mamzelle has been floating around for some time now, even before Richard Bailey joined up with Johnny Nash’s backing band, The Sons Of The Jungle, in 1972.

Richard, you see, is from Trinidad. His idea, quite simply, was to form a rock band incorporating Trinidadian steel pans. It all began to take shape during the early part of 1973 when he finally assembled the pan section – Miguel Baradas, Ralph Richardson and Russell Valdez – and discovered the whole concept knitted together just fine.

All the band are from Trinidad and the name Batti Mamzelle is French patois for “crazy lady”, the local term for a dragonfly. The focal point of the band is, obviously, the pan section. All three of the pan players came to Britain in the early Sixties as members of Dixieland which was, despite the name, Trinidad’s premiere steel band. They stayed on in Britain, eventually forming a spinoff band called Les Flambeaux. Miguel was the leader of the band in those days, but he finally split some three years ago to do session work. And then, of course, came Batti. Richard, together with lead guitarist Winston Delandro and bass player Peter Duprey started out in some band called Ojah who were so rumour suggests, quite hot in Europe. Then Richard and Winston found themselves touring America as Sons Of The Jungle.

Vocalist Jimmy Chambers, meanwhile, was with Dada for a time. When the band finally became Vinegar Joe. Jimmy tried to make it as a solo singer before he was offered the gig with Batti. I first heard the band one May afternoon in a small rehearsal room off London’s Charing Cross Road. They’d been together for just about two months but, even at that time, they sounded formidable.

They had one of the tightest rhythm sections I’d heard. Still do, in fact. And Richard, today has got to be THE best young drummer in Britain. No messing. That rhythm section made a superb job of underpinning the pans, with Frank Ince’s conga work filling out the overall sound. Pretty weird it was, too. The pans had both rhythmic and melodic capabilities, colouring the band’s music. They gave a whole new depth and range, opening up different possibilities.

All that was a year ago. Since then Batti have been through something of a frustrating time. But they’ve been on the road, played a couple of weeks residency at London’s Howff Club and, well, they’ve finally recorded this album. The highlights, for me at least, are “Love is Blind”, “Bird” and the atypical “Voodoo Man”.You might find others. It’s a good first album, one which ably demonstrates the band’s potential. Be the first on your block to pick up on Batti 
This Album has been a long time coming. Seems like Batti Mamzelle have spent the best part of a year in various recording studios trying, perhaps too desperately sometimes, to capture on vinyl the essence of their live music. It’s been a struggle. The band originally started on this album way back in June 1973, but always there seemed to be one basic problem. That fusion of raw excitement and musical expertise, which works to well for the band on stage, never quite made the right connection.
Well, a few months back, Batti finally picked up on Robert Bailey as producer. Bailey, of course, was formerly the Keyboards player with Osibisa. His kid brother, Richard, is Batti’s drummer and their father. McDonald, is the band’s manager. A family affair. This album is the result. Enjoy it.
The idea behind Batti Mamzelle has been floating around for some time now, even before Richard Bailey joined up with Johnny Nash’s backing band, The Sons Of The Jungle, in 1972.
Richard, you see, is from Trinidad. His idea, quite simply, was to form a rock band incorporating Trinidadian steel pans. It all began to take shape during the early part of 1973 when he finally assembled the pan section – Miguel Baradas, Ralph Richardson and Russell Valdez – and discovered the whole concept knitted together just fine.
All the band are from Trinidad and the name Batti Mamzelle is French patois for “crazy lady”, the local term for a dragonfly. The focal point of the band is, obviously, the pan section. All three of the pan players came to Britain in the early Sixties as members of Dixieland which was, despite the name, Trinidad’s premiere steel band. They stayed on in Britain, eventually forming a spinoff band called Les Flambeaux. Miguel was the leader of the band in those days, but he finally split some three years ago to do session work. And then, of course, came Batti. Richard, together with lead guitarist Winston Delandro and bass player Peter Duprey started out in some band called Ojah who were so rumour suggests, quite hot in Europe. Then Richard and Winston found themselves touring America as Sons Of The Jungle.
Vocalist Jimmy Chambers, meanwhile, was with Dada for a time. When the band finally became Vinegar Joe. Jimmy tried to make it as a solo singer before he was offered the gig with Batti. I first heard the band one May afternoon in a small rehearsal room off London’s Charing Cross Road. They’d been together for just about two months but, even at that time, they sounded formidable.
They had one of the tightest rhythm sections I’d heard. Still do, in fact. And Richard, today has got to be THE best young drummer in Britain. No messing. That rhythm section made a superb job of underpinning the pans, with Frank Ince’s conga work filling out the overall sound. Pretty weird it was, too. The pans had both rhythmic and melodic capabilities, colouring the band’s music. They gave a whole new depth and range, opening up different possibilities.
All that was a year ago. Since then Batti have been through something of a frustrating time. But they’ve been on the road, played a couple of weeks residency at London’s Howff Club and, well, they’ve finally recorded this album. The highlights, for me at least, are “Love is Blind”, “Bird” and the atypical “Voodoo Man”.You might find others. It’s a good first album, one which ably demonstrates the band’s potential. Be the first on your block to pick up on Batti Mamzelle.....
 

BBC - Radio 1 - Keeping It Peel - 16/05/1974 BattiMamzelle

16/05/1974 - BattiMamzelle

TX - 30/05/1974
Producer - Tony Wilson
Engineer - Bill Aitken
Studio - Langham 1

TRACKLIST

Lament
San Juan
Get Out Of My Way
I See The Light

LINE UP

Miguel Baradas (Pans)
Russel Valdez (Pans)
Ralph Richardson (Pans)
Winston Delandro (Guitar)
Peter Earl Duprey (Bass)
Richard Bailey (Drums)
Frank Ince (Bongos, Percussion)
James Chambers (Vocals)