Café Jacques are a

progressive rock Progressive rock (shortened as prog rock or simply prog; sometimes conflated with art rock) is a broad genre of rock music that developed in the United Kingdom and United States through the mid- to late 1960s, peaking in the early 1970s. Init ...

band originally formed in

Edinburgh, Scotland Edinburgh ( ; gd, Dùn Èideann ) is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. Historically part of the county of Midlothian (interchangeably Edinburghshire before 1921), it is located in Lothian ...

and most active in the 1970s. An early version of Café Jacques numbered seven musicians, but the most successful line-up was a trio, consisting of Chris Thomson, Peter Veitch (later with

Penguin Cafe Orchestra The Penguin Cafe Orchestra (PCO) were an avant-pop band led by English guitarist Simon Jeffes. Co-founded with cellist Helen Liebmann, it toured extensively during the 1980s and 1990s. The band's sound is not easily categorized, having elemen ...

), and

Mike Ogletree Mike Ogletree (born 1 May 1956) is a Scottish drummer and guitarist of Afro-European descent. A founding member of the Scottish rock band Café Jacques, he is best known for his work in the new wave bands Fiction Factory and Simple Minds.Larki ...

(later with Simple Minds and

Fiction Factory Fiction Factory were a Scottish New wave music, new wave band from Perth, Scotland, Perth. Formed in 1982, they are best known for their single "(Feels Like) Heaven", which peaked at #6 on the UK Singles Chart. The song was written by Eddie Jo ...

). They released two albums and a single on

Epic Records Epic Records is an American record label owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America Sony Corporation of America (SONAM, also known as SCA), is the American arm of the Japanese conglomerate Sony Group ...

(

Columbia Records Columbia Records is an American record label owned by Sony Music, Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America, the North American division of Japanese Conglomerate (company), conglomerate Sony. It was founded on Janua ...

in the U.S.), produced by

Rupert Hine Rupert Neville Hine (21 September 1947 – 4 June 2020) was an English musician, songwriter and record producer. He produced albums for artists including Rush, Kevin Ayers, Tina Turner, Howard Jones, Saga, the Fixx, Bob Geldof, Thompson Twins ...

, before disbanding in 1978. Café Jacques reformed in 2010, led by original member Chris Thomson.

Recording sessions

The band recorded both albums at

Trident Studios Trident Studios was a British recording facility, located at 17 St Anne's Court in London's Soho district between 1968 and 1981. It was constructed in 1967 by Norman Sheffield, drummer of the 1960s group the Hunters, and his brother Barry. ...

, London, and the trio was augmented by Geoff Richardson (at that time a member of Caravan, later with Penguin Cafe Orchestra), and

John G. Perry John G. Perry (born 19 January 1947 in Auburn, New York, United States) is a British bass guitarist and singer. He was born in the U.S. to British parents and when he was young, the family moved back to England. Perry's first band of note was ...

(ex Caravan, Quantum Jump).

Phil Collins Philip David Charles Collins (born 30 January 1951) is an English singer, musician, songwriter, record producer and actor. He was the drummer and lead singer of the rock band Genesis and also has a career as a solo performer. Between 1982 and ...

played percussion on four tracks of the first album.

Live TV performance

Café Jacques performed live on ''

The Old Grey Whistle Test ''The Old Grey Whistle Test'' (sometimes abbreviated to ''Whistle Test'' or ''OGWT'') is a British television music show. The show was devised by BBC producer Rowan Ayers, commissioned by David Attenborough and aired on BBC2 from 1971 to 1988. ...

'' on 6 December 1977; hosted by Bob Harris.

Discography

* 1977 - ''Round the Back'' * 1978 - ''International'' * 1978 - " Boulevard of Broken Dreams" b/w "None of Your Business" - 7" single * 2011 - ''Lifer'' (Mini-album featuring current line-up; not on label)

Original members

Band

*Chris Thomson - guitar, lead vocals *Peter Veitch - keyboards, violin, accordion, background vocals * Mike Ogletree - drums, lead vocals on ''Man in the Meadow'', background vocals

Guests

* Geoff Richardson - viola, flute, clarinet * John G. Perry - Wal bass * Phil Collins - percussion

Critical reception

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...

'' described Café Jacques as having "a subtle ethereal feel, very progressive in content, both musically and lyrically."Billboard review of ''Round the Back'', 18 February 1978, p. 72.
Retrieved 9 March 2014. John Swenson in ''The new

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first kno ...

record guide'' referred to them as an "excellent British studio band whose dense rhythmic mix and melodic keyboard textures recall

Traffic Traffic comprises pedestrians, vehicles, ridden or herded animals, trains, and other conveyances that use public ways (roads) for travel and transportation. Traffic laws govern and regulate traffic, while rules of the road include traffic ...

's lyricism and

Little Feat Little Feat is an American rock band formed by lead vocalist and guitarist Lowell George and keyboardist Bill Payne in 1969 in Los Angeles. George disbanded the group because of creative differences shortly before his death in 1979. Surviving ...

's syncopation."

Recent history

Peter Veitch died in 1990. Mike Ogletree has lived and worked in

Brooklyn, New York Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...

since 2006. He continues to work as a musician and his band Anacoustic Mind has released two albums:''The Kilmarnock Edition''Allmusic entry for ''The Kilmarnock Edition''
Retrieved 1 November 2015. and ''New Gold Dream (11,12,13,14)''. He regularly performs live with his band in and around the New York area.

References

External links

Geoffrey Richardson's Official WebsiteAnacoustic Mind and Mike Ogletree's Official Website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cafe Jacques (band) Scottish rock music groups British progressive rock groups Epic Records artists British musical trios Musical groups established in 1973