WOMAD

Little Axe

From United States

The future sound of the blues
While plenty treat the blues as something trapped in amber, many others allow it to shape-shift and redefine itself as time advances. Skip McDonald, the bluesman trading as Little Axe, is one such chap. While the blues he was fed on back home in Ohio are his source and foundation, Skip's no museum curator charged with keeping the originals pristine and unchanging. Little Axe is a project that's widened the music's brief, pushing blues and gospel headfirst towards the futuristic sound of dub to astonishing effect. It's only what you'd expect from one of the most visionary and experimental musicians to darken WOMAD's doors. Not only was he part of the Sugar Hill house band playing on the records of Grandmaster Flash and Afrika Bambaataa, he's been a pivotal player in Adrian Sherwood's On-U Sound gang for many years. Skip McDonald is a true innovator. That's the gospel truth.

(Biography written by Nige Tassell 2010)

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