Digging Your Scene: New Pop & All That Jazz 1982-1987 / Various - CD

4CD sequel to 'Heaven Sent The Rise Of New Pop 1979-1983', documenting the influence of jazz and 50s/60s black American music (including retro soul) on modern pop in the UK between 1982 and 1987. Celebrating an era when jazz inspired many pop acts, from bossa beats to mainstream covers of the classics; from Latin-fuelled club favourites to torch ballads and acid jazz grooves. In 1982 a new jazz era was dawning and Soho, a hotbed since the 50s, was where the renaissance began. Blue Rondo A La Turk, who had the first 'New Jazz' hit, were led by Chris Sullivan who opened The Wag Club in Wardour Street in April 1982, a vital catalyst for the 'New Jazz' scene. Vic Godard, singer with Subway Sect, recast as a crooner, hosted his Club Left jazz-swing nights at the Wag (as well as at London's jazz capital Ronnie Scott's). Chief among the new acts were Weekend who morphed into Working Week, whose 1984 debut single 'Venceremos' felt like a clarion call. Everything But The Girl had embraced jazz influences on their debut single, a cover of Cole Porter's 'Night And Day'. Meanwhile, Mark Reilly left Blue Rondo to form Matt Bianco, a more overtly pop/jazz creation. Julien Temple's Absolute Beginners film (including Eighth Wonder and The Style Council on it's soundtrack) based on Colin MacInnes' 1959 novel took jazz to a mainstream audience. When the film was released in 1986, jazz in it's broadest sense was everywhere in British pop, from covers of jazz standards (Alison Moyet, Bronski Beat) to jazz pop hits from Swing Out Sister and The Blow Monkeys.