Aynsley Dunbar grew up in the Liverpool jazz scene, having begun playing drums at the age of 11. Aynsley was also part of the blossoming rock and R&B movement in Liverpool in 1963, playing for such groups as Derry Wilkie And The Pressmen, Freddie Starr And The Flamingos, The Excheckers and Stu James And The Mojos.
Throughout the ’60s, Aynsley played with Peter Green and John McVie in John Mayall’s Bluesbreakers and drummed in the Jeff Beck Group with Rod Stewart and Ron Wood. He also led his own group, The Aynsley Dunbar Retaliation in 1967 and later put together the progressive jam band, Blue Whale.
But curiously, at least on record, Aynsley’s career had not yet taken off. It was Frank Zappa who, recognising not only Aynsley’s vast experience but his serious jazz chops, who asked Aynsley to move to America and join his new band. After playing and recording with Zappa in the early ’70s, Aynsley continued his stellar track record playing and recording with David Bowie and Lou Reed. Then, Infinity. Aynsley continued his hit-making run into the 1980s with Jefferson Starship, playing on three of their releases and drumming on Whitesnake’s hit self-titled album.
Throughout the 1990s, Aynsley continued his association with guitar-orientated rock, playing and recording with Pat Travers, UFO, John Lee Hooker and Michael Schenker. The new millennium has seen Aynsley continue to tour with The World Classic Rockers. It could easily be argued that no drummer has played with a more diverse group of successful acts.
At this time, Zappa’s music was going through a decidedly jazz influenced phase and Aynsley’s drumming was the perfect ingredient. There are just four tracks on the album, with the first side taken up with just one, ‘Big Swifty’.
It’s jazz fusion, big, brassy and shifting in time signatures – an improvisational playground for Zappa and his carefully assembled musicians. Check out the solo in the title track (from around the 7:20 mark); and elsewhere Aynsley proves he’s equal to anything Zappa could throw at him.
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