Zoot’s right on the Money

11:37am Friday 9th March 2007

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GEORGE Bruno Money, aka Zoot Money, will delight all fans of rhythm and blues when he returns to Basingstoke to play at Central Studio on Saturday, April 21, at 8pm.

Despite having formed The Big Roll Band in 1961, Zoot is still "rolling", touring the country and collaborating with old friends.

It used to be us comparing drugs and now it's comparing diabetes tablet

Zoot Money

But, as he tells me, it's not as much of an intense work schedule as back in the heyday.

"I don't work as much as I did. At one stage, when The Big Roll Band was at its height, in 1963 and 1964, in some cases we were doing 13 gigs a week. I was out every night!"

The band, alongside Georgie Fame & The Blue Flames and The Animals, were well established in the Flamingo Club in London's Wardour Street.

Many crazy times were had but, despite this, Zoot tells me that he likes the change in his life that now sees him playing with more artists than just his fellow band members.

"The difference now is that I get asked to play with different people all the time, which is what happened with The Barcodes with whom he'll perform at Central Studio.

"It's great learning different tunes with different people. The Big Roll Band is a five-piece now, not a seven-piece like back in the day, and I also do a trio with guitar, drums and myself. And I duet with Papa George too.

"We all have other bands, but we work together for the night to make it a little bit varied.

"I'm also doing a thing at the moment called BBQ, British Blues Quintet, with Maggie Bell, back from abroad, and Colin Allen, the original drummer from The Big Roll Band, who lives in Sweden, so it's a real big net we have to spread to get them in."

So we'd be safe in assuming that they all enjoy themselves when they're reunited?

He laughs: "The dialogue is better than the gig in some cases! The travelling banter is actually what should be taped and put out."

Earlier in his career, Zoot was a practitioner of the legendary Hammond organ, which recently became fashionable again, popping up frequently in the work of artists like The Divine Comedy.

He says: "I've gone digital - I'm a great advocate of it because the new digital Hammonds are really good. I think that they compare very favourably, if you get the right speaker and setup, to schlepping these huge things around. I don't really ever look forward to carrying a Hammond around again."

That wouldn't be very good for his health, now, would it?

"Healthwise, you've got to be a bit careful," he elaborates. "Travelling is all very good but when you're travelling for about 12 hours, older backs are liable to be a bit strained.

"We don't throw anything down our faces like we used to. There's none of that living on a Mars bar until you get to the next town.

"We've got various chemicals to take care of the voices too.

"It used to be us comparing drugs and now it's comparing diabetes tablets!"

As someone who has had such a long career in the live music industry, is he of the opinion that it's the only way anyone can really obtain the measure of a musician?

"I do still believe that, as it tests the musicians as to whether or not they can put on a show before human beings.

"In some cases, these guys are too young to know what people will emotionally react to at a gig. So they don't do gigs, they just send out the tapes. And when they get out there, they find out it's, well, we like the record but we don't actually like you live."

And that's the reason why he's going to keep on gigging, despite the niggles of old age?

"I think it's a Tommy Cooper thing for me, I'm afraid. I don't like the idea of a heart attack on the stairs on the way in. I'd rather I was carrying the gear out, I'd done the gig and the money's on the way to the wife."

And with a final laugh, he's off.

• Tickets to see Zoot Money and The Barcodes, costing £12.50 full, concessions £10, children and students £5, are available from the box office on 01256 418318.