Laurence Juber, Jim Horn & Robbie McIntosh
Extraordinary Sidemen

For the past 15 years, I have made an annual pilgrimage from Long Island to New Jersey every March to attend an event called Beatlefest. It is at this event where fans of the Beatles come to celebrate their music. Aside from listening to great bands, you can buy CD's, clothing and memorabilia associated with the Fab Four. What is most enlightening to me is that there are people of all ages attending this event. The incredible influence that John, Paul, George and Ringo had on all of us is evident by the level of enthusiasm of the Beatlefest participants.

One of my favorite parts of Beatlefest is getting to meet some of the people that were and in some cases, continue to be part of the every day life of the Beatles. Over the years, people like Louise Harrison (George's sister), Sid Bernstein (promoter of the famous Beatles at Shea Stadium concert) and Gordon Waller (the other half of the Peter & Gordon singing duo) have attended the festivities. Rather than meeting some extraneous person whose sole claim to fame is that he fleetingly met John at a club in Soho, I prefer meeting the musicians that were part of the music of the Beatles. Of course there are always some really obscure people who show up to cash in on their scant few minutes of rubbing elbows with the famous lads from Liverpool. People like the Beatles chauffeur, their valet or some childhood pals that lend a certain sadness in that you wonder what they really are trying to accomplish other than to make a fast buck. Nevertheless, it all makes for an interesting part of this annual three-day event.

Over the past few years, I have had the pleasure to meet Laurence Juber, Jim Horn and Robbie McIntosh among others. Laurence played lead guitar in Paul McCartney's group, Wings. Jim Horn is a legendary horn player who is one of the only musicians to record with all four solo Beatles. Robbie McIntosh joined Paul's band for the Flowers In The Dirt & Off The Ground CD's and tours after being part of the Pretenders. In my considered opinion, these three men represent the best sidemen in the business. All three have released solo albums, which I will review for you using my diamond or dust rating system.

Laurence Juber has released an album called LJ Plays The Beatles (Acoustic Music Resource # 2001). This is an acoustic album with only one musician. This is not his first album since the liner notes list another six albums by Laurence. This is a stylish and tastefully arranged CD. His unique finger picking style takes into account all the parts to be played by the orchestra while at the same time adeptly playing the melody. This is a unique album and although I am partial to the content, I am looking forward to sampling some of his other work. The label web site is www.acousticmusicresource.com and you can order Laurence's work directly from the site. This is a true diamond especially for those fans of solo acoustic guitar work.

I am partial to sax players. Jim Horn has always been a favorite of mine. I actually have an LP he recorded on Shelter Records (#8906) in the late 60's called Through the Eyes of A Horn. In conversation with Jim, he reminisced about that recording with me when we recently spoke at Beatlefest. Jim was actually discovered by legendary guitarist, Duane Eddy. Jim has toured with Joe Cocker on the Mad Dogs & Englishmen tour and was with George Harrison on the Bengla Desh concert. Just take a look at any of your albums that features a horn player and you'll see Jim Horn's name on the credits. His latest solo effort is called A Beatles Tribute (Jim Horn Records # 50922). The album contains 14 Beatle tunes and sports a band of Nashville's top musical talent. There is not a weak cut on the CD. I especially like the harmonica work of Delbert McClinton. You can find out more information on www.jimhorn.com about this CD. It is an excellent album and rates the diamond status.

When I went to the McCartney Flowers In The Dirt concert at Madison Square Garden about ten years ago, it was the first time I had ever seen Robbie McIntosh. I knew of his work with the Pretenders, but I had no idea what a treat it was to be listening to his guitar work. While Laurence and Jim have released solo works, Robbie put a band together and has released an album called Emotional Bends (Compass # 7 4282 2) by the Robbie McIntosh Band. He plays Electric, Acoustic & Slide Guitar in addition to being the lead vocalist. This is a pure rock'n'roll delight. Clearly, Robbie and the other four members of the band got together to have some fun, make an honest record with country rock overtones. You can find out more about Robbie on www.compassrecords.com. The rating on this one is another diamond, thus completing the trifecta.