ColdBlood Lydia Pense
COPYRIGHTED IMAGE: DON'T EVEN THINK ABOUT USING IT WITHOUT MY WRITTEN PERMISSION!
Lydia Pense with her band: "Cold Blood" at the Armadillo World Headquarters.
They played Friday and Saturday, Sept. 13 & 14, 1974 and I caught the Saturday show.
When I bought my ticket to see Cold Blood, I had a couple of their albums. I knew they were a fusion of rock/jazz/blues and funk, "a rock band with horns", but normally, I wasn't the biggest horn section fan in those days...the Tower of Power, Blood Sweat and Tears kinda deal was ok, but not what I listened to repeatedly...Cold Blood was something else, though, rawer, Bluesier, with a real powerhouse vocalist and hot guitar. I loved Lydia's vocals and songwriter/ keyboard player, Raul Matute, was awesome. So, I was a bit unprepared for what a great band they were live, every single member, especially Ms. Pense of course, but the horns were great! It was completely electrifying and unforgettable.
I got only a few shots, in bad light and a packed house, but I am very glad to at least have these happy few.
That night at the Armadillo, they performed definative versions of "Funky on my Back", "Your Good Thing (is about to come to an end), "Trust, Understanding" and "Too Many People", "Down to the Bone", "I just wanna make Love to you" among others and had the audience completely thrilled. We called for encore after encore, even though we could see how exhausted and spent they were after all that. A show for the ages, in my mind.
I was always sad they broke up too soon and never found the fame and success they justly deserved. Lydia Pense was a small woman on stage, but a stick of dynamite...there is no way to get across how much power and passion she put into her heart-felt vocals..(comparisons to Janis Joplin don't cover it!) .each performance was shattering.... I have no idea how she kept it up all night!
After a long time out, Ms Pense is performing and recording again with the new Cold Blood, mostly west coast...would love to see her again, and from the sound of their last CD, it would be great, but doubt it could compare with this amazing evening. She's still a great vocalist; better in some ways, but not as much scream and shout...and I gotta say, that stuff was thrilling back in the day. I have no doubt she could match Steve Marriot of Humble Pie in those days, a truly awesome blues shouter. I can barely imagine how stunning a duet with those two might have been.
Here's a bit more about Lydia Pense and Cold Blood:
Lydia Pense (b. 1948) is an American rock-soul-jazz singer who since 1969 has performed with the band Cold Blood. Her style has been compared to powerful singers including Janis Joplin (who recommended the band to Bill Graham for their first audition), Aretha Franklin, Teena Marie and Rock/Blues legends like Steve Marriott from Humble Pie.
Pense's mother was born in Madrid, Spain, while her father came from Nebraska, United States. While attending school in San Mateo, California at the age of 16, Pense started singing with a band called The Dimensions. They initially played Big Band songs, but she soon was attracted to the music of Ray Charles and Chuck Berry.
After her 1967 solo album "Lydia", she joined Cold Blood in 1968.
Pense was only 21 when the band signed its record contract and not yet 30 when the band dispersed. The band first came to prominence in 1969 when rock impresario Bill Graham signed them after an audition and they played the Fillmore West in San Francisco. The original Cold Blood released its self-titled debut album in 1969 and its last one in 1976, Pense suspended her career in the 1980s to raise her daughter before re-forming the group.
Pense started performing again in the early ‘90s, singing for awhile with Pacific Brass and Electric. Eventually, Pense did reform Cold Blood in the 90's (she's the only original member, although some other original band members (such as Raul Matute)(and some members of Tower of Power) appear on their latest CD).
In 2003, Sacramento’s Dig Music released “Vintage Blood, “a set from 1973 that is the band’s only live recording. “Vintage Blood” features just five songs, but is 45 minutes-which culminates in a blistering “You Got Me Hummin’ ” –sizzling!
Cold Blood put a new CD out in 2005, "Transfusion" with that same sound...blues/soul/funk/jazz.
The band has often been compared to another long-standing popular Northern California group, Tower of Power, and like Tower of Power they were rare in that they featured a horn section in addition to guitar, bass and drums.
Their initial four albums, Cold Blood, Sisyphus, First Taste of Sin (produced by Donny Hathaway), and Thriller remain their best known work.
Original band members were founder Larry Field (lead guitar), Lydia Pense (vocals), Danny Hull (tenor saxophone and songwriter), Larry Jonutz (trumpet), Raul Matute (Hammond organ, piano, arranger and songwriter), Jerry Jonutz (Baritone, alto and tenor saxophone), David Padron (trumpet), Rod Ellicott (bass), and Frank Davis (drums).
Current personnel are Lydia Pense (vocals), Steve Salinas (keyboards), Steve Dunne (guitar), Mike Morgan (percussion), Evan Palmerston (bass), Rich Armstrong (trumpet, percussion), Rob Zuckerman (alto, tenor, baritone saxes) and Donny Baldwin (drums). Currently, they tour up and down the west coast.
Recordings:
* Cold Blood (1968)
* Sisyphus (1969) (all time fave!)
* First Taste of Sin (1972)
* Thriller (1973)
* Lydia (1974)
* The Best of Cold Blood (1975)
* Vintage Blood: Live! 1973 (live album), 2001 (excellent! gives you a taste of what it was like)
* Transfusion (2005)
ColdBlood Lydia Pense
COPYRIGHTED IMAGE: DON'T EVEN THINK ABOUT USING IT WITHOUT MY WRITTEN PERMISSION!
Lydia Pense with her band: "Cold Blood" at the Armadillo World Headquarters.
They played Friday and Saturday, Sept. 13 & 14, 1974 and I caught the Saturday show.
When I bought my ticket to see Cold Blood, I had a couple of their albums. I knew they were a fusion of rock/jazz/blues and funk, "a rock band with horns", but normally, I wasn't the biggest horn section fan in those days...the Tower of Power, Blood Sweat and Tears kinda deal was ok, but not what I listened to repeatedly...Cold Blood was something else, though, rawer, Bluesier, with a real powerhouse vocalist and hot guitar. I loved Lydia's vocals and songwriter/ keyboard player, Raul Matute, was awesome. So, I was a bit unprepared for what a great band they were live, every single member, especially Ms. Pense of course, but the horns were great! It was completely electrifying and unforgettable.
I got only a few shots, in bad light and a packed house, but I am very glad to at least have these happy few.
That night at the Armadillo, they performed definative versions of "Funky on my Back", "Your Good Thing (is about to come to an end), "Trust, Understanding" and "Too Many People", "Down to the Bone", "I just wanna make Love to you" among others and had the audience completely thrilled. We called for encore after encore, even though we could see how exhausted and spent they were after all that. A show for the ages, in my mind.
I was always sad they broke up too soon and never found the fame and success they justly deserved. Lydia Pense was a small woman on stage, but a stick of dynamite...there is no way to get across how much power and passion she put into her heart-felt vocals..(comparisons to Janis Joplin don't cover it!) .each performance was shattering.... I have no idea how she kept it up all night!
After a long time out, Ms Pense is performing and recording again with the new Cold Blood, mostly west coast...would love to see her again, and from the sound of their last CD, it would be great, but doubt it could compare with this amazing evening. She's still a great vocalist; better in some ways, but not as much scream and shout...and I gotta say, that stuff was thrilling back in the day. I have no doubt she could match Steve Marriot of Humble Pie in those days, a truly awesome blues shouter. I can barely imagine how stunning a duet with those two might have been.
Here's a bit more about Lydia Pense and Cold Blood:
Lydia Pense (b. 1948) is an American rock-soul-jazz singer who since 1969 has performed with the band Cold Blood. Her style has been compared to powerful singers including Janis Joplin (who recommended the band to Bill Graham for their first audition), Aretha Franklin, Teena Marie and Rock/Blues legends like Steve Marriott from Humble Pie.
Pense's mother was born in Madrid, Spain, while her father came from Nebraska, United States. While attending school in San Mateo, California at the age of 16, Pense started singing with a band called The Dimensions. They initially played Big Band songs, but she soon was attracted to the music of Ray Charles and Chuck Berry.
After her 1967 solo album "Lydia", she joined Cold Blood in 1968.
Pense was only 21 when the band signed its record contract and not yet 30 when the band dispersed. The band first came to prominence in 1969 when rock impresario Bill Graham signed them after an audition and they played the Fillmore West in San Francisco. The original Cold Blood released its self-titled debut album in 1969 and its last one in 1976, Pense suspended her career in the 1980s to raise her daughter before re-forming the group.
Pense started performing again in the early ‘90s, singing for awhile with Pacific Brass and Electric. Eventually, Pense did reform Cold Blood in the 90's (she's the only original member, although some other original band members (such as Raul Matute)(and some members of Tower of Power) appear on their latest CD).
In 2003, Sacramento’s Dig Music released “Vintage Blood, “a set from 1973 that is the band’s only live recording. “Vintage Blood” features just five songs, but is 45 minutes-which culminates in a blistering “You Got Me Hummin’ ” –sizzling!
Cold Blood put a new CD out in 2005, "Transfusion" with that same sound...blues/soul/funk/jazz.
The band has often been compared to another long-standing popular Northern California group, Tower of Power, and like Tower of Power they were rare in that they featured a horn section in addition to guitar, bass and drums.
Their initial four albums, Cold Blood, Sisyphus, First Taste of Sin (produced by Donny Hathaway), and Thriller remain their best known work.
Original band members were founder Larry Field (lead guitar), Lydia Pense (vocals), Danny Hull (tenor saxophone and songwriter), Larry Jonutz (trumpet), Raul Matute (Hammond organ, piano, arranger and songwriter), Jerry Jonutz (Baritone, alto and tenor saxophone), David Padron (trumpet), Rod Ellicott (bass), and Frank Davis (drums).
Current personnel are Lydia Pense (vocals), Steve Salinas (keyboards), Steve Dunne (guitar), Mike Morgan (percussion), Evan Palmerston (bass), Rich Armstrong (trumpet, percussion), Rob Zuckerman (alto, tenor, baritone saxes) and Donny Baldwin (drums). Currently, they tour up and down the west coast.
Recordings:
* Cold Blood (1968)
* Sisyphus (1969) (all time fave!)
* First Taste of Sin (1972)
* Thriller (1973)
* Lydia (1974)
* The Best of Cold Blood (1975)
* Vintage Blood: Live! 1973 (live album), 2001 (excellent! gives you a taste of what it was like)
* Transfusion (2005)