Acoustic Alchemy (GB)

About

Acoustic Alchemy built their sound around two contrasting acoustic guitars, a nylon string and a steel string, and became one of the defining acts in smooth jazz. Formed in England in the early 1980s by Nick Webb and Simon James, the band found an unlikely early gig as an in flight act on Virgin Atlantic transatlantic flights. Six weeks after sending demos to MCA, they were recording their debut, Red Dust and Spanish Lace, at Hansa Haus Studios in Bonn, a studio they would return to repeatedly. Their track from Natural Elements became the theme for the BBC programme Gardeners' World, and Reference Point earned a Grammy nomination. After Webb passed away in 1998 following a pancreatic cancer diagnosis, Greg Carmichael kept the band going with Miles Gilderdale stepping in as partner. The post Webb era saw them experiment more freely, pulling in elements from multiple genres, and AArt scored another Grammy nomination. Radio Contact introduced vocals for the first time, with Jo Harrop singing on the track Little Laughter, a genuinely different move for a band known for instrumental work.