Affinity (band)

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Affinity were a UK progressive jazz/rock fusion band started in mid-1968, and were also one of the first artists to sign to the newly formed Vertigo record label in 1970. Established in the late 1960s, the band featured vocalist Linda Hoyle, drummer Grant Serpell, keyboard player Lynton Naiff, guitarist Mike Jopp and bassist Mo Foster. In the mid-1960s, science students Naiff and Serpell had been previous members of the University of Sussex Jazz Trio, and campus pop band the Baskervilles. Bass player Mo Foster. Naiff and Serpell then formed the short-lived pop group, Ice, which folded within a year. The musicians were then joined by former English teacher Linda Hoyle, and named themselves after the title of an Oscar Peterson album.

They played their first gig on 5 October 1968 at the Revolution Club, just off Berkeley Square, and would later go on to play at the famous Ronnie Scott's in London. The band was managed by jazz musician, Ronnie Scott. A planned first US tour in late 1968 was cancelled due to Hoyle suffering from nodes on her vocal chords. During her absence, Live Instrumentals - 1969, released in 2003 by Angel Air Records, was recorded at Ronnie Scott's whilst Hoyle was recovering from an operation on her vocal chords. This album featured the four musicians performing jazz and blues standards. Their debut album was released in early 1970 and was, until recently, believed to be the only recording from this group. Led Zeppelin bass player and keyboardist John Paul Jones, contributed arrangements to two song; 'I Am and So Are You', and 'I Wonder If I'll Care As Much'. The pastoral bleached out Terayama-esque gatefold sleeve was been designed by Vertigo's in-house artist Keef McMillan, who also designed Black Sabbath's debut album cover.

Hoyle left Affinity in January 1971 during a tour of Sweden, and she was replaced by Vivienne McAuliffe, previously of Principal Edwards Magic Theatre. Affinity had first met McAuliffe at Exeter University while playing one of their last gigs with the original line-up. Keyboard player Naiff also left and ex-Tornados keyboard player Dave Watts joined after answering an advert in Melody Maker. That era of Affinity's history is documented on the 1971-72 album, released by Angel Air Records in 2003. The band eventually folded in late 1972. Hoyle later released a solo album called Pieces of Me, in late 1971, and now teaches art therapy at the University of Western Ontario in Canada.