"Drifting Along" - Jamiroquai

“Drifting Along” (PDF) from the Jamiroquai album, Travelling Without Moving

Jamiroquai is Jay Kay. When the groundbreaking music video for “Virtual Insanity” broke into the American market, Kay was the only featured performer although his London-based band had established a bridge between r&b, disco, funk, hip hop, and EDM through live performances and festival appearances. It was a decision made when Acid Jazz Records originally signed Jamiroquai in 1991, that Jay Kay was the only name on the contract - the other musicians and songwriters were paid through his artist royalties because… Jamiroquai is Jay Kay.

Perhaps the inner-workings of Jamiroquai have evolved over the years, but not without controversy - Kay’s altercations with the paparazzi did little to silence the critics of his Native American appropriations and his love of sports cars. On the landmark 1996 album, Travelling Without Moving, the credits fail to acknowledge the trombonist on the reggae tune “Drifting Along” where the trombone is the lead melodic instrument. And yet two of the U.K.’s most-prominent session musicians, saxophonist Gary Barnacle and trumpeter John Thirkell, received credit for their contributions along with The Durham Miners Coalition Brass Band - a British labor union of musicians similar to the role of Social Aid & Pleasure Clubs of New Orleans.

So why has the Rico Rodriguez-style trombone on “Drifitng Along” gone unacknowledged? The reason remains unknown, however a name that frequently appears alongside Barnacle’s recording credits is trombonist Annie Whitehead, who made a career of playing British ska and jazz and was described by Beat International Magazine as “the Sly and Robbie of British brass, the woman everyone turns to when they want a class trombone player.” So it can be assumed that Whitehead is the featured trombonist on “Drifting Along,” but then again… Jamiroquai is Jay Kay.

Here is a YouTube video of Annie Whitehead in performance, acknowledging the influence of Rico Rodgriguez:

Recommended reading: “Annie Whitehead: Mix Up (1985)” by Diego Olivias. FOUND/SOUND - www.foundsound.com - November 29, 2022