Acoustic Alchemy
| Acoustic Alchemy | |
|---|---|
| Origin | London, England |
| Genres | Smooth jazz |
| Years active | 1981–present |
| Labels | MCA, GRP, Higher Octave, Narada, Heads Up |
| Associated acts | Down to the band |
| Website | acoustic-alchemy |
| Members |
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| Past members |
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Acoustic Alchemy is an English contemporary instrumental and smooth jazz band formed in England in the early 1980s (c. 1981), originally fronted by acoustic guitarists Nick Webb and Simon James. The band is currently led by Greg Carmichael and Miles Gilderdale.
Acoustic Alchemy was formed around the acoustic guitars of Simon James (nylon string) and Nick Webb (steel string), often backed up by double bass, percussion, and string quartet the Violettes. The band made two albums that were unprofitable. In the mid-1980s, James left, and in the 1990s he formed Kymaera, a similar, though more Latin oriented band.
In 1985, Webb discovered Greg Carmichael, a guitarist with a London pub band called the Holloways (not affiliated with the indie band of the same name) who became James' successor. The new pairing got work as an in-flight band on Virgin Atlantic flights to and from the United States. Six weeks after sending demos to MCA Records, the band was called to record their first album, which was released in 1987 titled Red Dust and Spanish Lace. Appearing on the album were Mario Argandoña on percussion and Bert Smaak on drums. The album was the first of many to be recorded at the Hansa Haus Studios, in Bonn, Germany, where they met sound engineer Klaus Genuit, who has worked on many of the band's albums.
Two more albums followed with MCA: Natural Elements (1988) and Blue Chip (1989). The title track from Natural Elements became was the theme music for the BBC TV program Gardeners' World.
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