Julie Driscoll, Brian Auger & The Trinity - Open [Soul Bank Music]

Format: LP in printed sleeve.
CAT: SBM008LP

Released in 1967, Open marked a daring debut for Brian Auger & The Trinity, featuring the powerful vocals of Julie Driscoll.

Music and its creators were rapidly evolving in '67: the UK jazz and R&B scenes were being influenced by pop and psychedelia, and socially, musicians from different styles found common ground in London clubs like The Cromwellian and The Scotch Of St James, where The Beatles, American legends such as Wilson Pickett and Jimi Hendrix rubbed shoulders with the capital's jazz musicians and pop stars, often jamming together with vigour whilst sporting striking “Lord Byron” shirts. Open fully embraced this spirit by blending those genres and attitudes of the era.

From the outset, Auger showcases his jazz-rooted approach on side A with “In and Out” and “Isola Natale” (the latter later covered by one of his American jazz heroes, Richard “Groove” Holmes). Both tracks highlight The Trinity's musicianship and Brian's improvisational flair. Auger himself takes on vocal duties on the explosive “Black Cat”, a track that became a club hit. Open is characterised by its eclecticism: “Lament for Miss Baker” is a delicate, Duke Ellington-influenced piano ballad, reflecting Auger's jazz and classical influences, while “Goodbye Jungle Telegraph” is a wild and chaotic percussive explosion. Brian not only demonstrates his virtuosity but also his surreal sense of humour, with strange sound effects inspired by Spike Milligan's The Goons radio show interspersed between tracks.

The arrival of Julie Driscoll on the album's B-side introduces a marked change in tone. Her smoky and emotive voice brings a deep soulful charge, especially on covers of Otis Redding & Carla Thomas's “Tramp”, Aretha Franklin's “Save Me” and The Staple Singers' “Why Am I Treated So Bad”. Original compositions such as “Break It Up” and “A Kind Of Love In” feature Auger and Driscoll's pop-influenced R&B at its finest, while the cover of Donovan's “Season of the Witch” expands into a slow-burning epic.

In 2025, Open is considered a cult classic and a testament to a unique period where genre boundaries were blurred and artistic risk was the norm. Brian Auger & The Trinity's debut captures the adventurous energy of the late 1960s. 58 years later, its importance in the development of British jazz fusion and subsequent progressive bands is undeniable, with Tim Burgess of The Charlatans recently commenting on Auger's Instagram that The Trinity was a “huge influence.”