Livia Records is delighted to announce the release of John Wadham's DRUMS and FRIENDS remixed, remastered and extended, on 18th September. Hugely skilled and much loved, John was the doyen of Irish jazz drumming from his arrival on the Dublin scene in the 1960s, until the early years of this century. Although he featured on many recordings, DRUMS and FRIENDS is his only album as the band leader. Originally released on LP in 1978, the label's second, one side features a trio with Brian Dunning on flute and Frank Hess on bass, with the other featuring Louis Stewart in duet and trio settings, some with Martin Walsh on bass. This release adds two previously unreleased tracks, John Coltrane's Naima, and Miles Davis's Seven Steps to Heaven. We've retained the style of the original album artwork, and included the original LP and CD release sleeve notes by Gerald Davis, while adding new sleeve notes from leading drummer, and jazz archivist, Conor Guilfoyle. DRUMS and FRIENDS, is an important milestone in Irish jazz, because of the musicians involved, and the repertoire chosen. It significantly contains a rare example of Louis Stewart free improvising in duet with John. (Louis famously said he felt free improvisation was like playing tennis without a net). Invoking John's nickname, The Wad, veteran pianist Jim Doherty describes this release as "a nod to The Wad". DRUMS and FRIENDS will appeal to fans of mainstream-modern jazz, Louis Stewart and/or Brian Dunning, anyone who saw him perform in any of the thousands of his gigs, and the hundreds of drum students he taught, including Larry Mullen.