Constanze Friend (vocals) and Thomas Fellow (acoustic guitar) recei­ved a big boost in popularity as acclaimed special guests on the 1997 European tour of blues legend Luther Allison. after the release of their debut CD "Home" and live concerts with Al Jarreau, Maceo Parker, and Keb' Mo', they were described as "rising stars" (Ingolstadt Jazz Festival) and "World -class duo" (Welt am Sonntag newspaper).

Release date: November 1998

Friend 'n Fellow have appeared with or opened up shows for a number of famous artists from different musical areas over the years. All of them were pleasantly surprised about the depth of the duo's Acoustic Soul:

"The sound of the new century" (Luther Allison)

"I really enjoy your work" (Al Jarreau)

"The voice of an angel" (Keb' Mo')

Constanze Friend (vocals) and Thomas Fellow (acoustic guitar) recei­ved a big boost in popularity as acclaimed special guests on the 1997 European tour of blues legend Luther Allison. after the release of their debut CD "Home" and live concerts with Al Jarreau, Maceo Parker, and Keb' Mo', they were described as "rising stars" (Ingolstadt Jazz Festival) and "World -class duo" (Welt am Sonntag newspaper).

Following numerous TV and radio appearances, Friend 'n Fellow went on tour with Bernard Allison in Spring of 1998 "In Memory To Luther Allison"- the blues giant and mentor of the duo passed away in August 1997.

In addition to their distinctive duo sound, Friend 'n Fellow's new CD also features interaction with other musicians: special guests on this recording in­clude Matthias Bätzel on organ with typical funky Hammond B-3 sound, supported by his brother Alexander Bätzel on drums on "Colours" (track no. 5). another outstanding contribution is Stephan Braun's wonderful melan­choly cello playing on "Father's Home" (no. 9).

The new CD "Purple Rose" (Ruf CD 1029) is again characterized by very intimate, personal experiences, dreams and observations of these two excep­tional artists. Each song tells its own story: "Friend Of Mine", for example, is a moving tribute to their mutual friend and supporter Luther Allison.

The combination of Constanzes expressive voice and Thomas' masterful acoustic guitar playing crosses stylistic borders - their own compositions re­present a tasteful mixture of soul, blues and jazz influences, performed in a dy­namic way that thrills audiences everywhere they play.

Friend 'n Fellow have studied their craft intensively and mastered their re­spective instruments. Constanze Friend has appeared with various bands and studied modern singing for five years at the music college in Weimar. Thomas Fellow has made extensive travels through Europe, India, the United States and South America; he has studied concert guitar for seven years in Weimar, and in the meantime he became a teacher himself - for guitar and worldmusic at the music college in Dresden. Constanze and Thomas first met during their studies in Weimar and formed their duo Friend 'n Fellow in 1991.

European audiences will have plenty of opportunities to catch Friend 'n Fellow live: in autumn of 1998, they will make an exclusive tour through Germany, Switzerland, France and England, partly as support act for Nina Simone.

Track list :

1 Fly Like Eagle

2 Forbidden Wine

3 Snow Is Gleaming Red

4 Wind Calls Me

5 Colours

6 Friend Of Mine

7 Forever Young

8 Don't Run Away

9 Father's Home

10 Blind Man

11 Babble

12 Return To Love

13 Godlike Grace