Author Archives: Paul Brad

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About Paul Brad

Freelance journalist / Publisher / Editor - Straight No Chaser magazine / Editor - L FM : Broadcasting In A Pandemic - Gilles Peterson (Worldwide FM) / Publisher: From Jazz Funk & Fusion to Acid Jazz: A History Of The UK Jazz Dance Scene by Mark 'Snowboy' Cotgrove / Music Fan: Interplanetary Sounds: Ancient to Future / Cultural Event Consultant & Activist / Nei Jia practitioner

BEYOND THE BASSLINE: 500 Years Of Black British Music

Posted on December 10, 2025 by Paul Brad

The Award Winning British Library publication which was released in a hardback format to coincide with widely acclaimed exhibition is now available as a paperback!! What’s in this book? Edited by myself, in consultation with the exhibition curators, Aleema Gray … Continue reading →

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UNFILTERED: IN CONVERSATION WITH OSUNLADE

Posted on December 9, 2025 by Paul Brad

Live ‘n Direct from Mason & Fifth – Osunlade meets Straight No Chaser’s Paul Bradshaw… We go DEEPER! Tune in! A couple a weeks ago, at Mason & Fifth in Westbourne Park, we were treated to a revealing ‘n’ wonderful … Continue reading →

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DRAX OF DRAX HALL: A deep dive in Squirarchy, a Dorset family’s past and the legacy of slavery.

Posted on December 5, 2025 by Paul Brad

Investigative journalist, Paul Lashmar, delivers a searing, in depth exposé of how a single British family built – and preserved – its fortune through centuries of slavery, land ownership, and imperial exploitation. Prior to sitting down at the Mac to … Continue reading →

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TO THE FONDATION MAEGHT : THE CYCLICAL ROUTE OF THE AVANTE GARDE – SUN RA to the PYRAMIDS

Posted on August 11, 2025 by Paul Brad

In July 1970 La Fondation Maeght in the South of France hosted a series of concerts, curated by Daniel Caux, a French musicologist, essayist, journalist, music critic, and radio producer. These extraordinary events showcased both electronic / minimalist music and … Continue reading →

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PURE VIBES ‘n’ LIQUID LOVE: Gilles Peterson reflects on his four decade long journey with the man and the music of the ubiquitous Roy Ayers.

Posted on March 15, 2025 by Paul Brad

The first time I played Roy Ayers on the radio was March 2nd, 1982 from his ‘Feelin’ Good’ album… ‘Turn Me Loose”. I was 16 sharing the airwaves with my next-door neighbour and pirate buddy Ross Tinsley (aka Ross Travone … Continue reading →

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THE DON CHERRY TAPES & TRAVELATIONS

Posted on March 12, 2025 by Paul Brad

Eternal Rhythm : The Don Cherry Tapes & Travelations is a collection of priceless cassette taped interviews woven together by writer Graeme Ewens – a confidant, travel companion and friend of the late great trumpeter and visionary. It’s a project … Continue reading →

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Andrée Blouin – Africa’s Pasionaria

Posted on February 19, 2025 by Paul Brad

The long awaited reprint of My Country, Africa: The Autobiography Of The Black Pasionaria by that late Andrée Blouin has arrived. If you saw the award winning documentary Soundtrack To A Coup D’Etat and came way wanting to know more … Continue reading →

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Vivien Goldman: Rebel Musix – Scribe On A Vibe

Posted on February 11, 2025 by Paul Brad

Let’s take a deep dive into the ‘Collected Works’ of celebrated music journo, feminist, roots radic and professor of punk First , let me say this, in the world of music journalism Vivien Goldman is a one-off. I myself entered … Continue reading →

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Soundtrack to A Coup D’Etat

Posted on November 28, 2024 by Paul Brad

In this documentary, film maker Johan Grimonprez links the CIA’s use of Jazz in the Cold War against Russia with a deep dive into the divisive, murderous political machinations of Belgium and the USA which resulted in the 1961 assassination … Continue reading →

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KUJENGA: THE GOLDEN WAKE

Posted on November 22, 2024 by Paul Brad

ON THE 30TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE FALL OF APARTHEID SOUTH AFRICA CHILA NATHI AND TRC HOST THE FIRST INTERNATIONAL PERFORMANCE OF CAPE TOWN BASED ENSEMBLE, KUJENGA. It’s a wintery night with a bright half moon and I am greeted at the … Continue reading →

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