‘BEING BLACKER’: A radical encounter between BAFTA Winning film-maker MOLLY DINEEN and Brixton’s BLACKER DREAD

Posted on February 25, 2018 by Paul Brad

‘Being Blacker’ is a unique, uncompromising and radical 90 minute documentary and both Molly Dineen and Steve’Blacker Dread’ Martin take to the road to launch the film in a cinema near you prior to it airing on BBC2 on March 12th.

Filled with anticipation I checked into BAFTA on Picadilly for a BBC press screening of Being Blacker – the latest documentary from the award-winning Molly Dineen. It delivers an intimate profile of the life and times of Brixtonian sound man, long-time record shop owner and producer, Blacker Dread. While I was hyped about the film but I’d also picked up on the odd rumour that Being Blacker had sparked alarm bells within the walls of the BEEB. Maybe the moral panics were down to the film central character, Steve ‘Blacker Dread’ Martin, being jailed for fraud during the making of the film and that his closest friend, Napthali – also a pivotal character within the film – is a convicted bank robber. Thankfully, the winds of political correctness gave way to the power of reality and the result is truly compelling and rewarding insight into the world of Blacker Dread.

The Funeral of Blacker’s mother…

Molly is one of the UK’s most unique film makers. There’s no crew. It’s just Molly Dineen and her camera. She was awarded The Grierson Memorial Trust 2003 Trustees’ Award for “Outstanding contribution to the art of documentary” and won a BAFTA and Grierson Award for her penultimate film The Lie Of The Land – a raw portrait of the British countryside and the demise of farming. You might have seen her TV series The Ark – where she spent 6 months at London Zoo or The Heart of The Angel which led her to film over 24 hours in the Angel tube station in London. All her films are available via the British Film Institute (BFI) and Being Blacker arrives after a 10 year hiatus. The only film of Molly’s which isn’t on sale via the BFI, is Sound Business – the film she submitted for her degree at the London College Of Printing. It’s within Sound Business that the roots of her long standing relationship with Blacker Dread lies.

If my memory serves me well I met Molly via Maroons Tunes, a short lived reggae emporium in Greek Street, Soho, where I did the odd day behind the counter alongside DBC’s Leroy ‘Lepke’ Anderson, Rae Cheddie (Bullwackies) and the erudite Steve Barrow (Blood & Fire).  She wanted do a film on sound system and I became her link to Sir Coxsone Outernational Sound System. That was 1981 and her 45 minute film – narrated by the late Michael ‘Dread At The Controls’ Campbell –  takes us into the dancehall, visits the dub-cutter and amp builder and offers interviews with the Coxsone team – Lloydie, Blacker, Festus, Bikey Dread and Levi Roots (yes…reggae reggae sauce and tings!). At that time Blacker lived in Armoury Way in Wandsworth and the same block of flats was also home to up ‘n’ coming youth sound Young Lion. Alongside Coxsone they also became the focus of Molly’s film – which, in a somewhat visually depleted form, you can peruse at your leisure on You Tube.

Molly and Blacker stayed in contact over the years and when his mother passed he asked the film-maker to document the funeral for him and his family. It’s a portion of this footage that opens the film and the viewer is immediately struck by the access that she’s been given. She is right there at the beating heart of a grieving family and we are there with her. It’s during the funeral that we encounter Naphtali. He’s driving and Molly’s riding shotgun. It’s his job to clear a path that enables the horse-drawn hearse to reach the cemetery without delay. It’s in this sequence that Molly declares, “Naphtali, you drive like a getaway driver… “. To which he replies, “I am…I am a getaway driver!” The plot opens up and another intriguing narrative emerges.

I know both Blacker and Naphtali from Coxsone sound. Having spent an evening in their company, while banged up in Hinkley jail, I am well aware of their humour and resilience when confronted with the long arm of the law. That was back in the early 80’s. We were on our way to a dance in Huddersfield. The sight of two dreads batting along in a transit van on a Saturday evening was simply too much for two bored motorway police officers. A stop and search ensued. Once in the station both Blacker and Naphtali made a clear impact on the officers on duty. From my cell I could hear them calling the name “Blacker… Blacker..” They seemed drawn to sound of the name. It was weird. Meanwhile, Naphtali appeared to have the run of the police station. Upon our eventual release we were given a police escort – lights flashing – to the motorway.

Sir Coxsone Outernational Sound System – l to r: Blacker Dread, Poppa Festus, Bikey Dread
Photography by Jean Bernard Sohiez aka Frenchie

However, Being Blacker is not about sound system or the reggae business. This is a film about being black and growing into manhood in Britain. It’s about making decisions – good or bad. As Blacker packs up his shop in Coldharbour Lane under the shadow prison the dread has to deal with the trial and tribulations of his own children. The traumatic death of one son in a drive by shooting continues to haunt him. Ever conscious and active within the black community he is drawn to others – parents, brothers, sisters, friends – who have lost their own children to the gun or the knife.

For Blacker, passing the 11+ produced not a step up the social ladder but a nightmare of racist bullying. So, when confronted with his own youngest son being considered “difficult” at school both he and his partner stepped in. They were met with a form of institutionalised racism within the education system that I thought no longer existed – especially in the inner city. Watching the film I was thrown back to the time when I did teaching practice and read Ben Coard’s hugely important ‘How the West Indian child is made educationally subnormal in the British school system: The scandal of the black child in schools in Britain’. The decision they make as parents is radical and profound and leads Blacker back to the place he grew up in Jamaica.

Paralleling Blacker’s trials are those of Naphtali. Anyone who reads or watches the news is aware of the scandalous state of our prison system and the potential for up to 70% of prisoners from some prisons to re-offend within a year. After a spell at Her Majesty’s pleasure Naphtali is trying hard to stay on the straight and narrow. As Naphtali works to stay afloat financially the camera of Molly Dineen captures the sheer desperation and humiliation of her subject. For me, it’s painful to watch. I can only hope that someone from a serious casting agency watches this film and seeks out Naphtali to offer him a career in acting. He could be as sensational as The Wire’s Omar.

Blacker & Napthali

Both Blacker Dread and Naphtali maintain the Brixton they knew growing up is a gentrified shadow of it’s former self. As a local business-man Blacker responded to that shift and was a prime mover of the annual Brixton Splash – an Afro Caribbean street festival that celebrates the diversity of the community and continues to attract thousands of revellers. It’s an event that’s a far cry from the ’81 riots. In my mind Blacker and his sound system bredren – from London and beyond – have undoubtedly shaped the cultural landscape of this nation. It’s a story that’s yet to be articulated in the way it deserves. Brixton’s poet laureate Linton Kwesi Johnson and voice of youth during the Seventies declared, “It Dread Inna Inglan” and Blacker, along with others from that first generation of Rastafari growing up in our inner cities, had to hustle to survive.

Just as Molly’s previous documentaries made me question my own stereotypical prejudices one hopes this film will provide a similar experience for those future BBC2 viewers. Hopefully they will be drawn into Blacker’s world and the film’s constantly evolving narrative which takes shape over 90 minutes. We not dealing with angels here, we are dealing with real people shaped by their experiences of growing up in London from Sixties, through the turbulent Seventies and beyond.  Being Blacker provides a unique glimpse into a real life drama within Britain’s long standing Afro Caribbean community. Rather than judge I hope people will intuitively find common ground and feel empathy with a father troubled by loss and bad decisions. This is a man with more than a crown of dreadlocks. He is witty, laid back but sharp as a razor. On the streets of Brixton he is respected by those around him and thanks to the tenacity of “Miss Molly” and her camera we – the people – are given a moving and thought provoking insight into an alternative, yet distinctly familiar, face of contemporary multi-racial Britain.  

WORDS: Paul Bradshaw / Straight No Chaser

In line with the radical nature of the film itself, Being Blacker is being shown in cinemas around the UK prior to it being aired on BBC2 on MARCH 12th. The template of showing the doc on a big screen followed by a Q&A with Molly and Blacker is real treat!

BBC Screenings
As part of the theatrical tour of BEING BLACKER, there are a few invite-only screenings in Q&A with Molly & Blacker. To request an invite email bbcbeingblacker@gmail.com.

March 3 – TBC, St Paul’s Bristol
March 6 – Home, Manchester
March 7 Everyman Mailbox, Birmingham
March 8 – Ritzy, Brixton

Tickets are on sale for screening + Q&A @….

March 3 – Ultimate Picture Palace, Oxford (3pm)
March 4 – Rio Dalston, London
March 4 – Peckhamplex, London
March 5 – BFI Southbank,London
March 7 – Bertha Dochouse,London
March 9 – Somerset House,London

Book now… check https://www.facebook.com/events/411828805933127/</spa

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Mali’s Trio Da Kali live in Stoke Newington Old Church

Posted on October 27, 2017 by Paul Brad

Mali’s Trio Da Kali live in Stoke Newington Old Church

Following a hectic array of interviews and live broadcasts including one from the Brownswood basement for https://worldwidefm.net/ Mali’s Trio Da Kali arrived in the Old Church on Stoke Newington Church Street as guests of the Nest Collective who dedicate their events to Folk & World music. The tiny church was packed with a cross generational audience, both sitting and standing. In the house was World Circuit don Nick Gold along with esteemed music journos like Neil Spencer, Robin Denselow and Val Wilmer. The recently released Trio Da Kali collaboration with the Kronos Quartet – ‘Ladilikan’ – has been a constant on this scribe’s turntable in recent times and it was down to the album’s co-producer, Lucy Duran, to introduce each member to the stage. Apparently, Da Kali means “to give a pledge” and in the case of this classical Trio that pledge is to a musical heritage which dates back to the court of the Mali Empire and Sunjata Keita in the 12th century.

In their native Mali, both the threat of Islamic fundamentalism on the one hand and the forward march of modern music on the other has virtually eradicated this classic trio format along with its repertoire. In 2017 Trio Da Kali is basically an endangered species. Trio Da Kali’s musical director and balafon player Fodé Lassana Diabaté is a long-time member of Toumani Diabate’s Symmetric Orchestra. He has recorded with Salif Keita and Taj Mahal amongst others and on this night he proved himself a master musician who is capable of both dazzling and incredibly nuanced solos. He dropped the odd jazz lick – just to tease – and I wished my long time friend and vibes-man, Orphy Robinson, had been in the house to check him out. Bass ngoni player Mamadou Kouyaté is the eldest son of the instrument’s greatest exponent Bassekou Kouyaté, and he holds down the riddim in his father’s band Ngoni ba. If there was any diversion from the tradition it was this natty “bass-man”. While, on the one hand, his playing transported me across the Sahara to connect with the rhythms of the Gnawa, Mamadou also had a range of plucked and slapped licks that could have been inspired by Bootsy Collins. It came as no surprise to discover that he’s involved in the Bamako hip-hop scene. Centre stage was singer Hawa ‘Kassé Mady’ Diabate. She is the daughter of Mali’s greatest traditional singer, Kassé Mady Diabate, and the power, range and phrasing of her voice led Kronos’ David Harrington to compare her to the late queen of American gospel Mahalia Jackson. Armed with a small shekere to add or maintain a specific rhythmic pulse,to each song Hawa’s emotional and soulful voice washed over us and ancient griot songs like ‘Lila Bambo’ along with a re-working of ‘God Shall Wipe All Tears Away’, complete with Bambara lyrics, resulted is an elegant and most memorable evening of totally uplifting music.


CHECK: http://triodakali-kronosquartet.com/

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TWO NIGHTS: CHICAGOXLONDON – International Anthem Meets London’s Nu-skool @ Total Refreshment Centre ….

Posted on October 25, 2017 by Paul Brad

CHICAGOXLONDON – International Anthem Meets London’s Nu-skool @ Total Refreshment Centre in Stoke Newington, London.

Above: Ben LeMar Gay pic: Petra Eujane

This collision between Chicago’s International Anthem crew and a host of London’s nu-generation-nu-jazz innovators was guaranteed to throw up some magical moments. At the helm of this project was EZH’s Tina Edwards (formerly Jazz Standard) and Scottie McNiece of International Anthem and from what I could glean it was made financially more feasible through some of the visiting musicians also doing sets at other venues in the area. In fact, I first caught wind of this wider exchange when I read, via Richard Williams’ Blue Moment blog, that Tomeka Reid and Mazz Swift of the stellar string trio Hear In Now were also featuring in Roscoe Mitchell’s Art Ensemble of Chicago residency at Cafe Oto.

Above: Ben LaMar Gay image: Petra Eujane

While the ambitious CHICAGOXLONDON programme incorporated structured ensemble sets there also appeared to be a strong element of pure improvisation. That terrain seemed mostly to be occupied by innovative modernist and drummer Makaya MaCraven whose set would provide the final offering on each of the two nights. As with most TRC based events the crowd were tuned-in and supa- receptive. The first night gradually kicked off around a shape shifting set from urban griot Ben LaMar Gay of the excellent Bottle Tree who “DJ’d” adding cornet and single string “diddley bow” to the mix. We were then treated to a free flowing opening set from feisty Chicago based trumpeter Jaimie Branch who offered a taste of the skill level that our American counterparts are capable of – especially if they’ve been schooled the shadow of the AACM. Taking material from her appropriately titled ‘Fly Or Die’ LP she took us on an explorative journey where she was more than ably assisted by an excellent drummer of Puerto Rican origin and the sweet rapport between her bassist and the mesmerising cello excursions of a dreadlocked Tomeka Reid. One mighty moment occurred when both Branch and Lamar Gay suddenly appeared the midst of the crowd trading spirited horn licks while one Angel Dawid, elsewhere in the crowd, delivered sweeping and soaring runs on the clarinet. The bar had been set high.

Above: Jaimie Branch Pic: Petra Eujane

The next set arrived in the form of the mighty Theon Cross on Tuba, Nubya Garcia on tenor and Moses Boyd on drums. It was a stellar line-up with tantalising potential. Clearly intent on rocking the TRC Theon blew the house down. However, while this scribe felt that the trio didn’t quite gell the Comet Is Coming energy levels emanating from the stage had the crowd fully vibed. The final set of the night which featured Kamaal Williams on keys, Soweto Kinch on alto and voice and Makaya MacCravon drums also elicited a wave of high expectations. While the set didn’t reach the improvisational heights I’d envisioned the trio’s groove went straight to the dancing feet of a fellow scribe who was stood next to me – she simply informed me later, “That’s how the new generation bring it…”.

Stepping out in the night I was fired up and ready to return for another session the following night. I was not to be disappointed. First up came Hear In Now and that was a compositional and improvisational treat. These three bold women hunkered down onstage in close proximity to each other. They clearly “enjoy each others company” – as violinist Mazz Swift confirmed – and their music along with their explorative individual solos produced an unspoken, intuitive sense of communication and conversation. Who in the house could not love a ‘Prayer For Wadud’ – dedicated to the legendary cellist – or the reflective piece on their sad departure from Livorno in Tuscany – the home of bassist Silvia Bolignesi? All credit goes to the TRC audience who wasted little time in producing a hushed silence throughout the room. There was a lot of listening going down – both nights! I definitely needed to hear more from this trio and immediately snapped up a copy of their CD.

Above: Mazz Swift pic: Joe Lindsay

Pianist Ashley Henry and his RE:Ensemble posse followed and took us onto more familiar London terrain. This set progressed way beyond his ‘5ive’ debut EP/LP on Jazz Re:freshed and was joyously diverse. The excellent rhythm section of Dan Casimir on bass and drummer Eddie Hicks held it all down allowing Henry free range on keys while simultaneously providing a launch pad for some blistering solos from tenor-man Binker Golding. Add the vocals of Chemise Adams-Burnett and the spoken word of Anthony Joseph to the mix and you get the picture.

Above: Ashley Henry – pic: Joe Lindsay

The final set of the CHICAGOXLONDON sessions saw Makaya MacCraven united with Theon Cross, Nubya Garcia and Joe Armon-Jones and what a set that turned out to be. From the get-go Makaya was diggin’ deep ‘n’ funky pushing his collaborators to step into the affray. While Nubya smiled to herself, stepping to the rhythms, listening and reflecting, it was keys player Joe Armon-Jones who tugged his hair back and locked his vision – his focus – on the drummer opposite him. A mesmerising conversation unfolded and Theon Cross wasted no time in getting involved. The subtleties of his playing contrasted nicely with his set the previous night. He added both rhythm and textures that gave Nubya the opportunity to conjure up some of the most inspiring and engaging tenor solos of the whole event. Makaya is a powerful and inventive drummer whose lexicon draws on host of contemporary styles including ‘broken’ and drum’n’bass and both player and audience were taken on sweat inducing journey that maintained a thrilling but intense momentum. It was Makaya’s birthday, he was having fun and the result was epic.

Above: Nubya & Theon Pic: Petra Eujane

All the show’s were recorded and in the days after the session were chopped up and re-mixed to be presented a TRC DJ session on the Saturday night. I missed that but I suspect those tapes will surface in one form or another in the very near future. Can’t wait.

Above:TRC – The audience… The calm before the storm! Pic: Petra Eujane

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#SNC98 – Back On The Block but SOLD OUT! All gone!

Posted on October 25, 2017 by Paul Brad

#SNC98 – Back On The Block but SOLD OUT! All gone!

Firstly, apologise to all the peeps who check out this on-line journal as there’s been very few… hmmmm, Zero!…posts over the past period. Basically, I – along with Ian Swift – were deep in the shed (literally) putting together Straight No Chaser / #SNC98 and it finally dropped in September to an appreciative worldwide following – give thanx & praises! Basically, after a 10 year hiatus it was fun to put together… we have new scribblers and a posse of old hands along with esteemed guests… it juggles art and music and embodies a healthy political perspective that is hopefully attuned to these fucked-up times.

As it’s sold out we may post some of the stories here so watch out for that…

OK … if you missed this issue, the next one will be in February 2018. Don’t sleep on it.

Respek… pb

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The Hieroglyphic Being Experience LIVE – New Years Eve 2015/16

Posted on August 21, 2017 by Paul Brad

CAFE OTOproudly come with Release 100 (!!!)

CAFE OTO are supa-pleased to make the Jamal Moss non-stop 6 hour New Year DJ set available for FREE! Half the night came out as a double cassette dubbed "The Hieroglyphic Being Experience Vol. 1" last year, but they're all sold out now and the casettes didn't include that magical moment when Jamal dropped 'I Feel Love' and re-works it in his decidedly unique Chicago-acid-house-stylee.

The set is huge so Oto have split it half way to help with any bandwith issues. To get the whole 6 hour set go to the Cafe Oto shop and register and order your download! Marvelous.

I didn’t make to the actual New Years eve seshaaan but I did pass through the night after – January 1st / New Years Day – when he was joined by vibes-master Orphy Robinson (on numerous instruments) and Mark Saunders on drums. That mind expanding set is also available as a download for modest 6 quid from the Cafe Oto shop – https://www.cafeoto.co.uk/shop/jamal-moss-mark-sanders-orphy-robinson-010116-dl/

Thrilled to witness further excursions on this tip with Jamal joining forces with Shabaka Hutchings and Sarathy Korwar. Plus, nice to see Soul Jazz come with ‘The Acid Documents LP.

Respect to Cafe OTO for continuing stretching the musical boundaries.

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JUNE 8th: Strong And Stable My Arse… Jeremy Deller!

Posted on May 29, 2017 by Paul Brad

Thanks to Jeremy Deller!

RESPECT TO… & CHECK OUT: https://www.flyingleaps.co.uk/

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Kate Tempest meets kennardphillipps

Posted on May 29, 2017 by Paul Brad

Batter Them Down! JUNE 8th!!


​
Strong and stable into ruin
School-kids on the hunt for lunch
Cut the apron strings.
Least it keeps the bastards lean
And gets the scroungers off the couch.

Murdoch headlines; leeches for the letting of our bloodlust.
Blame it on the migrants suffocating in containers
Blame it on the muslims
Or whichever current favourite takes the weight of our collective rage
And keeps the nation safe.

Privatise and privatise in private, let the nurses burn
Along with every other resident who voices their concern
And yes divide the country
Into will they never learn
And will they never stop
Then bring the army out to guard us.
Saying those sick-hearted martyrs will not test our liberal values
Locked in the panopticon, we’re volatile and fragile.

Such stability.

Suicide’s increaseing
More rough sleepers
Ugly words in public places,
Fear and doubt
And all the racists have come out to show their faces.
Under May there is a gulf that separates
And seems to gape a little wider every day.
Now watch her prey on every tragedy.
Divide divide and frenzy up the nastiness,
The them and us,
The human cost
The heightened threat, we must be watched
Clocked and marked and kept and blocked.
If this is strength then we’re all fucked.
But give them an inch and they’ll set up shop.

I want to create a really hostile environment
Her words, not mine.

Poem by Kate Tempest written for MAY NOT exhibition

THE SHOW! MAY NOT

A banging exhibition by political artist duo kennardphillipps is being staged at Dadiani Fine Art on the eve of the general election. May Not is a raw visual response to the snap election by Cat Phillipps and Peter Kennard, who create photomontages that analyse war, free speech and the corruption of power.

MAY NOT features an installation of photomontages printed on The Financial Times and blank newsprint, propped up by a three-dimensional red graph which snakes throughout the gallery, spiking up to the ceiling, and extending financial market figures into a physical manifestation. The artists take hold of this graph and connect it directly to images that focus on the real-world impact of financial powerbrokers and the political elite.

One of the images features a grinning Nigel Farage, clutching a pint, emerging from Theresa May’s head, suggesting that the Tories have absorbed UKIP while another suggests the Prime Minister has reduced the NHS to rubble. In another image, the dispossessed are gathered outside the door of 10 Downing Street.

“MAY NOT is a powerful immersive experience, comprised of photomontages addressing current political upheaval and oppression.” Eleesa Dadiani

‘MAY NOT’ by kennardphillips
7TH JUNE – 7TH JULY
DADIANI FINE ART
30 CORK STREET
LONDON
W1S 3NG

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A FEW THOUGHTS ON: LEGENDARY UK SOUND MAN LLOYDIE COXSONE TALKS REGGAE MUSIC & DAVID RODIGAN

Posted on April 11, 2017 by Paul Brad

A FEW THOUGHTS ON: LEGENDARY UK SOUND MAN LLOYDIE COXSONE TALKS REGGAE MUSIC & DAVID RODIGAN

First of all I’m not getting into a debate about this interview with Lloydie and his views on Rodigan… so I’m just going to say this once.

In my life as a writer and a devotee of reggae music I consider Lloydie Coxsone as one of my mentors. Coxsone sound system was the first big Sound that I heard back in the early Seventies. The place was the Jamaican Club in Gloucester and it blew my mind. Lloyd was the first person from the reggae music community that I interviewed. I was a follower (along with photographer Jean Bernard Sohiez aka Frenchie) of Coxsone sound system. We knew the team and understood the runnings – good and bad – having travelled with the sound numerous times. In fact, the words under this video look like my own.

I’ve read David Rodigan’s book and I suppose I’ve contributed to the media frenzy around it by reviewing it. You can read the review at https://ancienttofuture.com/2017/02/20/david-rodigan-a-life-in-reggae-roddy-you-a-dubwise-smody/. The book is a lightweight affair that makes no real attempt to contextualise reggae music in the UK. It’s a book about the man himself. As such, I can totally understand why Lloydie – “representing 500+ sound system across the UK”- is more that vexed that “David Run’n’gwaan” has been touted as the godfather of reggae music in the UK. There’s no escaping the fact that the media – National TV, “quality” newspapers, music press, internet – the whole shebang – have been totally at ease promoting a somewhat offbeat white thespian as a saviour of reggae music while ignoring the people who ran the reggae record shops, indie labels and, of course, the underground sound system operators who toured the length and breadth of the country, week in and week out, from the 60s onward. They are the saviours of reggae music. They created the foundation that others profited from.

It’s therefore easy to understand that, from Lloydie Coxsone and his idren’s perspective, all the hubbub and press that surrounded the publication of Rodigan’s book is just another instance of life in racist Britain. Once again the Afro Caribbean people who actually created the music and promoted it within their community and way beyond it beyond are being written out of UK history – a history which should inform future generations and provide a basis for them to build on. Lloydie Coxsone’s own history says it all. He arrived in London from Jamaica in the early Sixties. He worked on the Underground and saved to buy his first amp. He worked for Count Suckle at the legendary Roaring Twenties in Carnaby Street and he went on create a cup winning sound system that was indeed the benchmark against all others were judged. Reggae music and Sound System are his life. For decades he dedicated himself to promoting and introducing generation after generation of Jamaican artists. How many amazing voices, lyrics, tunes, dubs… has Coxsone Outernational sound system introduced? Countless!

As Coxsone himself would say “a life in Sound System is hard” and, while there is increasing recognition of the role of Sound System in shaping UK culture today, the real story has yet to be told. Personally, I have no problem with David Rodigan. He is a knowledgeable and affable guy who, despite his somewhat offbeat theatrical antics in rarified world of international sound clashes, is primarily a talented broadcaster whose shows on BBC Radio London, Capital and KissFM were limited to the greater London area. So, whenever we talk about the evolution of reggae music in the UK and its pivotal cultural role in shaping the musical genres that hold sway among the youth of today – jungle, drum ‘n’ bass, dubstep, grime – credit needs to be paid to those who, for decades, paved the way.

Ask yourself one question, if a book was published tomorrow portraying Lloydie Coxsone’s Life In Reggae Music & Sound System – a story that shows the evolution of Sound System alongside the music (ska to dancehall) and also offers a deeper insight into the cultural resistance of the Afro Caribbean community and rise of Rastafari in the face of racist attacks and fire bombings, Police and SPG harassment and consistent marginalisation – would Coxsone be feted in the press and invited to talk about it on national TV? I don’t think so. And if that’s the case maybe we all need to reflect on that and ask ourselves, “What role can I play in this struggle for recognition – for truth and rights?”

Lloydie Coxsone – Sound Man

Paul Bradshaw – Straight No Chaser

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TALKIN’ ALL THAT JAZZ: Millions of sounds to keep you up when you’re down….

Posted on February 23, 2017 by Paul Brad

Talkin’ All That Jazz: Millions of sounds to keep you up when you’re down….

Tamar Osborn -In The Studio /The Search : Pho- Gavin Mills

Tamar Osborn -In The Studio /The Search : Pho- Gavin Mills

Musically, the summer of 2017 is looking good. Very good! Especially when it comes down to the emergence of an inspiring new generation of powerful young women players. It was impossible not to feel inspired following the most recent sold-out Church Of Sound session. Sadly, I missed most of the first set where Collocutor paid tribute to the works of Yusef Lateef but the second set, which took us through the whole of their forthcoming album, ‘The Search’, took us on a memorable and mesmerising journey. Led by baritone saxophonist/flautist Tamar Osborn the Collocutor ensemble featured two horns, trumpet, two percussionists, contra-bass and electric guitar and the combinations morphed and changed in a wonderfully democratic fashion as the set evolved. The rapt attention of the fresh, young audience encircling the ensemble was punctuated only by the odd, spontaneous, burst of mid-solo appreciation. According to Pete from On The Corner ‘The Search’ is set to drop in the next couple of days and it will hopefully pave the way for a whole series of live sessions.

Collocutor: Live @ Church of Sound

Collocutor: Live @ Church of Sound

https://onthecornerrecords.bandcamp.com/album/the-search

Talking about LIVE sessions – following on from Shabaka & The Ancestors bustin’ loose at NYC’s Le Poisson Rouge in January, London’s nu-jazz generation are currently poised to dent this year’s SXSW Music Festival in Texas – one of the largest and most influential global music industry events of the year. After 18 months of hard work and endless meetings Adam Moses and Justin McKenzie have just announced that Jazz:refreshed is curating and organising the official British Underground Jazz Re:freshed Showcase at SXSW and it will feature Moses Boyd’s Exodus, Yussef Kamaal, Shabaka Hutchings, United Vibrations and Native Dancer. Add to that crew special guests Go Go Penguin and Sarathy Korwar (thoroughly enjoying his evocative and multi-layered album on Ninja Tune) and we have a boundary breakin’ line-up that is guaranteed to create a rumpus.

Sarathay Korwar - Day To Day LP

Sarathay Korwar – Day To Day LP

Following on from Shabaka’s appearance at SXSW the saxophonist and his South African brethren hit the road in March. Along with a hugely anticipated Jazz Cafe/London performance they will be traversing the whole of Europe. Personally, I don’t think I’ve fully recovered from the Shabaka & The Ancestors playback and Q&A (thanx Teju) – way back when – when Shabaka told the story of how he’d excluded the piano player from the rehearsals and also put him in a separate booth during the recordings in order to get him to respond in totally spontaneous way to the music he was hearing. Deep stuff. Powerful album!

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Another live session I was fortunate to check was Nérija at the Total Refreshment Centre. Following on from a discussion between the band members and journo/broadcaster Erica McCoy the ensemble – which consists of mostly women musicians – took the floor to deliver a tight, energised set that was built around the self penned compositions on their brand new 5 Kickstarter funded track CD. Packed to capacity the standing only crowd surrounded band in a tight semi-circle and were fully engaged with an feiry front line of Sheila Maurice-Grey on trumpet, Cassie Kinoshi on Alto, Nubya Garcia on tenor and Rose Turton on trombone. Shirley Tete bubbled away on guitar and drummer Lizzy Exell had feet shufflin’ and heads noddin’. How could you not buy the EP after that?

https://nerijamusic.bandcamp.com/album/n-rija-ep

Nérija

Nérija

The female-led 7 piece Afrobeat ensemble Kokoroko – “be strong” in Urhobo – is another crew to watch out for. They join Yaaba Funk at the Jazz Cafe’s tribute to William Onyeabor – Atomic Bomb – on the 3rd March!

On a slightly, different tip, though staying live I suggest you put Freedom!The Art Of Improvisation in your diary for the 13th March. It’s hosted by Orphy Robinson, Cleveland Watkiss and Tori Handsley – I play the tunes between sets – and its at the Vortex in Dalston. Basically, it’s pure improvisation…no standards…and it consist of varied combinations of amazing musicians who happen to be in the house and up for the journey. Sadly, the next session collides with the Ezra Collective’s tribute to Dave Brubeck at the Jazz Cafe – but hey, different strokes for different folks!

Watch out for a forthcoming album from the “Freedom!” session’s resident space cadet and harpist (pedal & electric) /pianist Tori Handsley. Her “trio” includes the mighty Moses Boyd on drums, electric bassist Ruth Goller and vocalist Sahra Gure .. it’s recorded… so, next up… the mix!

Tori Handsley @ Freedom! Photo: Steve Cropper

Tori Handsley @ Freedom! Photo: Steven Cropper

astral-weeks-sqWHOOPS… nearly forgot an amazing project I’ve been involved with since day one with Colm Carty!… Orphy Robinson’s wikkid Third Eye Ensemble who take on the quest – the serious challenge – of interpreting Van Morrison’s classic, majestic ‘Astral Weeks’. This is an essential session taking place in the shadow of St Patick’s day – don’t let it get lost amid all the album cover sessions that are dropping at the moment. The Ensemble is … Orphy Robinson – Vibes-Marimba / John Etheridge – Guitar / Rowland Sutherland – Flute / Justina Curtis – Keys / Dudley Philips – Bass / Mark Mondesir – Drums / Kate Shortt – Cello / Joe Cang + Sahra Gure – Vocals. NICE!

“If I ventured in the slipstream between the viaducts of your dreams…”

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DAVID RODIGAN – A Life in Reggae: “Roddy! You A Dubwise S’m’ody!”

Posted on February 20, 2017 by Paul Brad

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DAVID RODIGAN’S My Life in Reggae illuminates the journey of the thespian, broadcaster and cup-winning dancehall sound clash veteran.

David Rodigan and I are the same age and though we developed a passion for the music of Jamaica via slightly different trajectories we, for a number of years, travelled parallel paths. When David Rodigan arrived on the air via BBC Radio London waves I was scribbling articles on roots reggae for whoever would print them. Occasionally, I would make the journey to an open air market in Clapham Junction where John MacGillivray and Chris Lane ran a stall to supplement the cultural life-line that was the excellent Dub Vendor mail order, and I believe it was there that I first became aware of this devotee from Oxford.

In ’78, without Rodigan’s knowledge his girlfriend wrote a letter of application on his behalf applying for a position at BBC Radio London left vacant by their ‘Reggae Time’ presenter, Steve Barnard. To his amazement he got an audition and on the back of his 15 minute tape secured a job share with Tony Williams, a Jamaican who was also presenting a Soul show. The pay was £12.50 each! For me, as a regular listener to their show Rodigan – as a selector – always had the edge. It was his time – it was post punk, Rock Against Racism was on the move against the National Front and a militant new generation of UK Rastafari orientated reggae artists like Aswad, Steel Pulse, Black Slate, Cimmarons and Misty In Roots emerged to compliment the mainstream break through made by the JA vanguard of Bob Marley and The Wailers. Alongside the roots scene, certain sound systems like Sir George were building a following for what became known as Lovers Rock and the national chart success of artists like Janet Kay added fresh momentum to David Rodigan’s broadcasting and journalistic career.

King Tubby & David Rodigan

King Tubby & David Rodigan

On his first trip to Jamaica in ’79 with fellow enthusiast and photographer Dave Hendley he not only cemented a relationship with sound system and dub master King Tubby but also encountered cult JBC broadcaster Michael Campbell aka Mikey Dread – “The Dread At The Controls”. From my perspective, Mikey Dread, in terms of his jingles and use of dub plates, re-defined what could be done as a radio DJ – if you want a taste of that touch down on the ‘African Anthem’ album that Dave Hendley released. Without doubt Mikey Dread’s approach to broadcasting had an impact on how Rodigan was to construct and structure his own shows. Sadly, the book reveals that Rodigan’s relationship to Mikey Dread eventually soured leaving a particularly bitter taste. The musical community that Rodigan was engaged with had a potentially volatile dimension to it. For example, he clashed with the sound system operators who didn’t like him playing advanced dub plates – which traditionally they would have aired first – on his show. A threatening and potentially violent scenario emerged when the so called Black Music Protection Squad produced flyers showing the DJ with a noose around his neck while accusing him of “the Rape Of Black Music”.

It’s therefore not surprising that the DJ/broadcaster and his co-author Ian Burrell prefer to move rapidly through these years. My Life In Reggae is an easy read. In fact, I’d say it’s lightweight from a literary point of view. If you are looking for genuine depth and writing that is evocative of the places and scenarios he’s experienced you might be disappointed. I notched up two thirds of the book in a couple of days while gaining a somewhat matter of fact, surface-like impression, of his life as broadcaster, club DJ and actor. The man has trod the boards of the theatre, worked with a Toucan in a Guinness TV ad campaign and battled Doctor Who as Broken Tooth. He moved from Radio London to Capital Radio – where presented the legendary Roots Rockers Show – and eventually found a musical home for 22 years with the dedicated crew of former the pirate radio station Kiss100 FM before finally landing back at BBC 1Xtra.

Rodigan - live & direct!

Rodigan – live & direct!

It has to be said that in recent times I’ve met many a person who came across David Rodigan for the very first time on You Tube in a sound system clash. Inevitably they came away both bewildered and confused. “Who is this white guy?” they asked. They were not sure whether to be embarrassed or entertained. Fortunately, for the readers of ‘My Life In Reggae’ the book is at its strongest when he moves into the realm of the sound clash. It’s here we find Rodigan at his most enthusiastic. We actually get a deeper insight into his approach, into his role as an entertainer and musical selector. The sound clash for him is pure theatre – you win some you lose some. But in reality he wins more than he loses. He is an edutainer. His knowledge of the music is deep. Having dallied in the world of reggae music myself I freely admit to being in awe of his ability to craft a show that can win over a musically and culturally sophisticated audience whether in Kingston, Bermuda, Brooklyn or London. He can compete with supa-skilled sound system operators like Stone Love, Killamanjaro or Mighty Crown and at the end of the day can still lift that cup! David Rodigan is a phenomena and as this biography comes to a close it’s clear that the somewhat reluctant self publicist remains as enthusiastic as ever about both the roots of the music that inspired him as a teenager and its natural evolution in the UK via jungle, drum & bass and dubstep. His role today is as an musical elder but there’s little doubt that when he steps behind those turntables and picks up the mic he seriously enjoys himself… “In January 1979, I took my first trip to Jamaica and met King Tubby, Bunny Wailer, Big Youth, Gregory Isaacs and Marcia Griffiths….. ”

Rodigan, Scratch & Blackboard Jungle

Rodigan, Scratch & Blackboard Jungle

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