Tried though I might to have been the harbinger of Spring last Sunday, fairly inevitably seven days later I'm braced by wintry raw as I'm scudding down the Old Kent Rd. As I write the seasonal change seems to be trying to assert itself again,as nature endeavours to claw its way free from that cold embrace. Even so, around this time of year we tend to start anticipating Summer, contemplating the seemingly impossible shedding of layers, days on the beach, and nights filled with sweet festival sounds..... If you're thinking of heading anywhere this Summer look no further than the tremendous Southern Soul Festival in lovely Montenegro, the line-up is hard to resist.... Whilst the new website is under construction you can check the Facebook, still a few early bird tickets left, grab 'em!!
https://www.facebook.com/events/299599816915683/
Whilst on such topics before we get in to the broadcast stuff, a couple more nights to check...
A Friday night which bodes of great things... less than a 100 tickets left , so please come and join us if you feel the urge!
https://www.facebook.com/events/809590672423254/
And next month there's a rare and maybe never to be repeated session featuring myself alongside my lovely Launette, back to back, in Manchester.
https://www.facebook.com/events/1091302944229261/
So, Cosmic Jam..... I enjoyed this one; maybe sleep deprivation is good for me, having had to rise after an hour and a half's kip following another top session at Guzzo in Barcelona; it was the only flight available, at 9am! So I got back to Forge Towers, sorted a little tunage then retired to my pit for some not quite satisfactory shut-eye. Personally, I always find sleeping during the day disorienting, discombobulating and definitely not to be indulged in unless absolutely essential. It's just that it seems to take longer to wake up again, I hate that fuzziness! Of course after my jaunt down South on the bike I felt very much wide awake, and managed to stay focussed through the show; sometimes I hit a wall of fatigue, and doubtless sometimes that's pretty obvious in my delivery.
First half hour freshness, female vocals, Nneka, Emily Saunders, Eska, Vanessa Freeman, Rhonda Thomas...actually the Eska track is from 2009, but easily as fresh as the rest. Good news is her album drops soon...at last, though I doubt it will have anything as obviously jazzy as this collaboration with Michael Olatuja.
Latin, and harmony? At least so I dubbed the next section of the show. I must say I've been enjoying the Mambo/Descarga/Latin Jazz thing of late, not that I've ever fallen out of love with those hypnotic bass lines and rolling percussion grooves that are best described as by one of my old time record dealers, "dangerous dance music". He had a habit of scrawling on the back of record sleeves, thus diminishing their value considerably, and sometimes the letters DDM would appear next to a track title, just as they do on my copy of "Mighty Mongo". Bless you Brian!
Suffice to say that the trio of tunes that closes this section, from Marvin Smitty Smith through Mongo Sanataria to Daniel Ponce are all deserving of the DDM tag.
It's funny, but over the years I've observed that so many fans of Soul and Jazz (Fusion) who are avid vinyl buyers often steer clear of the Latin and Brazilian sections despite the pervasive influence of those rhythms and musical cultures in so much of the music they cherish (and buy). Maybe I'm just on the Latin Jazz tip at the moment as it's blatantly not trendy, African compilations, obscure South American or Brazilian funk and boogie, anything like that has got legs for the vinyl punter, but good old Latin (Jazz) barely gets a look in!
Prior to that section of tunes the harmony, especially from Lambert Hendricks and Ross, Hendricks' Lyrics to Hi-Fly are hilarious especially when applied anachronistically to the modern hipster, though of course they were written for the original age of "jive cats". The O Quarteto track is sublime beyond words, it must be said the Brazilians have an incredible affinity with the art of harmony singing.
Second half of the show and the back to back section is dominated by Quincy's epic Gula Matari which I usually balk at playing on account of its length. On Sunday night I just wanted to hear it again, and relished every note. It seemed to segué nicely out of Paul Horn's "Guinevere" and into Letta Mbulu's "Down By The River". The "funky folk"? tune that closes the section is a recent turn on, thank you Paul Hillery!! (ph on Mixcloud)
Boogie to the top always seems to be my mantra for the final section of the show, for many reasons, staying awake, staying alive, keeping the groove, and generally banging the boogie. Hopefully this week's burst of dance-floor energy won't disappointment.
1. Nneka - Believe System
2. Emily Saunders - Summer Days
3. Michael Olatuja ft Eska. - Yi Yipada
4. Gomo ft Vanessa Freeman - Forever Love
5. Rhonda Thomas - I Love It
6. Arn Evans & Tradewinds - Sambatime
7. O Quarteto - Ceu E Mar
8. Lambert Hendricks & Ross - Hi-Fly
9. Marvin "Smitty" Smith - Salsa Blue
10. Mongo Santamaria - Sabor
11. Daniel Ponce - Oromi
12. Paul Horn - Guinevere
13. Quincy Jones - Gula Matari
14. Letta Mbulu - Down By The River
15. Bernie Leadon / Michael Georgiades Band - Callin' For Your Love
16. Tom Browne - Brighter Tomorrow
17. Bobby Humphrey - No Way
18. Samm Culley Band - Walk
19. The Sunburst Band - The Secret Life Of Us (The Reflex Revision)
20. Gwen Guthrie - Padlock
