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Greetings on this Throwback Thursday, as I listen to some John Coltrane “Giant Steps”, big shoes were filled reflecting on ‘”The Morning After” like Curtis Hairston, an unprecedented day of a dolly mixture bag proportions of Euro football. I watched the enthralling 3-3 draw Portugal V Hungary game, only to be climaxed by the Republic Of Ireland’s massive pint of Guinness proportion defeat over the  slightly ‘Rocky’ Italian Stallions. More “Braveheart” as celts than Mel Gibson, I knew even though he missed a sitter moments earlier that when Wes Hoolahan wrapped his left foot around the ball in the 85th minute, that the inch eye private eye delivery, was somehow going to end up once touched by an incoming Irishman into the Italian goal. The disbelief on Robbie Brady’s face was enough to make all the Irish smiling eyes turn to tears of euphoria. By the way how d’you like me now as a football commentator ? John Motson or Jonathan Pearce I certainly am not but it is TBT!!

 

This is the start of my 6 degrees of separation post today. One of the other thing’s I’m passionate about other than my spiritual wife music, is growing up in Perivale Middlesex, that place in west London that’s at the end of the Central Line, that sounds like it’s way out in the countryside. Yesterday providentially I guess an old photo came up from a reunion 2 years back where I ‘”Reunited” like Peaches & Herb with some school chums I hadn’t seen in 40 years, since Perivale Middle School circa 1976. Our school had 4 house teams and when it came to sports in my era my house team were pretty much dominant during my 1973-1976 duration. There was St David’s who were yellow and affiliated to Wales naturally, St George’s (red) affiliated to Inguurrrlund(England), St Andrews(blue) for Scotland and last but certainly not least, St Patricks the lucky green shamrocks flying the flag for Ireland. I was proudly in St Patricks and we had some of the best footballers including from memory ‘Runny” Stephen Hawkins. Phil Holmes(wicked goalkeeper) Kenton Kerr and Richard Shelly (whatever happened to him?). So I was always a ‘Proud Paddy’ which unbeknown to me had a more significant association with the green celtic pastures of Ireland.

 

My surname is Facey and I was advised at some point in my life that it was of celtic origin either Scottish of Irish. I grew up initially in my first 8 years in London NW10 which was quite heavily populated with an Irish community and my child minder Liz Hills in Harlesden was Irish whose sadly no longer here. I always remember her telling me to eat the crust of my bread as it would make my hair curly (bless you Liz it already was). On Monday I spent the day speaking with someone from the British Institute Library who is documenting my history as a black Briton growing up in Blighty, and some of what is in this is mentioned, again another providential old school ‘Connect 4’ in this conundrum. Well this morning I googled the origin of the Facey name and it actually initially originates from Normandy France, around the Battle Of Hastings 1066 historical period. It then finds it’s way to Ireland via Northampton when some of the Facey’s moved there. Clearly through slavery and via colonisation in Jamaica, my family name derives via France and Ireland and is not remotely like anything African, which brings us back to The Euro’s because that’s where this post started. I knew I’d get there in the end :o)

 

Any way well done to the Republic Of Ireland who almost brought on one of my ex Spurs native Irish football hero’s Robbie Keane, just before his name sake scored. I must say that the passion of Martin O’Neill and Roy Keane is very admirable. The worrying thing is that this makes someone like a fellow music Aquarian born in the Irish Republic, the retro 1970’s cardigan wearing crooner Val Doonican seem somewhat very cool like Fonzie right now. I guess thats what happens when you have a direct connection to you native land unlike some born outside the Diaspora’s who are still trying to connect spiritually to their place of origin. So happy St Paddy’s day to all around the world and those from my ole manor school chums of  Perivale Middle School..and yes I might be wearing green today lol !!

Looking forward to this double do age of double trouble from the south of London to Southampton . Myself and my partner in rhyme, Dezzi D will be bringing our “Musicology” concept to light up Southampton like Mick Channon did in his hey day playing footie between 1965-1977. This will be the most eclectic selection of music spanning the 1960’s to the present millennium soul surviving musical influences, from two dj’s who certainly lived through those interchanging genres. So on this particular Saturday 9th of the late Billy Paul “July, July, July”..make your way to Soul On The Coast and what ever the weather I can promise you it will not be a Bomb The Bass “Winter In July” but a case of Kool & The Gang “Summer Madness”

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“Are You Ready?” like Billy Ocean, will you “Smile” like Kathy Sledge, can you “Keep On” like James D Train Williams , or STOMP like Scott James? Wanna feel the “Sweet Power” like Dr James Mason or do you feel cool like Danny John Jules “The Cat”? Either way you need to get your copy of the 10th Anniversary issue of The Soul Survivors Magazine!!

 

 

You that know me must know I was going to do this, so I make no apologies for the length of this post. I have been preparing myself for this day for the longest time.. Not wishing it to come but accepting that “Leaving this planet” like Charles Earland is what is inevitable in life. I got the news that the champ was in trouble up on the ropes.. but the rope a dope wasn’t going to work this time.. I couldn’t feel it in my spirit.. That sucker punch finally made the ultimate impact. Up until around 12.30am this morning I was watching an old VHS video tape of a 1998 recording of a program called ” Ali Night” broadcast on BBC TV.. I thought I’d lost this footage but thankfully last night I found it and it has a special meaning. I was approached to do some music research for this production and was credited right at the end of the credits it says music consultant Fitzroy.
I woke up this morning to the news and yet again my son Jamal does something poignant to smooth the pain within, bless you Big Man! Although I never met one of my inspirations it is one of my proudest moments. I was djing at the Jazz Cafe on a Friday shortly after it was broadcast, when a random gent came up to me and said” it was you wasn’t it that supplied the music for that Mohammed Ali documentary?” I nervously said yes as he guessed correctly seeing as it didn’t mention my full name, and he said “I knew it.. ” what was that “Brown Baby” track you put in there, I need to know? ” I told him it was Diana Ross and he thanked me with so much gratitude. The other two tracks I included was James Brown ” If Ruled The World” and Syl Johnson ” Is It Because I’m Black?”.
Mohammed Ali for me is ” The Greatest Love Of All” icon who touched my life, more so than MJ and JB because of the tranquility he displayed in his life, of knowing oneself totally and not being afraid to go down for the cause of his African people of descent and people period as a humanitarian. He really remains an anomaly with his handsome looks, fighting body machine, his speed his artistry and his articulacy. The way he destroyed Micheal Parkinson on TV was nothing short of one of his greatest victories without physically laying a punch. It’s kinda providential and not co incidental that he ends up having Parkinson’s disease doncha think?
3 years ago a drawing I did back in 1987 of Ali was the front cover image of my Expansion compilation “The Sound Of Universal Love”, that’s how much he inspired me. This film and album says it all and George Benson for me sang one of his best deliveries on ” the fittingly descriptive” The Greatest Love Of All” from the soundtrack of the film about Mohammed Ali that the champ started in. I knew exactly where this album cover was in my collection so I took a photo and am posting it now. I could say so much more, my thoughts are with his family and his true loyal fans and supporters, but I’ll finish with RIPE.. Rest In Peace Eternally Mr ” Float Like. Butterfly And Sting Like A Bee” Mohammed Ali

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Ahead of his Fold Festival 24th June..here’s a snippet of my 2010 interview with Nile Rodgers.

Before Chic how you were involved in the Sesame Street Band  and with Bernard Edwards  and Tony Thompson as part of New York City’s “I’m Doing Fine Now” backing band line up ?

The Sesame Street Band was my first real professional paid tax information job. It was a long running job with one of my longest friends Fonzi Thornton and Luther Vandross. Fonzi replaced Luther and Carlos Amar as they both did the Young American thing with David Bowie. The start of the Big Apple Band happened when Bernard got the job as music director for the New York City group and we’d become friends from doing pick up gigs at the weekends. When they auditioned guitar players Bernard got that job for me. We didn’t even know Tony Thompson then  as we stayed with New York City for around 2 years. In 1973 when the Jackson 5 were doing a world tour as their management had ideas of them being bigger than the Beatles, so he wanted them to have more hits before they hit the UK. We were the opening act of the J5 American tour and still without Tony. We did our last show in London and staying in Bayswater and my hotel room was broken into and my passport stolen. It was New York City’s last tour and really they were a one hit wonder that toured for nearly 2 years on the strength of “I’m Doing Fine Now” around 1972/73 as the 2nd album did nothing. They returned to the US that weekend and broke up after. I got left in London to go to the US Embassy to get a new passport, my girlfriend at the time worked as a hostess at a club called Churchill’s an knew everyone on the cool club circuit in London like Gullivers. She took me to see and her favourite band a new group called Roxy Music who were playing at the Roxy which I thought was really cool. The crowd was beautiful hip well to do and cool. I thought this would be cool to do this in black music so when I got back I spoke with Bernard and we auditioned for our band The Big Apple Band. Tony Thompson auditioned and I knew him as an exceptional jazz drummer from perviously working with him in Persian/Middle Eastern pick up bands like Jamshid Al Murad and Grugosh. We were in that circle and he was versatile and exceptional as that music is complicated to play. He had just left Labelle auditioned blew me away but Bernard didn’t like him as he overplayed.

I already know the story but whats the story of Grace Jones Studio 54 and “Le Freak” ?

“Everybody Dance” was popular as an underground anthem in New York clubs like Studio 54 for 2 years and Grace Jones and everyone knew it well and the song’s impact after a year and a half. “Dance Dance Dance” was getting pop radio airplay also and “Everybody Dance” our 2nd formal single, but 1st brought back to life, had her invite us New Years Eve 1977 into 1978 gig at Studio 54, with us as her new record composers. Assuming Grace added us we went to stage door and the guy told us to ‘Fuck Off’. We were pissed off and exhausted and went to the liquor store and bought some rock n roll mouth wash Don Peringnon and went to my near by  apartment and stared jamming. So we started playing this groove and singing “ahhh fuck off”…..fuck studio 54 which eventually became “Freak Off” and made it “Le Freak” to make it our own.

 

With “Rappers Delight” did Sylvia Robinson and Sugar Hill approach you before or after using “Good Times”?

Well (Nile laughs)I first heard “Rappers Delight” in a nightclub called Leviticus which was predominantly a black club that played a lot of the mainstream and underground tracks before they came out. Before we became known as Chic we were a cover band and copied records that sounded exactly like the original artist. We used to copy the tracks and write breakdowns of very famous records that didn’t have breakdowns, so dj’s could play them. We had a recording studio we did a famous breakdown of “Love Is The Message” by MFSB with along tape loop ..we did that and I get excited when I hear it. So when I first heard “Rappers Delight” I thought they had done what we had done and that it was an instrumental for a rapper to rap over. That was very common then in the USA and even in the UK the Jamaican guys used to talk over the tunes. So I knew it wasn’t us playing but I heard they took our strings run on a two track and made it sound very ambient. I thought ok they put more work into their production than we did, then I looked in the dj booth and there was no rapper. The dj was drinking champagne with some girl and the tune was going on for 10 minutes and I thought what the fuck is this? I asked the dj where he got it he said down town from a record store and he showed me the label, and my name wasn’t on it. I went “Woah”!!.. Now when we did that they were white labels and only sold to dj’s we never tried to make commercial profit from someone else work. If it was underground we had no problem with it but it had taken us years to work on a song where Bernard did a walking bass line to a groove. We tried it in 76 with an Ashford and Simpson track and it didn’t work and now someone comes along and basically steals it without credit or royalties ..No that can’t happen!! So we issued a lawsuit and settled out of court and if you see copies of “Rapper’s Delight” now.. we got our names on it.

 

For Fold Festival Tickets click here


chic_O2_indigo Fitz & Nile

Just over 4 months till the next instalment of Bolsoul takes place in Isle Of Brac in Croatia so if you fancy a taste of soul food from Cool Million, Glenn Jones and  Carmichael Musiclover, and 168 hours of quality jazz funk soul, house, latin , afro, r&b and hip hop beats…Like The Jungle Brothers rapped “What You Waitin’ For?” I’ll be representing Soul Survivors on the wheels of steel so see you laters alligators..you say “in a while crocodile”!

Direct booking Link

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