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Remixed and revitalised Jarrod Lawson’s “Spiritual Eyes” gets a moog boogie treatment from the new school soul doctors Young Pulse and ATN. The main mix is 9 minutes long with a nice clean punctuated four-floor kick drum and electro moog production. It’s reminiscent of the late 80’s mid tempo house grooves, with stripped breakdowns, ad-libs, instrumentation and build-ups, allowing Dj’s to experiment with this in the mix. In parts I’m reminded of Stevie Wonder’s “Blackman” with the moog keys and bass arrangement and it’s the last two-minute outro breakdown, that massively impressed me, as I imagine dancing to this in my youth 35 years back. Very different to the album mix and useful as an alternative depending on what audience is listening.

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The Brazilian skills of Ed Motta individually as a talented modern day jazz soul vocalist sees him swimming in the same pool as Gregory Porter, Mario Biondi and Jarrod Lawson. Featuring an A list cast of musicianship from keyboardists Patrice Rushen, Greg Phillinganes, flautist Hubert Laws, and drummer Marvin ‘Smitty’ Smith, the album is top quality. Ed’s voice evokes memories of the late Louie Armstrong and Eddie Jefferson smooth gruffness, with a touch of Al Jarraue’s panache. “Captain’s Refusal” harbours hallmarks of Steely Dan’s jazzy soulfulness leading various elements of cocktail lounge and big band jazz that are evident as the album reaches it’s halfway stage. The truly infectious cuts are “Heritage De Ja Vu”, “The Owner”, “A Towns In Flames” and a killer jazz dance killer “I Remember Julie”. There’s a touch of the old soft shoe shuffle slow jazz treatment on “Forgotten Nickname” and elements of a late 1960’s Dave Mackay and Vicky Hamilton vocal influence on “Overblown Overweight”. There is an appreciated synergy with the break of vocal and instrumentation allowing both elements to flourish on this classy and “Slick” like Ramsey Lewis album.

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This is the final album Lonnie Liston did on Flying Dutchman and the first time we hear his vocal as well as his nimble fingered prowess. “Get Down Everybody” is the pinnacle fling foot shuffling dance cut with the hallmarks and keyboard interchanges of “Expansion’s” prelude legacy featuring Lonnie sounding good linguistically. Lonnie has a habit of following a tranquil and very lucid slow jazz template on each album with “Quite Dawn” exemplifying that exquisitely. He maintains that with slightly more upbeat Sunbeams in an almost glockenspiel sounding “Meditations”. Donald Smith duets with his brother Lonnie on a short but so sweet reggae tinged “Peace & Love” accompanied by a Patti Austin, Maeretha Stewart and Vivian Cherry chorus. Donald solo’s on an enchanting “Beautiful Woman” the second up-tempo serving of the album and finally on a down-tempo “Inner Beauty’” Lonnie completes his vocal hat trick on “Golden Dreams” and ends with a Sun Ra influenced “Journey Into Space”. Superb!!

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Jacques Fred Petrous, Mauro Malavasi and David Romani emulated the forumlar of USA musicians and production team Chic, with the Italian American studio band Change in the late 1970’s and the rest is history. This comp features 28 songs from their 6 albums circa 1980-1985 that hosted lead vocals from Jocelyn Brown, James Robinson, Diva Gray and the late Luther Vandross. CD 1’s first 14 has an excellent selection including “Lover’s Holiday” the extended “Glow Of Love”, “Angel In My Pocket” and “Paradise”. James Robinson’s vocals dominate on most of the following classics and truly was the most consistent lead vocalist albeit a ballad or an up-tempo boogie bullet. “Miracles”, “Heaven Of My Life”, “The Very Best In You” an alternative mix of “Keep On It” and a sensual “Promise Your Love” showcase shows why he reigned supreme up until the 3rd 1982 “Sharing Your Love” album. CD 2 sees James with an evolving 1983 production sounding glorious on “This Is Your Time”, “Don’t Wait Another Night” and a lush two stepping “You’ll Never Realise”. Percussionist Rick Brennan fills the gap taking over the lead vocal reigns on the moog bass influenced “Got To Get Up” until we see the Minneapolis production team of Jam & Lewis’s not so hostile takeover, on the Change Of Heart album, introducing the serene and welcomed female vocals of Deborah Cooper. “Change Of Heart” and “You Are My Melody” the massive club classics had to be on here but I melted like hot cheese in an oven every time when I hear her dulcet tones on the other dynamic duo’s “Warm” and “Lets Go Together”. Deborah continues to hold court on the mesmerising “Mutual Attraction” and Paul Hardcastle’s remix of “Oh What A Feeling” until this comp finishes with Mike Maurro’s remix of “It’s A Girl’s Affair” featuring vocal goddess Jocelyn Brown. Great comp from Wayne Dickson my only gripe is how could you leave off the Burgess cut “You Are My Number One”?

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Acknowledged as the catalyst for the experimental, spiritual and esoteric freestyle jazz from the beginning of the 1950’s, Sun Ra and his Arkestra inspired any a musician, Dj and music collector universally. His influence is secreted in recordings from John Coltrane, Pharaoh Sanders, through to Lonnie Liston Smith and Kamasi Washington. Renowned jazz aficionado Gilles Peterson has chosen 34 tracks spread over two CD’s, dating back to the post 20th Century 1950’s swing, doo wop, rhumba, cha cha cha genres to the current millennium with previously unreleased live recordings. It’s an eclectic compilation for those with an open mind for musical close encounters of the third eye kind and mind. Sun Ra experiments with electric keyboards, instruments and eerie organ sounds on “Sun Song” circa 1957. Vocal contributions like “Dreaming” from 1955 evoke latter memories of Dr Buzzards Savannah Band successful formula 20 years later. Songs titles like “India” and “Space Loneliness” are typically very atmospheric in an acoustic vein with orchestration but without strings. With Sun Ra’s obvious connection to the astral world and various interplanetary platforms, his crystallised productions were so advanced, that some of his late 1950-1960s recordings stand the test of time in the late 1970’s and early 1980’s. His catalogue is so diverse with an Art Blakey “Cuban Chant” simulated “Brazilian Sun” to a vocal harmony laced “Black Sky And Blue Moon” and a varied change of tempo and musicianship via “Watusa”. With June Tyson vocally chanting Sun Ra plays the clavinet like a lead guitar on a late 1960’s “The World Of Africa”. I’m absolutely certain that the popular BBC 1970’s children TV animation series ‘The Clangers’ was inspired by the mid 1960’s composition “Cluster Of Galaxies” with its sun harp, thunder drums and spiral percussion antidotes. Amongst the highlights are live recordings some previously unreleased from France and Zurich that conjure up the vision of imagining the live dance routines that would have been performed. With his spiritually gifted Arkestral Manoeuvred musicians Sun Ra was a pioneer in painting the dark and light colour shades of music so I urge those with open minds to check out his “Space Is The Place” music.

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I eventually purchased this on vinyl randomly in the summer of 1986 for £2.50, after a previously unsuccessful 5-year pilgrimage. My musical formular and radio show from 1987 “Hustle Jam & Boogie” was inspired by the albums moognificent (H+J+B). So in my 30th year of Dj-ing receiving this as a festive 2015 present it deserves an honorary role call. Larry Young’s “Fuel” is a weird wonderment of soul fused funk and jazz experimentation. Laura ‘Tequila’ Logan’s extenuated and accompanying vocals to Larry’s nimble fingered prowess bellow loud and proudly on “Fuel For The Fire”, “People Do Be Funny” and the sexy and salacious “Turn Off The Lights”. Larry does do a vocal street jive duet intertwine with Laura on a simulated Miles Davis “On The Corner” grooved “New York Electric Street Music”. Instrumentals “I Ching”, “Floating” have unique acidic complexities but the most exceptional one is “Hustle + Jam= Bread”. Awesome!!

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Saxophonist and composer Steve Khan delivers quite an exceptional album to the discerning un policed jazz ears. It features the vocal gifts of Sabrina Malheiros, Diana Martinez and Omar as well as the remix skills of Henry Wu, Ben Hauke and the reinforced steel template of 4hero. Sean’s eloquent style echoes the tradition set by UK sax exponents Courtney Pine and Steve Williamson and USA predecessors John Coltrane, Gary Bartz or the late George Howard. Sean’s inquisitiveness and passion for all things jazz take on many tentacles as showcased in jazz soul fusion “Things To Say” and my preferred album version of “Samba Para Florence”. Elements of ‘trad jazz’ are emphasised on “Dance For Little Emily”, “Tranes Shadow” Two excellent live drum and bass productions on thought provoking spoken worded “What Has Jazz Become?” and the album take of “Don’t Let The Sun Go Down” all makes for a strongly recommended purchase!!

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Greetings on this Young Holt Trio “Monday Monday”, hope y’all had a great weekend. Although I missed my “Breddah from anuda Medda” Akin Shenbanjo Jr posted hast notice up here on FB, I got a phone call last night from Dez Parkes just after 9 pm saying “Fitz check out BBC4, there’s a documentary about The Black Panthers that had started a few minutes earlier”. With that nudge I leap frogged up the stairs to grab my IPad as I was now gonna have to multitask, whilst I was cooking and seasoning up some finger licking NON Kentucky Fried Chicken. Colonel Saunders has no place in my soul food kitchen..believe.

As I watched this airing unfold, much of its content and real life characters shown, reminded me of something I’ve seen and reviewed in this current issue 62 of The Soul Survivors Magazine. Whilst watching it, did evoke a feeling that many throughout the world regardless of your ethnic background, be you black, white, Asian, Hispanic, Jewish, Eastern European or from anywhere on planet earth, cannot quite relate to the “Black Experience”, at the hands of the law enforcement of The USA during those turbulent times in the 1960’s. This is a universal and educational piece of North, East, West and South hemisphere world “NEWS” that really happened, and unlike the late Gil Scott Heron said this ‘Revolution is being televised’ so check the “What’s On or Radio Times TV guide for it’s repeats.

Seeing it on a smaller screen, did throw me a bit of a curved ball but it dawned on me it was the same film I was invited to review and saw in November 2015 as a premier courtesy of Kush Promotions’s Marlon Kush Palmer. Now many of you have seen and liked enthusiastically a recent profile photo of me dressed in a Jungle Bros’ “Black Is Black” outfit, dark glasses, polo neck, jumper and leather jacket pounding my fists together for the Madonna “Strike a pose” opportunity.

That was taken at the premier of a film I reviewed namely “The Vanguard Of The Revolution” a Stanley Nielsen production of epic proportions. It did manage to captivate me in a slightly different way seeing this for a Shalamar “Second Time Around”. I wrote this review pre this Sunday’s screening, and it’s been in the mag since February 1st, but I had no idea this was being shown on Aunty Beeb albeit BBC4.

Here is my review and photo’s as printed in the latest issue on pages 28-29, I’m glad to say seeing the film again last night, that my unorthodox journalist scrawling’s depicted the film with enough clarity, for those who’d be curious about the film to want to see it. Here’s the review, like Lalomie Washburn “If You Try It You’ll Like It” and hopefully it will galvanise you to watch the “Vanguard Of The Revolution” . Providentially from The Soul Survivors HQ minutes away from Tooting Popular Front’s foundation, I say to all where ever you are on the planet despite your ethic background or origin, in the words of Wolfie Smith who used to rasie a pumped fist, and exclaim with pride the trade mark phrase of The BBP “Power To The People”. Enjoy..Fitzroy

 

 

Review page 1 of VOTHR Review page 2 of VOTHR

 

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 …The Young Soul Rebel Rebel

Regressing like Benjamin Button to the “Golden Years” circa 1973-1974 I recall a specific memory of my pre-teenage youth at the height, birth and merge of glam rock and disco. One day my school chum Kevin “Ted” Goodchild who was naturally ginger haired walked in to our classroom and I and everybody either gasped or had been subliminally living the Tremelo’s “Silence Is Golden” experience. Kev was bravely sporting the David Bowie Aladdin Sane persona hairstyle and I’m certain Kev’s sudden popularity with the girls made him “Top Of The Pops” that day. He looked so cool like Fonzie and I admired him, because not even the older kids could touch that kind of bravado. Only last year December 2015 after I reminded him of this on his earthday via Facebook, he managed to find the photo of that momentous hair cut. Within a month his iconic “Hero” singer songwriter, musician, actor, artist and ‘The Man Who Sold The World’ millions of records, The Star man, Ziggy Stardust, Aladdin Sane, and “Young American” ‘blue eyed soul boy’ David Bowie, passed away two days after his 69th earthday on the 8th January 2016.
Straight Outta Brixton south London born as David Robert Jones, he would become the ultimate and iconic “Rebel Rebel” reinventing himself with the many “Changes” of popular music. David Bowie was south London’s musical rock star like Michael Caine was to the movie industry, and was quite an anomaly as an individual. With his unusual androgynous features, different coloured eye pupils and eccentric fashion attire, David was a bit of a silent ninja who appears to be shy but could be profoundly articulate and quite well spoken when challenged especially in TV interviews. He had a unique, unorthodox soulful coolness to his voice and one of his songs up there for me personally with Queens “Bohemian Rhapsody” is his “Space Oddity” themed “Life On Mars”. If you were to check Bowie roots into R&B, listen to his intelligently constructed novelty single from 1967 “The Laughing Gnome”, as it is based on that Motown back beat that has become synonymous with what is refereed to as the Northern Soul sound.
Although he had dabbled with elements of more funkier rock and soul cuts like “1984” from the 1974 “Diamond Dogs” album, it was in 1975 when David, looking for a new musical direction went to Philadelphia’s famous Sigma Studios, and records his soul surviving album “Young American” that cements him in R&B musical history. Reputedly regarded by Bowie as his ‘plastic soul’ album it hosted the talents of percussionists, the late Ralph McDonald and Larry Washington, saxophonist David Sanborn, bassist Willy Weeks’s, backing vocalist Ava Cherry and an in demand velvet voiced Luther Vandross. The title track “Young American” showcases the harmonious tones of a young Luther, who co wrote Bowie’s funkiest soul track “Fascination”. “Fascination” was covered in 1977 by Fat Larry’s Band, and Luther Vandross revised the lyrics and recorded his own incredible version called “Funky Music” on his debut Luther album in Cotillion 1975.
What created history is David Bowie being one of the first British caucasian artists, second to Elton John to appear on Don Cornilious’s “Soul Train” TV soul show. On Nov 4th 1975 he appeared performing to a black audience, renditioning his funky penned “Fame” with the late John Lennon. The then dubbed super heavy minister of funk James Brown was influenced by the track simulating blatantly elements for “Hot (I Wanna Be Loved)”. I guess now both James and David can have a spiritual copyright and royalties discussion whilst they are they “Breakin’ Bread” like Fred Wesley & The New JB’s, around the creator’s dinner table.  I personally loved Bowie’s ‘blue eyed soul’ era when he continued later with “Stay” and “Sound And Vision” his fusion of moog funk and pre sub bass menagerie of the “Golden Years”. “Golden Years” would later be covered by a Luther Vandross affiliated outfit Mascara in 1979 and by Loose Ends in 1985. When both Chic’s Nile Rodgers and David Bowie were looking to resurrect their careers, they providentially collaborated on Bowie’s “Lets Dance” album, the title track reminding me of Saturday nights dancing amongst electro and Nu Romantic appreciators at the old Camden Palace Camden circa 1983.
14 years later the late Notorious BIG and Puff Daddy would use that sample for Biggy’s “Been Around The World”. No stranger to being sampled in hip-hop Public Enemy and Jay Z sought his catalogue as well as Vanilla Ice for “Ice Ice Baby” utilising David Bowie and Queen’s “Under Pressure”. Bowies “Black Tie, White Noise” feature Al B sure as a response to the LA Riots in 1993 filmed with powerful video. Despite some alleged earlier association with fascism in the mid 1970’s when he was going through a turbulent rehabilitation period for which he since apologised for, Bowie seemed to have quite an affinity with black music from a very early age. In a 1983 interview with MTV, Bowie flipped the script and raised the issue of the lack of black music video’s on the predominantly rock TV channel. The interviewer was clearly unprepared for Bowie’s intrusive questions and was left feeling suitably uncomfortable answering David’s questions. David later married black world famous super model Iman with whom he had a child, Alexandria Lexi Jones. Bowie’s previous wife was model Angie Bowie, and they had a son filmmaker Duncan Jones previously known as Zowie Bowie.
So now we hear the cry for ground control to Major Tom for the expected return to “Space Oddity” from “The Man Who Fell To Earth”. Bowie was part of the soundtrack to my life. I liked much of his music but not all of it. He certainly had a distinctive style like his song “Fashion”, that is similar to fellow universally known entertainers, James Brown, Michael Jackson and Prince that made him instantly recognisable on a track. I like many other music lovers recognise the artistry of David Bowie and was taken aback at the announcement of his passing. The gathering in Brixton singing the funky soul folk pop classic “Star-man” says it all. It seems poignant and scarily prophetic that his 1980 classic title “Ashes To Ashes” is somewhat relevant now. But it’s mentioned in a universal and positive way of spiritual spreading his musical ashes to all who loved him. Rock the mic In Paradise (RIP) David Robert Jones universally known as Ziggy Stardust, Aladdin Sane aka David Bowie.


Cover image by Fitzroy Facey