Column
THE SNOWBOY COLUMN
I’m afraid that there’s nothing much to report this month, news-wise. If people don’t send the info to me I can’t plug it folks... Even though the Brecon Jazz Festival went bankrupt last year, somehow, it still went ahead this year. I don’t have much info, so perhaps it has new owners... Myself, I’m very happy because it’s one of my all-time favourite Jazz festivals. I enjoyed playing the huge Marlborough Jazz festival this year, but for some reason they don’t supply any band with food or drink (even after a 140 mile drive). I find that incredible really. Not even a cup of tea. Only in this country would that happen! I’ve played many festivals this summer from Japan, Serbia, France, Italy, Spain, Portugal, Belgium and Germany to Holland and all bands – small or large – are really treated like Kings
Quantics’ Latin Band To Tour The UK
Columbian-based ‘Quantic and his Combo Barboso’ are embarking on a rare European tout this month.
28th Aug - Rendezvous L'Erdre, France
29th Aug - Shambala Festival
30th Aug - Beachdown Festival
01st Sept - Root Music, Oldham
03rd Sept - Liverpool Philharmonic
04th Sept - Roundhouse, London
05th Sept - O2 Academy, Bristol
06th Sept - Electric Picnic, Dublin, Eire
10th Sept - Frankfurt, Germany
11th Sept - Leuven, Belgium
12th Sept - Bataclan, Paris
13th Sept - The Sage, Gateshead
Snowboy To Play The Boatyard
I never plug my own gigs but I’ve been told by the governors at ‘Blues And Soul’ that I should, and that they expect it. I’m very proud to be taking my Latin Jazz group to play at a new venue in Essex called The Boatyard. It’s in the High Street, Leigh-On-Sea – right in picturesque Old Leigh and the venue is being tipped as possibly being the Essex equivalent of London’s Jazz Café. It is a beautiful large venue with a massive balcony (seating 150) overlooking the big stage and has a capacity for 350 people to stand on the ground/stage level too. It is situated on the waters edge overlooking the river Thames. I am very excited to be playing there on the 30th of this month and am glad to be getting in at the beginning of what I see will be a legendary venue.
Tickets = £12
Phone Ria on 07702 089264
www.ticketbank.co.uk
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Sanborn Success
I’m not arrogant enough to believe that my opinion is of earth-shattering importance (unlike most journalists), but I’m slightly staggered that it’s not been noticed how shallow and insincere his latest soul album is and, in fact, is getting rave reviews. I keep harping on about this because I’m just so disappointed how one of the world’s greatest and influential saxoponists has made such a meaningless, insincere (there’s that word again) and, ironically, soul-less album which was so obviously the idea of the record label to get on smooth radio (ala bloody Kenny G). Sorry.
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JAZZ & FUNK REVIEWS
Bah Samba: Live In The Summer (Favouritizm)
Really this should be reviewed in the House music section but of the seven mixes here, for my readers, you should be checking out the killer Super-Phonics mix. Also known as The Sound Stylistics, they have delivered a superb rare groove remix that just should NOT be missed. Featuring the stunning vocals of Tasita D’Mour and ‘the bass-line of all bass-lines’ (courtesy of The Perceptions Gary Crockett) this will just, simply put, remain in your DJ case for the foreseeable future.
Fast 3: Brown Bag/Pig Feet And Greens (Soul Grocery)
This 45 is going to take some beating this year. This Brit-led Spanish Soul Jazz group have given us a superb version of Ivan Boogaloo Joe Jones Brown Bag that, as sacriligeous as it sounds, is better than the original. It’s tight and punchy and features world class solos. The b-side is a low-slung affair and equally amazing. Both will get loads of play to the dancefloor for years to come. 100% guaranteed.
Binky Griptite: The Stroll (Daptone)
There are so many bands at the moment making average Funk and Soul 45’s and it takes a label like Daptone to pull the others up by the reins and lead the way as usual. Recorded in the classic way, this fantastic vocal, mid-tempo R&B Funk winner sounds so authentic that this could well have been made in 1967. Faultless.
The DT6: The Theme From ‘The Baden Persuader' (Starla)
So here’s the second great 45 from this Glasgow-based Funk label. Obviously not trying to pose as an original late-60’s Funk record it succeeds on many levels because it’s a cross of modern studio sounds and live musicianship merging together to give us a track in the ‘blaxploitation’style of soundtrack Funk. It works perfectly and is as equally as good as anything in this style that has gone before.
Milano Jazz Dance Combo: Sam Blues/Much More (Record Kicks)
I’ve been waiting for this for months. Taken from the forthcoming album (see next month), this Italian project (produced by the label owner Nick) is absolute perfection for the world Jazz dance market. Of course, as the band name implies, this is tailor-made and it hits the target bang into the bullseye. The a-side of this 45 is a fast flying Samba – perfect for those fleet-of-foot, with the b-side giving us double-dynamite and featuring (surprisingly) the legendary ace Broken Beat vocalist Colonel Red; who does a brilliant job.
Naomi Shelton: Wind Your Clock/Talking About A Good Thing (Daptone)
For anyone lucky enough to have this on a white-label 10†test-pressing ten years ago (and I was!) we had the key to packing dancefloors in any discerning Funk night anywhere in the world. It was the last record on Desco before Phillipe Lehman and Gabe Roth went their own ways – Phillipe starting up Soul Fire and Gabe Daptone. There were only twenty test-pressings and every one that heard it was excited about both sides, but the label closed and it never came out – until now! This was to come out as by Naomi Davis (her married name) and we were all surprised that this was, in fact, by a female artist at all because of the rough, raspy delivery. Anyway, you all now have the opportunity of buying this, and you will not buy a better Funk record all year.
Jazz
The Modern Jazz Quartet: Anthology ‘Bluesology’ (Warner Brothers)
Obviously, considering that this double-CD covers the Atlantic years from 1956-1968 it doesn’t really need any hype from me. What can I say? It’s a bit like being given a Coltrane compilation from that period. I’m making you aware of it’s existence and now you go an purchase it! All that you’d hope would be on here is and it’s accompanied by loving, detailed sleevenotes by ‘Black Echoes’ journalist Kevin Le Gendre. A no-brainer really. Talking of no-brains…………………
Legends Of Acid Jazz: Various (Prestige)
I’m not happy about a series just out on Universal called Legends Of Acid Jazz. Acid Jazz was a scene not a style of music and so, with a whisper of an Acid Jazz revival, out comes this series of compilations of artists from the Prestige label. To be fair, a lot of Funk Jazz on the Prestige label got played in the ‘scene’ but it was just a part of a massive tapestry of what was played. These compilations are badly packaged too – they look terrible. What were they thinking? Ok,so what have we got?:
Gene Ammons – There are about two danceable tracks on here. As they are pushing the Acid Jazz thing as a selling point one would have assumed that this, and all the compilations, would be full of danceable party-starters. The rest of the album comprises of mid-tempo blues swingers and ballads.
Boogaloo Joe Jones (I think they mean Ivan ‘Boogaloo Joe’ Jones) – To be fair, this is a fantastic comp choc-full of proven funky dancefloor winners like No Way and Brown Bag.
Sonny Stitt: See the Gene Ammons review.
Don Patterson and Sonny Stitt – Although a great cd packed full of solid music, this is absolutely nothing to do with the Acid Jazz scene.
Tenor Titans: This is a comp featuring some tracks off the others and (I imagine) of some future ones. The sleevenotes are scant and the info that is there is confusing.
All-in-all there is nice music on all of the cd’s but they’ve not been done with any kind of love. They would have succeeded better if they’d not try to have opportunistically sell it with the Acid Jazz tag and let this fantastic music speak for itself.
The Quiet Nights Orchestra: Chapter One (Do Right)
This is a great CD of classy, modern, contemporary big band Jazz from Sweden. There’s a general latin theme to at least half the tracks on here but there’s beautiful ballads too. All the soloists are standout but a special mention must be made of the featured vocalist Sofie Norling, who I hope we hear more of. For the people love to dance to Jazz it’s worth picking up the CD alone for the track The Runner which is mid-to-up tempo and reminiscent of the Art Blakey brand of Latin Bop.
Impossible Ark: A Compilation (Tru Thoughts)
Impossible Ark is a label owned by the production team behind Nostalgia 77 – Ben Lamdin and bassist Riaan Vosloo. I’ll admit that I just love anything produced by this team so it’s fantastic to see a compilation of their label. I didn’t know anything here so I’m wondering if the material’s been released before. It’s incredibly varied and with a latin tinge throughout with plenty of stuff for the discerning dancefloor but has lovely ballads and funky grooves too. It’s a funny thing, but if you think back at the incredible producers/song writers of the seventies – the Mizell Brothers, whoever they produced - like Donald Byrd, Bobbie Humphries, Johnny Hammond etc – the artist was almost irrelevant because their production sound and style was so strong that all the albums may just have been credited as by The Mizell Brothers as the artists and this is the case here. Ben and Riaan’s production sound is so strong that the seven or eight bands featured here merge in to one. This is not a criticism, the album is an absolute joy from beginning to end.
