Column

The Snowboy Column (JULY)

IN THIS MONTHS SNOWBOY COLUMN.... GLASTONBURY, THE FANTASY FUNK BAND, VINTAGE AT GOODWOOD FESTIVAL, SHAHEEN JAFARGHOLI, QUANTIC Y SU COMBO BARBARO @BARBICAN, THE GOOD FOOT @MADAME JOJO'S, THE WIGAN JAZZ FESTIVAL, MACEO PARKER AND EMPIRICAL DATES AND THE PANTILES IN TUNBRIDGE WELLS ANNOUNCES ITS SUMMER LINE-UP....

I’m just back from Glastonbury. That festival is just too big. After arriving there and going through the fiasco of trying to get in (even though I was an artist AND had all the right documents) I arrived at the stage that we’re playing at (The Fantasy Funk Band) and my wife and I decided to go and see Imelda May on the acoustic stage. I asked directions and the stage was 2 miles away! Honestly. Now that IS a big festival isn’t it. It was worth the walk as she and the band were as brilliant as ever. Perhaps I’m a bit jaded, the first time I played there was 25 years ago. My late sound man – dear Andy ‘Snakehips’ Johnson – actually played at the first one 40 years ago with his Blues Rock band Sam Apple Pie – who were signed to Decca then. As I’ve told you before, The Fantasy Funk Band was a line-up voted for by the listeners of Craig Charles’ excellent Funk and Soul show on Saturday nights on BBC 6 and this was our first full live concert. Craig revved the crowd up and we came on and steamed through an hour and a half of Funk and Soul classics to a wild crowd of about 5,000. The band played brilliant. I shouldn’t pick any moment out in particular really in what was a very exciting and consistent performance but I have to say John Turrell singing Darrel Banks’ Open The Door To Your Heart was the high-point. He sung it as well as the best could. The performance was marred by Hitler-esque stage crews bringing our show to an abrubt end incase we committed the sin of playing two minutes over the union time of 3am. As it turned out, by the time my gear was packed up off stage it STILL wasn’t 3am. No wonder New Mastersounds’ Eddie Roberts called them a ************! You know, I play all over the world but it’s only in England I often encounter this power-trip of stage managers and crew - both at festivals and theatres.

VINTAGE AT GOODWOOD

Still, festivals aren’t doing so well this year. A lot are down on numbers. I’m glad Vintage At Goodwood is selling so well though as I’m a part of that. I’m curating the 40’s area, as I’ve mentioned before. I’ve never seen such a unique line-up (or festival principal for that matter). The Black music presence is about 50/50 I’d say, and I can’t wait to see Earth, Wind and Fire on the main stage. If you get a chance though, have a read of the DJ line-up. They’ve assembled the biggest and greatest gathering of historically-important British DJ’s ever from the 70’s and 80’s. Check www.vintageatgoodwood.com It’s August the 13th-15th. Only 6 weeks to go!

A SOULFUL DEBUT

I’m looking forward to going in to the recording studio this week to play on the album by Island Records new signing - Shaheen Jafargholi's. Do you remember that amazing young boy on Britain’s Got Talent who sang like a soul veteran and also performed at Michael Jackson’s funeral? The song demo’s sound amazing so it looks like this album is easily going to be as great as we’d always hoped it would be!

Shall I tell you where there is tons of amazing unknown world-class young soul singers in the UK? Performing in cabaret at holiday camps! True. I’ve seen them time-and-time again. Last year at a Pontins, for instance, five boys in their late-teens did a Tribute to Motown show and each individual voice was honestly good enough to have solo records out. I spoke to them afterwards about recording and none were interested. They do so well on those holiday camp circuits that they are making a very good living already. It’s incredible isn’t it?

QUANTIC AT THE BARBICAN

It was a great treat for me to DJ after the incredible QUANTIC Y SU COMBO BARBARO at the enormous Barbican Centre in London this week. They were supported by Australia’s mightiest Funk band (and label-mates) The Bamboos who were on a 30 date European tour. The Bamboos brought along Kylie Auldist. I missed them unfortunately, as I thought ‘doors’ were at 7.30, but they went on then. I met them all afterwards. We’re old friends so it was good to re-aquaint. I’d never met the larger-than-life Kylie Auldist before and she was lovely. She has a huge personality to accompany her great voice. Quantic’s Anglo/Columbian/Peruvian band were as excellent as I’d hoped they would be. They dished out a solid concert of the expected Afrobeat/Salsa/Funk cross (with a touch of Cumbia). Quantic brought over from Columbia an amazing folkloric singer. She looked and sang beautiful and her traditional ‘colonial-type’ dress was stunning. I’m ashamed at not noting her name. It was treat to hear Alfredo Linares in the band. He is a Salsa Jazz pianist from Peru, and I collect his records, so I never expected to see him play! Yes indeed, a great musically-fulfilling night!

THE GOOD FOOT

Well my new DJ residency has started at Madame Jo Jo’s in London’s Soho ever Friday. It’s been going amazingly well. Considering the football (let’s drop THAT subject shall we?) the club has been generally packed all month. The night is called The Good Foot and the music policy is 60’s and 70’s Deep Funk, Soul, Rare Groove, Mambo and R&B but, frankly, we do stretch the boundaries a bit! My DJ partner is the legendary Healer Selectah. Next month we have all kinds of DJ guests such as Eddie Piller, Si Cheeba, Adrian Gibson and Ian Wright so you can see we’re serious!!! Madame Jo Jo’s is located in Brewer Street, London. It’s £8 all night and runs from 10 til 3am.

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OTHER NEWS……………………

JAZZ IN PICTURES AND THE WIGAN JAZZ FESTIVAL

WIGAN’S 25th International Jazz Festival is set to be picture perfect!

Esteemed jazz photographer William Ellis will hold a special exhibition as part of this July’s event, celebrating some of the greatest jazz performers to have taken to the Wigan stage in the last quarter of a century.

The 55-year-old’s CV includes an impressive list of exhibitions stretching across the globe from Kansas City to Cape Town, New York to Hong Kong and Havana to the Royal Academy of Arts in London.

The breadth and depth of his jazz photographs are widely regarded as a significant archive of the international jazz scene.

Wigan’s jazz festival organiser, Ian Darrington, said: “William’s pictures offer iconic stage shots of some of the biggest names in jazz. They explode with energy and enthusiasm but it’s also the quiet moments where he captures performers backstage that, for me, makes his work so powerful.”

William’s collection of jazz players, performers and singers including Monty Alexander, Dave Brubeck, Roy Hargrove will appear throughout the jazz festival which runs from Saturday July 10 until Saturday July 17 at Robin Park, Wigan.

This year the line-up is a star-studded mix of some of the best in the business including jazz trumpet legend Bobby Shew, grammy award winning Christian vocal jazz group Take 6, Jamaican jazz pianist Monty Alexander and the “godfather of British jazz” Stan Tracey with his big band and his quartet.Other confirmed artists for the festival include Curtis Stigers, the Scottish National Jazz Orchestra, the Gordon Campbell Big Band, the Big Chris Barber Band, the Gerald Clayton Trio, Columbia Jazz Band, Tommy Whittle and Karen Sharp, Mark Nightingale and Nigel Hitchcock, the Joe Stilgoe Trio and Wigan Youth Jazz Orchestra.

For more information visit www.wiganjazz.net or call 01942 825 677 to book a ticket.

MACEO PARKER AND EMPIRICAL DATES

8 July: BRASS - Durham International Festival
Gala Theatre, 1 Millennium Place, Town Centre, Durham DH1 1WA
www.galadurham.co.uk/theatre
BOX OFFICE: 0191 332 4041

9 July: Exeter Phoenix
Bradninch Place, Gandy Street, Exeter EX4 3LS
www.exeterphoenix.org.uk
BOX OFFICE: 01392 667 080

10 July: Stockwood Discovery Centre, Luton
London Road, Luton LU1 4LX
www.stockwooddiscoverycentre.co.uk/
BOX OFFICE: 01582 878100 / 01582 547474

Empirical perform an exciting double-bill with Led Bibb at BRASS - Durham International Festival, Gala Theatre on 15 July
Gala Theatre, 1 Millennium Place, Town Centre, Durham DH1 1WA
www.galadurham.co.uk/theatre
BOX OFFICE: 0191 332 4041

Empirical will also feature at the prestigious Molde International Jazz Festival on 24 July, rounding off a recent string of high-profile European appearances, which included Jazz a Liège in Belgium and Jazz sous les Pommiers, Coutances, France.

Molde International Jazz Festival, Norway
www.moldejazz.no

THE PANTILES IN TUNBRIDGE WELLS ANNOUNCES ITS SUMMER LINE-UP

If it’s summer – then it’s time for The Pantiles’ jazz season to get under way. The Pantiles in Tunbridge Wells, Kent, will once again host a series of free Thursday evening outdoor jazz concerts from its historic bandstand. And this year the season kicks off with a bang with Force 10, a sixteen piece big band guaranteed to wow the audience and kick of the season!

Every Thursday, from the 17th June to 9th September, the very best of world class jazz performers take to The Pantiles’ bandstand, providing an array of musical styles ranging from classical jazz standards and mellow soul through to Latin fusion and Broadway greats. Each week there’ll be something different. And each week the performance is completely free!

17th June – Force 10
A 16 piece Big Band guaranteed to kick the 2010 Jazz Season off with a real bang!
24th June – Trudy Kerr Quartet
1st July – The Cuban Violets
8th July – The Ray Rich Band
15th July – Heads South
22nd July – Hard Lines
29th July – John Etheridge Quartet

Till next time
Snowboy

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