the info provider for the soul survivor
ISSUE 58 MAR-MAY 2015
SHEILA E MARCIA GRIFFITHS FROSTIE THE SUMMER SOULSTICE TEAM
STANLEY COWELL & CHARLES TOLLIVER
JEFF LORBER
and regular features
MEMBERSHIP FORM
ANNUAL MEMBERSHIP
ANNUAL MEMBERSHIP & BACK ISSUES RENEWAL SOUL SURVIVOR APP
- Regular copies posted to your door. - Member’s only issues - Membership Card - Car sticker - Discounted Merchandise - Weekly email update - All of the above and a full set of Back Issues (Excluding Issue 1)
£ 25
Annual membership on App only
£14.99
Please tick
£ 75 £ 25
Please tick
Name ............................................................................................................................. Address ......................................................................................................................... .......................................................................................................................................... Postcode ....................................................................................................................... Email Address............................................................................................................. Address Telephone ................................................ Mobile ................................................... Date of Birth .......................................... (We’d like to wish you Happy Birthday)! Card Number
Expiry Date............................ Issue No. Date No ........ Last 3 Digits ....... (on reverse of card) I enclose a cheque .............. Made payable to “The Soul Survivors”
Signed ................................................................. Date ..................................... The Soul Survivors, PO Box 377, West Malling ME6 9DQ Email: info@thesoulsurvivors.co.uk www.thesoulsurvivors.co.uk
WHAT’S INSIDE? 2 4 8 12 14 18 20 24 26
32
34 36 38 39 40 44 46
MEMBERSHIP Fitzroy talks to SHEILA E DARRELL’S FUNK BOX Fitzroy talks to MARCIA GRIFFITHS Fitzroy talks to FROSTIE SELMA REVIEW RECORD REVIEWS BACK ISSUES Fitzroy talks to THE SUMMER SOULSTICE TEAM Fitzroy talks to STANLEY COWELL & CHARLES TOLLIVER CROSSWORD Fitzroy talks to JEFF LORBER ANNA’S GOODBYE! FAIR TRADE 4 MUSIC CHARTS EVENT REVIEWS WHAT’S GOIN’ ON? SOUL RADIO
Thank you to all those who have contributed by sending in adverts, reviews, photos, articles, listings and emails; we can’t do this without you.
All adverts are placed in good faith and The Soul Survivors take no responsibility for any issues arising from the use of those who have advertised. All dates are correct at time of going to print - please check with venue or promoter if unsure. All rights reserved 2008-2015 Copyright The Soul Survivors Magazine
Dear Fellow Soul Survivors
Welcome to Issue 58 tha t has a real mixture as usu al. Fitzroy talks to multi-talented Sh eila E, Queen of Rock Ste ady Marcia Griffiths, DJ and Coach Organiser Frostie, the ma in men behind the awesome fundraising family day Summer Sou lstice and jazz musicians Stanley Cowe ll, Charles Tolliver and Jef f Lorber! We are pleased to be ass ociated with a new and ver y different chart, named Fair Trade 4 Music Chart which has been compiled using listeners votes from various radio shows instead of record/online sales wh ich must be increasingly difficult to compile. We have record, event and film reviews along with Da page, listings and lastly my rrell’s goodbyes! Yes, this is my last magazine and I will exp lain why further on. I lea ve Soul Survivors in the perfectly capable hands of Fitzroy who will be gathering a new team aro und him and taking it to the next level. Fitzroy will be back with the new look magazine in Jul celebrate 9 years and sha re his exciting plans for the y to future.
Anna x The Soul Survivors CUT OFF DATE FO R JULY
Monday 1st June
Anna Marshall worked tire lessly, multitasking behind doing the things that are the scenes, taken for granted but gav e the magazine it’s unique “je ne sais quo i”. “I Alicia Myers, and your fam Want To Thank You” Marshall, like ily. Margaret for the pain staking proof reading, Jamie for the pri nting in the early days and ya pops Chris for his enthusiastic suppor t and wish you all the best in your current and new ventures. JB said it..”It’s A New Da y” for us both. Facey!!
The Soul Survivors PO Box 377, West Malling, ME6 9DQ Contact: Fitzroy Facey Mobile: 07956 312931 fitzroy@thesoulsurvivors.co.uk or Facebook: Fitzroy Anthoney Facey Facebook: Fitzroytheoriginalsoulsurvivor www.thesoulsurvivors.co.uk www.facebook.com/TheSoulSurvivors www.myspace.com/thesoulsurvivorsmag
facebook.com/TheSoulSurvivors
E A L I E SH TALKS TO FITZROY
04 www.thesoulsurvivors.co.uk
“Ain’t That The Truth” that so much talent comes from the Bay area’s musical hybrid of San Francisco when you think of the talented and unique female percussionist and drummer Sheila Escovedo aka Sheila E. Surrounded by a great wealth of family talent, Sheila, at a time where there were very few females coming to prominence, practically beat her way to the top as an in demand percussionist. Cross pollinating many musical genres she morphed into the one woman band mean machine Sheila E, a musical goddess with style and passion that caught the attention of one of the most prolific makers and shakers of the 1980’s pop R&B and funk movement. Ahead of her April date I spoke with Sheila who truly has “A Love Bizarre” doing naturally what she’s gifted at.
Born in 1957, how was life growing up from a creole and Mexican heritage in the San Fransisco Bay area surrounded by a wealth of talent with your father Pete and uncle Coke Escovedo being established percussionists and following the family tradition yourself? It was pretty amazing to be around all that music with my dad, uncle and their friends having jam sessions and rehearsing in the living room whilst listening to his record collection. It was the norm for me like watching television and we would memorise the music so it became engrained in my blood; I loved the sound of percussion. Being of Mexican and creole decent wasn’t recognised in the early 1960’s-1970’s as there was more focus on the African American or Caucasian races. They were fun times and it has made me who I am today. I can appreciate your description of the Bay area after speaking with George Duke, Lenny Williams and Larry Graham who all experienced the music and political collage during those formidable and multicultural developing years. It’s clear that your father and uncle played with Azteca from the first 1972 album after working with Santana but can you clear up if you worked on that as it’s mentioned on Discogs about but not on the album sleeve notes? I don’t remember, it sounds familiar as I know the cover has the aztec symbol with Peace Everybody. I played in Azteca after my uncle left but not on that album. My first album recordings were with Alphonso Johnson and my father Pete. Do you remember Slave and Hall Of Fame frontman Steve Arrington as a percussionist working with you and your father? Yes I do and it was around 1976-77 because I was working with Billy Cobham and George Duke. Mentioning the two albums with your father Pete, I bought Happy Together and loved Ain’t That The Truth (I like that song), Burritio Bandito and your version of Mark Soskin’s Bolina. How was it to work with your father on those two albums that include Aztec Mozambique, Vera Cruz and Bittersuite which have some complex percussion arrangements? Billy Cobham came to the Bay area and saw my
father and I at a club and decided he wanted to produce a record for us. We were enthralled because Billy Cobham is an awesome drummer. I remember going to the professional studio of Fantasy Records, being amongst all the players and, as the youngest, feeling scared and nervous but also happy to be there. There was this gigantic red lightbulb that would come on once we started recording which would give me butterflies; it was so much fun to hear yourself playback on a recording and so cool. Was it that rare to be a female percussionist amongst a predominately male environment? I didn’t realise at the time as it seemed normal because in the Bay area in Berkley we’d go to the park and find places to play and jam together. There would be other women who’d play in a drum circle so its hard for me to look at it other than being normal and natural. By your early 20’s, what was it like to experience pinch moments working with Diana Ross, Marvin Gaye, Lionel Richie and Herbie Hancock playing on their music after initially being a fan? Yeah I do mention that in my book and my view then was I don’t need to get paid to play with these people because this is fun as I thought it was an insult to pay me for something that I loved to do. My dad pulled me aside and said we need to get food and groceries in the house and you need to take care of yourself and get paid too. Your transformation from Sheila the percussionist to Sheila E the one woman band, vocalist, percussionist extraordinaire comes when you meet Prince in 1978 although you didn’t join him till around 1984. He’s already hinted that he wanted to work with you so how was that experience becoming a band member, going on tour and dare I say it, making music with him like the funk and sexy “Love Bizarre”? Prince came to the Bay Area to record his first record based on all the amazing artistry that came from the Bay area like when my father was in Santana and Sly & The Family Stone who recorded in the earlier 1960’s and 70’s. When I went to see Prince perform I was excited to meet him and when I was introduced he told me he already knew who I was and had been following my career for a while. He asked how much I got working for George Duke and on my reply he said he wouldn't be able to afford me but I said we’ll see in the future if that transpires and exchanged numbers. He met my family and fell in love with the concept that I got to play with my family which is what he wanted to do with his dad. I don’t think he knew a lot about latin jazz and was completely taken aback with the vibrancy of it all. I had grown up with Jefferson Airplane and Jefferson Starship, Cold Blood as well as Sly Stone who inspired me. We stayed in touch and we were both touring on our individual circuits and got together around the Purple Rain era. It was a lot of fun recording in the studios and doing jam sessions.
You did Purple Rain, Sign Of The Times and Love Sexy, but can I ask did you perform on the Madhouse projects in particular the sublime track “15”?
Yes I did but I’d have to hear it to confirm if I played on that track because they were all titled as numbers and I haven’t listened to that music for the longest time (I play Sheila Madhouse’s “15”) . Ahhh Wow yeah I haven’t heard that in so long. Did you play on that one?
Yeah I did and most of the Madhouse songs, it’s so great to hear it again.
Fantastic that’s all I wanted to know. You worked with an array of people like Gloria Estefan, Kanye West, Beyonce and Ringo Starr as an in demand percussionist. At the height of your success you must have reflected on how you once listened as a kid for fun and how this innate talent has brought you fame and enjoyment. At what point did it dawn on you that you were born to do this?
It was way before I became Sheila E and played with Azteca who were signed to CBS. I was with my father and we were playing in front of 3000 people and after that moment we both went backstage and cried. I had a realisation that all I had taken in musically over the years gave me a time to express myself with everything I’d learnt. It was a surreal and spiritual experience but after playing in local bands and then with George Duke and Billy Cobham your level of professionalism has to go up. I was 15 when I played with Azteca and at that moment I knew that was what I wanted to do. Two weeks later I went on tour with my dad.
How do you find adapting to the different genres from rock to funk, soul, latin and in recent times working with Mark De Clive Lowe and Omar on Get Started?
It feels natural being able to adapt to almost everything. If I was amongst a whole heap of percussive instruments and artists from around the world but I was only able to play a tambourine, triangle or a shaker I would be comfortable doing that. The key to being able to play in different genres, is knowing when not to play. I’m not a true drummer but a percussionist who can play the same beat for hours if I have to.
I know a percussionist who told me that where he was beating the bongos so hard his fingers became swollen and when he went to the toilet he passed blood because the build up has to pass through your body somehow. (yeah I hear you) We don’t take into account the strength and process you go through as an artist to maintain your craft. We see the frantic complexities visually but what is it that drives you to go through the tiredness and pain barriers considering you guys can play for hours?
For me it’s the love, passion and journey and when I figured that out at 15 I accepted it. It makes me happy regardless of the different emotions you can have as they can all roll into one spiritual zone.
When I played with my dad and I opened my eyes and heard the crowd roar and get louder, I had forgotten there was an audience around me because I was in a place I’d never been before during that solo. I cried, hyperventilated, had goosebumps and began shaking through all the emotion. When I came off stage with my dad I said “Pops if this is what heaven feels like I want to be there every single day”. It’s the most amazing experience I’d felt and it’s a gift and something special. Despite my hands bleeding heavily, especially playing congo’s with George Duke, I’d sometimes have to punch a brick wall to numb my hands before I came out and played and that’s something I did for years.
You worked on Beyonce’s Work It Out and were the band leader for Amerie’s live performance of One Thing which are both quite funky RNB tracks. What is it like when you get the younger generation approaching you as an elder to play on their tracks.
It’s very humbling because some of the young girls playing in the bands tell me I was the first woman they saw playing percussion and it gave them inspiration. It’s hard for me to hear that although I’ve been where they have in terms of admiring someone. You have no idea how much Sammy Davis Jnr influenced my life and I told him when I met him. My dad had bought his record and I learned it all within a week, not because Buddy Rich was on drums but Sammy is an incredible entertainer, he sang, played drums and piano, he acted, did impersonations and was an incredible entertainer’s entertainer. Being a fan of many people it’s also strange when people talk about you the same way. In my book The Beat Of My Drum I did a listing of all the people I worked with and try to calculate over the years how much of an audience I played to and it’s like a billion people. Sometimes I play to a room of five people, a class room of kids in first grade or kinder garden and then play to eighty-one hundred thousand people. I love what I do and I’m happy to be in the background where some artists like being upfront with people bowing to them. I get a kick out of stepping back and I think that’s why I’ve always worked.
It’s interesting what you said about Sammy Davis Jnr because I described you earlier as being like a one woman band performing artist. You can play instruments, sing, act, dance, do community work and now an author. Just tell us a little bit about what we’ll be hearing in April.
I’ll play a lot of music from the new Icon cd and I still love to play a mixture of all my funk, latin, jazz, samba and fusion as it’s all part of me. I’m gonna put in a request for Love Bizzare! I think I can do that for you.
Thank you.
s ’ l l e r r a D funk box eck please, please ch unlade. Please, tions such as the ones Os as n ow kn t a'. Compila ey'd artis sical knowledge. ilation albums? Th tos A Ochun Et Oy old days of comp s consisted of two out 'Can ed really can enhance your mu the r be em rem u on ay nti alw u can get Do yo cks in total and mber of I've me albums is that yo have about 24 tra utter crap ones. We had a nu up. We Another good thing about these yl, cheaply. I wouldn't 22 vin good tracks and s in our house as I was growing s. You really expensive records, on I'm more a music collector, r. um um those sort of alb of those Top Of The Pops alb ver, a consider myself a record collecto t it comes on, though I will co le even had a coup . They always featured, on the why we I'm not really bothered what forma Whilst out at the fabulous es t. remember the on e effect mini dress. I can't think l aid to try to get something on vinyl firs ar, the DJ played China lac ye sound of girl in a bikini or y did serve me well as a visua ks, is a Disco Mutante in Oxford last r Love'. Cue the fol n't Care About Ou st of us do, I sidled over had them, but the early years of puberty. And that Do u 'Yo n's rto Bu I did what mo masturbation in my need to know! hitting the floor. I on as I got home u and see my jaw DJ and said, "wassis?". As so a rich man, not even les sa little more than yo y ar nu Ja t ing line. Now, I'm no you go out to the less than to the You know when only bought four weeks earlier at had to searched for the 12" on price for this choon had me chok e Th u u . yo the yo 25 t t t £1 bu tha tha for m nt, ng s ite thi lue wa d y aff e an some ga ing isn't it. To se eapest I could fin a fraction mildl half price? Infuriat ing sold to any ne'er do well for spitting on my tongue! The ch 50! Bloody ada! Are they havinum, £2 be u s yo for wa ve nk ive ha ba ns to mpilation alb pe co gh ex ou bust the sty st en tru mo it's the s hy for it. W rescue come arging to of what you paid laugh? And to the like the cavalry ch Only rushing out at me from my laptop en. And before I pondered g. yin bu nails for a week. rd co re ersm rld of x I discovered of stranded fronti re than it is like in the wo Well, this is what mpilation albums. There are mo record the rescue an expensive piece of black wa od collection of go re co g lly ra th yin a rea wi bu d a the features it happens has source o & Boogie' which en a vinyl junkie a fraction of the track and enough times wh er months that the said same hatever' 'Deep Disc honest, over priced music, for on it and I had lat W be in sn t e rton wa 't of, let's latest 'Rar then found ou ie, for an was that China Bu en included on the price. The thing " reissue, on Deep Disco & Boog same mix have be . ecial 12 se sp lea a ir y re the n bu tio lly to ila cia mp pe co . llector and es uld say affordable £9.00 down on quality s do to a record co But what does thi of much sought after discs? I wo quite a cks that I tracked ving include tra ive ns pe ex r n on Other rathe self a huge sa precious collecti at all. I have in my possessio trusted , and made my od Times album. 'Don't Send ns the tio ng t ila thi tha no mp ng co ly thi ab e Go on prob that you 'Prophecy' by Fabian on the ng on Essential Modern Soul o's and if there is number of comp does is bring music to your ears Garfield Flemi a Black Rio on Trouble On by ' ay um alb Aw t tis Me multi ar ny real Cheryl' by Band you by. alight. I Selection. 'Miss e list can go on as there are so ma may have let pass t has set my life Th r. tha oo ng efl thi nc me off Da so en The pants t there. Jazz has never be t years ago it simply bored the iled by their sublime comps ou tha mp worried about can honestly say an album came out that was co rd collectors be . And the reason is that co er re ev ld the til ou on un sh s s wa wa So s and st gift? No me. That good Dr Bob Jone e of God's greate in themselves, The blurb Keb Darge and the and that was 'Jazz Spectrum'. thought assemblag go to compilation albums are, 'Good Times' I d el d y’s ste lab an Ja my tru real people' s. Norman reliable BBE red 'real jazz for nora am I becoming collectors piece pect to pay a pretty penny. And ex on the album decla gh, I'll give it a bash". Blinking ell ..w is. d yl, an , vin me on ou Boogie comp on "Well, I'm real en selection of tunes really grabbed t. Now volume 1, it a little twist, the Deep Disco & d the album is e e tha An t Th giv ! 0. jus to £3 did t do I t nd jus ld tha ou ou d ar n sh gla you d sundry crafted compilatio s, CD! will cost I think that a well rush out and start buying all an make CD.....Ye ars old! did ye r it me t fou ke bu ly y, ma on gave me a copy nit frater it didn't r in-law, Ronnie, the cool jazz cat e 'Messin ned 40, my brothe Love'. At the time it was worth tur I n ever recorded by other quality Jazz comps. Th he W are great for 12" 'Good at £200. me look around Juice' albums spring to mind and nre. of Rome Jeffries t checked and it's now valued ge lassic Rare 'C um nd £40. I jus alb Around' and 'Jazz t to know and feel for the whole ou the ar ge o featured on records to really ouble is it's als called 'Music & ased an album ion of tunes that Tr oove' Vol 1. F**king cheek of it. rch pu I 03 20 Gr Back in accumulat nscious. again it was an Movement Two', ful world of Broken Beat to my co s, as it Darrell S er les bought the wond y, but a pivotal one never the ring the bu It was a random t Broken Beat and also discove ou ing ek se me w sa 08 www.thesoulsurvivors.co.uk
10 www.thesoulsurvivors.co.uk
MARCIA GRIFFITHS
talks to Fitzroy
From Kingston Jamaica a young god fearing princess was to become dubbed the Queen of Rock Steady in later years pioneering her soulful sound in the new emerging music from her native island namely reggae. Working with reputable producers and singers Marcia endured international acclaim as a duo as well as a solo artist. She comes to the UK to celebrate 50 years in the business in May so I got to find out what makes Marcia Griffiths “Feel Like Jumping” since her debut aged thirteen. 12 www.thesoulsurvivors.co.uk
How was life for you musically, politically and socially growing up in what’s reported as a poor section of Kingston Jamaica? My life in Hanna Town was beautiful. It was a nice residential area and only recently is it being stigmatized and reported as a violent or poor community. What singers and styles of music were you listen and harmonise to as a youngster? I listened to a lot of American soul music; Aretha Franklin, Carla Thomas, Sam Cooke and Stevie Wonder to name a few of my influences. In the year I was born 1964, aged 13 you performed on an Easter Monday at the Carib Theatre singing Carla Thomas’ No Time To Lose acappella. How did you overcome your nerves and become triumphant to the point that on the same day, straight after the performance you were whisked to record at Studio One Records? Even at that age I was confident and anxious to show people what I could do. While waiting for the band to start I heard God telling me to sing. And so I started to sing without the band and they had to follow me, and the rest is history. Working and harmonising with a kindergarten friend Bunny Wailer and artists like Ken Booth and Bob Andy, how did you deal with the pleasurable experience of making music from the heart even though you didn’t receive any royalties from the Studio One recordings? We were never there for the money, it was for love of the music. Between 1970-1974 both you and Bob Andy became a duo performing as Bob & Marcia. Young Gifted And Black, an adaptation of Nina Simone’s same titled classic made the top 10 in the UK charts. Ironically it was a big smash with the racist skinheads in the UK and Germany doing their moon stomp dancing in their jack and bovver boots. What was the political and conscious significance of making that song and how it was received or embraced?
It was actually number 2 in the British charts. Even though it was titled Young, Gifted and Black, we meant it for all people as a reminder that we are all young, beautiful and gifted. It was meant as upliftment to all. It was amazing to see how it was received in the UK.
What was it about the female producer Sonia Pottinger that makes you hold her in high regard?
Sonia Pottinger was special to us as the only female producer. We enjoyed working with her; she did two albums, Stepping Out Of Babylon and Naturally. We were always relaxed and comfortable with Ms P.
How did you come up with the name of I Three’s, featuring yourself Rita Marley and Judy Mowatt?
I came up with the I-Three as if to say We three.
As a positive and conscious female performer, especially in the mid to late 1970’s with La La Bennett, Susan Cadogan and Sheila Hylton, having some crossover success, what was the climate like for women? In addition I remember there were some naked cover exploitations on some of the reggae compilations like the Tighten Up volumes. How did that impact on the imagery of Jamaicans musically and socially?
At that time the industry was totally male dominated and so there were few of us. As a forerunner I inspired many of them and they also gave me a lot of encouragement and in return looked to me for guidance. Because it was male dominated some women felt the need to go the extra mile to promote themselves.
What is it that enables you to work diversely with Bob Andy, Beres Hammond, Cutty Ranks and Buju Banton?
Up to date I've done collaborations with 50 singers and dj's. It keeps me current and
consistent. My latest collaborations include Busy Signal and Romain Virgo.
Of all the events and places you’ve travelled to around the world which stands out for you?
That's the most difficult question I've ever heard. After a 50 year journey it's hard to identify one particular moment or event.
How do you intend to celebrate your 50 years in May and decipher what songs from your repertoire, you’ll perform to the UK audience?
I try to choose a lovely mixture of my most popular songs to ensure everyone is pleased.
Thanks Marcia
FROSTIE chats to Fitzroy
Despite his yoyo ups and downs one of Canvey Island’s favourite native sons still manages to dj with a smile on his face. Steven Frost aka Frostie (Original) has travelled far and wide in the quest to quench his thirst for playing soul music. Residencies at some of the long running and established profiled weekenders and working regularly with the extension of dj’s that come through the Funk Mafia line, have kept his popularity afloat for over 25 years. Being honest, open and candid about some personal struggles Frostie welcomes you onboard his “Allo Maaaaaaates” ship to share his story.
Where did you grow up, what music were you listening to and at what point did you get into soul music? Firstly I was like any average teenager who grew up on Canvey Island and my first musical influences were Slade, T Rex and stuff like that. It was only when I went down to the Goldmine that I experienced a whole new genre of music. Only a few of us from our turf on Canvey Island went there as everyone else came from outside. I remember after the Glen Miller phase in 1976 buying Ten Percent by Double Exposure and Car Wash and then Caister came along and it changed my life. How old were you when you went to the Goldmine? About 19-20 years old as I'm 56 now. Not many people may know this but back in the day I used to do a bit of skateboarding and was the Essex skateboard champion. Myself and Snowboy used to skate down Southend
14 www.thesoulsurvivors.co.uk
together. I remember also I was into the surf music sound like The Beach Boys. Me and Snowboy would take our skateboards and sneak into the food lift that ran from upstairs into to the Goldmine; you know the kind of thing you do when you're kids. So you got into soul music quite late as an older teenager, did you not hear the odd soul track before then? I’ve got to be honest and say no, being at the Goldmine was a complete change for me. I know we'll talk about Froggy later, but in his earlier days do you know who Froggy used to warm for? I'll tell you he used go on tour with Slade, T Rex and Sweet djing and not playing glam rock but trying to educate the crowd back in 1973-74 with some funk and reggae. So what was it about the Goldmine that blew your mind? In the early days coming from Canvey Island you had different genres like the punk boys coming through, the blitz boys and the jazz dancers all in the same place. It was something similar to say, for example if you were around when the Beatles dominated the Cavern, you had to be there to experience it. It was something you felt part of and when my friends went on to play golf, I was still there and travelling to Reading to see Sean French on a Tuesday night as it had become a way of life for me.
Apart from clubbing in Canvey Island did you go to London? We had Zero 6, Stage 3 and The Goldmine. We'd heard about Steve Walsh's events but to answer your question and be honest no, because we had everything on our doorstep . At what point did you start djing?
I started off promoting first when Bob Masters used to do the Bournemouth weekenders with Simon Dunmore and the Bump & Hustle boys. That would finish at 2am and back then a hotel didn't need a licence to stay open all night. I'd hire a hotel and put a proposal to Bob Masters, Dunmore, Bob Povey and Jon Coomer about doing after parties and bringing dj's in. It became a natural progression to start Djing myself as a warm up. I was living in Chingford at the time and I practiced for two years djing in a pub called Maxwells opposite Chingford train station. It used to be owned by Chris Hill’s brother and for beer money say £20 I'd play a few records. My first proper gig was working with Bigger who did a night at Chains in Barking. It was my opening night and a guy called Trevor Nelson was playing downstairs to about 200 people and I only had an audience of 10 but he asked me to come and play with him, I'll never forget that top man. What year was this? I would say this would have been around 1987-1988 and around that time I used to go to Special Branch and was fortunate to go to the first holiday where
Nicky Holloway started what went on to become the Balearic beat sound. I loved it during those days. So you did things as a reverse to most Dj's I know in being a promoter first? I started running coaches to Southport and Brighton Beach Parties around 1990 and I still continue to do the ones to Southport. So back in the Bournemouth days when I was running the coaches, I'd bring an extra audience to those that were already there. So after Chains, how did you start djing at Caister? I went to every Caister up until Froggy passed even through the days when Chris Hill and Showstopper Adrian Webb left. I'd been working at Lacey Ladies with Chris Hill and when Brian Rix took over I got the call to be part of the Caister team. After a couple of years I started doing the anthem set which is what I became known for. Did you also play at Southport? Yes when it started off as a soul weekender, Alex Lowes and Richard Searling started at Fleetwood and then it went to Berwick. Alex had the vision to progress with it as a dance weekender and we used to do the “Ol Bastard Set” which was me, Gary Dennis, Jonathan and Max Rees. One of my claims to fame was warming up for Maze and I did the Powerhouse for five years before the line up changed, however I still run the coaches for Alex and Dave, two of the loveliest blokes I've ever met.
JOIN OUR MEMBERSHIP TO SEE THE FULL INTERVIEW! WWW.THESOULSURVIVORS.CO.UK
This film graphically depicts not only an integral and monumental historical change but some harrowing and horrific brutalisation of a people, who were blatantly denied an equality not only as their birth right but more importantly a human one, in a so called civilised country that claimed to be the land for the free and home of the brave. With Oprah Winfrey and Brad Pitt’s involvement producing this biopic of Martin Luther King’s struggle to get equal rights for black people to register a vote during those turbulent 1960‘s Civil Rights times, it sheds a dim light on a major real life experience.
Providentially who would have dreamed that four accomplished British actors would shine in an aftermath saga of an American nightmare scenario? David Oyelowo as Dr King, Carmen Ejogo as Coretta King, Tim Roth as Governor George Wallace and Tom Wilkinson as President Lyndon Johnson, were perfectly cast alongside some of Americas finest, Cuba Gooding Jnr, Wendell Pierce, Martin Sheen, Common and
18 www.thesoulsurvivors.co.uk
Oprah Winfrey. I found this, as did a good female friend of mine Joanne Wilson and TV/media presenter Rosemary Laryea, very difficult to watch on the big screen during much of the barbaric scenes. The confederate army of bigoted police and state troopers based in Selma, Alabama unleashing their batons, billy clubs and cracking whips upside the heads of the unarmed, non violent and innocent marching protesters was quite disturbing. We were the only people of the Diaspora present in the press cinema screening and being honest I think the rest of the Caucasian audience felt uneasy also.
The film is a provocative one shot both in colour and black and white, with real vintage footages of when the march was with much resistance from the local Klans men and women, sanctioned legal in a court. That momentous march featured A list celebrities Tony Bennet, Harry Belafonte and Sammy Davis Jnr supporting The real footage way back in 1965 was shown on TV at the time around the world to millions of people. What wasn’t previously realised or shown was the meticulous strategy to oppress President Johnson passing this right to vote bill ahead of his less important proposed one for poverty.
The collusion between President Johnson, Governor George Wallace, Sheriff Jim Clarke and J Edgar Hoovers’ FBI was one of mutual geniality for them, but unimaginably abhorrent for those on the receiving end of their wicked and evil Dick Dastardly plan. The scenes of police wildly brandishing weapons under the protection of the law at times during the night and obscured by tear gas to limit
their unscrupulous red neck behaviour, did unfortunately stir some unpleasant emotions within me.
What’s interestingly shown and made clear is the total fear of Martin Luther and Malcolm X joining forces, that soon after Malcolm crept under the radar into Selma to meet with Coretta King and give a speech, unbeknown to Governor George Wallace, that three weeks later Malcom was assassinated.
This really was a game of chess and strategies between both Dr King and his SCLC team against the combined governing dark forces of America. Also poignantly it shows that only when Dr King calls on his fellow non African religious comrades to march along side him, that America accepts reluctantly that there is now suddenly some clarity of the injustice that’s always been there.
This film shows the turbulence that is caused between people fighting for the same common cause because certain creators devised and put into place a master plan. The music score is fantastic, the acting and filming is captivating and the truth of what happened and what’s been suppressed till now is eye opening. There are many reasons to see this film that is an account of something that happened half a century ago. For those who are uneducated or don’t fully understand the struggle of inequality, then this is one of the best things to learn from in checking yourself before you wreck yourself with continued ignorance. Thanks To Marlon Palmer at Kush for the invite to see the film. Fitzroy
Record reviews
This issue’s record reviews are a weird and wonderful mix of old and new extended disco remixes, independent classic soul comps and two self funded UK soul projects. BBE releases a new signing of experimental jazz hip hop and beats, plus there’s a musical production, 10 years in the making, album sounding fresh like Dougie. There’s also a classic 2 for 1 funk double, some twisted revamps, love sexy like Prince and a jazz fusion conclusion from a pioneering keyboard master. So check out this Donna Summer Spring Affair selection!!
The Mike Maurro Peak Hour Remixes - Harmless Joining the ranks of John Morales, Dave Lee and Ashley Beedle, Mike Maurro delivers 21 tracks, some more commercially crossover and others more of a connoisseur nature. I’ve featured a few on my radio shows and they certainly work as reconstructed remixes. There isn't enough room to comment in detail but classics like Double Exposure’s Ten Percent, Evelyn's Shame and George Duke’s I Want You For Myself made interesting waves on my weekly Musicology show. There are some extremely long versions; the longest being Pheek’s Adams & Burgess collaboration Weekend, a mighty fourteen minutes and twenty three seconds installment. The fact that Blue Magic’s Side Show, Johnny Hammond’s Los Conquistadores Chocolates and Change’s Searching are inclusive shows Mike does not restrict himself to just obvious regurgitated four floor formular. Mixed from the original multi tracks listen to Mike’s painstaking master at work efforts over 3 CD’s. Urban Star Collection Vol 1 Urbanstarmusic.com Steve Wren’s independent UK soul label produced some dance floor karaoke friendly classics, some of which are still anthems at many weekenders. Many a retro classic gets a modern twist with a degree of familiarity for a new and older audience to enjoy simultaneously. The label’s champion has to be the Erick Sermon inspired Dazz Band You Are My Starship, featured with two bonus Ice Berg Slim and Damage’s Corrie, plus DJR & Big Al remixes. Ten City’s Byron Stingley tackles Hall & Oats’ Can’t Go For That and Terry Stanton takes on Maze’s Before I Let Go, both staying true to the original. Veronica’s Show Me Love, Yana Johnson’s Nothin Goin On But The Rent and Veronica’s Girls Gotta Have Fun bring the newer female energy. George McCrae re vocals his own vintage Rock Your Baby and Iceberg Slim utilises a Truth Hurts classic to rap on. Reminising like MJB it’s out now!!
Louise Golbey - Novel www.louisegolbey.com She may look demur in stature but Louise Golbey has a power packing punch of a voice as showcased over 12 versatile jazzy soul cuts. How It Is opens up the album with a live head nodding piano stabbing taster followed by an infectious Sparkle that made number 3 in the new Fair Trade 4 Music Chart. There’s a nice vocal and live music production balance throughout the whole album, emphasised noticeably on an inspiring Little Bird. Louise sings with eloquence on personal songs like Family Tree and a Martine Girault Revival esq Comfortable. At times I hear a very young Lulu with Miss Golbey and with her trademark hums and adlibs, she manages to collaborate with and feature south London soul don Omar on The Outsider. Unselfishly Louise invites LyricL to flow poetically on the common ladies factor subject told in Game Player. Great performer live and on record!! Soulpersona - Fast Forward SPR Fresh for 2015 Soulpersona presses the rewind button for his well produced audible selection of 80’s pop soul meets funky boogie tracks. The title track Fast Forward and Analog have more of a commercial crossover appeal featuring the outfit’s established vocal focus Princess Freesia. Two soul covered classics of KC & The Sunshine Band’s Give It Up and Kleeer’s You Did It Again both get an unusual, subtle and befitting rehash. Featuring Carl Hudson’s Sunset Reprise is a melodic instrumental and Pleasure’s magician guitarist Marlon McClain solos on a Nights Over Egypt bass line cut City Lights. The monster mash track Makes You Feel Good sees the powerhouse vocals of Jocelyn Brown duet with the sultry Princess Freesia with good synergy. Freesia in her comfort zone finishes off with a smooth and mellow mid tempo I Will Be With You and a Saturday Love tinged Heaven To Me.
Cameo - Cameosis and Feel Me Cherry Red One of the funkiest USA east coast groups was the original 9 piece Cameo ensemble and here is a 2 for 1 CD package from their “Better Days” catalogue. Cameo showcases their brilliance of supreme funk with Cameosis, Shake Your Pants and the anthemic chanting On The One. Even the slower more soulful and jazzy tempo grooves Please You,We’re Goin’ Out Tonight and I Care For You embellish their trademark emphatic horn arrangements that sadly soon after went amiss. Feel Me is my consummate Cameo album; every track’s a sure fired Usain Bolt winner. Throw It Down, Your Love Takes Me Out and Roller Skates are as awesome as they are complex with a nice socially conscious piece of jazzy boogie inclusion via Is This The Way. Cameo spread some ‘Sparkle’ brilliance on the heart wrenching ballad Feel Me and a thumb bass plucked Keep It Hot. Get this..It’s Serious! 20 www.thesoulsurvivors.co.uk
Fae Simon - Outrospective BBE This really is a supersonic experimental futuristic collage of jazz, reggae, soul, hip hop, funk beats and pieces coveted by Fae’s distinctive, mature for a young lady’s, vocal sonics. I’ve been a fan from about 6 years back and glad she’s got an independent deal with BBE. With twisted lyrical word play atmospheric, eerie and captivating analogue meets digital balance the first three songs A Blues, Butter and Cruise set the mood. Embracing jazz Fae excels on the brilliant jazz rap cut Found with John Robinson and breaths astral life on a live jazz drum and bass Free Again. Love the rugged and raw UK street earthiness of the retrospective single Magic City and the evolving scenario of confused identity within the people of diaspora via The Cycle. On an updated improvisation of Soho’s classic Hot Music, Fae scats like a tap dancer fire on a ferocious Too Hot. Cosmic!!
Rebirth - Being Thru the Eyes of a Child Ten years since The Journey made an impact on fans of live soul music Rebirth return with some more soul funk and jazz embryonic sonics. There is plenty to nurture here vocally and musically upon listening to the enticing single This Is Coming To and the funkiness of Waste Land. My personal favourite is the fusion created on By Design with it’s unforeseen interchanges, leading into a mostly instrumental synthesised jazzy slow jam Caterpillar. It’s more of a listening album as opposed to a dance one but with deep lyrical and musical plethora highlighted in Religion To Me. Playing with tempo’s and styles Show ‘Em fuses an initial latin rock fusion and soul instrumental that transforms three and a half minutes into a long vocal adlib and outro. The album tails off on a slower conclusion with an acoustic Come On Over and a melodic Halfway. Revitalised, reborn, Rebirth are back!
Patrick McLean - ‘Go right on’ Radio mix, 12” & Club mix (Rising notes recordings) Hi Tension member and saxophonist Patrick McLean released and received some air play last year with this self-penned track and tested the waters with various PA’s. On this release Steve Salvari ex Central Line (who’s single ‘Golden Lady’ was recently reviewed on these pages) contributes on production and keyboard duties and Patrick’s vocals are ably complemented by siblings Paul and fellow Hi Tension member on guitar and Martin on bass. With vocal hints of Marvin’s ‘Mercy Mercy Me’ and a smooth steady rhythm similar to JT Taylor’s ‘Hot Summer Night’ (which mixes beautifully), this provides you with some essence of this tune. If you require some additional musical hot pepper sauce, the club mix takes a more muscular rhythm and your hips in another direction. Additional harmonies and string arrangements makes this a different dish. Those of you who appreciate guitar licks with your rhythms will enjoy the dexterity of Paul McLean’s guitar plucking and there are hints scattered throughout this mix which may test the recall of some of the more knowledgeable among you. This will see some floor action in 2015. Original edits now available on iTunes and the club mix is released at the end of February. risingnotes.com (Eli Trim - Soul Survivor Member)
SEND IN YOUR REVIEWS OR TRACKS FOR REVIEW TO: fitzroy@thesoulsurvivors.co.uk
The Soul Survivors PO Box 377, West Malling, Kent ME6 9DQ 07956 312931 (Send in early....we only have so much space!!!)
Omar - The Man Retwisted by Scratch Professor (Freestyle) It’s difficult to fault an album that’s been totally retransformed from it original format into a hip hop production of meticulous quality. With adlib extracts and interludes and strange strings and things, these mixes sound like it’s a totally new album concept. Cutting up the vocals to match the syncopated beats Scratch’s efforts can only be measured as painstakingly worthy of a musical Oscar. Eeni Meeni Myni Mo, I Can Listen, There’s Nothing Like This and Ordinary Day Upon are some of the totally reconstructed I’ll mention alongside a very pitched down When We Touch. Giving a classic album more mileage, hats off to Scratch Professor on a job well done!! Love Sex Passion - Raheem DeVaughn -368 Music group Continuing with his trade mark “Love Experience” reputation Raheem DeVaughn serves up his unique millennium version of Marvin Gaye’s Lets Get It On and I Want You concepts. Weaving in and out on occasion with fever pitch falsetto ooziness, mostly on the majority of slow jam bump and grind, this will attract the female queen bees to his lucrative musical honey. There are plenty of seductive power ballads like All I Know, Terms Of Endearment, Never Never Land and Temperature Rising with atmospheric production and dreamy strings. Check out some doo wop meets Art Of Noise Moments In Love overtones on Strip and the gospel pleading feel on Baby Come Back. Pretty Ladys’ an uptempo toe tapper, Queen is full of hip hop soul and Countdown lends itself to a nice lowdown funky reminder of the old school sex and soul impacted during the 1970’s. Ladies will love it so buy this aphrodisiac cd gents. Jeff Lorber Fusion - Hacienda (Heads Up) Jeff Lorber is one of the innovators and grand supreme wizard island exponents of the fusion style. Featuring Yellow Jacket’s co founder Jimmy Haslip on bass, ex Chick Corea horn player Eric Marienthal and jazz violinist Jean-Luc Ponty, he revisits some his earlier experimental roots from his Inner City and Arista days. Corinaldo and Solar Wind are strengthened backboned masterfully by Vinnie Colaiuta’s solid drumming whilst Jeff's nimble fingers run riot melodically. Frank Zappa’s King Kong is interpreted with some violin and marimba highlights with an almost oriental charm. Alternating in tempo Fab Gear is reminiscent of the mellowness of Curtains from Soft Space and Everlast sax and keyboards synergy sounds quite harmonious in the groove. Jimmy Haslip’s bass holds down the groove well on Escapade and to finish Dragonfly sounds like it’s touting to be on 1970‘s soundtrack. Jeff ’s still got the conclusion with his fusion!! Camera Soul Album: Dress Code Rel: 20.1.2015 (Timkat Entertainment) Camera Soul bring us this fabulous new album Dress Code. On first listen "Wow!" is my response. Representing all that's great in fusions of Acid Jazz, Latin and Soul. Very well written songs beautifully sung by Maria Enrica and the musicianship is top draw. Are you an Incognito/Brand New Heavies fan? Check this out you definitely wont be disappointed. Ash Selector (Solar Radio).
Sheila E - Icon Mooscious Records Latin percussion heaven is what Sheila E lives in when she’s surrounded by music and she extends an invitation to share that space on her Icon album. Blending many elements of her rich mix of pop, rock, latin soul and funk influences, Sheila wrote the majority of the lucky thirteen tracks. With interceding interludes like Butterfly and Samba within the album Mona Lisa highlights some of the energetic and sexy salsa sauce cuts with its infectious rhythms. Lovely day is an easy listening soulful number with melodic vocals and horn arrangements and in diversifying I’ll Give You That and Rockstar are more pop rock driven cuts. Sheila‘s Prince influence and experience shows Miss E getting down right dirty and funky Nasty Thang with Mc Lyte and her trademark “Ruff Neck” rapping style. Bringing more south American E funk Leader Of The Band features her pops Pete and family plus his royal purpleness Prince who wrote the track. There’s quite a hint of subtle soulful funk on this album and Girl Like Me is an example of that. Sheila sings, plays percussion and probably dances at the same time which I imagined was a great jam session making Old Skool a jazzy latin, Go Go, rap, big brass band and sleazy funk ode to music. One woman, synonymous with a heartbeat on one favourable and very musical album. Kenya - My Own Skin (Expansion) This is more of a smooth soul album with jazzy overtones that at times carries hints of early Rufus and Minnie Ripperton. Kenya’s voice is soft and wispy at times, lending itself to many of the grooves that the modern soul enthusiasts will appreciate. There are two versions of Be Here, with an uptempo contrasting Mark De Clive Lowe synth mix. Kenya’s version of MJ’s I Can’t Help It and Jackson’s influence on Let Me are slightly more uptempo with a 4/floor dance floor beat. Unpredictably My Heart and a latin boogie bass rumbling Own Skin is a contrast to most of the album as the two fastest grooves. For the mellow slow jammers, check out a seductive Sleepless, with Never Giving Up’s latin slow salsa slinkiness commanding some possible major attention. The best track is Daz I Kues JA Funk influenced remix of two Wednesday Girl versions. This is One To Grow On like UMC’s!! Fitzroy has written record reviews apart from where indicated otherwise.
www.thesoulsurvivors.co.uk 23
SUMMER SOULSTICE TEAM Fitzroy speaks to the
Speaking in the Funky Cabin to: Dave James (Soulstice Crew Chairman), Gilo (Soulstice Crew Committee & DJ), Jamie Topham (Soulstice Crew Vice-Chair & DJ), Richard Weekes (Soulstice Crew Committee & Andy’s younger brother) & Jester Groove (Soulstice Crew Committee & DJ). What kind of person was Andy Weekes, a dear friend from Barnet, who passed from cancer that you felt so moved to do this Summer Soulstice event in his honour? Dave: Andy lived life to the full, made friends with everyone and his passions were sport. He loved playing cricket, soccer and rugby (especially the social side!) and of course he LOVED soul music. He moved to LA and made a new life out there but he loved nothing better than to return to London and catch up with old friends and watch his beloved West Ham. Richard: My brother could best be described as a "friend" whether it was on the way to school in the morning, on the sports field or in the alehouse, you always wanted him by your side. You knew you were in for a good time. Gilo: He was a whole lot of fun that's for sure, having known him from my teens it was a real shock when he died so prematurely. I thought it would be a good idea to do an annual charity soul event in his memory which would be in line with his musical taste and huge personality. Let me tell you, if he were still alive he would be the first person in and the last out! Jester: I first met Andy via internet radio back in 1998 when I was on the sadly missed Soul24-7.com and he was an avid listener. After many conversations via the then well-used e-mail system (rather than the social media choices we have today), we finally met on a few of his trips back home to his family in 26 www.thesoulsurvivors.co.uk
Barnet and shared a ‘choon’/drink or two. Nothing was too much trouble for Andy, if I was looking for an LP info on an artist he would be first to help me out; pretty much a shared love? He had a heart of gold and I still miss his coolness and witty banter to this day. Jamie: As well as knowing him at school, you’d always see Andy selling T-shirts & merchandise in the lobbies of the all the big concert venues throughout the 1980’s. How did you decide upon the very appropriately titled name? Gilo: On 8th March 2007 we met to celebrate the first year of Andy's passing in a curry house in Barnet. We'd talked about the ‘soul event’ and Dave, who’s a very talented artist, scribbled a drawing on a napkin and instantly came up with our 'Sun Man'. As the event was going to be as near to the actual June solstice as possible, Summer Soulstice was an easy fit. Jester: Wanting to get the most out of a wonderful celebration of Andy’s Memory (more music and drinking time which Andy would have loved!), and ‘hopefully’ some good weather, we felt we should hold the event close to the longest day of the year? I think you can guess the rest? You and I Jamie, go back to your club promotion days at Arista/BMG where you subsequently dubbed me ‘Da Buzzboy’ when posting promos to me and it kinda stuck as opposed to my previous pseudonym Fitzroy The Buzzboy. So I can see what you'd bring to the table in terms of contacts and music knowledge. Who else is part of the machinery behind the Soulstice team and what are their background experiences that contributes to pulling this charity event off year after year? Jamie: I remember it well Fitzroy, they were great days & I’m honoured that I’m
the one who helped fine-tune your pseudonym. The Soulstice Crew consists 16 people in the main committee, then probably a further 50-60 kindly souls who volunteer their time each year, who we are proud to be part of the Crew. All have different skills and expertise which we couldn’t do without. Dave for example works for the local press which has helped spread the word. We also have a talented local designer (Nathan) and a well-known local cartoonist (Neil Kerber) who do flyers and banner artworks for us. Obviously all the DJ’s give their time for nothing every year, including the invaluable James Anthony (Solar Radio) who also helps organise our acts. Then there is the showman that is Fat Freddie M, all our security & people on the gates. Our sound systems are kindly supplied by local audio-visual equipment supplier Blitz Communications and the likes of Bob Masters and his wife Sal have been a great asset to our team as well. There is of course Weeksie’s family and friends (and the friends of friends) who turn up annually to help make it all happen. Due to djing commitments I've not been able to attend. What acts and dj's have you had over the years? Jester: It’s amazing that now we’ve reached our ninth year, the list of artists and guests has grown immensely. Some of the UK’s finest acts over the years like Beggar & Co (The Original Light Of The World), Atmosfear, Savanna, Kenny Thomas, Junior Giscombe, David Joseph, Imaani & Natasha Watts, to name a few, have all graced us with their talents on our main stage. On the DJ front, we’ve been blessed to have spin for us some of the South of England’s finest, including the much loved and iconic ‘Froggy’ who is sadly no longer with us. All of these people have given up their time freely with little or no recompense, just to add to the mix of what Summer Soulstice is all about.
Jamie: As Jester says, we’ve had some incredible acts supporting Soulstice over the years and we’ve managed to pull off a few comeback performances too, like Atmosfear & last year Hi-Tension, who played their first gig in 30 years! The Soulstice DJ family is quite possibly one of the best line-ups you will get at a current soul event. Several of whom knew Andy also, like Dr Bob Jones, Ash Selector, Gavin Page and Nicky Holloway, so for them it has a very personal edge too. What was the process like of finding a larger space to accommodate your increasing audience and how easy or difficult was it to convince the venue and what licences did you have to obtain to make this a smooth operation? Richard: It was an absolute no brainer, 99% of us either went to school together or played sport together at Old Elizabethans, so it was kind of our spiritual home alongside the Black Horse Tavern in Barnet, where we also hold a lot of our smaller events. As for licences, well that’s another story! Gilo: Remember, it was initially going to be held in my back garden but my wife soon put the dampeners on that idea! Jamie: We always foresaw this as an outdoor event so we needed a field. We are still blessed with quite a few around this particular edge of north London. After the first Soulstice at Barnet Rugby Club, we decided to take it to our current home at OE’s, who I must add, have been very good to us over the years. It has grown immensely since I attended in 2008 attracting people from the four corners of London and the surrounding counties. Despite on occasion the threat or reality of bad weather, how do you think the event’s obvious popularity has impacted on the audience to scramble for tickets like birds around crumbs? Dave: The success of the event has been amazing really and this year we’ve introduced an e-ticket entry only with everyone getting their tickets online, like any other sporting event or concert. As for the weather, well, at the end of the day, we’re British! We’ve had hot days, cold days, and some rain and even lightning! But people are great and never moan about the climate and there’s always some shelter. It’s the toilets that get the most attention and we’re ordering even more this year. I guess this is true of all outdoor events in this country
though! Gilo: It’s grown organically, there's no doubt we've made mistakes along the way, but I think we’ve learnt from these and we’ve listened to what people want. Each year we try and raise the bar a little, mix in the fantastic people that attend and now it seems we have a winning formula. The Club Tent has been a massive addition too! Jamie: The likes of Paul Clark at Music Meltdown helped us increase the size of event by taking on our ticket sales in the past, which definitely took us to a new level and the soul family in general are a very supportive bunch of people. Jester: By no means did we start off with the event growth in mind. We would have been happy with 100 or so of Andy’s friends and family raising a glass to his memory once a year. I think as time passed people realised what a lovely thought it was, what connections in the DJ/music industry Andy had, and wanted to share in that love? The rest is History! How do you cover the initial costs of running the event and how much time does it take? Jamie: We started with just an idea and not a penny in the pot. We’ve approached friends and local businesses and put a lot of our own time in for free over the years. We’ve relied on people’s generosity to help build Soulstice each year and it’s been a massive part of our daily lives. It does get tough at times, but when you finally see all those people showing us love for our cause, then we all remember why we do it. Gilo: We now have a reserve fund which allows us the opportunity to get the 'ball rolling'. Obviously we are dependant on the weather and each year we worry that we don't have too much rain in the weeks leading up to Soulstice and we all become budding weather forecasters in the month preceding the event! The organising normally starts in January and runs through until after our ‘Big Payback' event in August when we hand over the cheque. For most of us it's pretty much always floating in the background and it's a labour of love. Richard: An event like ours costs a hefty amount to set up, however we've been extremely fortunate to have been supported from day dot by a number of fabulous companies not least Graham at JJ Roofing, Justin at Concrete Consultancy and Peter at Cox Format. We owe them all a huge debt of gratitude. How much money have you raised
thus far since the beginning and how is that money distributed? Jamie: We’ve raised nearly £150,000 in just under nine years, most of which has gone to our chosen main charity Cherry Lodge Cancer Care. We chose them because had Andy lived in Barnet when he had cancer, we are certain they would have helped treat him with his illness. They do a great job. Richard: Yes, the wonderful people of Cherry Lodge are our main benefactor but we have helped other fantastic causes along the way locally, including scout groups, church roof funds, sporting clubs and so on. Jamie: And we’re now looking to set ourselves up as a charity in our own right and hopefully help even more local causes & other independent charities.
What extra thrills and spills do you have planned for this 2015 event and how many are you catering for and expecting? Jamie: This year the biggest change will be the Main Stage. Not only the stage itself but the fact we will have a full live performance by Bah Samba featuring UK soul chanteuse Juliet Roberts. We’ve also got a couple of PA’s earlier in the day including one from rising stars SouLutions. We’re expecting 4,500 people to attend once again and there are a couple of new additions to the DJ line-up too including Chris Phillips from Jazz FM. There’s licensed bars, food & merchandise vendors, a free kids zone, free soul buses to get you to & from the event, and lots of happy people. It’s always such a special day, very relaxed and a lot of fun and it’s even better when the sun is shining! Dave: The Soulstice Crew are determined to put on a better, but not necessarily bigger event this summer, and plans are already in place.
Summer Soulstice 9 takes place on Saturday 27th June 2015 at Old Elizabethans Memorial Fields, Mays Lane, Barnet EN5 2AG. Advance eTickets available from www.summersoulstice.co.uk/tickets
FITZROY TALKS TO
STANLEY COWELL & CHARLES TOLLIVER
Coming through the ranks of studying music, either through education or by association with established iconic hero’s, both pianist Stanley Cowell and trumpeter Charles Tolliver came together to create a jazz label of monumental value. Strata East Records was born out of two jazz musicians who had a vision to give new experimental and established artists a platform to have more autonomy of their music. This made their catalogue very unique and collectable and they come to the UK in March to do a special showcase with Jean Carn at the Barbican. “Trying To Find A Way” to keep that expressive jazz alive, ”Travelling Man” Stanley Cowell and his fellow co founder of Strata East Charles Tolliver do a Stetsasonic in ‘Talking All That Jazz” with moi. What was life like growing up in Ohio before you worked with Roland Kirk and how well did your father know Art Tatum?
Stanley: I could read and was studying music aged three to four. My father would bring musicians home from his hamburger stall, many of them famous and I met Art Tatum at six years of age. What Art Tatum played was indelibly imprinted on my brain and as I continued my musical studies I eventually found jazz, but not before trying to sing in R&B quartettes to what was deemed race music as that time. In the early 1950’s I found jazz music that I liked from Louis Jordan and other popular stuff. At high school I began to be asked to play piano for dances and that’s where my improvisation came in. The other context was playing preludes and postlude whilst at a baptist church in my African American community. We’d go to check out music from the other churches; they were cooking and sounding like James Brown before he appeared on the circuit. I went to college and studied classical music so this enabled me to include some of my improvisation. I got a masters and bachelor's degree and whilst attending the University of Michigan I got an invite to work with Roland Kirk. What was it that attracted Roland Kirk to you?
Stanley: He was from Columbus Ohio and I met him whilst he was passing through the area of Toledo when his bass player Vernon Martin, a mentor of mine, intro-
30 www.thesoulsurvivors.co.uk
duced us. Rashaan Roland Kirk flabbergasted me with his abilities and I ended up doing jam sessions with him. I sat in at the Village Vanguard sessions in the early 1960’s and later in 1966 whilst finishing a masters degree in Michigan and we played together again.
What influenced you growing up in order for you to choose the trumpet as your musical weapon of choice?
Charles: I was born in Jacksonville Florida then moved to New York and aged 8 my grandmother gave me a beat up coronet which lead to me listen to my uncle Wally’s extensive new modern jazz recordings. In particular Max Roach and Clifford Brown were my favourites and through my teen and college years I decided that was what I wanted to do. In 1963 Jim Harrison had a fan club for one of my heroes saxophonist Jackie McClean. I eventually met Jackie in 1964 and he asked me to rehearse and record with him on It’s Time for Blue Note Records and this was based on Jim Harrison’s recommendation as he hadn't ever heard me play. Once Jackie brought me onto the scene Max Roach, on our first rehearsal, was putting together a new quintette when Freddie Hubbard left and in 1967 I met my life time colleague Stanley Cowell. We just clicked and three years later with some funding Stanley we decided to do a big band recording with my quartette Music Inc. After we recorded the record I went to shop the project out to an independent record company so a major company was not in our plan.
We didn’t get much feedback so we decided to issue it ourselves and although there is usually ten steps to get a record out we did it all by ourselves and this was 1970! Collaborating with Pharaoah Sander’s, Dee Dee Bridgewater, Cecil McBee, Billy Cobham, Alphonse Mouzon and Weldon Irvine who recorded on Strata East Records, how had things politically and socially impacted on you before and during this time?
Stanley: The civil rights movement was the impetus for the kind of energy that all of us benefited from. There was a lot of destruction within the uprising and protest so as artists we could now rebuild things with more self determination. There was also the significance of the African countries gaining independence especially in west Africa with the movement against Apartheid. We became more politically aware due to Malcolm X, Martin Luther King and The Black Panthers and felt we could build our own institutions to express how we felt about things. The spiritual aspect came from these experienced musicians developing musically, but the spiritual awareness was a higher step with John Coltrane leading the way previously in the 1960‘s. There were institutions like Collective Black Artists including Reggie Workman, Jimmy Owens and myself one of it’s founding members plus the Strata East Corporation in Detroit, that convinced us to do a Strata in New York. This reflected the songs we were making in that era that encompassed a freer form of protesting music. I played that style with Sonny Murray and Archie Shepp which may have been too extreme for the black audience who seem to like something a bit more comfortable. The suffering for us was real and I was very angry after the assassinations so the music for me was like a bullet or a brick of rebellion. The audiences we were playing to were primarily white and something didn't seem right to me, as I wanted to create a music that embraced my people in the audience also. I began to change direction and hooked up with Max Roach whose had a history of involvement with Civil Rights. We didn't throw away the screens and free rhythms and we were able to incorporate these into a new appreciative audience. On the business side the idea of self determination and entrepreneurial elements came from Max Roach who always spoke about owning your own music and the artist becoming the producer. It was an exciting, energetic and creative time.
Charles: I must add we were not arbiters like that of a record company where an A&R guy would give the thumbs down on putting something out like that. We just let it happen as we didn't want to turn away the young artists who needed a conduit like the one we had established to get their music out there.
How did you manage to get the production, pressing and recording process underway and why name it Strata East Records?
Charles: After our first big band recording to launch the label, Stanley was friendly with Stan More and Kenny Cox who were already involved in do it yourself activities. They had been involved in concerts and had a cor-
poration called Strata in Detroit and suggested we call ours Strata East. We didn’t want to be that corporate with the business structure involvement. Clifford Jordan a visionary had recorded with us with Pharoah Sanders and Charles Brickeen and saw our set up and brought in many musicians so he’s important in our development.
BECOME A MEMBER AND READ THE FULL INTERVIEW!!
www.thesoulsurvivors.co.uik
READ THE FULL INTERVIEWS, REVIEWS AND MUCH MORE IN ISSUE 58
You can find copies of the Soul Survivors magazine in various venues and clubnights around the UK or sign up to become a Soul Survivor Member for £25pa and recieve all copies through the post including our ‘Members Only Issues’.
Alternatively, if you are technical minded, you can sign up to the Soul Survivor App and read at your leisure for just £14.99 pa. Check out our Soul Survivors Shop on the website to register. http://www.thesoulsurvivors.co.uk/shop/
WORD UP 7! Answers will be placed on the Soul Survivor’s Facebook page next month.
by Soul Survivor David Moran
Across 7 Maxwell was gonna lock you up and love you for days 'till this happens (4,4,7) 9 Famous Wardour Street club and label that needs inflating (4,2) 11 Maurice, Verdine, Philip et al initially (1,1,1) 12 Richard Anthony Hewson's band sang clouds across the moon on flight 2-4-7 (3) 13 Joey Negro's Z factor sounds were in this (3) 14 What goes around comes around for ms Wells (6) 15 Come do this about me shrilled the Supremes (3) 16 Latin jazz opus by Deodata “_ _ _ _ Sprach Zarathustra” (4) 17 Don Covay classic extolling the virtues of not needing (3,6,2,4) 19 MFSB feeling erotic (4) 20 Do this or what? Grace Jones told us! (3) 21 Through the grapevine is what “_ _ _ _ _ _”, Marvin sang (1,5) 23 Hamish, Alan, Onnie et al initally (1,1,1) 24 Duke's other title in a key of life song (3) 25 8Ball's rapper buddy who's too pimpin' (1,1,1) 26 Northern stomper from Patti and her Emblems, “Easy Come, _ _ _ _ _ _” (4,2) 27 London-based collective of DJs and mixers have way more than 39. (3,7,5)
34 www.thesoulsurvivors.co.uk
Down 1 Some kind of wonderful sibling group (4,8,3) 2 “The Love _ _ _ _ _ _ You Was Just A Mirage”, sweetness was only heartache's camouflage, waxed Smokey. (1,3,2) 3 Jimmy Horne's middle name, is it in? (2) 4 What Kanye West should sing to Taylor Swift (5,3,2,5) 5 Mixed messages from this contemporary R&B, smooth Jazz united family (7,5) 6 The Jones Girls took a caravan across the Sudan prior to these (6,4,5) 8 Rose Royce's debut single was better than digging a ditch (3,4) 10 The Isley’s hide their tears behind one of these (7,5) 18 Ooh ah, ooh ah, cool, cool kitty, the Adlibs told us about “The _ _ _ _ _ _ _ New York City” (3,4) 22 Amazingly the Incredibles were speechless “Nothing _ _ _ _ _ _ say” (4,2) 28 TLC wanted “_ _ scrubs” (2)
Fitzroy talks to
JEFF LORBER
Finding his feet in Portland Oregon, Jeff Lorber became a band leading champion of the experimental jazz funk fusion arena in the late 1970’s to the mid 1980’s. His nimble fingers created a sound that was instantly infectious and had so many of us dancing to his ‘Swing Funk’ melodies. Sometimes coming from a ‘Soft Space’ he could flip the script and ‘Refunk” a jazz groove with an intricacy that would ‘Glisten’ like a shining star at night. Ahead of his London ‘Water Music’ boat gig in May 2015, we virtually chinked glasses as we sipped on some ‘Fusion Juice’ memories.
36 www.thesoulsurvivors.co.uk
How was life moving from Philadelphia to Portland Oregon, learning the piano aged four and studying jazz at Berklee college of music? It was a little bit of a culture shock as I had lived in Boston before I came to Portland. It was hard to find work in Boston and I became discouraged trying to find work in music. However, when I moved to Portland even though it was a small city, there was lots of good musicians and work. I started to get recognised in that community as someone who was good. To be honest I never intended to be a band leader but became one because the people I worked with were not as competent. It’s clear from your early Inner City label debut that you were influenced by the keyboard fusion style of Herbie Hancock, Chick Corea and Patrice Rushen. Is that a fair thing to say? At Berklee I started to learn about the theory of how music was put together as they have a very good program there. This gave you the practical tools that break down a musical concept. I learned early on that I couldn’t play like Chick or Herbie and had to go back a bit to find out who they listened to as piano players. I listened to McCoy Tyner, Bill Evans and Wilton Kelly, a favourite of mine, and I went as far back as the 1940’s to the be bop days of jazz piano. It was also a fantastic time when I listened to what was current with Weather Report and Return To Forever who I saw live at City Hall. I got a chance to see Miles Davis and also Thelonious Monk which was really incredible. The first album on Inner City is a fusion cross between Bob James and the Head Hunters and it was a very well produced debut. How much of a contrast was it flicking from piano to Moog and Fender Rhodes and how did you assemble the rest of the band with Lester McFarland on bass, Terry Payne on reeds and flute and your own Alphonse Mouzon meets Billy Cobham drummer Dennis Bradford? That’s kind to say that about Dennis, he’s a wonderful drummer and he was busy supporting the music with a lot of syncopation. He was friends with Pleasure’s drummer Bruce Carter another fantastic drummer. They were influenced by pioneering drummers like Harvey Mason who played on the
experimental HeadHunters album and did session work with George Benson as Harvey was both a jazz and session drummer. With the Fender Rhodes I loved the sound from day one and bought one when I lived in Boston. I also worked in a shop where the guy there let me use the mini moog for sessions even though I didn't know what I was doing. It was also a great time, not just for music but, for technology also. There was so much innovation from synthesiser with the minimoog to the Prophet, to the DF7 and so on. The stuff that Joe Zawinul, Weather Report and Chick Corea were doing in the studio was incredible. As far as the band was concerned I found Dennis early on and Lester was a good all round musician who could sing R&B tunes. We used to play at the Helm in East Portland and to keep things fresh we’d play originals and covers. I liked what George Duke was doing at Fantasy Records working with Cannon Ball Adderly on the Black Messiah album. Our sax player Terry Layne was good but he wasn’t a jazz player in his musical vocabulary and it took a while before we found Kenny Gee with Dennis on drums and Danny Wilson on bass to form that quartet. We had a solid band there and we had Marlon McClain who helped in the production and would travel on tour with us. What I valued about Marlon was that he had studio recording experience. My first record was co produced with my store manager Harry Callow and the second one was with Marlon. I like the mixture of your debut Jeff Lorber Fusion with Funky Gospel, Glisten, Deva Samba and the short and sweet Refunk mixed with straight 8 bar beats. Blended within Chinese Medical Herbs and River Winds were some off beat rhythms. What inspires you to write those kind of complex arrangements? Right it’s really interesting you ask that as I’m working on a new album where the songs really remind me of that first album. There was a lot of modal jazz around at the time of the first album like Freddie Hubbard’s Red Clay and Cannon Ball Adderly, which was a break from straight ahead jazz going into fusion but done in a very primitive way. It had a lot of freedom with improvisational patterns. So by the time I made the Water Sign album I created a style that was melodic and identifiable to me. The first album was done in a modal vein. Marlon McClain said he met you via Nate Phillips and that you worked in a record store in Portland and he ultimately ended up producing your 2nd album Soft Space in 1977. It’s my favourite of yours with The Samba, the slick Black Ice and the again on occasion off beat rhythmic Proteus. How surreal was that to be sparring with Chick Corea and Joe Farrell and talk to me about Dennis Bradford’s drum solo toward the end of Proteus?
BECOME A MEMBER AND READ THE FULL INTERVIEWS: www.thesoulsurvivors.co.uk
THANK YOU AND GOODBYE! :-)
Well as you have read in the intro, it is with much sadness but also excitement that I leave Soul Survivors. As we approach nine years with the magazine and I approach my 50th next year, I have had to evaluate and work out what is best for me. There is nothing sinister about me leaving but many of you will know that I have another business which is a local publication to where I live and it is this that I need to focus my attention on. I also have plans to do a children’s book this year along with many other projects that I haven’t had time to do, so something had to give. I don’t have children so never had a break from the ‘soul scene’ and therefore have been out to one club or another most weekends for the best part of 35 years! I really can’t wait to have a break from it all. That includes hearing the anthems that will always be fantastic tracks but I have heard wayyyyy too many times. I can’t give it up altogether so will be out from time to time and obviously send my reviews in to Fitzroy! Running Soul Survivors with Fitzroy has been a roller coaster over the years with fantastic times and some rough ones too, if I am honest. I have learned a lot about the music industry and people that I sometimes wish I hadn’t, but met some people that I am so glad I did! I met some of my favourite artists that I never dreamed I would including Eric Benet (I met him 2 or 3 times and spoke utter rubbish!), Nile Rodgers, Jean Carne (what a truly lovely lady), Larry Blackmon, Omar, Jocelyn Brown, Jeffrey Daniel, Bluey, Chauncey Black, Randy Muller and many more. I have had many surreal experiences like when I answered my home phone to Smokey Robinson!! I had numerous conversations with the lovely Leee John who I adored as a teenager and would never have believed I would get to speak to in real life. It was never about meeting famous people though, it was about putting a magazine together where people could share their stories, thoughts and events. So, some thank yous! It is actually impossible to thank every individual so thank you Fitzroy for your patience when I have had a bad day and wanted to kill someone (often you!). Thank you Darrell S for being my source of entertainment on many occasion. Thank you to every single person who has ever contributed to our little publication by sending in reviews, adverts or photos and helped our dream along. To all those Soul Survivor Members who I have got to know over the years via email, post, Facebook or out and about. If you knew the number of friends I have who told me what a great job we were doing but never actually supported us you wouldn’t believe me; it is character building!! The support from people who never knew us brought me to tears on occasion as they must have truly believed in us. THANK YOU. With Fitzroy’s passion for music and never ending enthusiasm for Soul Survivors, I have every faith in him taking the magazine to another level so please do give him your support. I will still be on the same email address for a while, same Facebook and phone number and I’m not disappearing off the face of the earth so I hope you will keep in touch and I’ll see you on the dancefloor or bar somewhere soon! Anna xxx PS A huge thank you to my mum for proof reading every issue since we started except this one bizarrely enough...we totally ran out of time! xx
38 www.thesoulsurvivors.co.uk
Event reviews/letters Saturday 21st & Sunday 22nd February at the Best Western Hotel in Leyland was a mini weekend event under the VYBE banner. Three rooms of music covering in Room 1: the best in 70s and 80s modern crossover vinyl spun by Andrea Robinson, Barry Maleady, Kev Oxberry and Roger Williams. Soulful jazzy choons in Room 2 played by Colin Curtis, Tony Cooney, Paul Garland and Bob Jeffries and then the best in classic, RnB and modern soul in Room 3 was provided by Soul Kandi, Paul Goldsmith, Mike Stephens and Bigger. All 3 rooms had packed dance floors throughout the night. Early arrivals were treated by a cross section of black music played during the afternoon session. Janet Crowe, the promoter, laid on an excellent food and drinks package for the travelling soul family from all parts of the country. Big respect to all of the DJs who played during the weekend. In my humble opinion the best soul night in the North West. Raph Parkinson North West Soul Survivor
Luxury Soul Weekender Blackpool 2-4th Jan 2015 For the first time in years I travelled up to Blackpool by car with my co pilot Rory Gallagher ‘Cruising’ down the highway like Smokey Robinson. Setting off at 6am after getting home at 4.30am from a dj set at the Scala gave me time to have a kip and get ready for a long weekend. First stop was Angie and Ledgie’s wedding at a registry office in Blackpool which was attended by a few off us lucky people attending the weekender. It was lovely humorous and moving which put us all in the mood to get on down and “Party” like Van McCoy. There was the usual meeting and greeting of people from all around the country and socialising in all the rooms Friday night, which was buzzing like a bumble bee. Although I was tired I did manage it seems to keep everyone in the lounge upstairs awake playing for best part of 2 hours at the end slot. Sleep deprivation kicked in so I missed some of Saturday afternoon’s salsa session but caught about an hour of that and then some of the jazz session which is always well attended. Take a bow Vivy B for doing an uncompromising early afternoon set debut of rare groove and soul classics, you had me and that Lounge audience dancing ourselves dizzy. Saturday night had many, blinged, glam rocked, and posher than a toff in their flamboyant dresses, suit and ting for the Al Hudson and One Way concert. What a set ..OMG opening with I Didn’t Mean To Break Your Heart which gave me palpitations. Alicia Myers was mesmerizing as she sang I Wanna Thank You and with the rest of the group Music and How Do You Do and Mr Groove went down well. Alicia, Al and Dave Roberson and the
40 www.thesoulsurvivors.co.uk
crew mingled on both Saturday and Sunday nights with the audience enjoying the Luxury Soul experience. I had two more DJ duties in the Lancaster and The Lounge and got to say thanks for the kind words on both sets ..I was humbled by them truly. The Queens was rammed both Friday and Saturday when I popped in and watched Bigger, Mike Stephens, Norman Halley, Mike Vitti and Andy Davis “Do Ya Thang” with the old school R&B soul classics. Stayed for the Sunday session for the first time again in years which was nice as I’ve been asked to play next year and do a Sunday set. So roll on LSW 2016 and big thanks to Ralph Tee and Richard Searling for another fine mess of an enjoyable weekend.
Jazz Funk Soul at Charlie Wrights N1 23rd Jan 2015 Sadly a building that stood for 193 years was being demolished and was, for a little while, the home for Neville's long running Jazz Funk Soul once a month Saturday gig. It was a historical night for two reasons, one being it was the last JFS and secondly the first time on a Friday. I was invited to spin with Chris Alexander as guests alongside the residents, Neville, Colin Scott and Stevie Day. It was packed when I arrived just before midnight with people swarming the dance floor filled with so many regular faces that frequented the event over the years. Chris played some classic old school house gems like Ten City’s Right Back To You and I followed suit with a mixed bag of jazz funk and soul beats, Loco Moto by The Inversions and Fania All Stars Vente Comingo proving to be popular. Neville dropped Glen Jones’s I Am Somebody leaving Colin Scott with a pure dancers set to bestow on the hardcore flingfooters. Next stop the boat in July on the Thames and like MJ “I’ll Be There” with the crew so check the advert in here for tickets before they are “Gone Gone Gone” like Johnny Mathis. Fitzroy
Soul Club @ White Lion Streatham SW16 13 Feb ‘15 Tony Rodderz and Stevie Dundee kindly invited me back to spin at their Friday night session as a pre Valentine/ earthday set prelude. I must say I thoroughly enjoyed myself in the mix with my bag of tricks as the place filled up by 10.30pm. Dancin’ & Prancin’ like Candido, there were plenty of smiling faces and merriment that continued when Tony Rodriguez tailed off the night with some of his known ill skills. Nice atmosphere, friendly staff, good music and soul food too is a perfect recipe for a “Get Down Friday Night” in Sarf London. Fitzroy
SOULPACK Flyer Distribution
Dedicated and distributed to the afro-latin-world-soul-jazz-funkboogie-disco-house and electronica genres of music at clubs, venues and live gigs across London. Shop drops/posters/exit flyering For more information and a quote please contact us on 07915 090013 or email soul-pack@hotmail.com
Radio Shows with Fitzroy The Soul Survivors 6-8pm Tuesdays soundfusionradio.net 1-4pm Thursdays crackers.lgr.co.uk
6-8pm Saturdays soundfusionradio.co.uk
Where you can find Fitzroy in April/May/June/July 2015
4/4 - Funky Nation @ Ronnie Scotts W.1 5/4 - We Love Soul @ Sway WC2 17/4 - SO-UK @ Indigo2 Greenwich 2/5 - Soul Innit @ Element 19 Manchester 3/5 - We Love Soul @ The Loop, London W1 7-15/5 - SITA Algarve 17-23/5 - Ibiza Soul 24/5 - We Love Soul @ Ruby Blue, London WC2 6/6 - Soul Case IK Lounge Harrow 4/7 Funky Nation-Ronnie Scotts W.1 19/7 Jazz Funk Soul The Boat @Temple Pier
Louise Golbey 15-1-2015 Hipperdrome WC1 I was invited to see Louise Golbey a petit and unassuming looking young lady in stature who has a very powerful vocal range. Gracing the stage at the plush Hipperdrome venue in Leicester Square,Louise was in full control as she shamelessly plugged the new material form he new album. Admittedly I knew none of the songs but alongside some of die hardened fans, I very much enjoyed her artistry. Performing with a sense of quirky humour and a live band of soulful funky and jazzy musicians, she introduced a couple of guests LyricL and Omar whom she duets with on a co written The Outsider. With versatility Louise not only shared a quaint video she made from her iphone as she sang the song Little Bird , but dedicate Family Tree to her 93 year old gran. Playing piano on an acoustic Where Love with Johnny on guitar, her album producer Drew Horley played drums on a new hip hop version of How It Is. Check her album reviewed in this magazine and watch out for this demure but awesome ‘Sparkle” of talent, who charted at number 3 in the new Fair Trade 4 Music Chart in February 2015. Fitzroy Jo Harman 29-1-15 Jazz Cafe NW1
Jo Harman was making her debut at the Jazz Cafe after already conquering the Royal Albert which seems molecule but is still a tick box in terms of live performance venues. Jo does have an almost Elkie Brook rawness about her and did do a blistering set of funky rock soul and gospel set to an audience who has her back like a well trained army. She gave us a world premier of a song When We Were Young which she finished writing at 12 midnight before the evening’s performance and strutted with the mic on stage like Mick Jagger with an exciting yet controlled energy. She certainly is a vocal gymnast
as displayed on Ain’t No Love a very hammond organ driven track with a great solo from keyboardist. It was nice to hear her do the Average White Band’s Work To Do and see her bring her band on stage for the encore and take a bow. Leaving no stones unturned Jo Harman is achieving a mission that’s not so impossible!! Fitzroy
Yolanda Brown Jazz Cafe 7-2-2015
I was fortunate to be called upon for Dj duties to this talented saxophonist who had an amazing turn out for a pre Valentines reggae soul jam jazz session. The crowd was like a Benetton gathering; it was nice to see that support for a reggae music based event. With a tight band Yolanda blew her horn covering classics from Bob Marley to the Beatles her versatility was that diverse.The crowd was so receptive as Yolanda worked the stage and gave us some history on occasion of her links to the rhythm and the bass elements of reggae music in how she experienced it growing up. Unfortunately I didn’t see all the concert as I had another date in Stafford to get to but when I left around 10pm it looked like Yolanda would keep them “jamming in the name of the lord” like Bob Marley!! Fitzroy Thank you to Russell Ashton, Soul Survivor member, for his photo proving you can read your mag anywhere!
We would love to hear your reviews of the events you have been to. Please do forward your review (max 250 words) and photos by the cut off date and we will publish. fitzroy@thesoulsurvivors.co.uk
What’s goin’ on? REGULAR EVENTS
A Hard Days Night @ Vibe Bar, 92 Brick Lane, E1 6QL. Original and northern soul 45s from 7pm
EVERY THURSDAY
Jazz on the Park Upstairs @ The County Arms. Hale End Road E4 9PB. The Phil Capone Trio ft vocalist Shelley. 8:30-11pm Food avail. £5
1st THURSDAY
Soulfunky @ Belair House, Gallery Rd, Dulwich, SE21 7AB
1st FRIDAY
Funky Nation @ Upstairs at Ronnie Scotts, Frith St, W1 8-3am
EVERY SATURDAY
MARCH
FRIDAY 6-8 MARCH
Prestatyn Weekender @ North Wales.
FRIDAY 6 MARCH
Reverend P @ Hoochie Coochie, Newcastle. French Edit Specialist. Remember The Times @ Electric Social (Upstairs), 40 Acre Lane, SW2 5SP. 9-3am. £5 B4 11pm £8 after. Simply Salacious @ Market House, 443 Coldharbour Lane, Brixton, SW9 8LN. 9-3am Free B4 11pm £5 after. Soulfunky @ Belair House, Gallery Rd, Dulwich, SE21 7AB 8-2am
SUNDAY 8 MARCH
Soul Connoisseurs Collective @ Brilliant Corners, 470 Kingsland Rd, E8 4AE 4pm - Midnight. Sunday Soul Sessions @ The George, Hornchurch, RM12 4UW. 511pm
FRIDAY 13 MARCH
Soulbox @ The Maze Inn, Chase Side, Southgate, N14 4EY. Free B4 10pm, £5 after. (See Ad)
SATURDAY 14 MARCH
Bashiyra ‘the Voice’ @ Pizza Express, 32 Earl Street, Maidstone, Kent ME14 1PS 7pm Tickets £15 0845 6027 017
THURSDAY 19 MARCH
Mica Paris @ The Prince of Wales, 467 Brixton Road, SW9 8HH. (See Ad)
Corduroy @ Brooklyn Bowl, The 02, London SE10 0DX. (See Ad)
FRIDAY 20 MARCH 44 www.thesoulsurvivors.co.uk
FRIDAY 20-22 MARCH
NSN Portugal Weekender @ Praia Du Luz. Special guest performances and DJs. Luxurious apartments & exclusive venue.
SATURDAY 21 MARCH
Soul Shack 17th Birthday! @ Britannia, 20 Monument St, London EC3R 8AJ. DJs Ash Selector & James Anthony 10pm-3am
SUNDAY 22 MARCH
Strata-East Live @ Barbican, London EC1 with Gilles Peterson, Charles Tolliver, Stanley Cowell and guests Jean Carne, Cecil McBee, Billy Harper and Alvin Queen. (See Ad)
FRIDAY 27 MARCH
Jocelyn Brown and guests @ Arena, Civic Centre, St Albans, Hertfordshire, AL1 3LD. (See Ad) Kenny Thomas @ Hoochie Coochie, Newcastle
SATURDAY 28 MARCH
The Frogmarch @ The George, 64 High Street, Hornchurch, Essex, RM12 4UW with 3 rooms of music 1pm-3am (See Ad) Simply Salacious @ Plan B, Brixton with Karizma, Souldynamic, Neil Pierce & Peter Borg.
SUNDAY 29 MARCH
Record & CD Fair @ Abney Public Hall, 73a Stoke Newington Church Street, London N16 0AS Sunday Soul Sessions @ The Victoria, Romford RM1 2PA. 5-11pm
APRIL
Shalamar @ Colston Hall, Bristol
THURSDAY 2 APRIL FRIDAY 3 APRIL
Remember The Times @ Electric Social (Upstairs), 40 Acre Lane, SW2 5SP. 9-3am. £5 B4 11pm £8 after. Shalamar @ ST Davids Hall, Cardiff Simply Salacious @ Market House, 443 Coldharbour Lane, Brixton, SW9 8LN. 9-3am Free B4 11pm £5 after.
SATURDAY 4 APRIL
Soul Case @ I.K. Lounge, 215 High Rd, Harrow, HA3 5EE. 9pm3am. £5 B4 11pm £8 after. (See Ad)
SUNDAY 5 APRIL
Soultrain @ Java, 9 Park Street, Bristol, Avon BS1 5NF Coochie, Newcastle. (See Ad) We Love Soul @ Sway, 61-65 Gt Queens St, London WC2B 5BZ. 3 rooms from 10pm-5am. (See Ad)
Black & White PR Presents Natasha Watts Up Close and Personal @ The George II, 64-68 High St, Hornchurch. £15. Sheila E @ Brooklyn Bowl, The 02, London SE10 0DX. (See Ad)
FRIDAY 10 APRIL
Essex Funkers Spring Bash @ Harlow Town Football Club. 8pm2am £10. Call 07800 724757
SATURDAY 11 APRIL SUNDAY 12 APRIL
Sunday Soul Sessions @ The George, Hornchurch, RM12 4UW. 5-11pm
SO-UK and Centrepoint Sessions @ Indigo2. 7.30-3am An evening of sublime UK Soul. (See Ad)
FRIDAY 17 APRIL
Record Store Day - Support your nearest store.
SATURDAY 18 APRIL
The Groove Association @ Jazz Cafe, Camden, NW1
THURSDAY 23 APRIL Incognito @ Hoochie Coochie, Newcastle.
FRIDAY 24 APRIL
SUNDAY 26 APRIL
Sunday Soul Sessions @ The Victoria, Romford, RM1 2PA 5-11pm Yolanda Brown @ The Prince of
THURSDAY 30 APRIL
Wales, 467 Brixton Road, SW9 8HH. (See Ad)
MAY
FRIDAY 1-4 MAY
Caister Soul Weekender
Soultrain @ Java, 9 Park Street, Bristol, Avon BS1 5NF Coochie, Newcastle. (See Ad) We Love Soul @ The Loop, 19 Dering Street, London W1S 1AH 3 rooms from 10pm-5am. (See Ad)
SUNDAY 3 MAY
Jocelyn Brown @ Hoochie Coochie, Newcastle.
THURSDAY 7-8 MAY
THURSDAY 7-14 MAY
Soul In The Algarve @ Portugal
FRIDAY 8-10 MAY
Southport Weekender 52 @ Butlins Holiday Resort, Minehead. (See Ad)
Jocelyn Brown @ Hoochie Coochie
FRIDAY 8 MAY
SUNDAY 10 MAY
Sunday Soul Sessions @ The George, Hornchurch, RM12 4UW.
STOMP NOW A T-SHIRTS VAILA BLE!
THURSDAY 14 MAY
Marcia Griffiths & Friends @ 02 Academy, Bristol (See Ad)
FRIDAY 15 MAY
Marcia Griffiths & Friends @ 02 Academy, Leeds (See Ad)
SATURDAY 16 MAY
Marcia Griffiths & Friends @ 02 Academy, Birmingham (See Ad)
SUNDAY 17 MAY
Marcia Griffiths & Friends @ 02 Shepherds Bush Empire, London
SUNDAY 17-24 MAY
The Ibiza Soul Week @ Club Punta Arabi, Ibiza
SATURDAY 23 MAY
Soul Nostalgia Night @ Hilton, Coventry. Early bird tickets £5, £7 B4 12pm and £8 after. 9pm-3am. Tel: 024760 603000
Soultrain @ Java, 9 Park Street, Bristol, Avon BS1 5NF (See Ad) We Love Soul @ Ruby Blue, 1 Leicester Place, London WC2H 7RN 3 rooms from 10pm-5am. (See Ad)
SUNDAY 24 MAY
SUNDAY 31 MAY
Sensation Jazz Cruise - The Ultimate Floating Jazz Party @ Dixie Queen - Riverboat, Butlers Wharf Pier, London. SE1 2YD. 14pm. Jeff Lorber Fusion, Sam
Rucker, Joe Leader, London Jazz Trio, DJ Dave Marley and DJ Rich Edwards playing non-stop Smooth Grooves, Soul & Jazz Funk Classics. (See Ad)
JUNE
SATURDAY 14 JUNE
Earth Wind & Fire Experience Ft. Al McKay @ Indigo2, Greenwich. (See Ad)
Jazz Funk Soul The Boat @ Golden Jubilee, Temple Pier. 2-7pm with Djs Neville, Colin Scott, Stevie Day & guests Fitzroy da Buzzboy and Amazon (See Ad)
HOLIDAYS/
WEEKENDERS 2015
FRIDAY 26 JUNE
WED 24 JUNE-1 JULY
SATURDAY 27 JUNE
FRIDAY 3-5 JULY
Soulstice Warm Up Party @ The Black Horse Tavern, Wood St, Barnet. 7.30pm - 12am. Free (See Ad)
Summer Soulstice @ OE’s Memorial Playing Fields. 12Midday 11pm. Bah Samba ft Juliet Roberts and many more. (See Ad)
JULY
FRIDAY 10-11 JULY
Chilfest @ Pendley Meadow, Cow Lane, Tring. Sister Sledge, Shalamar, Jocelyn Brown, Odyssey, Shakatak, Billy Ocean and more. (See Ad)
SATURDAY 11 JULY Soultrain Soulboat Cruise (SeeAd) SUNDAY 19 JULY
3 The Soul @ Cyprus. DJs Bigger, Ronnie Herel, Vivy B, Brian Jay, Mike Stephens, Chris Box, Brian Norman and Live PA Natasha Watts.
Hayling Island 3 @ Hayling Island!
WEDNESDAY 22-29 JULY
SunceBeat 6 @ The Garden Tisno, Croatia. (See Ad)
SAT 29-30 AUGUST
Campsoul Music Festival @ Grove Farms, Milton Hill, Harwell, Oxfordshire OX13 6AD
THURSDAY 3-9 SEPT
Salou Soul Weekender 7 @ Spain
SAT 10-16 OCT
Lagoona Soul @ Hisaronu, Turkey.
IF YOU WOULD LIKE YOUR EVENTS LISTED HERE PLEASE EMAIL fitzroy@thesoulsurvivors.co.uk FULL DETAILS OF EVENTS ARE ON OUR WEBSITE CALENDAR http://www.thesoulsurvivors.co.uk/whats-going-on/
WE EMAIL EVENT REMINDERS OUT ONCE A WEEK INCLUDING COMPETITIONS TO WIN TICKETS! SEND YOUR DETAILS IN TO RECEIVE UPDATES.
Events can be subject to change so please check with promoter if unsure.
Soul Radio 7-10am Breakfast Show on soundfusionradio.net 8-10am 7 days a week! Marcus Hayes Soul Show on cruisefm.co.uk 1-3pm Mon-Fri The Dave Brown Show on starpointradio.com 5-7am Mon-Fri Supa Fine Sessions with DJ Speedy on www.tsolradio.com 4-7pm Tues/Thurs/Friday DJ Double M on crackersradio.com with the Jazzyfunk show
DAILY
1-3pm DJ Hal presents FUNK Beyond da Call of Duty on streetfm.net (94.) 3-5pm Marcia DaVinyl MC MiXedBag show on mi-soul.com 5-7pm UK Soul Chart with Kevin J on cruisefm.co.uk 8-7pm Dave VJ presents Grown & Sexy Show on misoul.com
MONDAYS
46 www.thesoulsurvivors.co.uk
6-8pm Strictly Vinyl Sessions with Carl Dennie on solarradio.com Soul/Rare grooves 6-8pm Souled Out with Colsie on www.tongueandgrooveradio.com 7-10pm Soul360 with Aitch B on www.colourfulradio.com & DAB London 8-10pm Souled Out with Mark K on www.tongueandgrooveradio.com 8-10pm The Rod Allsworth Classic Soul on Fylde Coast Radio & Deeside 8-11pm Ian Jons The Monday Mission on www.zeroradio.co.uk 9pm-Midnight The Big R&B show with Ronnie Herel on mi-soul.com 9-11pm Ian Henry with Soul, Jazz Fusion & funk on generationradio.co.uk 9pm-Midnight Soul Crackers George Power on 103.3fm London and crackersradio.com 10pm - Midnight Insatiable Soul with Roni O’Brien on Solar Radio
11-12 Midnight Bushbaby on cruisefm.co.uk
TUESDAYS
4-6pm DJ Len’s Selection box on jfsr.co.uk 6-8pm Fitzroy’s Musicology Show on SoundFusionRadio.net 6-8pm June Furlong on Solarradio.com 9-Midnight Inside America Michael Speaks Da Costa on thesouloflondonradio.com 9-11pm Suite Soul with Bob Jeffries on starpointradio.com 10-1pm Cyber Soul with Johnny Reckless on colourfulradio.com 10-Midnight Tony Rodriguez & Stevie Dundee with Move On Up Show solarradio.com 10-Midnight DJ Andy Richards with Timeless Soul on cruisefm.co.uk 10-Midnight The Foundation with Andy Hunter on crackersradio.com
WEDNESDAYS
1-3pm Ian Henry with Soul, Jazz Fusion and funk on www.generationradio.co.uk 7-10pm Jazzi Q on colourfulradio.com 8-10pm The Triple SSS Show with Shaun Evans & Marcus Bell on www.radiomk.co.uk 8-10pm DJ Marky P with the Paradise Sessions on cruisefm.co.uk 9-10 Les Knott Jazz Funk Soul on redzfm.com 9-11pm Steve O'Mahoney playing Soul, Jazz & Funk www.radio789.net.ms 9-11pm Jason Anderson - Soul Ascension on http://mixlr.com/soul-ascension/ 10pm-Midnight Notes & Tones with Ruth Fisher on solarradio.com or Sky 0129 10-Midnight Les Knott on Zeroradio.co.uk 10pm-Midnight The Discoliscious Show with Retro Russ on crackersradio.com 11pm-Midnight Trevor Nelson’s Soul Show on BBC Radio 2 11pm-1am Perry Louis on Diverse FM
THURSDAYS
Midday-3pm Sizzlin Wit Soul with Alan Gray on fyldecoastradio.co.uk 60s/70s Soul 1-4pm Fitzroy Soul Survivor Show on crackersradio.com 3-4pm Hidden Gems 60’s to new Soul on www.fcumradio.co.uk 4-6pm Modern Soul Sessions with Paul Sams on jfsr.co.uk 7-9pm Ride da Rhythm with Hilary John @ www.station898fm.co.uk & 89.8fm London 7-9pm Infiniti with Andy Jackson on 107.5 Tulip Radio Modern Soul Radio 7-10pm Back in The Day with Doug Forbes on Calon105FM www.calonfm.com 7-10pm DJ Paolo & DJ Scott with Deep Fried on crackersradio.com 8-10pm Soulpower with Shaun Gallagher on www.soulpower-radio.com 8-11pm Soul Therapy Show DJ Mike T on tongueandgrooveradio.com or tngr.co.uk 8-10pm Whistle & White Socks Brigade with Simon Ford on zeroradio.co.uk 8-10pm Boogie Wonderlandwith Nick Davies Winchcombe 107.1fm radiowinchcome.co.uk 9-11pm Scott Savill with Soul From The Shed on cruisefm.co.uk 10-Midnight Nick Gunn’s Soul Armoury on zeroradio.co.uk. Jazz, Funk, Soul & Boogie 10-12Midnight The Big Hook-up Funksy on 103.3FM London and crackersradio.com
FRIDAYS
2-4pm Mellow A on jfsr.co.uk Old Skool Soul 5-7pm Ian Jons Friday Funk Sensation from on www.zeroradio.co.uk 6-8pm The Feel It Show with Wayne B & Angie D on urbanjazzradio.net 7-9pm Mike Vitti’s Funky Nation with Jazz Funk, Soul and Boogie on mi-soul.com 9-11pm Backatcha with Sammy Sam on starpointradio.com Disco Boogie Soul & Funk 10-12am Evolution with DJ Mease on radio2funky.co.uk 8-10am Jump Start with Ginger Tony on
SATURDAYS
solarradio.com From nu-jazz to funk & jazz 8-10am Sunshineman on 89.8 FM London stationfm.ning.com 89.9fm Jazz, Funk & Soul 9-11am Saturday Fry Up with Mark, Ricky & Trevor on starpointradio.com Soul & Funk 9-Midday Soul Fusion Show with DJ Gloss on soundfusionradio.net with soul and funk 10am -Midday Soulful Saturdays with Ian Dee pointblank.fm 90.2fm Ldn. 10am-Midday The Early Bird Catching The Worm Show House FM with DJ Birdy 10am-12pm Kev Roberts on Solarradio.com 11am-1pm 6MS SESSIONS Disco, soul, house, funk boogie on stompradio.com Midday-2pm Groove Control Show with Ash Selector on solarradio.com Midday-2pm Saturday Soulmine with Jonny Layton on zeroradio.co.uk 1-4pm Paul Sams’ Modern Soul Sessions on Stompradio.com 1-4pm The Getdown with Scandal on crackersradio.com 2-4pm Turn the Music up with James Anthony on solarradio.com Classic ‘n’ current 2-4pm Dancefloor Grooves with Jamie Taylor on banburyinternetradio.com 2-4pm Across the Trax with Mark Lee on zeroradio.co.uk 2-5pm The Bushbaby Flava on cruisefm.co.uk 2-6pm Peter Young on Jazz FM. A mixture of old & new soul with ‘The Soul Cellar’ at 5pm 4-6pm Seaside Vibes with Paul Clark on Zeroradio.co.uk 4-6pm Collins & Mason on back2backfm.net 4-7pm Max G on crackersradio.com with The Natural Element 5-6pm CJ Carlos in the mix cruisefm.co.uk 6-8pm 21st Century Intergalactic Black 2 da Future Show on SoundFusionRadio.net 6-8pm Marky Mark with Soul Motive on back2backfm.net 6-8pm Movin’ On! with Mark Blee on soulpower-radio.com 6-8pm DJ Allans Funk Sessions on soulradiouk.com 6-9pm Superior Rhythm Soul Show from Spain with Dean Freeman on exitefm.com 5-7pm The Morpheus Soul Show www.playvybz.com DJ Johnny Rebel 5-9pm Club Classics Chris Brown on Star 107.9/1 FM in Cambridge. Soul & Motown 6-8pm Soul Inspired with David Bishop on www.zeroradio.co.uk Classic 60’s–80’s Soul 6-8pm Craig Charles Funk & Soul Show on www.bbc.co.uk/6music/shows/funk_soul/ 7-9pm Skippys Soul on NevisRadio.co.uk 7-10pm Soul Boy Sessions with Grant Santino on crackersradio.com (3rd Sat month) 8-10pm Mellow A on soulradiouk.com 8-10pm The Soulful Session with DJ Chris Philps on zeroradio.com 10-1am A Touch of Soul with Devon BBC Derby 104.5fm, Notts 103.8fm & Lincs. 94.9fm 12-2am Back to tha o’l skool on 90.8FM Strictly 80’s soul & Rap lightningfm.co.uk
SUNDAYS
12 Mid-4am Colin Faver on solarradio.com A soulful mix of upfront & classic house/Beats 9-11am Sandra C on stompradio.com 9-11am Sunday Service with Brian Kelly on zeroradio.co.uk Jazz funk and soul 9-12 Midday Soul On Sunday with Mick Foster on Diverse FM 102.8 diversefm.com 10-2pm with Jeff Young on Jazzfm.com 10-1pm The Sunday Lunchtime Connection Bang Radio 103.6fm www.wearebang.com 10-Midday The Sunday Soul Affair with Curly CJ starpointradio.com Jazz Funk & Soul 10-Midday Soul A.M with the Master J on tongueandgrooveradio.com & soulam.co.uk 4-7pm Soul & Reggae Sundays with Sly on colourfulradio.com 12-2pm DJ Enyaw on dejavufm.com with The Sunday Soul Selection 1-3pm Mucho Soul with Ket & DJ AKA on www.back2backfm.net 2-4pm Russ Dewbury with Jazz Rooms Sunday SocialBrighton’s Juice 107.2 3-6pm Stumpi-Inspiration Show Soul on diversefm.com 102.8fm Herts, Beds & Bucks. 4-6pm Soul Source with Richard Searling on solarradio.com 4-Midnight The Soul Train team in Bristol bring you soultrainradio.co.uk 4-6pm Randy Peterson Playing a soulful mix of house music on www.housefm.net 6-8pm Soul Discovery with Mick O’Donnell on solarradio.com 7-10pm Soulful Sundays with Keith Martin on magic1152.co.uk 7-10pm The Good Groove with Victor P on crackersradio.com 8-10pm Soul Therapy with DJ Annelle on soulradiouk.com 9-10pm DJ Pressure’s Classic Material Rap Show on cruisefm.co.uk 10-Mid Sunday Night Soul with Keith Fletcher on BBC Radio Lancashire Motown/Northern Midnight-3am DJ Afroogroove on 91.6FM or www.genesisradio.co.uk/afrogroove JL’s Groove can be listened to on demand on www.celticradio.com Weekly podcasts on dazlingsoul.com live365.com/station/atomicdog65 24/7 webstream Soul, Jazz & Neo Soul If in Costa del Sol, check out global.fm Jeff Thomas Mon-Fri 2-5pm, Sun 9-Midday Podcast soulpower08.mypodcast.com Tony Poole on TKO Gold 106 Wks-9pm 96.7 & 87.7 FM in Spain or tkogold.com Marky Mark of Soul Motive with soul funk.ssradiouk.com/category/shows/soul-motive/ The Groove with Suzy Chase podcast shows on www.thegrooveradio.com VibeRide Podcast/radio Shows at VibeRide.org.uk
PLEASE EMAIL ANY NEW SHOWS, DELETIONS OR AMENDMENTS TO
fitzroy@thesoulsurvivors.co.uk