Issue 65 August & September 2016 digital edit

The Quintessential info provider for the Soul Survivor ISSUE 65 - 1st AUG 2016 - 30TH SEP 2016

“THE GREATEST” ISSUE - RIP MUHAMMAD ALI 17TH JANUARY 1942 - 3RD JUNE 2016

I SHOOK UP THE WORLD

News, Reviews & Interviews Alton McClain

ANGIE STONE

Guile Sharp

Peven Everett & Billie Jewell

cover artwork by guile sharp

WHAT’S INSIDE?

GREETINGS, SOUL SURVIVORS

3 FITZROY TALKS TO

Well, we are officially 10 years old now from the 8th July 2016 and entering the Dr Dre & Snoop ‘Next Episode’ of The Soul Survivors Magazine. In my lifetime this has been the most intense and illogical experience of political ‘Summer Madness’ and not, may I add, just here in the UK but also the USA. Things that have happened in these two superpower continents have had reverberations around the world in some shape or form. Presidential candidates and gun law enforcement touting madness in the USA, plus the fighting amongst and within the red and blue parties in the UK, are as comical as the Keystone cops or a Carry On Film. Reminds me of modern day Buster Keaton and Kenneth Williams characters. ‘Ooooh Matron’! Even though the UK voted ‘democrapidly’ to leave the European market by choice, they practically kicked their own backsides out for the second time within a week in the Euro football tournament.

Well done to the Welsh Dragons, the undisputed ‘Pride of Britain’. However there is no need to Brexit from reading and subscribing to The Soul Survivors Magazine, as we will always remain the info provider for the soul survivor.

ALTON MCCLAIN

8 DARRELL’S FUNK BOX 9 COMPETITION 10 FITZROY TALKS TO

ANGIE STONE

16 TRIBUTES TO

MUHAMMAD ‘THE

GREATEST’ ALI

22 RECORD REVIEWS

28 MIRA PARKES

Soul Survivors

Balkan & Worldwide

correspondent Speaks

to GUILE SHARP

32 FITZROY SPEAKS TO

PEVEN EVERETT

40 EVENT REVIEWS 46 WHAT’S GOING ON? All adverts are placed in good faith and The Soul Survivors Magazine 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 2006 - 2016 © The Soul Survivors Magazine It is essential to note that all artwork, adverts and listings must be confirmed and sent in to fitzroy@ thesoulsurvivorsmagazine.co.uk before Wednesday 7 September in order to meet the graphic designer and print 3 week preparation.

This will ensure that the magazine for October and November is ready and out on the street ahead of 1st October 2016.

Thanks in advance. The Soul Survivors Magazine Team!

Suite 013, 986 Garratt Lane, Tooting Broadway, London SW17 0ND E: fitzroy@thesoulsurvivorsmagazine.co.uk M: 07956 312931 C fitzroy.facey C Fitzroytheoriginalsoulsurvivor C TheSoulSurvivors MSoulSurvivors1 www.thesoulsurvivorsmagazine.co.uk

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There’s been excitement of sorts in the sports world with the Teena Marie ‘Portuguese Love’ winning the Euro football final, Serena coming ‘Straight Outta Compton’ and winning both the women’s single and doing a Whoopie Goldberg ‘Sister Act’ with Venus on the women doubles. Showing he has a higher IQ than local athletic Wombledonian Tomsk, Andy Murray was singing the AWB ‘Lets Go Round Again” winning the men’s singles title for the 2nd time. Soul Surviving congrats to those champions and good luck to the Olympians competing in Brazil where there will be some ‘Salsational’ bossa nova and samba music.

This issue is dedicated to, for me, the ultimate Soul Survivor, Muhammad Ali. Supreme athlete, activist, humanitarian and ambassador, not only for his African indigenous and Diaspora race but also for the whole of mankind. He is the real life superhero for so many who not only recorded singles and albums, and was a catalyst for concerts, but also inspired artists to record songs about him. This makes Ali a very unique soul survivor. Muhammad’s front cover illustration was designed by one of our interviewees courtesy of Mira Parkes, Guile Sharp. ‘Finally’ like CeCe Peniston after a few attempts we managed, courtesy of Soulfood’s talented one Steve Ripley, to speak with the South Carolina ‘Black Diamond’ Angie Stone. Our third interview is with another multitasking artist, who we’ve been intending to talk to, so we conversed with Peven Everett on his recent London stop over. Lest we forget, making her debut in the UK this September, almost 40 years after her success with her female trio, Alton McClain of Alton McClain & Destiny, speaks with Soul Survivors. In celebrating our 10 years we have collaborated with Expansion Records who are celebrating 30 years (congratulations) to release an album that as a member you can purchase at discount prices called ‘Soul Survivors’. It features contemporary productions from a few of our interviewees over the last decade that retain the old school essence from their not so familiar repertoire. Welcome to Issue 65... Enjoy Fitzroy I must say a huge thank you to two people who help to bring my Tony Hart ‘Vision On’ ideas to fruition by unscrambling my ideas and ‘Make My Dream A Reality’ like GQ via magazine and the website. Those two are Ayshea Scott my Graphic Designer and Anna B my IT consultant, ‘Problem Solver’ like Lenny Williams and photographer.

Nice one for the Aretha and Annie Lennox ‘Sisters Doing It For Themselves’. Thanks also to Ian Soul Provyder for the link with Peven Everett & Billie Jewell, Steve Ripley for Angie Stone, Ralph Tee for Alton McClain and Mira Parkes for Guile Sharp. Thanks to Scarbutts for the print, Darrell for his Funkbox column and to the advertisers, the magazine members and you the readers.

Editors Note: The image of Scott James and Orlando Gittens that appeared on page 24 of Issue 64 is credited to Gary Thomas Kypa.

The girls were looking at me as they continued with a “What are you doing down there?” expression on their face, I hid my face in embarrassment, I’ll never forget that experience as it’s funny now but it wasn’t then.

FITZROY TALKS TO

Alton McClain

Hailing from a Nina Simone ‘Baltimore’, this gospel singing sensation had the voice of an angel who would ‘Hang On In There Baby’ to her dream of becoming a singer. Alton McClain was the focal vocalist for the group Alton McClain & Destiny who made three albums over a 2-year period on Polygram. She met her husband, the late writer and arranger extraordinaire Skip Scarborough during this time and is coming tom the UK in September, to perform some of her classic ‘Love Notes’ for the very first time of which she is very excited at the prospect.

Where did you grow up and what were your musical influences before you became part of the group Alton McClain & Destiny?

I grew up in Baltimore Maryland. As a child I loved to watch musicals on TV and especially Doris Day who, as a singer and actor, was so good. I grew up during the Motown years and my very first album was Diana Ross & the Supremes ‘Come See About Me’, which I still have. I loved Diana Ross and Aretha Franklin as my two favourites, but I listened to Martha Reeves & The Vandellas, Smokey Robinson and The Temptations too.

When Aretha Franklin came out it was my dream to sing like her. I can sound like her but I sound more like Diana Ross, which kind of worked for me, as it’s like Diana Ross singing like Aretha Franklin. I always dreamed of being a singer. I use

to watch the Mike Douglas show which was an afternoon show on here in the States. I dreamt of being on his show because he had beautiful microphones. When that day happened, for a brief moment I kind of freaked out when I actually realised I did fulfill that dream.

At what point did you decide that you wanted to become a singer?

I always sang as a child. At elementary school I was asked to sing for the Christmas programs because people were amazed at my voice. I decided as a teenager that I wanted to sing and have that as my profession, but I didn’t know how to go about it. I was a part time flexible clerk in the thesoulsurvivorsmagazine.co.uk

main post office in Maryland. I met a gentleman who I made general conversation with at the post office where I worked, and one day he heard me singing to myself. He was actually a songwriter and a producer called Floyd Barnes. He told me about a four piece band he’d created called The Tan Beatles. I advised him that I wanted to be a professional singer. He said he had some songs and asked me to come to a clothing shop that he had where he gave me some songs to sing. He really liked my voice so we went to New York and demoed my first recording ‘Come Back Baby’. It came out as a single here in Baltimore. I got to meet a lot of the Dj’s. It did quite well with me doing some shows and I did commercials for Baltimore city. It was on Floyd Barnes label called Forward Records. We actually stuck the labels on as he had a print company at the back of his clothing show.

What date was this?

Now I’m about to date myself, it was 1970 and my record was released in 1971 and I still have it in the basement downstairs.

So what happened between 1971-1978 before the nucleus of Alton McClain & Destiny was formed as you stated you were now going professional?

I did another two records called ‘The Way You Love And Understand’ and ‘840’.

I worked for a radio Dj whose moniker was “Moon Man”. He linked up with Mr Barnes, who was now my manager, me having signed a contract. There was a black radio announcer’s organisation that had a convention in Baltimore that I attended. A radio announcer called Kitty Brodie, who knew Floyd Barnes, became the president of the organisation, and she was looking for new people to work with her. That’s where I met Bonnie Sweeney who became Alton McClain & Destiny’s manager. I went to California in October 1976 to meet Bonnie and stayed there till January 1977. I sold my furniture and moved out of my apartment and moved from Baltimore to Los Angeles, travelling cross-country with my suitcase and sewing machine. That started my journey to work with Bonnie and that was also the start of Alton McClain & Destiny. Bonnie had a mutual friend called Frank Wilson who knew that Motown was looking for a female group, and with me sounding like Diana Ross, that was the plan. Polygram were also looking for a female trio so during auditions, that’s how we hooked up with Roberta and Dee Marie. We rehearsed for about six months because we were a put together group and recorded the ‘It Must Be Love’ album. We attended another convention where we met label mate Millie Jackson and she had just Page 4 - Issue 65

finished her album ‘Get It Out Your System’. She needed some background singers so it was a good opportunity to work with her as we had only worked as a group in a studio environment. So that time on the road we really go to know each other.

That first album introduced us to ‘It Must Be Love’ that clearly was a merging of The Emotions ‘Best Of My Love’ and Cheryl Lynn’s ‘Got To Be Real’. I personally really liked it because there was something quite uplifting in your vocal presence. You actually remind me, moreso than Diana Ross, of Deniece Williams (Alton: “Oooh.”). How was the impact of ‘It Must Be Love’?

The song came out in January 1979. I was at home visiting my family at the time. I was totally surprised as none of us were prepared for it to be such a hit. We were still on tour with Millie Jackson as her background vocals, and Millie wanted us to stay, but we had to prepare for our own tour as Alton McClain & Destiny. We had to work on our costume outfits and choreography now. We were that unprepared. I remember our first show in Texas was with Peabo Bryson, GQ the hot band at the time, and Joe Simon. We had a band from Louisiana called The LA Connection and we rehearsed for a couple of weeks for the Dallas show, which was exciting because the audience didn’t know who we were. We did some songs from the LP in particular ‘My Empty Room’ got the audience’s attention and then we did a melody of songs including ‘Best of My Love’ and then we did ‘It Must Be Love’. Then they knew who we were and it was a wonderful experience.

‘My Empty Room’ and ‘Power Of Love’ are very powerful love ballads but I liked ‘God Said I Love Ya’ And ‘One Another’ which reminds me of Diana Ross & The Supremes ‘Reach Out And Touch’, (Alton: “Oohh OK”) with that soul jazz rhythm they had at Motown at the time. I really like ‘Crazy Love’.

Oh yes and I have a funny story about performing that song.

We were on tour with Teddy Pendergrass, Maze & Frankie Beverly and The Gap Band and were supporting that line up.

At one venue in Connecticut I fell in the middle of the song ‘Crazy Love’ and I cannot tell you why. The audience gasped.

It was during an instrumental break in the song where as a group we did a dance routine. The girls were looking at me as they continued with a “What are you doing down there?” expression on their face. I put my hand in the air and managed to get up and do the rest of the song.

At the end I hid my face in embarrassment, and Dee shouted “But she can sing” and the audience embraced that. I’ll never forget that experience as it’s funny now

but it wasn’t then.

The second album,judging by the press coverage, suggested that the album didn’t do very well, but I think it’s really good and was overlooked. ‘Love Waves’ and ‘I Don’t Want To Be With Anybody Else’ have interesting twist and turns. The one that caught my attention was ‘Hang On In There Baby’ with Johnny Bristol. If you know the song you can hear that it’s produced differently and that some of Johnny’s vocal parts, are not included and that there is a sax solo, so how did you record that song?

That recording was done when we were in Florida. Mark Vine of Polydor, now living in Los Angeles, had done a remix production of the song. It has different drumbeats and musical parts. I flew in from Florida to New York to put my vocal on it. It was really wonderful because I had to listen to the song and match my vocals with Johnny Bristol’s vocals, when we were doing the quote unquote ‘duet part’ which was fun, but I never got to meet him. That was the beauty of technology.

Wow and that was back then! Did you ever know how he felt about that version?

I never spoke with him. MGM was purchased by Polygram and they decided to revamp his music so they decided to do the collaboration. I know it came out on ‘More Of You’ album but not sure if it was released on any of his albums. My favourite of that ‘More Of You’ album was ‘Stairs And Whispers’ I was going to ask you about that song because at the beginning there is a distinct monologue where the girls say, “Alton’s man has walked out on her”. I was wondering if this was based on a real experience or an improvisation?

It was an idea from the producer to make it fun. We tried to make it natural and I had to fake the cry, but I love the story and the song. We had just come off the road from touring with Teddy Pendergrass. I have to say I was in good voice, and I was able to hear my voice other than being the first group on stage through the monitors.

I liked ‘You Bring Me Out To The Morning Light’ because it’s a gospel feel but it transcends on a journey.

It’s got what I call the gospel bump and that’s a fun song to do.

The second album’s songs were great with the arrangements and I was coming into knowing myself as a singer with so many different songs.

Yeah ‘99 ½’ is a very high-energy disco track and unlike anything else you’ve done, written by Maxi Anderson who recorded ‘Lover To Lover’.

I know and it’s almost like a rock song. I remember Frank

saying to me I could do it. He really helped me to approach the song. I had never done anything like it before, but I love the lyrics and that made me get into it and communicate that song with that drive.

On the back of the album you gave thanks to Frankie Beverly & Maze, what was your relationship with the group?

Frankie wrote a song called ‘You’ve Given Me Happiness’ for our second album. We had a good relationship with him touring with Teddy. I gleaned from him as an artist as we were the young novices, watching the professionals perform.

Frankie really liked my voice. It was unfortunate that the song didn’t make the album, as it is a great song.

So now we come to the third album, (Alton: “Yeah.”) with the ultimate track for the Dj’s and dancers being “My Destiny” (Alton: “Aaahh ha ha.”). I told one of my friends, Dez Parkes, I was speaking with you and he said “Wow, that tune there used to smash the place up when we did Spats”. How did you write that with your late husband Skip Scarborough?

Wow, when Skip Scarborough played me the music I was blown away. Really the lyrics are about us as Skip and I started to date during that LP. It has that funky kind of groove, it embodies the rhythms, the bass lines and the message relating to him being my destiny. That album reflects the place we were at when he produced the album, as working with him there was such a spiritual connection.

My second favourite is ‘Answer To My Prayer’ (Alton: “Ooohh I love that too.”) It’s such a beautiful song. When I listen to the few albums that you’ve done, the only other person who has your kind of vocal sound is Deniece Williams so it’s very specific, and why I notice your voice distinctively, as a stand out one, compared to other artists. Listening to the albums again I rediscovered that clarity in your voice.

When we met Skip we went to his house and he made great tuna salads every time we came. He sat at the piano and played all the songs he wrote, and we felt a connection with him. When the record company decided we should have another producer Frank suggested Skip and also Jerry Peters. We had done Skip’s song ‘Don’t Ask My Neighbour’ in our show melodies and we loved that song. We told him we wanted him to produce our album and when he presented the beautiful songs like ‘Answer To My Prayers’ and ‘Why Did You Let Me Love You’ they were awesome. ‘My Destiny’, ‘We’re Gonna Make It’ and ‘Simple Things’ was our venture into songwriting and it was with him.

I love the fact that Patrice Rushen arranged the strings and horns as it’s trademark Patrice. What was it like to have her on board?.

thesoulsurvivorsmagazine.co.uk

Wow, let me tell you the first time I experienced hearing the strings on ‘Love And Learn’. It was beautiful because she actually directed the strings in the studio. Jerry Peters did the arrangements for ‘Because Of You’ and the orchestra stood up and clapped at the end. So it was amazing being there from the very beginning from hearing the songs and them being created. Skip had a funny little movement he did when he came up with the string arrangements.

How closely did you work with Deniece Williams who co-wrote with Skip on ‘Love Notes’?

We didn’t on that song but I knew her because she came to our church and I loved her music. I did her song ‘Free’ way before I did the album. I knew her long before we recorded that song and I knew her personally.

Did you ever perform in the UK? No we didn’t. We did a tour in Germany but never in the UK. So this is going to be your first UK appearance, wow! It’s at The Brooklyn Bowl and we are advertising that with your interview in the forthcoming magazine.

I remember when I got the call from Tracy Hamlin, who is appearing with me and she saw my photo up inside a radio station. It’s very exciting for me because as I said I hadn’t listened to my music prior to getting this call. I was thinking of doing a Skip Scarborough song show. Most of his songs are written for tenor and Alton voices and I’m definitely a soprano.

I had a such a marvellous time doing his music so I thought doing a show would be fitting. He wrote a song, unbeknown to me, that was my favourite that I used to practice as an up and coming singer called ‘I’d Rather Have You’. If you listen to ‘Crazy Love’ you can hear the influence of ‘I’d Rather Have

The other two vocalists who ended up becoming the core of the group Krystol gave us ‘After The Dance Is Through’, ‘The Things That Men Do’ and ‘Nobody’s Gonna Get This Loving But You’.

Unfortunately D‘Marie Warren died in a car crash but what happened after the ‘Gonna Tell The World’ album in respect of why the group broke up?

After ‘More Of You’ the interest in us as a group stared to wane. My understanding is that after the first album and the success of ‘It Must Be Love’, ‘The Power Of Love’ was getting a lot of airplay. The executives decided that ‘Crazy Love’ as a disco record was a better choice, which I believed was wrong.

Back then there wasn’t a specialist black music department.

By the time the ‘Gonna Tell The World’ album came out we had the same management as Deniece Williams. Her album came out, getting a big push and we got lost in all of that. I’d met Skip and we were now in a relationship and the record company decided as a group we didn’t have the same appeal and they dropped us from the label.

You’ going through it because I loved that song so, much with the lyrics and the melodies. When Skip and I went on a date I told him that I loved that song by Earth Wind & Fire and he advised me that he wrote it and I went into shock. I sang that to him as a 50th surprise birthday for him.

How will you go about deciding what you’re going to sing?

Ralph has put together a song list that includes ‘Answer to My To read the full Alton McClain interview please the website Prayer’, ‘My Destiny’, ‘Lovevisit Notes’, ‘Simple Things’, ‘It Must Be Love’, ‘Bring It Back’ and ‘Crazy Love’.

I didwww.thesoulsurvivorsmagazine.co.uk sign a record and an LP with Kirk Records that never got released. Kirk was a subsidiary of Epic and I got lost in I think it would be good if you threw in ‘Hang In There Baby’. That So what have you been doing since?

the change. ‘It Turns Me Inside Out’ was a single released off of that album. Skip and I moved to Maryland and I have a daughter who’s a wonderful woman, so now it’s exciting that there is this new interest for me in the UK. I haven’t focused on the old repertoire because I’ve been recording gospel songs, so this resurgence is a great shot in the arm for me.

would go down very well.

That’s interesting as I’m doing a song that Ralph has sent over to me to work on so that’s a possibility I guess.

Thank you for your time and I look forward to September 30th Thanks for including me in your new beginning of a decade.

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thesoulsurvivorsmagazine.co.uk

Life’s a trip. For me it’s a guilt trip.

We all know countless people that run and promote soul nights up and down the country. And to be honest, you’d be hard pressed to find a bad night. The thing is that there are sooo many gigs on now, far more than when I was younger (a lot younger in some other peoples cases) that I just don’t know which way to turn when it comes to choosing my night out.

Promoters in themselves are a jolly bunch and the enthusiasm and commitment that they exude finds it’s way into our very own soul.

The explosion of social media sites adds to that, with us all being bombarded left right and centre by e.flyers for events that, years ago, would have passed us by had it been done the old fashioned way of handing out leaflets outside clubs. There are of course still the die hard few that are ever present when you leave a gig, and are ready to hand you a flyer with a cheery smile even though it’s 2 degrees and raining. In the past, and pre-internet intrusion, the nicest thing about being given a flyer when you were out and about was that you could dash it straight into a bin once you got around the corner, and that was the end of that. You will probably never see the person that gave you the flyer ever again or even hear about the night.

But social media has changed all that, and along with it has come a whole heap of guilt. As soon as that flyer is posted on to my wall and into my inbox I feel an obligation to show up at the event. I always avoid clicking the ‘attending’ button in case I change my mind and decide to watch re-runs of Storage Hunters on Dave instead, but the guilt I feel when I do say I’m attending and then don’t, is overwhelming. I feel as if I’m solely responsible for the success of the night and my absence could bring the night to a shuddering halt. This feeling normally goes away when I notice that 1,469 other people have also been invited. But if they’re like me, that’s an awful lot of punters with the same feelings of dishonour.

In days of yore, if I had two flyers in my hand, decided on one gig but changed my mind and went to another, it really didn’t matter.

But by the power of tweeting my whole psyche is disrupted to a point where I’m going into a guilt ridden meltdown. Once I’ve said I’m going I can’t undo it. Sure, I can un-click ‘attending’ but I feel rather mean spirited by doing so, but I do it anyway. I’ll just trip along to my chosen night and no-one need know anything different.

Until, that is, my picture is posted with me laughing and smiling at

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another bash. Oh boy does that make me feel like Judas! Especially if the host, for the night that I didn’t attend, is a friend. A good friend. And to add insult to (perceived) injury, I have spent the last two months or so enthusing about his night only to bail out at the last minute. “Not to worry, I’m sure he’d understand” I think to myself. My mate has broad shoulders and is particularly thick skinned and knows that I can’t attend every function. Besides, I only went along to John Doe’s night............................Oh nooo....

It’s at that point that I remember Mymate and John Doe never have a good word to say about each other. In fact it seems that John Doe ‘deliberately’, according to Mymate, put his’ Soul Digging’ night on at the exact same date as his ‘Digging Soul’ night, to go against his night (confused?). The fact that they’re 60 miles apart doesn’t seem to compute. My guilt hasn’t eased and now an impending spat between two decent fellas is like a weight around my neck. I take a drink of lager followed by a rum chaser and my feeling of betrayal melts away.

A day later and I’m looking at the photos, of Mymates night, that have been posted and I’m feeling a little bit gutted. It looks like it was a fantastic night. There are quite a few people, that I know, that attended, and you can see that loads of fun was had. I ring a friend to find out how good it was and he drops the bombshell.

The night was s**te and nothing like what the pictures portrayed.

“There was hardly anybody there. Those people in the pictures are all that was there!” He tells me. I quickly do a tally in my head. So that makes the attendance around 25. It would have been 26 if I’d stuck to my guns and supported Mymate. What have I done? I drag my conscience-stricken body back to my computer and look again at the images glaring out at me. Maybe it was good. You wouldn’t have smiling people if it wasn’t. I search for the comments on the event page.

There aren’t any.

Arrrgghh! Where’s the rum?

I just want to mention a couple of things before I sign off. Firstly you may have noticed that we have a new contributor to this wonderful tome, one Mira Parkes. Well, check out her postings on Mixcloud.

They’re alright you know. Secondly, a mighty fine man has decided to call it a day as far as DJing is concerned. That man is Kevin Beadle, you’ll be sorely missed fella.

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“I’ve just re-released ‘Brutha’ on a video on the Internet. If you look on You Tube you’ll see me wearing a hood...

FITZROY INTERVIEWS

ANGIE STONE

With almost 40 years in the business, being part of something of a phenomenon institution, The Sugar Hill label from its conception (as part of the labels first female few Sequence), Angie B aka Angie Stone continues to ‘Funk You (Right On Up)’ in 2016. Her ‘Life Story’ is quite a remarkable one with highs and lows from the ‘school of hard knocks’ that make her now so much stronger. Angie was in town for Nile Rodgers’ Fold Festival and to perform at an exclusive private party. Angie found time to speak with me, four years in the making later from earlier negotiations.

She certainly made this ‘Brutha’ happy as we spoke about her ‘Mahogany Soul’ herstory.

You were born in December 1961 in South Carolina, not a million miles away from my spiritual godfather James Brown. So what was it like growing up during the influences of the early 1960’s with The Civil Rights Movement, Malcolm X, Martin Luther King, The Black Panthers and Vietnam, plus the soul power revolution of the 1970’s and how did that impact on you?

It impacted on my parents more so as I was a baby when a lot of that stuff was going on. I grew up at a time, over a 10-15 years span, where it was still so strong and fresh and it was evident that this was affecting our growing up. At the school my mum had attended the students all had dark skin complexions and at the rival school the students all had fair skin. I was scheduled to go to the dark skin school, that my Page 10 - Issue 65

mum had gone to, but they had done away with that school, so we were all shipped over to the light skinned school. (Fitzroy: “So it was bit like Spike Lee’s film ‘School Days’?) (Angie sighs heavily…) All I’m gonna say is that I had to work so hard in that school because we were already entering a culture situation, where we were considered to be less than we were. No matter what street you lived on, they were the right colour and I wasn’t. In order to become a cheerleader I had to work and make them know that the colour of my skin would not define my heart and dedication. I ended up becoming the captain of the cheerleaders. In the same year that I was discovered in 1979, we had the first Miss CA Johnson High School beauty contest and the winner was darker than me.

Her name was Debra Pauling and it showed that things were changing, the perception that darker means lesser. When you come into this industry, you meet the same kindred spirits, that darker means lesser. You also see the difference between bigger and smaller girls. These are all related under a similar banner, big and dark in relation to light and thin is part of the thinking DNA. So of the many influences... (Angie interjects as she knows what I’m gonna ask!)

James Brown, let me tell you had the fanciest footwork on the planet and also my last name, like his, is Brown. I’m not saying we are related, as that would mean I’m related to Sly Stone but I’m from South Carolina. That means we ate from the same fields that produced colic green. Our grandmothers grew foods like turnips and cabbage in their gardens so it always tasted better. Aretha Franklin, Gladys Knight, Sam Cooke, Marvin Gaye and Curtis Mayfield are amongst an endless list of ancestors whose shoulders I climb on. So I’m a product of listening, learning and bringing what I have to add to the pie to make it slightly different, but clearly I’m a summation of a soul rumble. (Fitzroy “I like the sound of that.”) I listened to spiritual and gospel music on the radio and my father had a quartet group. That was probably my greatest influence.

So as you mentioned earlier, in 1979 you were part of the female group Sequence on Sugar Hill. I‘m aware it was a bittersweet experience for you.

As a 17 year old, you were young excited and impressionable (Angie: “And the sweet part was not knowing you were getting screwed over, as you were having too much fun lol!”). You did say you felt saddened by the mistrust and advantage taken by the label.

My memories are ecstatic because even with the pros and the cons I was a teenager living out a dream of going on tour with the Sugar Hill Gang and being a part of something as phenomenal as Hip-Hop. Plus we were having a jump ahead of all the females who were probably clambering for that number one spot. At the age of 17 we had no way of knowing what we were signing.

Even up until today I’ve be going back and forth with Leland Robinson, the last surviving member of the Robinson family, all the rest have passed away, god bless their souls. Mark

Ronson and Bruno Mars just put out ‘Uptown Funk’. Used at the end of that song is Sequences’ ‘Funk You Right On Up’.

Anyone listening to that song can hear where they got it from.

Also the lyrics ‘Jump On It’ was something that we wrote. It came from The Sugar Hill Gang’s “Apache” song. To re-use both these songs they would have to be licensed off. 40 years later we haven’t been credited, compensated or mentioned apart from Bruno Mars acknowledging the Sequences influence. The Gap Band’s “Ooops Upside Your Head” was a derivative of “Funk You Up” and they have been paid for it’s usage but they got their influences from us. So how do you pay them before you pay us? Lots of lawyers do not want to take the case that myself Cheryl and Blondie are fighting because they believe it’s a statue of limitation. We’ve tried to fight it but the other side has so much money they can buy people out, and it doesn’t look like we’re going to properly recognised unless someone does a movie. Now I’d like to see something like that because it would embody everything up till now what Sequence as done.

You were known as Angie B back then in the 1980’s and it occurred to me that in the 1990’s Mary J Blige was hailed as ‘The Queen Of Hip-Hop Soul’. So you must be the ‘High Priestess of Hip-Hop Soul’ because you were the first singer and rapper of that stature.

I must be the ‘Grandma of Hip-Hop Soul’. Yes that’s why I love Lauren Hill because she reminds me of me, having the best of both worlds. She’s what we call ‘Mother Wit’ in the States, when you’re young but you have an old soul and Lauren has that. I had that when I was a kid. So much of being the first of anything is difficult, because you’re the template but it doesn’t mean you don’t count.

At what point did things start to fizzle out with Sequence and The Sugar Hill label because in 1988 you recorded ‘Summertime’ with Vertical Hold who you’d end up doing two albums with’ We had a 5-year deal with Sugar Hill.

I would have been around 22 years old when they asked me to re-sign the contract. I said no and someone older in the record company pulled me to the side and advised me to register with the BMI and learn the business, because they believed I had talent. So I quietly did that and learned that we, as a group, had been completely taken advantage of. At this point the rest of the group couldn’t understand why I wouldn’t sign.

I tried to educate them on what I had learned. They were too busy enjoying the benefits of the ruthlessness. They were getting cheques that I didn’t know about. There was a lot done to me because I didn’t eat the forbidden fruit. I remember one time when all three of us girls were living together. Cheryl and thesoulsurvivorsmagazine.co.uk

Blondie were dating some college guys who were best friends, and I was dating Rodney C who is my daughter’s dad.

We all had to chip in to pay the bills. I made sure I gave them my share. , One day I got home and the lights and electricity were turned off.

I stayed in the dark alone for one week with Sugar Hill not caring enough to get it put back on. Now I was 22 years old. I’m phoning the girls who didn’t answer their phones, because they’d used the money for things other than paying the bills. I didn’t feel that they had my best interest at heart. This happened around that time when I was expected to sign the deal and I refused. I was too afraid to tell my parents about what was happening in fear that they would tell me ‘I told you so’.

Sorry when you mentioned Rodney C, are you talking Double Trouble Rodney C from the ‘Wild Style’ film who did the Double Trouble rap with Kevie Kev? (Angie: “Yes”) Seriously! (Angie: “Little Rodney Stone, Rodney C”) Wow! I love that rap from the film (Angie: “We worked very hard on that rap.”) Fitzroy and Angie break into rap mode “The real deal about the two, tell you we’re double trouble girl and we doing it just for you” Oh my God I heard you say his name so I had to check.

Our Daughter is Diamond. We got married when I was 7 months pregnant but then things took a turn and I knew I was too young to be married, unfortunately.

So back to Vertical Hold…

Yes, Sylvia Robinson called us in to offer a new contract and as I said, I said no. This was based on the fact that the others allowed me to stay in the dark for a week. So in my little naive mind I calculated rent, light and gas as a pivotal point of what I asked for which was 10,000 dollars. So I left and sat in the park whilst they made up their mind. On my return Sylvia said yes she’d give it to me. When the others realised that I was getting that money they decided it wasn’t fair and wanted the same for themselves. For me that’s when the game changed because when they thought I wasn’t getting extra money they were ok with that, but when I got it they didn’t want me to have it. So that day I walked out and a week or two later the IRS came and locked the studio down.

Everybody who had signed contractually were stuck inside and the ones that didn’t were the ones that got away. So I got out at the right time. (Fitzroy: “So one door closes and another one opens with Vertical Hold.”) I went to a studio called PAW where most of the guys from Vertical Hold were. There were initially four members. One member, Gordon Mack was very gifted as a sound engineer and he was our bass man.

He ended up working with Madonna and lots of artists. He was a lot smarter than the rest of us, making more money Page 12 - Issue 65

behind the scenes. I had started paying for my own studio time at PAW with Dave and Gordon both working there at the time. They liked the way I worked and asked me to write something to their music, so I negotiated free studio time with them. At the same time Jill Jones, who was Prince’s new artist, was auditioning people in the band and she loved my spirit. She asked me to sing for her so I jumped on the Juno because as a wanna be bass player I could play bass lines. She video taped me and sent it to Prince. Back then the only way in was for Prince to give you the ok, and out of all the auditions he chose me, so I was in the Prince camp. As a result I wrote a song called ‘Baby Cry’s’ for his artist and Prince gave me all his furniture, thank god. I’m still doing stuff with Vertical Hold who took 12 years to be discovered. We got signed through my publishing deal on a contingency to sign my group as well.

Carol Ware, Leon Ware’s wife gave me a shot and signed us and they shopped the deal for us on A&M. After the two albums on A&M a few years later, that’s where I discover you as Angie Stone, recording ‘Everyday’ under the guise of Devox. I know Mary J Blige did a version but yours was always my preferred version.

No no no the irony to that story is that Mary J Blige was dating KC of Jodeci and they both came to the studio. They begged D’Angelo and I to do that song but we said no. I was pregnant with my son for D’Angelo and I was in one of my moods being pregnant an all. I went into the studio because they were offering more money, which D’Angelo was not as concerned about. Myself and D’Angelo had already recorded some songs because D’Angelo was going to produce my album anyway. The first song was called ‘Die’. When they heard ‘Die’ in the studio they went crazy and wanted some of that flavour.

D’Angelo didn’t want to do it but reluctantly he recorded Mary J Blige singing the demo of the song ‘Everyday’. It was unfinished, incomplete and hadn’t been mixed . We never did a contract but ‘Everyday’ was taken and released without our permission. I had already recorded ‘Everyday’ as well as having written the song. The thing that infuriated me, and the reason why this has a personal meaning for me, was that I went on to the Internet and surprisingly heard the song ‘Die’. I believe Mary went into the studio, re-recorded the demo with my voice on it in the background, supporting her voice.

They would not have

thesoulsurvivorsmagazine.co.uk

known how to begin to have those vocals cut, so they had to use what was already there (Fitzroy: ‘To embellish on it.”). So I was a little taken aback that this would be allowed to happen.

For what it was worth, the little bit of money that they may have invested in the studio, wasn’t worth stealing and desecrating the song. It messed up the ability for that song to be done, not necessarily by me, but to be done in the right way and I feel disrespected. That song ‘Die’’ was D’Angelo and I’s, in a moment that love was expressed to its fullest intent. You can hear the magic between us. I’m very disappointed that Gerry DeVeaux, whom I love dearly, took my songs, that I got paid £200 dollars for to demo, and licensed the rights, by making people believe I’d signed a contract to his production company. For a long time and to this day he cannot produce the contract for ‘Everyday’ written and produced by myself and D’Angelo which he put out under Devox, naming himself as the producer. D’Angleo wouldn’t speak to me for quite a while because he believed that I allowed that to happen. I too was taken advantage of, again and as a friend I found it hard to deal with that reality. I feel used and to this day I do not receive a nickel of royalty for the three albums ‘Black Diamond’, ‘Mahogany Soul’, ‘Stone Love’ and ‘The Best Of Angie Stone’. Those albums I worked hard on, to build a legacy for myself. I thought I’d get a call with an apology, which hasn’t happened. I hear he lives like a king over here in the UK and that he has licenced music in Japan and all over that does not belong to him. This so-called contract is the ‘white elephant’ in the room. Everybody who has eaten off the elephant knows the story, and I’m the ant who can get crushed by all of them. Who knows maybe we’ll be able to unravel the layers in a bio movie. (Fitzroy: “At least we have your music.”) Yes, and that’s the God in me, as long after me that voice and message will still be here.

Tooting Market, asked me, when I told him I was speaking with you, to say thank you for ‘Brutha’ because so many of us identify with it. It’s such a defining record. I did ask you when we spoke before about whether you had any backlash in America?

I’ve just re-released ‘Brutha’ on a video on the Internet. If you look on You Tube you’ll see me wearing a hood, in a packed church. It’s the same church and I am using the same mic that Martin Luther King used to make his ‘I have a dream’ speech. It’s the Ebenezer Church and I am performing that song 14 years after I recorded it. I do let people know when I perform that in Gods eyes we are all brothers and sisters, only if we are treated equally. If that were the case then my story and my song would be different. But I’m singing from a place where in reality the woman is more powerful than the man. So I’m mentoring and motivating the men that have been brutalised and broken by society, of things that they can’t control.

It doesn’t mean that I’m speaking against the white or any other race, it’s just motivation for my brothers and sisters because we must have a voice. We can’t be understood when we cuss, fight, scream, yell and fight out of frustration, as they, the oppressors, can’t hear that. Instead it becomes the example and the excuse that they use to mentally put us in a cage or a state of mind. Yet with a song and with one voice that everyone can sing together, we can have unity. I love when I come to the UK and Europe period, because that song unifies the white audience and the gay community, and they understand what I do and why I do it and they respect the fact that I’m not afraid.

That reminds me of what Muhammad Ali stood for. Because of what he did, it empowered so many of us to feel proud of who and what we are.

Your next album ‘Mahogany Soul’.

Aaaah when Muhammad Ali spoke it was in strength and

it good.

wanted because he would allow them to make money out of him, therefore he was able to speak his mind for his people.

power but more importantly, he knew he was and didn’t To read the full Angie Stone interview please visit thewhowebsite Now that’s when Angie shows up because I’m angry at not care what it was going to take. He felt that if you could use getting paid. This is where I find out that all my work has to him to make money for your own benefit, you couldn’t get go www.thesoulsurvivorsmagazine.co.uk through his production deal. But regardless I had to make rid of him because he was the greatest. He could say what he I’ve got to be honest ‘Mahogany Soul’ is my favourite album, (Angie: “It’s everybody’s.”) mostly because of ‘Brutha’ written with Raphael Saadiq. I was sitting at the front of Fold Fest with my mate JD holding a toast to you as you sang it last night. My friend Chris, who has a West Indian stall called The Lone Fisherman in Page 14 - Issue 65

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TRIBUTE BY FITZROY FACEY Apart from my maternal father throughout my 52 years on earth as a nurturing role model, ‘the greatest’ impact is Muhammad Ali. I was born 1 day and 22 years after him and 7 days before he beat Sonny Liston on the 25th February 1964, becoming the world boxing heavyweight champion. My first memories of him as a kid, was a framed signed portrait photograph of Ali, posing in his boxing gloves and looking magnificent, that practically every black family’s home I visited, had of him. You see that’s what he did for us back then, when we were referred to as ‘coloured’ folk during the Civil Rights early 1960’s. In the most aptly written song ‘The Greatest Love Of All’ sung by George Benson with the line ‘give them a sense of pride’ resonates with us that were born of the Diaspora and out of the ugliness of slavery. Ali was inherently aware of the importance of his blackness, lest we forget that after winning the Olympic Gold in 1960 Ali reputedly threw the medal into the Ohio River, when he was refused service at a “Whites Only” establishment. He was the most handsome Nubian king who would boast about how pretty he was, a code for ‘Black Is Beautiful’, something that a few years later the Californian dreaming Bay Area Black Panthers would embrace.

He was a supremely fit human fighting machine who could dance and dazzle his opponents into a kerfuffle when he, with lightening speed would do the ‘Ali Shuffle’. He was articulate with comedic timing, not only in speech but in the early 1960’s predeceasing years of 1970’s hip-hop rapping, he was prophesying in rhyme about what round his opponent would fall “in the round I call”.

The self proclaimed and undisputed ‘The Greatest’ recorded an

album reciting poetry including his rendition of Ben E King’s ‘Stand

By Me’ as well as performing a duet with the late Sam Cooke. All this was under the name of Cassius Clay the ‘Louisville Lip’ from Kentucky USA before he denounced that name. In the 1970’s amongst his most gruelling fights the ‘Rumble In The Jungle’ with George Foreman generated one of the most incredible all-star musical line-ups to perform at the 3-day Soul Power Zaire 74 Kinshasa festival. By the time I had reached my 20’s I realised he was more than just a great athlete. He was the consummate black man that I aspired to become, as a peace loving humanitarian. I drew an image of him back in 1987 that became the front cover design of an album I complied,the 2013 Expansion release called ‘Sounds Of Universal Love’. I was also a music consultant on the BBC ‘Ali Night’ in broadcast in 1998 suppling three songs Syl Johnson’s ‘Is It Because I’m Black?’, James Brown’s ‘If I Ruled The World’ and Diana Ross’s ‘Brown Baby’. I proudly was named in the final credits. Since his Parkinson’s disease diagnosis Ali’s daughter Laila publicly stated that despite his ill fate, Ali never ever complained about his deteriorating health. For all my preparation of Ali’s penultimate calling from the creator, it did not stop me shedding tears, because his loss, in a year where we have lost so many, was the ‘Greatest Loss Of All’. Thank you Muhammad, for your unselfish love and dedication for firstly yourself, your people and the world. You made a man out of me with your discipline and ethics. Spiritually you touched me with your ‘ill’ boxing skills, sharp dress sense, sense of humour, articulacy, afro centric mind and dazzling footwork. I learned to carry myself with pride and dignity and how to become, like you, a fellow humanitarian, in my ethos as I embrace life and how to eloquently deal with oppressors bigots and mindless idiots. I could say so much more but long may you ‘float like a butterfly and to infinity sting like a bee’.

TRIBUTE BY ANGIE GREAVES, MAGIC FM RADIO PRESENTER “I Said I Was The Greatest Even Before I Knew I Was.” They were the words that Cassius Marcellus Clay uttered as a young boxer after he won Gold at the 1960 Olympics in Rome. Whether you like boxing or not, you would have been challenged to not like Cassius Clay. Born in Louisville, Kentucky in 1942 Cassius was sent into the world to make a statement - and boy did he make his statement. More than a boxer, he was a universal sportsman, a respected figure, uplifted to ranks that were so high one just stood back and admired him at that height. Some say he was arrogant, but he was confident because he was a genius at what he did and worked towards “owning” the title of The Greatest. His beliefs were strong, and when he spoke the world listened - Michael Parkinson knew that all too well!! Muhammad Ali refused to fight in the Vietnam war which cost him his freedom, and he changed his name due to the belief that his surname Clay was a slave name.

Stripped of his boxing licence, Ali returned to the ring and became The Heavyweight Champion of the World. So why did we love Muhammad Ali? Well as a mother it gave me great pleasure to tell my girls about an iconic African American man who confirmed he was The Greatest. He was a showman, he was a trailblazer, he was an icon, and he pushed boundaries out further than any other sportsman to prove that with hard work, dedication and staying in positive mode, you can achieve. In 1977 the film The Greatest based on the life of Muhammad saw just what drove him to not be taken for granted and not to ever forget it. I give George Benson major respect for the track “The Greatest Love Of All” probably one of his biggest UK hits which came from the soundtrack of the film “The Greatest”. Strong, iconic, a trailblazer, a leader, an icon, someone who broke down barriers and spoke his mind at a time when the world wasn’t really that interested in what people of colour had to say - but he spoke anyway because he believed that someone was listening, he believed his words were embraced, he believed he was The Greatest.

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TRIBUTE BY LEROY JACKSON BURGESS Searching desperately for identity as a young Black man in the 1960s, I was struck by the life and career of this man.

He stood up to whatever came at him with strength and grace (often mistaken for bravado and arrogance, as opposed to self-awareness and assuredness). Cassius became Muhammad, restoring his own denied history to himself while demonstrating to the world what it meant to be ones own man. His principles remained unsullied by whatever the media (or the world) could throw at him. He embodied and personified the notion of strength… both inner and outer.

He spent his entire life imparting these higher ideals to every mind on the planet. In his passing, I bow my head in humble and reverent thanks to OUR BENEFICENT CREATOR, to have been witness to this shining example of humanity. I add my voice to the many mourning the loss of THE GREATEST...

Rest in Peace and Power, Brother ALI.

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TRIBUTE BY AKIN SHENBANJO JNR, JOURNALIST ‘Muhammad Ali is about what inspirational wonder can occur when we realise and share the gift and light of our human potential. An undisputed champion of the most exalted of all athletic disciplines, awesomely demonstrated through a superlative ring of craftsmanship, noted by a majestic fleetness of foot, lightning fast hand speed and logic defying ability to slip and evade the menacing punches of adversaries.

A well belied size and height; all primed and honed through years of hard training and clinical focus to male physical perfection, this precociously talented individual would become the greatest exponent of the ‘sweet science’ the world has ever seen (and probably ever will see). By proudly extolling the beauty, virtues, and creative and spiritual wonders of his people, this courageous warrior for his people’s freedom would translate the personal accomplishments in his chosen profession. As an advocate of Black pride and achievement, confidently he stated the case for Black empowerment and the end of racial oppression, he thereby fulfilled a far greater potential: One of instilling self-belief, courage and hope to millions of people of African descent both in the United States and across the globe. Thank you Champ for blessing us with your indomitable, Godblessed talent and for truly ‘shaking up the world’. Your shining example and legacy is joyously celebrated and will be here for all time!’ thesoulsurvivorsmagazine.co.uk

TRIBUTE BY FREDDIE MORRISON (FAT = FULL A TRUTH), DJ & TV BASKETBALL PRESENTER If you know your history – Then you know where I’m coming from? – Robert Nesta Marley! Boom Muhammad Ali joins a long list of SOLDIERS of the tongue who ‘Spat’ lyrics with nothing but knowledge behind them. Marcus Garvey, Haile Selassie, the Twelve Tribes of Israel (The real 12) Ancient African Kingdoms and alas more importantly – The (mis) Educators of the future.

How can you quantify the impact of one person who is not a deity?

How can you not immortalise someone for speaking from the heart?

How can you ask me my name and when I tell you: You don’t call me it?

How How How? To many Mohammad Ali was and is a phenomena who not only resisted being brainwashed or flogged for his high level of distain and resistance during a time when (it still happens – just different people pulling the trigger?) to be Young Gifted & Black was a crime in itself?

I work with people and in particular young people mainly black but not all – it’s a societal order thing – poor whites, immigrants, disaffected, stupid and sometimes just born in the wrong place and time? GOD works in many different ways giving people a path?

What is a role model? What is a mentor? Was he a conspiracy theorist?

felt something and knew: What? When? & Where? They were when they first realised that Muhammad Ali has left the boxing arena of this world?

There will always be significant moments in ones life! Being married, having children, making a wish and see it materialize, have a dream come true, your first kiss, your first fight! Yes that is where I will start off…Anyone who had a fight and was black between 1962 and 1974 thought or based his or her attack on Mohammad Ali. I was ‘he’ on many occasions even the fights I lost – in the playground on the street and later on in a nightclub on ‘road’. Thanks Mohammad Ali; But boxing was never about that it has always been about a journey and usually from poverty to KING of The World and THE GREATEST OF ALL TIME (GOAT) as he will always be – End of!

Praying - what was it and when did it become important to me?

Subliminally it was through Muhammad Ali that I learnt so many things about blackness?

Our stubbornness – a stereotype that constantly revisits anyone who goes against the grain according to society Our search for a saviour - the only peoples who have saviours but refuse to see them positively Our search for who we are – how long can we be blind to who we are?

Our search to find someone who could hurt one of them (KKK-The Shitstem rulers- the POLICE!) Mohammad Ali who embraced The Nation of Islam – Malcolm X – Stokely - Angela Davies – Dr Martin Luther - James Brown – Isaac Hayes & The Last Poets……

The Otis Redding of the ring surrounded by blackness, drive and determination like Stax records.

The man who blow a hole in the draft system by standing tall against The World!

Who else stood tall on issues like this in the modern era? Looks like it is true “Money Maketh the Man”. Sad but true NO ONE WILL GIVE UP ANYTHING in this day and age? Sometimes it is about APOCALYPSE like the X Men’s latest film!

How do you take a jumbled amount of information and write about someone who to many was – ALL THAT & A BAG OF CHIPS?

I got the privilege of getting Mohammad Ali to shake my hand - All-star Weekend In New York City 1998 inside the New York Hilton & Towers. All I kept on thinking about at that moment was how many people who did have a chance to speak with or be around Mohammad Ali was Billy Paul’s tune going through my head……Am I Black Enough For You?

The funny side of death is the way in which everyone supposedly

Rest In Eternal Peace – Peace in our Hearts & Minds – fLOve Fx

Who and why do we blindly follow but ignore those that warns or boasts of something different

Page 18 - Issue 65

TRIBUTE BY MARK WEBSTER, MUSIC MEDIA AND BASKETBALL TV PRESENTER/ BROADCASTER Those who know me will know this story. I mean, it’s not the sort of thing one keeps to one’s self! I was once a matter of yards from Muhammad Ali. He was in the corridors behind the basketball court in Chicago when The Bulls were playing in one of their many Finals games. I stood and watched him, now a man who shuffled when he walked, but still immense! I was in awe, but I was not alone across the corridor from me was Michael Jordan. THAT’S how big Ali was, and remains so even beyond his sad passing.

I grew up with Muhammad Ali as the most famous person on the planet. He didn’t get voted that. He hadn’t won a raffle. He was it, by sheer dint of himself as a human being. His incredible skills as a boxer didn’t hurt. Well, I bet they did, but you know what I mean! But it was ultimately about Ali the person that made him so, in varying degrees to different people, un-ignorable, likeable, worshipable, and everything else in-between.

As a young boy, my dad once dragged me out of bed late at night to hear an Ali fight on the radio. I don’t remember any details of that evening, but I’ve never forgotten its significance. I was clearly being made witness to someone special. It has stuck with me my whole life. And for that whole time, the man they called ‘The Greatest’ rarely failed to live up to that ultimate title.

TRIBUTE BY LLOYD BRADLEY, AUTHOR OF SOUNDS LIKE LONDON 100 YEARS OF BLACK MUSIC IN THE CAPITAL Acres of pages have been devoted to Muhammad Ali’s humanitarianism, activism, cultural ambassadorship, fierce wit, wise sayings and interviews with Michael Parkinson. None of which was undeserved, but rather relegated to the background, thirtyfive years on from his last fight, was the fact that he was the greatest boxer ever to walk the planet. Better than Marciano, better than Joe Louis and better (just) than Sugar Ray Robinson. He was the Michael Jordan, the Lionel Messi, the Viv Richards of the square ring. The world had simply never seen this level of ability and preparation before, but for those of us outside of America, Ali was our first black superstar. I remember, as a young child, the tangible excitement of my parents and grandmother around the two Sonny Liston fights, then by the time he fought Henry Cooper in London, we’d got a television and our living room was packed with friends and relatives, drinking, whooping and acting out punches as we got our first chance to watch him in realtime. For the next few days if you hadn’t seen that bout you had no conversation, and none of us were in any doubt Muhammad Ali truly was The Greatest.

Ali image by Guile Sharp thesoulsurvivorsmagazine.co.uk

TRIBUTE BY DEZ PARKES, DJ MUSICOLOGIST On Friday the 3rd of June 2016 I had to shed a sad tear for my hero ‘The Greatest’ Muhammad Ali, athlete, boxer, philanthropist, orator, humanitarian and activist.

I distinctly recall growing up in England as a young black boy in the 1960’s at a time when the mind set was extremely racist, with cards in the front windows saying “no dogs, no blacks, no Irish”. I can remember the first time I heard Ali speak, let alone fight. This young powerful, handsome black man, had me hooked on his words because he was saying the same, as my parents, “Be proud of your colour and your race and stand up for your rights.” When Ali spoke he made you feel proud of your blackness. Back then, that was a great thing. I loved the fact that Muhammad Ali was the people’s champion, no matter what race or background you are from. It was hard to watch Ali over the years suffering with Parkinson disease but still he maintained his dignity to the end.

Muhammad Ali - “Hating people because of their colour is wrong.

And it’s dosen’t matter which colour does the hating. It’s just plain wrong.”

Muhammad Ali, you may have gone but your legacy will live forever “Float like a butterfly and sting like a bee.” May you rest in eternal peace, Muhammad Ali. No Copyright intended. Author(s) unknown. Used respectifully in tribute of Muhammad Ali.

TRIBUTE BY ANNA B, FAIR TRADE 4 MUSIC DIRECTOR True resonance with the self is knowing your self to be eternal pure, loving energy..

Most of us only know our physical facade. We know our words, our actions, our personalities. We recognise that which is nurtured and formulated from birth from those with whom we have interacted with and experientially.

Knowing only these factors in pure isolation can determine the extent as to how much one can truly know about who we are. However, if we are determined and open to exploring that which we do not know about the self we will already be doing so.

Some beings present themselves into our experience to open our eyes and hearts to something more than we experience on a physical level. Muhammad Ali was one such man. Even on his scale of achievements if we look just at the power of his spoken word (upon which no doubt can be cast regarding his passion and determination in knowing he was the greatest boxer) it is clear, it is this, that ultimately formed the essence and path to his success. His intuitive “knowing” inspired his thoughts, his thoughts transmuted into words, his words inspired his actions, his actions formed the end result, the end result inspired the world (regardless of whether we perceive his reality as having positive or negative outcomes for him at times, he overcame his struggles to succeed and inspire). Whatever you gained from the life essence of this magnificent example of humanity, be it, his passion, his energy, his physical prowess, his kind and wholesome heart, his truth to remain firm in his role to support and draw attention to the plight of his race, to seek to make changes in reality and in perceptions and his innate capacity to make us think beyond that which is purely surfaced based, he has touched our lives. We all have the same role to play, everything and anything we do makes a difference... RIP Muhammad Ali Page 20 - Issue 65

TRIBUTE BY CAV MANNING, MUSIC ARTIST AND WRITER Muhammad Ali was many things to many people. Global Ambassador. Super Star. Heavy Weight Champion. The People’s Voice. Role model. Butterfly & Bee. Take your pick. They all fit. I considered him to be a member of my family. He lived in my home in Tottenham, North London; not in a physical sense, but through the power of television and imagination.

He felt like a famous uncle, travelling the world and mesmerizing all fortunate enough to cross his path. The pride I felt in him, reflected on myself. He materialized at our dinner table through animated conversations about his exploits. He walked alongside me as I made my way to school through areas that Nazi skinheads called their domain. He was in the barbershop when anticipation for his next fight led to heated arguments. Not everyone believed in him. Not everyone wanted to see him win. But I did. He took on the United States Of America, by himself. He had principles that would not allow him to participate in the Vietnam War. He took on the most powerful country on the planet but I knew, I knew he would win. His indomitable blackness, was my indomitable blackness.

This was at a time when the far right’s condemnation of black people was violent, loud and in your face. Racists called the dark skinned diaspora, ‘inferior’. The most famous, most admired man in the world was a member of my family, so them calling me inferior had no effect. Didn’t they know that Muhammad Ali lived and breathed the power of self-belief? Didn’t they know that the little kid they were trying to intimidate learned from his parents, community and Ali that he should see himself as ‘The Greatest’, no matter what others might say? Muhammad Ali made the world a better place by reminding us how strong we truly are. Lesson learnt, Champ.

Thank you. X.

TRIBUTE BY DON CHARLES PROFESSIONAL BOXING COACH The word legend is often overused. Not in the case of Muhammad Ali. June 3rd 2016, the world stood still as news circulated that ‘The Greatest’ had left us. Deep sadness filled the hearts of millions worldwide from all corners of the Earth at the realisation that we had lost an exceptional human being. A legend is not defined by time but in fact transcends time itself. It was at this moment of mourning that people from all nations, walks of life, race and religion came together to share personal stories of Ali’s greatness and how he had impacted their lives for the greater good. We all have memories of his dancing feet, cat like reflexes and blistering hand speed within the ring, that night in Manilla and the ‘Rumble in the jungle’. But just like his opponents Ali eclipsed boxing itself. Ali was not just a boxer, but an activist for civil rights, the torch bearer for a people and a religion. Once again he was not confined to any specifics, which ever religious, cultural or racial persuasion Ali stood for you at some point. He always fought for humankind. A representation of this was his stand against the war on Vietnam. Dealing with the repercussions of his actions showed all of us his defiance and was proof that although incredibly sharp with his tongue, he would stubbornly stand behind what he believed in, they were never empty words, he was the man with an unbreakable will. Ali was my first hero and the reason that I fell in love with the sport of Boxing. He filled me with hope, inspiration and excitement. I was empowered by Ali and that power is what has aided me to achieve what I have done in my personal life and as a boxing coach. His charismatic magnetism would perk all ears and draw all eyes in a room toward him. Ali had the charm and the gift of the gab. One of the rare eternals that my grandchildren and generations that follow them will see footage of, hear stories about and draw inspiration from. Rest in Power to the man himself, you will be missed but never forgotten.

Ali image by Guile Sharp thesoulsurvivorsmagazine.co.uk

Record Reviews This issues Olympic Challengers’ include a classic jazz box set, a Brazilian trio from Rio fusion reissue, a 1980’s extended soul re issue, two soul surviving contemporary albums and some independent releases plus the long awaited Soul Survivors Magazine comp.

Also we welcome back KFP Enterprises’ Barry King reviewing some extra special exclusives to him gold bullion’s. So enjoy… Fitzroy

Will Downing - Black Pearls (Shanachie) Vocally homaging some of his favourite female artists, Will Downing smooth oozes some jazz and soulful grooves with his zephyr like octaves. With a very an impressive production clarity, Will treats Skip Scarborough’s delectable ‘Don’t Ask My Neighbour’ and Oleta Adams’s astral travelling ‘Get Here’ slow jams with an assuring coolness.

The musicianship is superbly executed with some very swirling strings as showcased on Deniece Williams’ ‘Black Butterfly’. Personally the best is saved till last with Will’s audacious and incredible versions of the Philly classics The Jones Girl’s ‘Nights Over Egypt’ and Jean Carn’s ‘Don’t Let It Go To Your Head’. Trust me there’s ‘Something Going On’ with this Shanachie release.

Noswizie - The Best Drug I’m really happy to bring this young lady to your attention, music folks. Noswizie From South Africa with love baby.

Her debut album ‘In Fragments’ was produced by Georgia Ann Muldrow & to be released on So Real International records September 2016. You will party to this killer soul anthem called ‘The best Drug’ [*****] by BK

Ayzmuth - Outubro – (Far Out Records) Joe Davis continues his ‘Brazilian Love Affair’ with the south American latin jazz sound securing the release of Azymuth’s flow up to ‘Fly Over The Horizon’ album ‘Outubro’. The album opens with a simulation to the success of ‘Jazz Carnival’ namely the fling footer ‘Papasong’. Ayzmuth had a very intricate and respectful way in covering the ‘Return To Forever’ classic ‘500 Miles High’ and projected a nice seascape ambiance as a prelude to the subtle ferociousness of ‘Pantanal’. Without question the most creative cut has to be the vocoder Herbie Hancock influenced instrumental ‘Dear Limmertz’. The album teases with a short and sweet samba ‘Carta Pro Airto’ and becomes journalistic with the very atmospheric ‘Outubro’. In support of the funky ‘Dear Limmertz’ ‘Maracana’ has a lesser impact but is certainly captivating. Elements of broken beat influences surely comes from the drum beats of ‘Un Amigo’ and to close a ‘Dear Limmertz’ prelude with a Hammond organ reprise concludes the album. Congrats on 20 years Far Out Records.

Maimouna Youssef – Single ‘Guiltiness’ A young lady to be reckoned with is our Maimouna. Here’s a FREE download of a track that raised the roof at Jazz Cafe London in Sept 2015 ‘Guiltiness’, produced by Chuckie Thompson. A serious soulful version of Bob Marley’s original roots & culture anthem so go to www.KFP-Enterprise.com & click to download this jam. A new EP produced by 9th wonder will be in our hands late 2016. We’ll keep you informed. **** by BK Page 22 - Issue 65

Angie Stone - Dreams (Shanachie) Angie remains contemporary but includes her old school R&B roots with some Motown and 60’s flashback productions. With her voice sounding as faultless as ever she opens up with an up-tempo 4 floor, infectious future club anthem ‘Dollar Bill’. The very sultry Angie duets with Dave Hollister on ‘Begin Again’ and introduces those famous Motown drum rolls on ‘Clothes Don’t Make A Man’. This is a ladies album depicting the bitter sweet woes of being attracted to the wrong man in ‘Magnet’, and to aspire in finding the prince charming, referencing UK actor and Dj Idris Elba in sweet treacle tasting ‘Dream’. The single ‘Bad Habit’ is real poetry in musical motion preluding another Motown influenced ‘Quit’. This is tinged with elements of Stevie Wonder’s ‘I Was Made To Love’. More Talma Motown leaks into ‘Didn’t Break Me’ concludes the latest polished piece of ‘Mahogany Soul’ from Angie B.

Al McKay Allstars - Heed The Message Retaining a Benjamin Button essence of his 7 years residency with Earth Wind & Fire, Al McKay brings the natural elements together with almost four and half minutes production of vocal and instrumental equilibrium. It’s the second half instrumentation of the track that has this composition ‘Runnin’’ on an infectious ‘Getaway’ groove.

Definitely cemented ‘In The Stone’ for 2016.

Marc Mac - Generation X (Omniverse) This Albums release date is right on time, beats & social commentary but taken from a 1970s onwards UK perspective. You’ll hear the voice of Linton Kwesi Johnson. Darcus Howe & many others that spoke out at the time.

As you can see in 2016 very few have listened !!! Always good moves coming from 4Hero [****] by BK In Search of Better Days.pdf

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Incognito - “In Search Of Better Days” (Ear Music) As a live band I guess you can say Incognito are the UK’s current day answer to the eternal ‘See The Light’ and ‘Shining Star’ that glows from the Earth Wind & Fire ethos. Starting with a not so obvious element of soulful funk ‘Love Born In Flames’ and ‘Just Say Nothing’ eases you in a militant ‘drumatic’ production and slick vocal delivery from Maysa on ‘Everyday Grind’. It feels like Incognito are turning a slightly funkier corner on this album upon listening to ‘Racing Through The Bends’ and ‘Love’s Revival’ alternating their various lead vocalists at will. They certainly retain their jazzy rhythms with Maysa riding the waves like an accomplish surfer on a wonderful fusion namely ‘Selfishly’ and ‘Love Be The Messenger’ featuring Vanessa Haynes. I cannot review every song but listen to ‘Echoes Of Utopia’ and ‘Move It Up’ to experience the more enhanced fatback drum direction Incognito are travelling in. I’m impressed.

Tyrone Hendrix - Rhythm of Life Vol 1-FNBeatgalore/Ropeadope records.

Where do I start with this album? Drummer, Mr Hendrix’s smooth 2016 version of Curtis Mayfield’s ‘People Get Ready’ is r e a l l y good but my favourite track is ‘Are You Ready’ a very classy slice of jazz funk which I have been playing regularly on my radio shows !! Check out “Love Ain’t Working’ where rare groove meets jazz. Also get your ears around ‘Change’ ‘What Is This’ & ‘Game Of Thornes’ A really good album ****

by BK

Coffee Slippin’ And Dippin’ (BBR) Coffee released two albums but this first one had a few hidden gems. Including 5 extra cuts, four 7 inch single versions plus a B side previously unavailable on the album called ‘Say It, It’s Good to You’, this is worth picking up. Coffee’s ‘Slip And Dip’ and ‘I Wanna Be With You’ were both up-tempo disco cuts released as singles, the later bordering on the hi energy tip slightly. ‘Mom And Dad 1980’ is a remake monologued two step tale, of a young lady facing the wrath of her parents as a consequences of her pregnancy scenario. However it was the disco transformed version of a previously slow ballad ‘Casanova’ that catapulted Coffee into the disco boogie hall of fame. Infectious from the handclaps, piano stabs and bass guitar riff Casanova became an instant club anthem. The silent sleeper is a boogalicious ‘Can You Get To This’?

Omar EP (Freestyle) There is never any mistaking Omar’s voice on an arrangement as there is no surprise in the musical influences he uses. Mixing up his Caribbean, soul, jazz and latin influences, Omar serves a slice or two of topical samba and bossa summer breeze esq vibes firstly on ‘I Want To Be’. The pinnacle cut from this EP personally is ‘Destiny’ with a newcomer who sounds slightly like the other soul don of south London Don-E. Guadeloupe born Jean-Michele Rotin caught Omar’s attention on his vista to the island and they harmonise nicely together. There are some nice instrumental breaks in-between the vocals that makes this special. ‘Sissy Pa Sissy’ is an interesting menagerie of ska, blue beat and funk with a horn section reminiscent of the late Rico And The Rudies. Scratch Professor provides his usual twist on a cut up hip-hop remix of ‘I Want To Be’. Album coming soon!!

Sounds Of Blackness - Royalty feat.

HSRA (High School for Recording Arts) Always with a message in the music, The Sounds Of Blackness time this one to perfection with the utmost poignancy by releasing “Royalty”. Sounding glorious, SOB spread the gospel to all their fellow African American and universal Diaspora men women and children to be proud of their legacy and history. At a time where there is much racial discontent in the USA with the unnecessary demise of black lives at the hands of police brutality, this is the musical medicine to soothe the invisible pain. They dedicated this song to Prince Roger Nelson. Gary Hines of SOB quoted “Prince encouraged Sounds of Blackness to continue inspiring and educating our youth about our glorious history and heritage, therefore Sounds of Blackness dedicate “Royalty” to Prince, in honor of his legacy. PRINCE You Are ROYALTY!”. Its moving, inspirational and relevant more so with the passing of his Royal Greatness, Humanitarian and King Of The square ring Mohammed Ali. Pause for a good cause and check out https://youtu. be/0b3Z_ewfnnE

Soul Survivors - Compiled by Fitzroy Facey for Expansion records Celebrating the magazine’s 10th anniversary, check out these contemporary underground jazz funk, disco and boogie productions, from some of the well respected artists, interviewed during the publications decade legacy.

With more staying power than ‘Ever Ready’ or ‘Duracell’ batteries Fatback Band’s funky ‘Get Your Head Out The Phone’, Leroy Burgess’s ‘Heaven’, and Beggar & Co’s covered Kool & The Gang’s classic ‘Open Sesame’, make their debut on this CD. The absolute album exclusive, is Louise Pollock’s amazing vocal cover of Aquarian Dream’s ‘You’re A Star’. Shalamar collaborate on Steve Silk Hurley, DJ, Skip and Shane D’s disco house remix ‘Don’t Go’. Representing the UK is Yam Who’s ‘bassically” undeniably jazz funky, remix of Incognito feat Carleen Anderson’s ‘Show Me Love’ and The Pasadenas lesser known but exquisite ‘Round & Round’.

Worth checking is Soul People’s awesome version of Roy Ayers’s ‘Our Time Is Coming’ and the albums only instrumental Nu Era’s ‘Beta Days’. Dome Record’s Angela Johnson and Eric Roberson contribute to the USA jazz funk fusion elements and wait until you hear some amazing Macedonian jazz fusion soul from Vladimir Cetkar. These alluring tunes were handpicked for you fellow soul survivors so please ‘Grab It’ like The Olympic Runners (Bad Tune!) whilst you can.

Page 24 - Issue 65

SOUL SURVIVORS present, a 10th Anniversary Celebration CD

Compiled with love by Fitzroy Anthoney Facey, a 14-track selection of soul survivors including recent, current and brand new music from classic artists and new artists we believe in, interviewed in our magazine over the past decade.

INCLUDES NEW, HARD TO FIND AND PREVIOUSLY UNISSUED TRACKS 1. Get Your Head Out The Phone (Funky Dance Mix) - Bill Curtis & Friends with The Fatback Band

7. Aquarian Dream - Louise Pollock

2. Heaven (Frankie Valentine Remix) M.O.D.E feat Leroy Burgess

9. Open Sesame - Beggar & Co

3. When You Feel What Love Has Lenny Fontana feat. James D Train Williams 4. Don’t Go (Shane D’s Solar Club Mix) - DJ Skip feat. Shalamar 5. Show Me Love (Yam Who Rework) - Incognito feat. Carleen Anderson

8. Our Time Is Coming - Soul People 10. Beta Waves - Nu-Era 11. Don’t Hide Your Wings - Eric Roberson 12. Whatever It Takes - Angela Johnson 13. In The Open Space - Vladimir Cetkar 14. Ordinary Day (Scratch Professor Re Twist) - Omar

6. Round & Round (Old School Mix) The Pasadenas

CD EXP 52. Also available to download on iTunes OUT NOW ON EXPANSION

www.expansionrecords.com

Kush Nubia – Akwantu – The Light The Dark The Bloodlines Afro Jazz House flava on this EP from Kush Nubia. I’m rocking to the first track called ‘Genesis’ featuring the vocals of Yeti Ajasin & Reimundo bringing you the elements to make you dance. I’m giving you the tracks I’d play. Look out for more from Kush **** by BK

John Coltrane Atlantic Box Set (Atlantic) Oh what to do when you get sent a jazz sextet box set of John Coltrane albums recorded on Atlantic in both mono and stereo. It conjures up the imagery of underground, smoke file bars with that serene quietness of hearing a pin drop as the hypnotic music envelopes you. This is Coltrane as a consummate spiritually awakened artist and composer after serving under the great Miles Davis.. Coltrane master of the tenor, soprano and alto sax had ill skills period, with ‘Cousin Mary’ ‘Countdown’, ‘Naima’ ‘Mr P.C.’ and the self titled and monumental ‘Giant Steps’ solidifying his brilliance.

‘Bags & Trane’ sees John interact with a different and more sombre softness with vibraphonist Milt Jackson. This element of freestyle expression varies in tempo from the shuffling rhythms of ‘Bags & Trane’ to the fast and furious Dizzy Gillespie penned ‘Be-Bop’. The exceptionally long compositions of ‘Ole Coltrane’ certainly are journalistic and influenced the movement of spiritual jazz horns embraced later by some like Gary Bartz, Carlos Garnett and Eddie Henderson. Featuring Freddie Hubbard and McCoy Tyner, Coltrane certainly gives a platform for his band to individually solo. ‘Coltrane Plays The Blues’ sees a very melodic synergy with hi hat specialist drummer Elvin Jones over six tracks as exampled on the exceptional ‘Blues To You’ and ‘Mr Day’. John’s ‘The Avant Garde’ is devoid of his writing contribution but it highlights his simultaneous and interchanging exchanges of chords with trumpeter Don Cherry heard on ‘Cherryco’ and ‘The Invisible’. To conclude ‘The Coltrane Legacy’ features unreleased recordings from John’s quartet and sextet and with Milt Jackson.

Much of this is very laid back with a couple of untitled ballad cuts plus the foot tapping ‘26-2’ and ‘Centrepiece’ cuts with Milt Jackson on vibes. Tranquil and esoteric it’s certainly worth having!

De La Soul - Pain feat Snoop Dogg (AOI Records) Almost 30 years since their debut as the flower power hippy hoppers of the Native Tongues Community, De La Soul are still a “Force Of Nature”. This is dope!! Funky with jazzy rhodes chords and a Gwen Guthrie/Sly & Robbie “ 7th Heaven” flavour, De La Soul feat Snoop Dogg flow like vintage hip hop wine, on this very soulful head nodder. With glorious uplifting background vocals in the chorus, the message is in the lyrics and the music relating to the many plights we experience on a daily basis . Taken of their new album “And the Anonymous Nobody”, this is definitely a return to the old school style of De La Soul, so “Jump Jump” on this like Kris Kross!!

REVIEWS INITIALED by BK ARE BY BARRY KING OF KFP ENTERPRISE

Want A Review?

If you want a guaranteed record review of your pride and joy music product as an advertorial, we can accommodate that subject to space @ £50 per title or a discount for more.

For more information contact fitzroy@thesoulsurvivorsmagazine.co.uk

Page 26 - Issue 65

FROM THE USA

A KENNEDY STREET PRESENTATION

E L V I S THE STYLISTICS IN CONCERT

IN CONCERT · LIVE ON SCREEN WITH THE

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www.ticketline.co.uk · www.ticketmaster.co.uk Agency/Credit Card bookings subject to fee / Calls cost 7p per minute plus your phone company’s access charge A KENNEDY STREET ENTERPRISES & LIVE NATION PRESENTATION

thesoulsurvivorsmagazine.co.uk

Mira Parkes

The Official Soul Survivors Balkan and Worldwide Correspondent.

Interview with

GUILE SHARP

Real art always comes from the deepest part of the human soul, regardless of the type of expression. There are two types of success, successful no matter what and successful by merit.

The price is different. For those who do not understand what this means, this is the story of a young artist, Guile Sharp, who is trying to accomplish himself and achieve success by merit. He is a freelance French artist, working hard to maintain the beauty of creativity in this world that balances between reality and imagination. Also, working as a character designer in the videogame industry, he participated in the creation of characters for Ubisoft, including the game Red Steel 2. He also illustrates some blankets on French publications, as well as several sets of trading cards Marvel DC and at Cryptozoic Entertainment, Rittenhouse and Upper Deck, and some pinups edited in US comics. For a long time the concept of our lives is made up of propaganda reality, where the black & white seems to be two basic “colours”. The real Art, in all its forms, through history was always there to break the lies and enhance the beauty of human existence.

Who or what inspired you to become a comic book artist, and where did you get your great talent?

A lot of artists had an impact on me as a young comic book reader and fan, like John Romita Sr., John Buscema and the great Jack Kirby. Two specific artists inspired me to draw as much as possible, Ron Frenz and Ron Lim. Speaking about my “talent”, I think it’s a little something that a lot of people have. The only thing is that you got to nurture it so that it grows. I think it’s more practice and work than talent only. So where does this come from? I don’t know. It’s there and I am glad some people appreciate what I do.

Your knowledge of anatomy is impressive, as can be seen on your characters. How difficult was the path that you had to travel to get to this stage? Tell me more about the things that you’ve done in the comic world and what are you currently working on?

My knowledge of anatomy is basic. At one time, I realized that my drawings were not strong enough and needed more structure. I had to relearn how to draw properly and get back to the basic. I bought Burne Hogarth’s Dynamic Anatomy books. It changed my life. http://burnehogarth.com/

Page 28 - Issue 65

blog/ After that it was long hours of drawing, patience and dedication to only one goal: getting better! I’m a freelancer and haven’t published any comic books as yet, but I’m known for my comic book illustrations and my sketch cards art on the internet, that’s my contribution to the industry at this moment. In my spare time, I’m trying to develop my creatorowned comic book.

What style do you call your drawings, is it cartoon or anime or a combination of both? Which style do you think is the best and what is the difference between the two?

My style is kinda semi-realistic, not anime or cartoony. I prefer more anime than cartoon, not because it’s better only because it’s a personal liking. Anime is very dynamic and less goofy in terms of characterization.

Who are the artists that you most admire and are there any African artists?

The comic book artist I admire the most is Olivier Coipel. He’s simply the best. He’s my bro, my friend and a huge influence in my art today.

He’s black and French, just like me.

Here’s a short list of other artists I admire: Stuart Immonen, Sara Pichelli, Jim Cheung, Eddy Barrows, Joe Bennett, Leinil Francis Yu, Brian Stelfreeze (the artist behind the relaunched and successful Black Panther series with journalist TaNehisi Coates), Ron Frenz (always), Yildiray Cinar, Mahmud Asrar, Travel Foreman, Enrico Marini, Bengal and so many others... I know a few African artists like Pat Masioni from Congo (https:// www.facebook.com/patmasionipeintreillustrateur/?fref=ts), Harrison Tombra from Nigeria (https://www.facebook.com/ harrison.tombra?fref=ts) and Sean Izaakse from South Africa (https://www.facebook.com/seanizaakse/?fref=ts).

How does it feel to be a black artist in this world where “white privilege” exists? What do you think about black super heroes that are portrayed as white? For example: Anubis = Batman, also when Black Panther taking Spider-Man to Africa to discover his roots at the temple of Anansi (The Spider God). Are there any black characters that you would like to present in your work in the future, despite the fact that they are not commercial?

I live in France so those sentiments about being a black artist in this world where white privilege prevails, I just don’t give

it a care. I don’t leave it any strength to keep me down, I don’t hate either. I always find a way to do what I wanna do. If the straight line ain’t possible, I can circle around the obstacle. It’s not easy because I can feel it sometimes, but who said it’d be? Black superheroes portrayed as white... I just don’t get it. Imagine T’Challa or Black Panther as a white character... There’s no fucking sense! Being black is what makes those characters tick, they come from a background where failures and life struggles for being black define them.

If you strip them from the background, they are totally different and I dare say empty concepts. And I say it’s the same with portraying a white character as black. It changes the perspective and narrow reality and concept behind this character. My goal is to invent new and original concepts or characters. Take Sam Wilson, he’s the current black Captain America. He’s more interesting for many people now that he’s Cap, but I think it diminishes him somehow because if Marvel had put the same creative energy on him when he was only the Falcon, he would have carved his own place in the company pantheon. Now he’s a Cap among the Caps. Don’t get me wrong, I love what they do with him, but it would have been so much better with being his own persona.

It’s interesting that you speak about Black Panther and SpiderMan and the Anansi spidergod from Africa. Take a look at this: http://worldofblackheroes. com/2014/06/07/kwaku-anansi/ At one moment, Spider-Man learned that the spider bite what gave him his powers wasn’t random, but part of fate coming back from totemic infusion from Africa’s Anansi. It was adding a new layer to Spidey’s origins without trashing the classic status quo too much. Clever! Amazing story and art, take a look: http://www.marvelmasterworks.com/marveltrades/ asm01_ch.html As I said earlier, I’m working on my own thing. It’s about one Afro-American character called Sharp. He’s a lone hero with no powers, only his fighting skills and wits. Imagine something between Hellboy and maybe Punisher. He’s the last line of defence against horrific creatures from other dimensions. I’m working my ass off to make it work.

In your craft also has a lot of plagiarism. You’ve had the bad experience of people stealing your work and presenting it as their own. How do you protect yourself from this, and is there any thesoulsurvivorsmagazine.co.uk

for children and adolescents in an institution in Paris. What is your message for them?

I give my impressions of what I do and how I’m living to the youngsters. I teach basic anatomy to them, so they can pass on the next level with their own craft. It’s important for me to inspire them, not as a teacher, more as a big brother. I show them artists, they’re not acquainted with, that could inspire them. They have to use what’s around them to grow artistically, and also tap in their wild imagination to produce brand new and original material. That’s my first intent. What they don’t know is that by doing that they give me pride. I like when they’re successful in doing what they couldn’t do before.

It’s not easy to be in the teacher’s role sometimes, that’s why I work part time. protection for the real artists like yourself?

It’s complicated. In a sense, being swiped makes me one helluva artist (lol), it’s a perverted compliment to what I do. I am part of a huge network of artists and fans that watches over every fellow artist art. On the internet, nothing can hide for long, it’s a strength and a weakness for us and the plagiarists. We know soon enough when they do, where they sell the stolen art and etc. We out them publicly because they are adults and they know exactly what they are doing.

Threats of lawsuit don’t always work, public shame do. Ask Cersei from Game of Thrones! Being together and being benevolent is our best protection in this instant.

What does the future hold for you? What are your dreams and your expectations? Where would you like to see yourself in the future?

I heard that in the near future I would be interviewed for a music magazine online. I don’t know where I’ll be in the near future, but I’ll do my best to produce the best work I can, commission, covers or my upcoming creator-owned thing. Life will tell. I’d love to do covers for Marvel, everything like Black Panther, Thor or Spidey, count me in!

Thank you, Guile!

You are a great lover of music. What is the connection between music, as a deep artistic expression, and your art form? How important is the impact of music in your life? Who are your musical heroes?

Guile Sharp aka SpiderGuile ~inks & line drawings including the front cover~ http://spiderguile.deviantart.com/ https://www.facebook.com/spiderguileart/

Music is essential to me! I can’t spend a day without listening to music. When I work there’s always something playing in the background, even if I pencil while listening to politic shows or documentaries. Music is life, I can’t play any instrument or sing, but I feel it! Music heroes? It’s a hard one to answer, there’s so many artist that I love and respect. I listen mostly to 90’s Hip-hop (French and American), Soulful House, Nu Soul and Acid Jazz, etc. I love A Tribe Called Quest, my favorite American rapper is Q-Tip, and also I like Incognito. I’m a huge fan of 4Hero, Zero7, Michael Jackson, Lupe Fiasco, Zo!, Robert Glasper, Louie Vega, Elements of Life, Blue6, Peven Everett and his “Inspiration”, Marc Mac (Visioneeeeeeeeeers!!!), Clara Hill, Busta Flex, NTM, Fabe (he’s missed in French hiphop), Scred Connexion, Jill Scott, Weldon Irvine and his “We Gettin’ Down”, Ronnie Foster and his “Mystic Brew”, Andre 3000 and many more. Music inspires me to feel better, I just can’t live without it!

Ntocha ~color credit for the front cover~ h t t p s : // w w w. f a c e b o o k . c o m / N t o c h a w o r l d / ?_ _ mref=message_bubble

You also lead workshops drawing / illustration / comic initiation Page 30 - Issue 65

Big up to my greatest supporters, my son and husband Vuk and Dez Parkes. Endless love.

thesoulsurvivorsmagazine.co.uk

FITZROY INTERVIEWS

PevenANDEverett BILLIE JEWELL When you come from the Carl Davis Orchestra ‘Windy City’ town of Chicago, you are destined to inhale some of that historical music from that ‘my kind of town’ as Frank Sinatra professed to. Peven Everett hailed, once upon a time, to be the next Miles Davis, a native of Chicago like fellow musicians Curtis Mayfield, Chaka Khan and The Stairsteps, is one of the most prolific singer songwriter musicians of his generation. His work ethic and volume of work is one where he ‘puts his back into it’ as a multi instrumentalist like the late Prince, that ticks so many of the black music boxes. I caught up with him and his artist Billie Jewell during the pit stop in London to talk about ‘Music’.

How was it growing up in the Windy City, Harland, Illinois, Chicago where the greats like Chaka Khan and Curtis Mayfield hail from?

Plus how did you become in tune with music, playing the drums aged 3, I believe to Grover Washington’s ‘Mr Magic’?

I believe playing the drums was to a Stevie Wonder track but ‘Mr Magic’ was the first I played on the piano keys.

Right, so by the time you were 10 you’d learned to play the drums, guitar, flute, bass, piano, trombone and trumpet. Where does that level of inspiration come from?

My biggest inspiration was my Uncle who played bass. He was the funkiest guy I’ve ever seen in my life. He could play Earth Wind & Fire, Sly Stone, Stevie Wonder and all that stuff and sing at the same time. This was a great example for me to show musicianship and accuracy of voice and he really affected me. As I grew older I had an affinity for the bass Page 32 - Issue 65

and I used him as a thermometer for my career. He pointed me in certain directions like listening to Marvin Gaye or Stevie Wonder so I’d be aware of certain harmonies. My mum saw me playing with pots and pans and things and agreed with my uncle, before I tore her house apart, for him to nurture me till I got to first grade. Then I went to public school. John Webber from West Point was a band director in my district and he, in particular, taught me the classical side and language of how to speak properly in musical terms. He taught me how to take what I had and make it into songs. I learned on my own, in my own time and at my own interest level. He saw that if he fed me it would make my appetite hungrier and hungrier. So he just threw me into the band room and let me experiment with 65 instruments, baritone, saxes, tubas, trumpets, clarinets, bells and marimbas. I was in there by myself with no one to bother me. It was like my own personal playtime at school.

It saved my sanity coming up in a public school, which can be rough and could easily have distracted my interest in music.

There were lots of dangerous things I could have got into.

Also my brother passing away had a big effect on me and made me not want to do music but do something really bad with my life. My family was in great shock about the loss of my brother who was the one that was going to do something amazing with his life. He was 21 and I was 8 when he passed.

He was a father figure in the home as my father was in Atlanta Georgia. I became the man of the house aged 10 and took that more to heart than I should have at that age but I was able to keep myself on the straight and narrow.

At 17 you received a scholarship at Berklee School Of Music after getting top marks but didn’t finish it because you ended up working with Branford and Wynton Marseilles, Betty Carter and Dizzy Gillespie.

It was really easy. All I had to do was show up and go to school. It was extremely nice for me but at the same time it wasn’t because I wanted to gain more experience and play more. Coming from a blue-collar family you had to be out working and bring home some money for the family as a black man. That’s what led me to leave the school as Branford was a professor at Berklee School of Music. It was because of getting tutelage from him, why I went there, so I had a choice to make when he asked me to tour with him. I was eager to learn and just ran with this as far as I could. At 17 Betty Carter was already hiring me and I was making good money earning 3-4000 dollars a month.

Your story reminds me of speaking with Dele Sosomi when he had the same predicament choosing between his education and working with Fela Kuti. He too was 17 and was studying with Fela Kuti’s son Femi. As you can imagine being African telling his parents he wanted to do this did not go down very well.

Yeah I knew what was at stake with my mum having no one with her at home but I had to make the decision for the greater good and I don’t regret it.

The New York Times named you the new Miles Davis was that because of your trumpet skills?

Yeah, I think also because of my complexion. (Fitzroy: “Did you have the suits as well?”) Yeah my suits were on point man and I learned from being around Wynton and Branford. They were always dressed to the nines when it came to the fashion.

Were you part of Buckshot Lefonq?

Yeah but I did the shows and not the recordings. I did the House Of Blues tour doing Albuquerque and LA. After you left The Marseilles brothers what was your next move to break out on your own?

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I was still in a learning situation. Something told me to go home after gathering all this information. I needed the silence of my own space to think. I’d become a whole different animal since I’d left. The first project I worked on was ‘Gabrielle’ with Roy Davis Jnr. “Something interesting about that song. I know the history of you not getting full credit for that but on a positive note around 1997 to 1998 when that track was big, I used to be resident at a club night called ‘Twice As Nice’ on a Sunday night in south London. We were offered a record deal with React to release (apparently) the first double UK Garage and R&B soul CD. Myself, Steve Sutherland and Spoony were the compilers.

Myself and Steve included ‘Gabrielle’ which was an anthem in the garage room but with its soulfulness it fitted in with what we were doing in our “Reminisce” room. So we featured ‘Gabrielle’ in the albums mix and therefore I have an affinity with that song” I can see why that worked because it has soul and has a hiphop tinge because I had hip-hop capabilities.

What artist’s from the hip-hop generation influenced you?

I’m talking Slick Rick, Mobb Deep, Tribe Called Quest, Busta Rhymes and BDP. Man once I found it that was my thing. I’d speak with Busta on the phone and had dinner with Q-Tip as I’m a real hip-hop kid.

What about the 1970’s side as I hear a menagerie of jazz soul and disco. Production wise with the work ethic you put in, I hear Patrick Adams (Peven: “Wow! Thank you so much for saying that.”) Vocal wise you remind me of Leroy Burgess (Peven: “Really?”) because you sing outside the confinements of conventional singing. Having interviewed both Leroy and Steve Arrington they both advised they use their voices like an instrument. Sometimes you sing a lot of syllables or words in a short space of time a bit like John Coltrane on the sax (Peven: “Yeah yeah bro.”) and there are not many people that do that.

Thanks for saying that man. I’m serious because working with Betty Carter and Branford it’s the improvisational part and hearing the way the syncopation speaks. Playing in front of Jeff “Tain” Watts, it sounds like 6 or 7 drummers playing at the same time with harmonies in a coral way. I learnt dynamics that I could never have conceptualised with Jeff to developing a song dramatically by being in that mind space.

If you don’t know rhythm you don’t know how melodies can impact on your music when you’re doing them, so it’s up to your taste level. I’ve been exposed to the best of the best with

Wynton, Branford, Betty and Dizzy. I got the chance to have their real flesh next to my own and you get to act and speak like them because you’re around them.

Where does The Funky Horns ‘Blow’ come in from 1995 which reminds me of that experimental period of jazz and house championed by Masters At Work and Mondo Grosso?

That was the intention, you hit the nail right on the head.

Your ear is keen bruv as that’s where I was going. I wanted that intriguing questionable space that was around the studio at the time. If I can bring that independence together with an intimacy perspective then it comes out like that for a reason because that’s how music moves. If I can paint that in one song it feels like you’ve been washed over and if I get that part right, that’s what counts.

(Fitzroy: “I love that song because it takes you on a journey.”)

I don’t have everything you’ve done but I’m discovering things you’ve done as time goes on. I remember being on a radio station and the Dj before me played one of your records and I had to track it down. It was ‘Good Loving’ ‘The Soul Tempura’ 12” on Diaspora.

No one talks about that song. It’s such a good song for me and I was learning such a lot at the time. I learned to find that soul voice, that people hear now which was really big in that particular song. I’m glad you mentioned it because it’s really important in my development.

The B Side was good too. I was lucky to get it because the shop only had one left. It was then I discovered it was you and made the connection with ‘Gabrielle’. Now one of my Dj inspirations Paul Anderson has been championing your music for the longest time (Peven: “I know Paul. He is a good person). He was the one, that for me, broke tunes like ‘Put Your Back Into It’ and ‘Feeling You (In & Out)’.

with my voice.”) I was bemused, as I didn’t think you would go there. (Peven: “I will never go there. Let’s make that very clear. When vocals get into the hands of people who cannot create strings this is what happens. I can do a 50 part string harmony. as I’ve been trained by The Marseilles Brothers.

That kicks my butt and gets me into shape so I don’t need to do things like that.) How did you feel about it? (Peven: “Well I’m not getting sued for his actions. I didn’t touch any samples as I did the original song. If someone breaks my vocals of the original song all I can do is act appropriately.’)

What I like about you and I’m not just saying it because you’re in front of me, is your velocity, diversity of your music on albums like ‘Studio Confessions’ and ‘Party Of The Year’. I like that you have no musical boundaries for example ‘World Love’, ‘Testing Me’, ‘One More Time’ the latter two have a hip-hop feel (Peven: “I told you I’m a hip-hop kid, it’s honest and true man.”) I can feel the vibe almost J Dilla like (Peven: “Yes, yes.”). Who are the rappers on ‘They So Cold’ and ‘Gorgeous Girl’?

Myself and a rapper called Asian A whose rapping style I love.

He’s from my old neighbourhood and he’s a beast.

I also love as well as you been a singer the way you vibe on ‘New Day’ (Peven: “Really wow.”) Yeah because it reminds me of that style Larry Heard had in the early 1990’s with a track called ‘It’s The New’ with 2nd Avenue. I can hear all the different influences and that’s important in your transcendence to other genres with tracks like ‘Street Walker’ and ‘First Choice’ so you’re not just known for the house music that some people only know you for.

(Peven: “Bruv speak bro.”). If I told certain people that those tracks were by you they wouldn’t believe me.

You mentioned your Uncle earlier. It’s interesting because your bass lines so much remind me of the feel that Patrick Adams gets creating disco boogie music. (Peven “Yeah”.) . When I hear tracks like ‘Poppin’, ‘Inspiration’ and ‘Soul Parade’ I hear the strings and the synths.

I hear you. I have to be respectful to the music because I’ve had lots of teachers who put all their effort into me and it’s important for them to see the fruits of their labour.

Whether it’s hip-hop R&B and classical, I want people to hear the pictures I’m painting with these colours.

These make people feel precious that they mattered to me in influencing me.

Yeah Patrick Adams and my sensibilities are so close. It’s the truth that I’m influenced.

Let’s talk about “Sankofa”..

Where did that come from?

Now I’ve never known you to make a track using samples because you are so creative and there is no need but I heard a track with Stacy Kid called ‘Body Jerking’ which clearly samples the Patrick Adams strings of Inner Life’s ‘Ain’t No Mountain High Enough’. (Peven: “I didn’t sample anything. He sampled that

Amadou Diallo was someone who was shot in New York about a month and a half before I wrote the tune. The melody came to me just like ‘Gabrielle’ did. At the time my thinking was that I whilst I didn’t speak the same language the melody would transcend and fit in where the words would be if I could thesoulsurvivorsmagazine.co.uk

Page 36 - Issue 65

speak his language, so that would touch people’s hearts. So you are hearing the conversation of a man on his last days going to heaven. He’s saying I didn’t do anything wrong but I’m going to heaven” He hadn’t had any bad history and he should be free to travel there and his family probably felt the same way.

I met Billie in a very strange way. Even though she’s born an Essex girl I met her here in Chicago in an alley way outside a club here called Red Dog. It was the place that the breakers went and it was a dancers club so you best be on your best ‘A’ game when you went there. I knew Jojo who worked the door there. I met him at The Shelter in Chicago before he let me into Red Dog as a regular. One day he told me he had someone he wanted me to meet. That didn’t happen the first or the second time. He tried the introduction in successive weeks. I was there regularly Monday Friday’s and Saturday’s, I saw this tall blond girl. Jojo introduced me to her and advised us to get talking. I asked her if she was a singer and she replied yes, so I asked her to sing me something. She did and I looked her up and down and said “Alright then, that’s fine by me, because she had a sound I was looking for. It was void of pretentiousness, but it still had attitude, It was metropolitan but it wasn’t lacking urban savvy. It was the type of sweet spot voice that everybody could hear and if they heard it under the right circumstances everybody would get her. It reminded me of Teena Marie but more so adding Peggy Lee plus Dusty Springfield on top. We started recording and we instantaneously made music like ‘Fever’ and our voices

It remains as my favourites on the album and was so glad it was sent to me as a double vinyl promo.

It almost didn’t make it Bruv. Me and Ali S really had to push for that to be left on there. Ali S is a good friend of mine and working with some major people and we really fought for that for about a month and a half. It was holding up the album and we refused to go ahead with out it.

What was the labels reason for not wanting it on there?

They didn’t want an instrumental on the album, they had no idea as they put out Little Brother and R&B stuff on their label. I asked him “Do you not understand? You don’t know where you’re from bro? You don’t know your people as I know mine and they are the same as yours. You better get with the program or this album won’t gonna look good as the album is not complete without it.”

matched really well together performing duets. I decided that she would be my artist and a female one at that and dig deep with the roots I came from with this wealth of knowledge that I could share with, as I’m not selfish.

When did you guys meet?

(This is where Billie Jewel comes in.) In 2000.

So Billie how does the Essex girl end up in Chicago and in the thick of this Red Dog scene and did you know much about Peven before you met him?

To read the full Peven Everett and Billie Jewell That’s the strength with it beinginterviews called “Sankofa” pretty much visit the website please (Billie: “I didn’t know anything about him. I’d seen him says it all. around but I had no reason to have an opinion of him either www.thesoulsurvivorsmagazine.co.uk It was all meant to be and it was in my psyche of how you felt way. My father was a self taught saxophone player who is that track and its journey.

I love the vibe you created with ‘Music’ featuring Billie, how did you meet Billie Jewell.

from up north in the UK and he played at Woodstock. One week later he headed to Chicago for a little tour to Old Town where I live close to now. My mum went to his show and they had some whirlwind hippy romance and my mum ran away thesoulsurvivorsmagazine.co.uk

to England and had two girls. My mum was missing home no reason for me to find anything else and also to realise I and my dad wanted to check out the Chicago jazz cats so wanted to work with him and help him protect his thing. I do they moved back to Chicago. They got divorced and my mum the administration for Peven and I’m very protective of what remarried pretty quick. I was on my second step dad by the he does because I know how much time it took for him to get time I washere 7, but wheretoI nudge discovered music.

I new here.

I’m also Soul versatile but I’m not everwebsite. going toUnfortunately do a country Greetings is a that’s little notice you tohouse visit the brand interactive Survivor Magazine would listen to WBMX on my radio with my headphones on song, however there are a lot of places for me to go.”new one the previous one was hacked twice a few months ago, so we’ve had a holding page in the meantime awaiting for this to andbeI built. loved the ethos that everybody loves everybody as it was kinda cool with me. I formed a relationship with that It’s interesting of how different your backgrounds are musically and culturally.

So in celebrating we’ve had the site modified so that it’s more interactive with new andmoving actuallyforward got bullied at school. our I’m 10th superanniversary white and the features for you to manoeuvre around easily. You can sign up for membership/subscription or purchase copies of desired rest of theissues, kids didn’t likeshop someone whocan looked hit me updated hard as blog, I realised I’mreview bringing previous via the cart, You also like keepthem up tonotdate Peven: with theThis regularly record andsomeone jukebox doing what they do so they were intimated.

This drove the you mix.guidance.

I needed We to check that history I was ready icons, as well as upload events if you are a promoter withme a priceelse list into to give also have pagetoontake the that of kind of responsibility. wasn’t sure for almost 10 year documentation withAcid a brief what’s in each of theI previous 64 100% issues but andIawent “Thank to the rave scene and I raved itofuptheinmagazine Chicago with andsynopsis it. for the magazine. There is also calendar so you can see You pageanything from those have expressed discoThank house,You” taking thatwho genre could serve. Itheir was support I saw you both yearsand agoT atshirts Electric in Brixton withand Omarmusic and what’s in the the music world if youmewanna Pant’s” like two Cameo cards, artwork alreadyhappening a singer because music grabbed and I “Shake learned YourJosh Milan. was provider an unusual up but the UK USA, Chicago merchandise will available in the future so watch this space. So please visit theIt‘Info for line the soul survivors” new website every song Itillheard, was like a sponge. You could play me and New York thing was a good shout. I did notice your interaction and explore your Ihearts content. a song today from that era and I’ll sing you the whole song. more so with the audience and you were like a kid in a candy Thanks patience in the absence of a Yeah functioning website.shop.

Fitzroy (Fitzroy:for So your it’s like a photographic memory.”)

I definitely did as my aunt has a visual photographic memory from It was exactly that Fitz because I was playing with a bucket list of artists I wanted to play with before I hit the looking at something and just reading it. (Peven: “I call it dirt. Omar was one of them and as a tenor an audio graphic memory”). I went out every night to clubs I didn’t hear anybody else like singing at the top of my lungs hoping people would realise him make sense of that this club kid girl was going to do something one day. a melody Then I come across this funny Dj Chicago thing which has been going on forever which is competitive, step on each others toes kind of vibe. I met Peven and there was a little resentment towards Peven because some of the other labels were hoping I would go with them. But me being smart I knew that the wages were not good and many of the vocalists disappeared or died because they are not treated well. For me it was a case of I don’t think so. I was a big drinker and Peven is not, so it made me feel that I can talk to him because he functioned different to your club friends, who are your friends but only because they indulge you so they are dysfunctional friends. Peven introduced me to new music and gave me ‘Studio Confessions’ album which was called ‘Speed Of Light’ before it became that with different track listing. I ran that every day and night and it’s probably why we work so well together as I was becoming with swagger. familiar with his sound. There was Ok I missed out on Prince but I

Brand new website ...and we love it!

www.thesoulsurvivorsmagazine. co.uk

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thesoulsurvivorsmagazine.co.uk

SSW6

SILOTH, CUMBRIA - 10TH - 12TH JUNE 2016

Yogi Houghton has painstakingly tried to cultivate a healthy alternative weekender in the north east of the UK for those north of the south to embrace. I was invited to ‘Throw Down’ like Tom Browne some illusive and crate digging gems alongside some known and unfamiliar Dj’s on the sixth outing of this weekender.

The site is nice and contained and the venue rooms are spacious and equipped with powerful sound systems. I caught some inspiring sets from Cool Million’s, Frank Ryle, Bob Jones, John Morales, Reverend P and Rab Rob Sinclair that got my attention on the Sunday afternoon. The live acts were quality, Marc Sadane sounded so good and ‘The Invade’ Steve Arrington rocked the Shrine with ‘Way Out’, ‘Nobody Can Be You But You’, ‘Wait For Me’ OMG and ‘Weak At The Knees’. Trust me he still has the voice and the ad libs in tow too. The only thing that eclipsed Steve Arrington possibly was Ultranate’s performance. The room was packed and when she came on stage it really was a case of ‘It’s Over Now”. That girl can mix two biscuits together and make then sound good and as a Dj her ill skills were new to me. She had the place rocking harder than the J5’s Robin especially with a special edit of Ceybil’s ‘Love So Special’. Ultranate sang ‘Free’, ‘Found A Cure’ and ‘It’s Over Now’, my only sigh was she didn’t do ‘Deeper Love.’. Big thanks to Angie and Michael Ledgister for looking after and feeding me and to Yogi and Caroline for your hospitality!!

CANDY STATON

Event Reviews

UNDER THE BRIDGE - 15TH JUNE 2016

It may not have been a ‘Night On Broadway’ but it certainly was a good mid week school night at Stamford Bridge in Chelsea. I knew I’d be singing ‘When You Wake Up Tomorrow’ the next day once I realised I was called upon for turntable duties to warm up for Candy Staton. We had a telephone interview and were yet to meet. For a Wednesday Under The Bridge was less than standing room only for a mixed young and mostly mature audience. Candy opened up with her version of the Elvis Presley classic ‘In The Ghetto’ and proudly spoke of how he personally wrote to her on a great cover. Candy spoke and interacted with her audience with comedic antidotes including her cougar experiences much to the delight of the females who could relate. ‘Nights On Broadway’ and her universal anthem ‘Young Hearts Run Free’ went down well but it was her version of the remixed ‘You Got The Love’ that had everyone ‘Dancing In The Aisle’ like Silver Convention. Thanks for the kind words on my music choice, I think I got a booking for a wedding on the cards on the back end of that, so nice one!

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BEVERLEY KNIGHT

WESTHANGER CASTLE - 18TH JUNE 2016

When we were approached to be media partners for this event it seemed appropriate in our 10th anniversary year to be associated with this Kent soul fest, especially as the magazine was first established in ME19. It turned out to be a very successful event on a day that had outbreaks of sunshine and no rain.

The huge grounds of Westhanger Castle was an impressive backdrop hosting over 2000 people, making Beverley Knight ‘The Soul Queen of the castle’ if only just for one day. Mi-Soul’s Dj Bigger was the Wyclef Jean ‘Perfect Gentleman’ for the job as he compared the acts throughout the afternoon and mid evening artist roster. Young local Kent soul girl Leanne McCrei set the tone performing her latest material followed by Bashiyra who gained the crowds attention with her rendition of Phyllis Hyman’s Classic ‘You Know How To Love Me’. The mixed aged audience welcomed Kenny Thomas with open arms as he charmed them with his well known classics. Lemar with that gravel yet smooth voice proved there was plain justice in the world that he was truly appreciated. In between sets by myself Dj A Class entertained the audience who were certainly up for an outdoor knees up. Looking fit and fired up with bundles of energy and panache Beverley Knight ripped it up like Little Richard on stage with her very tight like sprayed on jeans band and background singers. Performing her classics and new material from her Soulville album one of the highlights was when she performed the bombastic ‘Red Flag’. Bev’s vocal range is so powerful and incredible especially when she reminisced on some old material like ‘Made It Back’ and ‘Shoulda Coulda Woulda’. However it was her heart felt tribute to Maurice White with ‘After The Love Has Gone’ and a melody of songs from her ultimate inspiration Prince that I was truly in awe of. That hour and 3/4 was certainly the perfect ‘Weekend Thing’ and worth waiting for. Myself and a couple other Dj’s including A Class played in the VIP tent till 12 midnight closing the end to a very successful day. Well done to Carol Stewart from Chinara Enterprises, a close friend of Beverley’s family from their midland routes and her hard working team. Let’s hope at some point we can ‘Rewind’ and have Queen Bev as her royal highness of Westhanger Castle again!!

SUMMER SOULTICE BARNET - 25TH JUNE 2016

Celebrating 10 years as a charity event for a dearly departed and well loved soul survivor Andy Weeks, Summer Soulstice has grown into a well respected and well attended mini all day soul festival. I hadn’t been to one since 2009 and was pleasantly surprised at how this event has blossomed. It was also, in the magazines 10th year, my debut Dj-ing after my old record club promoter mate, Jamie Topham invited me to spin some sugar. There were so many familiar faces who have travelled from around the UK that I hadn’t seen for a while in attendance on a day that had some Maze ‘Joy & Pain’… sunshine and most defintely some random acts of rain. I must say publicly “Thank You Thank You” like Roy Ayers and Wayne Henderson for the ‘Soulstice luurrvv’ in the Club Tent 3.30-4.40pm. My double act set with Tim Nicholls was enjoyable and memorable if not for the reaction to Adeva & Paul Simpson’s ‘Musical Freedom’, but also the Parliament ‘Tear The Roof Off’ one for The Pasadena’s ‘Tribute’. WOW! Anna C and Paul Brighton Clark were mashing up that tent also when I returned later. I manage to catch some of the acts including Beggar & Co and its extended family, Kenny Thomas, Natasha Watts, Omar and Vivienne McKone (thank you for ‘Fly’) Greg Edwards received a very warm and respectful welcome and the most inspiring set was from Bob Masters, sublime mixing and great music choice. I’ve gotta give it up for Fat Freddie M the master of ceremonies who made sure regardless that every act was equally respected and applauded (“nah nah nah..that was rude there’s more of you in here that applauded”) genius Fab Five Freddie M !

Massive applause to those who stuck it out and were dancing and ‘Singing In The Rain’ like Gene Kelly or alternatively in the mud. Not quite Glastonbury conditions but many did brave the interchanging weather. Well done to Jamie Topham, Gilo and the Soulstice team, the Dj’s artists and the public, the security and the first aid teams for the support you give to make this event happen!! Reeeespek!!

FOLD FEST

FULHAM, SW6 - 26TH JUNE 2016

Event Reviews

I was contacted by the lovely Svetlana of Robomagic to advertise in our Soul Survivor Magazine, Nile Rodgers’s very first Fold Fest.

One of many events to come at Fulham Palace, ‘Apparently Nothing’ like the YD’s and anything short of being the first live event to be held there. So I visited Friday’s instalment which fortunately was a very Bill Withers ‘Lovely Day’ and saw the lovely slim and trim, new and improved ‘Alf’ aka Alison Moyet of Yazoo. She still sounds good. I was a fan of hers back in the day, so it was the icing on the cake when she did ‘Don’t Go’. Chic featuring Niles, came on and did two hours of all the classics including ‘I Want Your Love’, ‘Everybody Dance’, ‘Le Freak’ and a fave of mine ‘Chic Cheer’.

The audience was mature with some young attendees loving Nile’s education on his history writing David Bowie’s ‘Lets Dance’, Madonna’s ‘Like A Virgin’ and ‘Soup For One’ the sample to Modjo’s ‘Lady’. I had turntable duties at another all day charity festival on Saturday so I missed out but returned like the prodigal son on Sunday. This was a lot busier even with the threat of potential rain, Fold Fest drew in so many more people. I caught up with Bluey of Incognito before he went on stage and with his universal Benetton loving outfit, they were making sure everyone had ‘Smilin’ Faces’ performing classic old pieces lil ‘Don’t You Worry Bout A Thing’, ‘Colibre’ and the very moving 90’s classic ‘Still A Friend Of Mine’. Showcasing the groups vocal talent, Incognito performed new material from their new album which seem to go down well. Chic returned back on stage ensuring that everybody did ‘Dance Dance Dance’ as we awaited the arrival of the USA’s precious soul emerald, the ‘Black Diamond’ Angie Stone. Prior to her arrival on stage it had been drizzling but not enough for people to leave. Angie had endured a 10 hour flight after a performance from Chicago and left Heathrow in the UK at 8.30pm and was due on stage at 9.10pm. With a few minutes overtime Angie came on with her first song aptly ‘No More Rain’ and providentially the rain had stopped. You couldn’t make it up!! I was sitting with my Triple A pass right in the photographer pit happy snappin’ more than than Lord Litchfield and David Bailey. Me and my mate JD toasted Angie when she sang the universally celebrated Willie Hutch Brother’s ‘Gonna Work It Out’ anthem ‘Brutha’ with impromptu solo’s from Nile Rodgers and the keyboardist. Angie sang ‘I Wish I Didn’t Miss You Anymore’ to close her session before Nile performed ‘Le Freak’ with an entourage of fans on the stage. I managed to catch a selfie with Nile, who I interviewed 5 years ago and slipped him the latest issue of the magazine. So let’s hear a “Chic Cheer”!!

Page 42 - Issue 65

EARTH, WIND & FIRE 02 ARENA, LONDON - 1ST JULY 2016

Having last seen Earth Wind & Fire at the Hammersmith Odeon in 1981, it was long overdue to see them in concert again. Upon arrival, I was escorted backstage to meet the three original members, Philip Bailey, Verdine White and Ralph Johnson. I felt privileged they had taken the time out to meet with myself and my lovely lady. We spoke about past times and the music.

I grasped the opportunity to pass the each of the guys a copy of The Soul Survivors Magazine Issue 63 (A tribute to Maurice White) that they assured me they would read, and keep.

The support artist on the night was the UK’s very own Tony Momrelle, and boy did he deliver his superb vocals that I’m sure captured new fans. After a short break Earth Wind & Fire took to the stage, opening with a great version of Power / African! The audience were soon on their feet captivated by the spellbinding sound and visuals on stage. Hit after hit pursued, and listening to Philip Baileys falsetto voice on ‘Reasons’, made me realise some 40 years later, he is still vocally flawless.

During the performance of ‘After the Love is Gone’, I looked round to see almost the whole Arena singing along. A truly magical moment in time.

In closing, (and after a rapturous encore) they finished with ‘Fantasy’, a set lasting over one and half hours, taking me on a remarkable journey, An amazing concert, one of which I’m sure Maurice White would have been proud of.

Lets hope the guys return in 2017, and if you haven’t witnessed the EWF experience, then make sure you do!

By DJ Rob James

STEVIE WONDER, HYDE PARK 10TH JULY 2016

On Sunday, 10th July I picked myself up and headed to Hyde Park to get a glimpse of Stevie Wonder perform tracks from his 1976 album, ‘Songs in the Key of Life’. Yes, it needed to to be seen to be believed. A 30 piece orchestra on the stage literally made their violins ‘sing’ during ‘Village Ghetto Land’. I’ve listened to that song many many times but I ‘heard’ it for the first time on Sunday in Hyde Park, unbelievable. ‘I Wish’, ‘Sir Duke’, ‘Knocks Me Off My Feet’, ‘Have a Talk With God’ each track sounds great complete with champagne and the rains decision to not make an appearance The truth is I could go on and give you marks out of 10 for his performance on every track from this album but it wasn’t about marks out of 10. It was about this iconic man who is a genius and who completely blew away 60,000 people in Hyde Park with his album that is now 40yrs old!!!

After completing the album Stevie pays tribute to Prince and the park goes wild to the sound of ‘Kiss’ and ‘When Doves Cry’, he then sings ‘Part Time Lover’, ‘Signed, Sealed, Delivered’ followed by ‘Superstitious’. Show over.

By Angie Greaves. Image by Bernie Pickering thesoulsurvivorsmagazine.co.uk

ANGIE STONE PRIVATE PARTY

THE LIBRARY, WC2 - 28TH JULY 2016

When you receive a formal invitation to a private soiree from Angie Stone’s camp, you don’t need to phone a friend or do a 50/50 to twist your arm.

This was a chance for some of Angie’s fans and some close associates from her ex promotional team UK side at Arista BMG and within the industry to meet and greet Angie up close and personal in the grand surroundings of the Library Private Members Club in St Martin’s Lane WC2. There were a few celebrities in the house and I got to shake hands and ‘strike a pose’ like Madonna with my beloved Spurs legend and football pundit Garth Crooks. Angie engaged with her audience singing a few of her classics and material off her current album, with a little help from her friends namely Junior Giscombe, Noel McKoy and Don-E of The Collective. Angie paid a huge accolade to Junior Giscombe insisting he sang ‘Mama Used To Say’ and inviting him to sing on her next project. There was an audition of sorts when Angie invited singers from the crowd including Natasha Watts, to give renditions of her classic ‘No More Rain” and partake in an impromptu rap battle over The Sugar Hill Gang’s ‘Rappers Delight’. Not bad for a Tuesday school night seeing some old faces like Jamie Topham, IG Culture and Reggie Styles.

Lucy Sayers on Ibiza Soul 4, 2016

Event Reviews

SOUL, LOVE & HAPPINESS.

The music, the people, the love, the vibe The perfect tonic, you would prescribe, For those of us who crave this feeling, That gets to you and sends you reeling.

The music that will move your Soul, And make you dance out of control!

You’re by the pool or in the clubs, Your burning feet...your body rubs, Against your soulful sista, brother...

You’re all at one with one another.

You’ll dance ‘till you’re about to drop, Like a rag doll, you’re about to flop, But no...your body is still pumped, You’re feet are pounding where you jumped!

You couldn’t settle in your bed...

Cos the vibe’s alive inside your head!

Bob Master’s....you create the ‘sun’ Ibiza Soul Week.....Day One DONE! Image by Nigel Chapman

Page 44 - Issue 65

Poolside early doors, we’re blessed Those ‘gems’ of tunes we can digest An early tipple, a little schmooze It’s clear that if you snooze, you lose These early sets, you can’t compare This mix of music anywhere!

What a treat, get out of bed And feel those vibes inside your head.

You haven’t heard this one for years Chills down your spine, so many cheers And claps for a truly brilliant set A poolside session you won’t forget.

The cream of British Soul DJs The magic of our Ibiza days It’s more than just a holiday And more than just a place to stay The music, the people, the love, the vibe Like nothing else you can describe Bob Masters, you create the sun Ibiza Soul Week, we are one!

46%

54%

ONLINE O R EA D T K C I L C

Sunday 28th August Brighton Beach Party 4 AllDayer Prymz West Street Brighton BN1 2RE - 2pm-1am DJ’s, Jeff Young, Bob Jones, Fitzroy (Soul Survivors), Abi Clarke, Paul Clark & more (See advert)

What's going on?

AUGUST Friday 26th August - and last Friday every month A FAMILY AFFAIR with OBJ’s spinning jazz funk, soul, latin & boogie + DJ Pepper Sleeves and DJ Bugsy Wan playing their mix of soul & funk. The Rocket, 11 Churchfield Road ,Acton W3 6BD 6:30 pm ‘til 1am —FREE ENTRY. Venue has full wine & dine menu.

Friday 26th August Soul Train Summer Soulfest @ SWX 15 Nelson Street, Bristol BS1 2JY 3 rooms featuring Odyssey live and guest DJ Ronnie Herel, Martin In Full Swing and Soultrain residents Advance Tickets £10 or £12.50 on the door 9.30-4am

Page 46 - Issue 65

SEPTEMBER Saturday 24th September Soul Obsession, View Bar Western Esplanade, Kingsway, Hove, BN3 4FA Late 1970; 80’s & 90’s jazz funk and soul DJ’s James Anthony, Brian Jay, Kassie D, Jnr Soul 10pm-4am (See advert) Friday 30th September - and last Friday every month A FAMILY AFFAIR with OBJ’s spinning jazz funk, soul, latin & boogie + DJ Pepper Sleeves and DJ Bugsy Wan playing their mix of soul & funk. The Rocket, 11 Churchfield Road ,Acton W3 6BD 6:30 pm ‘til 1am —FREE ENTRY - Venue has full wine & dine menu.

Friday 30th September The Expansions 30th Anniversary Party Celebration feat Alton McClain & Tracy Hamlin Brooklyn Bowl, The 02 North Greenwich, SE10 0DX £25 Dj’s Terry Jones, Bobby & Steve, Ralph Tee & JM (see advert)

OCTOBER The Four Tops & The Temptations plus Tavares (Three Legendary Artist on one bill) 20th Oct Gateshead Sage 21st Oct Liverpool Echo Arena 22nd Oct Manchester Arena 23rd Oct Leeds First Direct Arena 25th Oct Nottingham Motorpoint Arena 26th Oct Birmingham Genting Arena 27th Oct London 02 29th Oct Bournemouth BIC 30th Oct Southend Cliffs Pavillion (See advert) Friday 28th October - and last Friday every month A FAMILY AFFAIR with OBJ’s spinning jazz funk, soul, latin & boogie + DJ Pepper Sleeves and Dj Bugsy Wan playing their mix of soul & funk The Rocket, 11 Churchfield Road,Acton W3 6BD. 6:30 pm ‘til 1am —FREE ENTRY Venue has full wine & dine menu.

Saturday 29th October Soultrain Haunted Mansion party Ashton court Mansion, Long Ashton Bristol, BS41 9JN, 9pm -4am. Performances from Don-E & Rick Clarke, 3 rooms, Room 1 Ricky 2 Tuff & Paul Alexander (Bristol), Room 2 London’s Fitzroy (Soul Survivors Magazine celebrating 10 years), Room 3 Nytro & Nikey (The Party Specialists) See flyer for hotels, dinner offers and ticket info.

(See advert) The Stylistics in Concert (The All Hits Tour) Various 28th Oct Stevenage Concert Hall 29th Oct Isle Of Wight Shanklin 30th Oct Nuneaton Princess Theatre The Stylistics in Concert (The All Hits Tour) Various dates in NOVEMBER around the country including Dartford, London, Wolverhampton, Wales, Brighton, Bournemouth, Chatham, Birmingham and St Albans.

You can guarantee your radio or organised event’s in the What's Going On listings subject to space by supplying the following and correct information (spell checked by you).

Events One Entry - Maximum 50 words - £10.00 75 words - £13.00 Two Entry - Maximum 50 words - £15.00 75 words - £18.00 (If however you are already advertising your event as an advert in the magazine your entry will be free.)

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Aug 4

Kampen, Sylt, Germany

Oct 16

Blue Note Hawaii, HI

Aug 5

Jazz Piknik, Paloznak, Hungary

Oct 17

Blue Note Hawaii, HI

Aug 17 UnoJazz, Sanremo, Italy

Oct 18 Blue Note Hawaii, HI

Aug 19 Jazz and Joy, Worms, Germany

Oct 19 Yoshi’s, Oakland, CA

Aug 27 Mlyn Jazz Festival, Poland

Oct 21 Yoshi’s, Oakland, CA

Sept 12 Ronnie Scott’s, London, UK

Oct 23 Capital Jazz Supercruise

Sept 13 Ronnie Scott’s, London, UK

Oct 24

Sept 14 Ronnie Scott’s, London, UK

Oct 25 Capital Jazz Supercruise

Sept 15 Ronnie Scott’s, London, UK

Oct 26

Capital Jazz Supercruise

Sept 16 Ronnie Scott’s, London, UK

Oct 27

Cobb Energy Centre, Atlanta, GA

Sept 17 Ronnie Scott’s, London, UK

Oct 28 City Winery, Chicago, IL

Sept 23 Canvas, Bournemouth, UK

Oct 29 Opera House, Detroit, MI

Sept 29 Alumbra, Melbourne, Australia

Oct 30 Knight Theatre, Charlotte, NC

Oct 1

Caloundra Music Festival, Australia

Oct 31

Rams Head on Stage, Annapolis, MD

Oct 2

Caloundra Music Festival, Australia

Nov 1

B.B. King Blues Club, New York, NY

Oct 3

Caloundra Music Festival, Australia

Nov 2

B.B. King Blues Club, New York, NY

Oct 5

Nagoya Blue Note, Japan

Nov 3

Keswick Theatre, Philadelphia, PA

Oct 6

Umeda Club Quattro, Osaka, Japan

Nov 4

Bethesda Jazz and Blues, D.C.

Oct 7

Blue Note Tokyo, Japan

Nov 6

Hub City Jazz Festival, NJ

Oct 8

Blue Note Tokyo, Japan

Nov 12 Leverkusen Jazztage, Germany

Oct 9

Blue Note Tokyo, Japan

Nov 17 Band on the Wall, Manchester, UK

Capital Jazz Supercruise

Oct 10 Blue Note Tokyo, Japan

Nov 18 Voodoo Rooms, Edinburgh, UK

Oct 11 Blue Note Tokyo, Japan

Nov 19 Hoochie Coochie, Newcastle, UK

Oct 13 Blue Note Hawaii, HI

Nov 20 Lead Mill, Sheffield, UK

Oct 14

Nov 30 AllBlues Zurich, Switzerland

Blue Note Hawaii, HI

Oct 15 Blue Note Hawaii, HI

Dec 1

Teatro Chiasso, Switzerland

For more information contact greg@mattmusic.co.uk

www.incognito.london