A WORD FROM SHOREDITCH

Shoreditch, Hackney, early evening.
Shoreditch the cradle of partying, clubbing and mixed messages
Words and inventiveness in advertising. This is a mini Selfie by the way.

SAIDI KANDA's NEW ALBUM BRINGS OUT AN UNSUNG HERO...

How long does it take to notice a unique artist?
Good question.

Saidi Kanda promotes his new album Ambush at Rich Mix , East London in November 2014. On his left is singer Fab Moses, whose participation in Kanda's performances is significant.
Pic by F Macha

Our lives are not as unkind as a 1960s T shirt used to say, i.e. cruel world. But the music industry is a tough trek. We have to like and believe in what we do. Just like Musician Saidi Kanda, 
who has been around for as long as I can remember. 

I recall visiting the late musician Remmy Ongala (above) at one of the clubs he performed regularly in Dar es Salaam Tanzania. It was 1983. Then prodigy percussionist  Saidi Kanda was only 21 and already playing with the legend. I was burning and eager to write about Ongala who I felt was not getting due credit for his amazing music and input into international culture. My efforts to pen articles in my then column with the weekly Sunday News, belched something else. Journalism was not enough. I felt I had to write a book about Remmy Ongala's life. I started right away...

THOUSANDS ENJOY RUGBY TWICKENHAM FEATURING AFRICAN DRUMS TOO...

Queues everywhere; as far as the I eye can see. Wheew the pulse  pulsates here.

Folks of all ages and colour and gender...Folks in queues.

Queues from and to the trains, queues get in and  out; queues to toilets and bars; queues for food and drinks and eating chips and  sweets and fried meat and walk into the Twickenham Stadium whose capacity is 82, 000.

Wheew...

Lots and lots and loads of people; dressed and decked up in monkey and gorilla costumes and well some, bring Teletubies to mind; it is all part of the fun- Rugby fun.

Then there is the music.

Well, beside the muscular players on the field that is- both entertainers of this Saturday May 11th, 2013.

 Music from various bands including ACD Arts (pictured below) employed by Marriotts Hotels- featuring master musicians from Uganda, Tanzania, Mali , Burkina Faso, Italy- drumming and rocking and boom boom dadan  and drumming Africa.

Music and food and cheering all to soak into the Seven Series that has South Africans, Kenyans alongside New Zealand, Australia, United States, Canada  and of course the hosts- England.

My Recent Poem

I WAS TALKING TO A SNAIL...

I was talking to a snail

Yes you may smile!

I saw a snail walking ( or should I say ) gliding

Near the rail

Not far from the major road

I felt sad

I said

Look dear fellow (assuming it was my sorrow)

Not concerned snail kept strolling and sliding

Jazz Poetry Greenwich 19th November, 2010

Jazz horn player, Mark Nightinghale, are amongst featured performers.
PART OF THE ONGOING LONDON JAZZ FESTIVAL 2010...
...promises to be a night with a variety of entertainers; ranging from South African jazz player, Claude Deppa to one of UK's leading Performance poets, Steve Tasane... and Congolese guitaristKawele Mutimanwa...
Free entry.
See You Tube Advert:

More details on the recently created Global Fusion blog

TRIBUTE TO JAMES BULGER

The horrific capture, torture and murder of two year old James Bulger in 1993 is one of the most unsolved crimes in history.


His killers, Jon Venables and Robert Thompson (both victims of a dysfunctional family) were only ten at the time. They were caught and jailed for a few years then released with new identities. Jon was recently re- arrested and re- imprisoned for another crime (also involving kids).

The infamous CCTV footage of baby James Bulger being lured and led innocently, to his death by his tormenters at the shopping mall.
The whole thing is sad, traumatic and reflects a dangerous trend in our family structures, the law and breakdown of societies.

JAZZ POETRY NIGHTS LONDON

Monthly Jazz Poetry Nights continue to shine at London's Pangea Project .
Despite a sinister cold night, on Wednesday February 10th we kept the same vibe of diverse, unique acts:
1-Jazzman John Clarke (UK) : dynamic, lively, bebop motor-mouth
2- J.J.Adamson (Kenya): Marimba, percussion, guitar and vocals
2-Burnt Toast (Canada/ UK) : Urban London; hip hop, music and words

Burnt Toast: special

3- Ursula T (Germany)- International lady read from her three collections
4-Graham Pollock (UK) : Dry humour, subtle delivery; strong message.
A typical Pollock poem:
Christmas card people . . .
We used to phone
Each other regularly.
Then it became
Occasionally,
And then very
Occasionally . . .
After a while
Our only contact
Was a card
At Christmas.

I don’t bother now.
I just don’t
See
The
Point . . . .


5- Freddy Macha (Tanzania): Afro jazz and lyrics (Host and MC)

Jazz bassist
Andre Mathurin (St Lucia)


Suprise guests
Free Jazz Musicians (UK) : Tunes Under Fire : James Gilbert (Sax) and Doug Kinloch (Guitar).

Another special presence was local Stoke Newington Photographer David Green whose snaps on the night will hopefully find their way here...

NEXT JAZZ POETRY NIGHT - 17th March...

JAZZ POETRY NIGHTS LONDON

Jazz Poetry Nights aims at promoting jazz music and poetry from all corners of the world in London.
This month we are at the Pangea Project in Hackney.

We began during the London Jazz Festival in November 2009. If you like jazz and music in general and would like to hear and see different performers of literature step in, entry is free.
For those looking to perform please email your queries to : kilimanjaro1967@hotmail.com
This is not a one off.
It aims to continue....

A song called : Freedom

I penned this song in 1980 while reflecting on various types of freedoms in many ways and million places around the world...I was living in one of the poorest districts of Dar es Salaam (called Mwananyamala Kisiwani) in Tanzania. The previous night i experienced a very troubled sleep due to prolonged chilling shrills and screaming... a man was beating his wife for borrowing a piece of soap from a neighbour.
That is how poverty interacts with freedom and relationships.




Playing and enjoying this memorable session in Winter 2009:

Piano- Kaz Kasozi (Ugandan multi-instrumentalist musician);
Bass- Andre Mathurin (from St Lucia where they have that special annual jazz festival)
Percussion- Trevor Antonio (African- Carribean rhythm man)....
I have been playing on and off with these great guys for over a decade. They have one thing in common which i always look for and love in musicians: they are sensitive, creative, they listen and do not over play...

On a hand held Camera is Krawl, a man of such intense talent; he is also a Capoeira (the Brazilian martial arts and dance) teacher.

This London session was recorded, edited and produced by Kaz Kasozi for his Video-cast series which showcases various musicians with similar themes and styles.