MARCH 2014 ISSUE
A sneaky peak of just some of what is in the March 2014 issue.
Citrus Sun
Citrus Sun, the largely instrumental jazz group created by Incognito leader/producer Bluey Maunick back in 2001, has resurfaced. Again featuring one-time Average White Band guitarist Jim Mullen and Incognito regulars Matt Cooper [keys], Francis Hylton [bass], Francesco Mendolia [drums], Joao Caetano [percussion] and Dominic Glover [trumpet] – plus a one-track appearance by singer Valerie Etienne – the unit has just followed up its 2001 debut Another Time Another Space with an overdue second album, People Of Tomorrow, on Dome Records.
A first question for Bluey, Skyping me with guitar in hand, thus seemed obvious: with a new Incognito album just completed and his own solo career officially underway after last year’s well-received Leap Of Faith project, why choose now to revive CS? It seems that the man’s quest for new creative outlets is burning as brightly as ever.
“Incognito has become more song laden these past few years,” he explains. “We do the occasional instrumental now, but we used to do a lot more. And fans always ask us for more, so I felt a side project would cover that.
“Citrus Sun is really Incognito without the brass. I felt a bit burnt-out on those brass-heavy instrumentals… ”
Click here to buy and read more…
Lady Daisey
“I’m a user interface designer,” says Lady Daisey, explaining what she does for her day job. ”I work for Art & Logic, a California based software development company. I’ve done work on a lot of audio interfaces, so it’s still somewhat related. I telecommute, and as long as I can get online, I can work. I once had a client video conference in the green room right before a show.”
Getting online so you can video conference with a client isn’t the standard pre-stage ritual, but it’s a suitably sticky one for Daisey, who seems to be permanently swapping roles in some way. When she’s not alternating between her design and singer hats, she’s moving between Berlin and Florida. Being tied down doesn’t seem like it could be an option for her.
“Originally, I was born in Brooklyn, New York,” she says. “My parents were musicians and started a top 40 covers band, bought a Winnebego and hit the road when I was three. We toured around the Eastern half of the United States, so I was home-schooled until I was a teenager.”
These days, she spends most of her time in Berlin making music.
“When we’re in our studio in Berlin, we go into full-on production mode. We tour around Europe too, and we find a lot of records – which always influence the music. But mainly, we hibernate, record, write… ”
Click here to buy and read more…
Tanya Stephens
In 2011, Tanya Stephens addressed an audience at the University of West Indies and talked about how the message in reggae music had changed for the worse.
She said: “[Our music] which once spoke to the people and spread messages of peace and love, now merely judges, condemns and provokes. Reggae music went from defending human rights to advocating discrimination. It doesn’t speak as much for the downtrodden anymore and it’s really ironic to me that when I’m listening out for messages I can relate to, I often have to look towards white groups, because black people are too busy selling cars and jewellery… ”
Her latest album is Guilty, and musically it’s another mixed bag, which is what we’ve come to expect from an artist with more angles than most. Dancehall is well represented by Corners Of My Mind, Unapologetic and You Can’t Be A Baller with its irresistible Marines’ style harmonies whilst Hit And Run is a marvellous example of her writing skills as she assumes the role of a woman whose wedding vows have worn thin. That one’s a power ballad, just like Never Let You Go but Tanya’s impressive, no matter the style. Such versatility has its roots in her childhood… ”
Click here to buy and read more…
Archie Shepp
With a swing bandwagon currently being rolled by some of pop’s big guns into a valley of kitsch, it’s hard to imagine that orchestral dance music was once the promised land of African-American culture. However the glorious ‘30s big bands of Basie, Ellington and Lunceford provided the soundtrack to the original hepcats and hepchicks, and the steps, such as the jitterbug and the lindy hop, that were so hip they hurt, especially for squares who couldn’t do the spins and jumps.
Sadly, the 12- or 13-piece unit, with its mighty saxophone, trombone and trumpet sections, was to die out by the ‘50s, which is a source of regret for Archie Shepp. He feels that there is a big picture in black culture that has been obscured…
Click here to buy and read more…