Wholly Holy and Epilogue

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Having read your article above its a wonder any body apart from frankie and alex still talk to you.

I think you must have been on another planet for the last thirty years.

I think you should stay on nightshift as you said earlier.

The soul scene is better off without people like your self the scene has enough politics without your contribution.

The names you mentioned are the only people who seem to know you.

I have been on the scene for 38 years and never heard of you apart from your self appraisal   articals.

P.S I have never been away off the scene.

I love all soul music not just n/s.

Some of the names you mentioned have been away and come back with mr kev roberts.

I agree with some of your comments but i think your quite away up your own backside.

People will listen to what they want to not what you think they should be listening to,

And the main reason why the north east as you put it fell behind was because the likes of alex lowes who one week he was playing up to date northern soul then the next week he was a jazz funk d/j.

Its funny how the modern soul scene is still hanging around the northern soul weekenders.

And now some of the northern d/js play both rooms.

Keep the faith brother but i some how do not think so.

There is collectors still in the north east who have given more records away than you will ever have.

kin ell i give up after 3 paragraphs

"Ewan Renton from Darlington who impressed me on his last set at Seasons playing  Razzy I Hate Hate".

 

Cutting edge stuff eh?

I have read all three articles and have no idea what the overall point is. It strikes me as the ramblings and disjointed thoughts from a man who is in love with Alex Lowes (whom I knew in the 70t's). There may indeed be some validity in some of your observations, but alas this lost in the   pure dribble you have written.

 

i don't know who you are, but I can assure that before Alex Lowes even dreamt of Nevilles Cross (and yes I did go there) others were putting on better events.

 

From some of the feedback and your own self depredating comments you are some one who is not liked nor wants to be and yet you almost take pride in this state of affairs.

 

I wish you no harm but felt compelled to repsond to your articles. If any offense is caused it was not intentional.

 

My point is this, try to re-write the articles in more concise and structured manner and perhaps they could be of provide insight and be the subject of an intelligent discussion.

So to sum up.......you've got a degree and you prefer not to store music on vinyl?

 

I prefer my expurgated version and I'm minded of my late mother's words of wisdom "self praise is no recommendation"

personally I don't care what its played on as long asits not remixed or doctored and its not repeated 

Ron Banks, Sam Dees,  Frankie Beverley, Alex Lowes, Paul Cook, Rob Bogie ( the third midwife of the weekenders, who introduced me to his girlfriend  as a ' living legend ' ) and lots of other names that would mean nothing to you is not quite the self praise you would like it to be. I think the point is that no matter how good you are, people prefer rubbish on vinyl

Most of these events happened long before I got a degree and I don't recognise any issue about formats. I'm not saying people should play CDs ahead of vinyl, I'm saying it's not an issue. Your comments merely reinforce the general thrust of the article.  

 

Can I add ' cutting edge ' to my list of rare, in-demand, valuable, big records. I'm not terribly intersted in this sort of thing, I just like the Music. You're trying to impose systems of thought I don't recgnise; and trust me, Razzy at Seasons, which is essentially a glorified nightclub, is going some.

 

Words like Straw, Clutching and At spring to mind.

 

Just to prove I'm the Peter Jackson of the Music Forum, something fascinating happened at Hoochie Coochie. Seckou Kouyate played an electrified Kora. I better repeat that in case you thought you'd misread - AN ELECTRIFIED KORA. I've heard a number of Kora players in my time, I've heard them amplified but I've never heard one electrified. The Kora is an ancient and sacred instrument and electrifying it is like putting a harp through a wah wah or setting fire to a sitar on stage. I don't have a problem with this but I don't impose limitations on Music, plus it sounded great, but Hoochie Coochie have a - shall we say - opportunistic approach to technology.

 

It's a great venue for live music though, particularly if you get the act between you and the brick wall behind the stage, you caan easily imagine you're in a Blues Club in Chicago. Even the obligatory swearing and drug boasting by the popstar he was paired with didn't detract from a great night.

All of the acts I've seen there have been great: Azymuth, Charles Walker, Fatback Band, Leon Ware and Jean Carn although Jean Carn fell apart a little in the middle when she asked for requests. Irma Thomas does something similar but her band seem to know all of her vast back catalogue. It was a relief she can still sing unlike Leon Ware who was somewhat carried by his backing singer. The tracks off I Want You, and particularly the title track were the highlights.

 

Missed Tashan, Rose Royce, Alex Oneal and Candi Staton due to other commitments or lack of funds. My brother said Rose Royce and Alex Baby were excellent and I know one person who said Candi was rubbish, though my brother saw her in Manchester and said she was great so I imagine the othe person didn't get the Muscle Shoals stuff I imagine she would do, probably alternating with Young Hearts.

Luckily the Toon crowd always step up to the mark to fill the blanks left by the Soul Folk and the owner must be wondering who he needs to put on to get them there; except them.

 

For anybody else with a bellyfull of the politics on the Soul Scene, there's lots of great music going on up and down the country every week. In his autobiography, Bill Bruford, erstwhile drummer in Yes, King Crimson, ( Hackett era ) Genesiss, UK and others - but like all the great Rock drummers, with the spirit of Jazz - reckons Cheltenham is one of the two best Jazz Festivals in the country ( though I can't remember the other.

 

Gregory Porter is doing the saturday and, despite two fair albums, each with a standout track, one of which isn't that great, several people have told me he's stunning live, one even compaaring him to Sam Dees at Fleetwood and the first time he saw Frankie Beverley. It's sold out but I believe you can get on a returns list..

Unbelievably, Johns son Ravi Coltrane, also on the saturday, hasn't sold out. Technically he's not as all conquering as his father, but who is? As an innovator, he isn't going to split the atom like his father, but who has? He has a string of fine Jazz albums which are subtle, tasteful and contemporary.

 

Other days have Madeliene Peyroux, a sort of Billie Holliday update for self proclaimed ' serious ' pop people; recently bankrupted Dionne Warwick so I don't know how that works; Polar Bear, from the Soft Macine end of British Jazz and they're great; Van Morrison who doesn't seem to be able to decide these days whether he's Britains answer to Bob ( Waiting For ) Dylot ( they love me on the nerd sites too ) or Irelands answer to Muddy Waters ( in his dreams ).

Most important is legendary vibraphonist Gary Burton, one of the prime movers in the emergence of Jazz Rock in the mid/ late sixties whose band spawned Larry Coryell who was Clapton to John McLaughlins Hendrix.

 

Current thinking is that if I make 70, I'll don the disguise and do the rounds on the Soul Scene again and I'm genuinely hopeful fingers will be out, boxes ticked, I's dotted, T's crossed and all S's capitalised.l

After this last rant by yourself we can see what camp your in jazz and soul are seperate music so i think you might be better off staying away from the most successful and longest running music scene ever.

May i suggest ronnie scotts cafe.

And maybe watching tony bennet.

I feel sorry for you, you seem to think you have heard every sound ever played on the scene.

No one has heard every thing thats what makes it worth staying the distance.

New sounds being found every day.