Marcina Arnold: The Sound of Jazzy London

Released in November, this jazzy, latiny, UK-soul EP is easily one of the best of last year - and sure to get the February blues out of anyone.

Marcina is based in London where she was raised with her South African and Scot parents. Her interest seems to be most in Brazillian sounds, along with young UK jazz sensibilities.

She has recorded and performed with numerous artists such as Hugh Masakela, Airto, Mark de Clive Lowe, Grupo Batuque and many others. Arnold's band features some of London's best musicians and vocalists from the jazz, soul and "broken beat" scenes - Eska, Tom Herbert, Mpho Skeef and Jason Yarde. She released an album before this EP called "Twisted Blue Folk."

Released on Counterpoint Records, the EP is strong all the way through. "Blues for JCM" is a hip-hoppy, bluesy song about the killing of a Brazillian as he exited the London Tube, following the 2005 bus attacks. But Forefathers and Memory are the standouts, influenced by bossa and samba respectively and understanding rhythym and melody very well.

Marcina Arnold - Forefathers
Marcina Arnold - Forefathers

Working Week: Venceremos (We Will Win) - Or How I Learned to Jazz Dance

Got the Griffin IMIC all hooked up so I can record vinyl properly on this biatch. This one was laying around and it gave me an excuse to delve into some other related things.

Working Week - Vencerenmos (Jazz Dance 12' version)

Everyone knows Everything But The Girl's Tracy Thorn. but not so many people know about the milleu she came up in - the brilliant jazz (dance) scene of early 80s black London. This was the time when jazz, latin, and clubs went together, developing the "jazz dance" that continues even today (watch video here). The main venue was the (camden town) Electric Ballroom, who's dj was Paul Murphy (still doin damage). until Gilles Peterson replaced him in 1984.

Everything But the Girl - Each and Every One

Working Week sufaced after the demise of Simon Booth's first band Weekend, in the spring of 1983. The story goes that Simon wandered into the "jazz room" of the Electric Ballroom one night to find DJ Paul Murphy playing one of his songs to packed floor of young and mainly black jazz dancers and became an overnight local celebrity. He conceived the idea of a new band that would be bigger, tougher, politically motivated and jazz dance based.

Simon went away and wrote the first Working Week record Venceremos, aimed firmly at the club dancers while at the same time highlighting the political situation in Latin America. Venceremos was dedicated to the Chilean singer/guitarist Victor Jara who had been killed by the CIA backed military junta and was initially conceived as a benefit record for the Chile Solidarity Campaign. All the artists gave their services unpaid.

Venceremos was released to rave reviews, reaching number 15 in the pop singles charts. While the 7inch version featuring vocals from Tracy Thorn, Robert Wyatt and Chilean Claudia Figuerra was a bossa nova, it was the furious, double tempo 12inch version which really caused a stir with scorching solos from Larry and Harry Beckett and that driving Latin groove throughout, accompanied by a 15 minute film. That is what I have given you above.

Omar: Soul if You Want It

Omar always had a place in my heart, but having seen him live in NYC last October on the day I got engaged, he now has a whole ventricle...

His latest album "Sing... If You Want It" is fantastic - the best soul record last year I'd say. HIs old albums are just as good- if you can find them.. Here are some highlights from the new one:

Omar f/ Estelle - Lay It Down
Omar - Ghana Emotion

From NPR, November 29, 2006:
Soul singer Omar has built a large following in Britain with a signature sound that combines jazz, soul, cabaret and Caribbean funk.

Omar isn't well known in the United States, and his music can be hard to find.

But over the past decade, he has developed a small, yet influential fan base here that includes some of the leading voices of R & B and hip-hop: Jill Scott, Erykah Badu, Common and Stevie Wonder...