The Soundr Hour - Spring Breaks

 

As the clocks go forward, Soundr steps into the new season with a fruity bouquet of blossoming breaks, blooming tunes and mellow beats -from trip hop to sunny lectro pop to breezy nu jazz..

 Dig in and bliss out...

Soundr DJ · the Soundr Hour: Spring Breaks -blossoming, blooming beats for spring

Podrophenia International

Our most recent  Podrophenia is up for download. While Piley is trapped in Telford - Daryl Gibson sits in with a sizzling international buffet of all vinyl tunery..~

We open with disco refit of a Steely Dan classic, then crate-dig through Jamaican Electro Funk, No Wave, Reggae, Yacht, Deep House. Plus a spectacular live Afro-jazz session from the amazing Dan Parker - taste test below and grab the full session here

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Radio Podrophenia - Touched by the hand of Hendrix

'scuse us while we kiss the sky'

For our latest Podrophenia, we're joined by special guest Doug Kaye who worked at Mr Love on Brook Street, the restaurant below Jimi Hendrix's flat during the late 60s.. Turn on, tune in and buckle up as Doug relays tales of Hendrix favourite meal, sleb guests swinging though and which Beatle trod on a lodger's head..

Every track Doug picks is played from an album he lent to Jimi. Each album is literally touched by the hand of Hendrix - it's a scrolling roll-call of mod jazz, funk and soul.

All here plus a live acoustic mod soul set from Gary Bynorth.. Download here



Or via iTunes

The Sunday Sessions - Wilko approved and with added Digby

 

Martin McNeill and the Bottletop Blues Band will be blazing away from 4 today at Southend's most rock 'n' roll local and epicentre of the swelling scene..  The Railway Hotel

Expect a jazz spin on this Sunday's swing-ding as legendary trumpeteer Digby Fairweather is aboard as the special guest

But don't just take my word for what hot-rocking heat Martin McNeill and pal's generate - they're rubber stamped 'approved' by Wilko Johnson - who, in our just published  interview (more on that later) had this to say...

They're a bloody good band. The whole of the band is really good - they're playing proper blues, which is quite a rare thing. The whole band is good - rhythm section, guitar - and the man himself.

And I couldn't let the death of the blackest of mambas go unmarked - so expect to hear..


 

Solomon Burke - Maggie's Farm

The Southend Jazz Five

Dave Jazzy Dawson not pictured

This month's Podrophenia is a jazz-off with all shades and shapes of the form's modal tones gathered together - and includes something for everyone from beatniks to boppers, or even newbie jazzers who don't know their Acid from their elbow.

We've also got - replace the word 'love' with 'jazz' in song titles. And as a centrepiece - four live tunes from the American Songbook delivered by Dave Woodcock and Hannah Marsh ..

All contained hereabouts - dig in jazzers

Radio Podrophenia - Jazz

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Radio Podrophenia - Jazz Club...

Broadcasting live from the Podrophonic HQ (or upstairs at The Railway as some say), the March edition of Radio Podrophenia is fitted around the theme of 'Jazz'. Nice!

Expect to hear jazzed up Fabs, Trad, Mod, Bop and Acid Jazzers on the playlist. There may even be an exclusive preview from the James Hunter Six new album, an appearance from Pellicci legend Jukebox Jimmy.

And we've even got live music for you from jazz-age Journo Hannah Marsh accompanied by Southend's premier piano man Dave Woodcock.

All live from 9 on Radio Novalujon - tune in and tell a pal!!

A trio of home-grown jazzers - but who'll make tonight's edition?

Tommy Chase - Killer Joe

Caining It

Here's something I've been meaning to clonk in the blog for yonks. A Michael Caine selection..so what's it all about Alfie?

Typically I'm not one for autograph hunting - and unlike Pileys legendary and  weighty volumes of celebrity scratchings my collection runs to a can-you-even-call-it-a-collection total of two: a signed summer season programme (Eastbourne '76) with Ray Allen and Cilla's sig's contained therein (BTW she tousled my hair and called me 'chucky egg'. She also wore a fur coat and sunglasses. At Night. In the summer. In Eastbourne). And a George Melly concert ticket - personalised 'yours always'

But, when the unblinking, heavyweight ledge that is Sir Michael of Micklewhite is hosting a biog-signing sesh quite literally around the corner from the office - I'll happily take a place in the queue.

Roy Budd - Get Carter Theme



Quincy Jones - The Self Preservation Society



Nancy Wilson - Alfie



If you're in any way a fan of Get Carter this online tour of the filming locations is well worth a squint

Update: Mike meets Mondo 

Sax and the City

We dropped into one of the many London Word Festival events last Friday - Avant Noir 'A night of criminal fiction, comic art and music of a darker hue'. An evening that saw four contemporary crime writers reading extracts from their late night tales to a live music soundtrack from contemporary jazzers.

Ray Banks was a new-to-me author, now fast-tracked to my 'must read' list. While opening the show was Cathi Unsworth delivering a chilling piece from the excellent Bad Penny Blues accompanied by the sharp suited four piece - Get The Blessing.

Almost hidden amongst the listings, Get The Blessing were an unexpected treat. Featuring the Portishead rhythm section of Jim Barr and Clive Deamer (bass and drums) who lock and load with business end of the beats, while Pete Judge and Jake McMurchie (trumpet and sax) handle all the huffing 'n' puffing - occasionally relaying and delaying it through effects pedals for enhanced other-worldiness.

Get The Blessing are almost Bernard Hermann scoring Beastie Boys instrumentals, gear-shifting between cop-show soundtracks and Zappa instrumentals or using Acid Jazz's sprightly style offset against John Bonham's heavyweight wallop.

A special mention must go to drummer, Clive Deamer, who, during the end-of-evening, double-whammy jazz-off with Led Bib used hands, maracas and both head and handle ends of his padded drumsticks to devastating effect during a stunning, free-piece finale.

Get The Blessing - Music Style Product





Also featured: the excellent artwork of Huzzah Noir - which, can be found here...

(Funky) Friday On My Mind

It's about time we had a breather from my usual end o' the week guff and stuff. So instead,it's a guest blog spot for todays' FF as music writer, musician and compiler of the sharpest CDs John Medd punches the buttons and chooses the tunes...

Blimey, it’s Friday again! How did that happen? Not that I’m complaining, it’s just that these days all my timepieces appear to be moving at cartoon/sit-com speed – you know the sort, don’t you? Anyway, here’s three nuggets that should kick-start the weekend.

When I was in my late teens and discovering wine, women and song, my all time favourite song lyric went ‘tonight’s the night when I go to all the parties down my street’ from Joe Jackson’s Is She Really Going Out With Him: even though there were precious few parties down my street, those words held so much promise. And even now, a quarter of a century later, I still sing it myself when I’m going putting on my falling over trousers, ready to go and blow the froth off a couple of pints on a Friday night. Joe’s moved on, too; these days he’s got a train to catch. By the way, any similarities to The ‘In’ Crowd are no doubt well intentioned.

Joe Jackson: Uptown Train


Next up is a tune you’ll be whistling all next week – I promise. The Haggis Horns hail from Leeds and are reinventing UK funk. This brass-heavy 8-piece are the house band of choice for Ronson, Winehouse, Bailey Rae et al and are guaranteed to tear up any club they pitch up at.

Haggis Horns: The Traveller (Pt. 2)


Finally, rather than jam the anchors on, we’re slowing down Toyota style…slowly. James Yorkston is best known for his work as part of the The Fence Collective, a Scottish folk mafia, if you will, but his solo album Year Of The Leopard appeared on quite a few radar screens a couple of years back - not least for it’s mesmeric Woozy With Cider: a remixer’s dream (it’s even been given a dubstep makeover) though I’ve gone for the original. Dig it!

James Yorkston: Woozy With Cider

Song Of A Baker

You may remember last week, how we noted the signature Alessi sound has a chime of the Chet about it, so for anyone who hasn't heard the muted toot of his trumpet or the lullaby-lilt of his politely stoned vocal tone here's your chance to check in with Chet Baker. The James Dean of the jazz-scene.

Chet Baker - The More I See You

There's an almost heavy-overload of Chet albums too choose from - but this, this or It Could Happen To You ..are all good hopping on points for Baker-beginners