At Ronnie’s on 14 March
‘the village gave her their secrets for safekeeping, to be unravelled through generations and generations, and generations of Black history and do this all without Western belief in the afterlife But from the root set in sweet mud’
On Ma Marie from ‘Black History’ by Anthony Joseph
As significant on this poetry and music side of his artistry as the imagination of his patois punctuated novel Kitch and elegiac quality of his poetry Sonnets for Albert proved elsewhere that’s because it’s full of so many character portraits that leap from the audio with the immediacy of a page turning screenplay.
The production quality sonically and the flow display a twin pincer movement urgency to their impact and reach and a bubbling intensity rising up wraps the cascades of charisma and preacher-like invocation to the dance and philosophy of it all at every turn.
The Trinidad born Londoner who has an outstanding stellar poetry reputation we come to for his message music first and foremost and language you won’t hear from anyone else because he has his own lexicon and is the guardian of his own dictionaries.
We also pitch up every time there is a new record for the groove and it’s different this time. Dan See on drums is on most tracks. We heard him live in the band of Lady Blackbird at the 100 Club when the singer made her London debut in 2021. He made an impression on us that night for sure and also here.
A Tony Allen tribute is at the heart of it all
A tribute to the Fela Kuti drummer Tony Allen (1940-20) is at the heart of it all.
On this track featuring a who’s who of top UK players with, at the kit in the hotseat on this track Richard Spaven – known for his work with José James – taking on the mantle of the Afrobeat guiding light and innovator.
It’s The Invisible guitarist Dave Okumu who co-wrote and produced the number and the album among the personnel.
The phrase in the album title is found in a fragment of the lyrics of ‘Tony.’
In the lyrics themselves Joseph talks about meeting Allen on the road many times and recalls a 2011 Fela themed night at a venue called La Bellevilloise in Paris when he got up on stage greeted by a smile from the Nigerian master: “It was a militant soundtrack/for rowing up river/to get our names back./This is the ghost note/and the flam.”
‘Satellite’ featuring the great singer Eska is also a highlight. And we liked the reggae touches on ‘A Juba For Janet’ which is a novel in altered form and power if not length.
Soaked in calypso, the magical realism of VS Naipaul, grandeur of Derek Walcott, jazz, and the rhythms of Caribbean speech these stories of family members, vivid scenes, a personal is political history within a community flicker with raw candour, no nonsense narrative and emotion.
There’s a griot going on
There’s a pride on ‘Black History,’ chunky sax riffing and more. Fabulous bass on ‘Satellite’ propels the listener into the action. Eska’s euphoric responses are a joy as are See’s effortless flick of the wrist and pounding bass drum prowess. Nick Ramm (son of Billy Jenkins player Dave Ramm) from The Invisible, an old comrade of Okumu’s works his magic in the undertow on ‘Churches of Sound (The Benitez-Rojo).’
Simply a must. An inflated tear. The unheard voiced in all its raw emotion and vigorous vitality – sounds that need finding. Best album yet from Anthony Joseph? The bar is set very high but of course – an unequivocal yes.
