DJs battle all weekend - 21st & 22nd November

Maybe it's something about the cold winter air that makes us DJs feel all competitive, but the last ever Wheelie Bag Clash took place last Sunday at the 100 Club and now there are two more clashes to look forward to this coming weekend!

First of all is The Sagaboys DJ Cup Clash on Friday 21st November in Clapton. I am taking part in this myself and would love to see some of you down there. It's hotting up to be quite a night so make sure you bring your whistles and make some noise! For full details see my previous blog post here.

Then on Saturday 22nd November some of the biggest revival reggae DJs in London are gathering to clash in Dalston. Names include Gladdy Wax, Tiny T and Asher G (The Rocksteady Daddy). One things for sure, this will be quite a contest with some amazing tunes being showcased. Especially as the winner will walk away with £1000 (the winner of the Sagaboys Clash just gets a trophy!)

Details as follows:

I Remember That! (clash and dance) @ Bar 512
Saturday 22nd November 2008
512 Kingsland Road, Dalston, London, E8 4AE
10pm - 5am
admission: £7

Thank you for the music

More sad news today. I was shocked to read of the death of legendary South African singer Miriam Makeba - also known as Mama Afrika.

You can read the story here: www.miriammakeba.co.za

This comes just days after the death of Byron Lee whose band The Dragonaires were responsible for some of the finest ska, rocksteady, calypso and reggae recordings of the 1960s.

Despite the joy the news of Barack Obama being elected the first black president of the United States has brought to the world, this is a sad time as we have lost so many inspiring musical heroes during the last few weeks, including one of my all time favourite singers - Alton Ellis.

Read more about the passing of Alton Ellis, Byron Lee and other Jamaican greats here

Other legends who have just recently passed away are Levi Stubbs (lead singer of The Four Tops), Dee Dee Warwick (soul singer and sister of Dionne Warwick) and Andrew "Mike" Terry (Funk Brother and Detroit saxophonist who played on so many of the great 60s soul tunes).

This coming weekend I am playing Right On! sets at The Vibe Bar and Ronnie Scott's and am dedicating the sessions to the memory of all these wonderful singers and musicians. I will be paying tribute by playing many of their fantastic and life-affirming recordings. Their music will live forever.

Right On! weekend - 14-15 November - Vibe Bar & Ronnie Scott's

I'm extremely sorry to announce that I just received a phone call telling me the management of Ronnie Scott's have cancelled my night there tomorrow (15 Nov). Apparently they double booked the venue and forgot to tell the promoters and DJs until this evening! Unfortunately there was absolutely nothing I could do to change this decision.

All I can do is offer my sincerest apologies to you all. Especially for the unbelievably short notice. If I had any idea this could have happened I would never have arranged the night there.

Not only has this messed up my night and wasted many hours of my time spent in promoting and preparing it, but another 100 or more people have also had their Saturday night messed up including people who were going to celebrate their birthday there and some who had planned to travel from outside of London.

Please could I ask you to pass this information on to anyone you know who might be planning on attending tomorrow night? I would really hate for anyone to waste their time and money travelling down there.

I can only apologise again and assure you I will do everything in my power to never allow this to happen again at any venue I DJ at in the future.

Fortunately tonight (Friday the 14th November) is still happening, so come down to Chick-A-Boom at The Vibe Bar to hear me and Mistah Brown plus special guest Andy Smith (Portishead, Jazz Cafe, Lost & Found, Document, etc.). We'll be playing plenty of ska, reggae, Northern soul and rockin' rhythm & blues.

Chick-A-Boom @ The Vibe Bar
Friday 14th November
The Truman Brewery, 91 Brick Lane, E1 6QL
8pm - 1am. £5 (NB. over 21s only)

Festival New Orleans @ The O2 - 24-25 Oct

New Orleans r&b and funk legends Allen Toussaint and Dr. John are to headline a free festival at The O2 this weekend along with a large line-up that covers blues, r&b, gospel, jazz and other old-school musical genres associated with the Crescent City.

The festival is possibly the largest ever celebration of New Orleans music and culture outside of the USA and runs from 4pm til 11pm on Friday and 3pm til 11pm on Saturday. Admission is absolutely free and there is no need to book - just turn up. As well as all the live music across 3 stages, there will also be traditional cuisine on sale and even a recreation of the legendary Bourbon Street.

Festival New Orleans @ The O2
Peninsula Square, London, SE10 0DX
Nearest tube: North Greenwich (Jubilee line)
(but be warned there are closures on the Jubilee line on Saturday)

For full details visit www.theo2.co.uk/inside/festival-new-orleans.html

To read more about Allen Toussaint check out: www.nynorecords.com/allen.shtml

R&B allnighter with Big Joe Louis live - Sat 18 Oct

Blues and r&b fans, don't miss this! On Saturday 18th October I will be DJing at a Rhythm & Blues allnighter at The Hootananny in Brixton alongside a live set from the fantastic Big Joe Louis - one of Britain's greatest blues voices.

Born and raised in Jamaica, Big Joe Louis has lived in Britain since the 1980s and has been twice voted "Best UK Male Blues Vocalist". His band The Blues Kings are widely considered one of the best in the UK.

As well as recording with David "Honeyboy" Edwards and Van Morrison, Big Joe Louis has played with artists such as: Lazy Lester, R L Burnside, Big Jack Johnson, Homesick James, Louisiana Red, Big Bad Smitty and Big Lucky Carter to name but a few.

His albums for Blue Horizon and Ace Records are highly acclaimed and his latest dancefloor 45 "Go Go Train" has won him popularity on the mod scene.

You can expect a rockin' dancefloor set from Big Joe Louis to get you on your dancing feet and I'll be keeping the vibe going before and after with some killer diller 50s and 60s r&b and soul platters as well as some ska thrown in for good measure.

To top it all off, admission to this night is absolutely free. But arrive early to guarantee admission!

Full details as follows:

Right On! Rhythm & Blues Allnighter @ Hootananny Brixton
Saturday 18th October. 10pm - 4am
95 Effra Road, London, SW2 1DF. (020) 7737 7273
(nearest tube: Brixton)
Admission FREE

For more information about Big Joe Louis and to listen to some of his music visit myspace.com/bigjoelouis

Walking In Rhythm @ Ronnie Scott's - 6 September

After running successfully every Friday for more than 6 months, Walking In Rhythm is to relaunch as a weekly Saturday session upstairs at the legendary Ronnie Scott's Club on the 6th September.

Thanks to two fantastic nights earlier in the year, I have been asked back by resident DJ Jimbo to join him on the decks again at the relaunch party and will be playing another three hour Right On! style set - which means nothing but the finest vintage black dance music on original vinyl.

Expect to hear plenty of soul, rhythm & blues, jazz, funk, ska, reggae and boogaloo plus a touch of samba, mambo, calypso and other exciting sounds from myself and Jimbo.

This will be a unique night in one of the coolest venues in London (see photo) - reminiscent of the days when Right On! ran down the road in Chinatown.

And to guarantee a great crowd, I have been given an unlimited free guestlist for all my contacts. So, if you would like to come along without having to pay a penny, just drop me an email ASAP to paul@right-on.org with the full names of anyone thinking of coming along.

Walking In Rhythm @ Ronnie Scott's Jazz Club (upstairs bar)
47 Frith Street, Soho, London, W1D 4HT (opposite Bar Italia)
Saturday 6th September
9pm - 3am

To find out more about Ronnie Scott's Club visit their website:
www.ronniescotts.co.uk

Gladdy Wax @ Chick-A-Boom! - Fri 11 July

Jamaican sound system legend Gladdy Wax joins me and Mistah Brown at Chick-A-Boom! this Friday. Last time I DJ'd alongside Gladdy was at Right On! in September 2006, so I'm thrilled to have him back on the decks with me for some soul, funk, rhythm & blues and of course not forgetting the scorching ska!

Chick-A-Boom! @ The Vibe Bar (upstairs)
The Truman Brewery, Brick Lane, London, E1
(nearest tube/train: Liverpool Street)
Friday 11th July
8pm - 1am
£4

The Five Aces live - Sat 5th July

Glasgow's finest Rhythm & Soul group, The Five Aces, will be playing a rare London gig on Saturday 5th July at The Hootananny in Brixton.

The Hootananny Brixton is a new live music venue which has a programme of gigs covering ska, soul, funk and jazz.

The Five Aces (and their other incarnation, The Bottleneckers) are a great band, so I'm chuffed that I've been asked to DJ at this night. I DJ'd for them once before a few years ago at an open-air gig in Italy, but they went by the name of The Boogaloo Investigators at that time.

Doors open at 8pm with DJs from the Pigsnoots club warming things up. The band will be on at around 10pm and then I'll be on afterwards spinning a two hour set of 50s and 60s r&b and soul. The Pigsnoots DJs will take over again until 4am to finish off the night.

Like most of the Hootananny's gigs, admission to this night is free, and knowing The Five Aces I expect this to be a real jumping jamboree, so make sure you bring your dancing shoes!

If you're not familiar with the band, you can listen to some of their music on their MySpace page: www.myspace.com/thefiveaces

The Hootananny is located at:
95 Effra Road (corner of Brixton Water Lane), SW2 1DF

For more information about the venue visit: www.hootanannybrixton.co.uk

V&A Motown Weekend - 5th-6th July

Another interesting event coming up at The Victoria & Albert Museum next weekend. To celebrate 50 years of Motown, and coinciding with the V&A's Supremes exhibition, the museum will be exploring the power of soul music, from "Stop in the Name of Love" to "Inner City Blues" and beyond. There will be films, talks, T-shirt printing, Supremes makeovers, dance routines and soul and funk chorus workshops.

On top of this, DJs such as Jo Wallace (Motown), Gladdy Wax and Mistah Brown will be providing a soundtrack of Motown, Northern Soul, Ska, Rocksteady and Afrobeat.

The whole event is absolutely free (note that the Supremes exhibition is not free however), so put on your best threads and get down to explore the impact and legacy of one of the most important record labels of all time.

For full details of this unique weekender, check out the V&A website:
vam.ac.uk/activ_events/events/motown_weekender/index.html

The Shingaling Thing club returns - 19th July

Two of my favourite DJs, Mark Ellis and Will Bourton, are relaunching their much-missed London club night - It's A Shingaling Thing! - at The Apple Tree pub on Saturday 19th July.

The Shingaling Thing at The Net Bar on Hanway Street was one of my favourite club nights because, quite simply, nowhere else played the same sort of quality jazz and Latin tunes. Amazingly it's been around 5 years since the last one, though in that time both Mark and Will have been busy DJing at other nights, such as my Home Cookin' jazz session.

Mark and Will are joined for this relaunch by special guests French Fred and Jo Sadler (both of whom guested at the club back in the day), so expect a top-notch mix of dancefloor jazz, Latin boogaloo, R&B, 60s soul and reggae.

The Apple Tree is found at: 45 Mount Pleasant, London, WC1X 0AE

Admission to the night is free and it runs from "8 til late".

Gene Drayton Unit live @ The 100 Club - 19th July

Arguably London's most popular Hammond combo, The Gene Drayton Unit (GDU) are set to return to The 100 Club for a live gig on Saturday 19th July.

The GDU are one of those bands that not only sound good, but are a real treat to watch perform too. The atmosphere at their 100 Club gigs is always electric and it's a real pleasure to watch them work the audience up into a frenzy. Sax player Mark Norton in particular always impresses with his dancing.

Their catchy club sound is a blend of 60s soul, jazz, funk, blues and even 60s pop and garage punk.

If you haven't seen them play live before, this is the time to do it.

Tickets are £7 in advance or £10 on the door. You can buy tickets online from: www.wegottickets.com/event/31603

To find out more about the band and listen to some of their tracks visit: http://www.myspace.com/genedraytonunit

Free blues gig featuring James Hunter - 30 April

Tomorrow - Wednesday 30th April - sees an afternoon of blues acts playing live at the HMV flagship store on Oxford Street. And all for free, courtesty of Mojo Magazine which is launching its 2008 Honours List celebrations.

The music starts at 12.30pm with Son Of Dave, followed by the sensational James Hunter (who I cannot recommend highly enough) at 1.30pm.

There's then a break until 6pm, when Pete Molinari kicks the music off again. The full line-up is as follows:

12.30 Son Of Dave
13.30 James Hunter

18.00 Pete Molinari
19.00 The Fall

The HMV flagship store is located at:
150 Oxford St, London, W1D 1DJ.
Nearest tube: Oxford Circus.

For full details click here.

For More info on James Hunter including London and UK tour dates visit: www.jameshuntermusic.com

100 Club gets Council's knickers in a twist

Sad to report that Westminster Council do not seem to share my passion for the art of burlesque.

A few weeks ago the 100 Club ran a retro night that featured burlesque dancers. Apparently there was a member of Westminster Council in attendance who decided that the degree of undress broke the 100 Club's license. This means that the club has had to have all their operations reviewed.

Unfortunately it also means that the all night license for this Saturday's 6Ts Northern soul allnighter has been rejected. But all is not lost; the night will still go ahead, but will finish at the earlier time of 3am.

I've been told that the 100 Club owner was due to meet with the Council this week so fingers crossed the situation can be resolved. More news as I hear it.

For more information on the 6Ts Rhythm & Soul allnighters visit http://www.6ts.info/
For more information on The 100 Club visit http://www.the100club.co.uk/

The 45rpm Jukebox Jump-off - SAT 23 FEB

I'm very pleased to be playing another Right On! style set this coming Saturday. I've been invited to join resident DJ Simon Stretch on the decks at his Stormy Weather night at Barrio North - a bar opened last year dedicated to vintage and underground music.

We will be spinning a mix of 1950s-1970s black music - all off of original 45s. Expect to hear some fantastic rockin' r'n'b, 60s soul, funk, jazz, ska, reggae, mambo, calypso, boogaloo and whatever other aural curiosities spring to mind.

Simon and I DJ'd alongside each other at the last Rakehell's Revels and complemented each other perfectly, so I am really excited at this chance to DJ with him again.

Details as follows:

Stormy Weather presents the 45rpm Jukebox Jump-off
@ Barrio North, 45 Essex Road, London, N1 2SF (tube: Angel)
SATURDAY 23rd FEBRUARY 2008
8pm til 1.30am; FREE entry

Home Cookin' after-party - Sunday 10th February

Well, this Sunday's Home Cookin' looks like being a really busy one! I've had great response to my promotion and we've even been recommended in this week's Time Out magazine. For full details on the night see my earlier blog post or check out www.right-on.org

If you're thinking of coming, please do get down early, as the band will be on at 7.30pm (you don't want to miss them!) and the night finishes at 10.30pm.

However, for those of you who don't have work the next morning, I can now confirm we will be holding a Right On! style after-party at a secret West End venue (to be revealed on the night). This will feature across-the-board vintage black music from the 50s, 60s and 70s played by special guest DJs Texas Ranger (Trojan Explosion), Mark Professor (Trojan Explosion, Reference Library), Truck Turner (Reference Library) and David Atkinson (Brighton).

Texas Ranger (pictured above at Right On!) and Mark Professor are famous for their sweet reggae selections whilst Truck Turner and David Atkinson are better known for playing dancefloor jazz. However, all of these DJs have vast record collections and play a whole range of styles: from jazz, soul and r&b through to ska, reggae and Latin boogaloo. One things for sure, they all know how to rock a dance.

This is truly going to be an unforgettable night, so I do hope you can make it!

Make It 'n' Shake It! - Sunday 3rd February

Well this year is proving to be a busy one for me so far. As well as my Home Cookin' jazz session, I've also got a great night coming up on Sunday 3rd February called Make It 'n' Shake It!

Me and Mistah Brown from Tighten Up will be salvaging what's left of the weekend with a riotous mix of Stax stompers, Motown movers, heavy Hammond groovers, scorchin' ska, Southern-fried soul, hip bumpin' funk, rollickin' rhythm 'n' blues and good old rock 'n' roll for all you hipsters, flipsters, finger-poppin' mamas & jive-talkin' daddies thinking about taking tomorrow off work!

The venue comes complete with a wooden floor too - perfect for dancing. Plus there's a back garden for the smokers.

And to top it all off, it won't cost you a dime to get in!

Details as follows:

Make It 'n' Shake It! @ The Old Queen's Head (upstairs bar)
DATE: Sunday 3rd February
TIMES: 5pm - Midnight
ADDRESS: 44 Essex Road, London, N1 8LN
ADMISSION: FREE

DJ Jean-Paul @ Ronnie Scott's - Fri 25 January

Some very exciting news - I've been invited to guest DJ upstairs at the legendary Ronnie Scott's Jazz Club in Soho. Needless to say, this is something of a dream come true for me! It's a weekly night called Walking In Rhythm which has a music policy very similar to Right On! - i.e. the best of vintage black music. This gives me a rare opportunity to play a mixed set like those I play at Right On! I'll be bringing along a bit of everything: jazz, soul, rhythm & blues, doo wop, funk, ska, calypso, reggae, boogaloo, mambo, samba and more - all on original vinyl.

The session is held in the smart upstairs bar at Ronnie Scott's which was given a complete facelift when the club was refurbished a year or so back.

For those who don't know, Ronnie Scott's is probably the UK's most important and famous modern jazz venue. It opened in Gerrard Street in 1959 and moved to its current premises opposite Bar Italia in Frith Street in 1965. Like Ronnie Scott's, Bar Italia is also still going strong and is the perfect place for a late night cappuccino after Ronnie Scott's kicks out at 3am.

This is going to be a night to remember, and until I find a perfect new venue for Right On!, this should be a fix for anyone who has been missing it as much as I have. It's only a fiver to get in too - or free if you get there early enough - so being skint shouldn't be a problem either. And who knows, if I draw a big enough crowd maybe they'll invite me back!

The details are as follows:

Walking In Rhythm @ Ronnie Scott's (upstairs bar)
Date: Friday 25th January
Time: 7pm - 3am
Admission: FREE before 9pm / £5 before 11pm / £8 after 11pm
Address: 47 Frith Street, London, W1D 4HT
Nearest tube: Tottenham Court Road

DJ Jean-Paul @ Trojan Explosion - 30 November

As readers of the Clubs page will know, Trojan Explosion is a monthly Friday session that I rate very highly. It's held in a brilliant basement venue in the heart of the West End and has a great mix of music - both obscurities and classics.

One of the resident DJs there, Texas Ranger, has kindly asked me to DJ with her this Friday, 30th November, while her partner in crime Mark Professor is away in the Caribbean.

Despite the name, the night is a really good mix of rockin' R&B, 60s soul, funk and soul-jazz alongside the ska, rocksteady and reggae. I'm very excited about this as it's a musical formula I love and is quite close to the sort of mix I play at Right On!

Anyway, very short notice I know, but I thought I'd post the info up here in case anyone is looking for somewhere to go this Friday and fancies hearing some of my tunes. Plus it's FREE before 11pm - bonus! Details as follows...

Trojan Explosion @ Market Place (downstairs bar)
11 Marketplace (behind Oxford Street), London, W1 8AH
Friday 30th November; 8pm-1am
FREE before 11pm then £7

The Magic Theatre - 24 November

The Magic Theatre is a glamourous sounding new club night coming up at the gorgeous Rivoli Ballroom on Saturday 24th November.

The idea behind the night is to hold to a diverse and magical event for "whoever you are or whoever you want to be". It is aimed at people of all sexualities and gender identities - anyone who loves to dress up and dance.

Musically the night promises to cover 60s Soundtracks, Brazilian, Lounge, Library Grooves, Mambo, Cha Cha Cha, Sixties Soul, 60s French and Italian Pop, and Jazz Dance courtesy of DJ Weegee. There will also be live music from The Roadhouse 5 who play Rat Pack Jazz, Soul and select Pop.

The Rivoli Ballroom should be the perfect venue for this unique night and was chosen especially as a fitting stage for costumes and outfits that are quirky, sensual and spectacular. In other words, a place to make a grand entrance, and to dance into the early hours.

The Rivoli is one of very few remaining original ballrooms in London. It apparently started life as the Crofton Park Picture Palace in July 1913, before being converted into a ballroom with a large sprung maple dancefloor in the late 1950s. Its beautiful original decor includes red velvet, flock wallpaper, chandeliers and glitter balls.

The club runs from 8pm til 1am though doors will open at 6pm for a Dressing Room, pre-club Costumier and Make-up Service with professional nail technician. Tickets are £12 and the promoters are highly recommending buying tickets in advance due to high interest and a strict capacity of 500.

The Rivoli Ballroom, 350 Brockley Road, SE4 2BY (opposite Crofton Park train station)

For tickets and further details visit: http://www.therivoli.co.uk/

6Ts All-Nighters at Jacks cancelled

This message just in from Ady Croasdell who runs the 6Ts Rhythm & Soul Society:

"I've decided to cancel all future events at Jack's due to an unexpected increase in the rent and a decrease in the hours at the last one. I should have notified everyone well before now but Kent's 25th celebrations just took over eveything. My apologies for the very late notice.

"Now we are back at the 100 Club it seems people much prefer going to those dances rather than the ones at Jack's. I'd like to thank Johnny Gamlin for coming to our rescue earlier in the year with the venue, when we really needed it. The first night was brilliant about 400 people enjoying a great atmosphere in the impressive club. However there were only just over 100 at the second and perhaps 150 at the third so it's obvious that 6TS members hadn't enjoyed it as much as I thought they had, or perhaps they were just happy to be back in the 100 Club. Either way Jack's was a short but memorable experience.

"The next 6TS will be at the 100 Club on December 1st, 9pm-6am. The Xmas party is on Dec 20th 9pm-2am. Membership is optional for all 6TS events now."

White Mischief @ The Scala - Sat 10 Nov

I'm very excited to be DJing at The Scala on Saturday 10th November for a night called White Mischief: From The Earth To The Moon. This promises to be a unique indoor festival over 3 floors featuring live music, DJs, burlesque and cabaret.

I'll be DJing in the main room (capacity 500+) supporting ace soul band Lord Large and British Sea Power with a set of 60s soul and other related dancefloor sounds. I'll be on from around midnight til 3am.

Lord Large have been making a great name for themselves with their authentic 60s soul and ska releases on Acid Jazz. If you haven't seen them live yet, you're in for a treat.

For full details see the flyer below or visit: http://www.whitemischief.info/

To buy advance tickets online visit: http://www.ticketweb.co.uk/user/?region=gb_london&query=detail&event=235130

John Holt live - 28 Nov - with DJs Mark Lamarr and Jean-Paul Séculaire

I'm honoured to have been asked to assist Mark Lamarr with DJ duties in support of the great John Holt at his live concert at the Jazz Cafe on Wednesday 28th November.

"Sir" John Holt is a reggae legend and one of the most soulful voices that Jamaica has produced. As lead singer of the Paragons in the 1960s he was responsible for evergreen rocksteady classics like "The Tide Is High" and "Wear You To The Ball". Since 1970 he has enjoyed a hugely successful solo career with his unique brand of soulful reggae. Popular in clubs to this day for tunes like "Ali Baba", "I'm Your Man" and "Maybe The First Time", John Holt is still going strong and continues to record and perform live.

This is a very rare opportunity to see Mr Holt in an intimate venue, as he usually only plays at much larger venues like the Apollo. He'll be at the Jazz Cafe for one night only - so don't miss out!

Doors: 7pm
Tickets: £27.50 advance

Full details from the Jazz Cafe's website here:
http://www.meanfiddler.com/displayPage.asp?ArticleID=3762&URLID=19

You can find more information about John Holt here:
http://wc01.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=11:hifoxqq5ldfe~T1

Amazing Soul Revue @ The Forum - 19 Oct

To celebrate their 25th Anniversary, Kent Records (subsidiary of top UK reissue label Ace), will be hosting a live 60s style Soul Revue at The Forum in Kentish Town, featuring a plethora of amazing legendary 60s soul artists such as Maxine Brown and Tommy Hunt.

See the flyer below for full details or visit http://www.6ts.info/

For more info on Kent and Ace Records, visit http://www.acerecords.co.uk/

Rock'n'Roll Soul on a barge - 10 October

Interesting looking night from http://www.rocknrollsoul.co.uk/

Deep Fried - Mon 20 August

Sorry for the short notice, but this is going to be an excellent night and is for a really good cause too. You should get down to it if you can!

It's organised by my friend Paul Leney (www.djpaul.retroruss.com) and also features the fantastic Perry Louis from the Jazzcotech dancers (www.jazzcotech.com) too. Both of them are top DJs and have DJ'd for me at Right On! nights in the past. There are also other DJs flying in from all over Europe to play on the night too.

See the flyer below for full details:

Jimmy Cliff live - 14 July 2007

Reggae and soul legend JIMMY CLIFF plays live at The Croydon Festival this year

Date: Saturday 14th July 2007
Location: Lloyd Park, Coombe Road, Croydon, Surrey

Support from The Dualers

For more info visit: http://www.croydonfestival.com/african_caribbean.html

James Hunter @ The Jazz Cafe

Still touring hard, and continuing to make TV appearances on the likes of Jools Holland, the amazing James Hunter will be back in London performing for two nights only at the Jazz Cafe in Camden.

Dates: Wednesday 1st & Thursday 2nd August 2007
Doors: 7pm
Advance tickets: £17.50

The Jazz Cafe, 5 Parkway, Camden Town, London NW1 7PG (Nearest tube: Camden Town)

For more info visit: http://www.jazzcafe.co.uk/

And to find out more about James Hunter, visit his official website where you can also listen to some of his music:

http://www.jameshuntermusic.com/

Great club night - Sat 21 April 2007

EVERYTHING BUT THE KITCHEN SINK

@ Bar Sesto,

254 Edgware Rd, London W2 1DS (tube: Edgware Road)

Saturday 21st April 2007

This is a great fun club night at a lovely venue run by three of my good friends (Mark Professor, Texas Ranger and Truck Turner) who are all excellent DJs with huge collections of vinyl.

The night runs from 9pm til 2am and musically anything goes! Soul, Reggae, Rocksteady, Funk, Punk, Indie, Jazz etc. etc. etc. The DJs will be digging deep into their record collections for a unique and completely eclectic selection.

NOTE: Admission is only 3 pounds - BARGAIN!

Transatlantic Soul Connections - 4 Feb 2007

Another exciting event is coming up at the Barbican on the 4th February:

Transatlantic Soul Connections

Featuring live performances from 60s soul stars Geno Washington, Jimmy James, Madeline Bell and none other than the legendary former Stax recording artist Sam Moore (of Sam & Dave fame) plus more TBC, this will be a tribute to the 1960s soul music that inspired a generation of British youth longing for a "sound and a style that would lift them out of a drab early-closing postwar Britain".

My advice is to book now as all the best tickets in the stalls have already gone and these Barbican events always sell out.

Details are as follows:

4th February 2007 - 7:30pm
@ The Barbican Hall, The Barbican Centre, Silk Street, London EC2Y 8DS
Tickets: £15 / 20 / 25 - subject to availability

For more info and to book tickets visit: http://www.barbican.org.uk/music/event-detail.asp?ID=5291

Right On!

A huge thanks to everyone who came down to Right On! last Saturday - it was a wonderful turnout and I was really pleased to see so many different people all enjoying the music and grooving on the dancefloor all night.

Respect also goes out to the great Gladdy Wax and Dean Rudland who were awesome and lived up to their reputations once again.

Also thanks to all my door staff, the venue staff and everyone else who helped out in any way (flyering etc.)

I've already got a few nice photos back from the night that I hope to get up online ASAP.

All that remains to say is... watch this space for details of the next one!

Jean-Paul DJing tomorrow (Fri 28 July)

Short notice I know, but I'm DJing alongside Ronnie King (Lady Luck) tomorrow night at The Fig Tree (downstairs), Charlotte Street, London W1. It runs from 8pm till 2am and costs just a fiver to get in. The music policy is 50s and 60s rhythm & blues, jazz, Latin, soul and a little ska. Hope to see you there!

V&A 60s music event

The Victoria & Albert Museum is hosting a free Sixties Fashion exhibition until the 25th February 2007.

To celebrate this the museum is hosting a free event on Wednesday 9th August called "60s Underground Lost and Found" - an opportunity to "relive the 60s underground scene with a day and night of Northern Soul, Bluebeat, Ska and Rocksteady"... or so they say!

The event runs from 1pm till 9.45pm and includes films about Northern Soul and a DJ and dance session with selectors Gladdy Wax, Keb Darge, Andy Smith, Ady Croasdell and the Tighten Up crew.

There will also be an after party at the Jazz Cafe from 11pm till 2am. Admission to that is £5 with a special V&A voucher.

For full details of the event visit http://www.vam.ac.uk/activ_events/events/60s_underground/index.html

For more information on the 60s Fashion exhibition visit http://www.vam.ac.uk/collections/fashion/1960s/sixtiesfashion/index.html

Right On! relaunch

My Right On! club night is relaunching on Saturday 23rd September.

Since the last Right On! night in 2005 I have been searching for a new venue and I've finally found one - back in the West End where Right On! started. The venue is called Torts and it's just a couple of minutes from Holborn tube station. It has a late license and opens till 3.30am. To ensure a really good sound I am hiring the legendary Gladdy Wax sound system which plays at the Notting Hill carnival every year. Guest DJs are Gladdy Wax himself and Dean Rudland from legendary Latin record label - Fania. The night has also been chosen as the official launch party for new Fania CD "El Barrio: The Bad Boogaloo" which is due out in late September.

For full details on this exciting night visit www.right-on.org

For more information on Fania records visit www.faniarecords.com

Tribute To Studio One returns

The Tribute To Studio One and Treasure Isle night is back this Saturday (29th July)!

I went to the last one in May and believe me it was a wicked night. Nice big sound, nice big crowd and some sweet sweet reggae and rocksteady plus a little Motown and soul towards the end.

The night is held at The Garman Rooms, Garman Road, off Watermead Way, Tottenham, N17 (near Northumberland Park train station). Doors open from 11pm till dawn and admission is £10 all night. It doesn't really get going till about 1am though. DJs once again are Calvin Francis (Choice FM), System Sound (Station FM) and special guest the legendary Gladdy Wax (Supreme FM). For further info call 07985 116 107

Tribute To Studio One & Treasure Isle

Well I've managed to get hold of a flyer, so, as promised, here are the full details of the forthcoming Tribute To Studio One and Treasure Isle. This event claims to be one of the biggest revival dances in London - so don't miss it!

It takes place this bank holiday Sunday (28th May) @ The Garman Rooms, Garman Road, off Watermead Way, Tottenham, N17 (near Northumberland Park train station)

Doors open 11pm till dawn and admission is £10 all night.

DJs are Calvin Francis (Choice FM), Gemi Magic Sound, System Sound (Station FM) and special guest the legendary Gladdy Wax (Supreme FM).

There will also be a "shuffling competition" so make sure you wear your dancing shoes!

For further info call 07985 116 107

Gene Drayton Unit news

Here's the latest news from The Gene Drayton Unit (GDU) - one of London's hippest Hammond 'n' horns combos...

GIG NEWS

The next GDU show is Saturday 8th July, at the 100 Club in London. See: http://www.the100club.co.uk/

RECORD NEWS

The new GDU album "At The Jazz Traffic Lights" is now out on both CD and limited edition vinyl. Copies will be in all good record shops as well as on the Amazon website later in the summer, but you can get hold of the album right now by ordering it from the GDU website. It is priced at £10 plus postage and features 12 tracks (11 of them new) and a total playing time of 46 minutes. See: http://www.genedraytonunit.com/discs.html

RADIO NEWS

Paul Jones has been playing tracks from the new LP on Radio 2. See: http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio2/shows/jones/

WEBSITE NEWS

The GDU website is getting a makeover this summer: new graphics, new colour scheme, and new content. The band also now have a blog on MySpace. See: http://www.myspace.com/genedraytonunit

Upbeat club comes to London

On Saturday 3rd June the Upbeat crew from Essex present the launch of London's newest club night:

Upbeat & Uptown @ The Marine Broker, Leman Street, London E1 (nearest tube Aldgate or Aldgate East)

Resident DJs Richard Brown and Andy Powell plus guest Gav Evans (Shotgun) will be playing 60s rhythm and blues, soul, ska, boogaloo and beat from 9pm til 2am. Admission is £5 on the door.

For more info call 07751 016975