HSD Top 10 Albums 2017 - No.7

No.7 – Little Simz – Stillness In Wonderland

Little Simz is a super talented wordsmith, storyteller and vocalist, delivering a razor sharp, spoken word drawl, as she takes us on a journey through her wonderland. With extensive reference to Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland throughout Stillness, a foreboding, grime infused Cheshire Cat pops up at regular intervals to comment on Simz’s thoughts, addressing her by her real name Simbi, to offer guidance, “trust in your intuition” he advises at one point. All that is contemporary has a foot planted in the past and musically this album, as well as referencing grime and soul, touches on psychedelia and jazz. You soon come to realise that Little Simz’s wonderland doesn’t have the same means of escape as Alice’s. Hers is a wonderland that is not actually full of many positive excitements at all. There are fleeting moments of light, as seen in Shotgun, with Syd from The Internet lending her vocals but Little Simz is worn down by the end of the album and she throws in the towel on the final track, No More Wonderland, with the words “it’s not real it’s a figment of my imagination…and therefore, I’m out.” She isn’t getting away that easy. Count me in.

Little Simz - Poison Ivy

HSD Top 10 Albums 2017 - No.8

No. 8 Young Fathers Tape1/Tape 2

Young Fathers are one solid group. They always deliver. This is their third time in the HSD end of year list - a fact they must be very proud of!! Their first album Dead heralded their arrival, then came White Men are Black Men Too, a considerable step up – more political, more experimental, more discordance, issued with greater confidence and production values. Now we have Tape1/Tape2, a double album. Originally released as mixtapes in 2011 and 2012, Tape 1 and Tape 2 largely passed under the radar. They sound raw and fresh as the band were setting out, delivered with defiance, abandon, thought provocation and celebration. The beats crunch, the bass booms and throbs, the vocals are intense. Young Fathers are the natural successors to Massive Attack, bringing the spirit and anger of The Specials. A racially mixed group from Edinburgh, Young Fathers provided several tracks for the Trainspotting 2. It is an obvious and natural fit, for a socially disaffected group of musicians to be lending their music to a socially disaffected group of movie characters. Having heard a new, unreleased track called Lord, less raw, more musical, this trio’s success will go way beyond fiction.

Here is the first track of Tape 1.

Young Fathers - Deadline

HSD Top 10 Albums 2017 - No 9

No.9

Miles Mosley – Uprising

Miles Mosley is the Jimi Hendrix of the electric double bass, a musical magician conjuring up astounding sounds, his fingers walking, thumb slapping or bow manically caressing the strings. Seeing him perform at the Jazz Café on June 28th was something else – a truly uplifting and powerful experience.

Mosley’s voice, like the music, is raw and rock influenced, with a large slice of soul thrown in for good measure. On stage Miles and his band take it to a whole new level, bouncing off one another like any good jazz band should. His board of effects pedals looks like a circuit from the Mothership itself, coercing and warping the noise emanating from his upright bass.

He is part of a collective of musicians called the West Coast Get Down, which, as he informed us on the night, started as a group of friends from school days, coming together and playing music, developing their styles. Amongst these friends is Kamasi Washington, who arrived at the Jazz Café in time to make an appearance on the final track of the night. These links and connections have evolved and developed to include Kendrick Lamarr, Thundercat and Flying Lotus amongst others. These are talented people and we are lucky to be able to catch them at the height of their powers.

Be blown away by this incredible live rendition of Abraham.

Miles Mosley - Abraham

HSD Top 10 Albums 2017 - No 10

The Jazz Scene

Number 10 is recognition of London's resurgent jazz scene and three artists and bands in particular:

Jazz drummer and bandleader, Moses Boyd is one of South London's young jazz protagonists and brings his sound straight outta Catford. He won the MOBO award 2017 for best jazz act, to sit alongside the same award from 2015. I saw him drumming as part of the Theon Cross Trio at Pickle Factory at the start of April, alongside saxophonist Nubya Garcia and tuba player, Theon Cross. Who would have guessed the tuba could be so funky!! At the Green Man Festival Moses Boyd Exodus provided the jazzy vibes and it is here that I bought myself a copy of the Binker and Moses album, Journey To The Mountain of Forever, where Moses' syncopation weaves itself around the saxophone loops of Binker Golding. He takes drumming to another level. It is not percussion or background but leads and directs. A really excellent album, available on all formats and Spotify.

Binker & Moses - Trees On Fire

Nubya Garcia was also headlining at that same Pickle Factory evening, as part of the seven member jazz band Nerija, who released their terrific self-titled five track EP. They truly vibe off one another and the EP, available on CD from Bandcamp and Spotify is an accomplished jazz offering as you can see and hear from the video below.

Nerija - The Fisherman

My final jazzy pilgrimage was to see Yussef Kamaal at KOKO in early May. I had already bought myself a copy of their Black Focus album, which brings an electronic and more contemporary jazz sound, with off kilter keys and crashing cymbals. A few days before the gig, the keysman Kamaal Williams and beat master Yussef Dayes went their separate ways and a new drummer stepped into the breach. The gig went ahead and to a packed house, most of the audience were probably unaware of the situation but it would be a shame if the music comes to a halt when it was just setting sail. Perhaps Dayes and Williams could kiss and make up, because they created a very impressive debut, which is available on Spotify and all formats.

Yussef Kamaal - Joint 17

Head Space Daily Words...

A letter to Edward Alleyn, founder of Dulwich College.

Dear Edward,

You were an original rock star, an Elizabethan actor, supposedly with an eye for the ladies. You were Lord of the Manor, whose wealth allowed you to own a vast area of South East London, stretching from Crystal Palace to Denmark Hill, with Dulwich at it’s heart. In your later years you were struck down by a mighty pang of moral conscience and an overwhelming desire to do good, to give yourself the best chance of entering the pearly gates, by helping others.

As a result of discovering your conscience, in 1619 you formed an establishment “with the original purpose of educating 12 poor scholars,” (Dulwich College Wikipedia page) and “providing an education to all, irrespective of social background and financial resources,” (Dulwich College website.) What a great legacy to leave behind, a truly noble action to be remembered for within the local community. Good on you. So noble in fact, that your school – along with every other private school in the country - was awarded charitable status, meaning that in today’s economic terms they are exempt from paying VAT. You may be alarmed Mr. Alleyn, to hear that your school is in fact now fully dependent on pupils’ social backgrounds and financial resources. The cost of attending Dulwich College is £6,554 per term for day fees and £13,680 per term for full boarders. Looking out for the poor scholars and providing an education for all has certainly gone out the window. You must be turning in your grave as the your philanthropic intention is abused and disparaged.

You may be interested to know Ned, if I may call you by your nickname, that to qualify for charitable status under the Charities Act 2011, ‘an organisation must be set up for public benefit (rather than for an individual or small select group of people.’) The privileged elite, which is able to attend private school is the concise definition of a ‘small select group of people.’ Dulwich College, whilst a charity in name and exempt from paying VAT, has built and owns seven other educational establishments in locations across China and the Far East. That is doing nothing for our local communities. Where is the public benefit there? The College is merely after a slice of the Far East financial boom.

Where did it all go wrong Ned?

Of course, if people can afford to and want to send their children to be educated privately, that is entirely up to them. Society will become ever more damaged and fragmented as a result but the system isn’t going to change. Private schools though, must do more to help the pupils in state education in other ways – for the public benefit.

When you established the college in the 17^th century Ned, you owned all the land, which has been passed on to the school. The Dulwich Estate makes a fortune from it and it still has a toll booth to tax road users who may lower the tone. In those days the population was tiny compared to what it is today. Everyone was trying to avoid catching the plague and horse and cart was the preferred mode of transport. Since then, we have had two world wars, the Empire has fallen and there has been large-scale immigration as a consequence. Society and its needs are unrecognisable to what they were back in your day, yet the last challenge to the College’s charitable status seems to have taken place in 1876 and was defeated (thanks again Wiki.) The school still owns the surrounding land, which is completely disproportionate to the size of the area’s population and the educational needs of a built up region of London. There are acres upon acres of sports and playing fields. Dulwich College actually resides within 70 acres of land, comprising 12 rugby pitches, ten football pitches, eight cricket squares… In fact the list goes on and on. When driving along the main road towards Dulwich College, the amount of green space dedicated to sport is mind blowing.

Amongst the biggest issues of today are obesity and mental health.

My sons’ school, a state secondary, 15 minutes bus ride from Dulwich College is going through hard financial times at the moment due to the government spending squeeze and cut backs. One of the financial savings the school will be making is to end the use of a local sports ground, which has playing fields and football pitches. Instead, the pupils will exercise within the school’s gym, playground and occasionally the local Public Park. They will be using jumpers for goal posts and avoiding drunks and dog walkers, instead of focusing on sport and the health benefits which come with it.

You used to enjoy getting out and about Ned, feeling the wind rush through your hair as you rode your trusty steed across the land, so you will appreciate that exercise and sport is absolutely vital for both the physical and mental well being of ALL young people. As I say, we are currently living in the midst of an obesity and mental health epidemic. Exercise maintains physical health and mental well being, by offering a release.

What I’m proposing Mr Alleyn, if you would be so good as to have a word, is that Dulwich College – and your other local private schools, as well as St.Dunstan’s for that matter – rediscover their original charitable intentions and let the local secondary school pupils, who don’t have sufficient resources of their own, use your huge abundance of green space and sports fields.

This is not about jealousy or envy. I am very proud to send my kids to a state secondary school and would not want it any other way. The elitism and privilege within education will always remain BUT the right to exercise within a positive environment, to allow pupils to achieve the best mental and physical health, should be available to all children. In view of your thoughtful conception of Dulwich College’s ‘charitable status’ Ned, let’s see some community spirit by allowing local secondary schools to use Dulwich College’s playing fields and sports facilities, for the positive physical and mental well being of their pupils and for the benefit of society as a whole.

You may have passed away nearly 400 years ago but rouse your spirit and see what you can do from beyond the grave please Ned. You may be our only hope.

Yours sincerely,

Head Space Daily.