Anthony Joseph & The Spasm Band – Leggo De Lion

By on April 28, 2007

The debut album by Anthony Joseph & The Spasm Band lives up to everything that the ‘Buddha’ 12″ promised. Yep, it’s that good


The ‘Buddha/Bo Nuggy‘ release was an eye opening introduction to Mr. Joseph who has been based in since 1989. He has been proclaimed as “one of the most exciting and innovative voices, poet, musician, performer, and leading writers of his generation.” Joseph’s latest novel, The African Origins Of UFOs’ deserves a musical backing and band of equal quality to the writing. The tribal Afro-spiritual of The Spasm Band is more than suitable and adds the cutting edge required.
‘Black Dada’ is almost with vocals and the fact that ‘Extending Out To Brightness’ is a one-take nyahbinghi session is even more impressive. ‘Kneedeepinditchdiggernigger’ (aka Chapter 1) is a funky groove workout with Joseph on long as if Yussef got busy with Issac Hayes a la ‘Hyperbolicsyllabicsesquedalymistic’.
Joseph was born in Trinidad but the story of ‘Wallerfield’ protrayed here is rather disturbing and won’t be appearing on the tourist board website. This is the only warning as there is some highly evocative language at times; like “she would even let you lick her mastectomy scars.”
Many will know ‘Killer Joe’ as the cool strut jazz classic (many versions like Benny Golson, Jackie McLean, Richie Cole and Manhattan Transfer). This ‘Killer Joe’ is definitely not the same track as it’s more of a free-funk-voodoo workout. This is closest to an “Afro-psychedelic-noir” of the set and it’s my current favourite, but it’s all good stuff.
Like his generational predecessors of master poets (Benjamin Zephaniah, Linton Kwesi Johnson, Gil Scot Heron or even Sir John Betjeman) that have put their work to music, such projects bring the spoken word to a wider public. This excellent album will do the same for the book, which to be honest, I found hard work to get into.
Definitely an album for fans of Hu Vibrational (see the Boonghee Music series on Jazz) and with Anthony Joseph & The Spasm Band now signed to the same label as Carlos Niño’s (with the ever brilliant Dwight Trible, Derf Reklaw and Joshua Spiegelman et al), what’s the chances of combining forces to form Spaceways vs. the African Origins of UFOs supergroup? Wow, what a project that would be!
Reviewed: Anthony Joseph & The Spasm Band — Leggo De Lion (Kindred Spirit) Cat No. KS 019 Release date: April 2007 (Distributed by Rush Hour)
Tracklisting:
1. Buddha (6:54)
2. Black Dada (5:30)
3. Extending Out To Brightness (7:10)
4. Wallerfield (7:12)
5. Kneedeepinditchdiggernigger (10:30)
6. On Kunu Land: Alfred Mac (11:09)
7. Killer Joe (9:46)
8. Hummingbird (4:12)
Band:
Anthony Joseph: poet
Andrew John: upright electric bass
Colin Webster: tenor saxophone and flute
Paul Zimmerman: percussion
Yinka Oyewike: electric guitar (‘Buddah’)
Links:
www.anthonyjoseph.co.uk
www.myspace.com/adjoseph
Wallerfield is an in Trinidad and Tobago. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wallerfield
The African Origins of UFOs
www.myspace.com/heavenlysweetness
www.rushhour.nl
Spaceways Radio Playlist
Isaac Hayes — ‘Walk On By’(Live at Music Scene 1969 Bozo)
Breast removal surgery / IN CELEBRATION OF A SCAR

Somethin' else

  • Anthony Joseph & The Spasm Band – ‘Spirit Lash’
  • Femi Kuti – The Son of a Lion
  • Martyn Joseph – Deep Blue
  • Michael Garrick Big Band – London Jazz Festival 2006 (Live Review)
  • Gilad Atzmon – Gilad Atzmon Presents Artie Fishel & the Promised Band
  • The Mitchell & Dewbury Band – Beyond The Rains
  • Joshua Redman Elastic Band – Momentum
    • This entry is filed under Caribbean: Reviews, Europe: Features and tagged , , , , , , , .
    • http://www.cargo-london.com/event.php?id=1074

      11.03.08 : ANTHONY JOSEPH & THE SPASM BAND – Brought to you by the London Word Festival
      One of the UK’s most exciting and innovative voices, poet, musician, performance artist and novelist Anthony Joseph was born in Trinidad and has lived in the UK since 1989. He is the author of two poetry collections, Desafinado, 1994 and Teragaton, 1997, a spoken word CD ‘Liquid Textology: Readings From The African Origins of UFOs’ and a novel ‘The African Origins of UFOs’ published by Salt Publishing in November 2006 to widespread critical acclaim.
      In 2004 Joseph was selected by the Arts Council of England for the historic The Great Day photo as one of fifty Black and Asian writers who have made major contributions to contemporary British literature and in 2005 he was selected as the British Council’s first Poet in residence at California State University,Los Angeles. His one-month residency included guest performances, presenting master classes in creative writing and guest lectures in Music Composition and Sociology, Race, Class and Gender. He was also invited to perform at UCLA’s Kinross Hall during his visit.
      As a spoken word artist, Joseph has performed internationally, including performances at The Chicago Humanities Festival, Festa International De La Literatura, Barcelona, Spain, Goldsmiths College,London, Howard University, Washington and London’s Queen Elizabeth Hall.
      He has taught creative writing at London Metropolitan University, University of Surrey, Roehampton. He currently lectures at Birkbeck College, University of London and facilitates workshops for schools and community groups. He is also currently completing an MA in Creative and Life Writing at Goldsmiths College, London.
      Joseph also performs spoken word with his Afro-Caribbean Jazz quartet The Spasm Band. A debut 12″ single ‘Spirit Lash’ (Heavenly Sweetness) was released in November 2006 and the brillaint album ‘Leggo de Lion’ last year.
      Cargo, Rivington St, London
      7pm-1am
      £8 ADV
      LIVE: ANTHONY JOSEPH & THE SPASM BAND + THE VENTRILOQUIST BAND + A POEM INBETWEEN PEOPLE

    • editor

      Hi Michele
      I have put it on our amazon shop:
      http://astore.amazon.co.uk/flydopemusi00-21

    • michele

      Hello, I would like to know in wich web site we can buy your last cd “Leggo de Lion”. thank you.

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