UK Jazz Fusion Dons demolish French Footwork Crew in "friendly" battle!

Sunday Afternoon at Dingwalls: Still kicking!

BEYOND THE BALLROOM... UK Jazz Dance 2009...

They came from across the nation, in celebration... of UK Jazz Dance and Snowboy's long awaited From Jazz Funk & Fusion To Acid Jazz. As we opened the doors at 3pm, they were still fitting the last pieces of that wooden dance floor into place. Dave Pattman and Dilanga braved the storm laden skies and set up to the yard. Rootical Cuban rumba soon echoed around the yard as Swifty set up his stall of wikkid Jazz prints (Ra / Herbie/ Leon Thomas) and his sweetly framed, twisted reggae-fied classics.

Once he'd located the stylus' for the turntables Snowboy took control of the main room to pave the way for Dick Jewell's film of the legendary Jazz Room. It was the director himself who introduced the film to a room packed with dancers and the curious, all eager to take that step back in time. The rapport between the audience and what was taking place on the big screen was magical and by the time the credits rolled everyone was ready to hit the floor.

As promised Snowboy gave the dancers "a good caning" and everyone was immersed in the heat and the intensity of the session. A host of dance legends dancers were in the house - The Floor Technicians, Mark Hopkinson, Mark Armstrong, Mark Nicholas, Jerry IDJ, Gary Nurse, Rocky, The Hylton Brothers,Irven Lewis, Derek Waugh, Ade, Kola, Tony, Alex, Afro, Juliet, Stretch, Lizard, Brezhnev, Smiler, Bruce Q... amongst others... but it was great to witness the unitiated join the affray.

Gilles Peterson slipped behind the decks to build on Snowboy's set having opted to plunder the Brownswood vaults for an equally intense selection. That said, a brace of old skool Cuban classics added a deep, spiritually charged but mellow touch that had the legendary Eyvon, dancing gracefully on her own in the corner of the room. It was a magical sight.

Fresh from Okinawa was Patrick Forge and fresh from the backwoods of Canada were Robi & Leanne. In the house was Dom Servini, Nick Weston, Spry, Barrington (Jazz Defektor), Kathryn Willgress, B, Colm, Andy Thomas, Steve & Mike - UK Vibe, Andy Ward... so many people!

It was left to the Mighty Jeddo to deliver the nu-skool. The brainchild of drummer Daniel Crosby, they came on like x-press train coming through a tunnel and took us on a journey that won them a whole new bunch of admirers. Vanessa Freeman took it onto a whole new level and provided a sweet dose of yin to some heavy duty yang. Mighty Jeddo finished the set and closed the session with a swinging, energy fuelled version of Pharoah's 'You Gotta Have Freedom'... Shabaka blew the house down!

It was a day and a night to remember. Thanks to Des Toussaint for selling the vinyl. A massive big-up to Ruben for keeping it all rolling, Marie for bringing the Barbican vibes and precision and my Edge09 compadre Jason Jules for sorting the filming and providing back up in all forms. Fiinally, the most respect for the ever present Janine for handling Snowboy's books and signing.

Paul Bradshaw - Straight No Chaser/ Edge09

JAZZ DANCE WORKSHOPS WITH JAZZCOTECH

Following on from BEYOND THE BALLROOM - Perry Louis and JAZZCOTECH present Jazz Dance workshops during Do Something Different Weekender

Saturday 25th July

Clubstage 2.45pm - 3.00pm: JAZZCOTECH - OakFest Performance... Read More
Pupils from Oaklands Secondary School join Jazzcotech dancers for a short street jazz dance performance in the foyer. Prepare to be amazed! All ages (Note: this event is not ticketed and free to all).

Clubstage 3.00pm - 3.45pm: JAZZCOTECH WORKSHOP
A session with this energetic street/jazz/fusion company will put some pep in our step! Learn the basics of a hybrid jazz dance style unique to Jazzcotech dancers. (Aged 8+)

Admission is free, but these events are all ticketed (except where indicated). Contact Barbican box office to reserve your place. No unaccompanied children are allowed

Barbican Centre, Silk Street, EC2Y 8DS
Box Office: 0845 120 7550 www.barbican.org.uk

BIG MIKE MEETS SNOWBOY - UK VIBE + JAZZ DANCE IN TIME OUT

Ahead of the BEYOND THE BALLROOM event at Cargo on 19th July, ukvibe's The Dood caught up with Snowboy to talk about his book... http://ukvibe.org/index.php/interviews/the_history_of_the_uk_jazz_dance

More info... http://ukvibe.org/index.php/news/beyond_the_ballroom

ALSO... big respect to Lyndsey Winship for her excellent full page feature 'JAZZ DANCE' in the Dance Section of this week's Time Out... check it out!

A Spin off from the hugely ambitious Legends Of The Underground project featuring the very excellent and ever ambitious, Gary Nurse.

Jazz Defektors... '87 @ Ink Stick, Tokyo

OUT THERE ON THE NET...

Greetings... we are just beginning to get some reviews... and predictably it's the web-mags that are the first to lock in... below are a couple of snippets!

First up... www.flyglobalmusic.com - Snowboy’s book goes back further than that of course. It goes back to pre-historic Essex, the margin lands where East London’s black youth and Essex’s soul boys found common ground and it goes north for that soul thing. He talks to the movers and finger poppers across the country and assembles — painstakingly — the story of a culture that didn’t have one look, one sound and one path. A subculture that wouldn’t fit nicely into a box and too often got written off before it got written down. It’s not that I am just enjoying the book, I am thrilled to be reading it. Us old jazz cats are going to feel that something valuable has been caught before it slipped away for good. I am dipping in and coming out with gems and ‘a-ha!s’ every five minutes. (nice one Damian!)

www.bluesandsoul.com - If you read 'The Snowboy Column' on B&S you will be aware that one of our favourite sons has written a book - Longtime in the making and a true perfectionist as he is... Jazz guv'nor Snowboy has toiled long and hard to record a major concise part of music/dance history. 'From Jazz Funk and Fusion to Acid Jazz' does exactly what it says on the label, with interviews from the people that made it happen. (thanks for the taster Lee)

UK -Japan Jazz Dance Session: British Council Tokyo

Snowboy & The Jazz Dance Posse at the British Council, Tokyo

It was standing room only at the British Council in Tokyo for the first engagement of Snowboy’s Japan tour as people turned out in great numbers to see him talk about the history of UK Jazz Dance. This was just the first in a series of events organised for the launch of the Japanese edition of his book. In the crowd were Shuya Okino, Raphael Sebbag, Masato Nakamura (Sleep Walker), Yusuke and "Mattz" from quasimode, Goto from Sound Cream Steppers, DJ Tomi The Jazz Monk and more, all keen to hear Snowboy speak.

The talk gave a general overview of the history of the Jazz Dance scene in the UK and was animated with displays of video clips from the 80s through to the modern day featuring dancers such as IDJ, Brothers In Jazz and the Floor Technicians, as well as some recently discovered footage from the Electric Ballroom, getting its first airing in Japan.

Musically, the mood was set by Lincoln (BeBop Square), playing some classic tunes both before and after the talk, and for the second half of the event the audience was treated to a dance performance by two of Tokyo’s top dance groups ~ Stax Groove and ADSL. Having originally agreed to do a brief demonstration, the atmosphere was such that the dancers actually performed for close to half an hour.

Story: Sean Smith

Sound Cream Steppers - Japan's Original Jazz dance crew '94

Snowboy.. & Stax Groove, Broken Sport @ Tower Records Shibuya, Tokyo 09

Classic IDJ... always inspiring!

BROWNSWOOD - SNOWBOY KICKS OFF SOME SERIOUS DISCUSSION!

OK... wanna check some serious banter on Snowboy's book... look no further than http://brownswood.5.forumer.com/index.php?showtopic=24571
Over 5000 people have logged in on this thread! Respek is due.

DUSTY GROOVE... The Word from the Windy City!

RESPECT TO THE CREW AT DUSTY GROOVE - this is what they say about Snowboy's book...

"A really incredible book -- and one of the best accounts of any music scene we've ever read! The whole thing was lovingly put together by Mark Cotgrove -- aka Snowboy, a UK DJ and musician who's had an undeniable influence on the British scene himself for more than a few decades. Yet instead of leaning on his own ego, Snowboy really opens the doors to let in hundreds of other voices -- an amazing range of people who helped shape the sound of UK funk and jazz from the 70s to the present -- and not just well-known figures, like Gilles Peterson or Eddie Piller, but a host of musicians, DJs, promoters, record dealers, and other individuals who helped shape the sound of the music in the UK. Snowboy interviews most of the people himself, and their personal recollections are priceless -- the kind of copy you'd never find in more glossy histories -- and alongside the writing, there's a lot of rare images too -- further illustrating this unique story. Our hat's off to Snowboy for really managing to capture the complexity of the UK scene -- and the book's essential reading if you want to acquaint yourself with the folks who've inspired our digging for the past few decades! 288 pages, softcover, with black and white images."

From Jazz Funk... back on sale!

At last... Snowboy's 'From Jazz Funk & Fusion To Acid Jazz: The History Of The UK Jazz Dance Scene is back on sale... just as we thought the Japanese edition would beat us to the street, the re-print has dropped. You can order it right now by clicking on the book icon on the right... it should take you straight to the Authorhouse on-line...

Let's take it worldwide... check the discussion on http://brownswood.5.forumer.com/index.php?showtopic=24571... over 5500 headz have checked this.

Snowboy's off to Japan tomorrow... safe travelling and have a wikkid trip.

THE WORD FROM OKINAWA: PATRICK FORGE

Dear Mark,

What can I say? I'm sure your inbox is buzzing with plaudits from all quarters. Anyway I ordered the book as soon as I got wind it was available, and didn't even blink at the cost of shipping it here, I was far too keen to get my hands on it!!

When it arrived this afternoon I ripped open the package and have spent the last few happy hours devouring the contents in a fairly random way, I'll have a proper read all the way through later!! I just want to say that it has surpassed my expectations and then some, the thoroughness, the way it touches all the tangential aspects, fashion, racial politics etc. Most importantly the way in which you've maintained objectivity and let the story be told through the interviews, (I've never read the Tito Puente biog you mention in the introduction but obviously a great inspiration). The first part also works really well and by sticking to a more or less straight chronology it naturally highlight the true innovators.

I must admit I was a little nervous about reading it, ( especially when I realised that you'd used the interview format), it was such a long time ago I couldn't remember anything I'd said. However I was relieved to find out I hadn't said anything too erroneous or controversial! ( Or maybe I did and you were too kind and tactful to include it!!). Mostly I just feel honoured and proud to be a part of it!

Reading it has also made me feel enormously nostalgic for the eighties the decade that taught me most about jazz when (club) culture was still underground and exciting, reminding me of all those people and characters that built the scene, and filling in a lot of gaps in my own knowledge of the history. I just hope that the book reaches a few younger folk who will hopefully find it inspiring.

More than anything a massive thank you for your Herculean efforts,I know it's a cliché, but respect is most definitely due!

Peace,

Patrick.

SHOOK magazine give Snowboy's book the Big Up!

Yesss... respek to Jez Smadja and the crew at SHOOK for giving Snowboy's book a proper spread.

The Bottom End... we like that... nice headline....

That was one classic Paul Murphy Ballroom tune! This what the book says:

"Paul Murphy had closed down his record shop and he’d personally sold Gilles the key records that were integral to The Ballroom crowd - such as a mysterious white-label oddity known as The Bottom End. Originally discovered by Chris Bangs for 10p at Notting Hill’s ‘Record And Tape Exchange’ this was a fast (but not too fast) and tough, quartet jazz-jam with drums high in the mix, with a female vocalist unexpectedly coming in with the song right at the end eight minutes in. Peculiarly, on the other side of the record was what sounded like Church Organ music. It was issued to demonstrate the bottom-end on Ken Kreisel’s M&K hi-fi speakers. I remember people telling me about this record, and also my friend and jazz collector Darren Gale saying: “Murphy's got this weird one-off white-label record that’s massive. Ask him to play it for you next time you go in the shop - he keeps it behind the counter.” Such mystique! The secret has been uncovered now by DJ and dancer Seymour Nurse, and we now know it to be called 'Get Off The Ground' by Don Baaska and Valli Scavelli."

Check: (http://www.thebottomend.co.uk/)

SHOOK is available on-line from http://www.shook.fm/

From Jazz Funk & Fusion to Acid Jazz... back live soon!

URGENT INFO re. Snowboy's book.

Due to some unfortunate digital typografic errors in the first run of the book we re-submitted a corrected version to Authorhouse. The corrected galleys will be signed off this weekend and the book should be back live on-line and on sale by the end of next week.

The cost of the book via the Authorhouse web site is £15.99. We encourage all or friends and family to buy the book from there as Snowboy gets a far better royalty there than from Amazon and other on-line bookstores.

The 'official' shop price is £19.99 (or whatever they decide to charge).

Enjoy the blogspot... more info soon re. the 'Beyond The Ballroom event that Edge2009 are co-producing with the Barbican. on July 13th.

Thanks for your patience and support. Spread the word. 

PB @ Chaser Publications

Andy Thomas recommended this... Foot Patrol - Moss Side - Jazz Dance meet Acid House

FROM JAZZ FUNK & FUSION TO ACID JAZZ @ DESIGN WEEK: MILAN 221-21 April 09

Thanks to the vision of Roberta Cutolo and Elita’s Dino Lupelli - both former collaborators of Bari’s based Nu-Jazz guru, Nicola Conte - Mark ‘Snowboy’ Cotgrove and his publisher, Paul Bradshaw of Straight No Chaser, touched down in Milan to do the first official launch event for From Jazz Funk & Fusion to Acid Jazz: The History Of The UK Jazz Dance Scene.

Elita is the Design Week’s music festival and its invited guests included DJ appearances from Hot Chip, Shinichi Osawa, Alex from Tokyo, J Majik and Dubfire alongside live sets from Imelda May, Trio Valore and Rosalia De Souza. Guest speakers at various events and forums included coolhunting.com’s Brian Fichtner and Chicago based deep house producer/dj Tim Baker. Snowboy was in good company.

The Elita HQ on viale Montenero was buzzing when we arrived and there was an air of anticipation around the showing of Berlin Calling, a turbulent tale that focussed on the drug fuelled demise of one DJ Ikarus - geddit? After being immersed in that dark little episode, Snowboy, was happy to illuminate an altogether more positive twist on the evolution of contemporary club culture.

The combination of deep knowledge and enthusiasm he projects is a result of ten years research plus his own experiences as a DJ, conguero, band leader, recording artist, record collector and journalist but on this day it was his collection of short films that fired up the imagination of his audience. Footage of the Electric Ballroom’s IDJ dancers in Julian Temple’s Venceremos video gave us a glimpse into what was truly unique about this scene. The Brothers In Jazz’s more baletic and acrobatic mambo style was nicely portrayed in an arty Mura Dehn inspired film for Parco in Tokyo. A film of Snowboy’s own Jazzateria sessions highlighted the talents of Rocky Bryan, who to the delight of all present took the floor at the Elita HQ… live and direct… and showed us all how it could be done.

The Straight No Chaser DJ set that followed wound on into the evening and allowed the Italian soul and funk fraternity, some of had travelled to Milan for the session, to grab a few words with Mark about the book, the music and dance styles that he is so passionate about.

Following the Elita HQ forum we headed off to do what we thought was to be a small sedate, cool DJ set at a museum opening. However, on the way there, Dino explained this was a SERIOUS session. The expression on his face said it all. This opening for Fabio Novembre installation ' Fiore di Novembre ' at La Triennale ( www.triennale.it ) was to be one of the highlights of the Milan Design Week and was guaranteed to attract over a thousand guests including a host of major league iconic artists and designers.

The DJ set was to be short… one hour… and provide a warm up for a modest live set. Notions of a quiet gradual build up to the set vanished as a horde of guests swarmed through nave of the huge gallery. A pumping Joaquin Claussell / Spiritual Life ‘Live Field Recording’ of Salif Keita provided more than adequate accompaniment to this spectacle. Snowboy followed the Chaser selekshaan with a marvellous Inner Sense batucada which bounced of the walls of this cavernous space beautifully. Tribute was paid to Tokyo’s UFO and in typically reckless Chaser fashion Milan’s cultural cognescnti were confronted with the powerfully charged, rebellious sounds of Fela Anikulapo Kuti. As we know Fela doesn’t do short tunes… and this cut of JDD, recorded Live at The Shrine in Lagos, was LONG! However, the Milanese and their international guests didn’t seem to mind. It simply paved the way for more of the unexpected.

Fabio Novembre, is a celebrated designer, a young dude from Salento, in the South of Italy . His artworks are spiritually charged, witty and ambitious. Without formality he stepped up onstage, and smiling, requested a mic from Snowboy. When he spoke, a sense of anticipation rippled through the building. He enthusiastically introduced his musician friends onto the stage. The electric piano kicked in along with rolling bass lines and he welcomed onstage Jovanotti. Sporting a straw fedora and a goatee, this man was instrumental introducing hip hop into the Italian mainstream, and as he vocalised one his big hits the museum was buzzing.

Pure Italian raggamuffin bizniz arrived with the Sud Sound System crew. While they got busy on the mic, Jovanotti, stepped over to Snowboy and asked him if he could use the tune he’d line up on the technics. Unaware of what was to happen next, Snowboy had to look an in horror as, the man commenced cutting out beats for the MCs from his rare, £300.00, Willis Jackson LP. It was definitely a crazy moment. Once Snowboy snapped out his initial shock he quietly informed the turntablist of it’s value and without even interrupting the flow, replaced it with a less precious 12”. Within seconds Jovanotti was back on it, cutting and scratching out a ridim that allowed the MCs to wax lyrical about the pleasures of the good Herb! The tiny stage was packed with bodies arms in the air, jumping up (gwaan Rocky!) and as it drew to a close we were treated to a stage invasion of supa stylish women on stilettos who simply swept the security aside. Totally wild.

The night wound down to a four to the floor house set and we managed to spend a little time taking in the man’s excellent exhibition, before heading off into the night amid the clamour hundreds of people still hanging and chatting in the shadow of a Milanese institution that was akin to the V&A in London. That was it, a very entertaining and eventful addition to Snowboy’s very first European book launch. Nice.

Livingstone Marquis.

A Celebration of UK Jazz Dance

FROM JAZZ FUNK & FUSION TO ACID JAZZ:
The History Of The UK Jazz Dance Movement
by Mark ‘Snowboy’ Cotgrove


From the UK soul weekenders to the Tokyo dance jazz sessions, Mark ‘Snowboy’ Cotgrove’s forthcoming book, From Jazz To Funk to Fusion to Acid Jazz: The History Of The UK Jazz Dance Scene has already acquired a mythical status.

It’s been 10 years in the making and the wait is now over as Straight No Chaser is set to launch a brand new Chaser imprint with this hugely important book.

Straight No Chaser joins with the Authorhouse self-publishing company to ensure the book will be available globally from early April in bookstores (Borders etc) and on-line (Amazon, Straight No Chaser, Authorhouse etc). It will also be available through specialist on-line music sites: Turntable Lab, Dusty Groove, Soul Brother, Dope Jams, Boomkat etc.

With an introduction by Professor Robert Farris Thompson of Yale University – one of the world’s leading authorities on Atlantic Studies and African related Art, History, Religion and Music – this book contains the largely untold history of 25 years of Black music club culture in the UK. It features the music, the dance styles, the fashions, the barrier breaking DJs and the musicians and is illustrated throughout by rare memorabilia and photography.

This 300 page A4 size book has been lovingly designed by Swifty and provides the opportunity to those who were there to tell the story in their own words.

FROM JAZZ FUNK & FUSION TO ACID JAZZ: The History Of The UK Jazz Dance Movement is a vital cross-generational read for clubbers, dancers, black music headz and students of contemporary British culture.