THE LEVELLERS TOUR
Dave Hillyard & The Rocksteady 7 – on tour May 26-30
The Rocksteady 7 are on tour in Spain, featuring Dave from slackers on sax.
New cd, out soon, 'Get Back Up'
www.brixtonrecords.com
To hear mp3s go to www.myspace.com/davidhillyardrocksteady7
May 26 – Madrid – Gruta 77
May 27 – Valencia - black note
May 28 – Barcelona - rock sound
May 29 - Xixon (Gijon) - Savoy
May 30 - Bilbao (Bizkaia) - Txakoli Motagane
Junior Murvin was born Murvin Junior Smith. His father was a tailor and singer of ballads from St. James in Montego Bay. When he died Junior's mother relocated the family to Port Antonio in the parish of Portland, where she was originally from. Junior began his singing career after going to school in Port Antonio and then in Montego Bay where he graduated and proceeded to do mechanics at the Montego Bay Technical High School.
New Orleans’ own Hot 8 Brass Band have epitomized New Orleans street music for over a decade. The band plays the traditional Second Line parades, hosted each Sunday afternoon by Social Aid and Pleasure Clubs, infusing their performances with the funk and energy that makes New Orleans music loved around the world. The members of the Hot 8 Brass Band were born and raised in New Orleans and many began playing together in high school. What makes the Hot 8 so special are the sounds they coax from their well-loved, well-worn horns. An evening with the Hot 8 is like no other...
Members of the Hot 8 Brass Band have toured in Japan, Italy, France, Spain, Finland, England and Sardinia. The Band performs annually at the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, world and jazz festivals across the US and Europe, and were featured in the Spike Lee documentary When the Levees Broke. The Hot 8 has released three critically acclaimed recordings and is featured on the latest Blind Boys of Alabama recording on Time-Life Records.
The Hot 8 Brass Band has been part of an important relief project following Hurricane Katrina SAVE OUR BRASS! is a local grass-roots project that has brought music and instruments to shelters, temporary trailer parks, and communities across the Gulf Coast.
The History of the “Second Line”
Second line parades are the descendants of the city’s famous jazz funerals and, apart from a casket, mourners and a cemetery visit, they carry many of the same traditions with them as they march down the streets. Today, the parades are not tied to any particular event, holiday or commemoration; rather, they are generally held for their own sake and to let the good times roll.
Second lines trace their roots back to the 19th century and the fraternal societies and neighbourhood organizations that collectively provided insurance and burial services to members, especially among the African American community. The "first line" of a funeral consisted of the people who were an integral part of the ceremony, such as the members of the club or krewe, or family and friends of the deceased. The "second line" originally referred to people who were attracted to the music. Led by a "Grand Marshal", the band and mourners would move to the burial site, with the band playing a dirge to signal the struggles, the hardships, the ups and downs of life. On the way back, the music became more joyful. Relatives, friends, and acquaintances would become the second line and dance with wild abandon. The second line, usually sporting umbrellas and handkerchiefs, became traditional at these jazz funerals.The noun second line, is also the name of a "unique dance", performed to the beat of New Orleans’ traditional jazz. The dance is an evolved version of an old African dance known as the, "Bambula".
This was also the days in which you had something called a 'B' side which would often be a song that was not available elsewhere, rather than the countless remixes you get now. I always had a liking for their version of 'Maggies Farm' (B side of 'Do Nothing'). Their songs for me have power and real presence with often a strong lyrical message or story, Friday Night, Saturday Morning (another B side) summed up many a night out. Best thing about The Specials though was it was rebellion to party to!!
