People ask me,
why do you like London so much? Why do you keep going to London? Are you not
bored?
I had all
sorts of answers, from the Samuel Johnson cliché - “When a man is tired of London, he is tired of life; for there is in London all that life can afford” – to the more mundane,
though true explanation – London refreshes the mind.
But, honestly, London is truly an amazing city. You have the
world’s best theatre, the best films, the best music, museums and galleries. You
have fantastic exhibitions running, events that will absolutely thrill you.
Yes, probably a New York could match London, however, London is right up there
with the best. For many London is Harrods, Bicester Village and Selfridges. To
each their own.
We truly love what London offers. Each visit is different,
each visit has a new and stimulating experience which we cherish and later,
look back on with pleasure.
This visit was yet another example.
A day after landing, we were booked to see Jocelyn Brown at
the Jazz Café. Jocelyn Brown is a unique talent. She is a 69-year-old American
who now lives in London. Though an excellent singer in the R&B/Soul/Disco
genre, on her own she did not achieve many hits. Her fame came by lending her
voice to several bands, often studio bands, which had huge disco hits. She sang
with bands like Incognito and Inner Life among several others. Her big solo hit
was Somebody Else’s Guy. I have several of her songs on several different CD
compilations, but, as she was often a hired vocalist, I had no idea it was her
singing. These CD compilations have non existent liner notes, so information on
the songs is difficult to come by.
Back in the day when I was between 18 and 25, disco music was
regarded by us sophisticates as the pits, no sensible music lover listened to
disco. At the absolute bottom of the heap, the most disgusting music you could
listen to was Bollywood, then, one level up was Smooth Jazz – Kenny G, Spyro
Gyra and Grover Washington were big Smooth Jazz stars – and then it was Disco.
Frankly, I always liked Disco, it was, to my ear, simply Funk/R&B/Soul all
mixed up and simplified, with great singing. As I grew older my collection of Disco
or dance music grew. So here was a chance to see Jocelyn Brown a true Disco
star in the flesh. I grabbed it with both hands.
When Jocelyn Brown came on stage, I was shocked. Here she
was, hugely overweight, on crutches, barely able to walk, struggling to get up
on stage. On stage she sat on a chair thru the entire performance. Her band
consisted of a Drummer, 2 Keyboard players, a Bassist, a Guitarist and 3 female back up vocalists. Everybody on stage was Black, and everyone was hugely
overweight. I was really distressed. This did not look good at all.
Then, the music started and Jocelyn Brown opened her mouth to
sing. My initial shock changed the moment she started to sing. What a voice,
such power, such beauty. The initial shock changed to complete respect and
amazement at what I was seeing and hearing. Here was this 69-year-old obese,
non mobile singer belting out vocals. The cliché stand-and-deliver came to
mind, except, she was sitting. There were no theatrics, no movements on stage,
no fancy lighting, no dancing, no video screens, nothing. Just a singer sitting
down and singing beautifully, powerfully and soulfully. Song after song after
song, familiar hit after hit.
Jocelyn Brown sang for about 90 minutes. She had the entire
audience in the palm of her hand, people we literally dancing in the aisles and
singing along. What an absolutely lovely experience. A great show, we were so
glad we went. It was magical.
The next day we had bought tickets for the new film Amazing
Grace. This is a film commissioned by Warner Brothers with Sydney Pollack hired
as director to shoot the two-day concert by Aretha Franklin. This concert was
released on LP [long playing records for those who can remember] called Amazing
Grace on 1st June 1972. Amazing Grace is the biggest selling record of
Franklin's entire fifty-plus year recording career as well as the highest
selling live gospel album of all time. This concert was held in the New
Temple Missionary Baptist Church in Los Angeles. In the film you can see the band
which comprised of real heavyweights – Bernard Purdie, Chuck Rainey, Cornell
Dupree and others - sitting discretely in the Pews with their instruments.
The film had technical problems; the sound could not be synchronized.
Finally, with the advent of digital technology this became possible. Then there
were problems with Sydney Pollack dying of Cancer, then Aretha Franklin sued
and subsequent she passed away too. Finally, her Estate gave permission for
release and 47 years later the film is out for all of us to see.
To call the film brilliant is probably incorrect. The film
merely captures a seminal music concert. This was Aretha at the height of her
powers. Her singing is titanic, magical and ethereal. There are times when
members of the choir jump up and sing or dance, members of the audience fall
into a trance, and, Mick Jagger who is part of the audience is seen clapping
along ecstatically. Once again, this is a recording of a concert with no
stimulants. No lighting, no dancing, no musicians showboating. Just simply the cumulative
power of the music and the majestic singing. You cannot but be moved when you
see this film. At points I too had tears rolling down, I am glad the theatre
was dark.
This is a truly remarkable recording of 2 enchanted evenings.
If this is ever released in India you must watch the film.
So, there you are, these are some examples of how coming to
London does not ever bore us.
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