Video: Gil Scott-Heron Live at the El Rey Theatre October 4, 2009

in , ,

My friend Theo Jemison, whose beautiful work I've featured here often, sent over this footage of Gil Scott Heron shortly before he passed away. There's something so intimate about the way it's shot, it makes you feel as though you were in the room, like an invented memory, or the memories of other gigs past joining up to take you a short leap in to the El Rey that night.

Whilst obviously Gil was a performer of the very best kind - honest, warm, sincere and musically very gifted - this kind of film makes me so grateful for film makers who are there to capture those moments for posterity. I don't know how I would describe artists like Gil to my future kids with just their music to rely on; the next generation will be so much more visual than I, and I wonder how it will translate, but to have a little of the essence of the great and important voices of history preserved in cinematic moments like these gives me hope  they will continue to live on vividly.

Future Now Series ft Taylor McFerrin, José James & Robert Glasper Experiment

in ,

There is precious little decent footage floating around of Taylor McFerrin live. I saw him in Ireland last Autumn and was thoroughly impressed by his set - somewhere between beatboxing, vocal percussion, singing and electronica, which sounds gimmicky but it actually just seems very natural (perhaps not surprising for Bobby McFerrin's son). Back in the day when Rahzel went through a phase of doing a live gig in Brighton every couple of weeks, after the initial "wow" moments you did find yourself standing there hoping he'd wrap it up. Taylor's sets are much more like watching a soulful electronic live band you can dance to - only he does it all himself.

You can catch Taylor McFerrin live in London with Daedelus and Kutmah on Friday 13th April at Village Underground. We have two tickets to give away on the PMOI Facebook  page later this week.

Kwabena Adjepong "So" (Acoustic Video)

in , ,

This is one of those moments - a Lianne LaHavas, Michael Kiwanuka, Tinashe pre-launch moment.

A friend sent me a video of Kwabena performing an unbelievable cover of "Lost Child" for the Royal Family a while back (or Prince Harry nervously sitting next to Goldie, watch it after the jump). If ever there were a moment for this guy, it's now. There is precious little information about him floating around but I will dig around and get back to you, I promise.