Anthony Joseph & The Spasm Band

Mojo Review of Rubber Orchestras

2011-12-01T14:21:00.001-08:00

MOJO Magazine : THE SPASM BAND COVER THE ROLLING STONES AND RUBBER ORCHESTRAS GETS A FOUR STAR REVIEW

2011-11-29T12:31:00.000-08:00

A couple months ago Mojo magazine contacted us for a special project. To celebrate the 40th anniversary of the Rolling Stones' seminal 1971 album 'Sticky Fingers' they were asking contemporary soul (or soul influenced) artists to cover the entire album for their January 2012 issue. The Spasm Band were given the unenviable task of covering the glimmer twins' dark and classic paen to heroin 'Dead Flowers'. So we holed ourselves up in our producer Malcolm Catto's London studio for a couple days and cut our unique version, which you can hear on the cover disc which also features Aloe Blac, Sharon Jones and Lee Fields. All genius stuff really, to be in this company and to be associated with the greatest rock & roll band in the known universe. I hope Mick & Keith like what we've done.
Elsewhere in the same issue of the magazine, Lois Wilson gave our Rubber Orchestras album a resounding 4 star review, check :"...psychedelic jazz and voodoo funk...one of the most talented and engaging purveyors of the music right here and now. Joseph has been creating his mesmeric sounds that draw on Axis:Bold as love-era Hendrix, Marley, Gary Byrd and Coltrane since 2007 and with each record released he's getting stronger, stranger, bolder..."  Its a great review; read it if you can sneak a peak at magazine, or buy it if you want to hear the music. Thanks Mojo. love... Anthony

here's an excerpt from the track :http://snd.sc/s6vO9D

Here is the new video for 'She is the sea'

2011-08-26T13:51:00.000-07:00

The album version of this song is 9mins long! Album out Sept 10.

New Audio and Video

2011-07-12T15:27:00.000-07:00

Its summer, which means that I'm touring Europe with the Spasm Band. We have a new album released this August, so as we get ready for that, here are a few recent clips.
Firstly though, listen to an edit of the first release from the forthcoming album, this is 'Griot' a homage to all urban griots of past, present and future.

Anthony Joseph 'Griot' (Long Radio Edit) by heavenlysweetness

And here's a recent performance from Rich Mix, London. The song is 'Generations'. The album version was produced by Gerry Dammers.

Anthony Joseph & The Spasm Band @ Festival des Libertés, Brussells, Oct 2010

2010-11-28T13:26:00.000-08:00

Anthony Joseph & The Spasm Band @ Festival des Libertés, Brussells, Oct 2010,
features interview footage and a track from their forthcoming third album, due in Spring 2011!

Gi dem Spasm Band gi dem!

2010-11-27T11:50:00.000-08:00

So, we have come to the end of another year of the Spasm Band's adventures. Last night the two year Bird Head Son tour came to a beautiful end in Lille, with an adoring audience, a menacing sound, some good Martinique Rum, a blistering set and two encores; a fitting way to end the year, the tour and one particular chapter or the band's evolution.
Much love to those who have played with us in the last year, you know who you are. And a special thanks to our management & label - Antoine Rajon and Franck Descollonges at Heavenly Sweetness, and all at Naive, our booking agents Clare & Arnaud at Planet Aurora.

On a more personal note I'd like to thank the band, probably the most gifted, most loving musicians anyone could wish for.
Andrew John, Colin Webster, Christian Arcucci, Michel Castellanos & Oscar Martinez. Much love to Jozef Berk who was with us for most of the year.

For the fans, merci, see you in 2011 with a new album and an almighty sound!±

Hold your lane!

We are operating at full capacity now.

anthony

Voodoo Funk - Anthony Joseph & The Spasm Band in London!

2010-09-07T11:37:00.000-07:00

http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=143590462341402&ref=ts">

Raw Footage : Spasm Band in South of France, catch it before its gone!!

2010-07-25T12:01:00.000-07:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f8Axq97RMRQ

Interview in Montpellier, late 2009

2010-07-19T02:50:00.000-07:00

Live in Arles, July 2010

2010-07-19T02:44:00.000-07:00

Article in Le Monde, July 16 2010

2010-07-17T08:44:00.000-07:00

We recently played a series of shows in South of France, starting in Arles and moving to Montpellier. The article below came out the day after our show in Arles, its not everyday you play after the great Salif Keita.

http://www.lemonde.fr/culture/article/2010/07/15/anthony-joseph-precheur-funk-venu-de-trinidad-emporte-les-suds-a-arles_1388355_3246.html

Live in Nice, March 2010 & Interview

2010-05-07T02:00:00.000-07:00

Anthony Joseph on Later with Jools Holland - 23 4 2010 @ 23.50

2010-04-23T06:28:00.000-07:00

I'm performing on Later with Jools Holland tonight @ 23.50 - BBC 2! with Jerry Dammers Spatial AKA Orchestra + Rico!! Watch it.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/later/

It will be on the BBC Iplayer for a week after, and on youtube after that.

peace,
anthony

Meet the new Spasm Band Rhythm Section!

2010-03-31T10:53:00.000-07:00

Photos from Nice, March 19 2010

2010-03-21T02:13:00.001-07:00

Some photos from the first show of the new season.

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4011/4448651570_02fa3592a4.jpg

SPASM BAND NEWS AND THE SPASM BAND MOVIE

2010-01-24T17:30:00.000-08:00

Its been a busy start to the year, in fact, when is it not busy? At the end of a fantastic 2009 tour last December the Spasm Band bid farewell to two of its members : Paul Zimmerman, aka the General, Djembe and Congas, one of the founding members, and Paul Brett aka Lord Brett. I'd like to thank them for their beautyfull playing over the years and wish them all the best with whatever they decide to do. May spirits build nests in their beards.

I'm now working with a stripped down 5 piece of drums, (yes drums as in Drumkit, a first for the Spasm, with Mr Craig Tamlin previously heard on misc percussion ringing the rimshots!) Guitar, Bass, Sax and Vox. Its a very tight and muscular sound, a real tropical punk, ah... voodoo funk..ah, whatever. We will eventually complete the line up with a new percussion/conga player. (so if you know of anyone firey let me know)
We've been woodshedding, writing songs for the next album at our studios in Greenwich. I can only say that the intensity is even higher with this one than Bird Head Son, with more universal themes, hooks and a kick ass bottom end coming through from the kick drum foot! We're writing 'songs' which is a challenge at times, but after being on the road with the band for many years now new ideas flow easily. Plus, there's nothing like working with a badfoot drummer like Mr Tamlin laying down the fire, the maple snare. Exciting shit!
The next album promises to be even tougher than the last, as it should be.
Stay tuned. Its due for release in early 2011, but I'll let you peep the clues way before that.
In the meantime you can check out There is no time - The Spasm Band movie, a feature length film which includes international performances and rare backstage footage from the first 4 years of the band. Its a gift from me to all our fans, our management but most importantly to the members of the band. Hope you enjoy it. In case you're wondering, the film's title is something that our manager said to us many times during the last year, moving from country to country, 'there is no time guys, no time!'

There is no time : Anthony Joseph & The Spasm Band - the movie

2010-01-21T18:09:00.000-08:00

And now for something really special. This is a feature length film featuring international concert performances and backstage footage from the first 4 years of Anthony Joseph & the Spasm Band.

There is no time : Anthony Joseph & The Spasm Band from anthony joseph on Vimeo.

Review of Anthony Joseph & The Spasm Band at Le Jam in Montepellier

2009-12-23T05:50:00.000-08:00

MARDI 15 DÉCEMBRE 2009

Anthony Joseph & The Spasm Band au Jam
Un petite soirée de voodoo funk, n'est-ce pas le meilleur élixir pour réchauffer l'hiver brutalement survenu sous nos latitudes ? Le Docteur Funkathus opine du chef, voilà l'intermède-antidote idéal, à la fois brûlant et doux, comme le rhum arrangé combava siroté la veille.

Après l'annulation du Staff Benda Bilili, prévu au Rockstore une semaine plus tôt, c'est avec une réelle impatience que j'attendais le concert d'Anthony Joseph & The Spasm Band, le 12 décembre. Je suis en vrai manque de concert, après une belle série d'empêchements. Alors, cette une nouvelle Groove Session me sied optimum : le poète Anthony Joseph et son groupe The Spasm Band sont sur la scène du JAM. Nous annoncions le concert dans Goutte de Funk (malgré un problème d'émetteur que nous ne découvrions qu'a posteriori), nous y sommes...

Read the rest here : http://lelixirdudrfunkathus.blogspot.com/2009/12/anthony-joseph-spasm-band-au-jam.html

Bird Head Son voted album of 2009 by De la lune on entend tout Blog

2009-12-23T05:24:00.000-08:00

L'heure est venue de faire le bilan de l'année musicale sur De la lune on entend tout. A cette occasion les chroniqueurs musicaux, Dacallo, Maï et Paco ont proposé leur classement respectif (une liste pour Maï) d'une vingtaine d’albums. GrandGibbon estimant ne pas avoir écouté suffisamment d’albums en 2009 garde son jugement pour une prochaine fois. La diversité est tout de même au rendez-vous avec plus de 40 albums cités ce qui signifie aussi qu'aucun ne sort du lot pour devenir incontestablement l'album de l'année.

Douze albums émergent toutefois en raison du nombre de citations (3 pour Anthony Jospeh, Black Joe Lewis ou Buraka Som Sistema, 2 pour Fever Ray, Tinariwen, Lee Fields, Menahan Street Band, Brother Ali et Staff Benda Bilili) ou du classement élevé obtenu dans les tops individuels (IsWhat?! et Vic Chesnutt).

See http://delaluneonentendtout.blogspot.com for more

Bird Head Son voted album of 2009 by Art Rock Blog

2009-12-01T14:36:00.000-08:00

Les 20 meilleurs albums de 2009 :

1. Anthony Joseph & The Spasm Band - Bird Head Son (9)

2. Elysian Fields - The Afterlife (9)

3. Dälek - Gutter Tactics (9)

4. Anti-Pop Consortium - Fluorescent Black (9)

5. The Black Heart Procession - Six (9)

6. Lhasa de Sela - Lhasa (9)

7. Mulatu Astatke & The Heliocentrics - Inspiration Information (8,5)

8. A Wake A Week - Little Black Cloud (8,5)

9. The Flaming Lips - Embryonic (8,5)

10. A Place to Bury Strangers - Exploding Head (8,5)

11. Kill The Vultures - Ecce Beast (8,5)

12. Lee Fields & The Expressions - My World (8,5)

13. Kieran Kane - Somewhere Beyond the Roses (8,5)

14. Oeresund Space Collective - Good Planets Are Hard to Find (8,5)

15. The Low Frequency in Stereo - Futuro (8,5)

16. Sparklehorse/Danger Mouse - Dark Night of the Soul (8,5)

17. Emeralds - What happened (8,5)

18. Dan Auerbach - Keep it Hid (8,5)

19. The Allender Band - Outer Dark (8,5)

20. Ramblin' Jack Elliott - A Stranger Here (8,5)

Tout ça pourquoi ? Pour en venir au formidable Bird Head Son d'Anthony Joseph & The Spasm Band. Un mélange irrésistible de funk, jazz, afrobeat, soul, spoken word... qui marie aussi à merveille groove, intelligence, audace, puissance, finesse, foutoir, cohérence et engagement. S'il fallait vraiment chercher la petite bête, trouver un défaut à l'album... peut-être l'impression parfois d'écouter un album des 70's. En écho au précédent article (pas de style pour les années 2000), on tient là un vrai grand album de la décennie même si l'album, par bien des côtés, pourrait avoir été composé dans les années 70. Mais ici... on s'en fout. Il y a un tel sens du groove dans cet album, qu'il emporte tout sur son passage. Impossible, d'ailleurs, d'écrire une chronique détaillée tout en l'écoutant. Juste préciser qu'Anthony Joseph vient de Trinidad (mais vit en Angleterre), qu'il est poète et musicien, que Keziah Jones joue sur plusieurs titres, que bird head était le surnom de son père... pas la peine que je perde plus de temps à écrire et vous à me lire, suffit de l'écouter et de se laisser porter par son groove exceptionnel.

http://art-rock.over-blog.com/article-27013075.html

Anthony Joseph & the Spasm Band @ la Maroquinerie

2009-10-25T14:12:00.000-07:00

"Killer" Joe live at the Vortex Sept 10 09

2009-09-17T12:54:00.000-07:00

Live in Crozon Aug 2 09

2009-09-09T18:19:00.000-07:00

ANTHONY JOSEPH AND THE SPASM BAND @ THE VORTEX - RARE LONDON SHOW!

2009-08-27T06:04:00.000-07:00

ANTHONY JOSEPH AND THE SPASM BAND @ THE VORTEX
RARE LONDON SHOW!

Thursday 10 September 2009
8.30pm

The Vortex Jazz Club
11 Gillet Square
London
N16 8AZ

http://www.vortexjazz.co.uk/

Few lecturers at London University can be as rowdily funky as Anthony Joseph. Backed by squawking free-jazz and supercharged percussion, the Trinidadian poet and academic struts, bawls and howls his way through his latest works – part Voodoo priest, part prize-fighter.

While he incorporates magic-realism in his work, there is also something of the modern urban Rimbaud about Anthony Joseph, who has artfully injected a keen visionary energy into the band's latest album 'Bird Head Son'.

'(Anthony Joseph)...comes across like a New Orleans preacher, loud, proud, rousing, over the sweat and the sin of the music. His delivery is somewhere between Martin Luther King Jnr and Jimi Hendrix, these incredibly vivid spiritual street stories that build and swell with the music' (Bob Baker Fish).

This is a very rare London date for the band on their 'Bird Head Son' tour which has seen them crossing continents and sharing stages with the likes of Seun Kuti's Egypt 80, Sun Ra Arkestra, and George Clinton's Parliament/Funkadelic.
Definitely not to be missed!

www.myspace.com/adjoseph
www.anthonyjoseph.co.uk

There is a Facebook page for this event at :
http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=123145796106&ref=mf

Robberman live at the Diesel Block Party, Paris

2009-08-09T11:46:00.000-07:00

Drawings from Sakifo Festival, Reunion Island Aug 09, merci Hippolyte

2009-08-09T10:47:00.000-07:00

- Click images for bigger size -

Drawings (c) Hippolyte 2009

http://www.flickr.com/photos/hippolytephotography/

Spasm live in Belgium! - Buddha!

2009-08-09T01:37:00.000-07:00

Photos from Jazz a Vienne

2009-07-21T09:19:00.000-07:00

more photos from this series here :

www.myspace.com/mirabelwhite

all pics (c)Mirabel White

New Review of Bird Head Son by Cyclic Defrost

2009-07-14T14:21:00.000-07:00

The first thing that hits you is the funk, the throbbing urban grooves, taut, almost militant 70’s funk that drifts into the stirring power of spiritual and free jazz, even Afrobeat or bizarrely enough Calypso music. And then we meet Anthony Joseph. He is a poet. But you wouldn’t know it. He comes across like a New Orleans preacher, loud, proud, rousing, over the sweat and the sin of the music. His delivery is somewhere between Martin Luther King Jnr and Jimi Hendrix, these incredibly vivid spiritual street stories that build and swell with the music. Make no mistake he’s not thumbing earnestly through a dog eared excercise book, he’ll wail and sing, writhe and live the music. These are songs, not poetry put to music, where the music can just flow on instrumentally for long periods before Joseph will pop up with his unique wordplays. Jospeh is Trinidadian, based England, he even lectures in creative writing there, though it’s his super cool 7 piece band with horns, hand drums, wah guitar, organs and shakers that really takes this out of the classroom. They’ve really transcended the spoken word medium here, creating the kind of obscure rare groove record that crate diggers would go mad for if it was made thirty five years ago, like it sounds like it should have.

Bob Baker Fish

Robberman!

2009-07-09T09:22:00.000-07:00

Anthony Joseph & The Spasm Band - Robberman video
envoyé par naiverecords. - Clip, interview et concert.

BAMBOO SAX (kidkanevil remix) - Anthony Joseph & The Spasm Band

2009-06-18T17:34:00.000-07:00

"Conductors of his mystery" Live au New Morning 28 5 09

2009-06-16T01:56:00.000-07:00

Live @ Jazz Sous Les Pommiers 2009

2009-06-07T15:17:00.000-07:00

Anthony Joseph & The Spasm Band "Kneedeepinditchdiggerniggersw eat" - Jazz Sous Les Pommiers - Coutances (Manche) - 23 mai 2009

Robberman live at New Morning, Paris 22 4 09

2009-05-12T14:22:00.000-07:00

Live at L'Olympic, NANTES

2009-05-07T05:35:00.000-07:00

Review
Anthony Joseph and the Spasm Band is a must see. The musicians incredibly juggle with a brassy funk, caribbean sweaty beats and a jazz that Alice Coltrane and her Monastic Trio wouldn't have disowned. Anthony Joseph and the Spasm band is one of the best bands you can listen to today. Simply put.

Anthony Joseph and the Spasm Band est un groupe à ne pas manquer sur scène. Son leader charismatique enchaine les pas calypso en suivant de sa voix possédée le rythme de ses musiciens, qui enchainent à merveille funk puissante, beats caribéens et jazz élégant, quasi coltranien. Anthony Joseph and the Spasm Band est un des meilleurs groupes actuels. Tout simplem.

FOR THE FULL VIDEO GO TO http://www.grandcrew.com/videos/110

Live @ New Morning, Paris

2009-05-01T17:38:00.000-07:00

Live at Cully Jazz Fest, Switzerland 4.4.09 - 2 Videos

2009-04-21T06:08:00.000-07:00

Anthony Joseph & The Spasm Band

NEWS : AJ & The Spasm Band in a rare London date at Jazz Re:Freshed

2009-04-20T05:25:00.000-07:00

AJ & The Spasm Band live at FNAC Des Halles, Paris on Wed 22 April!

2009-04-20T04:43:00.000-07:00

As a warm up for our show at New Morning later that night, we are doing a short instore performance at Fnac Forum Des Halles, the biggest music store in Paris on Wednesday 22 at around 330pm
Its free of course, see you there!

Anthony Joseph and the Spasm Band Date : 22 avril 2009 Anthony Joseph 15h30 Fnac Forum Des Halles Centre commercial Forum des Halles PARIS (75000) forum@fnac.tm.fr Gratuit

Anthony Joseph & The Spasm Band EPK

2009-04-04T11:17:00.000-07:00

BHS gets 4 star Mojo review!

2009-04-01T09:51:00.001-07:00

Click to read!

AJ interviewed & profiled by Olaf Maikopf, in German.

2009-03-17T10:09:00.000-07:00

Discover Simple, Private Sharing at Drop.io

http://drop. io/olafmaikopf_anthonyjoseph

AJ & The Spasm Band live at New Morning, Paris - April 22 2009

2009-03-11T06:18:00.000-07:00

Anthony Joseph & The Spasm Band live in Paris, support from the great Jamie Woon, tickets fromhttp://www.fnacspectacles.com/place-spectacle/manifestation/R-n-B-Soul-Funk-ANTHONY-JOSEPH---THE-SPASM-BAND-NMA22.htm

Live at Cargo 5 3 09 Photos and podcast

2009-03-08T18:15:00.000-07:00

Photos by SAkhtar/AMetcalfe 2009

Plus, for those of you who missed the show, here's a podcast of the entire Spasm Band performance

Subscribe Free Add to my Page

Anthony Joseph and the Spasm Band Live at Sons d'Hiver, Creteil - Feb 2009

2009-03-08T13:01:00.000-07:00

Time Out Recommends The BHS launch @ Cargo

2009-03-05T00:42:00.000-08:00

Concert & Co Review of "Bird Head Son"

2009-03-02T03:16:00.000-08:00

Un mélange enflammé et fiévreux de soul vintage, de funk humide, de jazz classieux et d’afro beat propice à la transe par un digne descendant d’Isaac Hayes, Gil Scott Heron, James Brown et Marvin Gaye : Anthony Joseph And The Spasm Band… L’album Bird Head Son est un véritable concentré de grooves insidieux, de mélodies alambiquées et de longues improvisations free jazz ; une fois calé sur la platine, il permet d’effectuer un vol direct et rapide vers une planète ensoleillée où le rythme est roi et où les BO de films Blaxploitation font office d’hymnes nationaux. Galvanisé par un chanteur en état de grâce perpétuel - Anthony Joseph, puisque c’est de lui qu’il s’agit -, le groupe dénommé The Spasm Band ferraille sévèrement avec moult riffs de guitare envoûtants, lignes de basse irrésistibles, percussions en roue libre, flûtes altières et autres solos de saxophone positivement vrillants… Si l’on ajoute à cette recette déjà très relevée, des guest stars pas exactement maladroites dans leurs styles respectifs comme Keziah Jones (présent à la guitare sur trois morceaux) et Joe Bowie (au trombone), on obtient un album très chaud qui dégage une sorte de feu sacré assez unique.

http://www.concertandco.com/artiste/anthony-joseph-spasm-band/critique-cd-achat-vente-39183.htm

Froggy's Delight interview with Anthony Joseph

2009-02-26T13:01:00.000-08:00

C'est au mois de novembre 2008 que nous avions rencontré Anthony Joseph, venu à Paris pour parler de son nouvel album, Bird Head Son, à qui voulait bien l'entendre.

Pourtant, il suffit de prêter l'oreille quelques instants au disque aussi bien qu'à la personne pour comprendre que la rencontre de l'un comme de l'autre ne peut être que bénéfique.

Succès non annoncé, mais prévisible pour ce poète des temps modernes à la bonne humeur communicative.

Discussion sur la religion et les Caraïbes, le punk et la musique noire...

Tout d’abord, peux-tu nous parler un peu de toi, car le public français ne te connait pas encore très bien ?

Je suis donc Anthony Joseph, je suis né à Trinidad, et c’est là que j’ai passé la plus grande partie de ma vie. Je vis en Angleterre depuis 1989. Au départ, je suis un poète mais je suis aussi chanteur, musicien, écrivain.

C’est en Angleterre que tu as commencé à écrire ?

Non, j’écris depuis tout petit, depuis l’âge de 10 ans pratiquement, mais c’est vrai que c’est vers 1990-1991 que je me suis mis sérieusement à l’écriture, que j’ai envisagé cela comme une carrière. J’ai commencé par écrire des poèmes, j’ai publié mon premier recueil en 1994. Et un autre en 1997 et en 2006, j’ai écrit un roman et puis ce mois ci (ndlr : novembre 2008), je publie un nouveau livre.

Donc tu continues d’écrire des livres en même temps que ta carrière de musicien ?

Oui exactement. Ca va même plus loin que cela puisqu’en fait, les paroles de ce nouvel album, Bird Head Son sont toutes issues du nouveau livre. C’est quand même légèrement différent, c’est adapté mais cela reste la même chose bien sûr.

Et est-ce que le livre sera publié avec le disque, dans un même package ?

Non pas du tout, ce sont vraiment deux choses différentes. D’ailleurs, le livre et le disque ne sont pas publiés par le même éditeur. Et chacun sera distribué comme un livre et l’autre comme un disque sans rapport entre eux. Ceci dit, le livre sort en novembre 2008 mais le disque sortira seulement en mars là-bas. Alors qu’il sort en janvier 2009 en France.

C’est étrange, pourquoi cette différence ?

Le marché anglais est particulier, il faut d’abord se construire un profil là-bas, commencer à faire parler de soi, sinon le disque passera inaperçu. Alors on commence à le lancer à l’étranger, on lance le bouquin et ensuite viendra le disque. Mais avant, il faut vraiment se faire connaitre, faire plus de livre, nous en avons fait très peu pour l’instant.

Le livre sortira en France ? Dans une traduction française ? Tes précédents livres ne sont jamais sortis en France ?

Pour l’instant, le livre ne sortira pas en France mais Naive, ma maison de disques est intéressée pour le sortir peut-être un peu plus tard. Quant aux autres livres, ils ne sont jamais sortis en France, ou tout du moins ils n’ont jamais été traduits mais on peut les acheter en anglais bien sûr.

Read the rest of the interview at

http://www.froggydelight.com/article-6389-Anthony_Joseph.html

'Bird Head Son' Froggy's Delight review

2009-02-26T10:52:00.000-08:00

Ce fils de "tête d'oiseau" est bien loin d'en avoir la cervelle stupide (d'un oiseau, pas de son père) et avant d'arriver sur nos terres de France avec cet album, le garçon a pas mal rouler sa bosse outre manche. Arrivé à Londres au début des années 90 après avoir quitté sa terre natale de Trinidad, Anthony Joseph est en effet l'auteur d'un précédent album mais aussi de recueils de poésies et d'un roman, encore jamais traduits dans notre langue pour le moment mais dont le succès en Angleterre n'est pas à prouver.

Ainsi donc, Anthony Joseph arrive en ce début d'année avec ce Bird Head Son, hommage à son père ainsi surnommé à Trinidad. Et si le titre de ce disque rend hommage à son père, ce n'est pas un hasard car celui-ci ainsi que le reste de sa famille, notamment ses grands parents, sont sans doute pour beaucoup dans la musique d'Anthony comme il l'explique dans l'interview, pour avoir assidûment fréquenté les cérémonies religieuses locales.

Et du gospel et du vaudou, Anthony Joseph en a gardé l'énergie et la faculté de transcender l'auditeur. Le nom de son groupe est en ce sens tout sauf innocent puisqu'il se nomme fort justement The Spasmband. Tout un programme.

Bird Head Son est en effet une sorte de gospel rock, fait de funk, de folk, de punk, de jazz et de sonorités caraïbéennes. Mélange étonnant à première vue mais qui se révèle au contraire détonnant en réussissant le mélange des genres et des couleurs avec classe.

La voix d'Anthony Joseph superbe et impériale mise en valeur par des musiciens impeccables nous emmènera de la campagne de Trinidad à l'urbanisation New-Yorkaise en passant par la vieille Europe avec délice. On pense souvent à Galliano, autre groupe anglais du siècle dernier (j'adore faire vieux con) mené à la baguette par Mick Talbot.

On y retrouve les mêmes rythmes endiablés ultra-communicatifs, le mélange de styles improbables, la même energie et, oserais-je dire, le même charisme et chamanisme émanant non seulement du chanteur mais de tout le groupe.

Ajoutons à cela la guitare de Keziah Jones qui vient titiller nos oreilles sur quelques titres dans une vraie-fausse improvisation (on entend Anthony Joseph annoncer la partie de guitare).

Bird Head Son est un disque immédiat autant que profond, spirituel et jouissif. Un gospel moderne, défitivement. La classe et la claque !

http://www.froggydelight.com/article-6394-Anthony_Joseph_and_the_Spasm_Band.html

'Bird Head Son' review on Mondomix

2009-02-26T10:45:00.000-08:00

Trinidadian born poet, novelist and lyricist, Anthony Joseph infuses his music with the heartfelt history of the African diaspora. Jazz, voodoo funk, soul and spoken word groove into a narrative about Black history and his own journey, from the Caribbean to London where he formed the Spasm Band featuring Andrew John [bass], Colin Webster [tenor sax and flute], Adrian Owusu [guitar], Paul Zimmerman /Paul Brett/ Craig Tamlin [percussion]

Following on from his previous album Leggo De Lion, Anthony Joseph returns with Bird Head Son, leading a sextet and special guests Defunkt founder Joe Bowie on trombone, David Neerman (vibraphone) and Keziah Jones (guitar and backing vocals). Warm, elegant and accomplished, this new offering reunites the manifold musical identities of the African diaspora over twelve tracks. Here, spoken word lyrics, inspired horns and layered grooves conjure up some sacred syncretic dreams, evoking fabled free spirits like Gil Scott-Heron or The Last Poets. Sincerity shines through, and this sharp wordsmith and his impeccable Spasm Band touch the motherlode on this trip to the heart of Great Black Music.

http://anthony-joseph.mondomix.com/en/chronique4778.htm

Bird Head Son review in Telerama! 4 stars!

2009-02-25T05:23:00.000-08:00

A eulogistic review in France's main cultural magazine. 4 clefs is the highest rating and rarely given.

Anthony Joseph & The Spasm Band
Bird Head Son

Ce Trinidadien met en musique ses textes et mêle jazz, soul, afro-beat...

Cette pulsation haletante et jubilatoire lui vient des prêcheurs baptistes de son enfance. Cette ironie incantatoire, il l'a apprise dans les calypsos de son Trinidad natal. Spoken word, disent les anglophones pour caractériser cette poésie entre chant et parole, ici servie sur des guitares au rock chaloupé. Par instants, le jazz charnu d'un saxophone ténor vient s'insinuer dans ces mosaïques rassembleuses de toutes les diasporas noires. Le tempo matois mais sûr de lui tisse le liant, progressant lentement vers des paroxysmes dont les lointaines racines sont à rechercher dans les rituels de transe.

Quelque part entre psalmodie religieuse et free jazz, sur de vibrantes intonations soul haut perchées, Anthony Joseph brouille les repères, jouant avant tout du souffle primal, comme une quête d'air pur qui avance portée par l'ivresse des cimes. Et nous marchons avec lui, même quand il crie, même quand il s'époumone au bord du spasme. On pense à quelques pionniers américains des rimes déclamées en ping-pong comme les Last Poets ou Gil Scott-Heron. Et aussi à un autre Caribéen (Jamaïque) de Grande-Bretagne, Linton Kwesi Johnson. Mais alors que LKJ est la voix politique des immigrés deuxième génération, Anthony Joseph, plus littéraire, plus introspectif, revisite les souvenirs des vingt premières années passées à Trinidad, avant l'exil londonien, en 1989. D'ailleurs, il a écrit plusieurs recueils de poèmes et même un roman de science-fiction (sur « les origines africaines des ovnis »).

Dans ce deuxième album viennent l'épauler Keziah Jones, le vibraphoniste David Neerman et le tromboniste Joe Bowie (Defunkt). De Blues for Cousin Alvin en Bamboo Saxophone, nous voilà conviés à une évocation de Bird Head Son (« Fils de tête d'oiseau ») : son surnom d'enfant, car son père avait une allure de piaf, une toute petite caboche sur un corps volumineux !

Eliane Azoulay

Telerama n° 3085 - 28 février 2009

http://www.telerama.fr/musiques/anthony-joseph-amp-the-spasm-band-bird-head-son,39474.php

Vero - Live at La Cigale, Paris

2009-02-20T02:46:00.000-08:00

Anthony Joseph & The Spasm Band live at the Festival Factory, La Cigale, Paris "Vero" on October 9 2008. Realisation by Remi Martin

THROW FIRE!! Robberman Live on France 3 - Cest Soir ou Jamais

2009-02-19T19:50:00.000-08:00

Anthony Joseph & The Spasm Band play Robberman live on France TV 3's Cest Soir ou Jamais on 11 2 09

2009-02-19T03:20:00.000-08:00

Cargo Presents - Anthony Joseph & The Spasm Band live
'BIRD HEAD SON' UK ALBUM LAUNCH
Voodoo funk party in London! Part of the East Festival.

@ Cargo

83 Rivington Street

Shoreditch

London EC2A 3AY

March 5th 2009

7pm - 1am

' Backed by squawking free-jazz and supercharged percussion, the Trinidadian poet and academic struts, bawls and howls his way through his latest works – part Voodoo priest, part prize-fighter. If his magic-realist rants are hard to follow, there's something of the modern urban Rimbaud in this album's visionary energy. ' THE TELEGRAPH

Album of the year candidate! Anthony Joseph & The Spasm Band are magnificent and Bird Head Son is where pathways meet; there won’t be many better albums this year so highly recommended. FLY GLOBAL MUSIC

Order your tickets from the Cargo Box Office : http://www.cantaloupegroup.co.uk/shop/product_info.php?cPath=24&products_id=848£8 adv

Bird Head Son the album was released on the 9th February 2009, along with the book of the same name. This is the only London date of the ‘Bird Head Son’ tour!

www.myspace.com/adjoseph

http://spasmband.blogspot.com

Photos - Dijon - Generiq Festival Feb 12 09

2009-02-17T13:54:00.000-08:00

Photos by Vanessa Bureau www. brunelinn. com

Live in Dijon, France Feb 12 2009 - Conductors of his mystery

2009-02-17T13:42:00.001-08:00

New RFI World Tracks Interview

2009-02-17T08:03:00.000-08:00

This is a revealing 20min interview with Anthony Joseph done recently in Paris.

Anthony Joseph’s potent brew of Trinidadian lyrics and Caribbean voodoo-funk

by Daniel Brown

Anthony Joseph - poet, novelist and musician - has taken the European music scene by storm with his sophomore CD Bird Head Son. Despite the pressures of tours and promotion sessions, Joseph is currently finishing his PhD in London on experimental Caribbean poetry. It will include the works from his native Trinidad, where his grandparents brought him up. The prestigious Times newspaper has named him one of Britain’s ten emerging writers, and it was easy to see why in the course of this World Tracks interview.

http://www.rfi.fr/actuen/articles/110/article_2872.asp

or download it in full here

Real.Com Music "Bird Head Son" Review

2009-02-16T09:15:00.000-08:00

Bird Head Son doesn’t hold back and ask ‘would you like to step inside?’ No, this album grabbed our hand and started gesticulating, chatting and laughing all the time, walking excitedly beside us. And the stories come thick and fast. It’s a journey you see, a journey to lands RealMusic Blog has never been to of mango trees and jungles, stories of brothers, cousins and friends we’ve not met but have now been introduced to. There is poetry here, delivered in breathless and excited style from Anthony Joseph, intense stories of relationships, politics and laughter which draw upon the poetry foundation of the dub poets Linton Kwesi Johnson or Benjamin Zephaniah. But this album isn’t just Anthony Joseph: we’ve also got the Spasm Band, funking out for our pleasure and undoubtedly their own. There’s some serious partying going on in the wild and exuberant style of the great funk outfits the Meters, Fela Kuti or The J.B.s. The Spasm Band are a professional funk outfit you see: they would not put forward a funk unless they meant it. And here’s what they mean by funk: wild saxophone, vocal interplay, percussion, weaving basslines and intricate rhythm - it’s all here.

Read the full review at uk.real.com

ROOT STRATA MIX

2009-02-16T02:53:00.000-08:00

ROOT STRATA MIX
A musical introduction to Anthony Joseph's musical world
Here's a exclusive one-hour "Roots Strata" mix of Calypso, Jazz, Afrobeat, Funk & Rock... selected and MC'd by Anthony Joseph himself!

Or Download it from

http://heavenlysweetness.viabloga.com

Tracklisting :
1- « African war call» – The Lion 2- Yaraba Shango « the tiger » 3- The Mighty Sparrow « Mme Dracula » 4- Shadow « Soca boat » 5- The Mighty Sparrow – « Du Du yemi » 6- Anthony Joseph & the spasm band « Blues for cousin Alvin » 7- Mavis John « Use my body » 8- Albert Collins « Do the Sissy » 9- Charles mingus « Jump Monk » 10- Miles Davis « Sivad » 11- Joe Mcphee – Shakey Jake 12- Jimi Hendrix « Voodoo Child » 13- Anthony Joseph & the spasm band « Bird Head son » 14- Baptist Chant 15- Mathew Thomas kalenda group « Sewe wangala » 16- Mighty Sparrow « Congoman » 17- Anthony Joseph & the spasm band « Vero » 18- Fela Kuti « Shuffering & shmiling » 19- Anthony Joseph & the spasm band « Jungle »
Produced by Charly Turtlecuts.

Anthony Joseph & The Spasm Band live on France 3 TV

2009-02-10T02:01:00.000-08:00

Something special for fans in France, on Wednesday 11 Feb AJ & The Spasm Band play live on France 3 TV ’Ce soir ou jamais’.
Tune in around 12.15 for some blistering voodoo funk!!

http://ce-soir-ou-jamais.france3.fr/index-fr.php?page=accueil

Live @ Transmusicales, Rennes Dec 2008 - Conductors of his mystery - ft Joe Bowie!

2009-02-09T18:03:00.000-08:00

Telegraph review of Bird Head Son album

2009-02-09T08:56:00.000-08:00

Few lecturers at London University can be as rowdily funky as Anthony Joseph. Backed by squawking free-jazz and supercharged percussion, the Trinidadian poet and academic struts, bawls and howls his way through his latest works – part Voodoo priest, part prize-fighter. If his magic-realist rants are hard to follow, there's something of the modern urban Rimbaud in this album's visionary energy.
Mark Hudson - The Telegraph

FLY GLOBAL MUSIC - 'BIRD HEAD SON' REVIEW

2009-02-09T03:58:00.000-08:00

Here's a new review from Gerry Hectic @ Fly Global Music.

"Anthony Joseph was called Bird Head Son when he was growing up in Trinidad. Now it’s the name of his second album with his mates from South London, the Spasm Band, that find all of them in a unity of poetry and music; and that means, album of the year candidate!

Especially when the music is as funky hot as Lafayette Afro-Rock Band and with Anthony Joseph poetry, you’re getting close to a modern day equivalent - but even better!

Perhaps ‘better’ is not quite the right phrase; refined sounds a bit too posh for a rough upfunk band but it’s probably what they are. I mean Anthony Joseph is poet -but not that kind of Motion poet - this guys sings Afro-cosmic-centric street spiritualist “drum rhythm symposium” (‘Robberman’).

If this is the first you’ve heard of AJTSB you’re in for a treat. And if you loved Leggo De Lion you’re in for an even bigger treat as this band has got funkier with the addition of Joseph Bowie (he of Defunkt) and jazzier (with David Neerman on vibes - annoyingly too sparsely used) and Afro (with Keziah Jones who featured on Amadou & Mariam’s Welcome To Mali, Bugs In The Attic’s classic ‘Zombie’ and his own track on Osunlade’s The Yoruba Soul Mixes album to mention just three of his past glories).
If you heard ‘River Of Masks’ on Simone Vimercati’s ‘Jazz It Up’ last week, you’ll know what I’m talking about. With echoes of space-time experiments in jazz-funk no-wave (respect Teenage Jesus & The Jerks to James Blood Ulmer; ‘Are You Glad To Be In America?’)

The album crams in loads of stand-out tracks for us thinkers and groovers; soul-struttin’ down the left side of Nu-Orleans side street with a go-go in the air, ‘Conductors Of His Mystery’ (the one with the vibes) that gently blows up with horn arrangements and rock guitar solo (provided by the band’s guitarist, Adrian ‘The Heliocentrics & The Soul Destroyers’ Owusu). The spawn of Roy Ayres into mellow hardcore jazz-funk

With Joseph centre stage vocally, [my father] “came back smelling of the sea”, the band is seriously percussive featuring Paul Zimmerman, Paul Brett and Craig ‘Cigar’ Tamlin’. On the bass, Andrew John is as impressive in his simplicity like on ‘His Hands’ and ‘Two Inch Limbo’ (a track that Colin Webster stretches and screws his sax solo - hey why the fade-out guys?) or the magnificent 12 minutes of ‘Jungle’ that’s sort of them doing a Temptations - blimey this is so good with as batacuda comes to the concrete jungle carnival (with a touch of cuica for good measure)."

Read the full review at Fly Global Music

Dream on Corbeau Mountain live @ La Cigale

2009-02-08T16:58:00.001-08:00

"Bird Head Son" Tour dates

2009-02-08T15:59:00.000-08:00

These are the dates confirmed so far. More will be added as thay are confirmed.

12 Feb 2009