Sandy Brown Jazz

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It is a sad fact of life that many young people become demoralised, detached from society and sometimes just angry.  The power of music to offer solutions to such problems has been demonstrated time and again throughout the world.  Perhaps the most famous, and in some senses the most successful initiative is called 'El Sistema', a social action music programme that was founded in Venezuela in 1975 by Maestro José Antonio Abreu offering musical ensemble participation from an early age according to a set of clear principles that focus on intensive and joyful music-making as a vehicle for social development.  The results of this remarkable project were on view at the 2007 BBC Prom where Gustavo Dudamel conducted the Simon Bolivar Youth Orchestra to widespread acclaim. Despite some debate regarding its teaching methods, politics and funding, it is claimed that El Sistema and similar projects worldwide have provided many disadvantaged young people with a route to a better life.  

The success of El Sistema prompted the establishment of pilot projects in the United Kingdom and a programme in England called 'In Harmony'; this was the subject of a 2020 evaluation report for Arts Council England by consultants Nordicity and World Pencil.  Pilot projects were set up and financed in 2008 and continue to this day, although often in a changed form, reflecting the influence of local education authorities and charities. In Scotland, Big Noise Orchestras exist in several cities under the umbrella charity 'Sistema Scotland', in Wales, 'Codi’r To' (Raise the Roof) sessions are conducted in the Welsh language and provide tuition in singing as well as opportunities to play brass and percussion instruments in a samba band.  In England one of the first pilot projects was administered by the Lambeth Music Service in London and this continues today as 'In Harmony Lambeth', described as primarily a social action programme that encourages the pursuit of musical excellence to enrich the lives of children, young people, families and the wider community around the Stockwell and Vauxhall area.

A particular characteristic of El Sistema and In Harmony is a focus on western classical music in the orchestral setting.  However, music is an art form whereby human beings can creatively express their emotions and experiences;  it can help define a community, reduce social exclusion and provide a focus for those who may feel excluded from mainstream society. 

Some of the largest musical events in the world are carnivals - the Rio de Janeiro Carnival is probably the most famous while the Bahia Carnival centred on Salvador in Brazil is reputed to be the largest with 2.5 million participants and spectators. The largest Caribbean carnival takes place in Port of Spain, Trinidad with a reputed 300,000 participants and spectators. In London the Notting Hill Carnival, using the Caribbean model, has grown to rival the largest in the world.  An essential part of the carnival organisation is the concept of a group or association.  Each group will parade together in the carnival procession wearing matching, often highly decorative, outfits with a particular band of musicians.  In Caribbean carnivals, the groups are called 'Mas' (abbreviated from masque) with a history going back to the times when African slaves were emancipated and began to revive festivals from their home countries.  In Brazil the groups are called 'blocos' (blocks), perhaps centred on a particular neighbourhood social service or samba school.

Much like the carnivals in Brazil and the Caribbean, the Notting Hill Carnival was originated to give a focus and a voice to a disadvantaged section of society. Caribbean islands such as Jamaica and Trinidad remained British colonies until 1962. During World War 2 citizens of the British Caribbean islands had fought for the British and after the war they were encouraged to re-locate to the UK to help rebuild the country, some of them travelling on the HMT Empire Windrush. Sadly many of these immigrants were forced to live in slum conditions in big cities and also suffered racial discrimination.  In 1959, following a period of inter-racial disturbance, the editor of the West Indian Gazette, Claudia Jones, organised a celebration of Caribbean culture in St. Pancras Town Hall which was to expand outdoors and grow into the Notting Hill Carnival.  Music has always been at the heart of Notting Hill Carnival and today this is made up of Mas Bands, Steel Bands, Calypso, Brazilian Bands and Sound Systems.

Here's a video of the Heritage Mas Band at the Notting Hill Carnival in 2018.

Another essential component of carnival is the visual spectacle; participants wear masks and costumes ranging from skimpy to the most extravagant; mobile floats adorned with every kind of banner, garland and flag provide a fabulous feast of colour.  A Londoner who was inspired to become involved in this aspect of carnival was politics and sociology graduate Ali Pretty.  Like many students in the 1980s she involved herself in outdoor protest, with its banners and placards; while a trip to India and involvement with an experimental theatre group led her to formulate ideas whereby local communities could use large scale performance events to bring people together and a get a message across.  Between 1995-1997 Ali Pretty worked with Trinidadian Carnival artist Peter Minshall with varied commissions that included painting 42 silk butterfly costumes for the 1996 Atlanta Olympics.  Ali’s silk painting for carnival has since taken her all over the world including working with Cortejo Afro for Salvador Carnival, Brazil.  In 1998 Ali Pretty founded her company, Kinetika, and in 1998 and 1999 her band designs won awards at the Notting Hill Carnival. 

Musician and bandleader Mat Fox was an inspirational music teacher from South London who had worked with Jazz Warriors and Musicworks founder Gail Thompson, and had travelled to Brazil where he was particularly impressed by a visit to Cortejo Afro in Salvador. Ali Pretty recognised Mat as a key collaborator for the development of Kinetika’s work with young people in London and so it was that in 2000 Kinetika Bloco was created as the music section for Kinetika’s carnival productions under the direction of Mat Fox. “The groove was what he cared about, for the fun of it and for the way it speaks. My dad lived for bringing people together, and he was proud that the Bloco were a completely eclectic operation, involving people from every area of society.”, Ruben Fox, Mat’s son, recalls. (Mat sadly died from a heart attack in 2014).

The Kinetika Bloco was established as a charity in June 2010 and is described as a performance group with an exuberant mix of young brass and woodwind players, drummers, steel pan and dynamic dancers all in costume creating a “unique new British Carnival sound with a decidedly London edge”. Quoting Emma Warren "Over the last two decades, street-up educators and straight-up music lovers have built something that didn’t exist before; a grassroots infrastructure that supports, nurtures and promotes new musicians, as if Venezuela’s El Sistema were reimagined as a London story". As discussed above, El Sistema has inspired projects in the UK that have enabled young people to become involved with mainly classical orchestral music and this has provided significant benefits as shown in the Arts Council England report.  However many other young people, who were not attracted either to classical music or certain methods of teaching have found the same, or even greater benefits, via other organisations such as Kinetika Bloco.

Kinetika Bloco general manager, Tamzyn French believes that the essential ingredients that Kinetika Bloco provide are threefold.  One is role models –  what they look like, how they relate to and how they inspire the young person. Two is social -  providing an environment where young people feel welcome and supported which is fun, exciting and friendly; if it isn’t, it doesn’t matter how free it is or how many opportunities you give them, they won’t come.  Three is performance -  At Bloco someone can have just started learning and a few months later be performing at the London Southbank Centre; even if they maybe can’t play all the notes and are miming half of it, the excitement of experience will show them the potential and make them want to continue.  She also highlights the importance of local knowledge: "I think what it really takes is each organisation/school/music hub really getting to know its community and the young people and what they need, and then targeting the work to that need. We often get organisations outside London wanting us to come to start something in their area, and we will help others start things, or initiate something. But we always explain we can’t continue anything long term, it’s not our patch, we don’t know that community as they do. We are committed to making our bit of London better and that’s our priority. That’s why the idea of El Sistema can be an inspiration to something here, but it will never work the same because kids in the UK and kids in Venezuela are completely different. Their experiences, culture, issues, expectations are different and needs a different solution".

The success of Kinetika Bloco's approach is being celebrated with the release of the album, Legacy. Released on Mark Kavuma's Banger Factory label, the album is also a tribute to Mat Fox by musicians who were welcomed and supported by Mat and other leaders at Kinetika Bloco.  The musicians who can be heard on the album are Andre Johnson, Andy Grappy, Aneira Jenkins, Artie Zaitz, Claude Deppa, David Mrakpor, Emmanuel Franklyn Adelabu, Ife Ogunjobi, Kaidi Akinnibi, Keiran Pearson, Kyle McInnis, Lily Carassik, Mark Kavuma, Marlon Hibbert, Mebrakh Haughton-Johnson, Misha Fox, Nathaniel Cross, Nubya Garcia, Paul Goumou, Reuben James, Ritchie Seivwright, Ruben Fox, Sam ‘Blue’ Agard, Shayanna Dyer Harris, Sheila Maurice Grey and Theon Cross. Many of those listed are young musicians who are at the forefront of the current London jazz scene and as Ruben Fox says in his eloquent introduction to the album: "this album is a celebration of both those that paved the way in this great journey and those who are yet to come".

A video of Remedy from the Legacy album.

The nine tracks on the album all have a special significance and most have been played by members of Kinetika Bloco over many years.  They include Caravan, composed by Duke Ellington and Juan Tizol, first played by Kinetika Bloco in 2001 and arranged by Emmanuel Franklyn Adelabu.

Listen to Caravan.

 

Remedy, a tribute to Brixton in south London and composed by Mat Fox's son Ruben with Sam Agard, and Commanders Call composed by long time Kinetika Bloco tutor Claude Deppa.  A poem, The Ted Williams Villanelle, written by Wendy Cope was used by Mat Fox to motivate his pupils and is read on the album by one of his closest friends, Andy Grappy.  The remaining tracks are either about Mat Fox or were composed by him: Papa Fox was composed and arranged by Mark Kavuma; The Door Of Breath sounds like a prayer and was composed for an adaptation of Derek Walcott's classic morality play Ti-Jean And His Brothers, it is sung by Shayanna Dyer Harris.

Guided By The Light is a joyful tune evoking images of New Orleans marching bands, while Echoes of Palmares is a big, brassy anthem celebrating the great music that has been created by Afro-Brazilian culture and preserved by samba schools in Brazil. The comprehensive album notes include an introduction by Ruben Fox, a list of all the musicians on each track together with some history and background and also a really lovely tribute to Tamzyn French.

Listen to Guided By The Light.

 

Even if the music on Legacy wasn't great it would still be an album well worth buying because of all the good that Kinetika Bloco can achieve using the proceeds.  However the music, which has been inspiring young people for over twenty years, IS great and will encourage anyone who listens to it to believe that learning and playing music has special powers that can reach even those who might otherwise have seemed unreachable. Further confirmation of the success of the Kinetika Bloco project, the gift that Mat Fox gave to the young people of London and the great work that is continuing can be seen in these videos  Kinetika Bloco: A Musical Journey and We Are Kinetika Bloco.

Click here for details and samples of the Kinetika Bloco Legacy album.

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