HIBOU, ANEMONE & BEAR

 

Gran festa di compleanno questa sera al Cafe Oto a Londra per rendere omaggio a due storiche etichette indipendenti (tra loro alleate) che cinquant'anni fa, nei primi anni Settanta, diedero voce ai nomi più importanti della ribollente scena del jazz britannico, allora resa ancor più incandescente dall'azione e dalla presenza dei musicisti sudafricani di Blue Notes e Brotherhood of Breath: Cadillac e Ogun. Tra commemorazioni e festeggiamenti troveranno spazio la proiezione del rarissimo film di Ian Hutchison, The Real McGregor (1967), una presentazione di opere discografiche d'epoca preservate e rilanciate in anni recenti in digitale da Otoroku proprio presso il locale londinese, e parecchia musica dal vivo con Jason Yarde, Roberto Ottaviano, Alex Hawkins, Neil Charles e Mark Sanders - quintetto espressamente dedicato a Louis Moholo - e una speciale partecipazione di Mike Westbrook. E' quest'ultimo a raccontare le origini dell'etichetta Cadillac, fondata insieme al compianto John Jack nel 1973 prendendo spunto per il nome dal gruppo di Mike di allora, Solid Gold Cadillac: "In 1972 I made a ‘live’ recording with my five-piece band. At that time I had a contract with RCA and, as a follow up to Metropolis, I was due to make another album. I offered RCA the ‘live’ album but they turned it down. John Jack was managing the band at that time, and he and I both felt that this music deserved a wider hearing. We decided to release it ourselves and started a new label. By then the group had evolved into Solid Gold Cadillac. Hence Cadillac was the name we gave the new company. Mike Westbrook–Live! was the first album to be released on Cadillac Records. Under John Jack’s management Cadillac, alongside Hazel Miller’s Ogun Records, went on to build a catalogue of some of the most important contemporary jazz generated in the UK."

The Real McGregor (1967, dir. Ian Hutchison) is a documentary featuring interview material with Chris McGregor, followed by a concert at Ronnie Scott’s Old Place in Gerrard Street, where the group, also known as The Blue Notes, enjoyed a year-long residency. On this occasion the classic quintet included Louis Moholo-Moholo, Johnny Dyani, Mongezi Feza and Ronnie Beer as well as McGregor. This film was recovered by documentary filmmaker Dr. Paul D.J. Moody of International Media Productions. Paul has restored the image and soundtrack, and is seeking broadcaster interest to bring the project to the widest possible audience. Tonight's showing is the first public screening since the early 1970s. Early film of The Blue Notes is extremely rare and this is the only known footage of their time in London and at the Old Place, so a hugely significant event.

https://ogun-cadillac-records-50th-birthday-celebration
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cadillac_(record_label)
https://www.discogs.com/label/45652-Cadillac-Records
https://ogunrecording.co.uk
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ogun_Records
https://www.cafeoto.co.uk/shop/category/ogun