It’s a special DJ Box feature this week as we put resident selector Sid Ford under the spotlight and ask him what his big dancefloor tunes of the moment are. Sid (or Andrew to his Mum) is possibly one of the most stylish men we know and this trait clearly extends to his brilliantly curated record box. A keen jazz enthusiast, with a discerning ear for a cheeky soul number or fiery Latin or Afro funk record too, he consistently dazzles us with his selections in the booth and with a more than passing interest in the new breed of British jazz, he serves as a constant inspiration to all of us here at The Jazz Meet. On the DJ front he’s featured at various venues across the capital, holding down long-running residencies in the form of his ‘File Under Jazz’, ‘Ain’t No New Thing’ and ‘Fuego’ nights, as well as getting his passport stamped several times while appearing at clubs in Prague and the famous Casper Budva in Montenegro. Tie in the fact that by day he also owns an in-demand graphic design agency that does our eye-catching flyers and branding on the side and you will begin to understand why Sid has become such an integral part of our team. So now with that little intro complete, let’s take a little look into the man’s collection to see what he has in store for us this month:
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Colosseum – Elegy (from the ‘Valentyne Suite’ LP)
Perfect timing for this to get some love and attention as it features Mercury Prize winner James Blake’s father in the band. Pure uptempo jazz/funk brilliance from start to finish. The album is now expensive as it is on the very collectible Vertigo Records, but you should be able to track down the German release on Bronze without too much bother or hurt to the pocket. Jazz geeks will like to know that British jazz great Neil Ardley did the string arrangement on the track.
Leon Thomas – Just In Time To See The Sun (from the ‘Full Circle’ LP)
Oh my god! Like nothing else Thomas has ever done. Uptempo firing Latin-tinged version of a Santana track featuring Pee-Wee Ellis on sax, Joe Farrell on flute and the brilliant Bernard Purdie on drums. I managed to pick this up on a Flying Dutchman ‘DJ copy – not for sale’ 7 and it is one of my most treasured 7s.
Peter Herbolzheimer Rhythm Combination & Brass – Feedback Brother (from the ‘I Hear Voices’ LP)
Fusion? Jazz funk? Disco? Not sure how I would classify it, but whatever it is, it works! Full of the trade mark RCB big band horns, this goes into a whole new territory when the vocals come in two-thirds of the way through the track.
Webster Lewis – It’s Your Thing (Alt version) (from the ‘Club 7 Live Tapes’ LP)
This album came out on the excellent Norwegian label Plastic Strip and is an absolute must have. Recorded live in Oslo in ‘71 it features the amazing 17 minute long version of Do You Believe as well as this organ-led slice of heaviness. Judd Watkins on vocals while Jimmy Hopps is ruling it on drums and percussion.
Niki Aukema – Lucky Lost Sin (from the ‘Nothing Free’ LP)
Another one that probably falls between the genre-lines – maybe it is more on the side of funky rock or psychedelic but it has the mid-70s jazz rock fusion vibe and just keeps on building until her vocals are almost lost at the top of the scale.
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We’ll leave you with a stone cold killer of a mix from Sid (and still in heavy rotation here at Jazz Meet HQ). An oldie but most certainly a goodie…
And if all that has you itching to step out on to the dancefloor, you can join Sid down at the Queen of Hoxton this Sunday 3rd November as he drops more goodness to nice up the dance in the QOH basement in between the band sets. Tom O’Grady’s excellent Fender Rhodes led jazz funk outfit Resolution 88 will be guesting in the live spot this week.