This Sunday we’re very pleased to welcome one of the First Ladies of the London club scene,  Ms Marcia Carr to the Floripa DJ Box. A long-standing face in the capital as a DJ, radio presenter, journalist, former street/jazz dancer and founder of her own music PR / Artist agency Talking Music Productions, she truly has given her life up for the music and this weekend, you can find her blessing us with a little set of jazzy dancefloor treats from her extensive record library. As a selector, Ms Carr is of course no stranger to the decks, having spent much of the past two decades running her own events and guesting at parties both in and around London Town and overseas, and in this time she’s featured alongside a veritable who’s who of the international DJ elite, all the while championing a truly diverse range of musical sounds. She has also found the time to co-present a number of regular radio shows over the years, including stints on both Ministry Of Sound and Colourful Radio, and when not playing out under her own name, you can find her rocking dancefloors as part of the London-based DJ collective Ladyzâ„¢ (aka LadyBugz). She’s probably most well-known for her intoxicating club sets of deep house, disco and broken beat, but don’t get it twisted, as some of her recent Mixcloud sets will attest, she also loves digging deep in the crates to pull out the odd classic jazz, jazz funk and uplifting soul record that no doubt will please the most ardent of dancers.
Ahead of this weekend’s gig, we asked Marcia to pull out some LPs from her DJ bag and drop five tracks on the on our virtual turntable. Here’s what she dug out for us, as well as a few words on why she chose them!
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Tarika Blue – Truth Is The Key (from the album ‘Tarika Blue’)
In the early 80’s I had heard ‘I Love It’ thanks to my Mum’s sister, and I had been dancing to ‘Truth Is The Key’ at clubs like Dingwalls, The Wag and Jaffas. Exemplifying the unique and exploratory sounds of creative Fusion; this is a fanciful chunk of caressing lyrical inspirational and collage assortment: brass infusions, synthesizers, weighty (rock-style) guitar, bass driving to culminate in to uptempo grooves – it reminds of me of the dance floors of my youth, and always takes me back to there. Timeless.
Roy Ayers Ubiquity – Gotta Find A Lover (from the album ‘Lifeline’)
I only have twenty-seven Roy Ayers LPs in my collection, so I can’t call myself a true fan like some folks. However, as far as I am concerned Roy Ayers is the living genius of fusing jazz with funk into Disco, Soul and electro pop along the likes of Herbie Hancock. Ayers’ jazz vibe roots comes through with chameleon-like craftsmanship on all of his works… 1976 was yet another year of me discovering music by rummaging through my Aunty Carmen’s records brought back from her numerous trips to the US. Ayers’ discography is remarkable in all, so it is hard to pick just one track. On the ‘Lifeline’ album of which this love song is derived there are several cuts yet this singular pick has been on turntable rotation countless times and had me in tears of joy. Oh gosh, here I go blubbering again….
Stanley Cowell – Come Sunday (from the album ‘New World’)
I’ve always loved many a jazz piano players. Stanley Cowell has a magnificent range – whether on his own original compositions, or retaining the full of meaning of interpretations; the gist of his work is always thorough. His cover of the Duke Ellington classic is concluded in beautiful and raw-like fashion. In it I hear the sound of Negro spirituals on organ strings, haunting meditative harmonies that are all united by the rag-time style piano playing of Cowell; rhythmically entrancing and holds a spiritual energy. I’ve danced to this lots and it still has much striking appeal, it speaks volumes.
Mel Tormé – Lullaby of Birdland (from the album ‘The Tormé Touch’)
As male Jazz crooners stand, to my mind the rather underrated voice of them all has always and continues to be the great pianist and composer Tormé – his velvety soft tone is drenched deep within the cusp of heartwarming Soul, and this song, already five decades plus old could have been released yesterday, it has such a fresh resonance of sound.
John Klemmer – Magic And Movement (from the album ‘Music And Movement’)
I didn’t pick up this album until the mid eighties from a second-hand shop. What has struck me most about it was how the live recording (at The Ash Grove in Los Angeles, June 22, 1972) just goes on and on into a crescendo, as each of the musicians showcased their dexterity on their chosen instruments; expressed with such poise and flair. At the time it just mesmerised me. Created by the impressively talented saxophonist Klemmer, this A-side record comprised of four parts; totaling 21.28 minutes. In all, it amounts to an intensified, climaxing aural delight rolled out by the all-star cast: Wilton Felder (The Crusaders) on bass as well as Cecil McBee; the tenable drumming of Alphonse Mouzon; Mike Nock on electric piano plus Tom Canning and Dean Parks who laid on some slick guitar, all demonstrating the freedom and joy to be experienced in playing jazz music, that’s where title ‘Magic and Movement’ really was fitting for the standout session.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CMpZ9Op-kuM
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If you feel musically inspired by some of these choices, don;t forget you can catch more of the same from Ms Marcia as she joins Jazz Meet resident Rob Coley behind the decks this Sunday at Floripa. As always, we’ll be kicking things off slowly with a little mood music from 5pm before picking up the pace a little later in the evening. From 6pm this week, The Jazz Meet Band will be doing their thing outside on the sun terrace, so make sure you get there early to catch the live entertainment and grab the happy hour cocktail and beer deals, or simply sit back, relax and take in one of the finest Roasts East London has to offer.