This Sunday at Floripa, as well as welcoming singer and pianist Sean Haefeli on the live front, we will be joined in the DJ box by one of our favourite connoisseurs of jazz and beyond, Weegee. Inspired by the sessions that the legendary Paul Murphy presided over at the time, Weegee started DJing way back in 1984 and nearly 30 years on you can still find him in the booth playing some of the most incredible music he’s collected over the years. Since those most hallowed of days, his tastes have certainly broadened but jazz is and still does remain his first love. During his career he’s spun the black stuff (and the occasional CDR!) at a veritable feast of venues and club nights including the highly influential Jazz Rooms at The Wag in the heart of Soho, as well as The Sol y Sombra, The Cutting Edge, The Large Club, Club Montepuliciano, Radio Tip Top and Jazzin’ at Vic Naylor. In London’s ever shifting clubland, it’s also somewhat of a rarity to hold down a ten year residency at a single venue but that’s just what Weegee has managed to do after finishing a decade long stint at SMERSH/3 Blind Mice in Hoxton with his ever popular “The Fickle Formula” night, an evening that celebrated the more obscure musical treasures of the 20th century. Today, he can still be found plying his trade at the tiki paradise that is South London Pacific in SE11, warming up the crowd early on every first Saturday in the month.
As well as being a reputable DJ, Weegee has contributed to the music world in other ways having worked with Les Hommes on their first 12″ and LP for Schema Records, a session which resulted in him forging a friendship with organist Rory More. This budding partnership would later be revisited in 2007 when the two worked alongside Geoff Leonard to produce ‘The Carmine Sands EP ‘ on Joynt Sounds Records, and in 2008, when the pair collaborated on the Sunday Swingin’ event at the Bethnal Green Working Men’s Club. More recently, alongside Young Lenny, he has also released the funky throwback dancefloor bomb that is ‘Microdots and Moonbeams‘ on Sudden Hunger Records.
With the weekend just around the corner, we thought we’d ask Weegee to venture into his vinyl vaults and pull out five tracks he’s been digging lately. Here’s what he had to show us:
———-
———-
Kenny Rankin – In The Name Of Love
Killer swinging ¾ vocal jazz with slight Cliff Richard overtones…
Rory More – Free At Last
As yet unreleased dub-plate of beautiful jazz business from Mr. Rory More, featuring Christina di Bernardo on the harp.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZK1WRS2ObHU
Cachao Y Su Ritmo Caliente – Cogele El Golpe
Proper raw Afro-Cuban Latin jazz.
Thelonious Monk Trio – Bye Ya
Dance jazz classic from Monk – never fails to hit the spot with me.
Mina – Allegria (Upa Neguinho)
Italian singer Mina tears into the Edu Lobo classic – bosstastic!
———-
———-
For more tasty nuggets from Weegee’s box, come join us at The Jazz Meet this Sunday as he lines up alongside Jazz Meet resident Sid Ford and of course our very special guest vocalist Sean Haefeli and band this Sunday for another little excursion into the word of jazz at at Floripa. Things kick off from 5pm and run right through to 12am, which is plenty of time for you to take advantage of the happy hour cocktail and beer deals, sample a Brazilian Roast (or two!) and enjoy this week’s musical proceedings.
