Self published through Blurb, this is their second book on Chen family taijiquan, and I snapped up a copy within a few days of its release. That was few months ago, and since then I’ve been carrying around and dipping in whenever I’ve had a bus or train ride or whenever I’ve felt the urge.

My own involvement with taijiquan goes back almost three decades. I first came across Chen  taijiquan when I was in Japan in the mid Eighties.  Back then I was practicing Yang taijiquan (Chen Man-Ch’ing’s short form and Yang Chen Fu’s long form) and it was two Budo loving friends in Tokyo, who had been fortunate enough to train with the current gatekeeper of the Chen family, Master Chen Xiaowang, who gave me a video of him on Japanese TV demonstrating the 38 form.  I was impressed. I was aware that Yang taijiquan had derived via Yang Lu Chan from the Chen family and this flowing form which was alternatively slow and explosive seemed to answer some of the questions and reservations I held at that time.

I studied and copied the moves from the first section of the form and showed it to one of my Tokyo friends. His response was, “Look like it it but it’s not it.” Basically, you can’t learn solely from a video or DVD… you have to have a teacher.

Above: Chen Xiaowang mid 80s in Japan.

At that time,  nobody in London was teaching Chen Taijquan so it went on the back burner. However, post the new millennium I encountered Kinthissa, a convert to Chen taijiquan from Yang style and a student of Master Chen Xiaowang. Through her  I was introduced to the coiling, silk reeling core of the art and the importance of alignments and structure.

From Kintissa I progressed to Shifu Liu Jun Quan’s Taiji Circle in Camden. Shifu Liu has studied with Chen Zhenglei and Chen Xiaowang  – two of the Four Tigers of Chenjiaogou village – the home of taijiquan in Shanxi province – and he teaches the whole system which includes numerous hand and weapon forms that have both health and martial dimensions.

As this book, ‘The Essence Of Taijiquan’,  is rooted in both author’s experiences of training as teachers in Chenjiagou village it seemed immediately relevant to my own chosen path.  Their first hand knowledge and their rapport with the various high level teachers from different generations – Chen Xiaoxing to Chen Ziqiang – is inevitably most enlightening.

Chenjiagou training session

In journeying to the source we get an insight into life in the village itself. Despite  the repression of the the cultural revolution, when many martial artists were hounded ad persecuted, the people of Chenjiagou kept the art of Taijiquan alive and ironically, today, Chenjiaou is the global epicentre for the study of  Chen Taijiquan.

Legendary modern century master: Chen Fake

This book  immerses us  in the history of the Chen family and introduces the reader to Chen Wangting, who developed the foundation of this fighting art in the 17th century and the scholar Chen Xin who, in the 19th century wrote the classic Illustrated Canon of Chen Taijiquan.  The authors  touch on Daoism and the philosophical roots of the art and  open up areas of discussion that relate to essential concepts of internal training from breathing in Taijiquan to Chansijin (sik reeling) to the Six Harmonies..

Basically, the reader is given access to the training syllabus in Chenjiagou and that includes the various tried and tested paths you are  required to take if you wish to progress through the five levels of skill they have defined through centuries of hard work.

Chen Ziqiang + David Gaffney demonstrate jian - straight sword

As such this book is relevant to anyone studying Chinese martial arts. It gives an clear overview of what is required of you, if you choose to train in this art. From foundation skills to bare-hand forms to sensing and push hands (tui shou) to weapons like straight sword (jian), broadsword (dao), spear (quiang) and Spring & Autumn B’sword (Chunqiu Dadao) we are taken on a rapid fire but most succinct tour. In fact, one the great things about this book is that it provides us with the essential concepts and the Chinese names and terms that go with them. Even though I don’t  speak Chinese (apart from thank you ( Xie xie) and one, two three, four (yī èr sān sì … ) it’s most useful to wrap your head around terms like, peng, , kong, an, ji, zhan, lian, jin etc.

Having experience serious frustration and disillusionment with my own practice at different times I feel this book provides a handy reminder that we all need good teachers who can guide us through the various stages and in many respects ‘The Essence Of Taijiquan’  also shows us what we should be expecting from those who do teach – especially in relation to qi development and martial applications.

All in all, there is a lot of information in this book to take on-board and I’m sure I’ll be dipping it on a regular basis. It’s also whetted my appetite for the forthcoming translation of Chen Xiaowang’s forthcoming book on the Five levels Of Skill.

So, finally, I’d say this book is an aid to practice, it gives a framework to operate within, and quality all this reading by quoting Chen Fake’s nephew, the legendary Chen Zhaopi, “Winter or summer, wind or snow, there should be no interruption. In time the heart will accept and the spirit will understand, and the wonderment of the fist will be realised.”

Master Chen crosses hands with David Gaffney

Co-author: Davidine Siaw-Voon Sim

The Essence of Taijiquan which can be ordered through www.chentaijigb.co.uk

Below: Check this is short clip of Chief Lambreaux and his gang practicing ‘Shallow Water, Oh Mama’

+ Dig  this book…. some brilliant photographic portaits:

Eyes of Eagles New Orleans’ Black Mardi Gras Indians by Christopher Porché West (Blurb)

PB & Spatial AKA Orchestra's Jerry Dammers

The discussion was loosely chaired by  Mykaell Riley, an original member of Steel Pulse and the Director of Black Music Research UK and it gave us a taste of what they plan to present to at SXSW in Texas in March.  Bass Culture, as an all embracing term that covers all UK music that derives Jamaica, was the topic.

A cross generational and enthusiastic gathering it was most pleasant to see Jerry Dammers sat alongside Ras Kwame and visual artists like Ian Wright and David Corio.

There was a portion of to-ing and fro-ing between the audience and panel that included the excellent Mikey Dread (Channel One Sound System), Lea Anna (singer/dancehall), Robbo Ranx (BBC Radio 1Xtra) and Curtis Lynch (Necessary Mayhem) but little consensus.

For myself,  Bass Culture could work as an umbrella in an academic sense and help leverage more courses that deal with the Black roots of the music in Universities. As for the music industry… Bass Culture – The  brand… I can’t see it!

While we were putting together the “boxes” for this event we began to get a real picture of how an infrastructure – shops, van-men, importers/distributors, live promoters, record producers, musicians & singers, clubs,  sound systems  – evolved during the 60s/70s/80s to promote  the music to the Jamaican/Caribbean community  and beyond.

For most Afro Caribbean youth in the 70s and 80s… Yard was where it was at  but  time has run and passed and subsequent generations are definitely more attuned to their own immediate inner city runnings. They respect their roots but over the past three decades they’ve created their own dynamic forms of reggae rooted music – lovers, jungle, drum ‘n’ bass, grime,  dubstep….

Combine that creativity with the internet/digital revolution and we have to ask: Is there an infrastructure s that will allow these underground movements continued development;  that gives props to the artists and ensures they get paid; that allows them  to nail their colours to the mast and declare, ‘These are our roots and they deserve recognition.””

In the final analysis, it all seems to come back  to politics and money.  If you have an infrastructure then you can make money and that creates the basis for power so I’m not sure that defining the continuum as Bass Culture will help Necessary Mayhem sell more music or guarantee Lea Anna a future as the UK No.1 dancehall queen.

Swifty: Stringing up!

I’m sure that the debate will continue to bubble but, right now, it’s  back to our installation: we loved the fact the speaker boxes had a genuine physical resonance with people and they were consistently referred to during the discussion as reflection of the foundation of the music and where we’ve all come from.

Unfortunately,  the lighting was subdued so people might have missed  out on the information that graced the sides of the boxes… sound system flyers, shop and club ads, a list of top 20 UK chart reggae hits, Penny Reel‘s 1981 list of UK sound systems, a few influential  UK 7″ singles, rare fanzine covers etc.

Still, it’s a beginning… and as it grows the combination of words sound & power will shake the walls of Babylon 2012.

Swifty's Working Drawings

Building on a slow start Ras Kwame flung down a selection of tunes that illustrated the evolution of reggae in the UK from ‘My Boy Lollipop’ onwards and if he appeared dropping it inna Rodigan style that’s simply how it turned out.

Rasites

According to my good friend Penny Reel,  Rasites hail from Hackney, and they touched down on the stage first. These second generation Rastafari musicians delivered a fast flowing set that embraced classical, live, roots reggae along with lyrical flavours synonymous with Jamaican Bobo dreads like Anthony B and Sizzla.

They laid the foundation, rocked a predominantly young white crowd and fired up one crew of determined, teenage, skanky steppers. Once the Rasites set was done they settled into the role of backing band and were joined onstage by singer songwriter Natty. Judging by the audience response, this acoustic guitar toting troubadour has already got a devoted following and looks set to build on it. Lyrically, he’s rooted in the now and he’s developed a vocal delivery with an urban edge that retains a reflective conversational style. On this night, his songs were  effortlessly complimented and  boosted by the muscular presence of the Rasites.

Following a short break where Ras Kwame berated certain sections of the crowd who insisted on talking through everything he invited onstage the final performer of the evening, the inimitable Lady Leshurr.

I’d expected to hear this feisty Brummie wordsmith within a digital/dj setting but no, she took to the mic with the versatile Rasites behind her.  Brimming over with confidence, this girl may be tiny but she’s destined to be large.  Proud of her Midlands roots she popped off volleys of rapid fire lyrics dedicated to her home town and  set the place alight with her  rendition of Sister Nancy‘s ‘Bam Bam’. She sings and spits lyrics at a speed that is mind blowing.  Some of it may well be totally  impenetrable but a track like ‘Lego’ more than illustrates her lyrical ingenuity.

In SXSW the crew will be joined by Harleden don, Gappy Ranks and cult rootsman Little Roy delivering his version of the classic Nirvana LP ‘Battle For Seattle’. All in all it’s a most interesting combination but how the UK Bass Culture concept will be received in Austin remains to be seen.

PB

On Wednesday 15th Feb (7-9pm) @ Roundhouse Rising presents Bass Culture – The Influence Of Reggae On British Music.

On nthe panel :  Robbo Ranx (BBC 1 Xtra), Mikey Drea (Channel One Sound System), Curtis Lynch Jnr (Necessary Mayhem), Mykaell Riley (Iniv. of Westminster / Reggae Philharmonic Orch). Gate Fee: 2 quid

Swifty & I will unveil stage 1 of our our Word, Sound & Power installation that celebrates the UK Reggae Nation and paves the way for an increasingly extensive and collaborative show.

Samba Chula is one of the variations of Samba de Roda. The complicated cadences of rhythms and call-and-response singing, as well as its melodic loops played out on the rare double-strung guitar (viola machete), are some characteristics of the Samba Chula played in São Braz and this form of Samba has been proclaimed by Unesco in 2005 as a Masterpiece of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity.

That said, Samba Chula is a tradition in danger of extinction and it’s being kept alive by two brothers, João do Boi and Alumínio, both Masters of the oral tradition of Samba Chula, and their friends and family. They perform as Samba Chula de São Braz and tonight they bring their deep and uplifting music and dance to Momo’s in central London

Loving this video of them live at WOMEX.
+ Track down their excellent CD “Quando Eu Dou Minha Risada, Ha, Ha”.

POSTSCRIPT:  Yessss… a night was had! The intimate and steamy atmosphere of MOMO’s was spot on. The ridims of the pandeiros meshed with the congas, the pulse of the surdo and the tres-like voila machete. The voices rose and fell in time to the hand claps and the shufling steps of the samba were demonstrated by each member of Samba Chula de São Braz before inviting one and all “onstage” to pop a little style. Gotta thank Jody Gillett for pulling the session together… and have to say it gave me the same deep, warm feeling I had the first time I heard Paul Nabor and the Paranda masters from the Garifuna community on the coastline of  Belize.

PS… there have been so-o-o-o-o-o many sound systsems over the years … so, please dont expect the poster to be definitive. It’s a work in progress and respect goes out to all sound system operators. On the Sound tip check out the excellent DVD: CHAMPION SOUND: THE HISTORY OF COVENTRY SOUND SYSTEMS

So, for the past couple of months I’ve been diggin’ into the memory banks and my archives while Swifty has busy on e.bay and buying sheets of ply and getting creative. We’ve also been  talking collaboration with a few fellow reggae devotees. There’s an exhibition in the making and we’re hyped.

Along with developing a UK map  of sound system (so–o-o-o-o many sounds it’s impossible to include everybody!) and another “map” that traces the development of reggae music in the UK, we are thinking along the lines of an evolving installation with a working title of -  Words Sound & Power: Reggae Music Changed My Life.

We’ll keep you posted but for now check this!

Yazz Ahmed

Once ushered into theatre and onto an empty seat on the front row, one was immediately struck the intimacy of the in-the-round setting and attentiveness of the audience to Ahmed’s arabic inflected ‘Jamil Jamal’.

Between sets, Jez Nelson explained the raison d’etre for the session and attempted to establish a rapport with the pleasingly diverse but inevitably shy audience. His conversation with droll Mancunian guitarist Stewart McCallum was funny and illuminating …. “I hate Jazz!”.  A regular force within the Cinematic Orchestra, McCullums’ solo set had faint echoes of the latter. The spacious , ‘Hillcrest’, named after the school where he taught guitar, took liberties with Oasis’ ‘Wonderwall’ and overall the ebb and flow of his sweeping soundscapes was both surprising and totally engaging.

Black Top: Orphy Robinson & Steve Williamson Photography: Roger Thomas

After forking out a tenner for a copy of McCullum’s ‘Distilled’ CD we settled in for a purely improvised set of “archaic Nubian” bizness from the trio Black Top. Improv is an art in itself and while it tends generate a combination of  alienation and pure reverence, I like think we sometimes overlook it’s lighter moments and those fleeting snatches of humour. Interestingly and unusually, being in-the-round Orphy Robinson and Pat Thomas had their backs to each other and this left the saxophonist in a similar position as he wove his own melodic lines into music that built in haphazard intensity. That said, it was great to hear Steve Williamsonon both tenor and soprano back in the throes of a freestyle session where Orphy’s  mallets danced around on his marimba, scatter gunning  rhythms that allowed the bear-like Thomas to rove dangerously over the ivories or switch to electronics – loops, beats and blast of white noise.

Pat Thomas

A night was had and it lined us all up for the next session feat.  Shabaka Hutchings & Sons of Kemet, a solo set from Andrew McCormack plus Ryan Williams Flashmob.

Jazz In The Round takes place  on the very last Monday in the month. Bar open from 6pm. First band 8pm. Demand is going to step up… so book now… for tickets call The Cockpit box office on: 020 7258 2925 (lines open 12-6 Monday to Friday), or buy online. All tickets cost £7

Oscar Romp: Breakin' Conventions

Phil Levine @ The Blue Note

I’ve nearly fallen over the man several times in long gone. legendary clubs like the legendary Blue Note in Hoxton Square or That’s How It Is at Bar Rumba. Oscar would down on the amidst the dancers getting it down on paper with charcoal or pastels before spiraling off into a set of dance moves himself, set in motion by a particular tune. This show has a wonderful selection of these drewings from a whole range on settings. I caught up with the artist at the Blackall Studios in Shoreditch,  late on Sunday afternoon, when it was all quiet and he gave me a run down, image by image, the various club settings and where they fitted in to his own musical growth.

Snowboy @ the Blue Note

Unfortunately, the show slotted into a 5 day free window at the gallery and unfortunately finishes today. If you are lucky enough to be in the Shoreditch area in East London – Leonard Street to be precise – make sure you drop in, check it out and meet the man himself. He’s sold quite a few originals and the prints are very reasonable.

Oscar... on the move!

If you miss the show, check out http://www.oscarromp.force9.co.uk

While they considered calling the night “Jazz Snobs Eat Shit” Jez and his firm  opted for a more sensitive and positive vibe whereby they can bring together bands and artists from different scenes, genres, cultures and generations. Their only watchword, says Jez, is “quality”.

During the Sixties this iconic West London theatre hosted live in-the-round TV music broadcasts of artists like T Rex and Jez maintains their  sessions will be equally intimate and will  feature 3 acts – a headliner, a brand new act, and a one-off solo spot. Between sets he will be chatting to the artists about whatever is on their mind and at the end of night he’ll be busting a little DJ set in the bar.”

The first night… this Monday! January 30th 2012… showcases a killing trio featuring award-winning vibes player, multi-instrumentalist and composer Orphy Robinson, saxophonist/composer Steve Williamson and keyboards/composer Pat Thomas.

Pat Thomas

Orphy Robinson

Steve Williamson

Kicking off the night at 8.30pm will be Jazz Ahmed (flugelhorn/trumpet player), Lewis Wright (vibes) and Dave Mannington (guitar) and they will be followed by a solo set from the Cinematic Orcghestra’s heavily respected guitarist & soundscaper Stuart McCallum.

Radio presenter, Jez Nelson has long been at the epicentre of the UK jazz scene and on the basis of a weekly diet of fresh CDs and excellent live gigs  he maintains the scene here is in a really healthy state. The music is coming from all directions and as a reflection of  this future sessions will include a host of new generation players.

Shabaka Hutchings and the Sons of Kemet with Seb Rochford, Tom Skinner (drums) and Oren Marshall (tuba), Jason Yarde’s Trio Wah, and Arun Ghosh Quartet are set to headline the February, March and April gigs.

Andrew McCormack and  Flashmob feat. Ryan Williams, Rory Simmons, Will Collier and Nick Smalley  will be joining in February and Dave Eliot and Shadow Writing will  joining the line-up for March session.

Other artists onfirmed for future sessions include World Service Project, Brownswood signee Zara McFarlane and the mighty Finn Peters

As Jez says, “It’s only 7 quid to get in!”… so free your mind and your ass will follow!