MUSIC | Previews 70 THE LIST 12 Jun–10 Jul 2014
POP KELIS 02 ABC, Glasgow, Mon 30 Jun
To paraphrase Blondie, Kelis Kelis, I’ve got a crush on you. And when you talk, it seems like paradise. Especially when Kelis speaks (or rather, sings) of culinary groove-pop treats like ‘Jerk Ribs’, ‘Hooch’ and ‘Biscuits ‘n’ Gravy’, then laces them with hot soul and fiery R&B.
All of these titles feature on Kelis Rogers’ new album, Food (Ninja Tune) – the sixth LP from New York’s day-glo funk / rap trailblazer and qualified chef – the essence of which might be best distilled in her line: ‘I know that I don’t look it, but I can cook / I’m really pretty simple, I like what I should.’
The singer-songwriter, who first rose to prominence on Ol’ Dirty Bastard’s ‘Got Your Money’ (1999), and recorded 1999’s still-incandescent ‘Caught Out There’, drawls those lines on Food’s smouldering booty call, ‘Floyd’ – and its sense of comfort, warm love and humdrum pleasure are all over her new record. Whether 'Floyd' is a homage to gregarious TV chef Keith
Floyd has yet to be established, but what’s certain is that, for Kelis, the aesthetics of music and food are inextricably linked – and always have been: witness her 2003 album, Tasty; her hot sauce product line Feast; or a recent promo campaign at South by South West, during which she raised the profile of her new album by doing the rounds in a burger van.
The winner of myriad BRIT, NME and Q Awards, Kelis evidently knows the way to a (wo)man’s heart is through the ears and stomach, from her sweet-electro union with Moby (2000’s ‘Honey’ remix), through this year’s S&M smorgasbord, ‘Friday Fish Fry’, to her ever-sizzling live shows. And of course, there is still no greater libation in pop than 2003’s frothed-up R&B hit, ‘Milkshake’. Damn right, it’s better than yours. (Nicola Meighan)
GLASGOW JAZZ FESTIVAL SONS OF KEMET The Rio Club, Glasgow, Thu 26 Jun
’We’re in an exciting period in the development of British jazz music,’ says saxophonist and clarinettist Shabaka Hutchings. ‘People are rejecting the genre-based parameters set by the establishment.’ Burn, the 2013 debut by his MOBO Award-winning band Sons of Kemet, smashes through those barriers in the most thrilling manner, mixing up Caribbean and African influences with free improvisation to create a contemporary sound he describes as ‘distinctly London, with its melting pot of cultures, its hectic energy, and moments of hazy reflection’.
‘Musically, my main concern was and always will be vibe,’ he says. The band also features Seb Rochford of Polar Bear and Tom Skinner of Hello Skinny on drums, and the wildcard of Oren Marshall on tuba. Having two drummers brings ‘a very different energy to the music’, explains Hutchings. ‘They’re constantly having a dialogue within the rhythm and this changes the function of the drums from one of accompaniment to one of dual soloists. Similarly, Oren is never tied down to the prescribed role of simply playing bass lines’.
‘Live we give as much intensity as we can. All concepts and intellectual musings take the back seat once we’re on stage and we surrender to the spirit of the music, which demands our blood and sweat.’ (Stewart Smith) ■ See list.co.uk for a longer version of this interview. See page 77 for 5 Highlights from the 2014 GJF programme.
WEEK-LONG FESTIVAL REFUGEE WEEK SCOTLAND 2014 Various venues, Glasgow, Mon 16 Jun-Sun 22 Jun
Music is often the most joyous and immediate celebration of the contribution refugees make to their new communities – a way to communicate hope and optimism for the future, preserve and pay tribute to the stories of the past and chronicle an evolving cultural experience.
This idea is reflected in the music strand of this year’s Refugee Week programme. In the year the Commonwealth Games comes to Glasgow, the Scottish Refugee Council is using the event as a platform to challenge negative attitudes towards migrants and foster a spirit of warm- hearted hospitality for asylum seekers yet to come.
Just before Refugee Week kicks off properly, the African Caribbean Cultures Glasgow group
and Ubuntu South African Women’s Choir celebrate Soweto Day with a showcase of new music from Scotland’s African Caribbean communities (Glasgow University Union, Fri 13 Jun) while The Melting Pot (Jenniburn Community Centre, Sat 14 Jun) celebrates cultural heritage and integration in Castlemilk with the West African music and dance that has thrived in that area. Beautiful Glasgow is a homage to the city by the Garnethill Multicultural Centre Women’s Choir (Garnethill Multicultural Centre, Fri 20 Jun), there's a musical knees-up at the Old Fruitmarket (Fri 20 Jun) featuring Edinburgh hip hop trio Young Fathers, award-winning ceildh band Skipinnish and others, and grassroots arts and music charity Philanthrobeats join together with promoters Re:Verb for a carnival-style club night at Stereo (Sat 21 Jun). (Rachel Devine)