MOHAWK – INTERVIEW WITH JOHN SINCLAIR (LONDON)

John Sinclair – Mohawk. The full length documentary….. John Sinclair, the renegade poet, scholar and cultural revolutionary releases his new album on 24th March 2014 on Iron Man Records. John, has been described as an Archetype of the 1960’s art, music and literary synthesis, and who today, is still kicking with both feet on his trajectory for cultural transformation. His new record features ten tracks from his book of verse: always know: a book of monk. Twenty poems planted firmly in a single-shot session, and carefully trimmed down to ten exhibits for this album. Beatnik poems, great odes and personal reflections of the Be-Bop jazz persuasion, all flowering together. First conceived of in Detroit City, spring 1982, and developed throughout the 1980s with streaks of fresh edits leading right up to the session itself, John navigates some of these texts for the first time in over twenty years, free-styling his energized sincerity and attention to every word, transforming the text on the page into his unique unmistakable spoken word. The music was written and arranged by Steve Fly who mirrored John’s poems in the music by initially combing the tempo of the original songs recorded by John ‘Dizzy’ Gillespie, Charlie ‘Bird’ Parker and Thelonious Monk.

Steve The Fly is a native of Stourbridge UK, now an Amsterdam resident who plays drums, spins vinyl, writes novels and literary and cultural commentary. He also maintains a flock of websites and works in various other art forms without visible restraint. His other music projects have included New Flesh, Garaj Mahal, and now full time with John Sinclair. These songs are further utilized by John’s poetic method so that each title and the rhythm of his poetry can piggy-back upon the same song title, and rhythm, of an original composition set in history, for extra rooting. Steve put down drums, turntables, cello-bass, flute, and glockenspiel, shooting to play around the vocal lead lines and diverse expressions from John. “to take the hair off the sides of the head & leave just a strip along the top, scalping pretense for the baldness of statement building a new music on the bones of the old” — John Sinclair from the title track “Mohawk”

The album was recorded diligently by Tim Egmond at Ei Studios, Amsterdam and passed along to Simon Reeves at Framework Studios, Birmingham for mastering. Tim Egmond is a music producer, engineer and studio whizz, based in Amsterdam, who has worked with scores of international and locally based artists on a wide variety of projects. Simon Reeves has completed many projects for Iron Man Records already and he has been described as one of Birmingham’s finest independent studio engineers who has worked with bands from Napalm Death to Police Bastard, and a host of other brutal metal and punk bands.

Retrospective 006: Still Kicking / Tonight’s The Viper

In celebration of the vote to legalize Marijuana in the state of Michigan, here are two shows to help celebrate the good news and relax into the music.

Still Kicking by John Sinclair features cuts from his latest album on Funky D Records: https://funkydrecords.com/album/912130/still-kickin

Tonight’s the viper, delivering an hour of cannabis tunes and features John Sinclair with the Planet D Nonet. Stay tuned.

–Steve Fly


STILL KICKING

 

Episode 768 is coming from the Detroit studios of Radio Free Amsterdam in the Cass Corridor, and I’m playing another round of music tonight by Guitar Johnny Nicholas from his 2-disc set called Too Many Bad Habits featuring cuts with Big Walter Horton, Boogie Woogie Red and Johnny Shines, plus two rough mixes from my new Funky D Records album, a cut from the Thelonious Monk concert I did with the Planet D Nonet at the Scarab Club last October, several cuts from a great release on Mighty Joe Young called Blues From The North Side of Chicago, and a closing little salute to Sun Ra by the Planet D Nonet that I’m sending down to David Kunian in New Orleans.

The John Sinclair Foundation Presents

STILL KICKING

JOHN SINCLAIR RADIO SHOW 768

Cass Corridor, Detroit, July 26, 2018 [18421]

Yusef Lateef: Happyology

Johnny Nicholas & Friends: Blues Walk

Johnny Nicholas & Friends: West Wind

Johnny Nicholas & Friends: Blues Came Fallin’ Down

Johnny Nicholas & Friends: Hootie Blues

Johnny Nicholas & Friends: Move On Down The Line

John Sinclair: Still Kicking

John Sinclair & Planet D Nonet: round about midnigh

John Sinclair: Ain’t Nobody’s Bizness

Mighty Joe Young: Cruisin’ Down Highway 99

Mighty Joe Young: That’s All Right

Mighty Joe Young: I Can’t Quit You Baby

Mighty Joe Young: Wise Fool’s Express

Planet D Nonet: A Call For All Demons

Charlie Parker: They Can’t Take That Away From Me

A JOINT PRODUCTION

Hosted by John Sinclair for Radio Free Amsterdam

Produced, recorded & assembled by John Sinclair

Executive Producer: Steve Pratt

Special thanks to Johnny Nicholas, Tino Gross, RJ Spangler, & Leni Sinclair

© 2018 The John Sinclair Foundation


TONIGHT’S THE VIPER

 

Steve The Fly with a program of super tokes from Kermit Ruffins, John Sinclair & the Planet D Nonet, Louis Armstrong, New Birth Brass Band, Howling Diablos, Jimmy Witherspoon, John Sinclair & his Blues Scholars, the Wild Magnolias, Mezz Mezzrow, Rozetta Howard, John Sinclair & Steve The Fly, and Johnnie Bassett & the Blues Insurgents.

The John Sinclair Foundation Presents

TONIGHT’S THE VIPER

FLY BY NIGHT 275

Steve The Fly, Fly Agaric 23 Studio, Amsterdam, December 23, 2014 [18464]

Kermit Ruffins: If You’re A Viper

John Sinclair & Planet D Nonet: If You’se A Viper

Louis Armstrong: Hep Cats Ball

New Birth Brass Band: Smoke That Fire

Kermit Ruffins: Light Up

Howlin’ Diablos: Reefer Man

Jimmy Witherspoon: Ain’t Nobody’s Business

John Sinclair & his Blues Scholars: Ain’t Nobody’s Business

John Sinclair & Planet D Nonet: Sendin’ the Vipers

Wild Magnolias: Smoke my Peace Pipe

Mezz Mezzrow: Sendin’ the Vipers

Rozetta Howard: If You’re A Viper:

John Sinclair & Steve The Fly: Relaxin’ With Lee

John Sinclair & Planet D Nonet: Chant of the Weed

Johnnie Bassett & the Blues Insurgents: Weed Head Woman

A JOINT PRODUCTION

Produced by Steve “The Fly” Pratt for Radio Free Amsterdam

Post-production, editing & annotation by John Sinclair

Executive Producer: Steve Pratt

© 2014, 2018 Steve Pratt. Used with permission.

Fly By Night 231: Mohawk

The John Sinclair Foundation Presents
MOHAWK
FLY BY NIGHT 231

Steve Pratt, Fly Agaric 23 Studios, Amsterdam, April 30, 2014 [SFBN-0061]
Steve The Fly is featuring the new album he’s produced for John Sinclair for
Ironman Records with all selections from Sinclair’s elongated work in verse
called always know: a book of monk, book one: blue notes, accompanied by
the very Monk tunes the poems grew out of.

MOHAWK
[01] Thelonious Monk: Carolina Moon
[02] John Sinclair: carolina moon
[03] John Sinclair: straight no chaser
[04] Thelonious Monk: Straight No Chaser
[05] John Sinclair: bloomdido
[06] Charlie Parker: Bloomdido
[07] John Sinclair: mohawk
[08] Charlie Parker: Mohawk
[09] John Sinclair: leap frog
[10] Charlie Parker: Leap Frog
[11] John Sinclair: relaxing with lee
[12] Charlie Parker: Relaxin' With Lee
[13] John Sinclair: eronel
[14] Thelonious Monk: Eronel
[15] John Sinclair: nobody knows (nobody cares)
[16] Charlie Parker: My Melancholy Baby
[17] John Sinclair: my melancholy baby
[18] Charlie Parker: An Oscar For Treadwell
[19] John Sinclair: an oscar for treadwell
[20] Thelonious Monk: Little Rootie Tootie

A JOINT PRODUCTION
Produced by Steve “The Fly” Pratt for Radio Free Amsterdam
Co-produced, edited, assembled & annotated by John Sinclair
Executive Producer: Steve Pratt
Sponsored by Ceres Seeds & The Hempshopper, Amsterdam
© 2014, 2017 Steve Pratt. Used with permission.

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