Sounds Like London: A Century of Black Music in the Capital

by Lloyd Bradley

For as long as people have been migrating to London, so has their music. An essential link to home, music also has the power to shape communities in surprising ways.Black music has been part of London's landscape since the First World War, when the Southern Syncopated Orchestra brought jazz to the capital. Following the wave of Commonwealth immigration, its sounds and styles took up residence to become the foundation of the city's youth culture. Sounds Like London tells the story of the music and the larger-than-life characters making it, journeying from Soho jazz clubs to Brixton blues parties to King's Cross warehouse raves to the streets of Notting Hill - and onto sound systems everywhere. As well as a journey through the musical history of London, Sounds Like London is about the shaping of a city, and in turn the whole nation, though music.Contributors include Eddy Grant, Osibisa, Russell Henderson, Dizzie Rascal and Trevor Nelson, with an introduction by Soul2Soul's Jazzie B.

Genres: Music, London, Nonfiction, History

256 pages, Audiobook

First published August 8, 2013

Reviews

[Petra X · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book is almost like an idea for a book, or perhaps it is a book for people who know very little about the Black influence on popular music in London - and by extension the whole of the UK. It is a good primer, but that's about it. At one stage I was a World Music journalist (World Music is the pc term for African music because no one is really interested in Bulgarian Female Throat-singing Voice choirs although actually it is quite an interesting sound). I reviewed concerts and music and did in-depth interviews for a magazine in London and NY and the BBC. So I do know a bit about what I'm talking about.

So the book was a disappointment because it covered so little and seemed so enamoured of the first wave of West Indian immigrants to the UK bringing with them calypso and ska, the precursor of reggae. There was some about Africa and world music but nothing much past the basics.

At one stage London was the centre of Caribbean music. When I first came to the islands I got a job in a nightclub as a DJ playing reggae. Partly it was an attraction. white woman with English accent plays reggae to the locals, but mostly it was because the route of reggae and African music was home country - London - NY - the world. The popular tunes did not spread to the Caribbean and Africa first. So actually I knew the music before it went general in the Caribbean.

I'd just like to give you a view of what music from Zaire (which is my favourite music) was like in London. A lot of Zaireans were students or diplomats, they had plenty of money and would go to Paris to buy outfits for the weekends. Papa Wemba who has one of the most beautiful voices on this earth was one of the originators of Voguing. Essentially parading up down in a club showing yourself off. And the clubs - the Zairean and Nigerian ones, you had to know where they were or get an invite. They were expensive, they were always extremely dark and modern and with mirrored walls so people could see themselves in their stylish outfits. (First time I went to review a band I turned up in jeans. Never again.)

People don't know about those clubs. They think all Black music is from the lower classes, music from the ghetttos, pan (steel pan) from the streets of Trinidad, but mbaqanga really does come from the townships of South Africa.

I could go on all day about African music but I'll just leave you with one little known fact. Radio Belgique in Kinshasa popularised Cuban dance rhythms and the quite a lot of sub-Saharan Africa found that they could tune in to short wave radio directly from Cuba and the Cubans listened back. So it was cross fertilization of salsa and African tunes. Out of this grew a very popular band in New York was formed, Africando, blending African and Cuban style.

Enough! This is a good primer but like only worth it if you look up all the music that interests you and play it as you read, and bop along!

Prayers answered. God sent me this book. I asked for it this afternoon in an update on the numbingly bone-dry Philosophy and the Law. I said, "Lord, send some rain, send me a short 5* book to refresh me" and this book popped up in my email not three minutes later. How's that then!

This is the abridged audiobook I'm listening to. I thought it was all going to be about West Indian music, but then the book got on to African and I got both pleased and critical. Pleased because African music is the music I love best and I was a journalist for a while in this field. That was mostly for Tower Records magazine, Top, in London & New York but also others.. So the audiobook had some stuff on African music in London that had me nodding happily in recognition and now I'm going to have to buy the paperback. This is nostalgia supreme.

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

FRom BBC radio 4 - Book of the week:
The story of a city's transformation through its music, taking in the wave of Commonwealth immigration in the 40s right up to the present day.

In the first episode the Empire Windrush brings an exciting new style of music to London with the arrival of Caribbean Calypso star Lord Kitchener.

Read by Ben Onwukwe.
Written by Lloyd Bradley.
Abridged by Natalie Steed.
Produced by Kirsteen Cameron.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b038...

[Bettie · Rating 4 out of 5]

BOTW

Blurb: The story of a city's transformation through its music, taking in the wave of Commonwealth immigration in the 40s right up to the present day.

In the first episode the Empire Windrush brings an exciting new style of music to London with the arrival of Caribbean Calypso star Lord Kitchener.

Read by Ben Onwukwe. Written by Lloyd Bradley. Abridged by Natalie Steed. Produced by Kirsteen Cameron.

Enjoyed this one.

LORD KITCHENER - London Is the Place for Me

[Declan Carmody · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved it, great overview and insight into black music in London, starting from its origins with the windrush generation all the way up to modern grime. Found a heap of sick artists to dive into, my favs being Osibisa and Chris McGregors Brotherhood of Breath. Really enjoyed alot

[Terri · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm extremely interested in the topic. And there's gold information in this book. But it's let down by the repetition, within paragraphs, within chapters. It needs a damn good edit and would be half the size and a great read. I've only read three chapters and this puts me off forcing myself through the rest of it. Though I will read the sound systems chapter.

[Tolkien InMySleep · Rating 4 out of 5]

Comprehensive and entertaining history of London's Black Music history. As a soul boy in London from about 1979 to 1985, I was particularly interested in the chapter on that scene, from a book written by a well-respected journalist I knew from "Black Music & Jazz Review" magazine. I was surprised to read how black DJ's had been unable to break into the club scene of that era, which was run by almost exclusively white club owners and DJ's. Sometimes, even when you are supposedly racially aware, prejudice can hide in plain sight right in front of you.

[JoJo · Rating 3 out of 5]

I will readily admit that the music described here is not one I listen to, so learning about the history and the types was of interest. I stuck with it and did learn, still might not listen too much but it is now a choice not just ignorance.

[Monique Hayles · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lots of good information but badly edited...

[Karen]

* 14 Books From 2013 Every Music Lover Should Read

Lloyd Bradley tells the rich, complicated story of black music in England in Sounds Like London, starting with jazz in the World War I era on through blues, reggae, R&B, and hip-hop. It’s a remarkably thorough book, and sheds light on dozens of obscure but hugely influential artists.

[Amar · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very informative and easy to get through. No mean feat condensing a century's worth of music history into a couple of hundred pages. Had me searching on YouTube every page. Respect is due to all the great black artists that have contributed to British culture.