The Spatial AKA Orchestra
The Spatial AKA Orchestra is a large jazz-style ensemble (up to 25 members) led by former Specials frontman and keyboard player Jerry Dammers. The ensemble originated as a tribute band to the American musician Sun Ra (1914-1993) when Dammers formed it as The Cosmic Engineers to play at a "Space"-themed event in 2006 at the newly reopened Roundhouse in London.[1] Later he renamed it The Spatial AKA Orchestra, derived from The Special AKA (alternative name of the The Specials) combined with the outer space connotations of Sun Ra's music. The band's repertoire has subsequently expanded to include compositions by Dammers from the Specials era, sometimes appropriately renamed - for example Ghost Town becomes Ghost Planet, International Jet Set becomes Interplanetary Jet Set. Reggae, ska, big band jazz, library music and classical pieces are also featured. The band members perform in elaborate Ancient Egyptian and outer space-themed costumes (as did Sun Ra's Arkestra, pioneers of "Afrofuturism"), and share the stage with bizarre props such as model alien heads and mummy Sarcophagi.
The logistics of presenting this large ensemble and the other musical commitments of its members mean that its performances are relatively infrequent. In the UK it performed at the Barbican concert hall in London on 10 March 2009 and again on 18 November 2011[2], as well as an eleven-date UK tour in March-April 2010.[3] The band appeared on BBC Two television's "Later... with Jools Holland" on 23 April 2010. UK festival appearances include Madstock on 17 July 2009 and Glastonbury on 26 June 2010. Outside the UK the band appeared at Banlieues Bleues, Bobigny, France, on 28 April 2008.
[edit] Personnel
Members of the Orchestra are:
- Jerry Dammers, musical director, keyboards;
- Denys Baptiste, saxophones;
- Larry Stabbins, saxophones;
- Jason Yarde, saxophones;
- Nathaniel Facey, saxophones;
- Terry Edwards, saxophones;
- Shabaka Hutchings, bass clarinet;
- Finn Peters, flute;
- Zoe Rahman, piano;
- Alcyona Mick, piano, has replaced Zoe Rahman for some performances;
- Anthony Joseph, poet (author, The African Origins of UFOs);
- Francine Luce, vocals;
- Neil Charles, double bass;
- Larry Bartley, double bass, has replaced Neil Charles for some performances;
- Patrick Illingworth, drums;
- Crispin Spry Robinson, percussion;
- Robin Hopcraft, trumpet;
- Mat Fox, baritone saxophone;
- Harry Brown, trombone;
- Ollie Bayley, electric bass;
- Guy R Clark, guitar;
- Steve Gibson, classical percussion, vibes.
- Johnny Clarke and Edgar Broughton guested on vocals in the 2011 Barbican concert.
[edit] References
- ^ The Wire 301: 98. March 2009.
- ^ London Jazz Festival concert hall programme: 22. November 2011.
- ^ The Wire 313: 87. March 2010.
[edit] External links
- Jerry Dammers' Spatial A.K.A. Orchestra
- barbican.org.uk
- Spatial AKA Orchestra. The Wire, no. 301, 2009
- Jerry Dammers' Spatial AKA Orchestra, Barbican Theatre, London. John Hall. The Independent, (London). 12 March 2009
- Now this is really Special. Kitty Empire. The Observer, 15 March 2009
