One of the best nights out in the South West!
When it comes to our local music scene, ask anyone who enjoys alternative music what the best night out is, and you will often hear the same answer...
Having started before a bunch of the DMS team were even born, "Jelly Jazz" is a legendary institution, where party people from across Devon and Cornwall have gone to shake their thang to the best in acid jazz and funk for over 30 years.
We were lucky enough to catch up with head honcho Pete Isaac, where we asked him to pick a favourite vinyl from his extensive collection and tell us how Jelly Jazz came to be:
"In choosing a record and a gig that means, well, everything, my immediate thought was dig the collection and select a rare or obscure 45 or LP, something to show off with, a diggers brag piece, a record that has blood sweat and tears behind it in its story of its discovery. But whilst I could do that, I decided instead to talk about a particular record that is potentially the most pivotal record I own in regard to what it meant for the life I've led since first hearing it back in 1988."
On leaving school in '83, my first path into music was as a percussionist in various bands in Plymouth.
These took the form of rock, reggae, African, indi-dance and eventually Latin/disco/funk. And it was one of the very last bands I played in before going into DJing in 1988, a band called Bustin' Loose (we never made it very far!), where my musical horizons were expanded upon in a very significant way.
The guitarist was a guy called Pete White, a dairy farmer's son from Cornwall who still lives and works on the family farm to this day, and it was he who introduced me to 'Acid Jazz vol. 1' one night when we first got together for band practice. As soon as the needle dropped onto that conga intro (my main instrument) and the gentle Fender Rhodes licks before the boom-bap Latin funk groove kicked in, powered by Bernard Purdie on drums, I was utterly hooked on this 'sound'.
But the curveball that is Acid House interrupted the affair with Latin/funk/world and between 1989 and 1993 it was Bam Bam, Adonis Smith etc that took all of my attention and is how I got into playing records in clubs. But the boom boom boom and associated lifestyle couldn't last forever and I turned back to funk/jazz etc, and with the club experience I'd gained set up my own jazz-based night, Jelly Jazz, in 1993.
'Got Myself A Good Man' was a staple tune from the word go, encapsulating the vibe we wanted, a cross-referencing melting pot of jazz, Latin and funk. An irresistible cocktail that packed out the club every week. This led onto a manic record-buying period of my life, regularly visiting Soul Jazz Records and Mr Bongo in London, hoovering up all the new releases, discovering original albums and absorbing knowledge all along.
Jelly Jazz continued to grow, we put on ever bigger parties in bigger venues, and when our 5th Birthday came around in 1998 I got the opportunity to book Pucho & The Latin Soul Brothers to play live. Of course, I immediately jumped on the chance to have the man who in all likelihood penned the track that set me on the path that I follow to this day.
Hosted in the Dance Academy in Plymouth, it was a massive party that also featured Snowboy and the JazzCotech Dancers along with over 1000 Jelly Jazz ravers, on a Wednesday night! I remember when he arrived at the venue during the afternoon very clearly indeed...I'd been very busy dressing the venue and generally setting stuff up for hours, but at around 4pm I was outside waiting for the tour bus to pull up, it was in that quiet moment that I realised I was about to meet the legendary Pucho, a straight decade after first hearing his music!
The nerves kicked in and I was properly star-struck for about 2 minutes when he stepped out the van, blundering a 'hello' and 'how honoured I was to meet him'. He on the other hand was cool as beans, the guy had been touring for decades right?
The band absolutely blew the joint up with an amazing performance that night, Snowboy joined them on Congas for a few numbers too (there was no way I could have managed it!), and the gig went down in Plymouth clubbing history. Pucho boomed to me at the end "Pete, when are we coming back? CHILDREN OF THE NIGHT!". It was just so epic.
So for me, this record is one of the records that has had the most impact on my life, not rare and easily available, but a brilliant compilation laden with memories. One that I will forever treasure. I could also mention the other monster tracks on this comp, Funk Inc 'The Better Half', Houston Person 'Houston Express'...but it is Pucho's killer groove here that stands out for me personally.
Thank you Baz Fe Jazz and Gilles Peterson, you set me and no doubt many more on a path of musical discovery with this compilation. I've managed to sustain a career as a promoter and DJ ever since through grasping the passion that music gives out.
Music is all about connections, how it influences everything and everyone it touches, from the musicians to the audience, how it strengthens memory and accentuates emotion, the most powerful human creation that transcends any boundary, and to have records that you can flick through and be reminded of great times past is a wonderful thing.
Pucho & The Latin Soul Brothers 'Got Myself A Good Man'
From 'Acid Jazz Vol. 1' (BGP) Ace Records
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vHKyFXKvdv0
A big thanks to Pete for sharing his cool story, go check out the Jelly Jazz website for more info and make sure you head down to their next event on 7th February 2025 at Cosmic Kitchen in Plymouth.