Anthony Joseph & The Spasm Band Rubber Orchestras

The griot is the sound of universal culture. The opening words of his third album (after 'Leggo de Lion' on Kindred Spirits in 2007 and “Bird Head son” in 2009) introduces us to the universe of Anthony Joseph. Born in Trinidad and based in UK since 20 years, Anthony is one of the UK's most exciting and innovative voices, poet, novelist, musician and lecturer.

“The idea for ‘Rubber Orchestras’ was inspired by some lines by the surrealist poet Ted Joans. A spark went off inside my head when I read them. I knew immediately that this poem summed up everything I wanted to do with my poetry - a kind of flexible meaning, a mutant style based on spontaneous language. Like rubber!”.

Anthony has called on the talents of producer Malcolm Catto, drummer and lead singer with The Heliocentrics. The decisive presence of the producer isn’t the only new ingredient in the retro-futurist blend, which combines raw jazz and deep soul, black rock and Afrobeat, soca funk and free swing. This is no backward-looking revival or sterile fusion; this grand mix gives a new and modern perspective to all these musical styles.

There are other guests on Rubber Orchestras, as the singer Jasnett Lindo but also Jerry Dammers, the legendary founder of The Specials took to the controls to arrange and enhance a visionary and revolutionary poem, the iconic suite called Generations.