It took place During a car journey heading for South side Chicago, home of some of the hottest Skate rinks stateside.

Tom touched on Chicago skate history, and sets some records straight.

The Jazz Room is an obscure 42 minute documentary by film maker Dick Jewell, capturing the Jazzifunk sessions at the Electric Ballroom of 1984.

This film was said to not exist and has become a myth among the upper echelons of LOST DANCE fraternity until now. More than 25 years later…

We use the term ‘Lost dance’ because this we believe is apt, as ‘Jazz Dance’ is far too narrow a bracket to pigeonhole what these young geniuses were doing. The term was coined by none other than Milton ‘Milly the kid’ Mcalpine who was and still is the Holy Grail of the Floor in the opinion of many foot soldiers of the time. Milton firmly believed and has stated many times, that this dance belonged on the club dancefloor and was never meant for the stage.

As a style conscious dancer Milton also believed that the aesthetic expression of this UK phenomena was certainly not a ‘Cotton Club throwback look’ as it was portrayed and promoted as during the ‘Acid Jazz’ years. In The Jazz Room, we glimpse the raw style, and fashion savvy of young black dance floor of the 80’s. In fact, the style of young fashion conscious London is perfect for the LOST DANCE RENAISSANCE. Some of new stylers fit the profile for Lost Dance maneuver massive!

A younger generation can witness for the first time, the roots of their fashion that have silently filtered down over the past two decades. Dancers’ styles included in this film were punkish tee shirts, split frayed skinny leg jeans, Adidas track suits, Adidas and Nike kicks with fat laces, patent leather bow shoes and rolled hats.

Airto’s jazz dance classic Celebration suite was the stock soundtrack Jewell used in crucial parts of the film, greatly taking away from the focus of the timing and virtuosity of the dancers. Where else could you witness a black 15 year old’s self taught control of Afro Cuban, Latin Jazz and Bebop tunes at 160 bpm (and any time signature imaginable). These kids defeated 15 minute jazz opuses, knowing where most of the beats hits, solo lines, fills and vamps fell. AND THEY DANCED ON EVERY BEAT…

We first see this type of genius prowess in the Bebop years of the mid 40’s of the 20th Century, where the virtuoso’s Dizzy and Miles where so acute and musically in tune that they could tell you what key a door hinge squeaked in. Today, it is common place for trained street dance crews, to move (sometimes rigidly) to every beat of sequenced dance music. The stage has been set for the reintroduction of the steps of the lost dance.

The 42min film captures a selection of documented nights over a period of months in 1984, during the Giles Peterson era of the Jazz Room. In these rare and lost moments, Lost Dance legends like Jerry Barry, Gary Nurse, Milton aka ‘Milly the kid,’ and IDJ legends Marshall Smith and Afro are featured on the dancefloor. It’s amazing to witness on this valuable super 8 footage, the incredible variety of styles and techniques of the lost dance.

It is my belief that if all of the movements had somehow been logged, like names that describe moves, and act as a kind of dance vocabulary, then the steps would gave been preserved and more widely known. The same way the movements of Locking, Bboying, House and Popping are preserved. The Filmore, The Stop and Go, The Baby, Air Flares, Freezes, Uncle Sam Point, Ticking, Glides, Strutting and Tutting are all part of dance vocabulary that young dancers today are well versed in.

Dave Graham told us of a move he calls ‘The Rook’ simply because of the side and forward chess piece like movement, we can pinpoint names like Richard Butler and Kevin Haynes as fundamental exponents of movements similar to Dave Graham’s Rook.

Although the film does not credit any of the individual dancers it probably remains as one of the only, if not the only, known documentation of Jazz Room club activity of it’s kind in existance. The fact that this movie has not been made available, apart from maybe 2 screenings nationally, has contributed to the ignorance of 21st Century Young London to the historical contribution to the world of music and dance that London has made. And as a result, the vocabulary of lost dance is practically obsolete.

Also an incredible fact, is that the music the young ghetto kids danced on in the 80’s where mainly ‘muso workouts ‘ from artists such as George Duke and Barry Miles. THESE LEGENDS OF FUSION NEVER INTENDED THEIR MUSIC TO BE DANCE MUSIC. As reference check Seymore Nurses interview with the legendary George Duke.

It’s interesting to know that another undercover Dick Jewell film is of the Spats lunch time sessions of the early 80’s, here is another example of a film that even the die hard inner circles of 80’s bboying have no knowledge of because of its lack of public exposure. Films like this could have been the WILD STYLE, the BREAKIN and ENTERIN, or the STYLE WARS of the UK. And Dick Jewell could have recieved accolades as the HENRY CHALFONT or the CHARLIE AHEARN of UK Street Culture.

Historical data such as this (when taken out of the dark) sheds light on the UK’s Freshest Kids!! The gifted and talented genius black (and some white) young men and women of London Town (and other parts of the UK) carving out a creative future for themselves unaware of the stop lights in the road ahead.

Shottsman

Film stills taken from The Jazz Room by Dick Jewell:

Check out the Shottsman produced film Floor Violence which features some some of the original dancers, and some short clips from Dick Jewell’s film.

Dub plate pressure with IG Cultures Quango

bruk + a classic = a bruk classic!!!

Secret Beats are all over the Holy Roller website. Dig the virtual crates and find nuggets!!
This track is from the UK producer IG CULTURE.

Spread the word!

gris-gris

From Secret beats vol 1

Trailer features exclusive music from UK duo Tatham and Culture!

Also check the Holyroller EXCLUSIVE interview with Brooklyn Terry in Japan… search our blog under: BROOKLYN TERRY FOOTWORK FANATIC

HolyRollertv @ Breakfast with DolbyD from HolyRollertv on Vimeo.

Holyroller apologises for the mispelling of Dolby D’S Click Clack crew which we spelt Clip Clap in the end credits

not 4 sale

Spring leakage with IG Culture back on the grind with his NSM

remix of Renee Neufvilles ‘Not 4 Sale’.

FRESH HEAT FOR 2010!!

In our ongoing pursuit of worldwide dance fusion and music culture, Holy Roller’s Rollin’ D teamed up with Yassmin Foster of Universal Dance Theatre for a Rio meets London skank experiment!!!

The question is… What would you get if you fused Rio Baile Funk dance with UK Funky? The answer is The CORCOVADO! Both sets of kids from the UK to RIO and back, had the new skank down instantly! Follow the steps, you’re on to a winner!

black girl uprocking in Covent garden circa ‘84  (holyroller archives)

First of all I know it’s February, but I would just like to say welcome to 2010. The Hip Hop and B-Boy/Girl culture is another decade in, and it is growing bigger and stronger and gathering more history in the process. Please help by documenting this history to keep its survival and to prevent a distortion of the past. In 1980’s Covent Garden, there were dancers that I admired and tried to emulate. I even wanted to mimic their style of battling, because it worked for them, so hey what the heck, I might as well have a crack at it as well. I was like a schizo B-Boy who wanted to B-Boy like all those in the spotlight.

I thought I had the upper hand because there were so many crews in London, but not all of them went to Covent Garden to pit their skills against the rest of London. They were big fish in their small ponds and I wanted to be the Blue Whale in the Ocean. The people who attended Covent were who I considered the cream of the crop. As for those that didn’t come, I just thought that they were scared of what was out there. But saying that, it was pretty daunting at the time and a bit of a gamble. Imagine, to have your props in your manor and have that stripped from you due to one battle in Covent Garden, was always a risk. As they say, the streets talk. But as I found out, those that took that risk and ventured out, got major props when they got back to their ends and so begins their G.C.S (Ghetto Celebrity Status)

I would like to share with you just some of those whose G.C.S spread a good distance in and out of London, those who I consider Covent Garden Greats and should be entered into the British Hip Hop Hall of Fame. These are just some of the Boogaloo and Popping artists that helped influence me and my path.

DENNIS CHARLES

I first saw Dennis Charles in the video A.E.I.O.U by Freeez, then in Covent Garden as part of the Sidewalk Crew. That video was a breakthrough because before that you had to be a trained dancer or a somebody to make a TV appearance. Now you had people who were self-taught on screen doing their thing. Dennis had fluent, seamless style that was amazing but effortless, until you tried to bite that style. He was always approachable regardless of the mega ton of props he got from the Covent lot. He never seemed to engage in his own hype and was always easy going, but to battle him would be a mistake. His style was so clean and polished that he used to make his opponent look rather scruffy and trampy, a bit like Sean Connery standing next to Rab C. Nesbit. I’ve never seen him lose a battle.

DANNY FRANCIS

I heard about Danny Francis a long time before I saw him. He was part of an East London crew called the Popping Wizards. When I got a chance to see him dance, I wanted to give up. Anytime he walked into a club, I would stop dancing and go hold a corner somewhere. It was as though the bully had arrived and the less noticed you were the better. Because he oozed confidence, a lot of battles were won before they started. He was the Sweeny Todd of Popping, unassuming and dangerous. His chameleon-like style could blend easily with whatever was playing and he was able to mimic his opponent’s style almost instantly which gave the opportunity to humiliate them with their own style and make them forget about dancing and take up stamp collecting or train spotting or something that had nothing to do with the scene whatsoever. He became one of my teachers.

danny francis

MARK MONERO

I actually met Mark Monero properly after the filming of Electro Rock, through Moomin (M.C Mello). I already knew of Mark through his acting bits on the telly and his association with the Poppin Wizards. I just thought it was cool that someone who’s on TV would be hanging and kicking it with the best of us. Remember, I was only 14/15 years old at the time. Even though Darnell and I were kicking up a storm, me and Mark clicked and were like the Doc Holiday and Wyatt Earp of the scene. We would practice together and end up having marathon battles with one another that would last for hours. Those battles taught me so much that it was almost sparring, getting ready for any battle that was on the horizon. We formed the group Truly Unique which consisted of myself, Mark, Moomin, Dino and Darnell. Mark has a very correct kind of style, almost matter of fact sort of movements, that you can’t really take your eyes off. I spent many hours copying what I could from his catalogue of Popping moves that forever seem to be changing. His style is very reminiscent of the late, very great SKEETA RABBIT; very angular with straight lines, precise, almost mathematical in execution. Definitely one of the greats.

mark monero

DINO

Dino was greatly influenced by POPPING TACO. I loved his style and even up to this day I still try to emulate his style of entrance to a cipher. I was introduced to Dino by Mark Monero. Dino’s hits (pops) were strong and definite; his shoot outs (moves where the individual drops to the floor) were like a rollercoaster drop, sudden and unexpected. Dino was rarely seen in Covent Garden and he was very shy at showing his talent. His lack of popularity in Covent didn’t detract from how lethal he was. There were key figures in Covent at the time who didn’t want to get into it with Dino. This cat would study Popping videos like Stephen Hawkins studying science. I have seen no footage or pictures of Dino, but those who were lucky enough to know him or to have seen his capabilities, know that their eyes were blessed for that instant.

DARNELL

I first met Darnell in Covent with his boy KILLIAN. These two caused a lot of unrest when they landed. Two white boys from outer town, with no connections trying to move people up? Yeah, that’s exactly what it was. They were taking out all comers. Killian was a merciless breaker who used to dismantle people quick. Darnell, well what can I say? This cat was different, but wow, what a difference. The thing that I like about these two was that they didn’t come in like Charlie Big Bollocks, giving it the big ‘I am’, they were humble cats who knew what people thought of them, but showed everyone otherwise.

Darnell had a manic style that was like a flurry of punches that would end with a knock out blow. He had a variation of KING TUT moves that would look surreal but effective. Darnell and I could read each others moves so well that our compatibility was obvious. ELECTRO ROCK catapulted us into the wider audiences of Hip Hop, but it didn’t show Darnell in his true amazing form. It barely scratched the surface at just how talented this cat really was. But still, Darnell was the toast of the town with his unique style, after that movie got out.

The only time that Darnell’s style was tamed was when we had a routine to do. I’ve seen many people try to imitate Darnell’s style, but they are only fooling themselves. There’s only one Darnell and there will definitely never be another.

Killian partner of Darnell

As I got into the loftier realm of the Poppin elite, I discovered that there were people who didn’t need to go Covent Garden to make a name for themselves, they didn’t need to battle or be in the spotlight. They were happy to be anonymous, but can show and do things with Poppin, Boogaloo and locking that would have you scratching your head. Two people that spring to mind are MARK PEMBROOK and this other geezer called BAM BAM. These two cats were absolutely brilliant and highly skilled and from seeing them do their thing I thought that I had a long, long way to go. By that time I really thought I was the dog’s bollocks of the scene. How wrong was I? I met these two myths at the end of my career. Because I wasn’t humble and I wasn’t thankful for my talent, I crashed and burned. Another story for another blog. Right now it’s about the celebration of the Covent Garden Greats. All those that I have named, deserve more than just a write up in a blog. They paved the way for a lot of today’s Poppin, locking and Boogaloo artists.

All these people were self taught and put in the hard work of getting this dance recognised and appreciated. You have to remember that ELECTRO ROCK was used as a measuring stick to England and the rest of Europe, as to what the latest moves were. This was before MTV and YOUTUBE.

Sammy Davies Jr, the Nicholas Brothers, the Berry Brothers, Fred Astaire, Gene Kelly, Gregory Hinds, the majority of these great dancers have now passed on, but they left a legacy of being great, influential, performing artists. The Covent Garden Greats are also deserving of that prestige and honour as the dancing greats that have been mentioned.

We have extensive information on the true pioneers and originators of this style that all true B-Boys have embraced. There is loads of information on BOOGALOO SAM, POPPIN PETE, SKEETA RABBIT, SUGA POP, POPPIN TACO, MR. WIGGLES, BOOGALOO SHRIMP and JEFFERY DANIELS, but please, England has its own legends of the underground Hip Hop scene. So those of you who are learning the art of Body Popping, Boogaloo or locking, please find out as much as possible about the people mentioned in this blog , because they made the ground firm for you. Google them, Youtube them, find them, chat to them while you have the chance, because they all have a story to tell and have knowledge to pass on. Do not neglect home-grown legends that are still alive and on your doorstep.

Thank you for acknowledging

1 Basil