Tuesday 15
Brixton Rec
Frititi Pan-African dance classes with Nii Tagoe and his drummers are back in the Rec on Tuesdays to bring the joys of African dance to South London lives. Dances from Ghana, Guinea, Nigeria, South African Zulu, Liberia, Mozambique and beyond – with live drummers every week. All welcome, including beginners. 8 – 10pm. £10.
Wednesday 16
Upstairs at the Ritzy
Santuri – a network of DJs, musicians, producers and cultural activists with a vision to create a contemporary underground East African sound – and On The Corner record label present an evening with Tanzania’s charismatic Gogo innovator Msafiri Zawose, who is on a flying visit to the UK. His ongoing quest is to forge an original sound for a changing Tanzania, a search he took up from his father Hukwe, a founding figure in the nation’s musical independence, famed at WOMAD and across the world music circuit. Msafiri is a scholar and representative of his village sound. Featuring On The Corner, Soundthread and Santuri DJs on the set throughout the night. Doors and sounds, from 8pm. Free.
Prince Regent
Brockwell Swimmers’ first social meet. Talk about the results of the swimmers’ survey, water polo 2017, swim coaching sessions and more. Large table to the right of the bar.7:30pm.
Carnival Arts Café
C.A.F.E presents the last of its 2016 Creative Residencies, welcoming local artist Henrietta Alele who will be showing Between the Lines: The Silent Word, an exhibition of paintings and words. 11am-5pm until 18 November.
Thursday 17
Two Brewers. Clapham
Brixton Reel Film Festival presents Too Black Too Queer in association with Batty Mama and Urban World in a one-night extravaganza celebrating Black LGBTQ+ experience and well being with new films, DJs and live performance. Doors 6pm; Short film screenings 9.00pm; Cabaret 10–12pm Urban World and Batty Mama DJs. Supported by Lambeth clinical commissioning group and Lambeth council. Free, but book on Eventbrite to be sure of getting in.
Two Brewers,114 Clapham High St, SW4 7UJ
Friday 18
Black Cultural Archives
Forget Trump and Farage for a couple of hours and join the discussion: “Is Britain ready for a Black Prime Minister?” Following the BBC broadcast Will Britain Ever Have a Black Prime Minister?, a panel will explore how much progress has been made in tackling racial inequalities in policy, education, health, policing, and immigration since the Race Relations Act 50 years ago and what that means for politics today. £5. Book online.
Pop Brixton
Not Quite Jazz, Pop’s answer to the London Jazz Festival is a free celebration of jazz, soul, funk, Afrobeat, hip hop and rare groove, with live performances from some of London’s leading musicians.
Friday 18; Huw Bennett Quintet – Huw Bennett is the bassist behind West-African project Susso and has brought together some of London’s most exciting young musicians for his new collective, reinterpreting jazz and Afrobeat-inspired sounds. Helen McDonald’s Future Groove – Soul-jazz band mixing rare grooves, psychedelic funk and original tunes. The Fontanelles – Renowned for their infectious live energy and shows, the 10-piece group stay true to their core sound of Fela Kuti-style Afrobeat while bringing in sounds from Ethiopia, minimalist textures, dub and horn-led dancefloor grooves.
Saturday 19: Ezra Collective – Afrobeat, reggae and hip hop, tied together by tuition and understanding of jazz creates the unique Ezra Collective sound. Oscar Jerome – Jerome brings all of his influences together, from John Martyn & Ebo Taylor to J Dilla. An acclaimed live show that has taken in Steez, Jazz Cafe, Love Supreme Festival, Bussey Building and Hootenanny. Normanton Street – A soul/hip hop group, lyrically focused with three distinct vocals, jazz influenced guitars, warm bass grooves, tight rhythmic drums and memorable saxophone melodies.
Saturday 19
Herne Hill Baptist Church
Herne Hill based Lambeth Wind Orchestra’s autumn concert, Broadway to Hollywood, conductor John Holland. Programme includes West Side Story, the Pink Panther and Slaughter on 10th Avenue, as as well as Mancini’s Piece for Jazz Bassoon and Orchestra, featuring soloist Eloise Carpenter, and Tango 1932 from New York Cityscapes by Jeff Tyzik, featuring tuba soloist Ben Miller. The concert will include a collection for LWO’s charity of the year, the Alzheimer’s Society. 7.30pm. £10, £7 concessions, under 16s free – on the door or £8, £5 concessions in advance via WeGotTickets. More about the band.
Herne Hill Baptist Church, Half Moon Lane, SE24 9HU
Carnival Arts Café
Soup and Solutions Join a community conversation sharing soup and ideas on to help us live well in later life. Noon – 2.30pm. FREE soup. RSVP to Emily communitycafes@outlook.com or call 07812 197040 .
SiA Community Arts Café 209A Coldharbour Lane SW9 8RU
Jamm
Shut The Front Door’s fourth birthday with Dutch trio Kraak & Smaak (live), Eli Escobar, Casino Times and guests. Seven hours of disco and house vibes including full live disco band, international DJ performances, plenty of disco balls and a glitter bonanza. 10pm – 5am. £10-£15 advance.
Sunday 20
Bar 414
Grass Root Live Music Sunday – jazz, reggae and more with Patrick Anthony (Trumpet) Lance Rose (Bass) Maurice Brown (Guitar) Bukky Leo, Bammi Rose, Sara Tobias (Sax) Gary Williams and Saleem (Drums) plus vocalist George Kelly. Bar 414 showcases some of best grass roots musical talent that Brixton and th surrounding area has to offer each and every Sunday. This new initiative gives a stage to all the budding musicians in our midst waiting for the chance to gain some vital experience before hopefully moving on to bigger and better things. 8pm – 2am. Free.
Phonox
Dance music innovator Matthew Herbert in a Sunday session. Doors for the basement bar open at 5pm with DJs playing in the club room from 6pm until midnight. Bottomless bloody marys or prosecco for £15 between 5 and 7pm.
Monday 21
In front of your telly
First episode of BBC 2’s Back in Time for Brixton, part of the BBC Black and British season, a two-part time-travelling series in which the Irwin family give up their modern home and lives and travel back in time to experience 50 years of Black British history and discover how post-war Caribbean immigration transformed the way we all live today. Starting in 1948 – the year the Empire Windrush arrived at Tilbury, episode one sees the Irwin family discover what life was like for arrivals coming to Britain as part of the Windrush generation. The family is guided by presenter Giles Coren and social historian Emma Dabiri, who introduce them to their new homes as well as the events of the time. Along the way the family experience the food, work and entertainment of first-generation West Indian immigrants making their lives in Brixton. In 1959 the whole family get a lesson in 1950s steel pan from EastEnders star Rudolph Walker, and in 1962 Dad Weininger gets some fashion tips from 60s singer Kenny Lynch. In 1966 Mum Janice embraces her role as a nurse, at a time when the NHS recruited directly in the West Indies for staff. As the family’s living situation improves over the years they decide to see the 60s out with a Blues Party.
Coming up …
Laura Mvula, double-Mobo winning singer-songwriter, plays Electric Brixton on Tuesday 22 November, 7–11pm, supported by Washington DC born, Berlin resident Olivier St Louis. Tickets £25.
