Calling In A Favour

—Disclaimer—
If you’re in doubt whether this episode of CIAF is going to be fun, just know:
The intro track and closer respectively include the lyrics: “shoo-be-doo-be-doo-da-day” and “scooby-dooby-dooby”.

Welcome back to another episode of Calling in a Favour, a dublab.de programme devoted to the bright minds & kind souls that make a difference in music culture. For the October episode, Julian is joined by Joseph Patel, also known far and wide under his pen name, Jazzbo.

Joseph is the producer of arguably (also, factually) the documentary of the year: the Sundance-winning, 99% on Rotten Tomatoes scoring, universally acclaimed Summer of Soul. Based on long-lost footage, the film portrays Harlem Cultural Festival 1969, a 6 weekends-long festival series in Harlem, NYC. The bill featured everyone from Stevie Wonder to Nina Simone, 5th Dimension to Sly & The Family Stone. The fact that not even certified music nerds like Joseph and Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson, who directed the film, had heard about this Black music milestone that happened mere weeks before Woodstock raises important questions about who gets to have their story preserved and collective myth building.

Besides Summer of Soul, Julian and Joseph discuss Joseph’s own path in music, as a visual storyteller for MTV and Vice, as one of the most trusted rap writers, and, of course, his time with Bay Area underground icons SoleSides. RIP to Blackalicious’ Gift of Gab.