A few tunes harking back to the wonderful Mambista Gig in the Park featuring an incandescent Errol Linton and a look forward to the next Mambista Gig in the Park featuring Alvorada on July 31st. We also celebrated the genius, and 80th birthday, of Brian Wilson with a few of his classics with The Beach Boys. 

There was another play for DOMi & JD BECK, Mavis Staples & Levon Helm, Soothsayers, Bruno Berle and Julius Rodriguez respectively, alongside first plays for tunes from Voltage & Shy FX, Madalitso Band, Tito de Gracia & Naoka Jam, Kendrick Lamar, Moses Matovu & Afrigo Band, Xaxado Novo, Jon Hendricks, Jimetta Rose & Voices of Creation; plus Fania Flashbacks from Ismael Rivera and Cheo Feliciano and a Congolese Classic from Franco. 

Last week I caught 2 live shows from 2 ends of the pop spectrum: bona fide pop legend the 81 year old, Dionne Warwick at a charity event for around 200 people in Dulwich Village in a local church with only her regular pianist providing sensitive, tasteful backing; and 20 year old superstar, Billie Eilish at The o2, with backing tapes, massive sound system a totally hyped up audience of 20,000 – for the last of 6 sold out nights – mainly (but far from solely) made up of young girls who sang every word to every song. Both shows were excellent in their own very different ways.