I'm like a Bird

Music and film. Film and music. An interesting symbiotic relationships exists between these two creative mediums. We could all name films where the soundtrack is more memorable than the movie itself. It is also true that films are often defined by their incidental music, sometimes subtle, sometimes in your face, but always moving the story along and setting the scene. But in terms of films about music, or about musicians, there are surprisingly few great examples, despite the fact that musicians have often lived extremely colourful lives. The biopic is a difficult project to pull off, but there are a handful of standout offers, and one of the primest examples is Clint Eastwood's marvellous treatment of the life of the imperious Charlie "Bird" Parker.

This 1988 offering, starring Forest Whitaker as the troubled saxophonist and jazz giant is not perfect by any means, but it does capture the tragedy of Parker's early drug and drink addled death at just 34, and features a stunning performance from Whitaker, and an incredible musical track. The man's demons are dealt with honestly, and Eastwood's own love of jazz comes through in his handling of the musical scenes, and the unabashedly open account of the often turbulent jazz scene in 1940s America. The story is told without sentimentality and is better for it, and is well worth checking out. Furthermore it was this film which encouraged me to check out Parker's music itself, which of course is simply stunning, and so for that I will always think fondly of it. If you think jazz isn't for you, and you want a way to prove yourself wrong, Bird is definitely the place to start.

I'm out for Dead Presidents to represent me

It might be a tired cliche in itself to generalise about hip-hop having lost its political bite in the face of the bling-era, but unfortunately for the most part it is a sorry truism. If a Kanye rant against the president's response to Katrina plus a half-hearted Jay-Z rap represent political rap high-points these days then it really is a sad state of affairs. However there are groups who keep the flags of the likes of Public Enemy, Krs-One, NWA, Brand Nubian and X-Clan flying.Step forward, of course, Dead Prez.

I was listening to the 2000 debut Let's Get Free the other day, and it is simply a great statement of intent and a reminder of how powerful this music we all love can be if used right. This album touches on many subjects from the state of the US education system, the state of hip-hop itself, corruption of religious systems, government hypocrisy and other decidedly non-bling subjects such as the need to eat healthily. But the defining factor is the utter conviction that runs through the rhyming of stic.man and M-1, which gives their work a clarity and sense of relevance missing from that of many contemporaries. It seems a shame to me that their mainstream hit (Bigger than) Hip-Hop did not herald a more illustrious and visible career for the masses, but then I suppose that the masses don't want too many home truths at the forefront of their minds, when it is much easier to focus on that benz-o or hoochie. And this is fine, as life is full of compromise and material dreams, but next time you need a bit more in the way of political honesty to chew on, pick up the Prez.

What Good Is A Castle?

If you are into house music, disco, rap or latin music, or an combination of the above, chances are that some of your favourite artists have been influenced by the godfather of salsoul, Mr Joe Bataan.Still recording today, Bataan is a true legend and has a back catalogue boasting not only one of the first rap records in 1979's "Rap-o Clap-o", but also one of the first New York disco tunes with 1975's cover of Gil Scott-Heron's "The Bottle", and the invention of latin dance music known as Salsoul with the album of the same name in 1974. Without Bataan there would certainly be no Masters At Work which would be enough on its own to warrant mention. But his mastery goes far beyond being just a musical footnote and all true fans of Twelve Bar should take the time to dig in the crates a bit for Bataan's output.

A particular favourite would be "What Good Is A Castle" which i first heard on an unlabelled mixtape 13 years ago. It took me ten years to track it down in full, largely because the track I knew was a souped up piano driven latino funk fest, and the record I though it was, was a slow melancholic number. Until I realised that the tune is in two parts. And so when you do check it out. Makes sure you listen past 3 minutes 53 secs, when the true genius kicks in. You'll then float to Nuyorica with the knowledge that you have unearthed a gem.