Fownhope’s Heart of Oak Society traces its roots to the age of friendly societies, when communities provided their own safety net. Its anniversary celebrations reveal a tradition still very much alive, says MARK SEDDON
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A trio performance of sheer invention
Chris Searle on jazz
ANGUS REID explains the significance of Cuba’s egalitarian in letter and spirit Family Code and the pertinent lessons it holds for democracies anywhere in the world
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NICK WRIGHT considers how the isolation of Israel and a new film on the controversial Italian communist leader are creating new reference points for Italy’s left
CARLOS MARTINEZ says Cuba’s achievements in the face of a criminal blockade are startling, but the island’s future if the United States succeeds in crushing it looks bleak
AMNON BROWNFIELD STEIN reports that far-right MPs who mobbed the event organised by Hadash may have helped raise awareness of the brutality of the Israeli right
THE album Memoirs, first released in 1989 but now reissued on the Italian Soul Note label, is an outstanding trio session cut by three masters, all of whom have left us over the last decade.
Paul Bley (1932-2016) was from Montreal. As a young pianist he was recognised by his great co-citizen, Oscar Peterson, for whom he deputised in his local club gigs, and found himself playing with legendary horns like Charlie Parker and Lester Young.
When he moved to New York he threw himself into the jazz scene — his first album was for the Debut label owned by Charles Mingus, and features the bassman and the great drummer Art Blakey accompanying him. It was a debut indeed, and sparked a jazz life of experiment, tradition and audacity which continued for six decades.
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