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Thursday 23 August 2018

This Monday 27th August - Winstan Whitter and friends screen "The Bastille Concerto " and "Legacy in the dust -the Four Aces story".

Winstan Whitter will be presenting and discussing his brilliant documentary film "Legacy in the dust: The Four Aces story" at a rare screening in Cafe Oto on Monday 27th August as part of the DalstonArts150 celebrations. You can read more about it and get tickets in advance here and on the door. The evening will begin with a very special treat - a trailer to Winstan's latest film "The Bastille Concerto" (see below)


Sharing the platform with Winstan will be the legendary Newton Dunbar who ran the Four Aces Club for 33 years at 14 Dalston Lane until its eventual compulsory purchase by Hackney Council and its demolition to subsidise the redevelopment of Dalston Junction - particularly TfL's £64million bus stop on The Slab above the station. ( You can read here the incredible but true Dalston story of the looting of public funds and of corporate welfare subsidy. Ed)


Also on the platform with them will be Keith Drummond, the former lead singer of the roots rock reggae band Black Slate and a regular performer at, and patron of, the Four Aces Club.


And there's a very special treat in store to start the evening - a sneak preview of Winstan's current 'work in progress'. This is how he describes it:

The Bastille Concerto
Director:  Tony Collins + Winstan Whitter
2018, 10mins
A short taster of a new film by Tony Collins and Winstan Whitter. 
The Bastille Concerto is the story of a piece of music composed by Malcolm 'Shorty' Jarvis whilst in prison with his friend Malcolm X. 
Now, 70 years after it was first composed it is being resurrected in the UK by a generation of Jazz artists who form part of its fascinating history.


Clifford Jarvis - the son of 'Shorty' who wrote the Bastille Concerto

"The Bastille Concerto" traces the story of a jazz composition passed from father to son and reveals links between Boston USA and Dalston UK and the part played by Pyramid Arts in its former home at 10-14 Ashwin Street, Dalston. The film includes footage of the brilliant jazz drummer Clifford Jarvis, known for his work with Sun Ra's Akestra, Alice Coltrane, Pharoah Sanders and others, who settled in Dalston. Clifford became a mentor to many of the talented young musicians emerging in the UK 1980s jazz scene who have later gone on to win international acclaim.



The film evening is hosted by Cafe Oto in continuation of the DalstonArts150 celebrationsForthcoming events include a not-to-missed weekend of local artists' open studios on Saturday 8th September 



and an exhibition of art and craft with food for sale at St Marks church hall on both Saturday 8th and Sunday 9th September. 

This short film gives a background story of Dalston's 150 years of association with the performing and visual arts and an explanation of why the character, cultural uses and affordability of the area are again under threat from "regeneration" .

2 comments:

  1. Why do you dwell on the past so much? You are still going on about the same old stuff since when I first read this blog about 8 years ago. The whole of London has changed over the past 20 years not just Dalston. Stop being so negative about an area you are obviously so passionate about. Dalston is a fantastic place to live and to visit.

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  2. "Why do you dwell on the past so much?" is a very good question. A lot of local character and diversity has been lost and many of the people who have and are making it a fantastic place can no longer afford to live or work here. Winstan Whitter's films document a rich heritage which, had development been done differently, would still be alive in Dalston today. We are celebrating that history and trying to learn from past mistakes.

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