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On Thursday, November 11, at 8.30pm, Melkweg Cinema, in collaboration with Caribbean Creativity, presents the Dutch premiere of the much-anticipated documentary ?????? ??????: ? ?????? ???????! In this fascinating film, DJ, artist and record collector Chris Flanagan sets out on a decade-long quest to find Shella Record, a lost female reggae singer whose beautiful voice is heard on 'Jamaican Fruit of African Roots', one of King Tubby's most dramatic dubs from the 1970s. We start the evening with an introduction by Martijn Huisman the author of the new book ??? ?????? ??????, and the short documentary ???? & ????: ???????? ????’? ??????? ?????, another recent film directed by Flanagan. [?????? ???? ??????? ???? ?? ??????????? ??????]
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Date: Thursday November 11, 2021, 8.30pm
Location: Melkweg Cinema
Title: Shella Record: A Reggae Mystery
Director: Chris Flanagan
Country: Canada
Year: 2019
Length: 87 min
Language: English, Jamaican Patois
Subtitles: English (when Jamaican Patois is spoken)
Supporting film: Ruff & Tuff: Stranger Cole’s Toronto Roots (2018, 10 min, dir. Chris Flanagan)
Introduction: Martijn Huisman, author of The Reggae Nation: The Global Legacy of Bob Marley & The Wailers
More info and tickets: www.melkweg.nl/shellarecord
Extra: for this program a corona entry pass is required
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After Canada-based DJ, artist and record collector, Chris Flanagan, hears an obscure but haunting recording by a Jamaican singer named Shella Record, he develops a decade-long obsession to find this mysterious woman. Turning into an amateur music detective, he follows sparse clues from Canada and the United states into the world of Jamaican music. Enlisting the help of psychics, private investigators and a ghost hunter, Chris embarks on an increasingly desperate search. Aided by whimsical miniature models and fanciful recreations, Flanagan leads the audience on an alluring reggae musical adventure to find out what happened to the elusive singer. Does he finally find her?
Ten years ago, artist and vinyl fanatic Chris Flanagan unearthed a mysterious thrift store record that changed his whole life. Haunted by the voice of a woman on the record, listed only as 'Shella Record' he dropped everything and began a quest to find out who she was and what happened to her. From Toronto, to Kingston Jamaica and all across America following in her footsteps from New York to Los Angeles, enlisting the help of psychics, private investigators and a ghost hunter, Chris embarks on an increasingly desperate search. Does he finally find her?
Jamaican Fruit of African Roots is the long-lost vocal cut to one of King Tubby's most dramatic and devastating dubs from the 1970s. It was never released in Jamaica, but housed on an obscure compilation released only in Toronto in tiny quantities during the mid 1970s. The song's powerful vocal came from the little known Jamaican female singer, Sheila Rickards aka Shella Record. With the discovery of the record in a musty Canadian thrift store more than ten years ago, Flanagan's obsessive search for her started.
According to Flanagan, "the singer's voice was unlike anything I had ever heard in reggae before and sparked an international quest to find the lost siren. Beginning in Toronto where the record was pressed by local label Monica's in the mid 70s, I quizzed producers, collectors and reggae artists, all of whom were as mystified as I was. I travelled to Jamaica and tracked down legendary producer Bunny Striker Lee, who recorded the song in 1975 with a full line up of Aggrovators, some of the most prolific and talented musicians who ever worked on the island. Bunny revealed that Shella Record was in fact Sheila Rickards, a Greenwich Farm Jazz singer from the mento era who began performing as a child with artists like Lennie Hibbert and Carlos Malcolm. He had not seen her since she vanished in 1975 after they worked on this song at Harry Js and later voiced the track at King Tubby's infamous Drumillie Ave studio. Despite tracking down many of the musicians who played on the song, Jamaican Jazz artists from the era and even Sheila's family, Sheila's whereabouts remained a mystery. Hearing rumours of her relocation to Los Angeles or New York, I travelled the States desperate to find out what happened to this remarkable diva. Every clue led to a red herring which led to a dead end. I decided to hire a private detective in the hope to get more answers."
Flanagan's search has been filmed from the outset and culminated in the documentary film ?????? ??????: ? ?????? ???????. The film premiered at Hot Docs in 2019 (Top 10 Audience Favourite) and has played in festivals around the world as well as on television in Canada and Jamaica. The screening of ?????? ?????? on November 11 at Melkweg Amsterdam marks the Dutch and even European premiere of the film.
???????? ???? & ????: ???????? ????’? ??????? ?????
The legendary Jamaican ska and reggae artist Stranger Cole moved to Toronto in the early 1970s, leaving stardom behind. Despite his talent he was forced to work at the Tonka Toy factory and as a security guard at Eaton's to make a living. He eventually established the first Caribbean business in Kensington Market: a record store and label at 58 Kensington Ave. In ???? & ????: ???????? ????’? ??????? ?????, Flanagan meets up with the veteran some 40 years later in his old neighbourhood during a recent tour.
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Op donderdag 11 november om 20.30 uur presenteert Melkweg Cinema, in samenwerking met Caribbean Creativity, de Nederlandse première van de langverwachte documentaire ?????? ??????: ? ?????? ???????. In deze fascinerende film gaat de Canadese DJ, artiest en platenverzamelaar Chris Flanagan op zoek naar Shella Record, een lang vergeten Jamaicaanse reggaezangeres wiens prachtige stem te horen is op 'Jamaican Fruit of African Roots', een van King Tubby's meest dramatische dubs uit de jaren 70. Als voorfilm vertonen we de korte docu ???? & ????: ???????? ????’? ??????? ?????, en andere recente film geregisseerd door Flanagan.
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Datum: donderdag 11 november 2021, om 20.30 uur
Locatie: Melkweg Cinema
Titel: Shella Record: A Reggae Mystery
Regisseur: Chris Flanagan
Land: Canada
Jaar: 2019
Duur: 87 minuten
Taal: Engels, Jamaicaans Patois
Ondertiteling: Engels (op de momenten dat er Jamaican Patois wordt gesproken)
Voorfilm: Ruff & Tuff: Stranger Cole’s Toronto Roots (2018, 10 min, dir. Chris Flanagan)
Meer info en tickets: www.melkweg.nl/shellarecord
Extra: Je dient een geldig coronatoegangsbewijs te laten zien bij de ingang
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Nadat de Canadese DJ, artiest en platenverzamelaar Chris Flanagan een obscure maar fantastische opname hoort van een Jamaicaanse zangeres genaamd Shella Record, ontwikkelt hij een tien jaar durende obsessie om deze mysterieuze vrouw te vinden. Hij verandert in een amateurdetective en volgt schaarse aanwijzingen uit Canada en de Verenigde Staten naar de wereld van de Jamaicaanse muziek. Met de hulp van privédetectives, paranormaal begaafden en zelfs een spokenjager reikt Chris verzeild in een steeds wanhopigere zoektocht. Geholpen door grillige miniatuurmodellen en fantasievolle recreaties, biedt Flanagan het publiek een intrigerend reggae-avontuur om erachter te komen wat er met de ongrijpbare zanger is gebeurd. Vindt hij haar eindelijk?
Jamaican Fruit of African Roots is de lang verloren gewaande vocale versie van een van King Tubby's meest dramatische dubs uit de jaren 70. Het werd nooit uitgebracht in Jamaica, maar was onderdeel van een obscure compilatie uit de midden jaren 70 die alleen in kleine hoeveelheden in Toronto werd uitgebracht. De krachtige stem van het nummer kwam van de onbekende Jamaicaanse zangeres, Sheila Rickards aka Shella Record. Met de ontdekking van de plaat in een muffe Canadese kringloopwinkel, nu meer dan tien jaar geleden, begon Flanagans obsessieve zoektocht naar haar...
In Flanagan zijn eigen woorden: "the singer's voice was unlike anything I had ever heard in reggae before and sparked an international quest to find the lost siren. Beginning in Toronto where the record was pressed by local label Monica's in the mid 70s, I quizzed producers, collectors and reggae artists, all of whom were as mystified as I was. I travelled to Jamaica and tracked down legendary producer Bunny Striker Lee, who recorded the song in 1975 with a full line up of Aggrovators, some of the most prolific and talented musicians who ever worked on the island. Bunny revealed that Shella Record was in fact Sheila Rickards, a Greenwich Farm Jazz singer from the mento era who began performing as a child with artists like Lennie Hibbert and Carlos Malcolm. He had not seen her since she vanished in 1975 after they worked on this song at Harry Js and later voiced the track at King Tubby's infamous Drumillie Ave studio. Despite tracking down many of the musicians who played on the song, Jamaican Jazz artists from the era and even Sheila's family, Sheila's whereabouts remained a mystery. Hearing rumours of her relocation to Los Angeles or New York, I travelled the States desperate to find out what happened to this remarkable diva. Every clue led to a red herring which led to a dead end. I decided to hire a private detective in the hope to get more answers."
Flanagan besloot zijn zoektocht vanaf het begin te filmen en dit heeft geleid tot de documentaire ?????? ??????: ? ?????? ???????. De film ging in wereldpremière op Hot Docs in 2019 (waar het een Top 10 Audience Favourite was) en werd daarna op festivals over de hele wereld en op televisie in Canada en Jamaica vertoond. De vertoning van ?????? ?????? op 11 november in Melkweg Amsterdam markeert de Nederlandse en zelfs Europese première van de film.
???????? ???? & ????: ???????? ????’? ??????? ?????
De legendarische Jamaicaanse ska- en reggaeartiest Stranger Cole verhuisde begin jaren 70 naar Toronto en liet daarmee het sterrendom achter zich. Ondanks zijn muzikale talenten moest hij werken in de Tonka Toy-fabriek en als bewaker bij Eaton's om de kost te verdienen. Uiteindelijk richtte hij het eerste Caribische bedrijf op in Kensington Market: een platenwinkel en label aan Kensington Ave 58. ???? & ????: ???????? ????’? ??????? ????? ontmoet Flanagan de veteraan zo'n 40 jaar later in zijn oude buurt tijdens een recente tournee.
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Event Venue & Nearby Stays
Melkweg Amsterdam, Lijnbaansgracht 234a, Amsterdam, Netherlands
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