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HE HAD SICKLE CELL, AND SUFFERED A CRISIS ON SATURDAY MORNING. HE WAS TAKEN TO HOSPITAL WHERE HE PASSED AWAY SOMETIME THIS MORNING, 13/05/2007.

THE SHANTI-ITES HAVE LOST A GREAT FRIEND AND BASS PLAYER, PLUS THE WORLD HAS LOST AN HEARTICAL BREDRIN.

SO TO ROCK'S FAMILY WE AT FALASHA: ABA SHANTI, BLOOD SHANTI, HUMBLE LION, LIONESS, CUBS SAMARI, HORACE, PRINCE, FUZZY, STANLEY, KOJAK, OFFER OUR DEEPEST CONDOLENCES.

Well people, some have it hard and some have it easy, and this week was up there with the hardest. We played Brighton (with full set) on Thursday finishing at 02:30 and getting home at 07:00 Friday morning. Southall (with full set) on Friday finishing at 03:00 and getting home at 07:30.
It's Saturday morning and here we are at 13:30 on our way to Gatwick airport on the Saturday afternoon to catch a plane to Nice, to play a show in Cannes.
We were travelling by Easyjet and so the stress usually associated with cheap air travel was somewhat subdued.
The whole process of the travel was to coin a phase 'Easy'.

I was surprised when we started our descent to Nice airport as the ride had been so smooth I hadn't noticed it until I saw the sea at a very close range (panic) and then the start of the runway (relief).
We were met at the airport by Natalie (driver) and colleague.
Natalie was the epitome of the French and Italian drivers and the practise for her entry into the Monaco Grand Prix or Rally, both Aba and I can attest, was going well.

When we arrived at the venue we were waiting in the lobby when Aba pointed something out to me, it was a person in a wheelchair. Nothing too significant about that I thought to myself, we welcome all people to our sessions.
It was only when the person in the wheel chair turned round I realised it was Steflion.
I rushed up to check him and to find out what had happened?
It turns out that Stef had fallen off one off his speaker stacks and broke his leg rather badly.
Those who know of Stef know that he has lost his right arm and I have remarked before that I have seen Stef do more in erecting his sound and playing it than most abled bodied people. I see Stef as an inspiration to those that say if "I only". Stef does not say that and he makes no big thing about doing what he does, that my dear reader, is style. He wants to do it, so he does!
After chatting with Stef and Marie (who is a couple of weeks from giving birth) we went downstairs to where the session was to take place to do the sound check.

The venue was a theatre with a stage and seating. Some of the sitting had been removed to provide a dance area. Stef's speaker stacks were set up at either side of the front of the stage and Aba proceeded to sound check.
I watched and photographed Stef as he got out of his wheelchair and hopped to speakers and amps to get everything alright. He looked like he was skanking as he hopped around the stage.
Marie looked on concerned as she thought he was trying to do too much. But Stef kept it together and never once toppled over…………..Wicked Raspect!

The set sounded good and happy with the sound check we retired upstairs to eat some food and chill until show time.
Stef was going to play from 20:30 - 22:00 and we would play from 22:00 - 01:00.
We were upstairs eating our meal and chatting to Iyahkaya, nuff reasoning ah gwan, so much so that Iyahkaya who should have been performing on Stef's sound 'Lion Roots' completely missed Stef's session and ended up performing with us instead.
Saying that, Jah works in mysterious ways and his work throughout our set was wicked, even though he did start off a little off the point. My man Iyahkaya can sing!

Well as usual the crowd loved the session and created a wicked vibe, and as usual the front of the stage area was monopolised by women who were lost in the music.

Well things were running quite nicely when one of the promoters came to me as I watched the set from the side of the stage and told me that session had to finish. I asked her didn't we have 30 minutes left and she said "No"!
I was a little bemused, but I complied and went and told Aba the session had to wound up. He told the crowd that the session was now finishing and the crowd started calling out for more. That is when one of the other co promoters, Bruno, went up to Aba and asked him to play on. The female co promoter who had asked us to finish came back to and asked why we were still playing and I pointed to Bruno.
Bruno came across the stage and hugged the woman and smiled. She looked at me and shrugged her shoulders in that nonchalant French manner and went away.
Aba played for another 10 minutes after which we did finish the show.
A large amount of people came to us wanting photos, autographs and just to thank us for the show Raspect to you all.
If watching Stef play his set part from his wheel chair and part hopping was an inspiring sight, then watching him packing up his sound was a revelation. Gwan Stef.
Sound Bwoy take note.
Natalie drove us to the hotel, via the coast road and the screeching of tyres as we raced along was rather disconcerting. But we got there safely.
In the morning I went for my usual amble through the town taking photos and generally mulling over the last few days. We were going back to London and then catching a plane to Japan, for another five dates.
Bwoy life pon de road no easy!

Raspects to the Promoters, Bruno, Natalie, Iyahkaya, Stef Lion, Marie, and to the people of Cannes for another wicked session from the very tired Aba Shanti-I and The Humble Lion.

An early afternoon flight to Brindisi, Italy was the order of the day as we made our way to Stansted airport for our flight.
As we had got there early we checked in. We were shocked to realise that now that the restrictions have been lifted, 'Rancher's Air' was rigorously enforcing their baggage payment scheme and at £10 a bag that was no joke.
So after paying the £20 for our two bags we made our way through immigration and security.

We were the first to arrive at our boarding gate and so we went and sat at the front to await our flight being called for boarding, as there was no queue.
As time progressed more and more people arrive and duly sat or lined up behind us.
When the flight was called for boarding, those who had paid a premium to get priority boarding passes were called first. That did not stop some people especially one rude lady from trying a ting and when getting the knock back from the checking gate girls decided she was going to stand in front of us. Well Aba was having none of it and in a not too quiet voice 'Let off' and how the woman must be blind or stupid and could she not see the queue. Well she tried to style it out about how she did not understand, but she certainly understood when in perfect Italian the people directly behind us told her in no uncertain terms to "Get to the back"! She meekly complied.
Bwoy, some people eh.

Up, up and away in one of 'Rancher's Airs' finest for the 2 hour flight.
I did my usual of falling asleep as soon as I took my seat.
The landing was none to tough and as usual it seemed that the pilot was going to run out of runway, the amount of reverse thrust and hard braking in evidence, which caused the plane to rattle a way, me ah tell you dread.

We were met by Miky Dread and bredrin and were whisked by car for the 1 hour drive to Bari.

On arrival in Bari we looked at the wonderful setting the venue was in and Miky explained that it used to be an old Roman Spa and villa which had been renovated.
The venue was a a wicked place and when we walked up the short flight of stairs to the hall, the inside was just as impressive.
Marco and his sound system were already set up and the sound check was taking place.
We looked around the venue with it with its wooden roof it looked remarkably like the inside of a small church. What better place to give thanks I thought as I took in the vibe.
As I walked around the venue a girl came up to me and handed me an envelope which contained photos she had taken of Aba at Notting Hill Carnival. So thanks you Carla for the photos.Raspect!

Mikey came asked us if we were ready for some food and on hearing "Yes" he took us to the dining hall which was a short walk away from the venue, but in the same complex.
Well me ah tell you, if we thought that the venue was nice, the dining hall which was actually a restaurant, was wicked!
One enormous hall, with a low level ceiling and a massive dance floor. It had tables around the side for those dining. It was a beautiful place.
Large collections of families and friends were gathered at these tables and the dance floor was being graced by couples dancing in the old fashioned way, as music was played by a deejay. A really lovely sight to see.
We took our seats and were served with local cheeses, fish, olives, fresh bread and pasta. We were very full when the waiter came back and asked us if we were ready for the main course? Main course! We thought we had already had the main course.
We respectfully declined and made our way back to the venue.

I had one reservation about this venue and it was its location. Nice as it was, there wasn't any local transport and I wondered where the people were going to come from.
But needed have worried for the place was filling up rather nicely and every car that drove into the car park had 4 or 5 people inside. So by the time Aba had put on his first tune of the session, the place was ram!
Aba ran tune after tune and the crowd loved it, especially Zara (Sara) who was standing with her people right at the front and directly in front of me.
She came and asked it she could kiss and have her photo taken with Aba. I told her not while he was working and if she was there at the end there would be no problem. She was!

Not all the people were as respectful. One particular 'Yout' decided to grab the flag which was quite firmly attached to the record deck hinge, resulting in the record jumping severely as he tried to wrest the flag out. As he waved the flag in triumph I grabbed his wrist very firmly, very firmly indeed, which made him open his hand, thus releasing the flag which I restored to its original place.
Apart from the other idiot that tried to do a rewind on one of the dubs, there were no other incidences, just love and harmony inna de place.

To emphasise the cosmopolitan nature of our sessions, there was a more mature lady who was skanking away to my left, completely lost in the music and vibe. Big up!

The vibe was massive as the crowd rocked to the music. I looked across to Miky, the promoter, who had a massive smile on his face as he danced away.
To my right, Lucca of Black Star Line S/S was skanking away with his eyes closed in a deep medidation.
Francesa's friend with the big Afro hairstyle was to my left, just by Miky's craft stall and the open windows. Even though the windows were open, the place was hot!
It was so hot inside that the amps started shutting down and one of Marco's bredrins was delegated to stand in front of the amps with a flyer as a fan trying to cool them down, I kid you not.

I went outside to cool off and to check the lunar eclipse. The moon was a fire red and I thought about how in ancient times that a lunar eclipse was seen as a bad sight.
But not tonight, for Aba Shanti-I was in full session and righteousness was the order.

The session finished at 05:20 and after much cheering of the crowd, Aba having his photo taken and autograph signing, it was off to the hotel for a well earned sleep.

I was woken up by the sound of church bells ringing out and so I got up and went for a little wander around the town, to do my usual dry land tourist thing.

Miky the promoter and friends came and got us at midday to go and get some lunch. We had time as our plane wasn't until 21:45.
We went and had a nice meal and after that went for a walk around the old town.
This was must welcomed, for Italian people like to eat and savour their food. So to sit down and eat a large meal with many courses over a few hours is natural for them.
We on the other hand have a problem to sit down for 10 minutes to eat, as we usually eat on the move. So to have a large meal just makes you sleepy. The walk restored alertness and good circulation.
Miky showed us the caves where the people used to live in, way back in the day.
We still had a few hours to kill so we retired to Paulo's bar which he told me that he had designed.
It was done out in a serious African vibe and after settling in to the comfortable chairs the meal started to take effect and sleep was the order of the day.

I woke up with about half an hour to go before pickup. I let Aba sleep, as on de road sleep like food must be taken when available.
We were taken to the airport by Miky to catch our flight in good time and we bade farewell to a Miky and Italy.

So to Miky and friends, Marco & Lucca Black Star Line S/S, Zara (Sara), Carla and the people of Italy, Raspect for a truly wicked time and vibe and hope we can do it again real soon.

One Love The Humble Lion

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