Jazz, often criticized for its intricate and syncopated rhythms, has sometimes been dismissed as a realm of elitism. However, unlike the global dominance of rock music, jazz evolves with the cultural contexts in which it thrives, finding new expressions in distant places like Ethiopia and Armenia.
Take, for instance, the inspiring tales of Maltese jazz musicians in Paris. Figures like Sandro Zerafa, the current organizer of the Malta Jazz Festival, and Oliver Degabriele’s Akalé Wubé, a band influenced by 60s and 70s Ethiopian music, have played pivotal roles. They revitalized the stage for legends like Girma Bèyènè, a key figure in the golden era of Ethiopian jazz.
Similarly captivating is Cedric Vella’s documentary, Strait Street to Abbey Road, which premiered on Thursday, October 10, at Spazju Kreattiv in Valletta. This film offers not only a glimpse into the life of Maltese jazz drummer Tony Carr but also highlights the roots of jazz in Malta.
Born George Caruana in 1927, Carr and his contemporaries navigated the challenges of World War II while dreaming of jazz sounds. They found themselves in Strait Street, a hub of Maltese jazz culture, where venues like the Old Vic Music Hall, the Cairo Bar, and the Cotton Club provided a vibrant backdrop for their musical journeys. Here, Carr played alongside Freddie Mizzi, Sammy Galea, and Jimmy Dowling’s band, alongside Joe Curmi ‘il-Pusè’ and Frank ‘Bibi’ Camilleri. These venues attracted eager audiences, fueling healthy competition among bands.
Carr drew inspiration from Robert ‘Juice’ Wilson, an African-American jazz violinist who, stranded in Malta with entertainer Levy Wine at the onset of WWII, introduced jazz to a new audience. “Juice Wilson was the best thing that ever happened to Malta,” Carr remarked, recalling how he learned to play in that unique style from Wilson and Wine, the first Black musicians he encountered in Malta.
Director Cedric Vella faced challenges in creating Strait Street to Abbey Road, notably the scarcity of audiovisual material featuring Tony Carr. As a session musician, Carr often performed in the background, away from the spotlight. The documentary includes rare footage from the BBC of Carr performing with the Ronnie Ross band, as well as archival clips and photos showcasing Carr in Abbey Road studios alongside music legends like Paul McCartney and John Bonham.
The main interviews with the elderly Carr were conducted in 2015 in London by jazz drummer and researcher Gużè Camilleri, grandson of the legendary Bibi. Gużè explored Carr’s life for his master’s thesis in ethnomusicology. A decade later, Vella pieced together Carr’s story using newspaper clippings, photographs, and 2-D illustrations by Jimmy Grima.
In doing so, Vella effectively weaves a familiar narrative of many Maltese migrants. Like Carr, they endured the hardships of WWII and left the constraints of their British colony to seek adventure and success in London.
Carr’s vivid memories and stories, along with contributions from figures like Tony Pace and Mary Rose Mallia—who performed on Songs From Malta with conductor Charles Camilleri—bring to life the era’s vibrancy.
In 1953, Carr packed his belongings into his kick-drum and set off for London. His journey also coincided with the rise of a Maltese crime syndicate in Soho during the fifties. To carve out his own identity, he adopted his mother Tonina’s name and shortened his family name, Caruana, to avoid its complexity.
He ventured into a competitive market, hoping to secure work. His breakthrough came when he joined international star Billy Eckstine on his European tour. “They knew when you were a good musician,” Carr reflected on his audition, which he secured by demonstrating his rhythm on the drums. Eckstine later praised Carr as “the best drum accompanist I’ve heard in Britain,” a compliment that bolstered Carr’s reputation.
By the 1960s, Carr was playing for renowned pianist and arranger John Cameron, collaborating with artists such as Donovan, Ella Fitzgerald, Alan Price, Sixto Rodriguez, Madness, the Alan Parsons Project, Bryan Ferry, Roy Harper, Hot Chocolate, and Racing Cars.
Carr spent years as a member of Donovan’s backing band and the British blues group Collective Consciousness Society, contributing to three chart-topping hits. Donovan’s Sunshine Superman reached No. 1 in the United States in 1966, with a young Jimmy Page on guitar before forming Led Zeppelin three years later. Carr found himself among a talented group of session players, often racing between recording studios.
In 1978, he participated in Paul McCartney’s ‘Rockestra’ session at Abbey Road, sharing the stage with notable musicians like Pete Townshend, Hank Marvin, Dave Gilmour, John Paul Jones, Ronnie Lane, Kenney Jones, and John Bonham. The following year, he played at the Concert for Kampuchea alongside Wings, the Clash, Elvis Costello, Ian Dury, Queen, and the Who.
It is surprising that Carr’s contributions have remained relatively unrecognized in Malta until recently, thanks to the research efforts of Camilleri and Vella. Sometimes, it takes time for legacies to be acknowledged, but it is heartening to know that Carr’s story has been preserved for future generations.
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