Where to buy Syd Kitchen OR Rolling Stone mag

zigzagwanderer

Hi, I'm looking for two seperate things. Where can I buy Syd Kitchen's album Africa's Not For Sissies? I must've been living under a rock coz I only heard of him yesterday. Look 'n Listen and all those shitty places don't have this album.

And also, where can I buy Rolling Stone! I've looked in PicknPay and Exclusive Books and they don't have it. Where else could it be? CNA?

Bob-Dubery

Try http://www.oneworld.co.za/ for the CD

Highway-Chile

Ah my good friend Syddles. I miss him dearly.

I love this video he did........ apart from his magnificent Marc Maingard guitar he also plays the hosepipe flute. The video looks squished in the preview here....if so watch it at Youtube as it is HD 16:9 I think. It looks and sounds great.
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I shot this photo of Syd at my home in LA in 2007........ and messed around with it a bit as you can see.

I want to find the documentary done on him as well as the recording of him playing with Paul Simon's band in New York. He told me about it a week or two before he died....he was going to mail me a copy but things got very bad, very fast. Sucks. Most of what I am about, Syd played a big part in it because back in the day, us Durban muzo's were all going for it. There was a good sense of camaraderie and he was one of the first players I met on my own journey. At one time I had a teaching studio in the same office building as he did and we played together a lot, sharing ideas etc....gleaning stuff off each other.

Like I said....it sucks. Things were just starting to happen for him internationally as well.

Bob-Dubery

Highway Chile wrote: Most of what I am about, Syd played a big part in it because back in the day, us Durban muzo's were all going for it. There was a good sense of camaraderie and he was one of the first players I met on my own journey. At one time I had a teaching studio in the same office building as he did and we played together a lot, sharing ideas etc....gleaning stuff off each other.

So many musicians from the Durban part of the world talk so well of Syd and the help that he gave so freely and his great love for music and camaraderie with musicians. Really, that's the best tribute to him.

When the Hinds Brothers played at TJ's they dedicated their performance to his memory.

Highway-Chile

Yes XRB. Syd was a couple/three/four years older than I am and I first met him at a Folk music competition I entered when I was still a teenager. I had showed up at this event and was trying to figure out where to go and what I had to do to get on the bill. Syd must have noticed me looking dazed and confused. He was with someone I think was Pete as they were both members of this particular Folk association. Well, out of everybody, Syd came up and asked me if he could help me, what I needed and that was the beginning of a long friendship.

With me in the USA and him in SA and having been gone for so long, I got somewhat out of touch but he was always close to my memory and I would find ways to catch up on what he was doing. When internet came we stayed in touch by the occasional E mail. When I went back home I would go hang out and jam with him at clubs etc and we had some memorable jols. It was hard keeping up with him in certain respects, if you know what I mean..........Durban being home to some extremely fine, some would say the world's best, smoking leaf from the tree of knowledge. Non poisonous even though it somehow got called Poison. Once when I was home to deal with my dad's passing, I did a session with him on his City Child album. I had a very short space of time...drove out to Ronnie Selby's studio and with absolutely no rehearsal or charts ...anything, I laid down parts for several songs and I think they were all first take....and I had to leave. Of course by this time I was feeling no pain whatsoever........... ? Aaah. the good ol' days.

He also came and hung out with me in 2007 when he came here and I had just had major back surgery, two separate operations.......but LOL......I drove to go pick him up and we jammed and he entertained my kids, played hosepipe flute for them and sang silly songs. It was great. I drove him back to where he was crashing and that was the last time I saw him.

I got a call a couple days after he found out about the lung cancer. Only a handful of people knew and he did not want it spread around as obviously he was in cancer fighting mode. Many e mails and several long phone calls later.......over a shockingly fast few weeks, he was gone. I was able to reach him at the hospice and say my goodbye to him.

I'm telling you.......he was in Scotland I believe and was feeling ill. Came home, see's the doc and get's given a couple months or less to live. I got the news on Feb 15th and he passed on Mar 22. How does it go from feeling okay to the most part to being given a month to live? Lung cancer sucks.

Anyway, all around good guy and a great songwriter/guitar player to boot. I'm extremely glad I got to play on his album City Child along with another Durban buddy in the USA, Mike Drake, on the drums.