Anthony Joseph

Anthony Joseph works across poetry, fiction, music, and vocals while serving as frontman of the Spasm Band, blending Caribbean and African rhythmic foundations with jazz, funk, and spoken-word elements. Born in Trinidad and raised by his grandparents, he first encountered music through his grandfather’s calypso collection, especially recordings by Mighty Sparrow and Lord Kitchener, whose integration of verse and patois prompted him to begin writing. In his teenage years he also began acquiring the latest reggae releases that reached Trinidad weekly by boat from Jamaica. His literary skills secured passage to the United Kingdom in 1989, where he earned a Master’s degree in literature at Goldsmiths College, University of London. As a student he encountered the recordings and writings of Gil Scott-Heron, finding particular resonance in the album Winter in America. His initial poetry volume, Desafinado, appeared in 1994 and was followed by Teragaton three years later. For an extended period he combined writing with teaching posts at multiple colleges and universities; in 2005 the Arts Council of England and Renaissance One named him among fifty Black and Asian authors whose work has significantly shaped contemporary British literature. His debut novel, The African Origins of UFOs, was issued in 2006, received commendation from dub poet and scholar Linton Kwesi Johnson, and attracted widespread critical attention in the U.K. After performing and collaborating with musicians from his south London area, Joseph established the Spasm Band and secured a contract with Kindred Spirits; the resulting album Leggo Di Lion, credited to Anthony Joseph & the Spasm Band, was released in 2007. His third poetry collection, Bird Head Son, prompted a matching Spasm Band album on the Parisian imprint Heavenly Sweetness in 2009, after which the group became a fixture on European stages. Rubber Orchestras followed in 2011, expanding beyond strictly autobiographical themes to examine immigrant experience in London. When asked to substitute for Gil Scott-Heron at a festival—Heron’s health having sharply deteriorated, leading to his death several months afterward—Joseph’s profile rose further, bringing regular European radio and television appearances. Live in Bremen was issued in 2013; the following year saw the arrival of his first solo album, Time, produced by Meshell Ndegeocello, who also contributed bass and assembled an all-star ensemble featuring guitarist Chris Bruce. Touring in support of that record extended the band’s reach into Asia and the United States. Joseph also guested on the Belgian ensemble BRZZVLL’s album Engines. In January 2015 he delivered the BBC documentary Kitch, an outgrowth of his post-doctoral research on Lord Kitchener, and joined Polish jazz saxophonist Adam Pieronczyk’s quartet for Migratory Poets. Later that December the solo single “Neckbones,” featuring Sly Johnson, was released. Joseph next entered a recording partnership with percussionist Roger Raspail, whose credits include Cesaria Evora and Papa Wemba. What began as a modest undertaking expanded to involve numerous additional musicians of Caribbean heritage or affiliation, among them saxophonist Shabaka Hutchings, Trinidadian calypso figure David Rudder, and steel-pan master Andy Narrell. The completed project, Caribbean Roots, appeared jointly on Heavenly Sweetness and Strut in June 2016.