Komputer Kidd // Victor Vick // Zafar Sa'Oud
tewz
11 Posts
I was chillin at home Saturday afternoon when my roommate shot me a text saying "Hey! pretty cool warehouse sale happening here till 7". The place was located in Chicago on Goose Island; a water locked patch of land situated between North Ave, Chicago Ave to the south, Halsted to the East, and Elston to the west. It's a very industrial area, home to flocks of geese and factories. It earned the nickname "Little Hell" because of the smoke produced by the plants.
I don't live very far from it so I hoped on my bike and headed over. My eyes were peeled, looking for the hand made signs directing me toward "mics. cool stuff". I saw 1 sign, and just before I started wondering if I had passed up the place, I saw another, and then another. 5 signs in total. One said simply "Cool Shit!" When I got there, I realized that I had been there before. A while back, I found the remains of a homemade robot costume in a dumpster on the side of the building. I went inside. The space was enormous.
It was kind of hard to take everything in. There were old gasoline pumps, photography lighting, a door sitting on a pallet connected to nothing that the proprietor called "the door to nowhere", various electronics, a laminating machine, a McDonald's drive thru sign, other randomness, and lastly ... records!!
I immediately started flipping through them, rearranging them as I went along. I hate it when records are stacked vertically. I always stop and reorganize them into horizontal rows before I begin digging. (More often than not, they become neater as I go through them. This always causes people to walk up and ask me questions thinking that I work there, especially in thrift stores. Sometimes, I actually help them with answers. Back to the mission at hand.)
Mostly, I found the usual chud, but something about these piles were a little different. This was somebodies private collection. The first record I pulled out was Stanley Clarke "Journey to Love", then "Jezebel" by Justin Hines and the Dominoes, there was that Mike Oldfield record that I found in Berlin last summer, Eddie Jefferson the Main Man, my stack was getting bigger ... 2 Betty Davis joints, Universe City, Huming Bird Diamond Nights (w/ pretty purdie on drums), Third Rail "Reachin for It", Joe Thomas "Feelings from Within", "Energizer" by TOUCH, "Jake, a Tribute to Evans & Guaraldi" (Private Press), a Jimi Hendrix white label promo with Blues in C/People People People & Star Spangled Banner, stack got bigger still, a couple of Larry Coryell joints with Billy Cobham & Bernard Purdie (Basics & 2lp Essential), and then I had to stop for a second.
What I was looking at were 4 records that I didn't really recognize, but I knew, right away, that they were rare. All four were on Jones Records, A label that I had never seen. Two of the sleeves were blank, but came with press photos of a dude wearing Italian boot roller skates, and playing a custom electric guitar with an 808 & 606 (presumably) hanging off of his belt. Titled "Video Jones" by The Komputer Kidd (& The Programmers).
A quick smart phone search revealed that these records were indeed, very rare. (Technology) I found 1 listed at 99.99 ... another one sold recently for around $30. Not bad for a .50 record. And since 1 didn't have a sleeve, I stuck it with the other double bringing the price down to .25 a piece. Word.
The other 2 albums were on the same label, by the same person using a different name, and hand signed Victor Vic.
and
I was pretty eager to get home and listen to my stack, but the owner offered to let my girl and myself chill in the air conditioned office and smoke a bowl. Nice guy. Thanks for the lift. When I finally got back to my place, I heard this ....
And right as I'm listening to him play with a gigantic smile on my face, my eyes fill up with tears as I read that Zafar had recently passed away last December. Shaking my head ....
Zafar had been "survivng Leukemia, Mantle Cell Lymphoma and all that chemo and other harsh chemicals."
He had even documented his battle in a series of online essays titled "Death Interrupted"
http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/5489150/death_interrupted_part_one.html?cat=70
I had never met this man, I had only just recently found his music, but to find out that he had just passed away really broke my heart. So I continued to dig for more information about him, and what I found was kind of amazing.
When I googled "maestroza", his youtube screen name, his OurStage Page came up. It read
Wow, I had no idea!? Kind of a surprise twist there right at the end, and a pleasant one at that.
In all my years of diggin, I have never been affected so much by a single find. In a matter of hours I had traveled over an entire range of emotions. At first feeling satisfied and proud that I had gotten some rare records on the low, then feeling admiration and respect toward such a talented person, and immediately feeling incredibly sad for the loss of this awesome human, but then astonished and happy again that he was responsible for more than I had even imagined.
I don't get on here very much, and I've never really felt compelled to write so much about a single record or artist. But this was such an interesting experience. Especially going from "Oh I found some rare recs that I could flip" to ... "Damn this dude was extremely talented, and more people need to hear his music". It kind of put things in perspective for me. It got me back to why I dig in the first place. Its as much about the music for me, as it is about finding something great that people have discarded and forgotten about, To get my hands dirty and dig into another humans history.
Anyway, I hope you enjoyed my story, Cheers.
~Tewz
(p.s. I am currently trying to track down his family to find out information about a possible reissue of his work. He also went by the alias Punchy)
Punchy & Early Warning System - Whole Lotta Jammin' / Git It (7") EWS Records 1976
EWS Records 1976
I don't live very far from it so I hoped on my bike and headed over. My eyes were peeled, looking for the hand made signs directing me toward "mics. cool stuff". I saw 1 sign, and just before I started wondering if I had passed up the place, I saw another, and then another. 5 signs in total. One said simply "Cool Shit!" When I got there, I realized that I had been there before. A while back, I found the remains of a homemade robot costume in a dumpster on the side of the building. I went inside. The space was enormous.
It was kind of hard to take everything in. There were old gasoline pumps, photography lighting, a door sitting on a pallet connected to nothing that the proprietor called "the door to nowhere", various electronics, a laminating machine, a McDonald's drive thru sign, other randomness, and lastly ... records!!
I immediately started flipping through them, rearranging them as I went along. I hate it when records are stacked vertically. I always stop and reorganize them into horizontal rows before I begin digging. (More often than not, they become neater as I go through them. This always causes people to walk up and ask me questions thinking that I work there, especially in thrift stores. Sometimes, I actually help them with answers. Back to the mission at hand.)
Mostly, I found the usual chud, but something about these piles were a little different. This was somebodies private collection. The first record I pulled out was Stanley Clarke "Journey to Love", then "Jezebel" by Justin Hines and the Dominoes, there was that Mike Oldfield record that I found in Berlin last summer, Eddie Jefferson the Main Man, my stack was getting bigger ... 2 Betty Davis joints, Universe City, Huming Bird Diamond Nights (w/ pretty purdie on drums), Third Rail "Reachin for It", Joe Thomas "Feelings from Within", "Energizer" by TOUCH, "Jake, a Tribute to Evans & Guaraldi" (Private Press), a Jimi Hendrix white label promo with Blues in C/People People People & Star Spangled Banner, stack got bigger still, a couple of Larry Coryell joints with Billy Cobham & Bernard Purdie (Basics & 2lp Essential), and then I had to stop for a second.
What I was looking at were 4 records that I didn't really recognize, but I knew, right away, that they were rare. All four were on Jones Records, A label that I had never seen. Two of the sleeves were blank, but came with press photos of a dude wearing Italian boot roller skates, and playing a custom electric guitar with an 808 & 606 (presumably) hanging off of his belt. Titled "Video Jones" by The Komputer Kidd (& The Programmers).
A quick smart phone search revealed that these records were indeed, very rare. (Technology) I found 1 listed at 99.99 ... another one sold recently for around $30. Not bad for a .50 record. And since 1 didn't have a sleeve, I stuck it with the other double bringing the price down to .25 a piece. Word.
The other 2 albums were on the same label, by the same person using a different name, and hand signed Victor Vic.
and
I was pretty eager to get home and listen to my stack, but the owner offered to let my girl and myself chill in the air conditioned office and smoke a bowl. Nice guy. Thanks for the lift. When I finally got back to my place, I heard this ....
And right as I'm listening to him play with a gigantic smile on my face, my eyes fill up with tears as I read that Zafar had recently passed away last December. Shaking my head ....
R.I.P. my friend...i'm honored that we got??? to spend some quality time together playing funk in Paris, sir. just got the news today from Mr. Cook. man...this saddens me....
Hey Mr.Za??? you changed my life. Seriously, turning me into the beast guitar player i am its all thanks to your lessons well worth every minuite. R.I.P cya in time
My tears flow in remembering our rich seasons of your musical journey on this planet. Your gift was heaven. Your soul transformed music into a rod of lightening that opened up the sky, so all would know you were here. We will forever miss, our souls will forever be in touch. Thank-you! Thank- you??? for being just who you are!
Love ya!
Sonya & Phil
You made my life better and I will always be thankful for our times together. Rest in peace my dear??? friend.
Zafar had been "survivng Leukemia, Mantle Cell Lymphoma and all that chemo and other harsh chemicals."
He had even documented his battle in a series of online essays titled "Death Interrupted"
http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/5489150/death_interrupted_part_one.html?cat=70
I had never met this man, I had only just recently found his music, but to find out that he had just passed away really broke my heart. So I continued to dig for more information about him, and what I found was kind of amazing.
When I googled "maestroza", his youtube screen name, his OurStage Page came up. It read
Former studio guitarist and music teacher for Outkast???s Andre Benjamin,
Performed (guitar-horn arrangements) on ???The Way You Move??? and ???Bowtie??? embodied on the CD: Speakerboxx by Outkast which won three Grammies in 2004.
Songwriting accompanist for Michael Jackson (1984)
Author of Wes Montgomery Jazz Guitar Artistry-Mel Bay Publications 1996
Recitalist-Classical Guitar Festival of Great Britain (booked as Zafar So Good) 1997
Solo guitarist and vocalist performing 4-6 nights a week somewhere in the known and unseen worlds.
Content producer for Associated Content.
Hobbies-Reading, writing, painting, sculpting, cycling, making transcriptions of period pieces for Classical Guitar
Wow, I had no idea!? Kind of a surprise twist there right at the end, and a pleasant one at that.
In all my years of diggin, I have never been affected so much by a single find. In a matter of hours I had traveled over an entire range of emotions. At first feeling satisfied and proud that I had gotten some rare records on the low, then feeling admiration and respect toward such a talented person, and immediately feeling incredibly sad for the loss of this awesome human, but then astonished and happy again that he was responsible for more than I had even imagined.
I don't get on here very much, and I've never really felt compelled to write so much about a single record or artist. But this was such an interesting experience. Especially going from "Oh I found some rare recs that I could flip" to ... "Damn this dude was extremely talented, and more people need to hear his music". It kind of put things in perspective for me. It got me back to why I dig in the first place. Its as much about the music for me, as it is about finding something great that people have discarded and forgotten about, To get my hands dirty and dig into another humans history.
Anyway, I hope you enjoyed my story, Cheers.
~Tewz
(p.s. I am currently trying to track down his family to find out information about a possible reissue of his work. He also went by the alias Punchy)
Punchy & Early Warning System - Whole Lotta Jammin' / Git It (7") EWS Records 1976
EWS Records 1976