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Charlie Gillett, BBC's disc jockey to the world



Millions of listeners worldwide switched on to the BBC's World Service each week to listen to Charlie Gillett's World of Music show. For those who loved world music there was no one quite like Gillett. The Lancashire-born radio presenter was a champion of the genre with an encyclopaedic knowledge and a ready enthusiasm. His tastes were incredibly diverse: a track from the latest album of some obscure Cajun band from South Louisiana would be followed by funked-up versions of classic 1950s Rembetika tunes by two Greek blues brothers who took their name from a popular aubergine dish. He was authoritative, eternally curious and his stamp of approval usually guaranteed a spike in sales for the bands he played.

Of the "world" musicians whom he promoted through his show, Youssou N'Dour and the Portuguese fado singer Mariza are perhaps the best known. He was also responsible for launching Dire Straits, after playing Sultans of Swing, a track from their demo album, way back in the 1970s: by the time the song had played out, London's A&R men were clamouring on the telephone for details of the band. After a degree in engineering at Cambridge and a short spell in the US, Gillett settled with his wife in London, becoming a regular and recognisable voice on the radio. His programme, Honky Tonk - aired for the first time in March 1972 - was essential listening over the next six years for those whose musical tastes extended beyond the mainstream. He played the "roots" of pop music - R&B, soul, gospel - alongside whatever contemporary offerings complemented the sound. Muddy Waters, Ry Cooder, Bonnie Raitt and others were among the many guests who featured on his show.

The 1970s was perhaps Gillett's most productive decade. Together with his dentist, Gordon Nelki, he formed a partnership that led the two men to manage the band Kilburn and the High Roads, whose singer was Ian Dury. Subsequently, they started a label and publishing company, Oval Music, and their successes included Lene Lovich's Lucky Number and Paul Hardcastle's 19. He later acted as a music consultant to advertising agencies and film companies, selecting songs for many campaigns including Levis jeans.

"Popular music" was the subject of Gillett's thesis at Columbia University, where he studied in the late 1960s: at the time it was a topic considered most unacceptable for academic study. But Gillett persevered, and the thesis evolved into a book after his return to London. Published to acclaim in 1970, The Sound of the City became the definitive history of rock'n'roll, tracing its origins in vocal groups, jump blues and southern pop gospel, and showing how the various elements cohered to form a musical movement.

In 1979, Gillett moved from BBC Radio London to Capital, the city's commercial station, and began to feature music from around the world. In 1983 he was sacked, but public demand led to his reinstatement, and he remained with the station until 1990. His World Service series was launched in 1999, and he was featured regularly as a presenter of Radio 3's World on 3. Although he was the antithesis of the slick DJ, Gillett's audiences forgave his somewhat stilted style of presenting as his passion for the music he played was obvious and he excelled in coaxing the most compelling live performances from his studio guests.

Charlie Gillett was born on February 20, 1942, and died on March 17. He is survived by his wife Buffy, their daughters Suzy and Jody and son Ivan. * The National

Tree of Hell

Starring: Raed Zeno, Hadi Awada, Dr Mohammad Abdalla

Director: Raed Zeno

Rating: 4/5

Fixtures

Opening day Premier League fixtures for August 9-11

August 9

Liverpool v Norwich 11pm

August 10

West Ham v Man City 3.30pm

Bournemouth v Sheffield Utd 6pm

Burnley v Southampton 6pm

C Palace v Everton 6pm

Leicester v Wolves 6pm

Watford v Brighton 6pm

Tottenham v Aston Villa 8.30pm

August 11

Newcastle v Arsenal 5pm

Man United v Chelsea 7.30pm

 

Cry Macho

Director: Clint Eastwood

Stars: Clint Eastwood, Dwight Yoakam

Rating:**

Napoleon
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UAE SQUAD

Ali Khaseif, Mohammed Al Shamsi, Fahad Al Dhanhani, Khalid Essa, Bandar Al Ahbabi, Salem Rashid, Shaheen Abdulrahman, Khalifa Al Hammadi, Mohammed Al Attas, Walid Abbas, Hassan Al Mahrami, Mahmoud Khamis, Alhassan Saleh, Ali Salmeen, Yahia Nader, Abdullah Ramadan, Majed Hassan, Abdullah Al Naqbi, Fabio De Lima, Khalil Al Hammadi, Khalfan Mubarak, Tahnoun Al Zaabi, Muhammed Jumah, Yahya Al Ghassani, Caio Canedo, Ali Mabkhout, Sebastian Tagliabue, Zayed Al Ameri

The specs: McLaren 600LT

Price, base: Dh914,000

Engine: 3.8-litre twin-turbo V8

Transmission: Seven-speed automatic

Power: 600hp @ 7,500rpm

Torque: 620Nm @ 5,500rpm

Fuel economy 12.2.L / 100km

The Intruder

Director: Deon Taylor

Starring: Dennis Quaid, Michael Ealy, Meagan Good

One star

APPLE IPAD MINI (A17 PRO)

Display: 21cm Liquid Retina Display, 2266 x 1488, 326ppi, 500 nits

Chip: Apple A17 Pro, 6-core CPU, 5-core GPU, 16-core Neural Engine

Storage: 128/256/512GB

Main camera: 12MP wide, f/1.8, digital zoom up to 5x, Smart HDR 4

Front camera: 12MP ultra-wide, f/2.4, Smart HDR 4, full-HD @ 25/30/60fps

Biometrics: Touch ID, Face ID

Colours: Blue, purple, space grey, starlight

In the box: iPad mini, USB-C cable, 20W USB-C power adapter

Price: From Dh2,099

Company%20Profile
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Company%20profile
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COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Almnssa
Started: August 2020
Founder: Areej Selmi
Based: Gaza
Sectors: Internet, e-commerce
Investments: Grants/private funding
The specs
Engine: 2.7-litre 4-cylinder Turbomax
Power: 310hp
Torque: 583Nm
Transmission: 8-speed automatic
Price: From Dh192,500
On sale: Now
SPECS%3A%20Polestar%203
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The specs

Engine: 1.5-litre turbo

Power: 181hp

Torque: 230Nm

Transmission: 6-speed automatic

Starting price: Dh79,000

On sale: Now


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