The Ghetto Walk

At this moment [you should be with us...], if I could listen to only one song for the rest of my life, this would be it. The In A Silent Way Sessions has long been my favorite Miles' period, somewhat of a bridge to the hugely popular Bitches Brew which was recorded later that year (1969). I recently just popped disc 3 in (from the Complete Sessions box set) for the first time in years and was greeted with the opening phrases of The Ghetto Walk. I keep returning to it, almost daily. There's so much soul in these recordings... and you know I'm always searching for more soul.


The Ghetto Walk
recorded February 20, 1969, Columbia Studio B, NYC

Miles Davis - trumpet
Wayne Shorter - soprano sax
Joe Zawinul - organ
Chick Corea - electric piano
Herbie Hancock - electric piano
John McLaughlin - electric guitar
Dave Holland - bass
Joe Chambers - drums

Buy it for .99¢ on Amazon here.



I came upon this Miles' Discography which I used for the lineup and recording info above. This is the most extensive, detailed list of Miles' recordings I've ever seen. Many other jazz artists on this dedicated jazz discography site, as well.



[Quick edit] - I should stress that if you haven't heard or are familiar with the original In A Silent Way release (i.e., the song In A Silent Way > It's About That Time)... you really must. You'll probably enjoy it more than The Ghetto Walk. For me, The Ghetto Walk is fresher since I completely absorbed the original material several years ago. The Ghetto Walk was almost like a new discovery, though I'd certainly heard and played it before. But if its all new to you, In A Silent Way in its entirety should not go unheard. (And you can grab the whole thing as MP3 from Amazon for only $2... since the full release contained only 2 tracks. See below for download links. You can read more about it here.)



Amazon MP3 downloads

The Ghetto Walk
Shhh/Peaceful (Original LP Mix From 1969)
In A Silent Way (Original LP Mix From 1969)

It's The Most Wonderful Time of the Year

The 2009 Jazzfest Lineup has been announced!


Highlights include:

1st weekend: Wynton Marsalis, Dave Matthews Band, James Taylor, Joe Cocker, Earth Wind & Fire, Wilco, Erykah Badu, Robert Cray, Etta James & the Roots Band, Mavis Staples, Johnny Winter, Hugh Masekela, Sharon Jones & the Dap Kings, Galactic, Terence Blanchard, Trombone Shorty, Rebirth Brass Band Reunion with Kermit Ruffins, Ivan Neville & Dumpstaphunk, Big Sam’s Funky Nation, Henry Butler, Astral Project.


2nd weekend: Aretha Franklin, Ben Harper and The Relentless7, Tony Bennett, Kings of Leon, The Neville Brothers, Bonnie Raitt, Common, Emmylou Harris, Dr. John, Buddy Guy, Los Lobos, The O’Jays, Toots & the Maytals, Allen Toussaint, John Mayall, Solomon Burke, Chuck Brown, Meter Men: Zig, George, and Leo, Tab Benoit & the Wetland Allstars, Marcia Ball, Ellis Marsalis, Bonerama, Midnite Disturbers, Otra.

Click here to read through the complete lineup.

I Want You Back? Not really.

This from Glide Magazine's quality music news page (though they sourced NME on it) - the Jackson 5 are planning a reunion tour and are currently in the studio working on new material. Yes, the entire Jackson 5 including White Mike. (I'm allowed to call him that since I'm also a White Mike.)


I'm gonna go out on a limb here and say... this will suck and I'm not excited at all.



You know, while the above statement may be true, I may be just a bit intrigued. New Jackson 5 material? In 2008? I mean, just how awful will it be? In my mind the bar is set so low that it will probably exceed my expectations. I'm expecting a Justin Timberlake cameo (which could actually help) - perhaps Nelly Furtado and the standard Will.I.Am guest appearances also. I'm sure they can talk Santana into playing a 30 second solo and then plaster his name all over promotional material. Wow. Suddenly this has the makings of a huge hit record!

This is gonna be great.

The Revolution

Caught this on Washington DC's 89.3, WPFW yesterday. Classic yet timely.

It's a Soul Full Party

For over a year the ForQuarters Collective have been producing a killer, monthly Funk and Soul showcase called the Soul Full Party. This Friday the party makes it's debut at the 8 x 10 in Baltimore with special guests Ms. Sara & The Help and The Grilled Lincolns joining Soul Full mainstays, Higher Hands.

You are listening to the SoulFull Sampler - October 2008, featuring the ForQuarters DJs, Jason Joseph and J Mack, and hosted by the funkiest cat in town, Jay Crawdads of the Higher Hands. Produced by SOUNDBETTER.NET, this mix gives you a taste of what you can expect at a Soul Full Party. Highlights include a few choice cuts from the Soul Full DJS and two live Higher Hands tracks from the last Soul Full Party. Special guest Kevin Basiliko of The 8ohms appears on saxophone for the 2nd live cut, tearing it up as he and Matt of the Higher Hands trade solos back and forth. Killer stuff.

Scattered Thoughts at Midnight

So, not finding the time to update as often as I'd like and because of this I end up never getting all of my ideas up here as I imagine them. So here's some scattered things I want people to know about.


Current listening: Palmetto Records

Have to thank the MMW listserve for this lead. I had been meaning to pick up Robert Walter's latest called Cure All, featuring Johnny Vidacovich on drums and James Singleton on bass. This music was written after Walter moved to New Orleans and had been playing with Johnny V and Singleton regularly. I've always liked Robert Walter's records, though not necessarily loved them. Adding two of New Orleans finest made it an obvious choice. Unfortunately (or actually for me, quite fortunately) I've been grabbed by the two other releases I picked up from Palmetto at the same time.

I mentioned the tip came from the MMW camp. That's because John Medeski, along with Stanton Moore and Andy Hess, play on Will Bernard's new release entitled Blue Plate Special. The first song is Baby Goats which has been an unnamed song played regularly over the past year at MMW shows. Sure enough, John Medeski is given the writing credit in the liner notes. Further connection, the band also performs a version of Gonzo, a song in MMW's rotation from 1998 - 2001. I didn't recognize it by name at first, but hearing it immediately had me thinking it was an MMW tune. It's not, having been written by Deadric Malone and performed by James Booker, but Medeski and Bernard don't stray much from the MMW arrangement I recall.

So with all this MMW connection the record must be good, right? That's what I'm saying, no? I will openly admit, I can't think of something John Medeski has been associated with I didn't dig, so that's a major plus for me. But this record is built on very solid compositions and grooves. Stanton is a heavyweight and his playing is solid and confident. I wasn't familiar with Andy Hess (bass) but probably should have been seeing that he had a short stint with the Black Crowes and appeared on their Live album from 2002. (He's most well-known as the bass player for Gov't Mule, but he also performed on Britney Spears' Baby One More Time? No shit. It's on his website.) Then there's Will Bernard, the underrated guitarist leading this group. He's not flashy, which may be why he isn't talked about more, but the guy definitely has chops and plays in and out of a groove with ease. I've seen him a few times with Stanton's trio and sitting in with the aforementioned Robert Walter. Always good, but never steps up to take the spotlight. His playing fits that same mold here. Again, it's more groove and feel than licks and solos.

Next up, Dr. Lonnie Smith's Jungle Soul. This is someone I've been sleeping on way too long. Having seen him live and loving it, I had still yet to purchase one of his cd's until now. Didn't even know he was on Palmetto, which is true for all of these cats. I'll admit, I haven't made it through the whole cd yet, that's how fresh all of this music is to me. But it's killer enough for me to be up at 1 am typing in the dark. (That and I'm tired of seeing my quick hitter of a last update because I was too lazy to actually talk about how much the Raconteurs kick ass these days, not just their website but the actual band. Hope you've figured that out by now, with or without my help.)

Seriously though, I'm listening to this recording right now and it is crushing. And you know what the best part is, Palmetto has their ENTIRE CATALOGUE available to stream online. And not just 30 sec samples, you can play the whole song from any album! Not to mention buy any 2 cds and shipping is free! Now that's the kind of record company worth supporting. By the way, the song I was playing at the start of this paragraph was Freedom Jazz Dance. And sho 'nuff, you can play it right now.

Damn. Those aren't scattered thoughts at all. All focused on Palmetto Records and my current listening.


Here's some other quick hits.

- My man Danny Powell just launched the 3rd installment of Keeping the Lights On over on RopeadopeTV. An independent film series that shines a light on independent artists... check it out and keep up with the stories as new episodes are added each week.

- My boys the Higher Hands released their debut album Grab Hold on August 1st at the 8x10 in Baltimore. Check out my man Carl Jr.'s pictures of the night, including openers Raashan Ahmad and Skribe. Since then Higher Hands have opened for Soulive at Rams Head Live (you already watched the video right?) and DC's own Mambo Sauce. Making moves, stay tuned.

- Saw Mos Def and his Big Band at the Kennedy Center in Washington DC this past weekend. Mos Def at the Kennedy Center. Mos Def at the Kennedy Center. It sounds strange. Is there a more important artist in Hip Hop today? Important. I mean, content aside, you're in a different class of artists when you can say "Oh yeah, the Kennedy Center? I've played there." Too late to get too detailed. I'm cheating you on this one. I will say Mos played almost entirely new material, which was very exciting. Rather than just hearing his classic songs with some added string arrangements, we were treated to new, unreleased material, including a stand-out track produced by Madlib. You can read a luke-warm review here. The reviewer gets it mostly right, the exception that while he was left with an overall feeling of wanting more, I was lifted by the understanding of just how far Hip-Hop has come and excited by the glimpse of where the art form can go.

- Google Mos Def and find this link on the top results. If you've made it this far you should definitely click that link for the gem of this entire post, Stuff White People Like.

- And to come full circle on these quick hits, my man Danny hipped me to this unreleased Mos Def track a few weeks back, via his super-secret, underground source... Okayplayer.

Damn, no pictures. You mean you just want me to read?

Press Space Bar to Continue

The Raconteurs

One of the coolest website designs I've seen.  

And the band ain't bad either.

Journalists arrested at both National Conventions

It's not a political statement, but a sign of the times just the same.


ABC producer Asa Eslocker was arrested at the DNC last week. What's telling here is that he's forced into the street by an officer as other pedestrians are clearly walking in the same vicinity. He is not charged at the time with committing a crime. Two hours later more police arrive to arrest him. Notice he's told to "relax" after being choked by an officer. This is a news crew standing on a public sidewalk.







Just yesterday, Amy Goodman was on the floor of the RNC when she received word that two of her producers for the show Democracy Now had been arrested. She is arrested when she approaches officers to get information about the arrests and where the producers are being held. She attempts to show credentials but is ignored and detained.





Now many say what makes Amy Goodman special? She got what she deserved. She was warned, didn't obey and was arrested. And that's the problem. It's not about rights it's about obeying an officer's orders regardless of legality. She is a reporter, not a protester. The credentials she tried to show are the highest credentials a reporter could have had at the event, allowing her access to the main floor of the convention. But somehow this is inconsequential to the police and in truth, to many Americans as well. Freedom of the Press is just another liberal, hippie buzzword these days.

The producers, Sharif Abdel Kouddous and Nicole Salazar, are expected to be charged with "suspicion of rioting" and as of now have not been released. Amy Goodman was released last night after being held about 3 hours.


UPDATE 9/2, 1:30pm: Both producers have been released however still face felony charges. All three appeared on this morning's broadcast of Democracy Now to recount their story and those of other journalists arrested, including AP photographer Matt Rourke.

Hear the broadcast.

Watch the broadcast.

Download the audio.

Future Updates at http://www.democracynow.org/

H - I - G... H - E - R... Hands y'all

Have you seen the price of...

...CABLES these days?

Needed a 4 pin to 6 pin firewire cable today. Looked online and found one as cheap as $2 plus $5 for s/h on Amazon. Amazon also sells one with free overnight shipping for $15. Great. Would like to have it today though so I walk down the street to Radio Shack to see what they have. They have one, Radio Shack brand. Cool. I'm thinking Radio Shack brand is fine for this since they're all practically the same anyway. I'm a bit annoyed that they want $23 for it but I want the cable immediately and it's no hassle, walk out the door with it. I even tell the salesperson I can get it $10 cheaper on Amazon but I'll just pay extra. But then the kicker. Get it rung up and... what?! A whopping $40 shows up! Saleperson checks the price, its right. $40 for a cable that sells for $2 online. This is the business of audio/video cables these days. My cable from Amazon will be delivered tomorrow.

I first came across the ridiculuous mark up scam of retail cables a few months back. I was researching mic cables (XLR) and found some great sources for quality alternatives to Monster. At the same time I discovered the well-documented debate over the mark-up policy of Monster products. (It's not much of a debate really, since it's only between informed consumers and Monster.) That $100 HDMI cable you purchased? Could have the same results from a $20 cable purchased online. Monster speaker wire? Sure, you pay extra for the thickness of the rubber around the actual wire, which 99% of the time won't provide better results on the sound being transferred. Not here to convince though, just alert. One you start clicking links the wealth of information on the mark-up scam on all cables is enormous.


Here's just a couple of places to start:

Monster Cables, Monster Ripoff from The Consumerist
The Truth About Overpriced Cables, Again! from The Guru Guys


And a few alternative retailers worth checking out:

Amazon (check out these HDMI prices!)
Blue Jeans Cable
Monoprice
Parts Express


One thing to be clear on is that Monster does produce high quality cables, in some cases even "better" cables than some cheaper alternatives. But "better" is relative to if you can see or hear a difference. There are cheaper, quality alternatives just a Google search away. For consumers and experts alike, the results are indistinguishable. So the point is...

Don't believe the hype!

Mofro's Orange Blossoms

Scheduled for release August 26, 2008, Mofro's 4th studio record Orange Blossoms.

Now that it's official I feel I can share a secret. Last October JJ Grey performed a solo acoustic set on WWOZ during Voodoo Fest weekend. One of the songs featured JJ on piano only and was my favorite piece of the entire broadcast. It was a new song and at the time JJ said he hoped it would be on the next record "if [he] could get it down right." To my knowledge this song hasn't been played live since. But I guess they got it down right because not only is it on the new record, it's the title and lead-off track, Orange Blossoms.

The performance was special, with JJ stating "I felt good about it. I ain't never played it... like that" shortly after the song's close. I almost afraid to hear the studio version since I've loved this early acoustic performance ever since I first heard it. But Dan Prothero always seems to get it right and it helps to be working with great songs.

Here's the tracklisting for the new record, available August 26th.

01. Orange Blossoms
02. The Devil You Know
03. Everything Good Is Bad
04. She Don't Know
05. The Truth
06. WYLF
07. On Fire
08. Move It On
09. Higher You Climb
10. Dew Drops
11. Ybor City
12. I Believe (In Everything)


Check out the live solo performance of Orange Blossoms below, broadcast on New Orleans' WWOZ, October 26, 2007.

Update 7/22: The entire broadcast is now hosted on Archive for download or stream. Thanks to Clay, Hollis, and Danny for their guidance.

John Ellis and Doublewide, Live at Donna's, May 3, 2008

I know, I know. Enough John Ellis already. Well, what can I say? I teased this recording over a month ago in a post called Coming Soon ("soon" being relative, of course, to whenever I get to it.)

Wanted to make sure the artist was ok with me spreading the recording far and wide. Even in this day and age of youtube, myspace, free music madness, I try to get the artists' blessing before putting any of their material out there. Well, thankfully John Ellis is cool with it. And so it's my pleasure to be able to share this killer recording and performance with you.

John Ellis & Doublewide
May 3, 2008
Donna's Bar and Grill
New Orleans, LA

Featuring: John Ellis: Saxophones, Jason Marsalis: Drums, Brian Coogan: Organ

Keeping The Lights On

Some of you paying close attention may have noticed the name Danny Powell under my sidebar section VISION. Some of you may have even clicked on the name, looked around a bit and moved along. But what you undoubtedly hadn't seen until just this month is Danny Powell's latest vision, the epic documentary series Keeping The Lights On [KTLO].

KTLO is simply about artists and their day jobs. The series (thus far) tells the artist's story through their own voice and perspective. It passes no judgment, gives no opinion. It simply looks into an artist's life in an attempt to manifest their constant struggle of balancing creative passion and earning an income.

Yet as with any great story, there are layers. And where KTLO truly shines is in the reflections of society that find their way into these personal stories. While providing perspective on one's own life, perhaps one's own struggle, KTLO also gives perspective on broader concepts such as the role of business in art, how different cultures vary in thought, and how people see the world in general.

The series was picked up just last month by Ropeadope's newly launched RopeadopeTV. Each Tuesday a new part is added to the site.

Below I've included the first two parts from the first installment, George Ferrandi, a visual artist from Brooklyn. You can view both of these parts as well as Part 3 and Part 4 over on Ropeadope. This week the first installment concludes with George Ferrandi: Part 5. (scheduled for release Tuesday, July 8)




George Ferrandi: Part 1







George Ferrandi: Part 2







You can stay up with what's happening at the Keeping The Lights On blog. The site includes new episode announcements and a budding community of artists sharing their own stories.

While Keeping The Lights On may focus on one artist at a time, its overall vision is to provide a center for the vast community of creative people, all headed on the same journey yet each traveling down different paths. I dig.

Obama Mural - This Is Our Moment

Something In The Air In Brooklyn

Enjoy your Sunday (or Monday as it may be for most of you.)

Something In the Air In Brooklyn

September 27, 2007

Brooklyn, NY

Batiste and Ellis Featured on NPR Music

They're both listed under my sidebar block entitled Inspiration and if you come to this site, you've no doubt heard me talk about them before. Well now bigger outlets are spreading the word and doing it with some fine quality music. Last week NPR Music featured Jonathan Batiste and John Ellis in a program dubbed "New Orleans in New York."


The official program is JazzSet with DeeDee Bridgewater, June 12, 2008 and runs 58 minutes. The show consists of Batiste's 1st set and the majority of Ellis' lone set at Jazz Standard, New York on March 17, 2008. The recording is stellar, a must listen. In addition to the official broadcast, you can hear Jonathan Batiste's entire 2nd Set as well. You'd be hard pressed to find a better sounding live recording of either of these gifted artists.


Read the brief synopsis with additional info and links here.

[Live Show] Terence Blanchard at Blues Alley

I spent 2 hours with WPFW's resident "jazzologist" Jamal Muhammad back in November 2007. It was a great experience. Jamal is truly a treasure, sharing anecdotes and details about jazz at a pace in which I could hardly comprehend. I remember thinking "I wish I was writing all of this down." From talking about Bird's advice to Miles ("Learn the changes") to Duke Ellington's taste in women to describing why a certain, well-known, heavy hitting sax player is "a fucking asshole," Jamal knows his shit and isn't afraid to let you know it. That said, this post is about something Jamal got wrong.

I sat down with Jamal about 20 minutes before go time with a stack of my cds and a playlist in order of how I wanted to present my chosen music. (I was under the impression I had an hour to fill.) Not so fast. Upon going through my stack Jamal gave me some words of approval and some of dismay. The last cd in the stack was Terence Blanchard's A Tale of God's Will (a requiem for katrina). (I had planned to end the show with Funeral Dirge.) Jamal paused. In his worn, graveled voice, "Awww man. You want to play the dirge. The diiirrrge? Aww sheeeiit. It's just so damn slow, you know? I mean, it's a dirge!" I reply, "Yeah, I know, and I feel ya. But I love it. It's a powerful song." Jamal: "I don't know. You know, I like Terence. He's a good kid and a hell of trumpet player. But lately man, he's been doing that heady shit, you know. It's just too damn heady for people."

... ... ...

And so I ask you reader, have you heard this record? It says more with it's drums, bass, piano, sax, and trumpet than any speech I've heard, any words I've read, any pictures I've seen. It's a testament to the unrivaled depth of music's capabilities, striking the deepest, most guarded emotions --- anger and sadness, strength and beauty, hope and pride. You don't have to think about this music. It's music you feel. It peels away the layers of skin and bone, muscle and tissue and forces your heart to listen. Sure, it helps to understand the context of what inspired the pieces, an American tragedy unmatched in many of our lives. And yet it's not hard to translate this music to the great tragedies and crises of the current world landscape. The compositions capture the raw emotion of an incredibly personal, painful time and manage to transcend Terence Blanchard's own experiences at the same time. But do we really want to listen to something painful?

I read a review of Erykah Badu's New Amerykah: Part 1 earlier today (on Amazon) where the reviewer said it was okay, and that he understands and is all for an artist exploring their vision and all, but can't you have a little fun at the same time. Basically lamenting that the album just didn't have enough fun songs, something to play in the car, something not so serious. Well what the fuck times are you living in? I praise Erykah Badu for taking the risks, making a statement, and not worrying about if her record has enough catchy singles. It's a difficult thing to do.

Jamal explained more about why he wouldn't play the dirge, saying that people are driving home from a day's work and they don't want to be brought down. Explained that he was trying to bring the people some fun. You know Jamal, I dig. And what you do is important. But people need to wake the fuck up too and this is a serious record about serious shit and I don't really give a fuck if it brings people down. If it makes you feel sad maybe it will inspire at the same time. If it makes you feel angry maybe it will inspire at the same time. And after you've run through the range of emotions it may just lift you up... and inspire at the same time.

I feel New Orleans when I hear this music. I feel houses on top of cars. I feel people waiving signs on rooftops. I feel kids screaming at the Superdome. I feel Harry Connick Jr. pleading on national tv for help. And I feel our unfathomable, unforgivable, unforgotten response. And I wasn't even there.

So was there a live performance at Blues Alley in this somewhere? Yes, though I've pretty much said it all without even mentioning it yet. I had goosebumps I couldn't shake, a gripping, fierce chill over my upper body. When the opening phrases of Levees began and each member of the band closed their eyes (save the piano player), I couldn't help but think that each musician was calling on their own stories and memories that they hold close as a muse for the moment. And just as the band can't escape their personal stories attached to this music, neither can anyone who hears it. It is a gift.


Terence Blanchard, Live at Blues Alley, June 6, 2008 - 10pm

Mantra> Levees> Funeral Dirge> Bop bop, Badabop


I didn't record this show as Blues Alley does not allow taping. In lieu of this, I have Funeral Dirge embedded from imeem on the site (you can listen to the entire song here.) I also went looking for a live Terence Blanchard show online and came across a performance at the Monterey Jazz Festival from September 22, 2007. This show was performed with the Monterey Jazz Festival Chamber Orchestra and was a radio broadcast though the station's call letters were not given. While very different from the intimate quintet performance from this past Friday night, I have cut a mix from the Monterey show to represent the performance I just saw. I used the same setlist and order of songs though in place of the closing upbeat song "Bop bop, Bada bop" (which incidentally is a song with no official name per the band) I put in the upbeat Ghost of Congo Square with which they closed the Monterey show. Upbeat? Yup, through it all, Terence Blanchard manages to have a little fun, and implores you to do the same, telling the audience "If you want to get up, testify, dance, do whatever feels good to you... go 'head. Have a ball." This is New Orleans after all.

You can hear the mix here.


The Terence Blanchard Quintet is:

Terence Blanchard: Trumpet
Brice Winston: Saxophone
Derrick Hodge: Bass
Kendrick Scott: Drums
Fabian Almazan: Piano

3 Completely Unrelated Videos

Stealth Bomber Crashes

Kinda cool Radiohead remix.  Kinda.


Big Ideas (Don't get any) from 1030 on Vimeo.

This always makes me laugh.

Black Music Month

Hey. How nice of Apple and iTunes to recognize June as Black Music Month. And here I was thinking music was such a white thing and the contributions of black artists never get due respect.

See, really I'm in that whole "is anyone else offended by this" camp. I'm all about promoting "black music" of course, but since ALL music is black music, this is just condescending bullshit that actually devalues the contributions of black artists. Jazz, Blues, Funk, Soul, Hip-Hop, Go-go, Afrobeat... these aren't artists I'm listing, it's entire genres of music, deeply entrenched in black history and culture. I might give you classical, rock, and country - but even then we'd get into how the Stones have openly talked about ripping off black music, Led Zeppelin's heavy reliance on blues and soul and Black Sabbath originally forming as a blues band grinding it out in the UK. Early Rock and Roll... Chuck Berry. Rhythm and Blues... come on. Elvis? Black as hell. I'm taking rock back actually, because it most definitely grew out of black music. You can have classical and country (no disrespect to either of those two fine genres, of course.)

So is this an Apple thing? Of course not. Lo and behold a quick google search turned up the 2007 and 2008 official proclamations straight from the White House, signed by the honorable George W. Bush. Ahhhhh. Now I get it. Isn't everything PR these days? (Answer: yes.)

Well, in honor of Black Music Month I'd like to offer the world my contribution. Including music written by legendary Black artists Duke Ellington, Cannonball Adderley, Bob Marley, The Meters, Herbie Hancock, D'angelo, Steve Winwood and more ---- I present to you the two latest Higher Hands at Armadillo's shows. Last Thursday's 5/29 and a special follow-up show on Saturday 5/31 are both up on archive.org. Black as hell.

You can lead a horse to water...

... and you can make them drink.

Just follow the arrow.


No, I haven't stopped cutting my Higher Hands Highlights mixes, just fell behind last week. These are from 5/15 and 5/22 and I must say, they're both awfully nice. I cut 5/22 first and was a bit worried about what I'd do with 5/15 afterwards. And then, quite possibly, 5/15 ended up even better. Remember: we're sticking with the diversity theme, so while it's staying funky there's a heavy dose of soul, jazz, reggae, and go-go. (Hip-hop was 2 weeks ago.) Dig.


As always, the complete shows are up on archive.org available for download or streaming.

Lettuce Does Dilla

I only grabbed the 1st set of Lettuce's show at Tipitina's French Quarter on Friday night of Jazzfest 2nd weekend. Listening back I wish I had sucked down a Red Bull or two and made the 2nd set. I hear a recording of the full show is out there but haven't seen it surface yet. This one will go up on Archive as soon as I'm done tracking it, but in the meantime...

For James Yancey

Update 1:00pm 5/20:  The complete show is now up on Archive.

Update 1:23pm 5/21:  My source is now up here, though I'd grab the complete source linked in the first update for 1) completeness and 2) better overall mix, especially the vocals.

Coming Soon

Taking me quite a bit more time to work through my Jazzfest material than I figured. Still looking to post a breakdown of the weekend with some nice audio samples. They're coming. In the meantime, what can I serve as an appetizer?


John Ellis & Doublewide
May 3, 2008
Donna's Bar and Grill


The band was kind enough to allow me to record. I placed my mic against the stage pointing up at John, no more than 3 feet away. They started things off with the first song on their new album... called All Up In the Aisles. It's a beautiful recording and performance.

featuring:
John Ellis - Saxaphones
Brian Coogan - Organ
Jason Marsalis - Drums

All Up In the Aisles - Live at Donna's Bar and Grill, New Orleans

Raising Their Game

I was already on the bandwagon, but Thursday night these cats known as The Higher Hands took it up a level. It's serious folks and only getting stronger each week. Check out the complete show over on Archive. My highlights mix can be heard by clicking the link below. Being the first show after Jazzfest, had to kick it off with a little New Orleans love. Oh yeah, they can second line too. Re-dick-uh-luss-nuss.


Raising The Game - March 08, 2008



You can stream or download all of the Higher Hands Highlights mixes over on the SOUNDS section of soundbetter.net. Might not be long before the HHH Series has it's own page.

Last Night at the Wolf

[from left to right: Billy Martin, Oteil Burbridge, DJ Logic, Bernie Worrell]














Global Noize:
DJ Logic - Turntables
Jason Miles - Nord
Bernie Worrell - Keys
Karl Denson - Flute and Sax
Christian Scott - Trumpet
Topaz - Sax
Oteil Burbridge - Bass
Billy Martin - Drums
Carl Burnett - Guitar
Falu - Vocals

Here's the encore.

Great start.

Not Going to Jazzfest

No, not me. You. It's okay. While you shouldn't need the reminder, WWOZ is broadcasting live from the fairgrounds starting today. Check their website for the schedule or just listen live over the internet.

Better yet, next weekend check out this site for live video feeds from the fest. (They're also broadcasting from Coachella this weekend.) Nightime? Hit up Tipitina's for their live web feeds, both video and audio only. Tonight is Zigaboo's Funk Revue starting around 10pm EST.

And maybe, just maybe, I'll be posting some goodness from the 2nd weekend. I'll have my gear, but what I'm able to pull (and the quality of such) is yet to be determined. Click here > (May 2), here > (May 3) and here > (May 4) to see what I'm targeting. Okay, now I'm just rubbing it in.

Here's that WWOZ broadcast schedule with my picks.  Sunday from 2:40 pm - 5:05 pm (est) is golden.

Friday, April 25

» 11:30 - 12:20 p.m.
Zion Trinity

Congo Square “My Louisiana” Stage

» 2:15 - 3:15 p.m.
Big Sam’s Funky Nation

Congo Square “My Louisiana” Stage

» 5:40 - 7:00 p.m.
Burning Spear

Congo Square “My Louisiana” Stage

(either this or the next group will be taped and broadcast tomorrow)

» 5:45 - 7:00 p.m.
Lizz Wright

WWOZ Jazz Tent

Saturday, April 26

» 11:25 - 12:25 p.m.
Berklee College of Music Jazz Ensemble

WWOZ Jazz Tent

» 2:05 - 3:05 p.m.
Big Jay McNeely with Jesse Scinto

Southern Comfort Blues Tent

» 5:00 - 7:00 p.m.
Ponderosa Stomp with Tammi Lynn, Archie Bell, Roy Head, Chick Willis, Dennis Binder

Southern Comfort Blues Tent

Sunday, April 27

» 11:25 - 12:15 p.m.
Paulin Brothers Brass Band

Jazz & Heritage Stage

(either this or the next group will be broadcast in the early afternoon)

»11:30 - 12:30 p.m.
Lil Freddie King Blues Band

Southern Comfort Blues Tent

» 1:40 - 2:30 p.m.
Shamarr Allen

Jazz & Heritage Stage

» 2:55 - 4:05 p.m.
Midnite Disturbers Brass Band

Jazz & Heritage Stage

» 3:45 - 4:55 p.m.
Roy Young

Southern Comfort Blues Tent

» 5:30 - 6:50 p.m.
Delbert McClinton

Southern Comfort Blues Tent

*** All times in Central Standard Time. ***

Put This In Your iPod and Smoke It

Alright y'all. This is the real deal. I've started recording the killer soul-funk band The Higher Hands each and every Thursday night.* You can grab the complete shows on archive.org, but I'll also be mixing a 35-45 minute highlight mix each week and posting it on soundbetter.net. This gives me a chance to hand pick my favorite moments from each night while also showcasing the band's diversity from week to week. I'm planning on keeping it interesting and changing up the setlist just as the band does regularly. The first 2 are done (4-10-2008 and 4-17-2008) and they smoke! Don't fake on this. Download the mixes, get hyped, and then go grab the whole show. And if you're in the MD/DC/VA area don't sleep on the live show either. Every Thursday at Armadillo's in Annapolis. "It's funky. It's free. It's the place to be."® No bullshit. These cats are serious.



Higher Hands Highlights 4-10-2008 - "Angels of God"


Higher Hands Highlights 4-17-2008 - "Introducing Ben Bays"




Q: "What the hell is Angels of God?"

A: Each week I'll give the mix a name that fits the evening. Unless you attended the show it may not be apparent the relevance of the title. In the instances above, after the first song on 4-10 someone from the crowd yelled out "You guys are Angels of God, Man!" Don't hear that every day at shows. 4-17 has an alternate title of "1,2,3,4...", which you'll understand if you hear the entire show. This mix, however, showcases what a killer night Ben Bays had on percussion. Enjoy.


* Unfortunately, I will not be able to record the next 2 weeks for circumstances outside of my control. (Game 3 Wiz-Cavs and Jazzfest!)
Recordings and mixes to resume May 8.

® "It's funky. It's free. It's the place to be." is a registered trademark of The Higher Hands (or at least it could be.)

WWOZ broadcasting live from French Quarter Fest

4/15/2008 UPDATE:  Hear the complete broadcast of Otra's set here.

Broadcast Schedule

Friday, April 11
» 11:00 - 12:45 p.m. Rumba Buena
» 1:00 - 2:45 p.m. Ricardo Crespo and Sol Brasil
» 3:15 - 5:00 p.m. Lafourche Cajun Band
» 5:15 - 7:00 p.m. Bruce Daigrepont

Saturday, April 12
» 11:30 - 1:00 p.m. Jimmy Thibodeaux Band
» 1:15 - 3:00 p.m. Jeremy & The Zydeco Hotboys
» 3:00 - 4:45 p.m. Otra
» 5:15 - 7:00 p.m. Dwayne Dopsie and the Zydeco Hellraisers

Sunday, April 13
» 11:15 - 1:00 p.m. Roddie Romero and the Hub-City Allstars
» 1:15 - 3:00 p.m. Amanda Shaw and the Cute Guys
» 3:15 - 5:00 p.m. Keith Frank and the Soileau Zydeco Band
» 5:00 - 7:00 p.m. Ovi G and The Froggies

*All times in Central Standard Time.

Listen Live Here

This Strange World

I've found myself liking the song in the Macbook Air commercial quite a bit lately. So I went and looked it up and found myself liking the real video for the song quite a bit too. I was only the 5,447,070 person to view it.









The artist's name is Yael Naim and the song is called New Soul. A nice, quick read here sheds some light on her struggle with the industry before this huge break.


I'm thinking I might start a new blog just about commercials.

Amazing

So recently I've been hearing this song on a DWS [correction: DSW] Shoes commercial and immediately recognized it but couldn't quite place it. It was a tight groove too and I'm saying I know I have that on something. Well after the third time or so seeing the spot, it hit me... no[ne] other than The Bamboos' "Happy", who happen to still be on my Recent Listening list.

I say to myself, "I should post about this," because I love to talk about commercials even though I hate commercials. I start thinking how the commercial jingle is dead and that the people working behind the scenes are actually using real music to sell their products, whether it be current or retread 80's hits. Still, this may not have made it to print until tonight.

Sitting at home watching the NCAA tourney, toying with the blog template, I notice that The Bamboos are still in my recent listening. I actually say to myself, "Ha. I bet all of my recent listenings are in commercials these days." A fairly baseless musing to myself, especially when I look over what's there and see Maynard and Saul Williams, cats who aren't popping up in commercials anytime soon. And then... literally within 20 minutes or so... this commercial:

No shit! And while the title of this post is "Amazing", truth is it's really not that amazing anymore. At the end of the day music doesn't pay the bills unless you're selling platinum. Artists make their name from the music and make their money from everything else (merchandise, touring, licensing, etc.)

When the commercial was over how did you feel? "Damn straight!" That's what I said.

Missing D'angelo

I missed the track Really Love leaking last April. It is available on this recent mixtape release that is definitely not the new album everyone is waiting for.

This is the most definite info I've read on D'angelo's forthcoming release, tentatively titled James River.

Below is a sample grab that has nothing to do with the new album. (You'll have to trust me that he does in fact talk about the new album or click the link and read for yourself.)

i turned him onto hendrix just before we started voodoo (hence the album title) and he just went crazy. it was like a revelation for him. he realized (for the first time) that a lot of his heroes were greatly influenced by hendrix, including prince, sly, george clinton...everyone!

So after reading that, of course I wanted to know more about this Russell Elevado. Who exactly was he and how legitimate was his info? I'm almost ashamed that I didn't recognize the name, being someone who avidly reads the liner notes of most of my cds. Turns out Russ Elevado has worked as a mixing engineer on many of my favorite albums. These include Blackalicious' Blazing Arrow and The Craft, Saul Williams' Amethyst Rock Star, Roy Hargove's RH Factor - Hard Groove, a few tracks off of Erykah Badu's Mama's Gun (including Bag Lady and the epic Green Eyes), and of course, D'angelo's Voodoo. Okay, my interest was really peaked now.

Last year Russ was featured on Gearslutz.com where he answered many user questions. Check out what he had to say on the following.

R.E. on Blazing Arrow

R.E. on Amethyst Rock Star


Looking for his website led me to Wikipedia where a link for his personal site was discretely located at the bottom. Here's where I think it gets interesting. I jumped to his site and it says "Welcome to my temporary website." Well damn, won't be much here I figure. But I click his blog link and he just put the first message up Thursday, March 6 2008. Hmmmmn, looks like Russ is just starting this thing. The website doesn't show up on a Google search so my guess is it hasn't been active very long. Well over on recent projects he says:

currently i'm in the studio with D'Angelo. we started the next phase of tracking for his 3rd album. this album has been a work in progress since just after the voodoo tour in 2002. we haven't done any work on it since around 2006. D'Angelo is in good spirits and is ready to make another masterpiece.

I'm taking this as confirmation that D'angelo is still working and moving towards completing the long awaited next release. Not a surprise or anything new really, as it's been reported for some time that work was being done. But this at least sounds like it's moving forward right now and hopefully that means it won't be much longer.

You can check out Russ Elevado's full discography here.


Over on that gearslutz forum, someone re-posted what ?uestlove had previously posted on Okayplayer awhile back (years ago now) about the new project. I had never seen this, but it's got me excited.


-----Here's the deal: 11 songs are done. Most need lyrics. Most are in the 7-9 minute range. All are epic as ****. Most need a haircut. Shit I love. But shit I know the marketplace ain't even ready for. If "Untitled" video is what got him over on the idiot side of things, he is gonna have to get his physical game back and come with some strong ass imagining to make up for the fact that there will be no radio friendly single -- newbies I'm warning you now, if you want to "understand" this record--you must purchase and study the following: [Funkadelic's] Maggot Brain, America Eats Its Young, Cosmic Slop, Standing on the Verge of Getting It On, Let's Take it to the Stage, Tales of Kidd Funkadelic, [Sly & The Family Stone's] There's a Riot Going On, [Miles Davis'] On the Corner, [Shuggie Otis'] Inspiration Information, [Brian Wilson's] Smile, [the Beatles'] Abbey Road, Revolver, [Jimi Hendrix's] Electric Ladyland, [the Sex Pistol's] Nevermind the Bullocks Here's the Sex Pistols, [Prince's] Dirty Mind, [Tony Williams'] Ego and Emergency!. Study and absorb and research this shit now. Memorize it. Understand why the albums I mentioned were important in their historical context. Lower your expectations. This will throw you for a loop. ----- [?uestlove on D'angelo's new material]


And finally, how 'bout some D'angelo obscurities from YouTube. I went searching for some nice live performances and ended up finding these gems.


First, a young D'angelo performs Bill Withers' Use Me with David Sanborn and a few very recognizable "friends." 1998.




And at the 1996 Grammy Awards (though I swear that doesn't look like the same young D), a very cool tribute to Stevie Wonder performed with Tony Rich. I have a hard time focusing on the different parts while listening, so I can imagine how tough this was to sing and play.

WPFW Tribute to Bob Marley - TODAY!

Listen Live

New General Elektriks Remixes

General Elektriks has produced a bunch of new tracks for their 2nd full-length record, release date not yet announced. But in anticipation of the new album, Good City for Dreamers, GE is making available an exclusive, download-only, mixtape dubbed Pocketful of MCs. These remixes will not be on the new record but are available as free downloads from the General Elektriks website.

The first was released in September with the intention of releasing one track each month leading up the official release. This didn't happen in the coming months but looks to be back on track. Last month a 2nd track was released with the word of a 3rd coming soon.

September 2007: "Coming Up For Air" featuring Lateef the Truthspeaker (MP3, WAV)

January 2008: "Requiem For A Neo-Con" featuring Mr. Lif (MP3, WAV)

February 2008: "Death of an 80's Limo" featuring Beans (MP3, AIF)

Notable New Release

Yeah, Erykah has a new one coming out in 2 days.  The Black Crowes new one is set to release a week later.  And Jill Scott just released a live cd/dvd combo.  But you probably know about these already, right?  Really don't need me to hype these major artists.

While I am excited about hearing new music from all of those artists, I'm looking forward to March 25th for an upcoming release from one of my favorite, lesser-known artists.  I've mentioned him here before, saxophone player John Ellis.

His new project is called John Ellis & Double Wide.   It features Gary Versace on organ, Matt Perrine on sousaphone and Jason Marsalis on drums.

Though Ellis is currently based in Brooklyn, this new release is heavily influenced by the city of New Orleans, where Ellis previously resided. Without hearing most of the the tunes, the presence alone of New Orleans heavyweights Perrine and Marsalis makes this evident.  A few tracks can be heard now though, with "Three Legged Tango" and "Dream and Mosh" up on his myspace page.  The name of the record is Dance Like There's No Tomorrow.  There's a nice write-up over at All About Jazz that breaks down the music and discusses the title and inspiration for the project.

Check out the new video of the title track here. 

Among other things

And just like that its been 2 months without an update. I've tried to limit this blog to music-related content, but as an individual I'm finding that just talking about new (or old) music is not always what's most important to me. It's time I finally widen the scope a bit and lift my self-imposed restrictions for what appears here. So while soundbetter.net will always represent a pursuit of better music, the blog itself will now be a pursuit of better music... among other things.

Miles Davis, 1962

Not sure why I've been holding on to this for so long. I've had this interview with Miles saved for posting for months and have been waiting for the right time to put it up. Over 5 months later I still haven't done it.

Stumbled across it one day and found it incredibly fascinating. It's as much a look at race relations in 1962 as it is a discussion of the jazz scene. Here's a sample grab that touches on both topics.

PLAYBOY: Are there any particular places or clubs that you don't like to play?

DAVIS : There are plenty I won't play! I won't take a booking nowhere in the South. I told you I just can't stand Jim Crow, so I ain't going down there in it. There's enough of it here in the North, but at least you have the support of some laws.

I won't play nowhere I know has the kind of audiences that you waste your breath to play for. I'm talking about them expense-account ofays that use music as a background for getting high and trying to show off to the women they brought. They ain't come to hear good music. They don't even know how to enjoy themselves. They drink too much, they get loud, they got to be seen and heard. They'll jump up and dance jigs and sing. They ain't got no manners -- don't pay their women no respect. What they really want is some Uncle Tom entertainment if it's a Negro group on the stand. These are the kind will holler, "Hey, boy, play "Sweet Georgia Brown!" You supposed to grin and play that. I hate to play in a place full of those kind of squares so bad that if there wasn't nobody else to play to, I'd invest in some more property and just stay home and collect rents. I can't stand dumb-ass people not respecting the other customers that have come to hear the music. Sometimes one table like that has bugged me so that when I get home or to my hotel, I walk the floor because I can't sleep.

The complete interview is well worth the read.



Wow. Just came across this NPR Tribute which can be downloaded free. Listening to it now, it's steady music behind Miles' life story. Plenty of interviews and anecdotes... good stuff.

Been meaning to check out this NPR music site for awhile now (and post about it too.) It hasn't been up long but it has a ton of great stuff. In fact, this is the song of the day featured on the homepage as of Sunday night. I'll have to get over here a little more often.