In Defense of André 3000 Grabbing His Flute and Changing on Us

C’mon, it’s 2024. Date: Nov 17, 2023 — “Apologetically unapologetic”. Those were the first two words I wrote while listening to Rapper André 3000’s track “I swear, I Really Wanted To Make A “Rap” Album But This Is Literally The Way The Wind Blew Me This Time”, from his flute-driven New Blue Sun album. Some […]

Scene & Heard: Bilal — Live With Robert Glasper, Questlove, and Burniss Travis

Social media friend “Bart” — I’ll leave it at that since I don’t know how much he wants y’all to know about his kind and generous self — hit me with a Bilal vocal performance video that features Questlove playing drums, Robert Glasper on piano, and Burniss Travis keeping the pocket fresh with bass duties. […]

An Album (Or Two) In My Head 0069

A rocker who sounds Alternative by being traditional; and 1970s Astral Jazz from the African diaspora. sabattaknow my nameSelf-released2014 Deep in the recesses of your grandparents’ record collection lies the murky, smelly, swaggalicious style of Rock and Roll that managed to bend genres while still making you understand Rock’s reason to exist. I don’t call […]

Scene & Heard: “A New Day” by Vladimir Cetkar

“Sounds influenced by George Benson” was my commentary after hearing Jazz-Funk guitarist Vladimir Cetkar for the first time more than a dozen years ago. Cetkar has excellent taste in influences, by the way. His high-energy Post-Disco “Ocean of Love” track from the 2007 OM Vibes, Vol. 1 compilation remains a pleaser, and I’ve kept an […]

An Album (Or Two) In My Head 0067

You’re looking at three albums this week, instead of two. The Leyla McCalla and Matthew Shipp albums were obvious choices for me, but Hannah Jadagu has kept me curious about what’s next for her … Breaking the Thermometer Leyla McCalla2022Anti Records I’m drawn to the deep-dish Americana Folk, enriched by three distinct ingredients that redefine the […]

An Album (Or Two) In My Head 0066

Evenings at the Village Gate: John Coltrane With Eric DolphyJohn Coltrane2023Impulse Records Call this document the Book of Coltrane III, recorded in the summer of 1961, just predating his quintet’s now-iconic Live at the Village Vanguard releases. This means we are treated to the stellar nebula of Coltrane’s new genesis — a revelation, if you […]

An Album or Two in My Head (0065)

SAOUL TWATEAU 2022 SELF-RELEASED To my American friends — consider how most of you were recently asked, multiple times, to choose between a woman’s womb and the price of bacon in Walmart, while others remain willing to convince themselves that a bulky football legend wearing a post-domestic-violence court suit and possible brain damage can be […]

Celebrate women and listen to ‘Misa Justa’ — a beautiful, 39-minute symphonic poem set to Jazz, Classical and liturgy

A Jazz mass, composed by Eduardo Gutierrez del Barrio; lyrics by Patsy Moore; vocal solos by Dianne Reeves; conducted by William Henry Curry; and performed by the Los Angeles Philharmonic. After several listens, I remain bewitched by “Misa Justa”, or “Just Mass” — a spiritual harmonic and poetical review of women and their parallel roles […]

Eddie Gale, 1941-2020

A definition of ‘That legend hardly anyone talks about.’ We lost trumpeter Eddie Gale, a trusted luminous ray of the Jazz avant garde; Ghetto Music evangelist; warrior among the off-beat legion. His pedigree — which includes collaborations with John Coltrane, Sun Ra, Cecil Taylor, Larry Young, Elvin Jones, and performances with Hip-Hop ensemble The Coup […]

Soul, Jazz and Dance Music: Roger Williams comes through again with a podcast for the earhole

I’m going to add more music posts to this blog. All kinds of music. Old and new. We need to break up the heavily-political posts with a different set of vibes. But don’t worry — I don’t plan to dilute a single race or political post. I’m currently relistening to the third installment of music […]