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Sunday, Nov 21 2021, 12PM
"Drummer, producer & beat scientist Makaya McCraven digs into the Blue Note vaults with this new remix project that puts a modern bounce on jazz classics by Art Blakey, Horace Silver, Hank Mobley, Kenny Burrell, Kenny Dorham & more. McCraven’s mastery of the loop is akin to hip-hop’s most celebrated beatmakers like J Dilla & Madlib, both of whom have also remixed Blue Note classics, but McCraven’s unique approach also incorporates newly recorded elements including his own drums, Joel Ross’ vibraphone, Jeff Parker’s guitar, Marquis Hill’s trumpet & more."
store.bluenote.com
Coleman Hawkins would have turned 117 today. Born in 1904 in Saint Joseph, Missouri, he died of liver disease in New York City in 1969 at the age of 64, and is buried at The Woodlawn Cemetery in The Bronx.
"Body and Soul" was originally released in 1939. Read more about this track at www.npr.org
Puerto Rican reggae band. New single. culturaprofetica.com
Cleo Sol, the voice behind mysterious avant-soul band SAULT, has recently had a baby, an experience she describes as "the most transformative, uplifting, heart melting, strength giving experience thus far that led me to write this album."
Her beautiful second album, "Mother," was released in August: cleosol.bandcamp.com
"We the People", released this year on July 4th, is an animated series on Netflix produced by Michelle and Barack Obama with Kenya Barris, with a focus on inspiring community and government engagement. This track from H.E.R. is a call for everyone to lean in and make a difference in politics -- read more about the series at Uproxx:
bit.ly
Happy birthday, Lonnie Jordan, who turns 73 today.
"Spill the Wine" appeared on "Eric Burdon Declares 'War'", released in April 1970. The song was inspired by an incident where Jordan spilled wine on a mixing board during a recording session.
The debut album from the duo of Anderson .Paak and Bruno Mars is a fun set of playful throwback soul and funk with a sunny, '70s-steeped sound featuring lush strings, warm keyboards, soaring horns, celestial harmonies, alternating lead vocals and lyrics of love, desire and living large. Bootsy Collins acts as special host throughout, and Thundercat also appears as a guest. www.silksonic.com
Speaking on the creation of this album, South London producer Swindle says: "'The New World' was recorded during a very strange time in 2020 just after being locked down. I sent a text to my favorite artists, collaborators and friends saying 'Let's have a musical retreat, reconnect and figure out how we are going to enter the new world'. When I got back and listened to the music that we made, I decided to put it together as a body of work. We were going through isolation, difficult conversations around race and racism and it was made with a real pure intention. A soundtrack to our healing. It's a very unique album to me, an album that happened to us. I hope you enjoy it.": trenchtrenchtrench.com
Little Dragon are a Swedish electronic music band from Gothenburg, Sweden, formed in 1996. The band members are Yukimi Nagano (vocals, percussion), Erik Bodin (drums), Fredrik Wallin (bass) and Håkan Wirenstrand (keyboards).
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The band's name was inspired by the "Little Dragon" nickname Nagano earned due to the "fuming tantrums" she used to throw while recording in the studio. "It's a little exaggerated, but there is some truth in it", Nagano said. "But we've grown up a bit, and I realized you can't have a fit every day because otherwise you won't be able to stand each other." little-dragon.net
Released this day in 1980. The remnants of Steely Dan (essentially Donald Fagen) and Steve Winwood appear at White River Amphitheatre on May 21. www.steelydan.com
Cover of Gerry Rafferty's classic track. Says Sam: "At the end of the 'You, Forever' recording session, we had a little room left at the end of the tape reel so we decided to do a cover. 'Right Down the Line' is one of my favorite songs and I covered it because I wanted to learn how to sing all those harmonies on the chorus." www.samevian.com
Los Angeles singer-songwriter Ramona Gonzalez performs as Nite Jewel. She also teaches Audio Technology and Music Production at UCLA. www.facebook.com
No justice, No peace.
Eva Walker of The Black Tones says "'The Key of Black' is a response to the violence and murders of American citizens by white supremacists infiltrating the police department. We wanted to write a song that was all emotion. There aren't any words except for the call-and-response in the middle of the song ('They want us dead'). We’ve been talking about this stuff, we’ve been addressing it - I was at the point where people just had to feel it. So I let the guitar do all of the singing for the majority of the song." www.theblacktones.com
The Black Angels were at KEXP two weeks ago. Look for the video on our YouTube channel this Friday at www.youtube.com
Baltimore-born, DC-raised Maimouna Youssef aka "Mumu Fresh" is a critically acclaimed Afro-Indigenous singer, Emcee, songwriter, activist, workshop facilitator and audio engineer - a "quadruple threat" according to The Roots' Black Thought. maimounayoussef.com
Remembering Phife Dawg. He would have turned 51 yesterday. He passed in 2016 due to complications from diabetes. atribecalledquest.com
New EP from Australian-born, Berlin-based producer-DJ Samantha Poulter. logic1000.bandcamp.com
New album from Australian DJ and producer Tim Shiel. timshiel.bandcamp.com
Singer, producer and multi-instrumentalist Daniela Bojorges-Giraldo is from Irvine, California. www.stpanther.com
Alecia Grey (Lila Iké) credits her affinity for music to her mother's ear. Traces of the songs that filled her childhood home in Manchester Parish are found in the texture of the self-taught singer's sound. Growing up in a strict religious household, she wrote songs in her spare time, searching for solace in the things she couldn't admit to her mother and three sisters. Watch DJ Miss Ashley's Live at Home session with her at www.youtube.com
Lamar's second studio album was named one of the best albums of 2012 by BBC, Complex Magazine, Fact Magazine, New York Magazine, and Pitchfork. www.kendricklamar.com
The Seattle-raised, Brooklyn-based artist's second album is a seamless blend of hip hop and jazz, combining hip hop beats and accompaniment from a stellar lineup of New York jazz musicians with deeply personal lyrics detailing his experience with mental illness. Kassa Overall performed live on KEXP in March 2020 (pre COVID): youtu.be
Yussef Kamaal were the London-based jazz-funk duo Yussef Dayes (drums) and Kamaal Williams (keyboards). They released one album, Black Focus, in 2016.
Tinariwen are a group of Tuareg musicians from northern Mali. Formed in 1979 in Algeria, Tinariwen returned to Mali in the 90s after a peace agreement was reached between the Tuaregs and the Malian government. tinariwen.com
Hey Seattle, don't forget to get your Vitamin D dose today!
Hey Brother was the 100th 45 released by Daptone Records. This track, originally on The Frightnrs album "Nothing More to Say", features Charles Bradley, Sharon Jones, Lee Fields, and James Hunter. daptonerecords.bandcamp.com
From her 12-track(!) debut album. anaiis moved to London after studying music at NYU. twitter.com
Ivy Sole is Philadelphia rapper and producer Taylor C. McLendon. They are non-binary, and graduated from Penn's Wharton School with a degree in business. www.instagram.com
Björk Guðmundsdóttir turns 56 today! She was born in Reykjavík in 1965 and only recently returned to the stage at Harpa Opera House after repeated postponements due to COVID lockdowns. bjork.com
Roberto Carlos Lange, who records as Helado Negro, joined KEXP's Albina Cabrera for an interview late last year: www.kexp.org
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His new double album, "Far In," arrived in October to very positive reviews: pitchfork.com
Interview with Seattle Center security guard Dan Gregory has been uploaded to Mixcloud. He is up for a Carnegie Medal due to his actions at Capitol Hill on June 7, 2020: www.mixcloud.com