…And another one. This time Robert Glasper is joined by everyone’s favorite DJ/drummer/producer/music aficionado Questlove. Accompanied by The Roots and the sultry voice of Solange, “Twice,” a Little Dragon cover, is 9 minutes of passion and vitality. I’m getting more excited with every share from Black Radio Recovered: The Remix EP. Make sure you cop that on Oct. 9.
Whoa! The super funky Georgia Anne Muldrow just freaked the shit out of this Robert Glasper Experiment track, “The Consequences of Jealousy” from Black Radio Recovered: The Remix EP. It’s incredibly fitting that she would get her hands on this track to remix–she exhibits that same deep passion as this song’s vocalist, Meshell Ndegeocello. So far, this is my favorite reworking. Black Radio Recovered drops on Oct. 9.
Alright, people. Robert Glasper has blessed us with the first track from his upcoming Black Radio Recovered: The Remix EP. Featuring production from 9th Wonder and added vocals from Phonte, “Afro Blue” has now been transformed into a “fly love song,” sprinkled with soft flutes and Tigallo’s mellow lyrics. Black Radio Recovered drops on Oct. 9.
Jazz versions of hip hop songs can either turn out to be very dope or very corny. Fortunately, composer/producer brandon* seems to have perfected the art of the hip hop instrumental. Tackling one of A Tribe Called Quest’s smoothest tracks, brandon* has certainly infused his own flavor into “Find A Way,” which will compel you to want more.
First heard at BamaLoveSoul.
Out of New Orleans comes one of the city’s most renowned and respected traditional jazz bands, Preservation Hall. The band has teamed up with the incomparable pianist Allen Toussaint, Trombone Shorty and newly transplanted New Orleanian Yasiin Bey to bring a toe-tappin’, second-linin’ good time to a protest song. Creative director of the Preservation Hall Jazz Band Ben Jaffe told Rolling Stone, “Yasiin’s words are brilliant. I love that it’s a protest song that makes people dance. Those are the best kind.” “It Ain’t My Fault,” recorded at Carnegie Hall in January, will be released on St. Peter and 57th Street on Sept. 25th.
Rolling Stone holds the goods, so you can stream it there. I found some footage from the concert, which you can check out below.
It’s here! It’s here!: The perfect union of a few of hip hop’s greatest and proudest moments. Gummy Soul’s Amerigo Gazaway returns with a thoughtful and innovative mashup of the jazzy goodness of A Tribe Called Quest and the eclectic lyricism of The Pharcyde with Bizarre Tribe: A Quest to The Pharcyde. Questlove calls the mashup, “brilliant”; Okayplayer raves, “Two great flavors that tastes great together”; NPR sends its praises, “Gummy Soul producer Amerigo Gazaway makes his ingredients sound as if they were born to be together”; Audio Gumbo rhapsodized, “Amerigo Gazaway lives up to the high expectations that the creation of Fela Soul put in place. He does mashups very well.” Under the cut, you can download and listen to put in your two cents.
Meshell Ndegeocello returns with her 10th studio album, Pour Une Ame Souveraine (for a sovereign soul) – A Dedication to Nina Simone. With the help of the deeply soulful Cody ChestnuTT, Ndegeocello’s rendition of the celebrated Nina Simone’s ”To Be Young, Gifted and Black” maintains the original’s riveting lyrics while she bestows her own musical flare to the song. Ndegeocello explained to Essence.com why she chose to compile a dedication album to the High Priestess of Soul:
[She] was unusual, unruly, unparalleled. She has an unmistakable voice and an unavoidable spirit – she’s terse and angry and expressive of her despair and her joy and her sexuality.
She was a loud, proud Black, female voice during a time when Black female voices were not encouraged to make themselves heard
Pour Une Ame Souveraine will be released on Oct. 9. Download this track from Essence.com.
Courtesy of Okayplayer
Jazz vocalist and songwriter Gregory Porter has been sweeping the world with his second album Be Good. With a mixture of contemporary and vintage jazz sounds, Porter created a project that many can appreciate. What I found, though, is a re-mixed version of his hit “1960 What?” from his debut album Water. Sprinkled with some Cuban flavor, Gerardo Frisina transforms the conscious call of action into an even funkier dance tune.
And if you’re interested in the original sound, check out the video below. Shot in Detroit, it’s a dedication to the uprising of a working, and many times overlooked, class of strivers.
Last year, a very dope mashup of Fela Kuti and De La Soul hits, Fela Soul, was brought to us by the extremely creative mind of Amerigo Gazaway of Gummy Soul. This year, Gazaway has harnested that same intense energy to produce a mashup of The Pharcyde and A Tribe Called Quest, Bizarre Tribe: A Quest to The Pharcyde. Set to drop on the anniversary of the release of Fela Soul, September 13, there’s no doubt that something spectacular is on the horizon. Enjoy a little sample of what’s to come.
Some of the best news I’ve heard this week, the official release of Robert Glasper’s Black Radio Recovered: The Remix EP drops on Oct. 9. Glasper’s most recent release, Black Radio (still in heavy rotation, btw), is a beautiful melding of jazz, hip hop and soul, so there’s no doubt that The Remix EP will maintain that same level of genre intermixing. With production credits from 9th Wonder, ?uestlove and Georgia Anne Muldrow, additional vocal stylings from talents such as Phonte, Black Milk and Solange Knowles, this reworking should be well worth the anticipation. Check out the tracklisting and lil’ performance from The Robert Glasper Experiment with the lovely Lalah Hathaway under the cut. (more…)
