Yesterday I had the profound pleasure of being the DJ for the formal start of this Summer season’s slate of shows at Grand Performances. Over the past five years, Grand Performances has been one of my favorite parts of the Summer here in LA. Free concerts in an urban environment, often surrounded by friends, old and new…there are few better ways to spend an evening. For me, to be able to set the mood for this show is a definite highlight of my DJ career. It also marked the first time I’ve DJ-ed in front of people since the start of the pandemic in 2020. I’m not sure I can fully articulate in words what the experience of this moment was like, to feel the wind pick up while playing Nina Simone’s “Wild Is The Wind,” the sunshine reflecting off of those tall downtown buildings during “Liquid Sunshine,” hearing the T.R.O.Y. break echo out in that space, showing members of Aditya Prakash’s extraordinary band the cover for the Mulatu Astatke record they were grooving on and countless other moments that are best kept to myself. I wanted to honor the moment, remember it in a tangible, personal way, and so I put together this set. Most of these are songs that I was able to play in my set before Knick Smith’s trio, and also before Aditya Prakash’s ensemble, performed…a few are ones that I originally thought I might play, but didn’t have the time…still others are ones that in hindsight I wish I had thrown into the mix. As I try to be more consistent about posting music here, there was simply no way I could just let this moment of joy pass…Enjoy the set, peace and bright moments
Grand Performances Guest DJ Set – Reimagined
Playlist:
Nina Simone – Wild Is The Wind – Wild Is The Wind (RCA)
Ramsey Lewis – Les Fleur – Maiden Voyage (Cadet)
Pastor T.L. Barrett & the Youth For Christ Choir – Like A Ship – Like A Ship…Without A Sail (Light In The Attic)
Bobbi Humphrey – Blacks and Blues – Blacks and Blues (Blue Note)
John Cameron – Liquid Sunshine – Voices In Harmony (KPM)
Harlem River Drive – If We Had Peace Today – Harlem River Drive (Roulette)
RAMP – Daylight – Come Into Knowledge (ABC)
Ronnie Foster – Mystic Brew – Two Headed Freap (Blue Note)
Lonnie Smith – Spinning Wheel – Drives (Blue Note)
Tom Scott & The Honeysuckle Breeze – Today – The Honeysuckle Breeze (Impulse!)
Gap Mangione – Diana In The Autumn Wind – Diana In The Autumn Wind (GRC)
Dionne Warwick – You’re Gonna Need Me – Just Being Myself (WB)
Billy Paul – Let The Dollar Circulate – When Love Is New (Philadelphia International)
Monty Alexander – Monticello – We’ve Only Just Begun (MPS)
Har-You Percussion Group – Welcome To The Party – Har-You Percussion Group (Luv’n’Haight)
Juan Amalbert’s Latin Jazz Quintet – Summertime – Hot Sauce (True Sound)
McCoy Tyner – Once I Loved – Trident (Milestone)
Lloyd Miller with the Press Keys Quartet – Gol-E Gandom – Oriental Jazz (East West)
Shamaizadeh – Hamumi – 7” (Ahang Rooz)
Asha Bhonsle & Suresh Wadkar with Chorus – Yeh Hawa Yeh Fiza – Sadma: Original Soundtrack (CBS)
Elias Rohbani – Dance of Maria – Mosaic Of the Orient (EMI)
Mulatu Astatke – Yegele Tezeta – New York-Addis-London: The Story of Ethio Jazz 1965-1975 (Strut)
Joe Henderson – Earth – The Elements (Milestone)