Posted on Radio

Breakdown: April 22nd on KPFK’s Melting Pot

Sunday was notable for a number of reasons, first off it was Earth Day, I’d hoped to play a short Happy Birthday greeting to the Earth that Captain Beefheart recorded many moons ago, but left somewhere in the deep recesses of my hard drive at home. Secondly, April 22nd is Charles Mingus’ birthday, and that is a national holiday in my household so I definitely made sure not to forget to play several tracks from Mingus, including the very first thing I ever identified as coming from the man, first heard almost 20 years ago, “Wednesday Night Prayer Meeting.” All the emotion that was in the playing has hooke me ever since.

Sunday we also played an amazing performance and interview with Josh Haden and Spain, (separate post upcoming), that takes up just about all of the second hour. In between the tribute to Mingus and the Spain interview I played a few newer things that have come my way, almost all of which were pretty funky, including new music from the Sugarman Three, a group out of SF named Monophonics, a brand new group from LA called Jungle Fire, African Electronica from Batida and some interesting reissues from Funky Rob and Jean Rollin. Next week we’ll be on all vinyl, and we’ll likely have a special guest DJ in the second hour.

Melting Pot on KPFK #82: First Hour
Melting Pot on KPFK #82: Second Hour

Playlist: 04-22-2012

{opening theme} Booker T & the MGs – Melting Pot – Melting Pot (Stax)

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Charles Mingus – Wednesday Night Prayer Meeting – Blues & Roots (Atlantic)
Charles Mingus – Old Blues For Walt’s Torin – Tonight At Noon (Atlantic)
Charles Mingus – Mood Indigo – Mingus Mingus Mingus Mingus Mingus (Impulse!)
Charles Mingus – Don’t Let It Happen Here – Music Written For Monterey 1965, Not Heard, Played In Its Entirety at UCLA (Sunnyside)

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Monophonics – There’s A Riot Going On – In Your Brain (Ubiquity)
Rob – Make It Fast, Make It Slow – Make It Fast, Make It Slow (Soundway)
Pierre Raph – Gilda & Gunshots – The B-Music Of Jean Rollin (Finders Keepers)
Jungle Fire – Comencemos – Single (Self-released)

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Georgia Anne Muldrow – Birth Of Petey Wheatstraw – Seeds (Someothaship)
Batida – Tirei O Chapeu – Batida (Soundway)
Pure Essence – Wake Up – Soul Cal (Now-Again)
Sugarman 3 – Got To Get Back To My Baby – What The World Needs Now (Daptone)

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Spain – Performance and Interview – Recorded Live At KPFK (KPFK Archives)

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Gil Scott-Heron – Must Be Something – First Minute Of A New Day (Arista)

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{closing theme} Dungen – C. Visar Vagen – Tio Batar (Kemado)

Posted on Dig Deep

Dig Deep: Nancy Priddy – You’ve Come This Way Before – Dot Records (1968)

Nancy Priddy – You've Come This Way Before
Nancy Priddy – Ebony Glass
Nancy Priddy – We Could Have It All

Sorry to have once again seemingly disappeared on you all. Been a very busy time on the home & work front but I should be back to normal after this week. Thought I’d come back strong here on Record Store Day with a real deep LP that I recently ran into at the mecca of all things funky, the venerable Groove Merchant in San Francisco. On the rare occassion these days that I make it to Groove Merchant I try to spend as much time as I can perusing the various bins before checking out the super rare records that are on the wall as a finale before I get ready to split. This record caught my eye not because I knew anything about it, but because it seemed a little out of place. It really doesn’t look like much, just a standard 1970s singer-songwriter kind of looking cover, you’d expect acoustic guitars and maybe some soft strings.

After passing by the unassuming record several times, and finally concluding, “well if Cool Chris has this on the wall, there must be something good on it,” I decided to drop the needle on the LP and promptly had my mind blown. This record could be the poster child for why it’s so important to never judge a record by it’s cover. I don’t even know how to accurately describe the variety of sounds contained on this album, they are undeniably funky, clearly sample worthy (I’m sure Madlib has made great use of this already), at times off the wall, but always interesting. Musically, the songs float from sort of late-sixties hippie funk, as on the title track, to darker tracks like “Ebony Glass” that could have easily found their way onto a David Axelrod album. Priddy’s voice also does a lot of interesting things, going from a seemingly innocent girlish-ness to a bit of backwoods country phrasing to projecting assured womanly confidence. While there are clearly additional singers used at times on the album, (including a pretty creepy kid on “Ebony Glass”) it’s amazing how many different voices it seems Priddy uses throughout the album.

What’s even more interesting is the story of Nancy Priddy, who Chris would tell me is actually the mother of well-known actress Christina Appelgate and apparently the inspiration behind the Buffalo Springfield song “Pretty Girl Why.” She had a varied career, working as a model, actress and a singer, first with the Bitter End Singers, and then on her own. Unfortunately Priddy didn’t record much more than this LP, a few vocals on some Astrology albums are all the credits I can find after this recording, and she spent a long time away from music, only to pick up recording again somewhat recently (likely after finding out how revered her sole album was amongst collectors).

A remaining mystery is who are the players on this album. I’m not familiar enough with Dot records to know who their favored sidemen were. The record has been reissued on CD, so perhaps there are some clues in there. All I’ve read is that Bernard “Pretty” Purdie makes an appearance (incidentially, it’s too bad Nancy & Bernard didn’t form a group called Pretty Priddy Purdie, THAT would have been outstanding!) and the drums on the LP do sound as if they could be him or a similar heavyweight. I’m just surprised that I’d never heard this record before, I’m sure over the years of digging in stores all over the country, I’ve passed this record over thinking it wasn’t anything special…which just underscores yet again what a treasure a fantastic record store, like Groove Merchant, truly is for music aficionados. Support your local Record Stores and keep “Record Store Day” going throughout the year.

Cheers,

Michael

Posted on Ephemera

In Heavy Rotation: Ruby Fray – Pith – K Records

Ruby Fray – Let's Grow Older

Been sitting on this release for what seems like ages. Ruby Fray is the latest project featuring Emily Beanblossom, whose prior work fits more within the freak-folk or even metal scenes but here turns in a nuanced and often gorgeous bit of lo-fi/hi-fi indie sounds. Some of the serene quality of this music must be because of the players, which include members of Desolation Wilderness and Lake, a couple of very dreamy bands also on K, but often it’s the gruff sweetness and strength of Beanblossom’s voice that makes this recording truly memorable. Pith is a fascinating piece of work, which I have the feeling the more I listen to it, the more indispensible it will become.

Posted on Radio

Be Our Guest: Pat Thomas, author of Listen, Whitey!: The Sights and Sounds of Black Power

Pat Thomas Interview on KPFK’s Melting Pot: Recorded 04-04-2012

Our guest this past Sunday was author/producer Pat Thomas, who stopped in to discuss his latest work, Listen, Whitey!: The Sights & Sounds of Black Power 1965-1975  and the musical companion to the book, released by Light In The Attic records.  As someone who grew up listening to many of the leaders associated with the Black Power movement, including Huey P. Newton, Bobby Seale, Stokely Carmichael/Kwame Ture and Eldridge Cleaver I became aware of music associated with the music as my musical tastes began to converge with my political and cultural tastes in college.  In the past there have been a few collections that cover music of the Civil Rights Movement, but few that have covered music directly/indirectly associated with the often more militant Black Power movement.  “Listen, Whitey” more than fills that gap  (I’ll be reviewing the CD later in the week).

Thomas compiles information on a wide variety of musical releases, some well-known, some very obscure, associated with this turbulent, passionate and still controversial period of American History.  Our interview covers how he came into the project, some insight on several of the most interesting tracks from the collection, including the Lumpen, a group formed by rank and file members of the Black Panther Party and Bob Dylan’s all but lost acoustic version of “George Jackson” dedicated to the Soledad Brother George Jackson and recorded shortly after his murder.   We also discuss the reception of the book, the legacy of this music and this time for contemporary musicians and audiences and plans for subsequent volumes.  In addition to tracks from the Lumpen and Bob Dylan, we also played tracks from Elaine Brown and Amiri Baraka during the course of the interview.

Posted on Radio

Breakdown: April 8th on KPFK’s Melting Pot

Felt good to be back on the airwaves (and back on Facebook after a long lent) after a little break. We had a little bit of new music in yesterday’s show, including tracks from Georgia Anne Muldrow, Ceu, Ruby Fray, THEE Satisfaction and the first new album from Josh Haden’s Spain in over 10 years! Ahead of their show on Friday the 13th at the Sattelite, you got an edited version of the Sandwitches interview / performance from November of last year (here’s a link to the full performance with 2 more songs) featuring one of my favorite performances on the show from 2011. In the second hour I spend time with author Pat Thomas (separate post coming) on his new book and the CD/LP compilation, “Listen Whitey!: Sounds of Black Power 1967-1974.” There’s a good bit of insight on the process of putting something like this together as well as some interesting stories on some of the artists in the collection. I’m out of town again on April 15th, but Morgan Rhodes will fill-in for me and then I’ll be back on April 22nd!

Melting Pot on KPFK #81: First Hour
Melting Pot on KPFK #81: Second Hour

Playlist: 4-8-2012

{opening theme} Booker T & the MGs – Melting Pot – Melting Pot (Stax)

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Humble Pie – Groovin’ With Jesus – Thunderbox (A&M)
King James Version – He’s Forever – Boddie Recording Co., Cleveland, Ohio (Numero)
David Axelrod – Holy Are You – Warner/Reprise Sessions: Electric Prunes & Pride (Warner UK)
Pulp – Dishes – This Is Hardcore (Island)
Ruby Fray – Closed Eye – Pith (K Records)

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The Sandwitches – Interview & Performance (Rebroadcast) – Recorded at KPFK 11-2-2011 (KPFK Archives)

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Spain – The Only One – The Soul Of Spain (Diamond Soul)
Wendy Rene – Crying All By Myself – After Laughter, Comes Tears: Complete Stax & Volt Singles + Rarities 1964-1965 (Light In The Attic)
Freedom Express – Get Down – Soul Cal (Now-Again)
THEEsatisfaction – God – Awe NaturalE (Sub Pop)
Ceu – Retrovisor – Caravana Sereia Bloom (Six Degrees)
Brownout – Flaximus – Oozy (Nat Geo Music)

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Pat Thomas – Interview – Recorded at KPFK (KPFK Archives)

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Amiri Baraka – Who Will Survive America? – Listen Whitey!: The Sounds of Black Power 1967-1974 (Light In The Attic)
Georgia Anne Muldrow – Kali Yuga – Seeds (SomeOthaShip)
Nancy Priddy – Ebony Glass – You’ve’ Come This Way Before (Dot)

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{closing theme} Dungen – C. Visar Vagen – Tio Batar (Kemado)

Posted on Dig Deep

Dig Deep: Blue Mitchell – The Last Tango = Blues – Mainstream (1973)

Blue Mitchell – The Message
Blue Mitchell – P.T. Blues
Blue Mitchell – Steal The Feel

{Been out of town and super busy lately, but I’ll be returning to the KPFK airwaves on Sunday (and to Facebook as well!) and then back here with new posts on Monday April 9th!!!}

Though it was often outshined by Blue Note and Prestige, Mainstream records put out quite a few solid and funky releases in the late 1960s and early 1970s. Case in point, this album by Trumpeter Blue Mitchell (who cut a number of nice LPs on Blue Note himself). The Last Tango = Blues features a big band with some familiar names to the funky faithful, David T. Walker on guitar, Charles Kynard on organ, Chuck Rainey on bass, Ray Pounds, Paul Humphrey and King Errisson on drums and percussion. Many of those players were also featured on the Chubukos/Afrique recordings that produced “House Of The Rising Funk,” and they definitely bring the funk on this LP, especially on tracks like “Steal The Feel” and “P.T. Blues.” But, the real reason to track down this one is the instrumental version of Cymande’s all-world classic, “The Message.” While I know there’s at least one other cover (a spanish version by Hielo Ardiente), I’m not sure if there is another instrumental of this track. Blue and the boys work it on out to great effect and so when I ran across this LP at Atomic recently (now my second time owning this one, first one copped at Groove Merchant many moons ago), I simply had to share my great fortune with you.

Cheers,

Michael

Posted on Ephemera

In Heavy Rotation: Georgia Anne Muldrow – Seeds – SomeOthaShip

Georgia Anne Muldrow – Seeds

Beginning of the year we got word that Georgia Anne Muldrow would grace us in 2012 with a brand new album, and not only would we get new music from GAM, but that this new album would be produced by Madlib. The final result is the exquisite Seeds, an album that actually exceeded my already highly elevated expectations for this collabo. “Seeds” the track fulfills all the promise of Muldrow’s earlier recordings and shows Madlib to a producer completely in tune with the artist. Highly recommended listening, and a sure thing to feature in our end of the year “Best of 2012” show.

Posted on Radio

Breakdown: March 25th on KPFK’s Melting Pot

Had to wait all the way for March for our first all vinyl show on Melting Pot. I’ve actually been a busy beaver on the vinyl front the last couple of months, so there was plenty of goodies to share with y’all. Unfortunately, my computer apparently decided that it didn’t want to record any of the analog sounds in the first hour (i’ve used the lower quality one from KPFK’s audio archives instead), though I was able to sweet talk it into getting all of the second hour. I’m out of town this week, but the always solid O-Dub from Soul-Sides.com will be guest hosting on April Fools Day at Melting Pot. Enjoy!

Melting Pot on KPFK #80: First Hour
Melting Pot on KPFK #80: Second Hour

Playlist: 03-25-2012

Boris Gardiner – Melting Pot – Is What’s Happening (Dynamic)

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Tim Maia – Primavera – Tim Maia (Polydor)
Richard “Popcorn” Wylie – E.S.P. – Extrasensory Perception (ABC)
Blue Mitchell – P.T. Blues – Last Tango – Blues (Mainstream)
El Gran Combo – Si No Me Dan – 5

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Sureshot Symphone Solution – Chair On The Ceiling (Skeleton Edit) – 7” (Self-released)
Dr. John – Babylon – Babylon (Atco)
SCLC Operation Breadbasket Orchestra – Nobody Knows – On The Case (Chess)
Scott Walker – The Big Hurt – Aloner (Smash)
Joe Dukes – Moohah The DJ – Soulful Drums (Prestige)

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The One & Nines – Make It Easy – 7” (Cotter)
Butterfield Blues Band – Driftin & Driftin’ – Live (Elektra)

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JC Brooks & the Uptown Sound – To Love Someone – 7” (Addenda)
Los Coke – Que Seria De Mi – Coke (Sound Triangle)
Johnny Lytle – You’ve Got To Love The World – Be Proud (Solid State)
Aynsley Dunbar Retaliation – Mutiny – Aynsley Dunbar Retaliation (Blue Thumb)

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The Sandwitches – Miracle Mile – Mrs. Jones Cookies (Empty Cellar)
La Reservacion India – Detras De Mi Sonrisa – Lo Buena De La Vida (Eco)
Henry “Red” Allen & Kid Ory – Blues For Jimmy – Red Allen Meets Kid Ory (Verve)
Lee Hazlewood – Bugles In The Afternoon – The Very Special World Of Lee Hazlewood (MGM)

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The Soul Investigators – Creepin’ Part 2 – 7” (Timmion)
Iggy & the Stooges – Death Trip – Raw Power (CBS)
Jorge Ben – Amor Do Carnaval – From Brazil (4 Corners)
Dennis Coffey – Big City Funk – Evolution (Sussex)

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{closing theme} Kenny Baker – Mississippi Waltz – Plays Bill Monroe (County)

Posted on Dig Deep

Dig Deep: Los Autenticos – Unicos, Dinamicos, Freneticos – RCA Victor (1969)

Los Autenticos – El Rey De Boogaloo
Los Autenticos – La Pelirroja
Los Autenticos – El Hueso
Los Autenticos – Todos Bailan Boogaloo

This LP is currently up for auction on Ebay…support Melting Pot and grab some mighty fine latin wax by clicking here.

Recently picked up this LP sealed at Amoeba, in their always interesting Latin Music section. Don’t know too much about Los Autenticos. I think they were a group out of Mexico, but I’m not really sure (seems there’s quite a few “Autenticos” out there on the internet). This album was released on RCA Victor in 1969 at the tail-end of the Boogaloo craze in NYC, but at a point where it was being picked up around Latin America, though with some different stylistic characteristics. In fact, I wouldn’t really classify any of these songs (including the ones with “Boogaloo” in their title), “Boogaloos.” The rhythms are a bit different, sometimes a bit on the Cumbia side, others a little more Salsa-ish. The one hallmark of Boogaloo that several of the songs do have is some serious hand claps and a great party vibe. Enjoy the sounds and the extra pictures for the Ebay folks.

Cheers,

Michael

Posted on Radio

Breakdown: March 18th on KPFK’s Melting Pot

Still pretty busy, but at least here’s an updated playlist for y’all. Nice show featuring a lot of new music, from Robert Glasper Experiment feat. King, Holly Golightly, Quantic & Alice Russell, La Sera, Frankie Rose, Ceu and many more…enjoy!

Melting Pot on KPFK #79: First Hour
Melting Pot on KPFK #79: Second Hour

Playlist: 03-18-2012

{opening theme} Booker T & the MGs – Melting Pot – 7” (Stax)

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No Walls – Wanderlust – No Walls (Third Eye)
Love – A House Is Not A Motel – Forever Changes (Elektra)
The Chefs – Love Is Such A Splendid Thing – Records & Tea (Damaged Goods)
The Spectrals – Get A Grip – Bad Penny (Slumberland)

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Robert Glasper Experiment feat. King – Move Love – Black Radio (Blue Note)
Frankie Rose – Daylight Sky – Interstellar (Slumberland)
Barry Goldberg – Fool On A Hill – Reunion (Buddah)
La Sera – I’m Alone – Sees The Light (Hardly Art)
Wendy Rene – Deep In My Heart – After Laughter Comes Tears (Light In The Attic)

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Adrian Younge – The Love I Got – Adrian vs. Adrian 12” (Ubiquity)
24 Carat Black – I Begin To Weep – Gone: The Promises of Yesterday (Numero)
Gonjasufi – Time Out – MUZZLE EP (Warp)
Sureshot Symphony Solution feat. Moses Soulreal – Hate The Real – A Good Look EP (Self-released)

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Quantic & Alice Russell with the Combo Barbaro – Magdalena – Look Around The Corner (Tru Thoughts)
Rotary Connection – I Must Be There – Aladdin (Cadet Concept)
Gold Leaves – Future – The Ornament (Hardly Art)
Ceu – Chegar Em Mim – Caravana Sereia Bloom (Six Degrees)

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Georgia Anne Muldrow – Husfriend – Seeds (SomeOthaShip)
US Aries – Are You Ready To Come (With Me) – Personal Space (Chocolate Industries)
J.J. Barnes – You Owe It To Yourself – Best of Perception and Today (BBE)
Quakers feat. Dead Prez – Soul Power – Quakers (Stones Throw)
The Funk Ark – High Noon – High Noon (ESL)

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Holly Golightly & the Brokeoffs – Mother Earth – Long Distance (Damaged Goods)
Hunx – Your Love Is Here To Stay – Hairdresser’s Blues (Hardly Art)
Kool Man & Diamond T – One For The Road – 7” (Timmion)
La Chiva Gantiva – Pa Q’ca – Pelao (Crammed Discs)

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{closing theme} Dungen – C. Visar Vagen – Tio Batar (Kemado)

Posted on Dig Deep

Dig Deep: Jorge Ben – From Brazil – Four Corners (1968)

Jorge Ben – Eu Sou Da Pesada
Jorge Ben – Si Manda
Jorge Ben – Quanto Mais Te Vejo
Jorge Ben – Nascimento De Um Principe Africano

This record is currently up for auction on Ebay, support Melting Pot, grab some classic (and classy) brazilian sounds by clicking here to view the listing.

As I mentioned earlier, the reason I picked up this copy (and why I’m selling it) is an interesting story…I first came across this record for I think $9 at Ameoba in Berkeley. Being a fan of Brazilian music and a lover of Jorge Ben in particular, I was more than happy to take advantage of what I thought was a major error on the stores part. For a few years I really dug on the sounds, but when my big sell-off happened in 2004, this was one of the LPs I had to part ways with. I made a few copies of my favorite songs from it, just to keep the album in my mind.

Over the years I kept coming back to the music and finally this year I decided to reaquire this LP. After this copy arrived at my house I was shocked to find that the music on the album was TOTALLY different than what was on my original copy. What was on this record was the same music as the brazilian release O Bidu Silencio No Brooklin from 1967! But yet, I knew I had had this same looking LP but with different music. I then noticed that this copy was originally labeled as stereo, but then relabeled as mono, so I tracked down a stereo copy of the album in hopes that THAT record would have the songs I had been looking for…Nope, stereo version was the same as this.

Eventually I figured out that the music on that LP I used to own was actually not even Jorge Ben’s music! It turned out to be music from Wilson Simonal, a contemporary of Jorge Ben’s, with a slightly deeper, but quite similar voice. The tracks from the LP I used to have were spread out over 5 or 6 releases that Simonal cut in the mid & late 1960s. My thinking is now that somehow there was a record plant mistake, and since the music is all in Brazilian portuguese, no one noticed they had pressed the wrong records. (I might have tracked down the Simonal LP with those songs…I’ll update with a Dig Deep post when it finally arrives).

So, here I was with two copies of a record that was not the record I thought it was. O Bidu / From Brazil IS a great record, as Ben’s music shifts from more acoustic bossa/samba sounds to a swinging 1960s rock style (backed up by Os Fevers) that actually doesn’t show up on many of the subsequent records. I especially dig how many times Jorge Ben name checks the “Brooklin” area of Sao Paulo, almost like a precursor of Hip-Hop’s love affair with NYC’s own Brooklin. Having heard “O Bidu” from Brazilian pressings, I feel like this 4 corners release has a superior sound and if you’re looking for these recordings, this is one you want to search for…now here’s some extra pics for the Ebay peoples.

Cheers,

Michael

Here's that frayed corner I was talking about, as well as the faded color on the bottom spine

Posted on Ephemera

In Heavy Rotation: Wendy Rene – After Laughter Comes Tears: Complete Stax & Volt Singles 1964-1965 – Light In The Attic

Wendy Rene – Give You What I Got

I have no excuse, no excuse whatsoever, for not having written anything until now about this fantastic collection put together by the folks at Light In The Attic. Many people had been raving about it since February, I just was too busy at the time to fully dig in and appreciate all of the goodness that was contained within. Wendy Rene was a soul singer from the Memphis area who released a series of sides with Stax and Volt in the mid-sixties, either by herself or with her family group The Drapels.  Astute fans may recognize her song “After Laughter Comes Tears,” because of it’s prominent use as a sample in several songs, most notably, “Tearz” from Wu-Tang. Rene gave us so much more than that grand tune, as this collection more than attests to. In particular, “Give You What I Got” has skyrocketed into my personal list of favorite deep soul songs, with that classic gritty Stax backing and guitar work that just has to come from Steve Cropper, to those wonderful back-up vocals giving you “More, More, More, More…Ba-by,” and Rene’s emotion filled lead vocal, it’s just about as close to perfect as perfect can be.