SoulTrackin’ 11/27/06…
Filed under: Blues, Music, Soul/R&B, SoulSites, SoulTrackin'
Bad News/Good News. The bad news is that the Thanksgiving holiday is over and we are all making our way back to the daily grind this morning (not to mention that we’ll still be eating turkey of some sort for the rest of the week! {smile}). The GOOD NEWS… SY over at SoulYankee is feeling better and has re-opened her blog. Good news indeed. Pace yourself, SY, and welcome back!
Only 5 more… that’s the number of comments/requests needed over on SOULCrates to get GrantLove to release his latest mix, Stop On By, for download. Come on people, we can do it! {smile}
Speaking of stopping on by, you should do just that and check out Darcy’s Feel It. The latest post is a wonderful bit on the woman who, IMHO, put the “sass” in sassy, Ms. Millie Jackson.
Over on Rifftides, Doug Ramsey notes the passing of Anita O’Day and Walter Booker; and also has some thoughts about Tony Bennett.
QS_BIRD has released a nice trio of mixes on R&B_QuietStorm: In The Mood For Love… From A To Z – Vol. 8; Goodbye My Love; and the Quietstorm of “CAMEO”.
SoulTrackin’ 11/26/06…
Here’s hoping everyone’s Thanksgiving holiday was a safe, happy and enjoyable one. Speaking of Thanksgiving, my friend GrantLove dropped a new mix on us Thursday just in time for the holiday. He wants you to “Stop On By” SOULCrates “and get a hearty mix of 80’s R&B and some 70’s SOUL”… and more! It’s well worth the trip.
OBTW… while you’re over there leave GL a comment to let him know that, YES, we do want him to post the file of the mix for downloading. And if he asks, tell him NetInfoWeb/Rhythms In Black Satin sent ya! {smile}
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SoulTrackin’ 11/21/06…
From the New York Times by way of the Jazz & Blues Music Reviews blog, more on the Miles Davis movie project.
New Soul/Blues Blog…
By way of In Dangerous Rhythm, I have uncovered a new blog dedicated to Soul and Blues music: Sing It One Time For The Broken Hearted!
Whoo-Hoo!! I just love discovering new sites focused on the music I love. Andy Aitchison is your host, drop by and check him out.
SoulTrackin’ 11/20/06…
For those of you who are not familiar with the career of Ruth Brown and her contributions to R&B/Soul music, check out the excellent post, Ruth Brown – Honey Boy (Atlantic 2075) by Red Kelly on the “B” side blog.
Oliver, soul sides, also notes the passing of Ruth Brown; as does Nick, on the vinyl word; and Jason over on Get On Down With The Stepfather of Soul
Hmmmm… a Miles Davis movie?
Got The Fever spotlights one of my all time favorite groups, WAR.
ear fuzz discovers Song For My Father.
QS_BIRD at R&B_Quietstorm has posted Real Men Know How To Love Vol. II.
Orgy In Rhythm gives us some nice jazz from George Braith and Gary Bartz.
HoneySoul.com announced a new feature for the blog called “Up Close”:
“Up Close” will allow you to listen to the entire album of a new soul artist along with their behind the scenes commentary about making the album, their thoughts, and their creative process. This is also a great way for the music lover to give personal feedback to the artist. I encourage you to listen, offer constructive suggestions and voice your opinion. All comments will be seen by the artist.
Also, there is a new Soul 2 Soul podcast, information about Lorenzo Owens, and an interview with Darien Brockington.
The Stepfather of Soul has some “Boogie For Ya!”
R.I.P. – Ruth Brown…
Another R&B/Soul music pioneer and legend has gone home to sing with the angels. Ruth Brown passed away yesterday at the age of 78.
Not To Be Missed… OSW: Gerald Levert
EJ’s latest Old School Wednesday, as expected, is a tribute to Gerald Levert. Don’t miss it.
We Remember Gerald Levert…
Recently updated on 11/15/06…
OK, saddened as I am by Gerald’s sudden passing, I have to admit that I am not as familiar with all of his music like many of you may be. I know some of his early songs like Casanova and Pop Goes My Mind, and his collaboration with his father Eddie on Baby Hold On to Me and a couple of others. Additionally, I have very little of his music in my personal collection.
So… as a celebration of his life and his music (and as a lesson in Levert-ology for me) I thought it would be a good idea to do a “build a playlist” here for Gerald’s music. I’ll contribute what (little) I can and I am asking the rest of you to help fill in the blanks and add to the list via the comments. I’ll update the list as contributions come in. Who knows, if we can come up with a good list maybe EJ might even consider using this as the basis for an upcoming OSW.
The Playlist: “We Remember Gerald Levert”
1. Casanova
2. Pop Goes My Mind
3. Baby Hold On To Me (w/Eddie Levert)
4. My Body (LSG)
5. Practice What You Preach (Barry White; written & produced by G. Levert)
Update (11:00am) starts here…
Thanks to Roddykat we can add the following to our growing list:
6. Baby I’m Ready
7. My Forever Love
8. ABC-123
9. Let’s Go Out Tonight
10. The Good Ol’ Days
11. Start Me Up Again
12. That’s What Love Is (Miki Howard w/Gerald Levert)
13. Just One Them Thangs (Keith Sweat w/Gerald Levert)
14. My Side Of The Bed (LSG)
15. Mamacita (Troop)
16. A Rose By Any Other Name (Teena Marie w/Gerald Levert)
17. Don’t Cry (Men At Large)
18. Go Ahead And Cry (The Rude Boys)
19. Put Your Body Where Your Mouth Is (Sean Levert)
So far, so good. Keep ‘em comin’!
Update (11/15/06)…
ms. alex contributes:
20. Taking Everything
Thanks!
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R.I.P. – Gerald Levert & Ed Bradley…
The music world lost two important friends over the past two days with the passing of singer/writer/producer Gerald Levert (Friday, November 10, 2006) and news journalist Ed Bradley (Thursday, November 9, 2006).
Young, Gifted and Black aptly describes Gerald, son of The O’Jays’ founding member Eddie Levert. A prime example of the saying, “the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree”, Gerald more than inherited his father’s talent as an entertainer and performer. From his initial efforts in the group Levert, to his very successful solo career, to his collaboration with Keith Sweat and Johnny Gill in the group LSG, to his many duets with various contemporaries, Gerald provided his fans with many years of memorable music and performances.
Ed Bradley is also being mourned in the music world today because, in addition to his reknowned career as a newsman and journalist, Ed was a tireless supporter and lover of jazz. As host of the radio series Jazz At Lincoln Center with Ed Bradley, he became known as the “voice of Jazz At Lincoln Center” to millions of jazz afficionados nationwide.
The good are taken away from us much to soon, and sometimes too suddenly. Our thoughts and prayers go out to their family and friends as we celebrate the moments, the memories and the accomplishments that Gerald and Ed have left behind.
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SoulTrackin’ 11/09/06… Another Blogaversary: J-NOTES.com
J-NOTES (http://www.j-notes.com)
Just discovered this blog a couple of days ago and while reading the first couple of posts on the home page I find out that “J” just celebrated his 4th blogaversary a couple of weeks ago. Man, where have I been that I mssed this one?! This guy knows his music and writes music reviews that I can only envy. Anyway, check out his About the Site page, it will tell you all you need to know much better than I can. I think I have a new favorite music blog to add to my “must read regularly” list!
SoulTrackin’ 11/07/06…
Got The Fever (http://gothefever.blogspot.com)
Kevin over at Got The Fever just picked up the 4-disc set of Blue Notes’ Blue Break Beats. As evidence of the jazzy grooves you can find on this set he presents Jimmy McGriff’s Blue Juice and Bobbi Humphrey’s Harlem River Drive both from the volume 1 disc.
Funky16Corners (http://funky16corners.wordpress.com)
We are glad to see that Larry (aka Funky16Corners), after spending a few days in the hospital last week, is back home now and on the road to recovery. Like a true music soldier though, he even dictated his November 3, 2006 message post to his wife from his hospital bed so his fans would be updated as to his whereabouts on his blog. Now that’s someone truly dedicated to the cause! Additionally, to celebrate his return (and the second anniversary of the Funky16Corners blog) he has posted the latest installment of Funky16Corners Radio, a jamming mix of some of his favorite tunes that he has presented for us this past year. REST UP LARRY AND GET 100% WELL SOON. And, of course, we are all looking forward to year 3 of Funky16Corners!
Your Free Soul (http://yourfreesoul.blogspot.com)
I know one is from a few weeks back, but I’m a sucker for anything Miles Davis. mrfrostee gives us Miles Davis Remixed: “…a little known gem released back in 1998 on Columbia Records. It’s a 4 song ep of reconstructed Miles Davis music. Very trippy and ambient stuff mixed by the legendary producer Bill Laswell.”
SoulTrackin’ 11/06/06…
Huh?! What’s this? Another edition of SoulTrackin’? Yeah, yeah, I know… I have deviated a bit from the originally stated goal of this site which is to be a reference source of where the sites are that are following soul music on the ‘Net. However, I have not abandoned that purpose at all. Since this site is still very much a “work-in-progress”, let’s just say I’ve been slightly distracted by experimenting with some other “features”. Yeah, that sounds good, I’ll have to make sure I remember that excuse, er, explanation when I write my autobiography. {smile}
Anyway, here at NetInfoWeb we actually are about “Trackin’ the Sites, Trackin’ the SOUL!”, so, in the words of one of my favorite Staple Singers songs, If You’re Ready, (Come Go With Me), as we go soulwalking to some interesting “SoulSites”…
R&B_QuietStorm (http://my-quietstorm.blogspot.com)
Here’s a site that’s new to me. Hosted by QS_BIRD, this lady is a big fan of the ‘quietstorm’ side of silky soul music and sensuous smooth jazz, and it shows. In need of a mellow mix to help you wind down from your hectic day, or something to “make the mood just right”? You can find it here at QS_BIRD’s R&B QuietStorm. Here are a few samples of the mixes you can find here:
Get On Down With The Stepfather Of Soul (http://stepfatherofsoul.blogspot.com/)
Happy Blogversary to Jason Stone and the GODWTSOS blog! Last Thursday, November 2, 2006, marked the one-year anniversary of Jason’s marvelous website. You go, boy! Keep on laying down that good ol’ soul music! To celebrate the occasion, he’s put together an “Anniversary Special” podcast featuring many of the tunes that have appeared on the blog in the past year.
SoulYankee (http://soulyankee.wordpress.com)
One of my favorite “SoulSites”, SoulYankee has just created a SoulYankee page over on MySpace (http://www.myspace.com/soulyankee). Also, while confessing her NPR addiction, SY gives us her take on Alice Smith and her debut album, For Lovers, Dreamers, and Me.
Roddykat… Working Hard For The Money!
Update 11/8/06:
Oops, forgot to add Roddykat’s suggestion, Johnny Kemp, Just Got Paid, to the list. Also, I found a few more money/working songs we can add.
13. Johnny Kemp – Just Got Paid
14. N’Sync – Just Got Paid (this version ain’t that bad, and it mixes nicely with Kemp’s version)
15. The Fatback Band – Gotta Get My Hands On Some (Money)
16. Collage – Money In Your Pocket
17. Dolly Parton – Working Nine To Five (Dolly Parton?! Hey, I’ve always liked this song [and the movie too!])
18. Michael Jackson – Money
19. Gwen Guthrie – Ain’t Nothing Goin’ On But The Rent (can’t believe I almost forgot about this one)
20. Funkadelic – Funky Dollar Bill
21. William DeVaughn – Be Thankful For What You’ve Got
Today’s “build a playlist” is dedicated to and inspired by my friend Roddykat over at The Brown Spoon weblog. While reading his post, Time off – and it feels so good, I was thinking, ‘Damn, this boy is busting it like I do, 7 days a week, third shift, crazy hours!’ And, of course, my next thought was let’s create a playlist about money and working hard to chase down that almighty dollar.
Roddykat, this Bud’s for you!
The Playlist: Working Hard For The Money
1. Barrett Strong – Money (That’s What I Want)
2. Simply Red – Money’s Too Tight Too Mention
3. John Handy – Hard Work
4. Fruteland Jackson – Blues 2.0
5. The O’Jays – For The Love Of Money
6. Michael Jackson – Working Day And Night7. The Isley Brothers – Work To Do7. Main Ingredient – Work To Do
9. Destiny’s Child – Bills, Bills, Bills
10. Donna Summer – She works Hard For The Money
11. The Drifters – Money Honey
12. Sam Cooke – Nobody Knows You When You’re Down And Out
That’s the start. What else can we add?
The Gospel Of Soul
Ya know… ever since I started NetInfoWeb in this new musical direction it seems I walk around with bits and pieces of different mixes in my head ALL the time. So much so I think I’m beginning to know what people with multiple personality disorder feel like {smile}. Anyway, here’s another one of those “Build A Playlist” type posts, this one called: “The ‘Gospel’ Of Soul”.
The theme for this one is gospel or “gospel-like” songs from non-gospel artists. Now keep in mind when I use the term “gospel” here I’m using it VERY loosely to refer to songs that have a spiritual message, or are about God/Heaven/Jesus/A Higher Power, etc. and not neccessarily something that would traditionally fit in the genre of Gospel. Confused yet? Hopefully, once you start looking at the list my meaning will be a little more clear…
The Playlist: “The ‘Gospel’ Of Soul
1. Teddy Pendergrass – Somebody Told Me
2. Stevie Wonder – Have A Talk With God
3. The Commodores – Jesus Is Love
4. Earth, Wind & Fire – Keep Your Head To The Sky
5. Leon Thomas – The Creator Has A Master Plan
6. Ramsey Lewis – Wade In The Water
7. The Impressions – Amen
8. Aretha Franklin – Oh Mary, Don’t You Weep
9. David Peaston – God Bless The Child
10. Staple Singers – I’ll Take You There
11. Howard Hewitt – Say Amen
12. Marvin Gaye – God Is Love
13. Marvin Gaye – Wholy Holy
14. Tata Vega – Come In Heaven, Earth Is Calling
15. Stevie Wonder – Heaven Is 10 Zillion Light Years Away
16. Stevie Wonder – Jesus Children Of America
17. Billy Preston – That’s The Way God Planned It
18. Patti Labelle – When You’ve Been Blessed
19. Curtis Mayfield – If There’s A Hell Below (We’re All Gonna Go)
20. Stevie Wonder – Heaven Help Us All
21. The Winans/Anita Baker – Ain’t No Need To Worry
22. Sam Cooke – A Change Is Gonna Come
OK, this looks like a complete full list. Still have to check the total time of all the songs to make sure they’ll all fit on one CD. Now time to start assembling it all into a listenable mix. Remember, this is just the “alpha” version of the playlist. The song order may (most likely) will change, some songs may get dropped, others may get added. Overall I think this is a great start.
“Thanks!” to all of you who contributed, you’ve made this playlist that much better. If you have more suggestions, keep ‘em comin’, remember the playlist is never complete until the CD has been burned. And if that’s the case, there’s always the “Gospel Of Soul 2″ playlist that we can work on {smile}.
“Thank You”… GrantLove AKA SOULCRATES
Been meaning to do this for a couple of days now…
I wanted to make sure I posted a public “Thank you so much” to GrantLove of the blog SOULCRATES. A few days ago I was at my wits’ end trying to remember the name of a funky instrumental song (“Put The Music Where Your Mouth Is” by the Olympic Runners)…
I think everybody has had a situation like this before… there’s a favorite song you heard “back in the day” but you can’t remember anything about it except a line or two, or maybe a couple of notes. In this case seeing as how the song was an instrumental there were no words to plug into Google to even begin a search with. All I had was the funky bass line repeating itself endlessy in my mind on a daily basis. To make matters even more ironic, I even had the entire song on an old cassette tape (remember those? yeah, I know, I’m dating myself. {smile}) that I had made back in my first year of college. And I still couldn’t recall the name of the tune! {sigh}
Anyway, back to the point… fortunately that infectious bass line happened to be sampled by Rob Base on his hit “Joy And Pain”. And then on the ride home from work last Thursday it hit me, BAM! (apologies to Emeril {smile}), GrantLove is an samples expert, maybe he might be able to help me out. And help me out HE DID. A quick e-mail describing what little bit I knew about the song and a couple of days later I got back the reply. It was one of those situations where as soon as I read the artist/title I was like, “Yeah, that’s it!”
So once again, “Thank you, GL!” You definitely made my day with that one.
“0″ For October…
Well, as far as keeping this site up, I went “0″ for October.
Sometimes you just wonder where the time gets to. Throw in the fact of a little IRL (”in real life”) drama, trials and tribulations, not to mention a monster project at work that is reaching a critical stage and, well, you go “0″ for October.
Undaunted though, we move on. Fortunately, October wasn’t all stress and aggravation. I did finish a couple of mixes that will be posted by the end of the week, and now that I have a good blog editor (Performancing, highly recommended!) it should be easier to keep things updated (the Wordpress editor IMHO is still a bit buggy and, at least for me, was a pain to use).
Also, as you can read below, I’m working on a new RIBS mix, “Sax Appeal”. You’ll be able to see it take shape “in real time” right before your very eyes {smile}.
Soooo… even though I never really left, I’m Back!
Let’s Build A Playlist: “Sax Appeal”…
Here’s what I hope will be a fun little exercise. Want to help me build a playlist?
This is how we’ll try and make it work…
1) The new playlist is called “Sax Appeal” (hey, everybody can use a little more “sax” in their day, right? {smile})
2) All songs should feature the saxophone as the “primary” instrument (examples would be Grover Washington, Jr., David Sanborn, John Coltrane, Houston Person, Candi Dulfer, King Curtis, Junior Walker, etc.)
3. The playlist will consist of 12-18 songs (the limiting factor is the 80 minute recording time of a CD)
4) The playlist will be posted here on the site, intially with two songs (first and last) of my choosing
5) In the comments to the message, post a song that you think would be a good song to follow the previous song in the list. The list on the site will then be updated with your song (and probably some commentary from me)
6)List is complete when the 80-minute (CD recording time) limit is reached
That’s it. I did something similar with a couple of college friends of mine (through e-mail only) earlier this summer and we had a blast. Been wanting to try it again using the website. Wanna play? Let’s have some fun!
The Playlist: Sax Appeal
1. Grover Washington, Jr. – A Secret Place
2. John Coltrane – A Love Supreme
3. Lester Young – These Foolish Things
4. Cannonball Adderley – Mercy, Mercy, Mercy
5. Stanley Turrentine – Don’t Mess With Mister T
6. George Howard - Love Will Follow
7. Duke Ellington/John Coltrane – In A Sentimental Mood
8. Mike Phillips – When It Comes To Lovin’ Me
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.
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18. Grover Washington, Jr. – Mr. Magic
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Last year's Capital Hip Hop Soul Fest was a musical celebration while vendors sold their products to eager to buyers. Book authors, including Felicia Pride-- writer of The Message and activist author Devin Walker were among some of the top authors who sold their books. The 2009 Capital Hip Hop Soul Fest will be held this year on Sat., July 25 in Marvin Gaye Park in Washington DC. While the musical acts are still being selected, vendors are able to reserve their tables now to receive our Early Bird Discount. For more info, email us at CapitalHipHopSoulFest@gmail.com
Fusion: Where Music, Technology, and Artist Creativity Intersect
Hello readers and listeners. I trust all is well today. This post is a follow-up to the previous post about the subject of an upcoming podcast I hope to resurrect entitled Fusion. The concept of this podcast came to me via an off the cuff discussion I had a few years ago with a fellow podcaster/recording artist/graphic designer. Both of us, being musicians in our own right, began discussing our backgrounds and influences in making music, which invariably talking about how technology (past and present) played a role taking the music from inner to outer. I began to see the different paths ...
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Cupid’s Hunt: 2009
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By N2H