Really looking forward to catch this amazing new documentary THE BLACK POWER MIXTAPE 1967-1975mobilizes a treasure trove of 16mm material shot by Swedish filmmakers, after languishing in a basement of a TV station for 30 years, into an irresistible mosaic of images, music, and narration chronicling the evolution one of America's most indelible turning points, the Black Power movement. Featuring candid interviews with the movement's most explosive revolutionary minds, including Angela Davis, Bobby Seale, Stokely Carmichael, and Kathleen Cleaver, the film explores the community, people and radical ideas of the movement.
Music by Questlove and Om'Mas Keith, and commentary from and modern voices including Erykah Badu, Harry Belafonte, Talib Kweli, and Melvin Van Peebles give the historical footage a fresh sound and make THE BLACK POWER MIXTAPE an exhilarating, unprecedented account of an American revolution.
Film festivals coming up;
London Int. FIlm Festival 12-27 October
Abu Dhabi Film Festival 13-22 October
Vienna Int. Film Festival 20 October to 2 November
CPH:DOX 3-13 November
Head over to bandcamp and receive some gem tunes from the Label Love collective of imprints now on vol 3..Another beautifully compiled sampling of unreleased music from some of the best independent labels worldwide. An eclectic yet unified bundle of unique sounds compiled simply for the love of sharing them with the universe - each track plucked and presented by label heads from DeconRecords,FatBeats, One-Handed Music, Stones Throw, Tru Thoughts, Wah Wah 45s, and Wax Poetics. A Troll’s Soiree for me.. nJoy!.
There is currently, a documentary in progress called the Roy Ayers Project featuring the Man himself, as well as many hip-hop producers who have sampled his music and other people who have been influenced by him and his music. The documentary is planned to be released in early 2012. Keep your ears to tha ground, i can`t wait for this!
Chillin' with a heavy head cold ain't no fun but with some spiritual righteous vibes from Del Jones 'Positive Vibes' 1973 LP, re-issued in Japan, that's similar in vain to the legendary Gil Scott-Heron, helps ease the suffering! This is one of those top-notch albums that really needs your attention..seek it out..Njoy!
Double post today as we have another Japanese holiday celebrating the "Coming Of Age" of people reaching 20 years of life and thus over here maturity...(well that's debatable.!) Anyway that's a long way off for my own. So i'll indulge you in a little afrocentric spiritual jazz for the moment.....The sublimely beautiful "River Luv Rite" from The Oneness Of Ju Ju's 1976 LP on Black Fire Records. For me the warm, humanly emotive vocals of Lady Eka-Ete Jackie Lewis stretches the tune far beyond the tight polyrhythmic jazzy composition of Plunky. Essential sounds inna world full of trouble and uncertainty...Given a well deserved re-issue by Strut records in 2002.
While clearing through some old draft posts for a little new year clean up i came across this post I'd forgot about at the time...Huge apologies for that.
In Memory of Haydain Neale who passed on 22nd November. Wonderful voice, wonderful spirit....R.I.P.
Another idea i wanted to explore and share with you is some of the damn funky blaxploitation film sountracks that was recorded in the 7T`s, by the likes of Quincy Jones, Curtis Mayfield, Herbie Hancock etc.....First up for your sensual sunday, is two tracks from the first all black cast adult porn movie made in 1974 called Lialeh or Black Lialeh as it was known in the US...The director, Barron Borcovichy had a major coup to land legendary drummer Bernard 'Pretty' Purdie who composed, produced and performed Lialeh`s score, apparently while he was between projects with Curtis Mayfield, Aretha Franklin, The Last Poets, The Rolling Stones and James Brown, none the less....What a busy dude!!
The original released on Bryan Records is very hard to find and reportedly going for $600, but can be found re-released by Light In The Attic Records...check it out you won`t be disappointed.
Lialeh
hap'nin'
Tracklisting 1. Lialeh 2. Touch Me Again 3. Conscious 4. Easy 5. All Pink on the Inside 6. Pass Me Not 7. Hap`nin
Sometimes i do wonder and worry, like all parents, what the future holds for my nearly 4 year old daughter. With our wonderful planet home, increasingly becoming unsustainable by the year and violent conflict in so many places, due to the pattens of our inhuman behaviour. The thought of a world in which so many children are living in poverty, with malnutrition and abuse (physically, emotionally) death and trauma, brings me nothing but a deep depression...But i have hope that we will as a species come to our senses and realise the children are our future...Our only real hope is that we can evolve to provide them a space without the horrors that befall them now, a space of peace, justice, learning and plenty. Its when i think these thoughts that my depression melts away...Melts into the music, the sounds that have uplifted me and consoled me on so many moments during my life.!!....This is for Emmilee, nearly 4.
"Children are the world's most valuable resource and its best hope for the future” John Fitzgerald Kennedy.
“If we are to teach real peace in this world, and if we are to carry on a real war against war, we shall have to begin with the children.”
A couple of tracks this week from an outstanding jazz-funk maestro Weldon Irvine, from his 1976 LP "Sinbad" on RCA Records. Inspired by the moving, artistic strength of Marvin Gaye and Stevie Wonder's '70s recordings, Irvine mixed energetic funky grooves with elegantly touching mellow pieces and created an astounding blend of Jazz and Soul that is still fresh 30 years on...Especially going out to my adoring wife and all that she puts up with!...Enjoy! and maybe share with the one you adore.
Weldon Irvine - "music is the key" (featuring don blackman on vocals)
Second one up in the covers series (I`m sure my mate Shiro will love this one) is a wonderful tune called "Smiling Faces Sometimes", It wasn`t a success when originally recorded by the Temptations in 1971. Coming in at 12 minutes long, most of which is comprised of extended instrumental passages without any vocals. An edited version was planned as the Temptations' summer of `71 single release, but this plan was dropped when Eddie Kendricks, the lead vocalist, frustrated by personnel problems within the group, quit the Band and signed a solo deal with Motown in March that same year.
The Vid is only 11 minutes of the orginal..the full version is in download below. The Temptations
So the Producer Norman Whitfield had the song re-recorded by The Undisputed Truth and released that same year..it would become their only top 40 billboard hit. Both versions deal with the same subject matter, "back-stabbing" friends who do their friends wrong behind their backs ("Smiling faces sometimes...they don't tell the truth...smiling faces sometimes tell lies")
From her 1972 "Dig This!" LP, here is Bobbi Humphrey with her beautiful instrumental version, Sampled by Common on "Puppy Chow." Enjoy!
Just had to post this up for the weekend, remember a friend having this album but i could never find a copy.....So here it is and it still sounds amazing. Geoffery Stoner`s voice just soothes me away.. From the 1973 LP, "Watch Out" on Ovation Records.
Here is a little series we can explore, of the great tunes that have been covered by various artists . First up is "Les Fleurs" An outstanding vocal track by Minnie Riperton on her first solo album after leaving the band Rotary Connection. Written by her husband Richard Rudolph and Charles Stepney. A shimmering soulful tune with beautiful strings, horny horns, jazzy piano, A cross between Burt Bacharach and Marvin Gaye.
Minnie Riperton - "Les Fleurs"
Here is 4hero`s version a musical journey with buildups and comedowns that just make your hair stand on end.
I feel like 2 posts today, so hope you enjoy this little Gem... you know with all the turmoil going on around the world and not just in the financial sector, we can sometimes lose our focus on what really matters in life and what really matters to me is Peace of Mind in whatever i do in my life..The title of this track is emphasising just that.......S.O.U.L means Sounds of Unity and Love and they are telling you that ya "gotta have peace of mind"
Originally Released in 1972 by Musicor Records it was the second album by the band the first being "What Is It" released a year earlier. There is great energy in this tune..
Enjoy!
It was always a struggle for us funk fiends to find the music we were buying and hearing in the clubs, on the radio. Radio One was still churning out its daily diet of sugary pap that appealed as much to your parents as it did to your kid sister, but soon that was coming to an end, for ever!
Although Radio Invicta was nothing new, having started around the early 70`s, we just could never pick up a bloody signal...it was either our shitty little cassette radio`s or living right in the center of London with all the concrete to soak up the illicit broadcasts...Then one bright sunny Sunday afternoon we decided to head over to Regents Park from our normal plot hanging and larking out in Fitzroy square. Fitzroy is one of those beautiful squares that London prides itself on surrounded by Georgian houses with Portland stone exteriors, obviously built for the Aristos of earlier times...Regents Park on the other hand offered us a vast expanse of space..to explore, with its fantastic Nash landscape. Really looking back on it now we were very lucky to have such an incredible outlet right on our doorsteps. Passing Gt Portland Street tube station up Park Square east, Timmy`s still dancing along with his brand new Boogiebox bought the week before, we`d enter the Avenue Garden section of the park, always an advantageous position to admire the cuties either domestic or foreign passing by. Finding a spot to plot, it would be on to the dial chasing that frequency..92.4VHF....hissing, crackling...Got it!!!
You hear the jingle 'Soul over London'.....then.
It was the clearest signal we had heard, collectively our minds joined together and so did our eyes, wide open to the potential for taping to the max...."Fuck that does it", We had found another spot to call our own. "Stonehenge" we nicknamed it, due to a rather strange metallic piece of sculpture by some unknown artist, that we used to prop the boogiebox up against, which seem to improve the quality of signal. Sunday afternoon will never be the same again, we could do there what we wanted to do!!
and we did indeed, over the following years and other pirates that came and went most notably, JFM, LWR, Horizon, Solar and later Kiss, who in later years would be the only station to gain a legal status. "Stonehenge" became the mecca for all the funky kids from around the flats...Leeko "mr guitarman", Glug, The Boon, Johnny "organics sax" L, Jinadu, The Langridge family, K,P & Erica Tilly, The Legs Diamond, MD "the pusherman" all becoming one little funky family immersed in the tunes of the times!
And not only on weekends, many balmy hot summer evenings, we`d meet up outside the offy on Robert Street, armed with our sauce of choice, boogiebox and blunts, we`d jump the park gates and head further into the epicenter, so as the circling plod patrol, would never hear the 24 hour sounds...we`d party until sunrise, occasionally crashing because too mashed move.
Too all the dj`s on those stations, thank you guys!
