Lucky said to make the video something jazzy. Continue reading
jazz
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New game. I’m posting youtube videos (for the audio) and you guys tell me what hip hop tunes have sampled them. Or, just turn the speakers up and listen to some back-of-the-crate rare grooves. Continue reading
I, of course, am referring to… Continue reading
Editor’s Note: I’m reposting this today in celebration of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day.
Has there ever been a more talented human being than Bill Cosby? Yeah, he may have gone far off the deep end of get-off-my-lawn crankiness in recent years, but not only was he maybe the greatest standup comedian of all time and starred in and produced one of the greatest sitcoms of all time, but he actually is a pretty amazing composer and musician.
Here’s “Martin’s Funeral,” his requiem for Martin Luther King, Jr. (It was later sampled by A Tribe Called Quest).
You’ve probably listened to Roy Ayers, even if you don’t realize it. After James Brown and maybe a few others, he’s probably among the most-sampled musicians of all time. 50 Cent, Mary J. Blige, A Tribe Called Quest, Digable Planets and just about every single house producer who ever came long have all used Roy Ayers samples.
You should know who Roy Ayers is.
So who is he? Well Ayers is hugely famous for being one of the greatest-ever players of the vibraphone (which is not the same as a xylophone). According to his biography, he grew up in what is now South Central Los Angeles and got his first pair of vibraphone mallets at the age of five…. as a gift from Lionel Fucking Hampton. Basically, Ayers was born to play music. It was his destiny.
So he started off in jazz and then the 70s came around so he mixed soul music, funk and disco into his sound. The rest is history. Since then he’s played alongside Chaka Khan, Fela Kuti, The Roots, Erykah Badu and probably dozens of electronic dance music producers. He’s ubiquitous and there could be no modern neo-soul music without him. And while he’s still hugely popular around the world and he’s still touring quite a bit, here in his own country I feel like we’ve forgotten about him a little bit. (We have a nasty habit of doing that.)
So here are 10 Roy Ayers songs to enjoy…
“Running Away” (Live)
Roy’s most famous song, this is jazz music that you can let loose to. It’s such fun, fast, alive music. Plus I love the guitar solo at the end, and Roy’s energy on stage is perfect. One of the YouTube commenters said it best: “This is where Jamiroquai got their sound.”
“Searching”
“Everybody Loves the Sunshine”
Underground California soul music with lovely synthesizers and great vocals. A perfect beach song… for people who like to eat a box full of pills before going to the beach.
“Can’t You See Me?”
“Love Will Bring Us Back Together”
A brilliant slab of disco funk with a squiggly little keyboard riff. I love one YouTube commenter’s take on this song: “i know, i know, i’m an old head, but gather round you younguns and let me tell you about a time when THIS kind of music played at house parties…. picture it, 1979 when i was 18, no guns, no gang violence, girls (most of the time) acted like ladies, cars were made of steel, songs spoke of love, (not bangin’ that thang), and people knew how to communicate…now put down that damn x-box, listen to this & learn something….know-it-all-whipper-snappa !”
“Change Up The Groove”
“Battle of the Vibes” (Live)
Here’s a 1988 concert where Roy and his percussionist do a little battle on the vibraphone. This is magic. Makes me wish I paid attention when they had us banging on glockenspiels in the fifth grade. Also, if you ever get invited over to Roy’s House for an impromptu jam session (hey, it could happen), remember to bring a towel. Don’t be sweatin’ on the man’s vibes!
“2000 Blacks Got To Be Free”
In 1980 Roy teamed up with Fela Kuti to give us this little slice of amazing funk. The horns are all Fela’s style but the spoken-word vocals are all Roy.
“Aragon”
This one was on the soundtrack to “Coffy,” with Pam Grier. So basically it can’t get much cooler than this.
“Get On Up, Get On Down”