Saturday, March 13, 2010

Guachi Guara

Kicking off the next 100 songs, one of the Vibraphone Thugs-N-Harmony, Cal Tjader hooks it up with a little LMI.


Song 101: Cal Tjader - Soul Sauce (Guachi Guara)

Friday, March 12, 2010

100!


Wow. It's hard to believe that I have already been 25 years old for 100 days, but its even harder that I have done anything 100 times since then, nevermind once a day, Every Day. To celebrate I'm going to kind of take the day easy, because quite frankly, I'm exhausted. Fear not because the lack literature will be supplanted by the most mind blowing of musical talents. Rahsaan Roland Kirk is by far my favorite Jazzman partially due to his blindness, but this by no means is a disability. His visual impairments must be what allows him be the innovator, outstanding performer and multi-instrumentalist he is. Capable of handling at least three saxophones, a flute, piccolo, nose flute, percussion, slide whistle, something called a Stritch and loads of other personally invented instruments in one song, if not SIMULTEANOUSLY. For my 100th day, I am putting up the single most unbelievable performance I have ever come across, Rahsaan Roland Kirk's One Ton from the Newport Jazz Festival 1968 (July 7th). Just play it... I wont have to explain anything. Then, only after you have listened to the recording, you should watch the bonus video included below if you curious to see how that audial insanity would look. Thanks for being here and helping me celebrate my brand new digit.

Song 100: Rahsaan Roland Kirk - One Ton (can't play the song?)

BONUS SONG: Rahsaan Roland Kirk - Say a Little Prayer

Thursday, March 11, 2010

Ready Kids?

Desaparecidos would probably want nothing to do with Mount Rushmore. Back in 2001, they basically called today's recession of subprime swine-flu bailouts and governmental snorkeling scandals. The short lived Saddle Creek outfit from Omaha, Nebraska really hit the future over-indulgences of the post 9/11 era on the head. They raged against excess consumer consumption as well as the addition of franchises and towne centers to Everyville USA during their only record. Sometimes they are only known as Bright Eyes frontman, Conor Oberst's side project, but in my opinion, Read Music/Speak Spanish may be the best over-all album of the decade. A bunch of credit also goes out to Denver Dalley, who's raucous, superfuzzed guitar has helped me get through many an anger spell.  I was lucky enough to catch them at a marathon Saddle Creek showcase at Irving Plaza during High School and they banged so hard that they legitmately had the entire floor shaking. Someone put together a really powerful video just by adding some LIFE photos and adding a few of the lyrics, I hope you enjoy it. See ya Mañana. 

Song #99: Desaparecidos - Mañana

Wednesday, March 10, 2010

The Story of Busta Claus

This is the story of Christmas Eve 2005...

‘Twas the night before Christmas and all thru the streets,
a Rolls Royce Phantom was blasting dope beats.
When all of a sudden, the passenger barked,
“Pull over a minute and put it in park.”
So the door opened up and guess who got out,
it was Busta Rhymes yo, and he was shinin’ no doubt.
Now just ‘round the corner were me and my blokes,
telling our stories and laughing at jokes,
when I spotted this car, it was one of a kind.
The rims were so iced out, I almost went blind.
But despite of the glare I remembered the voice,
“You know who that is?” I began to rejoice
OH MY GOD YES! OH MY GOD,
that’s Busta Rhymes son, from the Flipmode Squad!"
We all crossed the street, calm, cool and collected,
so when we approached we would be well respected.
But me and my friends just stood there in shock,
that Busta Rhymes would just come chill on our block.
He was with an old friend just chatting it up.
Drinking some Purple Drank out of a cup.
So I made up a plan to pretend that I knew him,
I started my Pimp walk and I went over to him.
But before I could reach him, this bodyguard guy,
who was 300 pounds and seven feet high,
stepped in and said, “Hey man, Busta is busy,
but I’ll relay the message. What up? My name’s Izzy.”
So I said “Yo man, I just got back from Jamaica,
And it’s nuts to see Busta at the corner Bodega,
But they love him down there and he’s got mad supporters
Despite that his ancestry's only a quarter.
Basically that’s it, and I’m a really huge fan.”
So this guy said “Aight” and he put out his hand.
So I shook it and said “Bro thanks for your time.”
And he said “No problem, the pleasure was mine.”
Now this should be the end of the Busta Claus story,
but sadly not everything ends honky dory.
Less than six weeks later at a video shoot,
something went down a more sinister route.
Outside of the venue developed a crowd,
until security said there were no more allowed.
Then some people got mad and a fight soon began,
and some guns started shooting and everyone ran.
Before too long the whole place was up in some shit,
Busta Rhymes got out safe, but Izzy was hit.
Within a few minutes my buddy was dead,
And I read all about it on the World Wide Web.
Israel Ramirez, 29 years old.
I met him before but his blood now runs cold.
Black belt in karate and father of three,
And he only lived a few blocks away from me.
If we can just take a break to honor in silence,
Izzy Ramirez, killed by senseless violence.
Less than two months before he showed me some love,
and now he is up in the heavens above.
Now you can return from your sorrowful pause,
And that is the story of Old’ Busta Claus.
Copyright Matt Katz 2010

Israel Ramirez

If you are looking for more information of the shooting, click here, if you want to see Busta slay a kid at his old High School... click here.

Could it be just 2 more days until 100? You definitely don't want to miss Mañana....
Song #98: Busta Rhymes - Extinction Level Event (Song of Salvation)

Tuesday, March 9, 2010

That's so Raven

Sometimes I find an artist and I spend months researching and getting to know everything about them. Sometimes I just find a little known band with a sick album cover and no other information on the internet. Raven is one of the latter cases. They hailed from Buffalo in 1968 and they were discovered by the great George Harrison, but besides a few other tidbits, I am just in the dark. Every internet search only turns up actual bird Ravens, Edgar Allan Poe, or the Little Girl from the Cosby Show. To me, that is just as good. 

Today's amazing and super-rare song is a driving electro-blues number with one of the best titles I've ever come across.


Song #97: Raven - Frumpy (can't play the song?)

Monday, March 8, 2010

Rocksteady Hero

For the final double digit Rasta Mon-day I feel it only fitting to put up a true Rasta and my all time favorite reggae singer, Bob Andy. He may not be even on the radar as far as most well known, although his style and wisdom would definitely put his face on my Mount Rushmore of world musicians.

This man is Ballin' out of Control

I came across Bob Andy in the sheer infancy of my Ethnomusicological studies. I found him deep on a Trojan Records Motown Cover album. I had never heard of any singer on the album, but out of all the songs, Bob's version of "Baby, I Need Your Loving" stood out. His voice was earthy and profound, yet delicate, as if he was really trying as hard as possible. I must have listened to that song a hundred times before my next step into reggae. With the help of Columbus' Caribbean Oasis, Roots Records, I found Bob Andy's Songbook, a collection of his enormously conscious solo works from Studio One. This record turned my interest into a full blown odyssey as I dove deeply into the themes that Bob Andy often mentioned: Hard Work, Integrity, Justice, Community, Individuality, Freedom, Love and Inner Peace. I know that it reads like a Boy Scouts pamphlet, but these themes became my quasi-mantra at a crucial time, helping me grow from a troublesome, all-over-the place scamp, to whatever debatably more mature version of that I am today. As I became so enthralled with the subject matter,  I basically used Mr. Andy a Spiritual Guide of sorts, or maybe a Guardian
Rastafarian Angel, to help illuminate the most vital of human traits. 
You can compare the social awareness of his catalogue to anything that has been released on a world-wide label. His musical pleas to the wasted youth rival those of Marvin Gaye and his cries to help feed the hungry were on par with George Harrison's, all while his duets with Marcia Griffiths were easily more romantic and intimate than anything done by Sonny & Cher. By the 1970's his fame had reached across the ocean as Bob & Marcia hit it big in the UK with a version of Nina Simone's "Young Gifted and Black." Before long, Bob was touring the entire world sharing his music and views with those who were there to listen. As he grew older and his dreads grew longer, he only became more prolific, releasing many more albums and founding his own Record Company, I-ANKA.  Since then he has been, Remixed, Re-Dubbed, and Retrospected, while continuing to play at shows from Florida to Ethiopia, London to Poland, and from Australia back to Kingston, Jamaica. In fact, no more than six months ago, Mr. Andy performed in Brixton, UK to a crowd who was so excited, they would hardly let him sing. He is lucky though, it is almost as if Bob Andy was looking for a special audience, a select group who, like himself, are non-jaded and considerate, who find beauty in the natural ebb and flow of life, who resist the pressure being assimilated into a bland and faceless society. Hopefully in writing this piece, we can help spread his message further.
To give you a taste of the full Keith Anderson (his real name) experience, I am including what I consider Bob Andy 101. His song My Time beautifully introduces his world view and songwriting style while his piano accompaniment by Jamaica's Keyboard King, Jackie Mittoo showcases the depth of his early sounds. As a bonus, I am also including the first song that drew me to him, Baby, I Need Your Loving as well as a later hit, Hell A Go Broke Loose, to give you a hint of his later more developed sounds off his Retrospective album. I sincerely hope you will enjoy the music, and if you do, please support Bob Andy by downloading his album or going to BobAndy.com.

Song #96: Bob Andy - My Time

BONUS SONG: Bob Andy - Baby, I Need Your Loving

BONUS SONG: Bob Andy - Hell A Go Broke Loose 

Sunday, March 7, 2010

BIG

I told y'all this week was gonna be BIG

If this week was my Mount Rushmore; Big Pun would be Mount Kilimanjaro... Off a league all his own and big enough to overshadow the whole thing. Pun is the biggest rapper ever, weighing 698 pounds at the time of his death in 2000, resulting from his rare condition of weighing 698 pounds. He was every bit as talented as he was obese. Not only was he the first Latin rapper to baffle your skull, but also the first Latin Rapper to go platinum, selling over 9 Million copies of his only living release Capital Punishment, and around 15 million records overall. Big Punisher broke down doors and smashed records, and those  aren't even fat jokes. His rhyme scheme is one of the most complex, hard hitting, intelligent styles in the history of Rap. Listening to Big Pun is like having your mind constantly blown. Kind of like seeing him before he used to beat up delivery men and steal their food.
It's like a reverse Amy Winehouse

Big Pun is the pinnacle of keepin' it real. When he had to knock someone out, he did it himself, when he did videos, he did his own stunts,  even after he hit it HUGE (fat joke) he still lived on the same block in the Bronx, parking his top shelf cars ON THE STREET. If you think you like rap, or even if you think you don't, do yourself a favor and grab Capital Punishment. 5 more to go before 100... more from the Pantheon tomorrow. 

Before then, the best rap line ever spit...


Song #95: Big Pun featuring Fat Joe - Twinz (Deep Cover '98)