History Lesson - Vernon Reid In Africa, music is not an art form as much as it is a means of communication. A Negro has got no name. Quite often, the words of the song are meaningless. A Negro has got no name We are wearing the name of our master SOUL-PATROL NEWSLETTER INDEX Press Release: 'Saxophonist to the Stars' Lakecia Benjamin Steps Into the Spotlight With Debut CD, Retox Press Release: 'Saxophonist to the Stars' Lakecia Benjamin Steps Into the Spotlight With Debut CD, Retox This album is off the hook and certainly one of the freshest albums I have heard this year. If someone were to allow me to determine something like "Best New Artist of the Year," and told me that I had to make a selection today, this is who I would pick. You will be hearing more about her (much more I assure you) here on Soul-Patrol.com. http://www.motema.com/artist/lakecia-benjamin Here is a press release from her label. The album will be released next month, but I'm gonna put u bunch of these off the chain songs (maybe 6 or 7?) on Nu Soul @ RadioIO, cuz it speaks to much of what the format is supposed to be about.... (Are you paying attention WBLS?...This is a good example of the BEST new Black Music you could possibly want to share with your listeners) -------- 'Saxophonist to the Stars' Lakecia Benjamin Steps Into the Spotlight With Debut CD, Retox Irresistible Set of Original Jazz-Tinged Funk and R&B Coming June 12 on Motéma Music Charismatic and dynamic saxophonist/bandleader Lakecia Benjamin, who has played with Stevie Wonder, Alicia Keys, The Roots and Macy Gray, will take center stage in her own right with the June 12 release of her unconventional soul/funk album, RETOX, on Motéma Music. While she's made quite an impact with her impressive sax work on stage and on record, Benjamin opted to take a slightly different tack on RETOX, allowing her talents as a composer and producer to share the spotlight with her funky sax struts. In fact, several of the CD's 12 tracks don't even feature sax. "This album is really a fruition of years of songwriting as much as it is a showcase for my sax playing and horn arrangements," said Benjamin. On songs like "My Love" and "Share" she's chosen to let the vocals carry the song. "I was more concerned with doing justice to my compositions than putting a sax solo in every song." Benjamin began her career at the young age of 12, eventually earning a scholarship at the New School and landing stints with some of the most respected artists in jazz, including trumpet giant, Clark Terry and experimental jazz icon Reggie Workman. On RETOX, she shows off her impeccable, purist jazz resume with a deep, kaleidoscopic and ingeniously arranged mix of original old school soul and funk songs as well as a Stevie Wonder classic, "Don't You Worry 'Bout a Thing." An A-list of edgy vocalists, both established and emerging talent such as Krystle Warren, Amp Fiddler, Maya Azucena, Chinah Blac and Melanie Charles, join Benjamin on an album that's as electrifyingly diverse as the cast that plays on it. "I call my band SoulSquad because, even as a kid, I always wanted to play like I was in an army of funky musicians," says Benjamin. Though her own music is immersed in the vintage sounds of James Brown, Maceo Parker, Sly and the Family Stone and the Meters as well as classic jazz, Benjamin's soaring, dance floor-friendly grooves take the classic vibe to a whole new level. The constant throughout it all is Benjamin's summery, sultry alto saxophone, adding something special, on every cut - be it a smoldering late-night ambience, an erudite, forceful jazz intensity or the tight funk multi-horn harmony sections that pepper the proceedings throughout. Hit producer Ben Kane (D'Angelo, Krystle Warren), who engineered and co-produced the album with Benjamin, gives the tracks a rich, full-bodied analog sound, that nods to the great radio hits from the golden age of soul. "With many artists, the musical compositions are conceived as a vehicle for that artist's own voice to shine. Working with Lakecia is a bit different in the sense that it is really the compositions themselves where she lends much of her musical voice. The goal on RETOX was to do each song justice, regardless of what role her saxophone would play. In doing so, I tried to keep a certain rawness that would allow for the soul of each song to shine though. It is that raw soul I think that unites the seemingly different genres featured on this album and reflects who Lakecia is as an artist and composer." Benjamin's unique new contribution to the future of soul and funk is sure to win over fans of acts from Maceo Parker and Sharon Jones to Adele and Erykah Badu. In keeping with her eclectic style, the tracks are a mix of vocal and instrumental joints. Along with the blissfully peaceful "Dreams," there are some serious party jams: the band's signature, P-Funk flavored opening track, "SoulSquad" - which evolved out of a jam at a concert sound check; "Maceo," a period-perfect, JB's-style tribute to funky sax legend Maceo Parker; and the horn-driven groove "Get Down," which Benjamin describes as, "A go-go feel meets James Brown, just to show that vocalists aren't the only life of the party!" The CD's remaining tracks cover a lot of ground as well. "Keep Talkin'," a casually seductive duet between Amp Fiddler and Tracey Nicole, mashes up a sweet mid 60's-style soul melody with more ambitious 70's stylings. "Growing up in the 90's in Washington Heights, I used to wake up on a Saturday morning: Sunny day, people barbecuing, sounds of Arrested Development, A Tribe Called Quest, or Common hanging in the air," says Benjamin. "On 'Share My Life,' I wanted to re-create that feeling." Recreate it she does, on a track that features airy, carefree vocals by Jacoria Marzett and a cameo from rapper Whosane over a swirling, summery ambience. Benjamin relates how "My Love," featuring the nuanced, Sarah Vaughan-esque voice of Memphis born, Parisian based Krystle Warren, addresses how love transcends mere physical attraction: "It's about walking through life and knowing you have a like-minded individual to grow with." "Human Being" hypnotically fuses jazz and funk with gospel in an echoey blend reminiscent of Digable Planets, featuring singer Mavis Swann Poole - a friend of Benjamin's since college - out front and center. With its wickedly catchy hook, "Jump and Shout," the first single and video from the album, holds nothing back, a driving but sultry kiss-off anthem. Benjamin had been looking for a singer to channel her lyrics' righteous rage and when she heard Chinah Blacc singing at a house party, she realized she'd found the perfect match. The easygoing, satisfied, boudoir-pop song "Smile" bounces along with lead vocals by Benjamin's longtime friend and collaborator Maya Azucena and one of Benjamin's signature lush, balmy horn charts, along with an exquisitely warm, direct alto sax solo. And "Don't You Worry 'Bout A Thing" pays homage to Benjamin's friend Stevie Wonder: Benjamin speeds it up, reinventing it for the dance floor with Latin sabor and a tight clave beat. The closing track, "Slow Juice," is, says Benjamin, "a new version of 'Juicy,' another one of my compositions, which was originally going to be on the album. As we were listening to it in the studio one day, I asked Ben to rewind back to a certain part. I don't know what button he pressed, but the song started playing about four speeds slower. I loved it! So I decided to take out all the horn parts and vocals and create a whole new song over that groove. Hence the title: 'Slow Juice!'" "Lakecia is a great signing for us," enthuses Motéma president Jana Herzen. "She brings up the younger guard of our roster with impeccably jazz-infused funk and soul that's delivered with a kind of balls to the wall rock and roll attitude." Herzen explains she first discovered Lakecia at a performance of Kit McClure's Big Band at the Mary Lou Williams Women in Jazz Festival at Kennedy Center for the Arts. "Though Lakecia wasn't a soloist on that gig, my eye was continually drawn to her. Her presence literally radiated from stage like a beacon. Backstage later that night I asked bassist Rufus Reid (also a Motéma artist) about her and he said knowingly, 'Yeah, things have been getting very personal with Lakecia lately.' He meant that she was really making her music her own. That vignette told me a lot about her. The fact that Rufus, a respected elder on the jazz scene, was watching her closely, made me take a closer look and I soon discovered she was very well loved. She's super talented, super disciplined and terrifically unpredictable. I think she has a huge career ahead of her." MORE ABOUT LAKECIA BENJAMIN A streetwise New York City native born and raised in Washington Heights, Lakecia Benjamin has become one of the most highly sought-after players in soul and funk music. She first picked up the saxophone at Fiorello LaGuardia High School for the Performing Arts, after which she joined the renowned jazz program at New York's New School University. By that time she was already playing with renowned jazz figures like Clark Terry and Reggie Workman, which led to gigs and tours with a wide array of artists such as Rashied Ali, the David Murray Big Band, Vanessa Rubin and James "Blood" Ulmer. With her deep jazz roots, she was soon in demand as an arranger and horn section leader, landing stints with such acclaimed artists as Stevie Wonder, Alicia Keys, Macy Gray, the Roots, and Anita Baker. Currently, Benjamin is a featured musician and arranger for comedy star Craig Robinson and the Nasty Delicious. (Robinson, best known for his work on TV's The Office as well as such popular films as Pineapple Express and Hot Tub Time Machine, tours regularly with the Nasty Delicious band serving as the main foil in his popular comedy act). Benjamin has also had the honor of performing at the White House at President Obama's inaugural ball. She's performed on four continents and her extensive recording credits include saxophone and arrangements for Santigold, Maurice Brown, the Clark Terry Big Band, Krystle Warren and Talib Kweli, among others. On RETOX, her debut on the three-time Grammy nominated, Harlem-based Motéma Music, Benjamin follows rising label star Gregory Porter as the second in a new series of soul-jazz vocal crossover acts on the label, which first built its reputation by releasing first rate instrumental jazz. The label is also home to NEA Jazz Master Randy Weston, Grammy nominated jazz-reggae crossover innovator Monty Alexander and NAACP Image award nominee Geri Allen. Go here and check out the audio samples: http://www.motema.com/artist/lakecia-benjamin --Bob Davis 609-351-0154 earthjuice@prodigy.net Co-Founder www.soul-patrol.com Blues, Hip Hop and Soul Music Director www.radioio.com Spotify + Funk Church + Connecting with the People (Guest Commentary From Bill Curtis of the Fatback Band) Here is our friend Bill Curtis of the Fatback Band once again with a slammin commentary. Just for you folks out there who love Spotify so much and for you artists out there who think that somehow "you are above it all." Also here is a free download from Bill/Fatback of their new single: "CAN YOU FEEL THE RHYTHM?" http://www.bandletter.com/fatback/music/can_you_feel_the_rhythm.mp3 ------------ "Summertime is girl-watching time. I'm gonna watch 'em, baby. I haven't lost my eyes for them big-butt girls. I like the girls, y'all." A little tune we did back in the days is still a great dance song. Go to acerecords.co.uk, that is where you will find all of our albums, if anyone is interested. Hey I want to remind you not to add Spotify play Buttons to your Facebook page, Twitter, tumbir blog, etc. I 'm not a lover of Spotify, because it doesn't pay the artist that much money. If you are an artist it takes 200 streams equal one iTunes download and one to three years to get paid. To me, Spotify is just another great way to get rich off of the artist and songwriters. I have nothing against people making as much money as they can, but not at the expense of others. But, they keep telling you it's better than piracy, you're getting something, 0.04cent per stream. Well, you are right, but you can't make a livelihood off that. My question is why everyone gets paid decent money except the creator and the artist. Tech-slavery is what I call it. But one good thing, you don't have to do it if you don't want too. Putting Spotify play buttons on your page is giving free advertisement to Spotify and Facebook. Once you get a fan to your page, you have a potential sale. Someone might just buy your stuff. If you want to send them somewhere else, send them where they pay more. To your download site: iTunes, Tunecore, Amazon. Spotify pays a fraction of a penny. I could see if they were paying you to put their button on or giving you something for pointing a potential customer their way. We have got to get smart and stop falling for that Bull s---. You know how they feel about us. I haven't heard of any major yet stepping up to the plate to bat for the artist or express any concern that they feel our rates are to low. On their end, they are getting paid big time and keeping it on the down-low. Hey, I'm not saying you don't need Facebook page, apps, Twitter accounts and blogs. However, you do not need to point your fans to places only paying a fractions of a penny. Your own site is very valuable property where you sell and do business. You have your fans in your store who dig your music and want to know about you. Okay they say Spotify is better than piracy, well it might be so, I'm gonna tell you this. Piracy is one of the best free advertisements you can get in the world, one thing they don't piracy junk. I hear and read about the state of Black music culture or Black Music, whatever. Maybe they are talking about the commercial side. Yes, I do think Black music(funk), is on the decline on the so call "pop or commercial music. The funk it is alive and well in the Churches. If you want to hear good funk go to church or listen to gospel radio, its there. That's where our music culture started. Black music has always been an experience, just like the church. When we go to concerts that's what we looking for that one time experience. Something we can talk about the next few days. tell your friends what they missed that's what made the early Black Entertainer connect so well. They took their church experiences to the stage and build on that. I often tell people there was a very thin line between James Brown and a country preacher. Some of our new and upcoming Entertainers need to go and check out that experience that I'm talking about( got to find the right church). I guarantee you will be talking about it to your friends the next day. This is what today's audiences are looking for, that experience. They want to be involved. Back in the days in my Hometown when I was growing up I knew most of the acts that came to town I had met them before and they knew me, (they act like they did). They stayed in the hood, ate in the local café and you could walk up and talk to them. And when they took a break, they were out in the audience, (maybe because there were no dressing rooms), talking and going on. As a Entertainer you got to get back to that kind of thing. The people want to know about you. YOU want them to, so they can go and tell others. Everyone wants to be involved they want to have that one time experience. Ok, if you don't believe me go to Church and get your groove on, come back and tell me about your experience. Hey, if you want to lose some of those pounds you are carrying around and stay healthy at the same time and make money take a look at billcurtis011.bodybyvi.com. We are doing it over here, it works. If you want know more email me Bill.c32@hotmail.com Bill Also here is a free download from Bill/Fatback of their new single: "CAN YOU FEEL THE RHYTHM?" http://www.bandletter.com/fatback/music/can_you_feel_the_rhythm.mp3 --Bill Curtis http://www.fatbackband.com --Bob Davis 609-351-0154 earthjuice@prodigy.net Co-Founder www.soul-patrol.com Blues, Hip Hop and Soul Music Director www.radioio.com Don Welch....Bio of a NYC Music Superstar I know that there might be a few of you out there wondering who in the hell is Don Welch and why are we featuring him here today? Well Don Welch is probably one of the most popular club DJ's and event promoters in the NYC area, which alone has brought him a certain level of fame worldwide. However I am here to tell you that he is a person who should be important to those of you here for several other reasons: He Knows How To Hit the "DJ Sweet Spot" - What in the hell is this? It's the "sweet spot" that exists between listening to a set by a "standard club DJ," a "radio DJ" and "a house party DJ." There is a flow to all of this that I can't explain using text. But I know it when I hear it and it can pretty much only be done by a DJ who is from "Deepest Darkest NY," and who has actually lived it. He Stands Above The Crowd, In The World of "People Who Make a Career of Saving The Music" - As you might well imagine, I know a whole lot of the "People Who Make a Career of Saving The Music." In many cases these people are mostly concerned with the "making a career" part of the equation. Don is different, he is a person who understands the social, political and cultural "dots," that are connected by the music and he makes sure that his events always tie these things together in a manner such that when you leave one of his events, that you leave not only with a smile on his face, but you also understand that the smile is not there, only because of the music itself. For example Don's upcoming event at the Union Square Ballroom on 5/19 in NYC, is in perfect synch with the times we are living in. It's a "dance marathon." Many of you will recall for your history books that 'dance marathons" became popular in the 1930's, during the depression as a way for people to "forget" (at least for a short period of time) the economic depression gripping the United States. (sound familiar?) He is a Heck of a Nice Guy - (Nuff Said) --Bob Davis Don Welch is a DJ, founder of the internationally renowned Underground Network, former Billboard reporter, CEO of OHM Music and Film Works and event promoter. He has entertained a staggering list of celebrity patrons over the years and continues to do so to this day. He started his musical journey in Brooklyn New York, listening to the great records his parents played. His first purchase was "ABC" by the Jackson 5, leading him to become a record collector & local event DJ. As a teenager he was offered a residency at the famed Club Collibron/Second Floor in New York City, where he played the hottest new sounds to packed houses. Some of his notable patrons included Eric Mercury, Denzel Washington, Antonio Fargas, Kurtis Blow, and Hector "Macho" Camacho. His next residency was at Sava'ge, the hottest R&B Club in the country. Guests ranged from Stevie Wonder, Prince, Sylvester, and Robert De Niro, to Mike Tyson, Evander Holyfield, Russell Simmons, and Full Force. After a successful 7 year run, the club was remodeled & renamed Elite. Notable clientele included Chris Tucker, Chris Rock, Bernie Mack, Mike Epps, Bootsy Collins, Beth Midler, and Brooke Shields. Don also Dee Jayed numerous celebrity events with patrons like Quincy Jones, Donald Trump, Bill Murray, Lynn Whitfield, Mos Def, and Kevin Bacon. As a leader in breaking new music first, Don Welch has received numerous awards including gold & platinum records from Michael Jackson, Janet Jackson, C&C Music Factory, Crystal Waters, and De La Soul. Don has Dee Jayed in the world's top cities including London, Paris, Frankfort, Rome, Zurich, Ibiza, Tokyo, Osaka, Montreal, and Amsterdam. In 1992, with his DJ career in full swing, Don started the Underground Network. Created out of the need to bring the dance community together he showcased dance/house artists for major & indie-record labels. The enormous talents of singers, DJ's, song writers, record producers, musicians & dancers were being used but hidden by the record industry, in the shadows of so-called "main stream music" formats. Don dedicated one night per week presenting the first "Dance Music Industry Night" ever created. During their second year, he moved the event to the Sound Factory Bar where he & international dance diva Barbara Tucker took it to another level. With the support of Grammy Award winning DJ producer Louie Vega and a wonderful staff, the Underground Network became a household name in the dance community around the world. Don took their show on the road, throughout Europe, Japan, Canada, and across the U.S.A. Back in NY Don Welch brought celebrity music lovers together such as Ru Paul, Janet Jackson, Wesley Snipes, The Wayans brothers, Nile Rodgers, Morris Day, Queen Latifah, Ice T, MC Lyte, Jay Leno and more. In 1993 Eddie Murphy hired Don Welch to DJ at his star studded New York Plaza Hotel wedding and reception. As a promoter Don Welch has showcased many other talented DJ's including Louie Vega, David Morales, Frankie Knuckles, Eric Morello, Francois Kevorkian, Danny Krivitt, Joe Clausell, DJ Hollywood, Sting International, Timmy Regisford, DJ Ace, Lloyd "The Enforcer, Reggie Wells, Donna Edwards, Lady D Wells, Kenny Carpenter, Roger S, Tony Touch, Soulfinger Sam, Lil Louis, Terry Hunter, Kenny "Dope" Gonzalez, Camacho, Hippie Torrales, Kim Lightfoot, Danny Tenaglia, Hex Hector Belinda Becker, Beverly Bond to name a few. Don worked as a Billboard Reporter (1990-1995), reviewing dance music trends and selecting hits and hit mixes for major label executives including Sony, Epic, Warner Brothers, MCA and Columbia records. Don soon became one of New York City's top promoters; featuring artists like Grace Jones, Freddie Jackson, Fela Kuti, Melba Moore, Tito Puente, La India, George Benson, Groove Theory, Roy Ayres, Loleatta Holloway, Martha Wash, Kathy Sledge, Harold Melvin's Blue Notes, Howard Hewitt, Colonel Abrams, Barbara Tucker, Roy Ayres, D Train, Evelyn 'Champagne' King, McFadden & Whitehead, First Choice, The Main Ingredient, Trammps, Melisa Morgan, Heather Hunter, Ten City, Ultra Nate, GQ, Jocelyn Brown, Slave's Steve Arrington, Taste of Honey, Lenny Williams, Blue Magic and many more. As a remix engineer Don frequented both the London' Battery City studio and the New York studio scene. He worked for Jive records, on the first SSL console with famed engineer Nigel Green and producer Darryl Payne; remixing songs on Sinnomon (Bernard Fowler), Katie Kisson and Richard Jon Smith. Many other labels and projects followed. From DJ to studio engineer, record producer and A&R representative to concert promoter, Don has worked and excelled in many fields of the entertainment industry. He founded and became CEO of OHM Music and Film Works in 2000. One of the highlighted CDs the label released was Hip Hop artist Warrior's, album "The Perfect Weapon". It received the added guidance of industry icon and distributer Nile Rodgers who featured Warrior's songs in Microsoft's XBox game "Outlaw Volleyball" and on its accompanying sound track CD and Play Station game editions. In 2006, Don launched Soul Party NYC promoting classic R&B events which he continues to promote to the present day. His future interests include television production, and continued work at his first love as New York's premier DJ. --Bob Davis 609-351-0154 earthjuice@prodigy.net Co-Founder www.soul-patrol.com Blues, Hip Hop and Soul Music Director www.radioio.com And then there was one.... Some of you all may not care about this if you didn't grow up in the NYC area. But to me this is BIG news and even beyond that it actually has quite a bit to do with Soul-Patrol.com (and even RadioIO.com). Soul-Patrol.com takes it's inspiration from many sources, but one of the prime sources is my own personal listening habits when I was a teenager in the 1970's. Thus the site has sections for "Classic Soul/Funk" (somewhat inspired by my teenaged listening to WWRL & WBLS), Doo Wop (somewhat inspired by my teenaged listening to WCBS-FM), Jazz (somewhat inspired by my teenaged listening to WRVR), The intercection of Music/Politricks (somewhat inspired by my teenaged listening to WBAI & WLIB, and adult listening to 98.7 Kiss Open Line). One RadioIO.com, the "Classic RnB" Channel combines the early 70's formats of WBLS, WCBS-FM, WRVR & WWRL, while the "RnB Mix" Channel is the 1980's format of WBLS (you can even hear yours truly saying "Your Listening To The Total R&B Experience..." in honor of Frankie Crocker/WBLS during the 1980's.) Here in 2012 I am proud to say that almost all of the legendary air personalities from NYC Black Radio are a part of Soul-Patrol.com in one way or another. And these folks that I idolized as a kid have permitted me to become a part of their fraternity. I have appeared as a guest on many of their broadcasts, they have appeared at some of our events here on Soul-Patrol.com, and of course have been an enourmous help to us. From Isacc Hayes interviewing Harvey Fuqua live on his KISS-FM morning show, just prior to his RRHOF induction when NO OTHER BLACK MEDIA OUTLET WOULD INTERVIEW HARVEY (yeah i said it), to being a guest on 98.7 Open Line damn near once/month, to several folks giving me some much needded/friendly advice about Soul-Patrol.com, these peopel are like family to me. So now NYC will have one (instead of two) Black Radio stations for grown ups. However the good news is that radio station will be called WBLS. And that's important, because as Frankie Crocker told us way back in 1970, when WBLS first came on the air, the call letters 'BLS' stand for... BLACK LIBERATION STATION Anyhow, here is the NY Daily News article... The two will become one station and broadcast with WBLS call letters at 107.5 By David Hinckley / NEW YORK DAILY NEWS After 30 years as spirited and often ferocious rivals, WBLS (107.5 FM) and WRKS (98.7 FM, Kiss-FM) will become one. In a turn as sudden and stunning as the Yankees merging with the Mets, the city's two adult urban radio stations announced in a joint press release Thursday that they will become "One Family, One Station." Kiss and WBLS began simulcasting at 10 a.m. Thursday, starting with a tribute to the 30-year legacy of Kiss. As of 12 a.m. Monday they will become a single station at 107.5 FM, under the WBLS call letters. It is likely this news will not please all listeners, many of whom feel there are already too few black media voices in the city. The merger is part of a major reshuffling triggered when Disney agreed to acquire 98.7 FM from Emmis. The complicated $96 million deal essentially lets Disney lease 98.7 FM as of Monday morning, when it will start simulcasting ESPN radio there. ESPN radio is now heard on the weaker 1050 AM signal. Disney had been thirsting for an FM signal so it can better challenge CBS Radio's all-sports WFAN (660 AM). A key factor in this new deal is that WRKS and WBLS have both had financial problems, at the stations themselves and with their parent companies. Emmis last year also sold its 101.9 FM frequency in New York. WBLS was recently acquired by YMF Partners after its parent company Inner City Broadcasting went into bankruptcy. This had led to considerable speculation whether YMF would sell WBLS or change its format. It was expected that any move to change the WBLS format to something other than urban, which launched in 1971, would have met strong community resistance. In several ways Thursday's move is a classic case of two companies in a shaky financial position deciding they would be stronger if they worked together as one. Still, the merger changes the landscape of urban radio dramatically, since adult urban listeners now have one station instead of two. Both WBLS and WRKS have been the top-rated station in the city at various times, and even in low periods they have routinely averaged well over a million listeners apiece per week. As for hosts, the merger will integrate them starting Monday. Steve Harvey's syndicated show, now heard on WBLS, will continue in the morning. Shaila from Kiss will do middays, 10 a.m.-3 p.m., Jeff Foxx from WBLS will do 3-7 p.m., and Lenny Green from Kiss will do 7 p.m.-midnight. That means Tom Joyner and Michael Baisden of WRKS, among other hosts, will be gone. Since the WRKS name is also disappearing, the two stations are jointly holding a "celebration of the legacy of Kiss-FM" all weekend. Over the years Kiss has often emphasized the heritage of black music, and has hired hosts like Isaac Hayes. In the 1990s it launched a "classic soul" format that shot it to the top of the ratings for several years. In recent years it has slumped, however, and Emmis Chairman Jeff Smulyan Thursday blamed some of that on Arbitron's switch to a new ratings system, the Personal People Meter (PPM). PPM replaced the old "diary" system, where participants wrote down their listening, with an electronic recording device. Almost all black and ethnic stations saw a dramatic drop in their ratings under the PPM system. A stream of protests and litigation have led to recent agreements that Arbitron would increase its efforts to reflect all listening fairly. Meanwhile, however, many black and ethnic stations have warned that the lower ratings plus the general economic recession have decimated their ad revenue and put them in serious financial trouble. Smulyan echoed that caution Thursday, saying in a release that "recent changes in the way radio ratings are measured made it very difficult for us to find success with Kiss FM." Whatever the reasons, New York will wake up Monday morning with one fewer radio station serving urban listeners. Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/98-7-kiss-fm-merge-long-time-rival-wbls-move-shakes-nyc-radio-landscape-article-1.1067910#ixzz1tATcK21s --Bob Davis 609-351-0154 earthjuice@prodigy.net Co-Founder www.soul-patrol.com Blues, Hip Hop and Soul Music Director www.radioio.com PRESS RELEASE: Sidney Barnes: New EP + Autobiography (Living Legend, American Music Unsung Hero) I wanted to send out this press release on our friend Sidney Barnes. You may have recently seen Sidney on TV recently as a part of the TV One series "Unsung," where he was interviewed on the George Clinton and Minnie Riperton episodes. Of course Sidney has got a long history of his own that is worth noting, some of which is covered in this press release. One of the things that I have learned over the past 15 years of doing Soul-Patrol.com, in my never ending quest to learn as much as I can about the history, connection & disconnections relative to Black music, is that very often the people who can give you the best insight are the folks whoose names are not household names. I've interviewed Sidney and his lovely wife and he is certainly one of those people. Now you will get to know what I know, cuz Sidney's got a new book. --Sidney's got a new 600 page autobiography "Standing On Solid Ground" --Sidney's got a pretty phunky new 3 song EP "Living In A Digital World" His website is www.sidneybarnes.net "Black Gold From the Sun" (indeed) Check it out...click on the links below... ------- Sidney's Musical career In this year of 2012, Sidney Barnes, singer, songwriter, music producer, and musician, is celebrating his 50th. year in the music business. During his High School days in DC. Sidney formed several school yard Doo Wop singing groups that at various times, included young singers such as Marvin Gaye, Herb Heemster (later of "Peaches & Herb" fame), and a young Van McCoy, (who would later score with several major Disco hits in the 80's). Then after moving to New Jersey, Sidney at 20 years old, recorded and releasing his first solo 45 RPM recording on a New Jersey independent record label, called "Wait My Love". His professional career really took off after his Doo Wop singing group, The Serenaders, was discovered in the early 60's by Berry Gordy and signed to Gordy's fledgling Motown Records. The group recorded and released a single on Motown entitled "If Your Heart Says Yes" that Sidney co-wrote and Gordy co-produced with his then wife Ray Gordy. As a songwriter signed to Motown's Jobete Music, Sidney added over 100 songs to Gordy's Jobete Music publishing catalog. Sidney also has the distinction; with his then co-writing partner George Kerr, of being tied with Berry Gordy and Smokey Robinson as having the most unreleased songs in the Motown Jobete catalogue. Some of the Motown acts that have recorded those songs are, The Supremes, The Vandellas, The Jacksons 5, Marv Johnson, and others. Sidney then went on to work either as a solo artist or with a group, in the recording studio, as well as live in concerts with some of the biggest recording acts in the history of Rock & Soul music. During the mid 60' Sidney recorded two now classic singles " I Hurt On The Other Side", (Which Sidney co-wrote with J.J. Jackson (of "But It's Alright", fame) and "You'll Always Be In Style", both produced by 60's legendary record producer Jeff Berry, for Leiber & Stroller's Red Bird Records based in New York. Sidney then toured the Chitterling Circuit as a lead member of the RnB singing group, The Fiestas, who's late 50's hit single was a song called, "So Fine". Now promoting a new single, and with a couple of new members, they regrouped to tour live. With Sidney along as a member of the new Fiestas, they played and toured with many of the 60's major R&B artistsuch as, Wilson Pickett, Solomon Burke, The Drifters, Jerry Butler, The Coasters, Little Richard, and many others. In mid 1966 Sidney joined his New Jersey studio buddy, P-Funk Over Lord George Clinton, and the late Mike Terry, (saxophonist with the now world famous Funk Bros.) and formed Ge-Si-Mike Productions and produced some of the first sophisticated soul recording on Clintons now world famous group, Parliament. As well as recording songs on singer, J.J. Barnes, Pat Lewis, The Dramatics, and Darrell Banks, all for the Detroit based Golden World records. Departing Golden World after only a short there, Sidney and George parted ways; with Clinton eventually forming his concept of Psychedelic music madness he called Funkadelic. In 1967 Sidney teamed with Marshall Chess, Charles Stepney, and Minnie Riperton, at Chess Records in Chicago and formed a Soul/Rock.Psychedelic band they called Rotary Connection. The hugely popular integrated group fronted by the late Minnie Riperton and Sidney Barnes, recorded 5 classic albums for Chess Records and toured the US, opening shows for, The Rolling Stones, Janis Joplin, The Doors, B. B. King, Led Zeppelin, Sly and The Family Stone, Moody Blues, Jon Mayall, Jethro Tull, Jefferson Airplane, and a number of other top Rock, Blues, and Jazz acts, playing at some of the biggest indoor and outdoor Rock Concerts venues of that era. Rotary disbanded in the early 1970's, but not until establishing Sidney Barnes and Minnie Riperton, as seasoned vocalist, performers, and song writers, both poised to accomplish higher goals in the music business. Minnie then went on to record several albums, even scoring with a million selling hit single, with a song she co-wrote called "Loving You". Rotary Connection was a very special and unique concept for it's time. And the influence of Rotary Connection, it's sound and it's visual appeal, makes it one of the most underrated, over looked, and underappreciated acts of our generation. First off: Sir Elton John said in a Billboard Magazine interview several years ago that, "When he heard what Charles Stepney (Rotary's arranger and producer) had done musically with Rotary Connection, he knew that he could mix classical music with rock music and make it work". When Maurice White, the then drummer for the Ramsey Lewis Jazz Trio, was planning to form his own band, and he first saw and heard Rotary Connection live for the first time, he said, "On that very day I realized what type of group I wanted to form, and what direction they would take." That vision Rotary inspired was Earth Wind & Fire, whose music has touched the hears and souls of millions. Maurice also took (Charles Stepney) Rotary's arranger and producer, and then adopted Rotary's recording style and live visual stage concept to complete his vision. Rotary Connection along with Sidney's always musical workshop open door policy, effected and encouraged the careers of many other up and coming talented Chicago artist like, Chaka Khan, Donnie Hathaway, and others. And the ramifications from the effects of that group ever existing, and what it represented at the time, has done more toward guiding the direction of popular soul music up to this day than most people realize. It shows in one way by the many times the songs of Rotary Connection, have been sampled by major Rap artist and producers. Through the genius of musical arranger Charles Stepney, and his bold and adventurous musical arrangements on Rotary Connections songs such as " The Black Gold Of The Sun", among others, inspired and encouraged several new forms of soul music to evolve that did not exist before then, namely "Acid Jazz" and "Neo Soul". As Minnie Riperton pursued her solo career she laid the ground work for several female artist who over the years have became extremely successful embracing her style and sound. During the Rotary Connection hey day, as singers, Sidney and Minnie had became very popular with the advertising agencies in Chicago and they were being hired regularly to perform on many popular brand name commercial spots. Sidney then started writing and producing some of the ads and for a while, made a very nice living doing it. In the late 60's Sidney was hired to do a small radio spot for a start up black ad agency in town. So with very little recording budget and a concept idea, Sidney created, wrote, sang on, and produced, what has come to be known as "The Ember Commercial", or " The Ember Is Forever Jingle" The 60 second jingle with the late Don Cornelius as the announcer, for a small local mom and pop Chicago West Side furniture store, called Ember Furniture. Became so popular on Chicago radio that Sidney teamed with then popular radio personality, Richard Pugue, and with over whelming popular demand turn the short 60 sec. jingle into a 3: min. vinyl recording, that over the years has become a collectors item by serious record collectors world wide, it's known as the longest running jingle on Chicago radio, and is now being displayed on You Tube. The popular jingle recording was recently included on a 15 song CD compilation released on an independent Chicago Label. Sidney is also known as being one of few artist that has ever recorded for both Motown and Chess records. As a song writer Sidney's songs have been recorded by many artist including, The Jackson 5, The Dells, Parliament/Funkadelic, The Supremes, Muddy Waters, Bo Diddley, Ramsey Lewis, Minnie Riperton, The Shangri-as, The Chiffions, Jackie Moore,Billy Butler, The Flirtations, The Bobbetts, J.J. Jackson, and many others, his songs have also appeared on movie soundtracks, including a popular Disney released film in 1985 called, "Baby". In the early 80's Sidney co-wrote and sang lead on a Disco hit entitled, "Love and Desire" for the singing group Arpeggio, and he has continued to remain busy writing, singing, and recording though out the years. Sidney has recently been releasing his original solo CD 's on his own Indie Record Labels, BarVada Records(for his Jazz) and Pay Dirt Records (for his Funk & RnB), through the internet. One such, CD is, "Setting The Mood", a 10 song Jazz CD of Sidney crooning on beautiful Old Jazz standards such as "When Sunny Gets Blue", "Unforgettable", "Route 66", and more. With liner notes by Jazz great Ramsey Lewis and Soul Patrol Founder and Director, Bob Davis. The CD was very popular in certain Jazz circles, allowing Sidney to make appearances with his three piece Jazz group at parties and special events. Recently Sidney performed a concert with the 17 piece Asheville Jazz Orchestra, singing some of those great Jazz classics he recorded. Sidney and George Clinton recently collaborated on a production that includes an album project called "The Big Old Nasty Get Down", which included a gathering of popular Funk musicians from all over the US. Sidney worked with George on George's multi-Platinum album on Parliament, released in the early 1970's called, "The Mother ship Connection", and sang back up on several of the songs featured on that master piece album. Sidney has worked with Clinton as a co-writer and/or a singer, on several of Clinton's past album projects, including Clinton's, "America Eats It's Young", and his "Up For The Down Stroke" albums on his Pariament/Funkadelic group. Sidney currently appears as a singer, song writer, producer, or musician, on over 150 various CD compilations now on the world market. In 1978, shortly before recording a song for the "Love At First Bite" Sound Track album, Sidney wrote, produced, recorded, and released, his first and only solo album as an artist, on Parachute Records. The critical acclaimed album was titled, "Foot Stomping Music" and spawned some nice R&B/Disco type music that's made it also a classic album. Unfortunately Parachute Records failed to follow through with their obligations, so the album never reached it's full potential. But some classic songs are still being played around the world from that album. During the 80's Sidney worked as back up vocalist on the Maurice White Produced, Columbia Records first 3 album releases of songstress Denise Williams. Those sessions included Sidney singing back up with Denise, and Maurice white, on all the songs on each album, including her million selling hit single, "Free", that was also arranged by Charles Stepney just before his death. Sidney also toured as a back up vocalist with Denise Williams in 1981, on an extensive Lou Rawles, Budweiser sponsored tour, singing the Johnny Mathis part of the Johnny Mathis, Denise Williams mega hit single, "Too Much Too Little Late"", Sidney garnered rave reviews for his velvety Johnny Mathis sound alike vocals on the duet. Their live duo performances of the song drew a standing ovation every night it was preformed. Mean while Sidney continues to build his fan base, at home and abroad. Many of his 60's recordings that he either, sang lead or back up on, co-wrote, or produced, have become very popular over seas especially in the UK market. Sidney has traveled to many parts of England, Wales, Belgium, and Austria, delivering his old school brand of music to the Northern Soul crowd there. In 2001 Sidney recorded a song in London and released it as a 45 single, it took three years for the Ian Levine produced song that Sidney and he had co-written called "Standing On Solid Ground" to catch on, and when it did it became one of the most popular recently cut Northern Soul records, and a dance floor filler each time it's played at a Northern Soul dance club. A rare Sidney Barnes 60's solo single in good condition sells for a nice bit of money over seas. Just as Sidney was thinking of retiring, his Northern Soul fans made him change his mind, by flocking to his overseas shows, and showing their love and appreciation for him and his music in several ways. Now Sidney's back in the studio constantly writing new songs, recording new tracks, collaborating with younger artist on their projects, doing occasional gigs, and collaborating with his buddy George Clinton when ever possible. Sidney's New 3 song RnB EP - "Living In A Digital World" Sidney has currently released a new 3 song RnB EP single, entitled "Living In A Digital World", and features the main single called "Silence". The Other singles on the CD are, "Your Old Lady(turns me on") and "Feels So Right".. Released on Sidney's Pay Dirt Record label, download offers exist on iTunes and Amazon.com and other retail music sites. Interest for it continues to grow as songs began to gain exposure on several internet radio stations around the world. Sidney is signed with Wolf Entertainment an Australian based company handling his digital distribution and internet promotions. Now Sidney is seeking radio exposure for the CD on the main stream FM Stations across the US, and he's confident that will happen. Mean while Sidney is recording and releasing his own hipper and more soulful version of the popular 60's hit song by The Young Rascals called "Grooving". The record is due out (on an undisclosed record label) by May of 012, and is with out a doubt a hit record, helping to inch Sidney that much closer to that Grammy nomination he wants so badly. Sidney currently continues to get interview request from interested people around the world. Sidney can currently be seen appearing and contributing comments on the now famous "Unsung" TV episodes on the TV1 Television Network channel. These feature documentaries recalling the life and careers of certain important black artist. These episodes are also being viewed on You Tube. Sidney is featured in the Minnie Riperton Unsung episode, as well as the George Clinton Unsung episode. Sidney's New Autobiography - "Standing On Solid Ground" Sidney has recently released his detailed 600 page self published autobiography entitled, "Standing On Solid Ground". The same title as his hit Northern Soul single which was recorded and released In England just a few years ago. The chapters of the book reveal Sidney's life growing up, starting out as a young, timid, short, dirt poor, black child, living in the deep South during the 40's and 50's, with loving parents who encouraged their son's deep burning desire to be involved in the music and entertainment business. Sidney being the only child of two loving and hard working parents grew up knowing about love and what it meant, and how it bonded people for life, and how he learned to be happy on a very small budget. He talks about some of the girls and women he loved, the hearts that he broke, the children that he fathered, and about some of his lovers who became musical superstars. It tells about the songs that he wrote, how and why he wrote some of them, and about the people he wrote them with. The crazy touring, with the RnB legends and the Rock n Roll superstars, the creating, the cheating, and the collaborating.. The history of various Record labels, rubbing elbows, recording, and touring, with recording stars that he grew up admiring. About being accepted into the Motown family and recording for them and getting caught up in some serious Motown drama along the way. About recording for Chess Records and finding success there with Rotary Connection and Minnie Riperton, and how their love for each other grew through months of working together. It talks about Sidney's connection to Little Anthony and The Imperials, B.B. King, Muddy Waters, George Clinton, Parliament/Funkadelic, Maurice White and his Earth Wind and Fire group, Chaka Khan, Donnie Hathaway, Janis Joplin, Jimi Hendrix. What it was like working side by side with Minnie Riperton and watching her become a star, appearing at some of the biggest and most prestigious show rooms, and rock music festivals of that time.. In this well crafted story, Sidney talks in depth about his life, as he weaves you in and out of all sorts of emotions, and keeps you wanting to read more. It involves you from the time he was born, up until the present. Giving you much more information than a short book ever could. Sales have been brisk, mainly selling to Sidney's Northern Soul fan base over seas. As Sidney's CD exposure continues to rise, at home and abroad, a group of new fans, listeners, and reader, will emerge, and discover this well written, entertaining, and informative book, hear Sidney's music, and make this a best seller. http://www.sidneybarnes.net --Bob Davis 609-351-0154 earthjuice@prodigy.net Co-Founder www.soul-patrol.com Blues, Hip Hop and Soul Music Director www.radioio.com Concert Review (sorta) - The Group Harmony Alley on WFDU-FM Fundraiser (4/19) This past Thursday I had the chance to attend a rare event, in Northern New Jersey. It was the Group Harmony Alley on WFDU-FM fundraiser in Teaneck, NJ at a pretty nice club called Mexicali Live, featuring the following artists: Persuasions Sheps A Perfect Blend Magic Touch The Vic Donna Group One thing that all of these artists have in common is that they all represent a slice of the doo wop scene called Acapella. That means that even within what is an incredibly shinking Black music genre (doo wop,) what this scene represents is a sub genre of that. In fact this "sub genre" is so small in 2010, one might even question the sanity of driving damn near 2 hours on the New Jersey Turnpike on a Thursday evening to go to the show. Well I went because I knew that this event might just be one of the most exciting Black music events that I am going to attend in the year 2012. That's because I knew that it was going to be an Acapella event and I know that Acapella is perhaps the most exciting kind of Black music that you could possibly choose to expose yourself to. How come? (CUZ IT'S RAW) In fact I wish that somehow a "branding expert" could come along and change the "branding" of Acapella to something along the lines of "I like my MUSIC, the same way I like my SEX....I LIKE IT RAW, I LIKE IT WETT, & I LIKE IT OFTEN." (then maybe people would take more interest?) You see Acapella represents BLACK MUSIC in all of its RAW & NAKED GLORY. And it seems that today in 2012, we have gotten so far away from having an appreciation of the RAW & NAKED GLORY of BLACK MUSIC. In 2012 we seem to want our music, in the same manner that we want our food: "ARTIFICIAL, PROCESSED, & UN-HEALTHY" IMHO just as we need to be consuming natural, un-processed and healthier food, we need to be doing much the same with our musical consumption!!! Or as the Persuasions have been telling us for about a half s century now: "WE DON'T NEED NO BAND" So in essence, this event wasn't really just a fundraiser for the radio show The Group Harmony Alley on WFDU-FM. It was really (just as the radio show is): A CELEBRATION OF BLACK MUSIC IN ALL OF IT'S RAW & NAKED GLORY. So now you know why it was quite worth a two hour drive for yours truly to attend on a Thursday evening.... Some of you may recall that I made a 3 hour appearance on The Group Harmony Alley on WFDU-FM, last summer courtesy of it's host, Ms. Christine Vitale. She quite literally turned over her broadcast to me for 3 hours to play music from artists associated with Soul-Patrol.com, and to discuss some of the issues associated with the music. Christine was the host for this fundraiser as well, duly noting my late arrival, when she announced my name to the crowd of about 250 people in attendance at the club. As soon as she announced my name, several people who are members of Soul-Patrol came over to say hello. Bad enough I was late, now I had to talk with the folks who came up to me, which isn't a bad thing, it just meant that I wasn't going to be able to write an actual full blown concert review......LOL I spoke with Saundra Williams, who most of you know best as one of the vocalists with the Victor Wooten band. Saundra came up to me and told me how excited she was about Victor's upcoming album. She also told me that she was also now singing background with Sharon Jones & the Dap Kings as well. Next up was Keith Lewis, the producer of the excellent documentary called "A Lesson in A Capella," (http://www.aboutcvg.com/films.html) that I have mentioned here on Soul-Patrol many times in the past. Then I found my way into the dressing room in order to say hello to Tommie Shider, lead singer of the Sheps. If that name sounds familiar, it should. If you are a longtime reader you will remember several concert/album review we have done over the years of the Sheps. You will also recall that Tommie is the brother of the late Gary "Doo Wop" Shider, infamous "diaperman" of P-Funk. I also spent some time with the members of the group "Choice - Jersey City's Bad Boys of Acappella," some of whom attended the 2011 Soul-Patrol Convention in Philly. They were actually handling the logistics of the show (door, backstage, etc.) and not scheduled to perform, but ended up doing a 60 second, impromptu performance of 60 Minute Man, from the audience, nice & RAW (just the way I like it.) In the midst of all of this conversation going on there was plenty of live music going on, serving as the soundtrack for my conversations. Each of the artists were singing a mixture of both familiar/unfamiliar CLASSIC SOUL songs (see I'll bet ya thought I was gonna say doo wop songs, didn't cha?) One of the things that caught my ear was a group called "Magic Touch," who did a Chi-lites Medley, as a part of their performance and were pretty damn good. Funny thing about that was, I had just been on the phone with our friend Marshall Thompson of the Chi-Lites, during my drive up the NJ Turnpike....LOL There was also at the same time, plenty of music going on right outside of the club. I got a telephone call that I had to take, so I ducked outside to take the call. When I got outside, there were members of the Persuasions, along with members of Magic Touch, singing songs under a street light (just like a scene from a movie.....LOL) Obviously everyone is familiar with Persuasions, who were the headliners for this event. This was the only group that I was actually able to focus on enough to listen to their set... One of the "myths" in the Black community about Black folks who are involved in this type of music are somehow "Uncle Toms." That "myth" somehow implies that because the modern day audience for the music is about 95 percent white, that the artists themselves are somehow "sellouts." The reality is that Black folks need to be SPANKED for their own ignorance!!! This performance of the Persuasions (a group I have seen many times, dating back to my teenage years sneaking in to clubs in Greenwich Village to see them) was about as FIERCE a display of BLACK PRIDE/BLACK HISTORY as you are likely to ever see on stage. Starting with "Buffalo Solders," and giving that 95% white audience the TRUE story of "How The West Was Won," in a manner that even Gil Scott-Heron couldn't begin to approach to their defiant signature song "Still Aint Got No Band" to their Temptations Medley which started with the classic David Ruffin "Don't Look Back," flowed into tha FUNk with "Runaway Child Running Wild" & "Cloud Nine" then back to "Ain't Too Proud To Beg" next was "60 Minute Man", followed by the quite humorous "Can't Do 60 No More" then doing Beatles, Dylan & U2 covers in their own "Still Aint Got No Band" style, quite literally left me talking to myself. They gave a hard core/serious Black History lesson and a music history lesson (and didn't need a band to do it either....LOL) At the end of the event I thanked Christine for inviting me and made it back to my car for the long drive home. As I drove back I found myself thinking about that moment in the year 2000, while I was covering the RRHOF Inductions, during the rehearsal of the Moonglows. They were singing the song "Sincerely," of course "without a band." They were completely killing the song, as one might have expected. It just so happened that Paul Simon (yes THAT Paul Simon) was standing next to me. He was focused intensely on the performance and was himself in a "zone." I overheard him talking to himself and saying "this is the f*ckin sh*t....this is how Rock n' Roll started and people don't have a clue..." Paul Simon's a pretty smart guy, isn't he? ----------------- Bob Davis earthjuice@prodigy.net bobdavis@radioio.com 609-351-0154 ------------------ Co-Founder www.soul-patrol.com Blues, Hip Hop and Soul Music Director www.radioio.com ------------------- --Bob Davis 609-351-0154 earthjuice@prodigy.net Co-Founder www.soul-patrol.com Blues, Hip Hop and Soul Music Director www.radioio.com Commentary: I have 3 thoughts about the passing of Dick Clark 1. My first thought will always be that I got to do something in 2007 that millions of people wanted to do, but never got a chance to. I got to dance on American Bandstand (sorta.) As some of you may recall, we held the cabaret portion of the 2007 Soul-Patrol Convention in what was formerly the TV studio of WFIL in Philadelphia. The event was held inside of the very room (bout the size of a small HS gym) where the American Bandstand TV show was filmed. Those of you who were there will recall the floor was decorated with graphical icons, marking the spot where the cameras were placed, where the bleachers were, the outline of the dance floor, Dick Clark's podium stood, the control room & more. Sadly that floor no longer exists. The owners have now replaced it with a regular wooden floor. The cabaret was DJ'ed by our own "Dr G," he truly "FUNKED UP" American Bandstand, and is one of the highlights of my life. It reminds me that what we do with the Soul-Patrol Convention is to try to create "once in a lifetime" opportunities to do something musically that you would otherwise NEVER have the chance to do. (Be there or be square....LOL) 2. Kevin Amos's great audio interview of Stanley Blitz: Funkoverlord Interviews Stanley Blitz, Author of "American Bandstand The Untold Story," which discusses the true story of how the show began as an R&B and Jazz show, how it evolved, how Dick Clark came to replace Bob Horn. This interview appears on the Soul-Patrol.com website at the following link: http://www.soul-patrol.net/bandstand.ram the interview is required listening and the book is required reading if anyone is interested in learning the TRUE history of the American Bandstand TV show. 3. Dick Clark was a man who built a multi-media empire. He did it the "all amerikan way." He came from a wealthy and politically connected family. He used that wealth and political connections to build a powerful foundation for his multi-media empire on the backs of Black American culture. He used that foundation to first avoid going to jail, when clearly what he was doing was the very definition of what is now known as "payola." Next he used that foundation to expand into a vast multi-media empire, taking it even to the point where his name and face became synonymous with a national holiday (megalomania?) Although I am a native of New York, I have lived in the Philadelphia area now for 20+ years and as a result of my various activities with Soul-Patrol.com I have had the chance to speak with many people who have been associated with the American Bandstand TV show, and it is fair to say that people here are proud of the TV show, but few have had nice things to say about Dick Clark. Today there are many Black folks who are celebrating Dick Clark as if he was some sort of "deity." Please do not count me among that group of people. It is one thing for us to continuously allow our culture to be exploited for profit. It is quite another for us to celebrate those who victimize us. --Bob Davis 609-351-0154 earthjuice@prodigy.net Co-Founder www.soul-patrol.com Blues, Hip Hop and Soul Music Director www.radioio.com I Just Heard A truly C-O-M-P-E-L-L-I-N-G song (a totally "hypnotic/erotic groove") Remember these two songs? 1. Betty Wright - "Tonight is the Night" 2. Tommy James & the Shondells - "Crystal Blue Persuasion" Now just think about the melody of these two and forget about the lyrics. Simply play back those to songs inside of your mind, with no words. Now merge the two songs together. They fit together just like rice & gravy, don't they? Continue to listen to both instrumentals (forget the lyrics) playing together as if they are one song. This now unnamed "third song," has a real hypnotic groove, doesn't it? Don't they sound just like butter & popcorn? Now bring in a male voice. It's a voice that sounds a bit like Wilson Pickett? (a little) Or maybe a bit like Sam Cooke? (maybe?) But then you notice that he's got background singers (a little R&B?......a little doo wop?) Ahhhh, Temptations? (maybe.....maybe not?) Now you listen to the lyrics. It's a "begging/lust" song. Beautiful.....classic..... THIS IS THE SUMMER SONG!!! You know the one, I'm talking about... The one that's playing thru the speakers of the salt water taffy shop on the boardwalk. The one that's playing when you see..... ...THE GIRL THAT'S STANDING THERE... It's the same girl that the Beatles saw "standing there." And just like the Minnie Riperton album cover. She's eating an ice cream cone & the ice cream is melting/dripping on her hand. You want to lick it off. But first you have to work up the nerve to speak with her. To approach her. You have no idea what to say. Plus you are half scared that her boyfriend will return at the very moment that you choose to approach her. So you don't. But if you had the guts to approach her, you would express to her, in your own words, the lyrics to this song. And as you spoke with her, this hypnotic groove, would be what is playing in your head. Now stop imagining. I have been listening to this very song, off and on all day long today. It's track #5 of a soon to be released album by Mr. Ryan Shaw. (like so many of the great ones, it's buried in the middle of the album) The name of the album is "REAL LOVE." The whole album is actually pretty good, and I will be doing a full review of it soon. But I had to stop for just a moment and tell you all about this one mind blowing track called "EVERMORE." On this track Ryan is backed up by the Soul Survivors. I already have it on "repeat" inside of my mind. (along with all of the others I have mentioned in the past that are permenatly "on repeat," inside of my head.) "EVERMORE" will be the one that I will remember Ryan Shaw for 20 years from now. (even though I am told that it will not be be the album single.......go figure?) I just so happens that I have a link to a live version of the song "Evermore" - Ryan Shaw. Check it out and let me know if you think that I have lost my damn mind? --Bob Davis 609-351-0154 earthjuice@prodigy.net Co-Founder www.soul-patrol.com Blues, Hip Hop and Soul Music Director www.radioio.com Concert Review: Global Noize @ Berks Jazz Fest I was quite honored to have been selected to emcee this show. I always have a blast at the Berks Jazzfest, hooking up with old friends (Kayte Connerly, John Ernesto, etc) and new ones (Anita & Selmon Brody of the upcoming Chester County Jazz Festival, etc.) Check out the review below from our friend "ELP" and also check out the video clip from the show of "Jam For Joe," which ELP so vividly describes below: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=60GTkXbtQvQ, featuring the incredible vocal intro by Falu!!! well suh...aint nuffin smoov bout these cats! So it seems that many of you (most of you?) are familiar with this very eclectic band. It wouldn't be incorrect to say for some that they are a Weather Report tribute band. However there are elements about them that suggest something different. I won't say more because that's not really the issue here. Less is more sometimes. Just as Weather Report is basically Joe Zawinul and Wayne Shorter it's safe to say that Global Noise at it's core is DJ Logic, Jason Miles and the lovely and exotic Falu. Unlike Weather Report whose sound is both easily identifiable and somewhat unchanged no matter who the sidemen may be, Global Noise is almost chameleon-like in it's ability to frame it's sound live around the musicians featured during that set. Tonight the 'sidemen' were: Mino Cinelu- French-Caribbean multi-instrumentalist playing percussion and vocals Will Calhoun- known as drummer for Living Colour on drums Jay Rodriguez- probably the unsung fourth 'regular' member of this band on reeds Amanda Ruzza- brilliant young Brazilian bassist Maurice Brown- trumpeter par excellence out of Chicago Illinois and another young turk. Tonight the sound was more Weather Report meets Miles meets "Bollywood" meets Funk/Hip-Hop or yet another turn on the term 'Fusion'. Here's the set: A Jam For Joe- opening with soaring yet ethereal vocal intonations provided by Falu in possibly Hindi, there was a certain meditative quality to this sound. If any of you ever practice things like TM, Yoga or any of the Eastern modes of prayer and/or introspection then you know of the feelings of connection to Oneness. It's not a stretch to say that Falu's singing here and throughout have the ability to 'take you there' (so quoth one Mavis of Staples). This opening was to me THE Prayer For The Planet for which the current album is so named. I was disappointed to learn that it was NOT that tune. So beautiful that I felt my eyes well up with tears. After Falu's vocal intro the band kicks into nice little quasi funk groove that featured further singing by Falu and excellent solos from both Maurice Brown as well as Jay Rodriguez. Bollyhood- another Falu vehicle which featured another solo from Jay as well as a nice piano/synth solo from Jason Miles The Souk- tune about being in and capturing the sounds of the marketplace in Marrakech. DJ Logic dropped a nice funk drum sample/sequence which was picked up by Will Calhoun but then morphs into another groove entirely. It's here that we begin to see Falu's interaction with various members of the band with call and response between her vocals and whomever she chooses to 'challenge' in this way. *There were two sets so I'm basically combining the best of both as they played the SAME SET differently the 2nd time around. Viva La Femme- the highlight and showcase tune for me of the night (hell, the entire DAY for that matter). This too had a distinct intro by Logic but then things go all damned funky and whatnot! Amanda Ruzzo got so funky she might as well have taken her clothes off! I spoke with her and while I itched to ask her age I didn't want to be rude but suffice to say she couldn't have been more than thirty. It was also clear that she was very much up under Will Calhoun during rehearsals as there was a lovely interplay between the two. She took a solo very reminiscent of Jaco (well not quite THAT deep- but you get my drift). She did the octave chords and then did the Graham slap-bass thang and then just went into her own teeth chattering masher crasher low bass register groove. All done expertly with taste and touch. After that percussionist Mino did his thing playing on a very sensitive instrument that (according to him) is old equipment. So old in fact as to almost be obsolete. Will had one as well. It looks like a conga head mounted on a stand and augmented by a tunable head and various knobs for changing sounds/sequencing. This thing can sound like everything from a tabla to congas to bongos and any and everything in between. Unfortunately I don't recall this instrument's name. Mino's tabla-like solo smoked and Will Calhoun expertly (and very patiently) camped on the drum kit. And then it was Mr. Calhoun's turn to burn and boy did he. He's such a nice cat and he plays virtually everything in a way that seemingly says: "you can do this too"! His playing lends itself directly to Africa and all of the influences that a drummer might find there. I'm not saying that he don't get into his chops or technique, I'm saying that his flash is more soulful than most. He soloed first trading back and forth with Mino and then opening up alone. He had two pedals on one bass drum, a hi-hat and also a supplemental 18" bass drum. To put this in perspective they have 18" floor toms so as a bass drum this is small-almost like a cocktail drum like the salseros might play. His solo had this...imagine your heart beat or what is depicted as a heartbeat. boom-BOOM...or clip-CLOP. Got that? Just let that play over and over in your head. That by the way is called an ostinato. That '18' I spoke of is pitched higher so it really resembled a heartbeat. Then on top of that with the right side of his body he soloed. Then with his left hand he played something against THAT! All that shit sounded like about three cats playing and yet it also seemed NOT otherworldly or impossible. It sounded for the entire world that we could all sit in and get right with his playing. I'm oversimplifying a bit because this was a tremendous solo. Hardly like anything the younger 'Third' was playing earlier but maybe more interesting because of the intricateness of it all. This cacophony of sound was all hushed by a DJ Logic mix that was wah-wah/scratch turntabalist like. This scratch/wah-wah became softer and softer until it was over. Sweet. Wanna Be With You- Excellent ensemble piece that featured Falu and a nice sax solo by Jay. Jay does this really nice thing while onstage. Once his part or solo is complete instead of leaving the stage he goes down into a sort of squat-sit-kneel position right there onstage. There's something so inclusive about this because while unobtrusive to the other band members or the stage, he stays with everybody and just grooves. He's listening almost like he's considering what he'll do next all while embracing completely everything happening onstage. Prayer For The Planet- sort of like disco meets fusion. This was a bit anti-climactic as it relates to the rest of the set but as a finale it was perfect. You almost wanted to get up and dance. In fact I don't remember the lyric but it was something with which we could sing or hum along. Global Noize is decidedly NOT a Smooth Jazz band. The folk that came to hear them were clearly familiar with their music and there to see THEM as George Benson was performing at the same time as their first set in another venue. It was a nice crowd and the demographic had to be mostly in the 50-60 yr. old group. Racial mix of about 60-40% white to black. A good time was evidently had by all. Hopefully the economic woes of America will be resolved so more folk will come out as this show and many of the others I did NOT see can be better attended and appreciated. Hire A Band Peace LP http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=60GTkXbtQvQ --Bob Davis 609-351-0154 earthjuice@prodigy.net Co-Founder www.soul-patrol.com Blues, Hip Hop and Soul Music Director www.radioio.com APOLOGY TO DR. MARTIN LUTHER KING: (Guest Commentary from Carlton J. Smith) Dr. King on behalf of my brothers and sisters I apologize for our behavior. I'm sure that on this day back in 1968 when you lay on that balcony - mortally wounded - surrounded by Benedict Arnold turncoat race traitors within your inner circle - race traitors who were complicit in your shooting - I'm sure you never imagined that 44 years on from that fateful day (April 4th) that we would be openly calling each other NIGGER and have the whole world singing along, having convinced ourselves it's a term of endearment. I apologize for the historical amnesia that so many of us labor under. We have no knowledge of ourselves, of the pain and suffering that our forefathers and foremothers went through as well as the day to day struggle but we can recount at the drop of a hat how Chris Brown beat Rhiannas ass. I apologize for the fact that you went to prison on behalf of our struggle and it inspired you to write the classic, LETTERS FROM A BIRMINGHAM JAIL" - nowadays artists go to jail and it inspires nothing but a spike in their CD sales. Dr. King I apologize because seemingly we have learned nothing and as a result we are doomed to repeat a lot of the same mistakes. We are still behaving like crabs in a barrel...if one of us makes it up the rest of us try to pull him/her back down. Your assassins were more unified than we are. Dr. King you went abroad to receive your Nobel Peace prize and represented us on international shores...nowadays Kanye and Jay Z (two of our supposed best and brightest) are representing us on international shores with a song called "NIGGERS IN PARIS". Oh Dr. King I apologize from the bottom of my heart. If there's any solace to be gleaned from your tragic passing it's that when you took one in the neck you were on a balcony surrounded by your staff...Malcolm X took seventeen bullets in his chest in FRONT OF HIS WIFE AND CHILDREN, Medgar Evers took two in the back in the driveway of his home in front of his wife and children courtesy of that cowardly Klansman Byron DeLa Beckwith. Dr.King would you please tell them that we're sorry too? You know Dr.King we're so far gone that we have allowed ourselves to believe that there's a distinction between someone calling us the "N" word and their ending it with an "A" as opposed to an "ER"...as if that's supposed to make it alright. Dr.King if you see Harriet Tubman, tell her that once more some of us need to be led out of the darkness and into the light. Tell Frederick Douglass and Booker T. Washington that we're sorry also. Time was we would be killed for trying to read and educate ourselves and nowadays the old adage , "...if you want to keep a secret from a black man, just hide it in a book..." seems truer than ever. DR. KING it would appear that you death was in vain...James Brown told us to be BLACK AND PROUD...nowadays we just want to be paid and proud...no matter what the cost. Our obsession with material things as opposed to spiritual will prove to be our downfall. Yes there's a black man in the White House and a black first lady...but that move was designed and calculated to allow White America to pat themselves on the back in a self congratulatory look - how - far - we've come move while doing nothing to erase the age old problems. Dr. King I pray that you are resting in peace with Coretta right by your side. You may run into a young man by the name of Trayvon Martin whose recent demise was proof positive that ain't a damn thing changed but the weather. I don't know how much he knows of you, but please fill him in and wrap your arms around him. He truly wasn't supposed to meet you just yet. Again I hope I haven't been too presumptuous...no one asked me to speak for all black people but I felt compelled. You did so much for us and look how we're repaid you. We owe you so much more. THANK YOU FOR HAVING WALKED AMONGST US. YOU WERE A MAN AMONGST MEN. "I THANK GOD FOR MUSIC!" - CARLTON J. SMITH --Bob Davis 609-351-0154 earthjuice@prodigy.net Co-Founder www.soul-patrol.com Blues, Hip Hop and Soul Music Director www.radioio.com Hip-Hop Killed Rock Music (Commentary from Bill Curtis of the Fatback Band) One of the things that I like best about the current age of the internet is that more and more artists are using the power of the internet to directly express their perspectives on the music, past present & future. They now have the ability to address music fans directly, without the need for any "third party filters," who often have an agenda. This is something that I have long encouraged and hopefully we will see even more of this happening over time. This commentary is from our friend Bill Curtis, the legendary founder of the Fatback Band. If anyone has the "cred" to make a commentary on hip hop it's Bill. After all the Fatback Band's hit song "King Tim III" is generally acknowledged as the very first hip hop recording. And of course I would strongly encourage you to communicate directly with Bill via his website (http://www.fatbackband.com) or Twitter/Facebook.-- (Bob Davis) Hip-Hop Killed Rock Music (Commentary from Bill Curtis of the Fatback Band) http://www.fatbackband.com Hip Hop killed Rock music. I know a few of you out there won't admit it, but it did; sale wise. The down fall started in 1998 with Rap, Hip Hop is a spinoff of Rap. Nine out of the top fifteen pop albums was Rap. Ten years ago the white teenagers were into Rock big time. Rock was their thing. Now they are down loading Hip Hop. Percentage wise, Hip Hop has outpaced all genre of music in the last few years and is still growing. Music, if you look back in history, has always set the pace of the period of what was going in the world. Jazz is called an America culture, but it was really a Black Culture. The 20's had it fashion and jazz dancing. Jazz had a great influence within the Black community during the Harlem Renaissance period. It was redefining the Black America Culture, "The New Blacks," one that was proud of his African Heritage. Jazz then did what Hip Hop is doing now, crossing over all ethnic boundaries. Jazz put Harlem on the map for Black entertainment. Today when foreign tourists visit New York, one of the first places they want to visit was Harlem. During the Renaissance most all the patron at that time was white and the entertainers were all Black. When the white musicians started interpreting jazz and claiming it as their own, they made more money than the black musicians who was playing the real jazz. You get where I'm coming from won't even going into that ----. Then out of jazz came the swing era, from swing came Bebop music. Oh yea, let's not forget, R & B. All of these were Black influence culture changes. What made Hip Hop different; it was expressing what was going on in the Black community. All the violence, crimes, drug stories and police brutality; they were able to put in a rhythmic form with a beat. This is what Rap was about before it went gangster. Hip Hop has unified the youth worldwide in fashion, slang and music. It has crossed all ethnic boundaries rich and poor. Hip Hop is big!! All of this came out of the Black youth neighborhood streets of New York, to suburbs, and to corporate America. I still remember the first time I heard it, we were playing a block party in the Bronx. Rap wasn't new to me, but the subject matter was. How they rapped about everyday life in a form that was entertaining and exciting was new. I never dreamed it would be as popular as it is now. About 75 percent of the Rap and Hip Hop audience are nonblack. Not only Blacks are doing Hip Hop music, you have White, Asian, and Latino. Just about every nationality is into Hip Hop. Let's not forget about Hip Hop fashion styles which came out the prison system. You see, they were not allowed to have belts and shoes laces. So when guys came back from prison they continue to wear their pants with no belts and shoes untied. I know all this isn't new to you, but I wanted you to know it hasn't changed that much. The power of music, if used in a positive way, can make a change, just like it has in the past. Music connects ethnic groups together and can build bridges for racial harmony to make the world a better place to live, if we just let it. I love the power of music. On March 21, 1952 my late friend Paul (Hucklebucker) Williams played the first all-black R&B concert of this kind, paving the way for all of the festivals that came after it. Two-thirds of audience was white, a first at that time. That's the power of music! --Bill Curtis http://www.fatbackband.com --Bob Davis 609-351-0154 earthjuice@prodigy.net Co-Founder www.soul-patrol.com Blues, Hip Hop and Soul Music Director www.radioio.com Gil Noble Passes I would assume that by now, many of you all have heard, brotha Gil Noble has passed away. For most of you, even if you have heard of him, Gil Noble was just a local TV newsman. But for those of us who grew up on him, Gil Noble was our teacher. His TV show, "Like It Is," was an institution in NYC. Gil Noble didn't talk down to Black folks. He made YOU come up to his level. And if you couldn't keep up, then you were going to get left behind. He didn't talk "street." But you knew that he was cool as hell. Watching his show, I always got the feeling, that he didn't consider Black History to be "yesterday's news." I got the feeling that it was his expectation, that "Black History," was the bare minimum of knowledge that you were supposed to have and that he was going to make absolutely certain that you were going to learn all of the Black History that he knew about, and then some. So he made Black History documentaries, just for the "Like It Is" program. Clearly Gil Noble didn't think that you were supposed to learn history, just for the sake of knowing it. My impression was that without understanding that history, it would be impossible to navigate daily life as a Black American. So he made Current events broadcasts that tackled the most important local/national issues, and tied those issues to the history lessons he also taught, just for the "Like It Is" program. I used to watch these broadcasts, all during Junior High & High School, every Sunday at 1pm. One week it would be Jackie Robinson, the next week it would be about a school board dispute, the next week it might be Count Basie, the next week it could be about a rent strike against a slumlord, the next week it could be Bobby Seale, the next week it could be about a girls Double Dutch competition, the next week it could be a local funk band like Mandrill, the next week it could be Lena Horne, etc. Hopefully some of these broadcasts are available on tape/DVD. If they are, I would buy it. Although I didn't realize it at the time. For me each broadcast was like a attending college lecture. With brotha Gil connecting the dots, between all of it. Before there was Ed Bradley (There was Gil Noble) Before there was Tavis Smiley (There was Gil Noble) Before there was Don Lemmon (There was Gil Noble) And I think that I am most likely a better person for it.... --Bob Davis ----------------- From ABC TV It is with much regret to inform you that Gil Noble has passed away. Gil Noble (born February 22, 1932 in [[Harlem, New York]-April 5, 2012])[1] is an American television reporter and interviewer. He was the producer and host of New York City television station WABC-TV's weekly, Like It Is, originally co-hosted with Melba Tolliver.[2] The program focused primarily on issues concerning African Americans and those within the African diaspora.[3] Noble joined WABC in July 1967 as a reporter, and starting in January 1968 became an anchor of its Saturday and Sunday night newscasts. He became host of Like It Is a few months prior to the rebranding of the station's newscasts as Eyewitness News in November 1968. In addition, he was an occasional interviewer on some of WABC's other public affairs shows, such as Eyewitness Exclusive. From 1986 on, Noble concentrated exclusively on Like It Is. Noble also created documentaries on such topics as W. E. B. Du Bois, Malcolm X, Fannie Lou Hamer, Ella Baker, Decade of Struggle, Martin Luther King Jr., Adam Clayton Powell, Jr., Jack Johnson, Charlie Parker and Essay on Drugs. In 1977, he wrote, directed and produced the first documentary on Paul Robeson, entitled The Tallest Tree in Our Forest. In 1973, Noble reported (for local TV station WABC channel 7) on the first mobile cellular phone invented by Marty Cooper from the NY Hilton in New York. Noble won four Emmy Awards.[1] In 1981, he wrote an autobiography, Black is the Color of My TV Tube.[1] Noble was a supporter of The Jazz Foundation of America, hosting the 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004 and 2007 "A Great Night in Harlem" Concert / Benefit for The Jazz Foundation to support The Musicians Emergency Fund.[4] He is! also a member of the Board of Directors.[5] In July 2011, Noble suffered a serious stroke.[6] In late September, his family announced that Noble would not be returning to host Like It Is. ------------- Condolences from Mandrill: Condolences for Gil Noble's family and friends: Gil Noble, another Icon, has transitioned to join the ancestors. His body of work as a television journalist was second to none. His documentaries, such as Paul Robeson, Martin Luther King, Jr., Malcolm X, Jack Johnson and so many others, were informative and uplifting. Mandrill was fortunate to be featured on Like It Is (WABC TV/Channel 7) out of New York City in 1970. This was one of our earliest television shows and we were in awe of Mr. Noble's presence and his ability to make you feel at home as he asked very poignant and pertinent questions. We also performed on the show and we are truly indebted to him for helping to put Mandrill on the map back in the early days, shortly after our inception. To Mr. Noble's family and friends, we give our Condolences. His work will live on to inform and inspire a whole new generation. May he rest in peace. The Wilson Brothers, Lou, Ric, Carlos and Wolf of Mandrill http://www.mandrillis.com --Bob Davis 609-351-0154 earthjuice@prodigy.net Co-Founder www.soul-patrol.com Blues, Hip Hop and Soul Music Director www.radioio.com Echoes of an Era (Trayvon Martin & Sgt Robert Bales outrage) I give you the following two "echoes." The general public seems to be outraged by these two cases, as well they should be. Both cases seem to be the very definition of what the "flip side" of the American Dream is supposed to be. Of course the media is simultaneously fueling that outrage, yet at the same time is warning us that those who appear to be the guilty parties, still must be presumed innocent. Yet even if they are innocent, there still feels like something is terribly wrong. 1. The case of Trayvon Martin in Sanford Florida (Echoes of Emmett Till) 2. The case of Sgt Robert Bales in Afghanistan (Echoes of Lt. William Calley/Mi Lie Massacre) A few weeks ago, I wrote about my personal disdain for the "values" of the hip hop generation. Well these two artists (Jasiri X and Sgt Dunson....along with Rebel Diaz) are the exceptions that prove the rule. Please feel free to forward these videos to your frineds online and make them as popular as they can be. Perhaps it will encourage the mainstream music industry to start speaking out on these critical issues? --Bob Davis 609-351-0154 earthjuice@prodigy.net Co-Founder www.soul-patrol.com Blues, Hip Hop and Soul Music Director www.radioio.com PRESS RELEASE: James Biscuit" Rouse - "Conversations in Analog, vol. 1" Did yall tell me that yall dig some REAL FUNK MUSIC....Just head on over to the website of James "Biscuit" Rouse (http://www.jamesrousemusic.com), take a listen and let me know what yall think? FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: New York based drummer/singer James Rouse is excited to welcome us into the conversation with his debut solo project, "Conversations in Analog, vol. 1", a soulful exploration of the intersection between funk and jazz. James Rouse is well-versed in soul and funk, as evidenced in the many years he has spent as a diverse side musician, playing alongside the creative gifts of r&b songstress Lauryn Hill, smooth jazz bassist Gerald Veasley, and jazz bassist Mike Henderson from the Miles Davis ensemble, among others. Drawing influences from 70's era jazz fusion, Philadelphia soul, psychedelic rock, Conversations takes you on an emotional trip through the creative amalgam of all groove-based idioms. Grammy-award winning Songwriter Nile Rodgers, has said of this project [insert quote]. Conversations in Analog features guest appearances from fusion trumpeter Phil Lassiter (Philthy, Dallas AllStars), sultry jazz singer Mavis Swan Poole (Lauryn Hill), bass clarinetist Scott Kreiger (Broadway) and James Rouse's wife Charisa the ViolinDiva, (Mos Def, Savion Glover). Their cohesive talents, from Poole's sassy storytelling to Adam Klipple's blazing organ solo on "Strawberry Fields" combines their cohesive talents to create a truly notable project. Not a small task, considering that most of this album was recorded while James Rouse was on an extensive international tour with Lauryn Hill, with members of the band recording solos everywhere from dressing rooms to soundchecks, and over long distance songwriting sessions. Other memorable moment s from the album include the soul-stirring remake of Beatles Classic "Strawberry Fields", and the unrelenting funk on James Rouse's original "Freedom", which also features James' rich vocals in one of only two vocal tracks on the album. As stated by bassist Gerald Veasley, [James "Biscuit" Rouse establishes himself as a multi-talented recording artist with "Conversations in Analog". This CD is a breath of fresh air from an artist whose influences range from P-funk to opera to hip hop. Biscuit is at home in a sultry jazz night club jam session or a spirit filled gospel performance. "Conversations" is an break out debut from a musical chameleon"] As stated by DJ/ Producer King Britt [James Biscuit Rouse has created a really dope album. Especially for jazz heads, his fusion influences are show, channelling Michael Urbaniak, Herbie Hancock and even James Brown. His drumming is always on point and favorites, Good Hip and Freedom, make me hit repeat overtime. Bravo!] With Conversations in Analog, vol 1 James Rouse and his band deliver a powerful testament to the richness of soul, funk, and jazz, and the next chapter of their ongoing dialogue for a long time to come. www.jamesrousemusic.com for all inquiries and bookings, please contact: Alex Branch, Management (215-240-3284/ 818-570-0659) --Bob Davis 609-351-0154 earthjuice@prodigy.net Co-Founder www.soul-patrol.com Blues, Hip Hop and Soul Music Director www.radioio.com Album Review: Revelations Featuring Tre Williams - Concrete Blues The last time I saw a torch get passed so obviously and willingly it was when MJ presented JB BET's Lifetime Achievement (Vanguard/Sammy Davis Jr.?) Award a couple years ago. Like Ali frail and wobbly making his way through in that Olympic Torch lighting ceremony, Brown was waaaay ready to give it up but there was seemingly no takers. Enter MJ and the deal was sealed in one of the most memorable moments (TV or otherwise) ever. So now we see Lattimore, the bad black lion passing the torch of Southern Soul to a not-so-young-but-young-enough-for-government-work (and the purposes necessary therein) Tre Williams. The new album is called Concrete Blues. The irony here is that all of that in-studio wizadry (trickery?) is conspicuous by it's absence here. No sound gates, gone are the hokey horn patches and it's all replaced by the sparest of spare rhythm section (replete with a nice greasy Hammond b3 organ), bari and tenor saxes and a trumpet player. Horns are only on a couple tunes but their presence is so effective that it's another one of it's great selling points. Due to Mr. Williams' age the subject matter and delivery while very similar in some ways to Lattimore's is informed instead by the reality of black male life TODAY! It also borrows heavily from the PEAK days of this genre. Luther Ingram, Johnny Taylor, Sam Cooke, Bobby Womack, Otis Redding along with the guitar playing of a Curtis Mayfield or Steve Cropper are all invoked. Anthony Hamilton comes to mind as well as his soul emits the exact same kind of emotionally charged maturity through the vagaries of the life experience. Jaheim got it too but those two are a lil more 'caught up' in 'today-isms' to matter as much as they could. By 'today-isms' I mean the 'hot' 'happenin' studio stuff. One of the things that always endeared Tre Williams to me was his totally organic approach to music making. It's authentic, honest, traditional and fresh all at the same time. What Lattimore sang on the Ladies Man CD (All Said And Done) that "there aint nuthin new under the sun when it's all said and done" he had to be channeling this guy. Maybe because of the sadly deteriorating aspects of our culture through broken dysfunctional nuclear families and the subsequent impairment of the black community, so many of today's young artists lack the continuum of tradition necessary to move forward. I believe that this is the main contributing factor informing this need for 'the next hot thing'. Cats acknowledge the presence of the Masters and all of their groundbreaking pioneering efforts only to abandon the same in search of this ever elusive 'Eldorado' of relevance. Forget it! Just stop, NOW!.....(continued here) --Bob Davis 609-351-0154 earthjuice@prodigy.net Co-Founder www.soul-patrol.com Blues, Hip Hop and Soul Music Director www.radioio.com Album Review: Betty Wright & The Roots - Betty Wright: The Movie Please allow me to share with all of you another great find that came out recently - the latest from Betty Wright. We all know the output of Miami-based soul legend Betty Wright, known for such classics as "Clean Up Woman", "Tonight Is The Night", "No Pain, No Gain", and "After The Pain". She did a song with Angie Stone back in 2006 or 2007 titled "Baby". Well, she's back with a brand new CD titled "Betty Wright: The Movie". The music is provided by Philly's own The Roots and, let me tell you, the CD is SLAMMING!!! Just like Full Force did for James Brown back in 1988 for his album "I'm Real", The Roots are doing for Betty Wright on her latest CD. Fourteen songs of pure, unadulterated, gut wrenching soul and funk! The CD is solid from start to finish - there is not one single filler cut, on the whole CD. A solid listen from beginning to end. She is still the storyteller that she has always been with her lyrics and her singing is still as soulful and solid as ever. The Roots understand her style very well and provide solid instrumentation with REAL INSTRUMENTS and REAL SOUL! No hip-hopped soul here. Granted, three of the songs do feature very brief raps in the middle (one from Snoop Dogg). However, even the raps fit in perfectly and are unobtrusive. Again, all involved understand the lady and they allow her to do her thing without getting in the way.....(review continued) --Bob Davis 609-351-0154 earthjuice@prodigy.net Co-Founder www.soul-patrol.com Blues, Hip Hop and Soul Music Director www.radioio.com Album Review: Irene Cara presents Hot Caramel Irene Cara presents Hot Caramel (Rock, Neo Soul, Jazz, Funk, Fusion, Slow Jams, Southern Soul, Pop, Disco, Latin, Spoken Word/Rap) Irene Cara - vocals, acoustic piano, synths Audrey Martells - vocals Chanda Leigh Bailey - keyboards, synths/FX, vocals Errica Poindexter - bass Reina Yvonne Poindexter - vocals Donna Hairston - bass Lafrae Olivia SCI - drums Sheryl Bailey - guitar (please note ..."an all girl band") Here is what I will write on Twitter about this album, if I ever log on to my account there again: "Irene Cara presents Hot Caramel is the best album that I have heard released in 2011" (I think that is fewer than 140 characters?) Irene Cara; huh? A few months ago I was contacted by a publicist, asking me if I would like to have a copy of the new release by Irene Cara, for potential airplay on RadioIO.com. Of course I am well aware of who Irene Cara is.....(review continued) --Bob Davis 609-351-0154 earthjuice@prodigy.net Co-Founder www.soul-patrol.com Blues, Hip Hop and Soul Music Director www.radioio.com Album Review: Black Ivory - Continuum Some 40 years ago (damn! has it been that long?), I added, BLACK IVORY as one of the groups I came to enjoy in style and substance. "I'll Find Away" is among my all-time favorites of 'ALL' of the songs I like to listen to even today. The 'Industry' can be cruel to recording artists and thus, cruel to the fans of recording artists. They set their own criteria for what they are willing to support, I suppose, based on a bigger picture. I'm being kind. They kick to the curb what 'they' don't want or think is viable to their business 'objectives'. We have seen it repeatedly.So BLACK IVORY was yet another casualty of this 'process'. But NOW.... "CONTINUUM by BLACK IVORY" has come into being. A 'reunion' of sorts of the three young men, Stuart Bascombe, Leroy Burgess and Russell Paterson we embraced some 40 years ago. They have come a long way from, "Don't Turn Around", but in many ways, this album is reminiscent of the style of vocals and harmony that their followers and fans were drawn to.....(review continued) --Bob Davis 609-351-0154 earthjuice@prodigy.net Co-Founder www.soul-patrol.com Blues, Hip Hop and Soul Music Director www.radioio.com Concert Review: Lee Fields + Sugar Pie DeSanto @ The Bell House New Years Eve Brooklyn, NY (12/31) This long overdue review from New Year's Eve December 31, 2011 /January 1, 2012, is going to end up being more of a "stream of consciousness," than a typical concert review. As many of you already know, 2011 was just about the worst year of my life, with the passing of my mother on Thanksgiving day, among other things that you don't know. So as you might well imagine, I was quite happy to see the year end and for a new one to begin. As a general rule, I don't go out at all on New Year's Eve at all. I stopped doing that many years ago, for all of the obvious reasons why the best place to be on New Years Eve is right at home, in front of the TV set watching the ball drop along with Dick Clark. However the idea of bringing in the New Year with our good friends, Lee Fields and Sugar Pie DeSanto, was inspirational for me. I knew that not only would the show be ultra phunky, but I also knew that it would be just the type of "attitude adjustment," for me on a personal level that would enable me to start of 2012 on a positive tip. Both are longtime members of Soul-Patrol, over 10 years in fact. --In fact Lee Fields had attended the 2011 Soul-Patrol Convention this past summer in Philadelphia. --And back in 2008 we were quite honored to have been in attendance when Sugar Pie DeSanto was presented with her R&B Foundation Pioneer Award. And of course, this was Sugar Pie's first NYC appearance in many, many years. (Later we were to learn that she had just recently discovered that she had been born in Brooklyn.) As "mrs. earthjuce' and I were preparing to make the journey from New Jersey to Brooklyn for the show, something occurred that perfectly set the tone for the evening. My daughter, home from college for the Holiday break, who had previously told us that she would ge going to Philly to hang out with her friends, informs me that those plans had fallen through and wants to know if she can hang out with mom & dad for New Years Eve? Although I would never have suggested it, nothing could have made me smile more :) Anyhow, the rest of this is the "stream of consciousness" that I tweeted that evening from the Bell House nightclub in Brooklyn on New Year's Eve December 31, 2011 /January 1, 2012... @kozmicfunk: Im sitting here in the super hip/super slick Bell House nightclub in Brooklyn with my two best girls (mrs earthjuice & rachel). @kozmicfunk: We are waiting for the supa phunky Mr. Lee Fields and the legendary Ms. Sugar Pie DeSanto (the inspiration for Amy Winehouse) to to hit the stage. @kozmicfunk: The instruments are on the stage, there is a huge dance floor and I am ready to throw down :-) @kozmicfunk: I sure as hell will be quite happy to see 2011 come to an end. Stay tuned. I've got some big plans for 2012. @kozmicfunk: Be safe and just be sure to keep it FUNKY, wherever you are tonight...a seven piece band including a horn section. @kozmicfunk: Here comes Ms. Sugar Pie... @kozmicfunk: She has already lept off of the stage several time to dance with the audience @kozmicfunk: She brought someone up on stage to do a real nasty slow drag with her.......LOL @kozmicfunk: This place is SOLD OUT PACKED (and she is driving them nuts) @kozmicfunk: In The Basement (Sugar Pie Live)......Like being in a discotheque (circa 1965) Sugar Pie DeSanto (http://www.jasmanrecords.com) --Life Goes On --Soulful Days --Use Whatcha Got --Slip In Mules --Go Go Power --Hello San Francisco --In the Basement --Let's tear it Up @kozmicfunk: Ball just dropped and now waiting on Lee Fields... @kozmicfunk: while we are waiting, the DJ has been rockin some Betty Davis. @kozmicfunk: Sugar Pie was awesome.... @kozmicfunk: We hooked up with our boy Lee (http://whoislee.com) and his lady earlier. Lee always comes out to support @kozmicfunk: Lee Fields and the expresions just took the stage.... @kozmicfunk: If y'all miss James Brown....("there it is")....then ya need ta check out brotha Lee Fields @kozmicfunk: ...they are starting off with some mellow and phunky Hugh Masakela type stuff @kozmicfunk: Horn driven and very cool. @kozmicfunk: I think that the "Expressions" are actually the "Dap Kings?") @kozmicfunk: Crowd is goin wild... @kozmicfunk: The promoter tells me there are about 600 people here in this room tonite. @kozmicfunk: Bro Lee is doin his thang..... @kozmicfunk: Remember the song....."SUNNY?" @kozmicfunk: Lee Fields just did a MONSTER cover version..... @kozmicfunk: Brotha Lee is done....but back for an encore...........and soundin like Bobby Womack ;-) @kozmicfunk: ....but he's dancin like.....JB....... @kozmicfunk: (splits n twists and everythang to some badd azz sh*t that is some kinda bizarre cross between James Brown and Bobby Womack @kozmicfunk: .....(totally ...."wild and peaceful") Lee Fields & the Expressions (http://www.leefieldsmusic.com) --Expressions Theme --Two Timer --Here Today, Gone Tomorrow --Money is King --J.B. --Love Comes and Goes --Ladies --Could Have Been --Sunny --What Can a Man Do --You're The Kind of Girl --All Your Goodies are Gone --Bewildered --Riot --My World So we left the club, located in a kind of no man's land warehouse district between Red Hook, Park Slope, Gowanus and the BQE, currently undergoing gentrification, I was told. As we drove back to NJ, thru Manhattan (to avoid the unbelievable $18.00 toll on the Verazzano Bridge,) my family was quite happy that we had gone to see Lee Fields and Sugar Pie DeSanto and that we had all gone together. We danced We screamed We had a couple of drinks I got to introduce my family to the artists. But more importantly I got to expose my daughter to some fantastic live music. It was the cold blooded Black Music of the 1960's (Sugar Pie DeSanto) and 1970's (Lee Fields.) It was the REAL THING, as performed by REAL ARTISTS. It was music whose best days some will claim, is best viewed thru the "rear view mirror of time." But try telling that to the 600 or so folks between the ages of 20 - 35, at the 'sweatbox" called "Bell House" (http://www.thebellhouseny.com) who were there dancing their azzes off from start to finish, that this kind of cold blooded soul/funk is best viewed thru the "rear view mirror of time?" Something tells me that my music does indeed have a future. And it is a future that I am even able to share with my daughter. How's that for a cool way to start off the year? --Bob Davis 609-351-0154 earthjuice@prodigy.net Co-Founder www.soul-patrol.com Blues, Hip Hop and Soul Music Director www.radioio.com PRESS RELEASE: "Blood Is Thicker Than The Mud; Little Sister From The Inside Out" (www.vetstone.com) Editor's Note: I am very pleased to send out this press release. It's a sneak preview of a new book that has been a long time in coming. It's called "Blood Is Thicker Than The Mud; Little Sister From The Inside Out." And it's by our friend Vet Stone, the "Little Sister." www.vetstone.com I have been privileged enough to have been an observer over the course of the past 10 years of much of this story, and I will tell you right up front that this book is NOT for everyone: --It is NOT for people who are interested in gossip about Sly & the Family Stone. --It is NOT for people who "think" that they know the history of Sly & the Family Stone and who don't want their opinions to be confronted by the truth, about that history. --It is for people who are interested in actually understanding what the cultural & human dynamics are behind what was (and in some ways still is) one of the most compelling musical phenomena's of the second half of the 20th Century. The press release is from our friend Tee Watts, who many of you here know. Go to the site, check out the sample chapter and contact the author directly with your thoughts & questions, directly from the site: www.vetstone.com (we will have more lata....Bob Davis) ------- November 12, 2011 FOR IMMEDIDATE RELEASE Blood Is Thicker Than The Mud; Little Sister From The Inside Out www.vetstone.com - Let's see. I believe it was Sly's running buddy, George Clinton who gave us the Pinocchio theory which stated, Fake the funk and your nose will grow. The point is, many author's have tried to chronicle the annals of Funk from the perspective of Sly & The Family Stone. There was Joel Selvin's Sly & The Family Stone-An Oral History, There's A Riot Goin' On by Miles Marshall Lewis, Sly-The Lives Of Sylvester Stewart and Sly Stone by Danny Santiago and I Want To Take You Higher-The Life and Times of Sly & The Family Stone by Jeff Kaliss. Yet to be seen is the much hyped and over-heralded, Thank You-The Story Of Sly & The Family Stone by the Nether-Twins, Edwin & Arno Konings. Much of the afore mentioned titles are simply, to quote George Clinton, one mo gin', Biological Speculation, i.e., on the part of the collective authors. Shoot, one of them interviewed no one connected to the band or the family to write his book. Like uh, suspend that creative license, will ya? Vet Stone, Commandress of the Sly produced group, Little Sister and Co-Engineer with Skyler Jett of Sly's 13 gig, 2007 European tour, has authored a very credible work, which allows the reader a glimpse into not only her life, but also into the inner workings of the Stewart family, specifically their spiritual and musical evolution. Blood Is Thicker Than The Mud takes you back to the childhood of the Stewart siblings and brings the reader to the present, inclusive of Sly Stone's reentry into rehab in October of 2011. Heavy emphasis is placed on what really went down in 2007. This is the Stone family from the inside out. It is not a nasty, dirty Sly Stone tell all. This the story of a proud woman who loves her family and perceives her direction from on High. A must read for any historical funkster. The book will be released on 1/1/12. Advance orders are being taken at www.vetstone.com starting 11/12/11 T. Watts www.soul-patrol.com West Coast Correspondent --Bob Davis 609-351-0154 earthjuice@prodigy.net Co-Founder www.soul-patrol.com Blues, Hip Hop and Soul Music Director www.radioio.com Album Review - Charles Wright "That Funky Thang" ("Old Soul and New Soul") I just did something that I haven't done in a while. I just posted the following two reviews of Charles Wright "That Funky Thang" on my Twitter feed (@kozmicfunk) at about 9:30 am est. REVIEW 1 - @kozmicfunk ChasWright "That Funky Thang" FUNKBANGER http://www.expressyourself.net #houseparty #invitefriends #BrownLiquor #JAM #4am #BlackPeople #RNB #FUNK RT REVIEW 2 - @kozmicfunk ChasWright "That Funky Thang" GROOVE http://www.expressyourself.net #bestthingtoday #RachelMaddow #retrosoul #DapKings #bqemusic #fitz&tantrums RT If you go visit my page on Twitter @kozmicunk you can view these two reviews if you like. According to Twitter I have 769 "followers." Despite that I doubt if many of those followers will "retweet," either of the two reviews for two reasons. 1. It's been 3-4 months since I posted anything on Twitter, so I doubt if any of those 769 "followers" are paying attention to anything that I have to say. 2. Very few of those 769 "followers" are even awake at 9:30 am est on a Sunday morning. Of course I knew all of this in advance, but I still wanted to post these two very different reviews, targeted at two completely different demographic groups that I feel strongly would fall in love with the album Charles Wright "That Funky Thang", for a reason. If you look closely at the #hashtags" contained in the two reviews, the two different demographic groups are easily apparent, given the 140 character limitations of Twitter.....(review continued here) --Bob Davis 609-351-0154 earthjuice@prodigy.net Co-Founder www.soul-patrol.com Blues, Hip Hop and Soul Music Director www.radioio.com Garland Jeffreys - The King of In Between As a former Fortune 500 Strategic Planner, one of the key items that I was trained to look for is something called "convergence." That is to say, analyzing a whole series of internal/external business, technology and operational factors and looking for natural patterns of "convergence" between those factors. Doing this type of analysis on the natural patterns of convergence, would lead me to draw certain conclusions about the potential "future state" of these factors, leading me to begin to structure a strategy that would enhance/create business opportunities around certain 'converged factors." The implementation of that strategy is left to others to figure out. The title of Garland Jeffreys new album is "The King Of In Between" and that title suggests a kind of "convergence." And that convergence is a reflection of the various 'factors' that seemingly make up the sum total of what I will refer to here as the "Garland Jeffreys Experience." In the case of the album, some of these factors are obvious and we have certainly seen them displayed in the past both from Garland as well as by other artists. For example, there are songs on this album that are about existing in a world that never quite accepts the fact that you are a person of "bi-racial origins." There are songs that celebrate the uniqness of being from NYC, and take that even one step further by celebrating being from Brooklyn......(continued here) --Bob Davis 609-351-0154 earthjuice@prodigy.net Co-Founder www.soul-patrol.com Blues, Hip Hop and Soul Music Director www.radioio.com Concert Review - Mandrill in NYC @ BB Kings (8/11/2011) I have seen and written about Mandrill in concert so many times, it often feels as if anything that I might have to say at this point is redundant. So I will be brief. However it must be stated that there is an element to seeing them live, which simply can not be overstated... SEEING MANDRILL LIVE WILL CAUSE YOU TO HAVE A SPIRITUAL RE-AWAKENING WITHIN YOUR OWN MIND BODY AND SOUL In 2011 given the current state of the world (daily financial market crashes, riots on the streets in Europe, 20 percent unemployment in the United States, Home foreclosures at all time levels, Domestic violence on the rise, and more) I know that there are many people (myself included) who are in need of a spiritual re-awakening of the mind, body & soul. If you are such a person, you need to attend this show, for medicinal purposes. And even if you are a person who doesn't think that they are in need of such treatment, you need to attend, if for no other reason to help you to remember, just what Black music was supposed to be all about in the first place. And if you can remember that, then you will begin to understand that the roadblocks that cause Black music to NOT be that way anymore, need to be knocked down, if our children are going to have much of a chance to have the awakening of the mind, body & soul that they so richly deserve. In fact it is OUR RESPONSIBILITY TO ELIMINATE ALL SUCH ROADBLOCKS!!! Here is the set list Out of Da Bush Mandrill Rolling On Positive Thing Cohelo Suzie Caesar Folks on a Hill Aqua Magic Symphonic Revolution I Refused To Smile House of Wood Black Woman Hang Loose Mango Meat Fencewalk Get It All Ape is High Okay.....so now you know what songs were played. And if you have read this far, no doubt you are either already or you are interested in them for some reason. Either way you have probably already heard the recordings of most of these songs. So just seeing a song list may not do much for you. I am here to let you know, that despite how familiar you might be with the recordings of these songs, in no way do those recordings enable you to experience the true value of Mandrill. That is because the true value of Mandrill to you is the journey that they are going to take you thru. It is something that is VERY personal, and can not be duplicated by ANY audio/visual recording device. It is a mind blowing spiritual adventure that all of us should want to secure for ourselves and for those that we care about. We should all want our lives to be enhanced, after all, isn't that the reason why we all became music fans in the first place? However Mandrill goes far beyond just that. They are quite able at telling a story that we all know quite well, and they tell that story with only their music, they make no announcements or pronouncements in doing so. Their concerts are simply a re-telling of the story of mankind itself, both at a meta level (all of mankind) and at a micro level (a single individual.) Of course the music is ultra funky, as the self-contained musical group known as Mandrill uses most every single musical instrument, under the sun, from the most simple Afrikan percussion instruments to electric guitars to a full blown horn section, to create a wicked "wall of sound," that sounds as if it is "created by satan." But it is the harmonic convergence of the voices of the 4 Wilson Brothers (Ric, Lou, Wilfredo, & Carlos) on top of their world class instrumental performances, that take things to another level. People often use the term "doo wop" to describe the vocal harmony style that the Wilson brothers put on display in concert. However since they are brothers and their voices can almost sound the same, as the "blend" together, the level of "vocal harmony" that they have is actually something that approaches something that I might describe as "heavenly." So what happens when you put together: --A "satanic" instrumental performance --A "heavenly" lyrical performance You get something that is so intensely emotional, so spiritual, so personal and so inspirational, that I have just realized, that I have to stop writing about it at this point. (because text can't possibly do it any justice) http://www.mandrillis.com --Bob Davis 609-351-0154 earthjuice@prodigy.net Co-Founder www.soul-patrol.com Blues, Hip Hop and Soul Music Director www.radioio.com 2011 Soul-Patrol Convention Rewind Right now I am sitting here eating a bagel w/cream cheese & lox. There are relatively few things that I enjoy more in life than doing that. It is probably on my top ten list of things to do. This past weekend at the 2011 Soul-Patrol Convention, in Philadelphia at a German-American multi-purpose facility called Cannstaters, originally built as a haven for a group of people who were outcast from "normal society," I got a chance to do most of the other 9 things in life that I enjoy doing all squeezed into a relatively compressed 24 hour time period, I wanted to throw a birthday party for an entity called Soul-Patrol that I created 15 years ago by doing much the same thing that I am doing right now. I created it by sitting in this chair, in the middle of the night, just writing down my thoughts about music/culture. I wrote what I wrote without caring if anyone else would ever read what i wrote or if they were to read it, if they would care about anything that I would have to say. Nevertheless I was compelled to put my thoughts down on paper about a subject matter that I have been obsessed with, since I was about 10 years old. I have been obsessed with the topics of music/culture since I was a child. However as an adult I have gone beyond a simplistic obsession with the collection of factual information. I have moved to the larger obsession of just how all of that factual information just might be connected to each other and what conclusions that having an understanding of those connections will lead me to. .....(continued here: http://www.soul-patrol.com/convention) --Bob Davis 609-351-0154 earthjuice@prodigy.net Co-Founder www.soul-patrol.com Blues, Hip Hop and Soul Music Director www.radioio.com Lee Fields.....and "The Bizzaro World of MusicStyles/Audiences" One of the nicest things about the 2011 Soul-Patrol Convention for me personally was the participation of the legendary Soul/Funk artist Lee Fields. www.leefieldsmusic.com Lee Fields has been a member of Soul-Patrol for well over 10 years and he has made his mark in the world of music fans who want the "real deal," in terms of Black music. When I say that, I mean the real "roots" of Black music. Today he draws huge numbers of concert goers all over the United States, Canada, Europe and beyond. He has traveled quite a long ways from when he first sent me a homemade CD back in the late 1990's of what could best be described as "Southern Soul." However most of those music fans are NOT who we might think that they either are or should be. Over the past 10 years or so, I have observed a very strange phenomenon in effect. I call that phenomena "The Bizzaro World of Music Styles/Audiences." Some of you may recall the term "Bizzaro World," from the Superman comic strips of the past. In the "Bizzaro World," everything was the opposite of the way that Superman thought that it should be. For example n the "Bizzaro World," "left was right," "up was down," "good was bad," etc. Over the past 10 years or so, the phenomena that I have observed is that the closer an artists music was to being firmly rooted in the historical legacy of Black music, the more non-Black fans that artist tended to have. While on the other hand, the less rooted in the historical legacy of Black music the artist was, the more Black fans they tended to have. Thus..."The Bizzaro World of Music Styles/Audiences." (For reference, see the Mighty Sam McClain file) Today you can go to a sold out Lee Fields show at Central Park Summerstage and hardly see any Black folks in the audience. That's because in the year 2011, Lee Fields straight outta Plainfield, NJ, "home of tha P," a young man who sorta dresses and looks like James Brown and has a real flair for the style of both Little Richard, James Brown, Jackie Wilson, etc. onstage. Does that sound like an artist who would be smack in the middle of the hearts and minds of Black America in 2011? (absolutely not) However this is the type of an artist who would be smack in the middle of the hearts and minds of www.Soul-Patrol.com in 2011? That's because we know that an artist like Lee Fields represents a pretty good look at where the future of Black music is going, to be in the not too distant future. In fact some might argue that it's already there (ex: look at the worldwide success of the music of Amy Winehouse.) "In fact I would suggest that the type of music that we discuss here on Soul-Patrol is the most popular music in the world today. That's because we now live in a world that is electronically interconnected on a global basis. We can wax nostalgic all we want to about "the good old days," where Black music existed only on the far right hand side of the dial on low powered AM radio stations or inside of long shuttered ghetto based "chitlin circuit," nightclubs and theatres. But to do so would be living in the past. In fact, based on my statistics, Lee Fields is HUGE in the United Kingdom, Russian Federation, Canada, and France." In July of 2011 hardcore Black music lovers on a global basis can listen to three songs from the brand new Lee Fields album called "Treacherous" on the Nu Soul Channel @ RadioIO.com (http://www.radioio.com/genre/hip-hop-soul) Lee Fields - Here To Turn It Out Lee Fields - Dance Like Your Naked Lee Fields - At The End Of The Day (on their smart phones) You see, the audience for great Black music has changed, over the past 10 years. It is now global and that audience is able to listen to the music on a multitude of devices, from a multitude of places. I find it quite interesting to get a huge volume of email from people all over the United States as well as from places like Poland, Israel, Toronto, Indonesia, Brazil, etc, describing to me how much they dig the music that we play on RadioIO.com on a 24/7 basis. They like the convenience of discovering "the real deal in Black music," from the convenience of their smart phone while riding in their car, on their bike, in the subway or anyplace they can get an internet connection. Listeners are no longer "brainwashed" by corrupt radio networks, corrupt music charting services, corrupt music magazines, corrupt TV stations, etc. In today's global electronically interconnected world they now have choices and they choose to listen to the very best music available. In my humble opinion, the best music available, is Black music and Lee Fields today represents one of Black music's premier "ambassadors." www.leefieldsmusic.com So it was good to re-connect with Lee Fields at the 2011 Soul-Patrol Convention. I am happy for the success that he is garnering on a worldwide basis. And it's good to see that he is allowing his own music to evolve as well. On "Treacherous" he still does the "hardcore" stuff, but he also expands into another part of the historical legacy of Black music. There are several "dance tracks," on the "Treacherous," that may at first appear to be out of place. And in 2011 they are quite out of place for Black Americans, who seem to have completely forgotten how to dance (have you been to a Hip Hop club lately and observed that nobody in the club dances?) www.leefieldsmusic.com However despite the reluctance of Black Americans to "shake their booty" anymore, the rest of the world needs to dance in 2011, cuz things are just that bad. To paraphrase Smokey Robinson, in 2011, things are sooo bad that "the world need to dance...to keep from crying." Black Americans on the other hand instead of dancing, feel that a better way of analyzing the state of things in 2011 would be to "stick their heads in the ground," and pretend that all is well....(The "The Bizzaro World of Music Styles/Audiences") (but that is another topic for another day!!!) In the meanwhile check out the new album from Lee Fields "Treacherous" www.leefieldsmusic.com (and of course look for him on the Soul-Patrol.com website, where we are quite proud to feature our longtime friend) Scroll down for more...LEE FIELDS --Bob Davis 609-351-0154 earthjuice@prodigy.net Co-Founder www.soul-patrol.com Blues, Hip Hop and Soul Music Director www.radioio.com 2010 Best Black Music Albums, Tracks & Live Shows (Classic Soul, Jazz, Southern Soul & Blues, Funk, Neo Soul, Rap & Rock n' Roll) At the outset I need to explain the purpose of these various lists. We have been producing them since the inception of Soul-Patrol.com in 1996, using various formats. The original name of Soul-Patrol.com was something called "The P*Funk Review." It was a kind of play on the idea that we were primarily a Funk music site combined with our roots on the now defunct Prodigy Online Service (abbreviation = "P*") where I was the music director. Of course we ceased covering just "funk music," long ago and expanded to covering Classic Soul, Jazz, Southern Soul & Blues, Funk, Neo Soul, Rap & Rock n' Roll. However the "Review" portion of the original name remains true to this day. Here at Soul-Patrol.com we consider it our obligation to identify excellence in Black music, and that is the reason why we create these lists (which you are free to disagree with if you like.) The other purpose that these lists serve is that to a large extent we use them to define what the content of the Soul-Patrol Convention will be. In 2011 we will in fact have a Soul-Patrol Convention at a time and location yet to be determined and as has always been our custom all of the folks that appear on these lists are automaticly invited to participate in the 2011 Soul-Patrol Convention. However since this year we are going to utilizing the 2011 Soul-Patrol Convention to highlight what is the 15th Anniversary of Soul-Patrol.com itself, all previous Soul-Patrol.com "Best of" awardees from all 15 previous years are also invited to participate in this year's Soul-Patrol Convention. Stay tuned for more information about the date and location of the 2011 Soul-Patrol Convention... I really do hate making lists. Which means that something is going to get left off, and no doubt I have left something out? The other thing about making lists is that they are "vertical" in nature as opposed to being "horizontal." This means that by definition a list will only tell you "half of the story." To get the entire story, you must also do the horizontal piece, by connecting the dots together. And of course that is what we do during the course of the year in all of the music/concert reviews that we do on the www.soul-patrol.com website and in all of the hand selected playlists on www.radioio.com. And for Black music, an entity that seems so intent on destroying itself, knowing the entire story is absolutely critical. And telling that entire story is something that I feel quite strongly about. Fortunately I am in a position to do so, simply because I get to actually hear everything from the mainstream crap to the under the radar gems that the mainstream media is trying to keep hidden from us. View the the Soul-Patrol.com Best of 2010 2010 Best Black Music Albums, Tracks & Live Shows (Classic Soul, Jazz, Southern Soul & Blues, Funk, Neo Soul, Rap & Rock n' Roll) lists at this link... Bob Davis - Soul-Patrol.com/RadioIO.com 798 Woodlane Rd Suite 10264 Mount Holly, NJ 08060 earthjuice@prodigy.net PRESS RELEASE: Jacques Schwarz-Bart - "RISE ABOVE" (featuring Stephanie McKay) EDITORS NOTE: I wanted to make you all aware of the following press release, but before I do I would like to add a few items... 1. The new album from Jacques Schwarz-Bart called "RISE ABOVE" (featuring Stephanie McKay) was released yesterday. Check it out at the following link: www.brotherjacques.com 2. Of course many of you will recall Stephanie McKay and her fantastic song "RAINBOW" from the Soul-Patrol Digital/Virtual Album back in 2007. You will also recall that song was named by VIBE Magazine (Mark Anthony Neal) as one of the top 10 releases of 2007. (http://www.soul-patrol.com/newsletter/in/view1.php?id=202) and of course has been featured on the Nu Soul @ RadioIO channel 3. Well the song RAINBOW - STEPHANIE MCKAY gets it's official/official release on the album "RISE ABOVE" by Jacques Schwarz-Bart (and we are extremely happy about that!!!) In fact Stephanie can be heard singing on most of the songs on the album. www.brotherjacques.com 4. As a part of the celebration of the release of "RISE ABOVE" Jacques Schwarz-Bart & Stephanie McKay will be doing a residency during the month of September @ the NuBlu club in NYC at 62 Avenue C, New York, NY 10009-6916. 5. And to top it all off, tomorrow (9/2) is my brother Mike's birthday. We will be at the NuBlu club tomorrow night to check out Jacques Schwarz-Bart & Stephanie McKay LIVE. Come on out and join us if you are in the NYC area & if you can't, check out some of the other September dates in NYC. 5. I have listened to the album "RISE ABOVE" and I like it quite a bit. If you loved the song "RAINBOW" then you are going to dig this album as well. It's just about as perfect a blend of Jazz/Soul/Funk as we can possibly ask for in 2010. www.brotherjacques.com Anyhow, enough of my ramblings. Here is the press release... (Bob Davis) Jacques Schwarz-Bart "RISE ABOVE" www.brotherjacques.com Soulful sax man Jacques Schwarz-Bart makes his Dreyfus Jazz recording debut with Rise Above, an eclectic blend of jazz and neo-soul with the earthy rhythms of the Gwoka music from his native Guadeloupe. featuring the stirring vocal stylings of former Brooklyn Funk Essentials singer Stephanie McKay. Rise Above is an epic culmination of this son of a Black Guadeloupean mother and a French Jewish father's diverse experiences. "The great common denominator between all the styles I love, being Gwoka, Jazz, or Soul, is that the music starts with the drums. It is all about the feel," he says. "Each of these musical forms offers me an opportunity to express my personal feelings and unique story. I always felt that they needed to come together". Following his arrival in New York a decade ago, Schwarz-Bart first received widespread exposure as a member of Roy Hargrove's AfroCuban big band Crisol. He was later an important part of the trumpeter's groundbreaking RH Factorband - one of the first and most successful jazz/urban crossovers. Schwarz-Bart's tune "Forget Regret," featuring McKay's vocal, became a hit single from the band's much acclaimed Hard Groove album. Succeeding Hargrove as leader of the horn section for neo-soul god D'angelo, the saxist began writing tunes based on a mixture of soul and jazz with gwoka flavors. After connecting with soulmate Stephanie McKay, he started writing the songs with lyrics that would come together on Rise Above: "Adding her vocal presence completed the concept, allowing me to embrace a wide range of emotions, and find an artistic balance between simplicity and abstraction," says Jacques. The sound of Rise Above reflects Schwarz-Bart's impressive resume which includes work with such popular music luminaries as Erykah Badu, Meshell Ndegeocello, Eric Benet, and Soulive, as well as jazz barrier breakers James Hurt, Danilo Perez and David Gilmore, but it's concept is distinctively the leader's own, reflect his unique background and heritage. "This is my oldest project, and yet the one that took the longest to achieve, he says. "I was waiting to have enough experience before taking on this complex musical chemistry." Rise Above is a concept album where each tune is whole and complete while at the same time taking a crucial part in the overall balance, like a planet in a galaxy. First and foremost it is a melodic album where every theme can be sung, which is done beautifully by both McKay vocally and Schwarz-Bart instrumentally. Each of the ten tracks on Rise Above blend the different earthy rhythms of gwoka with jazzy harmonies and chosen nuggets of soul and funk that "thicken the sauce," giving a modern dimension to the sound that is sure to appeal to hip audiences. In addition to the proven hit "Forget Regret," other notable tracks include lead single "Feel So Free" (see video at http://vimeo.com/11641706), "Rainbow" and the closing "Home," co-written with Meshell Ndegeocello. Jacques Schwarz-Bart "RISE ABOVE" www.brotherjacques.com --Bob Davis 609-351-0154 earthjuice@prodigy.net Co-Founder www.soul-patrol.com Blues, Hip Hop and Soul Music Director www.radioio.com Concert Review: BB King @ Keswick in Philly (July 5th, 2010) A day late and a dollar short I'm here to review the B.B. King concert of July 5th, 2010 @ The Keswick Theatre in Glenside, Pa.. The Keswick is fast becoming the venue for seeing a concert featuring a wide, almost Ed Sullivanian array of artists. The crowd, their antics and opinions often equal the main attraction for provocative ness and entertainment value. More about that later. The opening act for Mr. King was a band named for it's leader: Lukas Nelson. The irony is not lost on me that as Willie Nelson's cousin, Lukas and band represent a new generation of blues. As representative of his family we all know how famously Willie loves to straddle that thinnest of lines that exists between bluegrass/C&W/Country-Rock and the blues and rhythm and blues. Willie Nelson's recordings with Ray Charles are legendary and Ray himself made a short but prosperous living dabbling in C&W. Lukas Nelson did not disappoint as he and his four band mates (drums, percussion, bass and keys) tore through a set that was reminiscent of the Big Brother and the Holding Company/Elvin Bishop/Hot Tuna sort of sound as well as the percussive Latin tinged rhythms of Carlos Santana. You see if you don't know now you know. ALL IS THE BLUES! Everything or mostly everything you hear and dig has some sort of connection no matter how oblique to the blues. The fact that Lukas Nelson learned his lessons well and applied his teachings appropriately with such a young group of cats indicates that there IS hope! Now if some of my more melanin enhanced brethren could turn away from the pro-tools, vocoders, autotunes and other various 'perfect-beat providers' and pick up and instrument we might really see some hell raised but for now we have Lukas Nelson and band to provide for us the very best in diverse blues. The main act Mr. B.B. King himself came on after a brief intermission. At 84 years old Mr. King eased onto the stage after the band- review-style- tore up a couple of unidentifiable but really funky tunes. At this point folk like B.B King, Herbie Hancock, Willie Nelson, Madonna, Stevie Wonder and Aretha Franklin are slices of what is called Americana. They are icons and it really doesn't matter what they do...(review continued). Concert Review: Sugarfoot's Ohio Players, (Masters Of Funk) @ Dell Music Center in Philly (July 5th, 2010) I now will get into a masterful yet truncated Sugarfoot's Ohio Players set. First of all let it be said here that Leroy 'Sugarfoot' Bonner is easily one of the great soul/funk icons of all time and as it turns out a wonderfully honest and loving human being. His awareness of all around him and his need to include that into the context of his compositions both musically and spiritually make him one of my funk heroes. We interviewed Mr.Bonner and it should be up on the Soul Patrol site by week's end. I wont say anything else personally about the man because I don't want to take away from this beautifully conducted interview involving myself, Bob Davis and Mr. Bonner. There's always a headliner of the actual Masters themselves. This band is the only band that shows up in complete and they take the stage as a band unto themselves. Other Masters Of Funk may perform with them but mostly it's just that band's set. This occurred before with The SOS Band and tonight this role was reserved for Sugarfoot's Ohio Players. Weaving in and out of the Master's set smoothly, this version of the Ohio Players is soooooo good that it makes one wonder if we can get a Night with Sugarfoot's Ohio Players-all to themselves playing ALL of the hits. As George Clinton, Stanley Clarke and Charlie (Uncle Charlie) Wilson have done previously Mr. Bonner has assembled some fine YOUNG (clearly no one over thirty) musicians. He's trained em, taken all of their chops and finely honed them to fit laser-like through the eye of a needle and in so doing has created a musical entity that comes as close to any of their recordings LIVE as any of the older Ohio Players groups have EVER done.....(review continued) INTERVIEW: Larry Graham (BY: "Dr G": Darden and DJ Mike Hall) "Dr G": The best known up and coming rapper known as Drake says you are his uncle. Are you Drake's uncle? Larry Graham: I have not met him yet to verify this. I have read it but I don't know. My daughter responded to his MySpace so we have reached out to him but they have not yet responded. We could be related but I don't know yet. "Dr G": The first time I saw GCS was at a small club in Atlanta in 1973. I was a poor Morehouse student and you walked me into the club with your arm around me. I had no money but you and Hershall Happiness made sure I saw the show. This was your first show in Atlanta as GCS. How are Hershall and Chocolate doing and how is her funk box? Larry Graham: Chocolate is living in LA. She toured with us a little while back and she is on the "Live in London" video soon to be available for you to see. Hershall is also on that video. I heard from him in the last 2 weeks. David Dynamite is no longer with us and Willie Wild came to a show recently. I talked to Butch a couple weeks ago. DJ Mike Hall: The group we saw at The Birchmere the other night was very tight. When I imagine Larry Graham today, I envision a musician living his dream. You work at your own pace, enjoying family & friends, enjoying the benefits of your successes. You are not a slave to the music. You seem to be on top of things. How do you achieve that and what would you say to the young musicians about how to achieve that? Larry Graham: Put spiritual things first and like Jesus said, you can't serve two masters. If spirituality is first and you love the music it's much more enjoyable and you are not so concerned about material things. You don't want to be a slave to the music and strive after those things like King Soloman did in the Bible. They don't know who their real friend is. We put spiritual things first and music is always a joy. I don't have a bunch of bills so it becomes a joy and I can work when I want to. "Dr G": You want to speak on your spirituality and how it affects Brother Nelson (Prince) and your beautiful wife Tina. Larry Graham: I had heard about Tina braiding hair. On the first GCS album cover you see everybody's hair braided except David Dynamite. She breaded everybody's hair. "Dr G": People ask you everywhere? Larry Graham: It took her 8 hours to braid my hair. The whole time we talked about the Bible and God. Then Tina's mom was baptized as a Jehovah Witness in 1974. Tina attended and contacted me and we both started studying. I was baptized a year later. I met Prince 12 years ago. GCS played the amphi-theater in Nashville while Prince was at the arena. He asked me to jam with him at a small club in Nashville. I didn't know he was raised on my music from Sly to GCS. He had tons of questions about the Bible and eventually asked me to move to Minnesota to teach him the Bible. We were going to move from Jamaica anyway, so we moved to Minnesota to help Prince study the Bible. DJ Mike Hall: I just want to say that the tour with you and Prince was the last time I remember you being in the DC area and that conversation on stage between you and Prince was one of the most amazing moments that I have seen on stage. That just lives with me. What's coming up next? Go here for the rest of the review: http://www.soul-patrol.com/funk/graham.htm "Dr G": Darden and DJ Mike Hall Soul-Patrol.com June 21, 2010 Commentary - Memo From The Grave of Lee Atwater: "When In Doubt Always Employ Race Baiting, It's a Winning Strategy" Who in the hell is Lee Atwater? (and why am I wasting time writing about him, instead of an album review?) Well Lee Atwater is an "old family friend" of the Soul-Patrol.com website. In fact the very first award that we ever got was because of Lee Atwater. Back in 1997 I wrote an essay entitled: "Lee Atwater and the Destruction of Black Music" http://www.soul-patrol.com/funk/lee_at.htm In 1998 Yahoo Internet Magazine (at that time a print publication) named Soul-Patrol.com as the Best Soul/R&B website on the entire internet. As a part of doing so, they also wrote a detailed review of the website where they sited Soul-Patrol.com as being a place that explored music on a much deeper level than just track listings, discographies, artist biographies, etc. And they said that essays like "Lee Atwater and the Destruction of Black Music," were a big part of the reason why it was a required destination for music fans who wanted to know more than simply chart information or record industry propaganda. And of course, today we still continue along that same path (much to the displeasure of some of you) Lee Atwater was a young political consultant from South Carolina who was the protégé of Mr. Harry S. Dent. In 1968 Harry Dent devised something called the "southern strategy" for the Presidential campaign of Richard Nixon. Of course the 'southern strategy" was indeed a winning strategy for Nixon. While Harry Dent created the "southern strategy," it was Lee Atwater who perfected it. Lee Atwater was a person who was extremely knowledgeable about Black culture, in fact he was not only a big fan of Black culture, he was even a Blues musician. Some of you may even remember Lee Atwater playing the guitar alongside BB King, back in 1980's. He was able to use his knowledge of Black culture to refine the "southern strategy" into the science that propelled the winning elections of Ronald Reagan and George HW Bush in 1980, 1984 & 1988. Using his knowledge of Black culture, Lee Atwater developed the brilliant "Welfare Queen," "Willie Horton," and other ad's that scared the hell out of white voters. Lee Atwater passed away in the early 1990's. On his deathbed he is said to have asked Black Americans for their forgiveness in using them as a "pawn" to attract white voters to the candidates that had hired him. As you might well imagine, that essay I wrote about Lee Atwater over a decade ago has generated a whole lot of feedback over the years. I have gotten email from the KKK to Lee Atwater's children about that essay. Of course if you read the essay (it's still in it's raw form, written in a burst of energy at 3am with lots of typos & mis-spellings,) you will see that I am in firm agreement with Nelson George and his book; In the book, Nelson George says, that "R&B ended around 1980." I go one step further and suggest that the fact that R&B ended was no accident and for that we have Lee Atwater to thank....(Continued here) --Bob Davis 609-351-0154 earthjuice@prodigy.net Co-Founder www.soul-patrol.com Blues, Hip Hop and Soul Music Director www.radioio.com PRESS RELEASE: Bob Davis Presents American Popular Music Evolution @ Keswick Theatre in Glenside, PA (12/1/2009) PRESS RELEASE: Bob Davis Presents American Popular Music Evolution @ Keswick Theatre in Glenside, PA (12/1/2009) (http://www.keswicktheatre.com) "A most unique, constructive and instructive approach to hold a class on American Popular Music, its history, its innovators and its social/political impact over the past 100 years…" I want to let all of you know about this upcoming seminar/presentation that I will be giving in Philadelphia on 12/1/2009. If you are an educational institution in the area, I would strongly advise you to contact the Keswick for information on how your students can participate. If you are outside of the Philadelphia area or can't make the date, and are interested in this seminar contact me directly at 609-351-0854 for information on how to bring this educational program to your area. I have delivered this program to elementry schools thru universitys and to community organizations. This interactive session highlights the most influential artists, producers, record labels, entrepreneurs across American Popular Music Styles (Blues, Country, R&B, Rock, Jazz, and Hip Hop) and cross references the two way impact across American History. It combines historical data with analysis/commentary, and multimedia capabilities, this fast paced overview a leaves the student with a clear understanding of the tapestry of the American Music Art Form and it's intersection with American Cultural/Social/Political History. The session is easily adapted/targeted for diverse audiences and has been presented to both small and large groups from the elementary school level to high schools, universities, community organization and seniors. Brooklyn native Bob Davis, the creator/instructor of this class, holds degrees in Political Science and Economics from the University of Pittsburgh. After a successful career on Wall Street, he co-founded Soul-Patrol.com as a "hub" for gathering music and information. This site, one of the largest and oldest of it's type offers many different music industry types, across multiple genres including, performers, executives and owners, writers, producers, radio and club DJs, historians and of course music fans. Mr. Davis is also a Music Director at RadioIO.com on of the Internet's largest radio networks, where he is responsible for programming 8 different types of R&B, Rock, Hip Hop and Blues stations for a worldwide audience. Bob Davis has consulted with entities such as Rock n' Roll Hall of Fame, R&B Foundation, Future of Music Coalition, STAX Museum, Black Rock Coalition, Universal Music, Concord Music, Chiltin Circuit Magazine, Rhino Music, Philadelphia Black Heritage Festival, Purpose Records, Shanachie Records, Wake Forest University, and others. Bob consults with artists/labels and small businesses on Internet strategy and technology deployment. Soul-Patrol is also engaged in software development and innovative content distribution projects (ex: Soul-Patrol Virtual Album) focused on improving the deployment of music/culture on the internet. With all of this information archived, Bob has "connected the dots" to establish not only a time line, but the connection between the various "styles" of music. The obvious and not so obvious interrelationships between Blues, Country, Rock n' Roll, Jazz, Blues, R&B. and Hip Hop, showing a virtual "tree" and the branches of that same "tree" and the interconnection of the styles that have been the uniqueness of American Music. The student gets an elaborate account of the evolution of these musical styles and the corresponding impact of American history. The course will compel the participants to dig even deeper. CONTACT: Bob Davis, 609-351-0154 earthjuice@prodigy.net --Bob Davis 609-351-0154 earthjuice@prodigy.net ALBUM REVIEW: Mighty Sam McClain - Betcha Didn't Know I was introduced to Mighty Sam's music on Soul Patrol many years ago. I had the pleasure of meeting Mighty Sam and his wife a few years ago, along with a few of my SP friends from Chicago. (and he's a very nice person) He has a new CD out entitled "Betcha Didn't Know". 13 tracks that I'm sure you will enjoy. What I like about Mighty Sam's music is that it's real, and he uses a real band. (no keyboards, drum machines, etc; REAL MUSICIANS and a kick ass horn section!) Plus, Mighty Sam sounds like he's having a great time in the studio. From the opening track "I Can't Stop The Funk", is exactly what the title of the song says. A nice funky groove that will get you on your feet dancin'....(review continued here) --Gary Tyson Radio Daze (online, offline & otherwise) Clearly internet radio represents the future of radio. And one of the reasons for this is because of the phenomenal amount of choice and diversity that is available. For example, in preparation for my interview a few weeks ago w/Chuck D's AirAmerica Radio show I did a little bit of research (cuz I always like to have a few stats.....lol) over on Shoutcast, which is a server that aggregates some internet radio traffic. On a Sunday afternoon at about 3pm Shoutcast showed that there were 500,000 + listeners streaming about 29,000 different radio stations. In my opinion these numbers are phenomenal. It's a clear demonstration that internet radio fills the listening needs of a large segment & ever increasing segment of the population and it shows that there is a wealth of diversity in listening choices. This past week I discussed this same topic among others on the Our Common Ground with Janice Graham show on the USA Talk Network as well. Of course I am extremely biased and I think that the internet radio that I am personally involved in both here at Soul-Patrol.Net (podcasting) and at RadioIO.com (continuous stream) represents just that type of diversity & relevancy as well. The listenrship numbers continue to grow. For example the podcast that we did the other day on Soul-Patrol.Net radio for the artist Donnie C's new album, had 4,000 listeners on a single day (pretty good exposure in one day for an "unknown artist"). At the same time the RnB Mix Channel (continuous stream) over on RadioIO.com gets hundreds of thousands of tune ins per month. -- Soul-Patrol's audio outlet at www.Soul-Patrol.Net averages 70,000 + listeners each month. -- The 8 stations I run on www.RadioIO.com (Classic RnB, Nu Soul, Classic Hip Hop, RnB Mix, Blues, Today's RnB, Top 20 HipHop & Top 20 RnB) total millions of tune ins each month. And these people don't just tune in. They stay and leave the station on all day long at work or at home, regardless of what "segment" of the Black music marketplace each one of those stations represent. I know this because they email me all day long with running commentaries on what they are hearing. These numbers continue to grow month after month, especially with the increasing adoption of mobile devices that are capable to tuning in these stations. Much of my email & feedback related to internet radio is coming from folks listening on Blackberry's, iPhones & other mobile devices. And the good news is that many of these mobile users are plugging their devices into their car stereo systems and listening in their vehicles, as Chuck D told us that he does during the interview. So clearly lots of folks are listening and more importantly, finding what they are looking for and listening from whatever devices suits their lifestyle. And that is really the whole point, being able to find what you are looking for and consuming the content in the manner that you want to consume it. And truth be told, this is what the terrestrial broadcasters (Clear Channel, Cathy Hughes, etc.) fear even more than the passage of a bill that required them to pay the very same performance royalties to artists that internet radio has been paying for years. As far as Black Radio is concerned, that ended in the 1980's, when Black radio stations abandoned the communities that had made them successful and decided to go "corporate." When you stopped hearing commercials for "Pookie's Funeral Parlor on 119th & Malcolm X Blvd." and started hearing commercials instead for "Enormous Corporate Scottish Brand Name Generic/Unhealthy Hamburgers", that was the end of Black radio. These stations lost their "community focus", because the person paying the bills (the advertisers), were no longer a part of nor did they care about the community. As a result the stations became just as bland & predictable as the "generic hamburgers" they advertised. PREDICTION: Old skool Black radio oddly enough in the technologically advanced age we are in now has a chance to return. Black owned businesses (large & small) will now be in a position to sponsor both internet radio/tv programming. As the sponsor, they will be instrumental in insuring the voice of the community is heard. (stay toooned....) NP: "Give The People What They Want" --O'Jays --Bob Davis 609-351-0154 earthjuice@prodigy.net 2008 Best Black Music Albums, Tracks & Live Shows (Classic Soul, Jazz, Southern Soul & Blues, Funk, Neo Soul, Rap & Rock n' Roll) Also posted at: http://www.soul-patrol.com/newsletter/2008/news7/bestof2008.html These rankings are also posted on www.soul-patrol.com and www.radioio.com as well as other places around the internet. Feel free to repost them wherever you hang out at online. I really do hate making lists. That's because they have a beginning, a middle and an end. Which means that something is going to get left off, and no doubt I have left something out. At any rate I have compiled a list of what I think are the very best ALBUMS (listed in rank order) and SONGS (listed in rank order/Black music style) released in 2008. In addition to the rankings, clicking on the links below will enable you to listen to sound bytes from the associated albums and songs. If you are thinking about buying any of these, rest assured that you can buy them "sight unheard", they are ALL wicked, jazzy, funky, soulful, rockin joints that it is my extreme pleasure to turn you on to.This is a great year for Black music (Classic Soul, Jazz, Southern Soul & Blues, Funk, Neo Soul, Rap & Rock n' Roll), probably the best this decade! So we as music lovers had quite a bit to smile about in 2008. Thanks in advance for your consideration... Bob Davis - Soul-Patrol 798 Woodlane Rd Suite 10264 Mount Holly, NJ 08060 earthjuice@prodigy.net Also posted at: http://www.soul-patrol.com/newsletter/2008/news7/bestof2008.html Best of All Time in Funk/Jazz/Soul/Rock/Blues & Culture Quite a few people have been writing in to me complaining about various lists that have been published by Rolling Stone Magazine over the years. The complaints have ranged from a lack of knowlege to outright rascim with respect to these lists. In my opinion it makes little sense in 2008 to complain about lists produced by Rolling Stone or any other entity. We are on the internet, we have mailing lists, we have message boards, we have blogs, we have the capability to create and publish our own list of who we think are the best artists, songs, etc. THEREFORE I SAY F#@#&@#*K ROLLING STONE MAGAZINE, WE CAN CREATE OUR OWN And over the years we have done exactly that here at Soul-Patrol.com. Not only do we announce our listing of best releases each year (and we will do so again for 2008 later this week), we also conducted a little survey of our readership back in the year 2000 of the BEST OF ALL TIME. As selected by the "Soul-Patrol Board of Directors", back in the year 2000, we think these are the tops in Funk, Jazz, Soul, Rock, Blues and Culture, thru the year 2000. We published these results at the following link: http://www.soul-patrol.com/2000 These results are also published in this newsletter. Scroll down and see if you concur. Share it with your friends, argue about it create your own if you like. And if you disagree, why not consider creating your own list on your MySpace page, your website, etc. In 2008 you all have the ways and means to do so, and I would encourage you to follow suit. But whatever you do, don't complain to me about Rolling Stone, who really gives a crap about what they have to say about this topic. This is OUR music and if we actually care about it, lets start with ourselves and give it the props that it deserves. Photos by James VandeZee Check it out at the following link: http://www.soul-patrol.com/2000 Thanks in advance for your consideration...and next week look for Soul-Patrol's Best of 2008 In Black Music. Bob Davis - Soul-Patrol 798 Woodlane Rd Suite 10264 Mount Holly, NJ 08060 earthjuice@prodigy.net http://www.soul-patrol.com/album http://www.soul-patrol.com/album If you would like to ask a question about Soul-Patrol feel free to contact the owner Bob Davis.   )   If you would like to ask a question about Soul-Patrol feel free to contact the owner Bob Davis.

---

Soul-Patrol.com || Soul-Patrol.Net Radio || Soul-Patrol Newsletter || Soul-Patrol Event Calendar

---

© 1999 - 2010
Davis Industries
All Rights Reserved.