I knew quite a while ago that August’s edition of Moods In Free Time would be focused on “Gratitude.” 2020 hasn’t exactly been the best year, but with my 45th birthday coming in August, and even with all the uncertainty in this moment, I’ve been feeling a lot of gratitude for many different things. Instead of focusing on songs that are expressly about gratitude or feeling thankful (well, besides “Bright Moments,” which starts the show off), I focused on pulling records from my collection that I really enjoyed having in it and were connected to some moment in time or to people who influenced my tastes or my collection. There is gratitude for favored musicians & producers, such as Charles Stepney, Rahsaan Roland Kirk, J Dilla, and gratitude for people who shaped me musically and have shared or discovered tunes along the way, such as Matthew Africa, Cool Chris of Groove Merchant, Oliver Wang, Rodney of Avalon Vintage, or Egon, and a blanket shout out to all the amazing people, past and present, in my life, in the form of Erasmo Carlos’ “Minha Gente/My People,” gratitude to records that get lost and then found and make it to me just in time for my birthday, so much gratitude for open drum breaks and funky sounds where you least expect them, gratitude for drive-in screenings of Jodorowsky’s Holy Mountain and road trips and psychedelic desert music, gratitude for music always being a sanctuary, gratitude for being alive and being able to share beautiful music, gratitude, gratitude, gratitude…Aside from starting off with Rahsaan and “Bright Moments,” I had no plan on how thing would get together, just pulled a bunch of records around that feeling and let the spirit take me where it would…Enjoy the trip.
Moods In Free Time 008: Gratitude
Playlist – Moods In Free Time 008: Gratitude
{Opening Theme} The Visitors – The Juggler – In My Youth (Muse)
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Rahsaan Roland Kirk – Bright Moments – Bright Moments (Atlantic)
The Dells – I Can Sing A Rainbow/Love Is Blue – 7” (Cadet)
Rotary Connection – Respect – Songs (Cadet Concept)
Phil Upchurch – Adam And Charlene – Upchurch (Cadet)
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Thom Macke – Lonely Weekends – 7” (Omega)
Pi-R Square – Fantasy Pt. 2 – 7” (Wee)
Nancy Priddy – You’ve Come This Way Before – You’ve Come This Way Before (Dot)
Quarteto Em Cy – Tudo Que Voce Podia Ser – Quarteto Em Cy (Odeon)
Lo Borges – Trem De Doido – Clube Da Esquina (Odeon)
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Dom Salvador – Tio Macro – Dom Salvador (CBS)
Modo – Nevajag Raudat – 7” (Melodiya)
Grupo Los Yoyi – Banana – Yoyi (Arieto)
Frankie Gao – A Girl’s Dimples – A Girl’s Dimples (Kolin)
Ihsan Al-Munzer – Sari Aghtchik – Oriental-lissimo Vol. 2 (Armenian Keif Time Melodies) (Vos)
Juan Pablo Torres y Algo Nuevo – Son A Propulsion – Super Son (Arieto)
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Spectrum – Quiabos – Geracao Bendita (Shadoks)
Son Hak Rei – Dry Leaves – Instrumental Music Vol. 3 (Universal)
Battered Ornaments – The Crosswords & The Safety Pins – Mantle Piece (Harvest)
Vincent Gemignani – Ophis La Serpentaire – Modern Pop Percussion (Concert Hall)
Don Cherry – Tarot Will Teach You – Holy Mpuntain Soundtrack (Finders Keepers/Abkco)
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Don Cherry & The Jazz Composer’s Orchestra – Trans-Love Airways – Relativity Suite (JCOA)
David Crosby – Laughing – If I Could Only Remember My Name (Atlantic)
Erasmo Carlos – Minha Gente – Sonhos E Memorias 1941-1972 (Polydor)
Absolute Elsewhere – Earthbound – In Search Of Ancient Gods (WB)
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Richard Twice – If I Knew You Were The One – Richard Twice (Philips)
Dionne Warwick – You’re Gonna Need Me – Just Being Myself (WB)
The Significants – One Kindness Deserves Another – 7” (Alesver’s Records)
Dr. John – Glowin’ – Babylon (ATCO)
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{closing theme} Tony Williams – Wild Life – Believe It (Columbia)