My summer officially ends tomorrow with the beginning of classes at Long Beach State, so it was nice to give what has been a truly eventful Summer a proper send-off with a guest spot at my favorite weekly here in LA, Funky Sole. With Rich Medina and DJ Spinna holding court upstairs in the Echo, we moved down stairs to the more spacious Echoplex. Though the venue changed, nothing changed with the crowd, as enthusiastic as ever, or the quality of music, with Miles out of town, Clifton, Mr. Mean Mustard, Connie Price and Joey Altruda held it down on the main stage and in the “Funk Yard” on the patio. We also had the great fortune of not one, but two hosts, with Myron (of Myron & E) and Black Shakespeare of the Lions on the mic.
For my part, as is usually the case, I tried to put together a set that featured a little bit of everyting, a few classics, some breaks for the break-boys and break-girls, and some more obscure tracks that I was mostly interested in how the crowd would respond. Having just returned from a far too short trip to Cuba (don’t worry, you’ll be hearing a lot about that in the next couple of weeks), I also wanted to share a few of the discoveries I dug up while there. 
The set begins with a class bit of Latin Funk from Irakere, a 45 that actually will be making it’s way into Music Man Miles’ collection when he comes back in town, and also features Juan Pablo Torres, Orquesta Cuba Ritmo and a later more disco inspired track from Chucho Valdes’ Irakere. We also did some soul travelin’ to Japan with Jun Mayuzumi (always a crowd pleaser), India with Asha Bhosle & Kishore Kumar, Argentina with Los Tios Queridos and even Russia, by way of Cuba, courtesy of Modo. One of my highlights of the night came from playing Pearly Queen’s “Quit Jivin'” off of my Matthew Africa tribute dub plate and having Black Shakespeare give a “This one is for Matthew Africa” shout near the end of the song.
After my set, Clifton, Mr. Mean Mustard and myself traded off, each playing a couple of records until closing time. I got a chance to play a couple of songs I was hesitant to work in a set, but have really wanted to see how they would go over, including that Precisions track I was wild about earlier in the Summer and Willie West’s “She’s So Wise.” Based on the response of both, I’ll definitely work them into my set the next time I grace the Funky Sole stage. Big thanks to Clifton, Miles, Nancy and everyone else in the Funky Sole family. I’ll see on you on the dance floor there, over at the Echo (and sometimes like this past Saturday, the Echoplex) from 10pm-2am, each and every Saturday night.
{If you want to see additional photos from the night, make sure to click here and check out Farah Sosa’s slideshow of the whole night, including the picture of me directly above}
Guest DJ Set At Funky Sole: 08-22-2015
Funky Sole Guest DJ Set: 08-22-2015
1. Irakere – Bacalao Con Pan – 7” (Areito)
2. Marva Whitney – We Want To Paaarty – 7” (People)
3. Pearly Queen – Quit Jivin’ – Matthew Africa Dub Plate (Personal)
4. Modo – Ziedu Karalis – 7” (Melodiya)
5. Betty Davis – Anti Love Song – Betty Davis (Just Sunshine)
6. Juan Pablo Torres y Algo Nuevo – Rompe Cocoricoco – Con Todos Los Hierros (Areito)
7. Asha Bhosle & Kishore Kumar – Aa Dekhen Zara – Asha Bhosle Duets: Electrifying (Polydor)
8. Irakere – Baila Mi Ritmo – 7” (Areito)
9. Los Tios Queridos – Si Me Ves Volar – 7” (RCA)
10. Johnny Frigo Sextet – Scorpio – The Electric Jazz Of Gus Giordano (Orion)
11. Jun Mayuzumi – Black Room – Angel Love (Toshiba)
12. Franciene Thomas – I’ll Be There – 7” (Tragar)
13. Orquesta Cuba Ritmo – Chocolate Sin Menta – 7” (Areito)
14. Roger & the Gypsies – Pass The Hatchet – 7” (Seven B)
15. Robert Parker – Let’s Go Baby (Where The Action Is) – 7” (Nola)
16. Bull & the Matadors – The Funky Judge – 7” (Toddlin’ Town)
17. Nina Simone – Do I Move You? – Nina Sings The Blues (RCA Victor)
18. The Mad Doctors – The Mad Mad Doctor – Original Soundtrack: Dr. Goldfoot & The Girl Bombs (Tower)
19. The New Swing Sextet – Monkey See, Monkey Do – The Explosive New Swing Sextet (Cotique)
20. Machito – Green Onions – Machito Goes Memphis (RCA Victor)
