Posted on Ephemera

In Heavy Rotation: Fela Kuti – Finding Fela: Original Soundtrack – Knitting Factory

FindingFela

Fela Kuti – Viva Nigeria

Last week we played you an interview with Adam Kahan, who’s made a brilliant documentary, long in the making, for Rahsaan Roland Kirk. This week we’re highlighting another, by all accounts, exceptional documentary, just released on the life of the legendary Fela Kuti. Fela has enjoyed quite a resurgence in popularity over the last several years. Virtually all of his records are back in print, multiple Afro-beat outfits from Antibalas in NYC to Mexico 68 here in LA, have popped up to pay tribute to his sound and to top it all off, there was even a well regarded Broadway show in his honor. Finding Fela comes to us in the midst of this Fela-surgence. The soundtrack does its best to provide a cross-section of Fela’s career, opting to provide largely vocal edits of songs that in their original versions run from 15-30 minutes in length. “Viva Nigeria” is a very early track, recorded here in LA while Fela was in the States, having his consciousness raised and coming up with blueprint for his signature Afro-Beat style. The soundtrack also features a few tracks recorded by the “Fela! Band” which is essentially an all-star outfit based out of the Broadway show. All in all, it’s a nice introduction to those who are still new to Fela’s music and a great sing/dance-a-long collection for those of us who have been grooving to Fela for years and years.

If you haven’t seen it, here’s the trailer for the film, Finding Fela:

Posted on Radio

Be Our Guest: Adam Kahan, director of The Case Of The Three Sided Dream on KPFK’s Melting Pot!

KahanKPFK

It was truly an honor to talk with Adam Kahan, director of the remarkable new documentary on the life and times of Rahsaan Roland Kirk entitled, The Case Of The Three Sided Dream. As many of you know Rahsaan is a personal hero of mine and one of my all-time favorite musicians. When we recorded the interview I hadn’t seen the film, but I have since and in all honesty, I think it’s one of the best music documentaries I’ve ever seen, truly a film worthy of Rahsaan…Bright Moments!!!

Adam Kahan Interview on KPFK’s Melting Pot: 7-24-2014

Please make sure to check out the website for the film, and if you haven’t seen the trailer, make sure you check it out below:

Posted on Radio

Breakdown: August 17th on KPFK’s Melting Pot

kpfk-logo

Really nice to be back on the air again, I’ve been waiting and waiting for this one for what seemed like months. In the first hour of the show we have an interview with Adam Kahan (separate post to follow) the film-maker behind the truly beautiful documentary on Rahsaan Roland Kirk, The Case Of The Three Sided Dream. The second hour of the program is an hour long tribute to one of the greatest and funkiest drummers to have ever walked the planet, Idris Muhammad. I’ll write a bit more later Monday, enjoy the sounds for now!

Melting Pot on KPFK #173: First Hour
Melting Pot on KPFK #173: Second Hour

Posted on Ephemera

Giveaway: The Sonics @ the Roxy on August 15th!!!

The Sonics

The Sonics, one of the most influential garage bands of all-time, will be performing here in Los Angeles at the Roxy this Friday night, August 15th!!! The Sonics were one of several bands that put the Pacific Northwest sound on the map back in the early 1960s. They set themselves apart because of the raw energy and power of their performances. It’s not hyperbole to saw that whole scenes of music and legendary bands like the Gories or the Cramps might not have even been formed without the music of this band. Having reformed a few years ago, with original members Gerry Roslie (keys/vox), Larry Parypa (guitar) and Rob Lind (sax), even though the boys are now well into past their 60s, they’ve lost none of their verve and fire. If you’d like to go courtesy of Melting Pot, make sure to e-mail me by 5pm on Thursday, August 14th at michael[at]meltingpotblog.com!

I’m not sure there’s a greater song from this period of time than “Strychnine,” certainly it features some of the greatest opening lyrics of all-time:

Baby…you driving me crazy!:

Now if you’re not convinced that you should see this band here in 2014, just take a gander at this video, recorded earlier in the year:

Posted on Dig Deep

Dig Deep: Rahsaan Roland Kirk – Left & Right – Atlantic (1969)

RahsaanLeftRight

Rahsaan Roland Kirk – The Black Mystery Has Been Revealed / Expansions
Rahsaan Roland Kirk – Lady’s Blues
Rahsaan Roland Kirk – A Flower Is A Lovesome Thing

Here at Melting Pot, every August 7th, we celebrate Rahsaan Roland Kirk day! Rahsaan is the patron saint of this blog and one of my all-time favorite musicians and this year’s celebration brings with it a review and head’s up for the fantastic documentary directed by Adam Kahan on Rahsaan, called The Three-Sided Dream. So far, it’s been screened on a very limited basis at a few festivals around the country. When Melting Pot returns to the air on August 17th, I’ll be running an interview I did with Adam ahead of the screening here in LA for the Don’t Knock The Rock fest that Allison Anders curates. I’ll likely close the interview with a song from this 1969 album, “Lady’s Blues,” which according to Adam was the first song that he really “heard” from Rahsaan.

Left & Right is an interesting album. It’s one of the few that features Rahsaan with strings on most every track. The title, and the iconic cover photo, certainly reference the multiple sides of Rahsaan’s musicianship, as do the two sides of the album. The first side begins with a short call to arms from Rahsaan, titled the “Black Mystery Has Been Revealed,” which gives a bit of a preview of the direction Rahsaan would turn to on his later album Blacknuss. Most of the side is taken up with a long, seven-part piece called “Expansions,” which features the always brilliant Harp of Alice Coltrane.

Side two almost entirely features (aside from the aforementioned “Lady’s Blues” which Kirk wrote) covers of songs that are clearly inspirational to Rahsaan, including songs associated with Mingus (“I X Love”), Billy Strayhorn (“A Flower Is A Lovesome Thing”) and Quincy Jones (“Quintessence”). The inclusion of these songs, with the strings, acts as a real stark contrast to the more experimental “Expansions,” and gives another layer to the “Left & Right” metaphor with Rahsaan, something Adam & I talked about in our interview, the tension between pushing the music forward as an innovator and holding on to a sense of reverence of past traditions and styles. When I think of the criticism I’ve read of Rahsaan, it always seems like this dichotomy, described in the album’s notes as composer/entertainer, is the thing people who don’t dig him can’t wrap their head around. Rahsaan was many things and like the multiple instruments he often played, he was all these many things simultaneously. Which is precisely why we loved him so.

Bright Moments,

Michael

p.s. If you haven’t seen the film just yet, or even just the trailer for it, here it is. Once we run the interview with Adam, I’ll use that post to update about the status of the film and any scheduled screenings or (hopefully soon!) a release date to see it in theaters…the film is exactly what every fan of Rahsaan’s music could have hoped for:

Posted on About Melting Pot, Dig Deep

Melting Pot’s Deepest Digs Volume 5!!!

DeepestDigs5

Year number five boiled down to the best twenty tracks from the past twelve months of our Dig Deep section…Later this year I hope to have a special 5th anniversary mix put together by one of the best DJ’s here in LA, but until then, Dig On It!

Melting Pot’s Deepest Digs Volume 5

1.  Phil Upchurch – Adam and Charlene – Upchurch
2.  The Emotions – Take Me Back – Untouched
3.  Johnny Frigo Sextet – Gardens On The Moon – The Electric Jazz Of Gus Giordano
4.  The Peppos and Jones Straightjacket Band – Humanity – 7″
5.  Clifford Coulter – Yodelin In A Whatchamaname Thang – Do It Now…Worry About It Later
6.  Miguel De Deus – Fabrica De Papeis – Black Soul Brothers
7.  Lenny White – Sweet Dreamer – Big City
8.  Gabor Szabo – Galatea’s Guitar – Dreams
9.  Ame Son – Eclosion – Catalyse
10. Joe Henderson – Earth – The Elements
11. Richard Menezes – Nova Jersey – 7″
12. Marcia Griffiths – Here I Am Baby – Sweet Bitter Love
13. Little Richard – The Rill Thing – The Rill Thing
14. Jean Kassapian – The Snake – 7″
15. The Latinaires – Camel Walk – Camel Walk
16. Horace Silver – Won’t You Open Up Your Senses – Total Response
17. Billy Harper – Soulfully, I Love You – Capra Black
18. Jerry Butler – Ain’t Understanding Mellow – The Sagittarius Movement
19. John Mayall – Looking At Tomorrow – Back To The Roots
20. Erasmo Carlos – Minha Gente – Sonhos e Memorias 1941-1972

Posted on Dig Deep

Dig Deep: Jun Mayuzumi – Angel Love – Capitol (1968)

Jun1

Jun Mayuzumi – Black Room
Jun Mayuzumi – Miracle
Jun Mayuzumi – Answer To Me
Jun Mayuzumi – Yagi-Bushi

I’m not entirely sure where or how I first heard the sounds of Jun Mayuzumi. I thought it might have been from the Nippon Girls collection, but that wasn’t put out until 2009 and I’m pretty sure I must have at least heard this while I was still living in the Bay Area on KALX Berkeley (probably due to Mathew Africa…R.I.P.).

Jun accepting her trophy for the most breaktastic Japanese song of all-time!
Jun accepting her trophy for the most breaktastic Japanese song of all-time!

I do know for sure the moment I freaked out for the song and had to get a copy. I’ve actually mentioned it here already, back in 2010, thanks to Scott Craig at the old Records LA spot. “Black Room” is quite possibly the greatest dancefloor filler, break-beat champion sound to have ever been released out of Japan and its one of my top five favorite songs to dance too (which I was reminded of this past weekend when Soul Marcosa dropped it in his set, followed by Los Kifers “El Sol Es Una Droga,” almost resulting in murder on the Funky Sole dance floor at the Echo). It’s got the great drums courtesy of Akira Ishikawa, big heavy bass lines, snappy horns and this fantastic long call “Awwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww” from Jun with the drums only behind her at the start of most verses. Just a brilliant, brilliant tune.

A couple years ago, I found out that in addition to the 45, the song, along with 13 other tracks, was featured on this album from Mayuzumi, released in 1968 (I think, since I don’t read, speak or write Japanese). Most of these songs are also featured on 45s from Mayuzumi, and so instead of spending a small fortune tracking all of them down individually, I got this one as a birthday gift to myself. From what I can tell the cover of the record depicts Mayuzumi winning the Japan Record Award in 1968, sort of the equivalent of the Grammy’s here in the States. The same group that backs her on “Black Room” is featured on every track and while half of the songs are slower pop ballads, things still get soulful and funky just about everywhere else. There isn’t a lot of information on Jun in English on the interwebs, I know she also did a fair amount of acting, but not much more than that. One day hopefully I’ll be able to add her story here, but until then let’s just be thankful for the tunes.

Cheers,

Michael

Posted on Ephemera

In Heavy Rotation: Electric Wire Hustle – If These Are The Last Days EP – Okay Player

EWH

Electric Wire Hustle – Bottom Line

First heard of Electric Wire Hustle while at KCRW, when Mathieu Schreyer and Anthony Valadez received music from them, started playing it and soon enough most of DJs at the station were playing music from this soulful group out of New Zealand. Fast forward six years later and the group is readying their second full-length due to be released in the fall. To tease us a bit they’ve released this four song EP, featuring brand new originals “Bottom Line” and “If These Are The Last Days,” plus one remix for each from Flako and Eliphino. I didn’t catch the EWH wave the first time around, but I’m all aboard this time. Electric Wire Hustle is yet another example of the really stellar simultaneously backward/forward thinking soul music getting created outside of the US (Quadron and Hiatus Kaiyote, both bands AntVala had a hand in breaking, being the best recent examples). We’ll see what other treasures the full-length album holds, but if it’s even half as good as these two tracks, it will definitely place highly on my list of the Best of 2014.

By the way, they’ve also created a gorgeous nature filled video for “If These Are The Last Days” that you should check out:

Posted on Radio

Breakdown: July 20th on KPFK’s Melting Pot…Charnett Moffett Interview + Charlie Haden Tribute!!!

Haden

This was a very special show. I wasn’t on the air last week, so I wasn’t able to share the Charnett Moffett interview or pay tribute to Charlie Haden. With Haden’s passing, Moffett is without a doubt the best bass player walking the earth. We recorded the interview on Thursday, the day before we found out about Haden’s passing and so we don’t discuss him, and instead focus solely on Moffett’s exceptional career. It’s truly an honor to be able to pair this interview and performance with a tribute to Haden, as these two players (along with Mingus) are my favorite bassist/composers in Jazz History.

In the week since we learned of his passing, I’ve spent a lot of time reflecting on Haden’s legacy and listening to all of the fantastic tributes on KPFK. I’d pretty much known what songs I was going to play featuring Haden within a couple of hours of hearing of his passing. I’m struck that with an entire week of programming, from 5 or 6 different shows on our station, there was very little overlap in the songs people played. Charlie Haden’s career was so long and so stellar that we likely could have dedicated the entire week to him, 24/7, and never once repeated ourselves. In my case, I focused on songs that I had deep personal connection to. 10 years ago, I had a much more extensive collection of music that featured Haden. Over the last decade as I’ve started to rebuild my collection, I’ve often had to focus on the music that I knew I loved most. That is certainly the case with the majority of tracks I’ve played here, many of them recorded from around 1970 to 1973, a period of time where Haden was particularly associated with two large ensembles, his Liberation Music Orchestra and the Jazz Composer’s Orchestra. The sound of these pieces is certainly within the avant-garde, but it is marked by an extraordinary soulfulness and depth of emotion that isn’t always found within this particular branch of the creative music we call Jazz, but was always found in the music of Charlie Haden, regardless of what ensemble or style of music he played.

Each of these songs, as well as the recent collaboration with his son, Josh Haden and his band Spain, “You and I,” testify to the extraordinary beauty of Haden’s playing. As I’ve mentioned before, truly hearing Haden’s music affected me in profound ways, not just in terms of how I approach music, but also politically, emotionally and spiritually. I am a better man and more capable of recognizing the wonders of life and playing my part to increase beauty and love in this world because of the work of Charlie Haden. I will be eternally grateful to him for the many gifts he gave us all.

Melting Pot on KPFK #171: First Hour
Melting Pot on KPFK #171: Second Hour

Playlist: 07-20-2014

{opening theme} Booker T & the MGs – Melting Pot – 7″ (Stax)

~~~~ Break ~~~~

Charnett Moffett – Interview and Performance – Recorded Live at KPFK (KPFK Archives)

~~~~ Break ~~~~

Charlie Haden Tribute:
The Liberation Music Orchestra feat. Charlie Haden – Song For Che – Liberation Music Orchestra (Impulse)
The Liberation Music Orchestra feat. Charlie Haden – Els Segadors – Ballad Of The Fallen (ECM)

~~~~ Break ~~~~

The Jazz Composer’s Orchestra feat. Charlie Haden – Trans-Love Airways – The Relativity Suite (JCOA)
Joe Henderson feat. Charlie Haden – Earth – The Elements (Milestone)

~~~~ Break ~~~~

The Jazz Composer’s Orchestra feat. Charlie Haden – Hotel Overture – Escalator Over The Hill (JCOA)
Spain feat. Charlie Haden – You and I – Sargent Place (Glitterhouse)

~~~~ Break ~~~~

{closing theme} The Liberation Music Orchestra feat. Charlie Haden – We Shall Overcome – Liberation Music Orchestra (Impulse)

Posted on Radio

Be Our Guest: Charnett Moffett on KPFK’s Melting Pot!!!

Charnett

Charnett Moffett on KPFK’s Melting Pot: 07-10-2014

I first saw Charnett Moffett at Yoshi’s when he was playing in McCoy Tyner’s band. I knew his name and likely had heard a few records with his playing, but nothing could have prepared me for what I saw that night. Pretty much from the moment he played his first note I was completely transfixed, such is the power of Charnett Moffett’s virtousic talent. A little less than two weeks ago, I had the great fortune to bring Charnett into the KPFK studios to record an interview and performance. He was in town performing at the Catalina Jazz Club and was good enough to come to the station shortly after arriving in Los Angeles. The experience is one I’ll treasure for the rest of my days. We spent almost three hours together, working on the sound of his two basses, taking a lunch break, collaboratively discussing the structure of the interview and changing course, in a true improvisatory spirit, when either of us felt it might be good to go a different way. It was truly a one-of-a-kind experience, especially because while he was performing I was essentially only a foot away from him. In the interview we discuss a bit about his upbringing and the influence of his father, Charles Moffett, quite a lot about his most recent album Spirit Of Sound (the interview features 5 songs from the album, and two live performances on piccolo and fretless bass of the tracks “Spirit Of Sound” and “Overpass”) as well as his general philosophy on making music and how it connects to the lives we lead. Many many inspiring words and sounds from a true master of his instrument and one of the all-time greats in my opinion on bass. Big thanks to Mary Ann Topper for her help in setting this up and of course to Charnett Moffett for his generosity, patience and exuberance while sharing the gifts of his time and music with us.

Posted on Dig Deep

Dig Deep – D.J. Rogers – D.J. Rogers – Test Pressing (1973)

DJRogers

DJ Rogers – Listen To The Message
DJ Rogers – Celebration
DJ Rogers – Bail Out
DJ Rogers – March On

{This record is one of several that I currently have up on Ebay, solid titles and you know the money goes to a good cause, namely this blog and my ongoing vinyl addiction!}

Picked this up at a recent dig at one of my favorite LA spots. As I was going through all of the bins, turning up a few pieces but nothing spectacular I happened upon this plain blue jacket with no information at all. Intrigued, I took the album out, which felt like it was made from something other than vinyl, metal perhaps, and saw that this was clearly a test pressing. The album turns out to be D.J. Rogers debut album, released on Shelter records in 1973. DeWayne Julius Rogers was a homegrown talent who got his start singing in local church choirs, most notably the Watts Community Choir and the Los Angeles Community Choir. That gospel influence is clear from pretty much the start of the album, in his vocals and in the way the vocals from the chorus (which features Maxayn Lewis) are arranged. It’s also pretty clear that Rogers was a major fan of Sly Stone, because this album could have been mistaken for a Sly side-project. Though the funk here has clear nods to Sly, it doesn’t retain any of the murky sonic character of Sly’s There’s A Riot Going On or Fresh. Instead the funk only adds to the uplifting messages in the songs.

I thought I would be able to find more information about this test pressing, but struck out in every online search I could find. In some cases test pressings like this were made as the last step before sending the record out, sometimes as a kind of personal promo. Artisan Sound Recorders was a fairly well know pressing operation, and there are more than a few test pressings from that company, but I could find anything on this one. Might just be a one-of-a-kind find.

Cheers,

Michael