{Congrats to Robert Campbell who won the Syl Johnson box set and thanks to everyone who supported Melting Pot!!!}

KPFK is currently holding their final fundraiser of 2010, Melting Pot will be doing its part on Sunday Dec. 12th, from 4-6pm to raise funds for the station. This time around we have a truly fantastic 4 pack of CDs, all covering various degrees of “Soul” music:

Charles Bradley & the Menahan Street Band – No Time For Dreaming (Daptone/Dunham)
V/A – Groove Merchant 20 (Ubiquity)
Belleruche – 270 Stories (Tru Thoughts)
Quadron – Quadron (Plug Research)

Also we have a special deal, only for the first 10 people who get the 4 pack at $100, you can super size it into an 8 pack of music for the same pledge with the Holiday 4 Pack of some of the best releases of 2010:

Seu Jorge & Almaz – Seu Jorge & Almaz (Now-Again)
Quantic – Dog With A Rope (Tru Thoughts)
Bilal – Airtight’s Revenge (Plug Research)
Miles Davis – Bitches Brew: 40th Anniversary edition (Sony Legacy) or Jimi Hendrix – West Coast Seattle Boy (1CD sampler) (Experience / Sony Legacy)

Finally we have a special sweepstakes, and it will only include subscribers during my two hours this week, one of you, no matter if you pledge $1 or $1,000, will win a motherlode of soul, Numero Group’s absolutely amazing Syl Johnson: Complete Mythology 4 CD/6 LP box set!!!

So please support the show and the station that allows me to play music every week this Sunday Dec. 12th from 4-6pm!!!

I had the great pleasure of spending a lot of time with the UK’s Belleruche when they were in Los Angeles for an extended period during their first tour of the USA. This was almost a session that didn’t happen. Our usual producer for performances was not able to be here due to a medical emergency and his stand-in was unable to find some highly necessary cords. In the end, everything worked out (Thank you Tamika Zoghi for the last minute production magic!) just in the nick of time and so you get to hear all 3 songs (“Gold Rush” “Clockwatching” and “Cat in a Dog Suit”, all from 270 Stories) that the band performed live in our studios.

We had a number of conversations during the 3+ hours the band was at the station, about the differences between “winter” in the UK vs. what we perceive as uncharacteristically cold weather in LA (“time to breakout the shorts” was pretty much how Ricky from the group described his impression of our “blisteringly cold” weather in LA) to recommendations (in terms of venues and record stores) in the Bay Area, which the band hopes to visit in the near future.  The interview covers how the band got together and their thoughts on how to characterize their sound and a certain freedom that comes from not having a label easily placed on you.

Though the band made their way to KEXP and NPR’s World Cafe, it’s nice to know that the first place they stopped by was our very humble space at KPFK. There’s a very good chance they’ll be swinging back through the States in March around the time of SXSW and hopefully they’ll be able to spend more time in LA. For the time being you have the tracks from this session in addition to their latest album on Tru Thoughts, 270 Stories.

Belleruche on KPFK’s Melting Pot: Recorded 11-29-2010

One final bonus, my very first bit of video, featuring the band performing their song “Gold Rush” at KPFK:

Super solid show begins with a minor tribute to Alice Coltrane, to whom they were paying major tribute to at UCLA’s Royce Hall on Sunday. From there we go a number of places, as usual, including some new music from Dum Dum Girls, Polar bear & Jyager, Teengirl Fantasy, Atlas Sound, and Hanni El Khatib. At the start of the second hour is a performance and interview featuring Belleruche, who came to our studio on Monday for a session that was supposed to take just an hour, but ended up lasting much longer than that as we tried to work out some technical issues. The group were extremely gracious with their time and thankfully everything worked out with them playing 3 songs just before having to roll down to Hollywood for a show at Bardot before leaving for Seattle and many points beyond. Enjoy the sounds.

Melting Pot on KPFK #24: First Hour
Melting Pot on KPFK #24: Second Hour

This past Sunday’s show was the end of the month, so that meant all vinyl from my collection. My mother in law’s passing was still on my mind so that explains some of the selections in the first set, especially a gorgeous track from Pedro Infante (might post that LP for Dig Deep later in the week). I spend all of the second hour paying tribute to one of my favorite musicians, Jimi Hendrix. November 27th would have been his 68th birthday, so I only went with an hour of material, next year you can be sure that we’ll spend the whole two hours playing Hendrix from vinyl. One of my favorite moments in that set was being able to mess around live on air with “Third Stone From The Sun,” which is recorded at 33rpm, but has some spoken “alien astronaut” dialogue you can only clearly understand at 45rpm. Just one of the many reasons I love vinyl and love being on radio. Oh, and perhaps you’ll notice I was missed my usual theme song, turns out I did have it, the Dilla Donut Shop LP was just hiding it from me…oh well. Enjoy the sounds, this coming week we have a session from Belleruche!

Melting Pot on KPFK #23: First Hour
Melting Pot on KPFK #23: Second Hour

Playlist: 11-28-2010

{opening theme} Butterfield Blues Band – Night Child – Sometimes I Feel Like Smilin’ (Elektra)

~~~~ Break ~~~~

Pedro Infante – Amor De Los Dos – Siempre En El Corazon De Mexico (Peerless)
Swan Silvertones – Savior Pass Me Not – Get Right With The Swan Silvertones (Archives Alive)
Charlie Musselwhite – Cristo Redentor – Stand Back! (Vanguard)
Magic Sam – My Love Will Never Die – West Side Soul (Delmark)
The High Society Bros. – Lessons Of Love – 7” (Timmion)

~~~~ Break ~~~~

JC Brooks & the Uptown Sound – To Love Someone – 7” (Addenda)
24 Carat Black – Best Of Good Love Gone – Gone: The Promises of Yesterday (Numero)
Syl Johnson – Anyone But You – 7” (Hi)
Toni Tornado – Nao Lhe Quero Mais – BR3 (Odeon)
Irene Reid – Just Loving You – 7” (Old Town)
Alice Coltrane – Turiya & Ramakrishna – Ptah The El Daoud (Impulse)

~~~~ Break ~~~~

Gonjasufi – Ancestors (Mark Prichard Remix) – The Caliph’s Tea Party (Warp)
MRR/ADM feat. Malcolm Catto – Untitled – 10” (Self-released)
Quincy Jones – Up Against The Wall – The Lost Man Soundtrack (UNI)
J Dilla – History – Donut Shop (Stones Throw)

~~~~ Break ~~~~

Jimi Hendrix 68th Birthday Tribute:

Jimi Hendrix Experience – Like A Rolling Stone – Jimi Hendrix Experience/Otis Redding Live At Monterey (Reprise)
Jimi Hendrix Experience – Manic Depression – Are You Experienced? (Reprise)
Jimi Hendrix Experience – Spanish Castle Magic – Axis Bold As Love (Reprise)
Jimi Hendrix Experience – Third Stone From The Sun – Are You Experienced? (Reprise)

~~~~ Break ~~~~

Curtis Knight & the Squires feat. Jimi Hendrix – Love, Love – Flashing (Capitol)
Jimi Hendrix – Earth Blues – Rainbow Bridge (Reprise)
Jimi Hendrix Experience – One Rainy Wish – Axis Bold As Love (Reprise)
Jimi Hendrix – Pali Gap – Rainbow Bridge (Reprise)

~~~~ Break ~~~~

Band of Gypsies – Machine Gun – Band of Gypsies (Capitol)
Jimi Hendrix Experience – The Wind Cries Mary – Are You Experienced? (Reprise)

~~~~ Break ~~~~

{closing theme} Kenny Baker – Mississippi Waltz – Plays Bill Monroe (County)

This past week’s show was very difficult. More than getting back into the swing of things after an unusually difficult move to a new apartment (thanks again to Oliver Wang of Soul-Sides for filling in), my mind, body and soul has been with my wife’s family after the passing of her mother, Pascuala Gutierrez. I start and finish the show with two tributes to her memory which will live on in all the people who lives she has touched. The show begins with a short set of some of her favorite songs and artists and I close playing a whole side of music from Duke Ellington, featuring Mahalia Jackson in some of her most uplifting work. Posts will remain intermittent this week…

Melting Pot on KPFK #22: First Hour
Melting Pot on KPFK #22: Second Hour

Playlist: 11-21-2010

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

~~~~ Break ~~~~

Tribute to Pascuala Gutierrez 1933-2010

Pedro Infante – La Calandria
Marco Antonio Solis – La Venia Bendita
Las Jilguerillas – Por Ellas
Mariacha Vargas con Miguel Aceves Mejia – Prieta Linda

~~~~ Break ~~~~

Charles Bradley – I Believe In Your Love – No Time For Dreaming (Dunham)
Willie West – Lessons of Love – 7″ (Timmion)
Belleruche – Cat In A Dog Suit – 270 Stories (Tru Thoughts)
Blonde Redhead – Spain – Penny Sparkle (4AD)
Ikonika – Yoshimitsu – 12” (Hyperdub)
The Afro Soultet – Torrid Zone – Afrodesia (Luv n’ Haight)

~~~~ Break ~~~~

Chico Mann – Harmonia – Analog Drift (Wax Poetics)
Laetitia Sadier – Un Soir, Un Chien – The Trip (Drag City)
Anika – No Ones There – Anika (Stones Throw/Invada)
Gonjasufi – Holidays (MRR Remix) – The Caliph’s Tea Party (Warp)

~~~~ Break ~~~~

Aloe Blacc – Take Me Back – Good Things (Stones Throw)
Witch – See Your Mama – Introduction (Now-Again)
Warpaint – Set Your Arms Down – The Fool (Rough Trade)

~~~~ Break ~~~~

Jodesha & Star Ride – The Answer – Groove Merchant 20 (Ubiquity/Luv n’ Haight)
Las Ilusionistas – Colegiala – Roots of Chi Cha 2 (Barbes)
Batida feat. Bras Firmino – Nufeko Disole – Secousse: African Dance Music Anthems (Crammed Discs)
El Guincho – Novias – Pop Negro (Young Turks/XL)
Corin Tucker Band – It’s Always Summer – 1,000 Years (Kill Rock Stars)
Bill Frisell – Nobody’s Fault – Beautiful Dreamers (Savoy Jazz)

~~~~ Break ~~~~

Tribute To Pascuala Gutierrez 1933-2010

Duke Ellington & Mahalia Jackson – Come Sunday/23rd Psalm – Black, Brown & Biege (CBS)