Mama What’s a Cosmopolitan?: If You Got Funk You Got Style!

Imagine you and your significant other getting dressed in your finest evening wear.  Watch, necklace, bracelet, and earrings adorned.  You’re going out tonight!  You head to your car, drive downtown, and enter the premier concert hall of the city.  Everyone is excited and dressed to the nines! This must be the philharmonic’s opening night!  This is a highbrow event!  Together you find your seats just before the lights dim.  In anticipation, you hold your breath.  Your wait is brief.  Suddenly the stage lights shine to reveal the assemblage of . . . wait for it . . .wait for it  . . . Parliament/Funkadelic and a rambunctious funk mob on stage.  They begin to tear shit up (musically speaking of course). You look at your significant other and gleefully discover you are both sporting the same quintessential funk face.  You throw your hand up forming the righteous universal funk symbol and rock out.  Imagine that!

Goin out tonight!
By Joshua Aaron Photography

The night was seemingly set up for a sophisticated event.  Your attire and the venue location suggested as much.  The atmosphere was ripe to embrace a stiff collar crowd.  This was not classical music.  With P-Funk on stage were you truly going to engage in a so-called “highbrow” event?  Of course, you were!  Funk music is everything classical music is and more.

Classical music has certainly achieved, in over three hundred years, a position in our society of reverence and honor.  Its widely known composers Bach, Mozart, and Beethoven are pedestalistic gods and known as such in and out of the genre.  Most often intellectuals and the cultured are drawn to classical music.  Statistics reveal the college-educated and affluent are largely attracted to the genre.  They—“the sophisticated”—not only enjoy and indulge in the accouterments of classical music but it also defines them.  The richly appointed hallowed concert halls, tailored suits, designer cocktail gowns, and opening nights cater to their refined and even snobbish worldly taste.  Classical music is indeed a highbrow phenomenon.  However, it has a younger sibling that mirrors its every move and defines its very own high brow flare.

Sly And The Family Stone. Cosmopolitan at its finest!

Funk music has certainly achieved, in over fifty years, a position in our society of reverence and honor.  It’s widely known progenitors Brown, Clinton, and Stone are pedestalistic gods and known as such in and out of the genre.  While the ‘sophisticated’ who chiefly consume only classical music and little of anything else the rooted funk music consumer is attracted to classical and beyond.  Jazz, r&b, blues, gospel, soul, swing, rock, and metal are often devoured by the funk listener.  Funk music, like classical music, also holds the attention of intellectuals, the cultured, educated, and affluent.  Moreover, it also draws to it the enlightened, the academic, literate, and articulate.  In this way the funk music listener is beyond sophisticated, rather they are ‘Cosmopolitan’—the sharing of all things wrapped in the ONE!  Funk music can be heard in the richly appointed hallowed concert halls as well as in stadiums, arenas, street festivals, parks, backlots, and garages.

Conversely, funk music is defined by the listener.  Unlike classical, which is static in terms of its response to current affairs and its inability to create a space for active audience response during a performance, funk music is qualified by its attention to current affairs and welcomes the immediate response of the audience (call and response).

Clinton in a suit!
By: Marcy Guiragossin

In the end, you can go to a funk music concert in your tailored suit and designer evening gown.  You can listen to EWF at the Chandler, (Sup, L.A.). You can funk out and follow along with intellectuals like Brown and Vincent in the front row as they raise their hand with the righteous universal funk symbol and chant:

If you got funk, you got style

You’re funkin’ and you’re styling all the while

When you got funk, you got class

You’re out on the floor movin’ your ass . . .

Yeah, funk music is everything classical music is and more. Take a listen.

Minnie Riperton Turns 69!

 

Photoshoot from 1975 in L.A. (credit Michael Ochs Archives)

 

Today marks the 69th birthday of daughter, mother, wife, songstress, and songwriter Minnie Riperton. Riperton passed on July 12th, 1979. She was 31 years old. Gone Too Soon! It has been 38 years since the multi-octave, Angelic voice that dwelled inside her was silenced forever.

We remember Minnie Riperton for her remarkable voice – a lyric coloratura soprano, which she used to set new vocal parameters in pop music. Classically trained in Opera, Riperton vocally backed artists such as Etta James and Stevie Wonder, and in her own career, she was able to subtly blend her agile opera styles into the soul and R&B music she sang.

Ultimately, she set the high note template for the likes of Mariah Carey and others in pop music.

Riperton was diagnosed with breast cancer in 1976. However, she continued recording, touring, was nominated for an American Music Award for favorite soul/R&B Female Artist, as well as became a spokesperson for the American Cancer Society until her death 3 years later.

Minnie Riperton’s Legacy is rooted in her vocal Perfection and her ability to communicate the sentiments of a song to the masses like no other. Happy Birthday, Minnie Riperton!

That Weekend in L.A. with George Benson

 

In late September of 1977 jazz guitarist and newly minted crossover R&B crooner, George Benson landed in Los Angeles to record his landmark live album at the legendary Roxy Theatre.  At the time, Los Angeles was in the midst of creating incredible historic and enduring moments.  The months leading up to Benson’s performance on the night of September 30th at the Roxy Theatre, Angelinos had not only witnessed the inauguration of President Jimmy Carter with the rest of America, but locally experienced remarkable events that ranged from the unforgettable imagery of NASA’s Space shuttle Enterprise soaring across the sky piggy-backed on a Boeing 747 jet, experiencing the frenzy of the redefining sci-fi soon to be juggernaut film Star Wars, to welcoming Mayor Tom Bradley—arguably the most politically and socially significant person west of the Rockies in the ‘70s—into his second term, collectively breathed a sigh of relief with the capture of the sick “Freeway Killer” all while watching new Dodgers’ manager Tommy Lasorda lead his team into the NLCS*.  Los Angeles was indeed primed and ready to receive a George Benson performance.

A year prior, Benson’s popularity reached the zenith of his career with the release of his hit single “This Masquerade” from his two time Grammy award winning album Breezin’. His sure-fire vocals and scats, which mirrored his guitar melodies and jazz riffs, catapulted him into the upper echelon of R&B crooners of the era.  Benson, for the first time, effectively crossed over from the jazz genre solidly into the world of R&B and pop. Attracting new and larger audiences for his live performances, Benson was indeed primed to deliver for a slick and beautifully complex L.A. audience.

On the afternoon of September 30th, Benson made his way up Sunset Boulevard amid fancy cars, infamous traffic, Hollywood sunshine, larger-than-life billboards, palm tree-lined streets, and of course a bit of that iconic L.A. smog on his way to the Roxy Theatre. The theatre on Sunset, commonly known as The Roxy, was founded by producers and Hollywood insiders Lou Adler, Elmer Valentine, David Geffen, Elliot Roberts, and Peter Asher who together opened its doors for business just four years earlier.  In a short time, The Roxy had emerged as the venue of choice for up and coming artists to showcase their talents to a consuming audience bent on catching a glimpse of the new hot thing. Upon Benson’s arrival, he was met by his well rehearsed and longtime band, which consisted of Stanley Banks on Bass, Ronnie Foster on synthesizer, the late Ralph MacDonald on percussion, Phil Upchurch on rhythm guitar, Harvey Mason on drums, and the late Jorge Dalto on piano.  He quickly rehearsed the setlist and worked out any kinks to create a flawless show.  After rehearsal, Benson met with the late producer Tommy LiPuma to work out stage sounds and board mixes.  In conversation with Benson, LiPuma agonized over what to name the album and pondered a few ideas. Ultimately, not wanting to apply a common and yet all too mundane moniker like George Benson Live at the Roxy, which is a style that has been used to name other albums recorded live at The Roxy, rather LiPuma settled on George Benson Weekend in L.A.  The title implied a happening–an event that was not to be missed.  Benson loved it.

That very night in late September, Benson stepped on stage to a sold out and packed Roxy.  The audience was filled with Angelino fans eager to be lifted to the next level by the magic of Benson’s performance.  Music industry heavy hitters such as Aretha Franklin, the late Minnie Ripperton, the late Natalie Cole, Bonnie Raitt, Tom Scott, the late Leon Russell, and even actors David Soul and Keith Carradine were nestled into the crowd to certify Benson’s rising star as an R&B and pop artist.  Benson’s music swept over the audience and filled the gritty theatre with a lively atmosphere of celebration, which aided in the release of tension for residents of L.A.  His skillful jazz licks and well-seasoned vocals easily carried the audience to a place of both respite and pleasure.  Benson and his band opened with songs such as the aptly named “Weekend in LA,” written especially for this live event.  Then in grand style, summoned for the first time, he performed  “On Broadway,” which, after this night, would become his signature song. Next, Benson dug in on the heartfelt “Down Here on The Ground,” which was followed by  the driving “California P.M.”  And finally, to round out half of the album’s set, he sang out in fantastic fashion “The Greatest Love of All,” which he recorded a few months earlier for the Muhammad Ali film, The Greatest.  The late Whitney Houston’s recording of “The Greatest Love of All” became the first of her many signature songs.  The Roxy audience cheered, shouted, and erupted in applause throughout the lively performance while Benson continued to perform the rest of the evening.  His songs’ fed L.A’s appetite for epic and uniquely cultured music.

In the end, Benson performed at The Roxy for three nights.  The L.A. audience embraced his music amid the electric climate of the late seventies.  Certainly, Benson was ready for his proverbial “Hollywood close-up,” which was made possible by his newfound crossover appeal. The Roxy was the perfect venue to bring together the complex and slick L.A. audience.  The live recording of George Benson Weekend in L.A. captured a magical evening that not only demonstrated how a guitar and jazz riffs could bring a crowd to a frenzy but more so, spoke to the issues of the era.   The entire live album, upon a contemporary listen, is infused with the promise of hope and change.  Without question, the 80s kept that promise.  That weekend in L.A. with George Benson was indeed a happening, which we can revisit and experience anytime. The album is a classic. 

George Benson Weekend in L.A. was released three months later in January of 1978. Benson’s weekend effort garnered him the Grammy for Best Male R&B Vocal Performance for the song “On Broadway.”  Benson’s album, which turned 40 years old earlier this month is impeccably recorded and is a must listen.

 

*Not to get all sporty here but the Dodgers won the NLCS in a 3-1 victory over the Phillies and went to the World Series to battle the Yankees.  Reggie Jackson with a little help from the rest of the Yankees sent the Dodgers packing 4-2. It’s a good thing they had George Benson Weekend in L.A. to soothe the hurt.

AAMAM: The End Is For The Grown And Sexy! Part 30 of 30

Ok people we have come to the end of African American Music Appreciation Month or some of you may know it as Black Music Month (check out part 1 of 30 for more info). It’s been great. We started it off with James Brown and the relevance of his voice in a new era, listened to Milles Davis’ greatest recording ever, acknowledged the death of Ornette Coleman and how he change the sound of jazz, celebrated the life of BB King and my experience with him, we dedicated “We Shall Overcome” to the citizens of Charleston and the tragedy that took place there, and we jammed to the greatest hip hop group ever, the Fugees “Mona Lisa can I get a date on Friday and if you’re busy I wouldn’t mine taking Saturdaaaay aaaay  aaay  round up the posse fugee coming round the way . . .!” That was just to name a few of the great music experienced over the past 29 days. It’s ok to go back and check out what you missed.

AAMAM is a great time to celebrate the power of black music and the swaying force it has in black culture. It’s also a great time to remember those unique and soulful artist who created it and listen to their messages they addressed in American life as black artist.

So in the end, lets just listen to some thing nice and sweet! No troubling issues about society or a cultural point to be made. Just a nice and easy up tempo contemporary song about enduring love. Justsoulyouknow dedicates this song to AAMAM!

Take a listen to soul crooner Kem and my girl Chrisette Michele work it out on the duet “If It’s Love.” Grab your significant other, pick a part and sing along. Careful, this is for the grown and sexy! Ha!

Peace!

AAMAM: When The Glory Comes! Part 29 of 30

Glory, the theme song to the 2014 film Selma, about the march for voting rights that began in Selma, Alabama and ended in the state capital of Montgomery. The song, written by rapper Common and singer John Legend, which garnered and Oscar, recalled images of the march and reminded the listener of the struggles that happened not too long ago. Glory also, sadly, sent a message that those struggles long ago still exist today as it made reference to Ferguson, Missouri.

Moreover, Glory continues to speak to the struggles of our time. New verses that include Baltimore and Charleston can easily find their place in between the choruses of this song.

The struggle continues.

Remember. Step up. Press on.

“Now the war is not over

Victory isn’t won

But we’ll fight on to the finish

Then when it’s all done

We’ll cry Glory!

We’ll cry Glory!”

AAMAM is glorious!

 

 

AAMAM: Curtis, Your Future Is So Very Bright! Part 21 of 30

Curtis Mayfield. (1942-1999)

The year1970 witnessed the released of Curtis Mayfield’s album Curtis. On it Mayfield acutely addressed the social climate of urban America.  Facing forward with the ‘60s in his rearview mirror, Mayfield’s Curtis headed down a highway of new musicality robust in optimism—new found humanity for a people in search of their just rewards for a battle well fought.

Mayfield’s Curtis musically ushered in a bright new future with its uplifting lyrics and music, which could be heard on his single “Move On Up.”  Tom Maginnis, music reviewer for Allmuisic .com, best describes the texture of “Move On Up” as he says,

The optimistic atmosphere can be heard from the very opening joyous horn riff, signaling a kind of feel-good fanfare as the song’s brisk rhythm is quickly sustained by a grooving percussion section of congas, Don Simmons’ rollicking drum kit, and a steady strum of clean electric guitar. Mayfield uses a variety of horn and string riffs as an ingenious call and response device to his silky smooth vocal performance at various points throughout the song’s intricate arrangement of a multitude of instruments. The overall effect is one of a unstoppable wave of positive sound, rolling forward, moving on up, as Mayfield offers words of encouragement, of progress through hard work and perseverance.

With that being said, have a listen!

You have a bright future with AAMAM!

Your Sunday iPod Add: Leela James is giving it to you!

Welcome to your iPod add.

Ever since I first heard artist, singer, songwriter, and soon to be reality T.V. star Leela James belt out a song I was hooked. James’ voice oozed a soulful and funky consistency that reminded me of more than a few of the best soul singers some decades ago. Her raw classic voice, when she first arrived on the music scene, was a welcome sound to my ears in 2005. Her first album A Change is Gonna Come was her own personal statement that her voice and her style of music (classic soul) was relevant and certainly need amid the pop music muck. In short, James was about the work of regenerating and maintaining classic American soul.

A few weeks ago, after reading one of my posts, a friend of mine (A.K.A. my soul brotha from anotha motha like no otha) asked me if I listened to Leela James as her music is a new discovery for him. I proclaimed in the affirmative and was immediately flooded with the memory of her music. Of course I binged on her music for the next few days.

Listening to James I was reminded of her determination to preserve soul music. She sings with a feeling and sincerity and a mission to make good music. She carries with her the vocal and attitudinal influence of luminaries such as Gladys Knight, Chaka Khan, Aretha Franklin, and Mavis Staples to contemporary artists such as Jill Scott, Ledisi, Musiq, and Anthony Hamilton. James’ mission can be heard on all her albums from A Change is Gonna Come (her statement piece) to Let’s Do It Again (2009) (a celebration of soul and a little funk music of the 70s), to My Soul (2010) (her highest charting album), to finally Loving You More . . . In The Spirit of Etta James (2012) (which she dedicated to the memory of Etta James and her music).

Today Leela James is hard at work recording good music. At the moment James is working on a new album and has recently released a duet with fellow soul artist Anthony Hamilton called “Say That” and “Fall For You”-a nice soulful ballad that trumps anything you heard on the radio lately. [Listen Below]

Do yourself a favor and add Leela James to your iPod and binge on some excellent heartfelt soul . . . you will thank me later!

http://vimeo.com/88680000

Marvin Gaye, Jr.: The Humanitarian (with a nod to Frankie Knuckles)

Yesterday marked the 30^th anniversary of the death of Marvin Gaye, Jr. Hard to believe it’s been that long. Had he survived the tragic death, by the hands of his father, he would reached 75 years of life. Imagine that! Today we can remember and recognized Marvin as one of the most important music artist of our time. His music, his voice, and his lyrics are indeed timeless.

Marvin’s presence has not faded. He is often the central figure in academia and out in the streets among project aristocrats on issues of race, society, culture, politics, economic, and the musicality of it all. He is the litmus for soulful sexy R&B, today.   Marvin is perpetually relevant. He continues to influence art in all its forms. Marvin was the everyday man, commenting on the everyday experience with an unmatched passion, which marked him as a humanitarian. During a 1971 interview with Phil Symes, Marvin speaks of the content on his then new album What’s Going On he stated, “The material is social commentary but there’s nothing extreme on it. I did it not only to help humanity but to help me as well, and I think it has. It has given me a certain amount of peace.” Marvin was talking to us. We are still listening and will continue to do so.

**In honor of Marvin Gaye and Frankie Knuckles, whom we lost yesterday, I submit the following Big Moses House mix of “What’s Going On”:

Your Sunday iPod Add: Latasha Lee & the Blackties is good music!

Welcome back to your Sunday iPod add. It’s been a minute so let’s get to it!  This year I have really made an effort only to listen to what I deem as good music. Music with lyrics that actually move beyond the sophomoric and say something or at the very least try to say something; music that sonically takes you on a ride by consciously utilizing verse, chorus, and bridge; musicians whom know how to employ most of the following: the turnaround, refrain, and tag; Oh and unique, sincere, and talented voices are indeed a necessity for creating good music. So for me listening to over the air radio is a poor option­–at least in my neck of the woods. In this endeavor I have been relegated to listening to various Internet radio stations–which if you find the right station can be a dream come true.

Thus far I have found some amazing jazz, blues, 60s and 70s era stations, and even Latin jazz stations that kill.  But what I have found myself gravitating to the most are so called underground neo soul music stations.  In other words newly recorded soul music by individuals who strive to retain elements of authentic soul.  A couple of stations use the terms contemporary soul and organic soul to help explain their content.  However it’s all music with groove, feeling, and mature lyrics. Think Aretha, Marvin, Chaka, Stevie, Gladys, Donny and Roberta.  Good music, right?

Anyway, in my search for good music I’ve come across some amazing artists who are skillful songwriters, musicians, and singers that I would like to share with you.

That being said let me introduce you to Latasha Lee & the Blackties.  What an awesome band!  Comparable to Charles Bradley and Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings, Lee and the Blackties are contemporary artists who combine both the musical precision of Motown and the gritty-ness of Stax with ease.   Lead singer Lee, whom was born and bred in Corpus Christi, Texas, has a noticeably strong yet nimble voice.  I was taken back on first listen because her voice emitted the timbre of the late Amy Winehouse.  Blogger E. of Music Nerdery notice this fact a year ago and stated, “It’s almost uncanny to a certain extent. She’s not TRYING to sound like Amy…. she just… does.” Austin City Limits Music Fest web site also chimed in on Lee’s voice after a great performance at the event a few months ago, the site wrote Lee’s “soulful voice cuts cleanly and crisply through the genre clutter with a groove that slices directly to the heart with honest power.” Yep!

Certainly Latasha Lee & The Blackties, who have been together for a little over a year and a half and recently graced the stages of SXSW, are unpretentiously reviving classic 60s doo wop.  Their self-titled album Latasha Lee & the Blackties is a pleasure to listen to, which you need to add to you iPod. It’s good music. I do believe you will thank me later.

Your Sunday iPod Add: Robin Thicke

Above is your Sunday iPod add. “Love After War” by Robin Thicke.  This is simply an awesome R&B track. Period. Thicke has written a song that sonically honors classic Motown and the writing efforts of Smokey Robinson.  Its relentless up-tempo groove and slick production make this track shine.  Thicke’s contemporaries, Tank, Tyrese, Joe, Carl Thomas, and Genuwine, who all have released albums in the past 10 months, have been put on notice to step up their R&B game.  Just a note: Eric Benét has elevated his game. I’ll blog about him on a later date.

Add “Love After War” to your iPod and you will thank me later.