Merry Xmas & Happy Holidays - The RIBS Christmas Mixes…

December 16, 2011 by tgrundy · 1 Comment
Filed under: A Bakers Dozen, Christmas, Funk, Gospel, Holiday, R&B, RIBS, Xmas, blues, jazz, podcasts/mixes, soul 

Wishing all of you and your families a very happy and safe holiday during this Christmas season!

Since the Christmas season of 2007, I have created a total of 13 different mixes of Christmas music that (hopefully) provide a pleasant musical soundtrack for you to enjoy during this most joyous time of the year. Since the individual posts for those mixes are spread out over the site, I thought I would post the links to all of them here in one convenient place for you to download.

You can left-click on the mix name to be taken to the original post for that mix or you can right-click on the “MP3 file” link or the “PDF playlist” link to download the files.

Again, Happy Holidays and a very, Merry Christmas from my family to yours!

2009

  1. A “Funky” Christmas 2 : MP3 file – PDF playlist
  2. “This Christmas”-A Baker’s Dozen: MP3 file – PDF playlist
  3. A “Soulful” Christmas 2: MP3 file – PDF playlist

2008

  1. A “Gospel” Christmas: MP3 file – PDF playlist
  2. A “Jazzy” Christmas 2: MP3 file – PDF playlist
  3. “Merry Christmas, Baby”-A Baker’s Dozen: MP3 file – PDF playlist
  4. A “Funky” Christmas: MP3 file – PDF playlist
  5. A “Lonely” Christmas: MP3 file – PDF playlist

2007

  1. A “Snuggle Wit Cho Baby” Xmas: MP3 file – PDF playlist
  2. A “Jazzy” Xmas: MP3 file – PDF playlist
  3. A “Soulful” Xmas: MP3 file – PDF playlist
  4. A “Blues” Xmas: MP3 file – PDF playlist
  5. An “Xquizzyt” Xmas: MP3 file – PDF playlist

Enjoy!

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RIBS TPTD: Summer Heat – Too Hot, parts 1 & 2

February 6, 2011 by tgrundy · 4 Comments
Filed under: Funk, R&B, RIBS, Summer Heat, Triple Play Thurs-Day, jazz, podcasts/mixes, soul 

Winter. Cold. Snow. AAARRRGGGHHH!

There is snow and cold EVERYWHERE it seems. I didn’t think anything could be worse than the winter of 2010 but obviously I was wrong. There’s snow in Dallas and Houston, Texas (it don’t even look right writing THAT!) Snow in Atlanta, GA. Hell, even the Chicago public school system had it’s first snow day cancellation in 12 YEARS!

{sigh} I want to see the street curbs in my neighborhood again. I want some sunshine. I WANT SOME HEAT!

Well, since I can’t control the weather (but, boy, if I could…) I’ve done IMHO the next best thing, I’ve put together a mix of “summer” songs that will hopefully make us forget about all of this winter mess (at least for awhile) and transport us to those beautiful, warm summer days/nights that we so desperately long for.

OK, let’s all do like Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz… close our eyes, click our heels together 3 times and say, “There’s no place like summer, there’s no place like summer, there’s no place like summer…”

…as RIBS presents to you:

RIBS TPTD: Summer Heat – Too Hot…

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Right-click here to download .MP3 file (111Mb, 1:19:24)

Download playlist .PDF file here (right-click)

 

RIBS TPTD: Summer Heat – Too Hot Two…

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Download playlist .PDF file here (right-click)

Summer Heat – Too Hot…

(Playlist: (song – artist [time])

  1. Summertime - Jazzy Jeff & Fresh Prince [4:31]
  2. Sunshine (Go Away Today) - Isley Brothers [4:22]
  3. Sunshine Of Your Love - Spanky Wilson [3:43]
  4. Feel The Heat - Bill Summers [4:53]
  5. Sunshine Superman - Brass Fever [6:26]
  6. Fire - Ohio Players [4:36]
  7. Keep It Hot - B.B. & Q. Band [5:43]
  8. You Get Me Hot - Jimmy Bo Horne [7:01]
  9. Hot For You - Brainstorm [10:48]
  10. Big La RIBS Promo #2 - Todd Kelley vs. Big La [00:10]
  11. Bra - Cymande [5:07]
  12. School Days - Stanley Clarke [7:52]
  13. Sunshine (Woke Me Up This Morning) - Labelle [3:26]
  14. Hot Fun In The Summertime - Sly & The Family Stone [2:38]
  15. L.A. Sunshine - WAR [4:01]
  16. Summer - WAR [6:36]

Summer Heat – Too Hot…

(Playlist: (song – artist [time])

  1. All Day Music - WAR [5:12]
  2. It’s Summer - Gladys Knight and The Pips [2:21]
  3. RIBS Promo - Fave [00:06]
  4. (Love Is Like A) Heat Wave - Martha Reeves & the Vandellas [2:50]
  5. Sing A Simple Song - Sly & The Family Stone [3:56]
  6. Summertime Love - TaMara And The Seen [4:58]
  7. Too Hot Ta Trot - Commodores [3:33]
  8. Sunshine - Earth, Wind & Fire [4:16]
  9. Summer Love - Rick James [6:15]
  10. RIBS Promo #1 - Mr. Fresh [00:11]
  11. Slippin’ Into Darkness - WAR [6:59]
  12. Hot Pants In The Summertime - Dramatics [3:49]
  13. Summer Chill - Grover Washington, Jr. [4:40]
  14. Sex On The Beach - James ‘JT’ Taylor [5:15]
  15. Send Out For Sunshine - Heatwave [4:41]
  16. RIBS3 “aka RIBS" - TGrundy [00:13]
  17. Fence Walk - Mandrill [3:33]
  18. Freeway Of Love [extended remix] - Aretha Franklin [7:17]
  19. Love Is The Message (Larry Levan remix) - MFSB [11:01]

And remember… next week, Valentine’s Weekend, is the BIG Event: the Cupid’s Hunt Podcast Collaboration in celebration of Valentine’s Day. You DO NOT want to miss it!

Have you missed any of the RIBS mixes we’ve posted? If you have there is now an easy way to catch up on what we’ve been up to. Just go check out the new RIBS Archives Page to see a very easy to read listing of every post (and music mix) we’ve uploaded to the site.

Enjoy!

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RIBS TPTD: Happy Holidays From RIBS - The Christmas Mixes…

December 23, 2010 by tgrundy · Leave a Comment
Filed under: Christmas, Funk, Gospel, Holiday, Podcast Collabs, R&B, RIBS, Triple Play Thurs-Day, Xmas, blues, jazz, music, podcasts/mixes, soul 

Hey everybody! Not gonna ramble on too much here, just want to wish all of you a very happy and safe holiday during this Christmas season!

Over the past 3 years I’ve created a total of 13 different mixes of Christmas music that (hopefully) provide a pleasant musical soundtrack for you to enjoy during this most joyous time of the year. While I’m still working on trying to get a new Christmas mix finished for this year, I thought I would post the links to all of the existing mixes here in one convenient place for you to download.

You can left-click on the mix name to be taken to the original post for that mix or you can right-click on the “MP3 file” link or the “PDF playlist” link to download the files.

Again, Happy Holidays and a very, Merry Christmas from my family to yours!

2009

  1. A “Funky” Christmas 2 : MP3 file – PDF playlist
  2. “This Christmas”-A Baker’s Dozen:  MP3 file – PDF playlist
  3. A “Soulful” Christmas 2: MP3 file – PDF playlist

2008

  1. A “Gospel” Christmas: MP3 file – PDF playlist
  2. A “Jazzy” Christmas 2: MP3 file – PDF playlist
  3. “Merry Christmas, Baby”-A Baker’s Dozen: MP3 file – PDF playlist
  4. A “Funky” Christmas: MP3 file – PDF playlist
  5. A “Lonely” Christmas: MP3 file – PDF playlist

2007

  1. A “Snuggle Wit Cho Baby” Xmas: MP3 file – PDF playlist
  2. A “Jazzy” Xmas: MP3 file – PDF playlist
  3. A “Soulful” Xmas: MP3 file – PDF playlist
  4. A “Blues” Xmas: MP3 file – PDF playlist
  5. An “Xquizzyt” Xmas: MP3 file – PDF playlist

Enjoy!

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RIBS TPTD: A “Funky” Christmas 2…

December 24, 2009 by tgrundy · 8 Comments
Filed under: Christmas, Funk, Holiday, R&B, RIBS, Triple Play Thurs-Day, Xmas, podcasts/mixes, soul 

Hey! Good to see ya back again. I hope you have been enjoying our “Sounds of the Season” here on Rhythms In Black Satin.

Before I get to rambling on about our third “Xmas RIBS” mix for 2009 let me just say that I do so very much appreciate you and all the readers and listeners of this site for popping in here and letting me share my love of music with you. May you and your loved ones have a safe, healthy and happy holiday season!

Now… on to the mix.

If you’ve been following RIBS around this time of year you know that I like to make Christmas mixes that are a little different. As much as I like all of the holiday music that the season brings, the one thing I dislike is hearing the same old standards over and over again in the weeks leading up to the big day. So back in 2007 I started doing my own take on Christmas putting together mixes featuring some great Soul/R&B, Jazz, Blues and Gospel that don’t usually get played very often. It’s been a lot of fun and everybody seems to like them a lot.

On today’s buffet table I’m serving up an uptempo Xmas mix called “A Funky Christmas 2009″. This is a bookend to the first mix of this type that you can find here. The Christmas holiday is a joyous occasion, time for visiting family and friends, relaxing and… partying! And a little funky Christmas music mix is just the thing to get it started!

Merry Christmas everybody!

RIBS TPTD: A “Funky” Christmas 2

Alternate (if you have a problem using the javascript pop-up): Click here.

Right-click here to download .MP3 file (111Mb, 1:19:30)

Download playlist .PDF file here (right-click)

Playlist: (song – artist – album [time])

  1. Stoned Soul Christmas - Binky Griptite [3:21]
  2. Xtina’s Christmas (Interlude) - Christina Aguilera - My Kind of Christmas [1:32]
  3. Christmas Time - Christina Aguilera - My Kind of Christmas [4:01]
  4. God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen - Gary Chapman - Christmas On The Border [3:22]
  5. Chestnutz (a.k.a. The Christmas Song) - Bootsy Collins - Christmas Is 4 Ever [5:05]
  6. Merry Christmas Baby - The Four Tops - Merry Christmas [5:06]
  7. Let it Snow! Let it Snow! Let it Snow! - Aaron Neville - Aaron Neville’s Soulful Christmas [2:22]
  8. Ain’t No Chimneys - Sharon Jones & The Dap Kings [2:20]
  9. The Little Drummer Boy - The Temptations - A Motown Christmas, Vol. 2 [4:14]
  10. Happy Kwanzaa - Teddy Pendergrass - This Christmas I’d Rather have Love [5:12]
  11. Every Time Christmas Comes Around - Michael McDonald - This Christmas [3:34]
  12. White Christmas - The Whispers - Happy Holidays To You [3:29]
  13. Soulful Christmas - Faith Evans - The Best Christmas Album [3:07]
  14. What Christmas Means To Me - Mandisa - It’s Christmas [3:03]
  15. Jesus Is The Reason For The Season - Kirk Franklin [5:45]
  16. This Year - Christina Aguilera - My Kind of Christmas [4:13]
  17. It’s Christmas - The Whispers - Christmas Moments [5:15]
  18. Santa Claus Is Coming To Town - Jackson 5 - A Motown Christmas [2:23]
  19. Hark! The herald Angels Sing - Musiq Soulchild - A Philly Soul Christmas [4:50]
  20. Funky Funky Christmas - New Kids On The Block [4:44]
  21. Holiday - Rahsaan Patterson - The Ultimate Gift [4:30]

Have you missed any of the RIBS mixes we’ve posted? If you have there is now an easy way to catch up on what we’ve been up to. Just go check out the new RIBS Archives Page to see a very easy to read listing of every post (and music mix) we’ve uploaded to the site.

Enjoy!

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RIBS TPTD: Michael Jackson, R.I.P.

July 2, 2009 by tgrundy · 4 Comments
Filed under: Funk, Michael Jackson, R&B, R.I.P., RIBS, podcasts/mixes, soul 

Hey folks, how is everybody doin’ today?

Note: This is part 1 of a 3-part MJ mix here on RIBS (parts 2 & 3 will be available over the next 24-48 hours). Try as I might there just were not enough hours in the day (nor days in the week) for me to get an MJ mix posted last weekend as I originally intended. Now I know that commercial radio has played MJ/J5 music to death over the past week and that everybody and their mother are posting MJ tribute mixes, but to be a music fan/podcaster and NOT celebrate his life at a time like this just wouldn’t be right. Hopefully there are a few things in these RIBS Michael Jackson mixes that you haven’t heard 100 or more times this past week and that the combination of songs chosen is pleasing to your ear.

Oh, and one more thing… I must give a shout out and major BIG props to Honey over on HoneySoul.com. She has done a great job providing information and links to the many, many MJ tribute mixes, video and information that have been posted online. If you want to find good music and info about the “King of Pop” (without all of the negativity those other sites are giving you) check out: Remembering The Time. Michael Jackson (1958-2009) [Audio, Video Links] over on HoneySoul.com

Well, as we are all well aware, Michael Jackson left us one week ago today. It’s still very hard to think of him as being gone. I, like so many others, was really looking forward to his planned tour later this year to see if he could stage a comeback in his career after all of the mess that he had been through these past several years.

The best way for me to describe MJ is this:

“He was one of the cornerstones of the foundation of the "Soundtrack of My Life"

I mean I’m not that much older than Michael, and from the early days with his brothers in the Jackson 5, to their move to CBS Records as The Jacksons, and of course his enormously popular and influential solo career his music was always there somewhere during all of the various trials, tribulations, happiness, sadness and discoveries of my life.

He was, without question, one of the best (if not THE BEST) entertainers that I’ve had the pleasure to see in my lifetime. I say "entertainer" and not just singer or singing artist because MJ could do it all: singer, dancer, actor (a little {smile}), songwriter, producer. The only person who I think comes close in comparison to Michael (that I can think of) is Sammy Davis, Jr. Hmmmm, MJ vs. Sammy, that could make for an interesting discussion in the comments section!

One of things I have been doing during the past week as the reality of Michael’s death has slowly been sinking in is thinking of the various memories that I have of him…

Memories Of Michael

  • 7th grade music class with Mrs. Hoffman. She had us singing "ABC" by the Jackson 5
  • Buying the UK pressing of the Maybe Tomorrow album over in London on the 9th grade class trip during Spring vacation. (forever grateful to my maternal grandfather, God rest his soul, for helping pay for the trip so I could go)
  • How BIG of a J5 fan Jolene White was (girlfriend in 9th grade); she was one of the few girls I knew at that time that liked Marlon better than Michael
  • Seeing the Jackson 5 in Madison Square Garden in 1971 (with Jolene). Opening act: The Commodores! (Hmmmm, wonder whatever happened to THEM? {smile})
  • Watching the Jackson 5ive cartoon (nope that’s not a mis-spelling) on Saturday mornings
  • Hating The Osmonds and the song "One Bad Apple" as they blatantly (but, I have to admit all these years later, very smartly) modeled themselves after the J5 and went on to quite a bit of success themselves during the 70s
  • Hoping and praying that Michael’s solo albums would not cause the Jackson 5 to break up (hey, I was young then. I didn’t know anything about the music business)
  • The changing sound of the group (as the boys naturally grew older) on the albums G.I.T.: Get It Together, Dancing Machine and Moving Violation 
  • The Jackson 5 leaving Motown (for CBS Records) and having to change their name to The Jacksons
  • Jermaine leaving the group and staying at Motown due to his marriage to Motown founder Berry Gordy’s daughter Hazel
  • Youngest brother Randy joining the group to replace Jermaine
  • Michael playing the Scarecrow in The Wiz
  • The monster success of the Off The Wall album (only to be surpassed by the Thriller album)
  • The Motown 25 television special and Michael’s performance of Billie Jean! My favorite MJ moment/performance of all time.
  • We Are The World (song and recording session)
  • Watching the first airing of the Thriller video. Wow!
  • Watching and listening to Marc Jones (a friend I had a short-lived mobile DJ business with after college) mix Billie Jean. Nobody could mix that song like he could!
  • …and so many, many more!

Hopefully Michael is at peace now. Though we mourn his passing, we will always celebrate his life and the happy times he gave us all. He will continue to live on in our hearts and minds and ears via the wonderful legacy of music he has left behind.

RIBS TPTD: "Michael Jackson, R.I.P."

RIBS TPTD: Michael Jackson, R.I.P.

Alternate (if you have a problem using the javascript pop-up): Click here.

Right-click here to download .MP3 file (111Mb, 1:18:48)

Download playlist .PDF file here (right-click)

Playlist: (song - artist - album [time])

  1. I Am Love, pts 1 & 2 – Jackson 5 – Dancing Machine [7:29]
  2. Walk Right Now – Jacksons – Triumph [6:29]
  3. Forever Came Today – Jackson 5 – Moving Violation [2:09]
  4. Can You Feel It (Disconet mix) – Jacksons – Triumph [7:44]
  5. Mama I Got A Brand New Thing – Jackson 5 – G.I.T: Get It Together [7:11]
  6. Feelin’ Alright – Jackson 5 – Goin’ Back To Indiana [4:12]
  7. Man In The Mirror (Instrumental) – Michael Jackson – Instrumental Version Collection [5:06]
  8. Dirty Diana – Michael Jackson - Bad [4:41]
  9. Money - Michael Jackson – HIStory: Past, Present and Future [4:42]
  10. Doctor My Eyes – Jackson 5 – Lookin’ Through The Windows [3:11]
  11. Lookin’ Through The Windows – Jackson 5 - Lookin’ Through The Windows [3:38]
  12. Don’t Want To See Tomorrow – Jackson 5 - Lookin’ Through The Windows  [2:40]
  13. Corner Of The Sky - Jackson 5 – Skywriter [3:40]
  14. Maybe Tomorrow - Jackson 5 – Maybe Tomorrow [4:48]
  15. Ain’t Nothing Like The Real Thing - Jackson 5 - Lookin’ Through The Windows [2:28]
  16. Can I See You In The Morning - Jackson 5 – Third Album [3:09]
  17. It’s Too Late To Change The Time - Jackson 5 - G.I.T: Get It Together [4:00]

Remember, don’t forget to check back here for parts 2 & 3 of the Rhythms In Black Satin “Memories of Michael” mixes!

Have you missed any of the RIBS mixes we’ve posted? If you have there is now an easy way to catch up on what we’ve been up to. Just go check out the new RIBS Archives Page to see a very easy to read listing of every post (and music mix) we’ve uploaded to the site.

Enjoy!

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RIBS TPTD: ‘Sax Appeal’ 4 – The Ladies of Sax: Candy, Mindi and Pamela…

April 25, 2009 by tgrundy · 1 Comment
Filed under: Funk, R&B, RIBS, Sax Appeal, Triple Play Thurs-Day, jazz, podcasts/mixes 

Playing “catch-up” this week on the site since I got “overcome by events” and did not get the mix posted last week. A late drop this week (been happening a lot lately {sigh}) BUT… we’ll get back on track on our regular Thursday release schedule soon. Let’s go…

In this, installment #4 in our month long ‘Sax Appeal’ series (installment/mix #3 is here), we take a look at the Ladies of the saxophone. I originally thought that female sax players were few and far between, but my research has uncovered more than quite a few ladies who have mastered the instrument. I’ve come to the conclusion that it is not so much that women musicians aren’t playing the instrument as much as they may experience great difficulty in getting recorded, especially as solo artists. Sounds like a subject well worth investigating further at some point in the future here on RIBS.

Fortunately, our trio today have not had any problems getting recorded, and we get to enjoy all the benefits of THAT fact. These three are probably the most prominent and well known women on the scene playing the sax today (of course there may be some out there who disagree with that statement):

  1. Candy Dulfer
  2. Mindi Abair
  3. Pamela Williams

Candy Dulfer: She started playing saxophone at age six, was leading her own band Funky Stuff at age fourteen, became an international recording star at age nineteen, started touring the world at age twenty. Born in Amsterdam, The Netherlands in 1969, she’s probably the reigning queen of the current crop of female sax players.

Mindi Abair: American born saxophonist with a strong Top-40 pop music background, Mindi also plays keyboards and the flute (and occasionally sings a little too!). She started out as a backing musician for such acts as Mandy Moore and the Backstreet Boys but switched to jazz in 2003 and has never looked back.

Pamela Williams: A Philadelphia native, Pamela sites Grover Washington, Jr. as one of her early influences. A former member of Patti LaBelle’s backup band she released her first album, “Saxtress” in 1996. Multi-talented (she also writes, produces and paints) Pamela is also known for her incredible visual art. She earned a degree in Fine Art and continues to paint when not on tour.

Let’s get busy wit it and let the Ladies of Sax show us what they can do as we present to you…

“Sax Appeal 4 - Candy, Mindi & Pamela”

RIBS TPTD: ‘Sax Appeal’ 4 – The Ladies of Sax: Candy, Mindi & Pamela
Alternate (if you have a problem using the javascript pop-up): Click here.
Right-click here to download .MP3 file (111Mb, 1:18:57)
Download playlist .PDF file here (right-click)

Playlist: (song - artist - album [time])

  1. Once You Get Started - Candy Dulfer - For The Love Of You [4:55]
  2. F.L.A. Swing - Mindi Abair – Stars [4:34]
  3. Sexy MF - Pamela Williams - The Perfect Love [4:50]
  4. Gititon - Candy Dulfer - For The Love Of You [4:32]
  5. Sticks And Stones - Mindi Abair - Come As You Are 4:41]
  6. Saxtress - Pamela Williams – Saxtress [4:59]
  7. Valdez In The Country - Candy Dulfer - Right In My Soul [3:45]
  8. The Joint - Mindi Abair - Life Less Ordinary [5:13]
  9. Walk On By - Pamela Williams - The Look of Love [4:00]
  10. Bird - Candy Dulfer - For The Love Of You [6:22]
  11. Smile - Mindi Abair – Stars [4:29]
  12. Natural Woman (You Make Me Feel Like) - Pamela Williams – Saxtress [3:52]
  13. Saxy Mood - Candy Dulfer - For The Love Of You [4:19]
  14. Right On - Mindi Abair - It Just Happens That Way [4:11]
  15. I Am Love - Pamela Williams – Evolution [5:16]
  16. Jazz It’s Me - Candy Dulfer - Big Girl [4:38]
  17. High Five - Mindi Abair - Come As You Are [4:02]
  18. Lifeline - Pamela Williams – Evolution [3:19]

Have you missed any of the RIBS mixes we’ve posted? If you have there is now an easy way to catch up on what we’ve been up to. Just go check out the new RIBS Archives Page to see a very easy to read listing of every post (and music mix) we’ve uploaded to the site.

Enjoy!

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RIBS TPTD: “Jazz 101″ - An Introduction To Jazz, Lesson #1…

April 12, 2009 by tgrundy · 8 Comments
Filed under: Funk, Jazz 101, R&B, RIBS, Triple Play Thurs-Day, blues, jazz, podcasts/mixes 

Hey Good People!

Jazz 101

Intro to Jazz

Surprise! A rare weekend treat from the RIBS kitchen today. First, before we get to our classroom session, let me give you a little bit of background on what this is all about…

As I hope you are aware, April is Jazz Appreciation Month (JAM) and all month long the great American art form known as jazz is being celebrated with a variety of events all over the country. Additionally, many online music enthusiasts are writing and talking about jazz a lot on their sites this month. One post that caught my eye was from my home girl, Vivrant Thang, over on her excellent site, Songs In The Key Of Life. In a post entitled, “All That Jazz: In Celebration of Jazz Appreciation Month”, she wrote:

I don’t talk about my love for jazz enough on this blog so I figure jazz appreciation month is the perfect time to do so. I have to admit that my knowledge is lacking. Mama Vivrant Thang was never really into jazz so it wasn’t played much around the house.
The number of jazz albums in my collection is unusually slim. Time for my collection to reflect it. Question is - where to start?
Jazz lovers, help me out. What do you consider the essential albums any jazz lover should have in their collection?

Now, when a person bares their soul like this and feels compelled to publicly share such an awful secret with the world well… how can you not reach out and help them? Hmmmm? {smile}

Seriously though, in addition to putting in my 2 cents as a comment on the site, Vivrant Thang’s post got me to thinking…

What artists and what songs WOULD a person choose to initially introduce someone to jazz???

I mean I know what I like and several songs came immediately to mind, but I continued to wonder what combinations other jazz fans would choose as an introduction to jazz. Well, since my curiosity had gotten the best of me, there was only one thing to do…

Twitter to the rescue.

Yep. I decided to post the question on Twitter and see what kind of responses “the crew” would come up with. To make a long story short we had a very interesting couple of days of conversation with a boatload of great suggestions for a playlist of songs that would be perfect for an “Introduction to Jazz” playlist. AAMOF, we started calling the tweets “Jazz 101″ and used the #jazz101 hashtag on most of the repsponses/replies so it would be easy to search for parts of the conversation you may have missed. (click the link to open a new window showing you the “Jazz 101″ conversation via Twitter Search)

And… that’s the backstory of today’s playlist.

Now, let’s talk about the “frontstory”, the music itself and some suggestions for “getting into jazz” and becoming a bonafide jazz aficionado.

When I was thinking about writing this “introduction to jazz” post I originally considered trying to answer the question” “What is jazz?” After a little research and careful consideration I quickly abandoned THAT idea. Ha! Even the folks who play and/or make their livelihood from this music have not definitively defined it yet after all these years, what made me think I could? {smile} However, researching the answer to the “What is jazz?” question IS fascinating in and of itself. The Wikipedia entry for Jazz is a good starting point, IMO.

Basically, the best way to get into jazz is to listen to it (no real earth shattering revelation there, eh? {smile}) The question is, of course, “where to start?” For my money, and the suggestion I always make, is to start with what many folks consider (even to this day, 50 years after it was first recorded) to be the finest jazz album ever made:

Miles Davis’ “Kind Of Blue” (and, fittingly, the first song on the playlist comes from this gem; more on that later)

AAMOF, it’s probably a very good idea to start one’s appreciation of jazz with the recordings produced during the 50s (Cool Jazz and Modal Jazz) and the early-to-mid 60s (Soul Jazz and Latin Jazz) as this is a period in which many of the finest and most listenable (IMHO) jazz recordings were made. From there you can go back to the Bebop jazz era (1940s) or the Swing jazz era (1930s) or push forward into the Fusion jazz era of the late 60s/70s or the Smooth jazz era of the 1980’s and beyond.

Also, let me repeat something I wrote in the post comment on Vivrant Thang’s website which some of you may find works well as a springboard into the genre. Begin your jazz education by starting on an instrument by instrument basis: pick an instrument and then pick the most prominent artist (opinions vary greatly here, of course) on that instrument and collect several of their works first. My own personal instrument/artist list suggestions:

  1. Trumpet - Miles Davis
  2. Saxophone - John Coltrane
  3. Guitar - Wes Montgomery
  4. Vibes - Lionel Hampton
  5. Big Band - Count Basie (I know that’s not an instrument, but the Count is essential!)
  6. Drums - Max Roach
  7. Keyboards - Duke Ellington or Herbie Hancock

Let me make one more point that I think is essential to appreciating jazz before we get into the playlist. In addition to the sound of the music, true fans of jazz also pay particular attention to the personnel that are involved in the performance/recording session of a jazz concert or album. It’s one of those little things that, while not exclusive to jazz, is something that has greater importance to fans of jazz as opposed to other musical genres. For example, not only is it important to know that Miles’ “Kind Of Blue” is perhaps the best jazz album of all time, but to fans of jazz it is equally important to note of the fact that this was Miles’ sextet ensemble with, in addition to Davis on trumpet, pianist Bill Evans, pianist Wynton Kelly (on track #2, Freddie Freeloader only), drummer Jimmy Cobb, bassist Paul Chambers, and saxophonists John Coltrane and Julian “Cannonball” Adderley.

Also, before I let you go, I wanted to say a few things about the songs that make up this first playlist. The first thing is… “Yes!” there will, at the very least, be a Lesson #2  “Jazz 101″ mix here on RIBS. Although when I came up with the idea for this ‘jazz intro’ playlist I was originally thinking of it in singular terms, there have so many great suggestions from the crew on Twitter and some other folks I’ve discussed this with that I just have to make more than one mix in order to do the subject justice.

As for this initial selection of songs the goal was to present a cross section of songs, instruments and styles that were some of the best (subjective, I know!) examples of the beauty and variety of that thing called jazz.

As I’ve already mentioned, for me it doesn’t get any better than Miles’ “Kind Of Blue”, and the first track from that album, So What, gets us started. That leads us quite smoothly into Stolen Moments (my second favorite jazz composition behind So What) by saxophonist, composer and arranger Oliver Nelson from his 1961 breakthrough album “The Blues And The Abstract Truth”. These two are fine examples of the softer, melodic sound of jazz that is so pleasing to ones ears.

Duke Ellington and Count Basie give us two familiar jazz standards, Take The ‘A’ Train and April In Paris respectively, that are prime examples of the Swing style of jazz popular in the late 1930s through the 1940s . You may also hear Swing jazz referred to as “Big Band” jazz so named as much for the size of the bands that played it (approximately 12 to 25 musicians) as for the big, uptempo sound it had. Swing was THE dance music back in its heyday and was broadcast nightly coast-to-coast across America for years.

Sometimes when you think about jazz music much of the thought process centers around instrumental music, however jazz is as much a medium for vocalists as it is for instrumentalists. In order to provide a taste of the lyrical side of jazz our playlist includes three of the best, Nina Simone with My Baby Just Cares For Me; Sarah “Sassy” Vaughan with the melancholy, bluesy Black Coffee and one of my all time favorite singers (ooooh, I just luv this woman’s voice!) Ms. Nancy Wilson and her version of In The Heat Of The Night.

If you are going to introduce someone to the jazz guitar and the jazz saxophone there are few better to start with than Wes Montgomery (guitar) who gives us Four On Six and John Coltrane (saxophone, often referred to as just “Trane” by jazz fans) with his classic rendition of My Favorite Things. Far from the first ones to play these instruments, each man is considered one of the most innovative artists in jazz and has been a major influence on all who have come after them.

To round out and finish up our first lesson we take you home with three more jazz standards (and personal favs)… Red Clay from trumpet extraordinaire Freddie Hubbard, Maiden Voyage from the versatile master of all things keyboards Herbie Hancock, and Take Five from pianist and jazz icon Dave Brubeck.

Whew! OK, I hope I haven’t worn you out with all that “talk”. Time for our “Jazz 101″ class to begin. Face forward, eyes up front and make sure to take extensive notes as we present to you…

“Jazz 101 - An Introduction to Jazz, Lesson #1″

RIBS TPTD: Jazz 101 - An Introduction To Jazz 1

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Playlist: (song - artist - album [time])

  1. So What - Miles Davis - Kind of Blue [9:25]
  2. Stolen Moments - Oliver Nelson - The Blues and the Abstract Truth [8:47]
  3. Take The ‘A’ Train - Duke Ellington - Never No Lament: The Blanton-Webster Band [2:52]
  4. April In Paris - Count Basie and His Orchestra - April in Paris [3:51]
  5. My Baby Just Cares For Me - Nina Simone - Little Girl Blue [3:38]
  6. Four On Six - Wes Montgomery - The Incredible Jazz Guitar of Wes Montgomery [6:17]
  7. My Favorite Things - John Coltrane - The Last Giant: The John Coltrane Anthology [13:40]
  8. In The Heat Of The Night - Nancy Wilson - Welcome to My Love [2:34]
  9. Black Coffee - Sarah Vaughan - The Divine Sarah Vaughan: The Columbia Years 1949 - 1953) [3:18]
  10. Red Clay - Freddie Hubbard - Red Clay [12:11]
  11. Maiden Voyage - Herbie Hancock - Maiden Voyage [7:57]
  12. Take Five - Dave Brubeck - Time Out [5:26]

Have you missed any of the RIBS mixes we’ve posted? If you have there is now an easy way to catch up on what we’ve been up to. Just go check out the new RIBS Archives Page to see a very easy to read listing of every post (and music mix) we’ve uploaded to the site.

Enjoy!

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