Wednesday, March 28, 2007

Bummer

Some of the best Hip-Hop production I have ever heard was on Cannibal Ox's Cold Vein, with equally compelling narratives from the duo of Vast Aire and Vordul. That's why (although El-P's production is fantastic but still an acquired taste) most of his post-Cold Vein material hasn't quite measured up. Even El-P's solo debut Fantastic Damage was subpar in comparison. It was really disappointing to read the tail end of this interview I picked up at Can I Bring My Gat? where El-P dismisses a possible, long-awaited return from the Cannibal Ox. Truthfully, I haven't heard an album as thorough as Cannibal Ox's debut in, I don't know how long.

Cannibal Ox: "Vein" (The Cold Vein - Def Jux, 2001)
El-P: "Deep Space 9mm" (Fantastic Damage - Def Jux, 2002)

I Did...Sort of

...and so can you. Wah-tahh!!!

(Credit, again: AngryAsianMan)

Tuesday, March 20, 2007

Cosmic Slop

J-Dilla's Rough Draft dropped today. Before (or after) you cop it, check out these interviews, courtesy of Stones Throw.

Speaking of interviews, J. Sands of the Lone Catalysts continues to stay on the grind. (Coincidentally, he dropped a freebie Dilla tribute album Mrs. Sands: A Love Story on the internet this year. 10 songs deep. J. Sands freaking it over Dilla's work = Ill.)

O-Dub chimes in on the Amy Winehouse phenomenon. Interesting stuff.

Yes, yes, yes...Red Gone Wild drops on March 27. I've read a few Redman interviews the last couple of months but this one's got all the nooks and crannies...

Monday, March 19, 2007

The Magic Number


- Gene Harris on piano, Andrew Simpkins on bass and Bill Dowdy* on drums.

You can get a good run down on the group's history here if you're interested. Live At The Lighthouse is probably one of my favorites from the trio. This album wasn't recorded during one performance but represents a mix of several performances at the famed Lighthouse venue in Los Angeles recorded in a stretch of one summer.

"Sunny" is self-explanatory. If this tune doesn't make you feel good, you probably can't feel at all.

The 3 Sounds: "Sunny" (Live At The Lighthouse - Blue Note, 1967)

*By 1967, Bill Dowdy had left the trio and was replaced by Donald Bailey who played with the group throughout the Lighthouse performances.

Random:

I'm a big fan this Beirut - and now - this Beirut.

Thursday, March 15, 2007

3 Ft. High & Rising


Nostalgia overload! Indeed.

After taking a look at MTV's list of the top 10 Hip-Hop groups of all time you have to wonder. They've got Outkast ranked #4 but I can't really even see them in the top 10. What's worse is the fact that they've got Salt 'n' Pepa at #8, The Fugees (who've only released two official albums in their short-lived career as a group) at #9 and UGK(????) at #10. And no De La Soul or The Roots. (Both groups, by the way, haven't disbanded and continue to record great music.)
That shit is baffling...

Sunday, March 11, 2007

A New York State Of Mind

(A McCrank's Juke collabo.)

Listening to this on Sunday, the day they filled the brackets for the NCAAs. Syracuse got their bubble popped, but it really doesn't even seem to matter. Davis and Coltrane breezing lazy, waxing Blackbird and Walking. Creeping into summer, these songs on the box remind me of 15th street, riding bikes, and warm beerfest. Are you feeling it?

Miles Davis and John Coltrane - Live in New York
01. Bye, Bye, Blackbird
02. Four
03. It Never Entered My Mind
04. Walkin
05. Milestones
06. So What

Wednesday, March 07, 2007

Slow & Easy


This is one of those songs that, whenever I play it, I just want to crawl inside and become immersed in it's coolness. 2 minutes in and I feel as if I'm holding sway above the flux.

The Third Cup isn't as spectacular as The Next 100 Years which was recorded a year later. As a matter of fact, the latter is a complete contrast in style. But the title cut on Fisher's debut is a beautiful thing.

Eddie Fisher: "The Third Cup" (The Third Cup - Cadet, 1969)

Friday, March 02, 2007

Shimmy, Shimmy Ya

(A McCrank's Juke collabo. Feel this...Nuh!!)

Ol' Dirty Bastard - Free To Be Dirty: Live 2005
Nothing like the real thing baby...That's right Ol Dirty & The Bastard, for ya all. This album was recorded with the Brooklyn Zu in Toad's Place (2004). Russell Tyrone Jones, alias ODB drops his crazed, slurred, off-beat, half-sung half-rapped delivery on songs like: "Baby, Baby C'mon" and "Cold Blooded". "Free To Be Dirty: Live 2005" is nothing like some of the other more obscure albums, but it kinda messes you up.

Jack this into your iPod and take a drag on Ol' Dirty Bastard, circa 2005...

Thursday, March 01, 2007

Perspective


Traffic was thick this evening and I was once again saved by the random shuffle of my Itunes. These two came back to back as my exhausted, cluttered and convoluted mind was beginning to unravel. Therapeudic, indeed.

Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young: "The Lee Shore"
Grant Green: "Cease The Bombing"