Lady Wray Comes To Play Circle At Wisconsin Union Theater

Like most artists, Nicole Wray’s life in music has always reflected her real life. As a fifteen-year-old in Virginia, she auditioned for Missy Elliot in her mother’s home. Even then, with her voice so full and arresting—Missy signed her on the spot. Later, in 1998, merely two years after that tryout, she had a debut solo album and a single that smashed up radio and TV, quickly going gold. But back then—young and unsure—Nicole was essentially following someone else’s lead, signing the lyrics they wrote for her and in the way they wanted them sung. Fast forward to now, after a few fits and starts with other labels and projects, and you’ll find a very different Nicole Wray. Today, she’s a mother, a wife, and living for herself and her family. So naturally, this evolution followed into her music: she sings how she wants to, expertly writing lyrics for herself and others. To hear her tell it, it’s these things—and most importantly, an unflinching self-belief that help lead a young and raw Virginian singer named Nicole to become Lady Wray. The most recent step for Lady Wray is her latest album, released on Brooklyn’s Big Crown Records. Called ‘Piece Of Me’, the record is on the one hand—a continuation, picking up where Lady Wray and label co-owner/producer Leon Michels left off with her project Queen Alone. But ‘Piece Of Me’ is also a kind of homecoming for Lady Wray. That first record sonically showcased the dexterous range of Lady Wray’s voice and songwriting by leaning toward soul & R&B with tinges of hip-hop. On Piece of Me, it’s still R&B with a heavy dose of soul, but you’ll hear boom-bap-smacked drums and chunky basslines front-and-center, all creating a head-noddingly dense backdrop for Lady Wray to traverse, much like the era in which she was first introduced to us. In some ways, Piece of Me is like a Big-Crown-ification of late 90s R&B and Lady Wray is right at home.

I had the pleasure of catching up with Nicole ahead of the Lady Wray event that is going to provide a much needed soul-lift to the Play Circle at the Wisconsin Union Theater on February 29th. I have long been a fan of Nicole’s powerful and commanding voice. She can control time with this talent. We get to hear from her what she intends to brinG to Madison for a special and intimate evening. We talk heavily about the creation of her album ‘Piece Of Me’ and her wonderful relationship with her label, her family, Big Crown Records, and how much both her ancestors and her in-her-belly baby helped form, shape and gave strength to her. We chat about label mate Suprise Chef‘s remix of one of her tunes and it is a joy to hear her give props to anyone who has ever touched any piece of her project. We talk about late Summer 2024 and a dream event to be, we pinched ourselves and yep it’s still true, and to wrap up the fun time we had toGether, Nicole build a setlist of vocal phenoms, and she sure does slide right in there nicely.

Update on Lee Fields: Faithful Man – The Film

Mr. Lee Fields is a funk and soul legend, over fifty years in the making, and family to greenarrowradio. In this feature documentary, his journey through soul music history will take you from vinyl to virtual — and back again. A little over five years aGo, I had the chance to catch up with the folks putting this documentary together. That chat can be found here. Jessamyn Ansary and Joyce Mishaan had a specific target and goal in mind at that point to get this project way off the ground. After our conversation the first time, goals were met and onward and upward. Fast forward until now, after shopping the film, going through the change that is/was COVID, edits and more edits and eventually winning awards and garnishing the type of chatter a great subject and story do. As we sat down to talk this time around I could feel the extra energy within myself as looking to catch up must mean things are in great shape. As it turns out, the film just received great news with an offer for streaming distribution. With that comes new financial hurdles. So with the finish line hanging in the balance, Jessamyn and Joyce are reaching out to our/their amazing community for help getting this film to break the tape and out into the world! Last time, I truly believe greenarrowradio and its reach helped make that part of this dream come true. Come be part of this amazing journey and get the excited feeling I have in my SOUL. Once again there are all sorts of VERY cool premiums to commemorate your part in the success of this film.

Go HERE to see the list of ways you can help, info on a small set of people who assisted in the journey and did I mention ways you can help and cool premiums to take with you?

Here is the pre-sale link so you can get this film in your living room.

Heather The Jerk – Surreal Good Fun Exciting Tape – Tape

After what could have been a great Adult Swim album, “Cable Access TV” from 2021, Heather The Jerk (The Hussy & Proud Parents) is back with 4 new garage rock/punk super fun tracks. Heather the jerk is the solo project of Heather Sawyer based riGht here out of Madison, WI. After playing a few shows HTJ released a 4 song ep titled “The Rick Shitty Sessions” recorded by Rick Freuhling of local bands Fire Heads & Dumb Vision. In between now and then Heather played in a couple touring bands and was pretty busy with that. Fast forward several years and a pandemic later, Heather wrote a bunch of songs and decided to record them all as a full band this time around. Cable Access TV is the result of the recording sessions. Recorded entirely by Graham Hunt at their practice space this last fall, CATV also featured Graham, and friend Tyler Fassnacht on some guitar and bass help. Cable Access TV is the result of some breakups, a pandemic, and smoking up. Now she is back with “Surreal Good Fun Exciting Tape”. The tape is comprised of her and her BF Josh and out now (if physical is still sold out – the digital is not) from Italy’s Goodbye Boozy Records. It was fun to hear how this record came toGether for Heather, what Josh adds to her thang and what is happening on February 17th at the Crystal Corner Bar – what’s this, a birthday show for the Jerk herself….she nEEds that. Check out our catch up chat around the new music below.

Allison Miller Reminds There’s Rivers In Our Veins

A lauded drummer who’s mastered a vast array of musical settings, from guesting on late night TV, keeping time for some of today’s most beloved singer-songwriters, and being a renowned bandleader/composer in her own right, Allison Miller is always at the heart of the music. Her latest album, Rivers In Our Veins ( out now on Royal Potato Family), is a 12-song cycle embracing the concept of flow and renewal, and dedicated to our nation’s crucial rivers, watersheds and the organizations devoted to reviving and protecting them. Commissioned by Mid Atlantic Arts Organization & Lake Placid Center for the Arts, Rivers In Our Veins is the studio manifestation of an ambitious live multimedia production with original music composed by Miller featuring a deeply telepathic cast of improvisers, as well as, amazing tap & contemporary dancers. Rivers In Our Veins spotlights Allison Miller alongside longtime collaborators, including violinist Jenny Scheinman, Ben Goldberg on contra-alto and Bb clarinets, pianist Carmen Staaf, trumpeter Jason Palmer, bassist Todd Sickafoose, and tap dancers Claudia Rahardjanoto, Michelle Dorrance, Elizabeth Burke, Byron Tittle, & Orlando Hernández. This new record draws inspiration from what acclaimed writer Rebecca Solnit calls “human geography.” It’s a perspective that encompasses indigenous communities who depend on rivers and the vital role waterways play for survival throughout America’s often torrid history of forced migration for marginalized people, as well as the conservation movement dedicated to reclaiming historic rivers from pollution. Miller culls inspiration from the cultural histories of five East Coast rivers that have been polluted nearly beyond repair through industrialism and commercialism, she focuses on the James, Delaware, Potomac, Hudson, and Susquehanna.

I had the complete pleasure of chatting it up with Allison Miller about this new project. I had caught her set at the Detroit Jazz Festival back in September and had some questions from my eyes and ears on the live show. We also go seed to flower on how this project took over, the waterways she focused on and the dreams of clean waters globally is certainly something her and I have in common. The one things that stood, well it did not stand still…out was the addition of the tap dancers both in the live performance and on the album. We got into the meaning, the connection and the talent of those tapping their ways into my ears. Of course, after talking music, water and tap-dancing with Allison, it felt appropriate for her to build a setlist in real-time if I were to give her the studio. I look forward to the day, when Allison and I and all the rest of us can listen to the sounds of the clean, safe riverways, wherever we may place our shoes on the beachy sand.

Where We Are Gathered by Opium Moon

Twice-nominated Grammy winners Opium Moon create sensuous, enchanting soundscapes that evoke ancient worlds while remaining thoroughly contemporary. Elegant yet deeply emotional, their distinctive sound draws upon the diverse backgrounds of its members: Iranian santoor master Hamid Saeidi, innovative Israeli bassist Itai Disraeli, sought-after American percussionist M.B. Gordy, & virtuosic Canadian-American violinist Lili Haydn. With original compositions that meld sacred/classical traditions of East & West with trance-inducing grooves, the result is at times both stately & rapturous, a sultry & passionate music that seems to emanate from a deep wellspring.

Toronto-born violinist Lili Haydn‘s 6 solo albums have been NPR favorites (“Heifetz meets Hendrix”), and her collaborations with the likes of Herbie Hancock, Sting, Roger Waters, Jimmy Page & Robert Plant, the Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra, George Clinton’s P-Funk Allstars, Hans Zimmer, and the late Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan are legendary, including performances at Carnegie Hall, the Vienna Opera House, and the Hollywood Bowl. She is also a distinguished film/TV composer with 18 feature films, Netflix’s hit show Ginny & Georgia, and various awards to her credit. Her work has been featured in more than 50 films. A dedicated social activist with a political science degree from Brown University, Lili has done 4 TED presentations, including one with Opium Moon in Mumbai, India, and performs regularly at benefits for such organizations as Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, & The Feminist Majority.

Tehran native Hamid Saeidi studied santoor in the Radiff system of Persian classical music with Iran’s famous teacher Madjid Kiani, then attended The Iranian Academy of the Arts, studying composition under the music masters Farhad Fakhredini & Vartan Sahakian. Hamid has been acclaimed for his performances around the world, including his productions at Royce Hall and the Kodak Theatre.
He has scored over 30 films, TV programs, dance and theatrical presentations, receiving awards at the Beirut Film Festival in 2002, the Iran TV festival in 2002, 2004 and 2007, and at Iran’s Society of Critics of Theatre in 2005. In recognition of his work, The Farhang Foundation has commissioned his original compositions for their Nowruz celebrations.

Itai Disraeli was raised in one of Israel’s oldest kibbutz communities, the Mishmar-Ha’Emeq near Nazareth, co-founded by his grandfather in the 1920s. It was among the utopian social experiments that fostered a just, peaceful life of sharing and tolerance, but in his youth Itai lived under the constant specter of war; it was during the Yom Kippur war that he taught himself to play bass in a bomb shelter. An acclaimed, virtuosic bassist & composer, he co-founded the genre-bending band Maetar and has played with Jackson Browne, Larry Coryell, & Nishat Khan, among others. He founded and runs the acclaimed music program at Wildwood School. His music has been licensed for TV & film, and he is active with humanitarian and peace organizations, believing that music has the power to heal & connect.

Percussionist M.B. Gordy has played with such diverse artists as Beck, Frank Zappa, Michael Buble, Green Day, The Doobie Brothers, Josh Groban, Bill Withers, Guns and Roses, Neil Diamond, the Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra, the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra, & The National Symphony, as well as his recent work for Adele, Childish Gambino, The Who, & Juanes. With an M.A. from California Institute of the Arts and intensive study of ethnic percussion, he has worked with producers Peter Asher, Don Was, & Rob Cavallo, to name a few. His groove has been heard in over 300 top box office films, including the Harry Potter series, Frozen, Batman, Superman, American Sniper, Transformers, & the X-Men series. His work is also ubiquitous on television, including Mad Men, The Mentalist, The Tonight Show, Battlestar Galactica, Good Morning America, and much more.

I had the chance to catch up with Lili, Itai & M.B. of Opium Moon to dive deep into the new album “Where We Are Gathered”. As in above, each discusses their feeling about the album, the feelings it brings out and was brought to the collection of grooves. I too share some of my thouGhts as I spent a whole lot of time letting these tracks wash over me and do their thang. This record bursts with energy and passion, the pieces to this whole excel and shine like a light unknown and as another step into the future, there are collaborations and other voices added into the worldly mosaic. Our mutual sound grabber, Ramin Sakurai of my guilty pleasure, Supreme Beings of Leisure is one we highlight, as I can happily feel the complement he adds. This album is a healer, a uniter and hopefully more than a dream-like feeling, but a movement forward, together, as only music can do.

One Drop Of Kindness With Yungchen Lhamo

Yungchen Lhamo was born & raised in Lhasa, Tibet. Her name, which translates as ‘Goddess of Melody,’ was given to her by a lama at birth. In 1989 she made the month-long, 1,200-mile journey across the Himalayan Mountains to Dharamsala, India, to pursue her dreams. Later, she moved to Australia, where she began to sing prayers of meditation that inspired her to record her first album, ‘Tibetan Prayer’, which won the Australian Recording Industry Award (ARIA) for Best World Music Album in 1995. Yungchen was then signed by Peter Gabriel’s Real World Records label on which she released three more albums: ‘Tibet, Tibet’ (1996), ‘Coming Home’ (1998), & ‘Ama’ (meaning ‘Mother’), featuring Annie Lennox on ‘Fade Away’ & Joy Askew on ‘Tara’ (2006). In 2013 Cantaloupe Music released her fifth album, ‘Tayatha’ (meaning ‘It Is Like This’), a meditational collaboration with Russian classical pianist Anton Batagov. In March of 2022, she released a long-awaited sixth album, ‘Awakening’, through Six Degrees Records. With this album, Yungchen, who now lives in Upstate New York, explores the relevance of compassion-based spirituality to our modern-day, interdependent lives – each song reflecting topics that have become ever-more highlighted by the Covid-19 pandemic. These offerings aim to appeal to those of any religion, or of none, who are interested in sound healing & spiritual awakening. It is also the 1st album to include a song in Mandarin. And now in 2023, she has just released “One Drop of Kindness” into the world. This amazing being has performed, acapella or accompanied, in numerous countries on all 5 continents, including at such prestigious venues as Carnegie Hall, New York; Royal Festival Hall & Royal Albert Hall, London; National Concert Hall, Dublin; The Louvre, Paris; Philharmonic Hall, Berlin; International Performing Arts Centre, Moscow; The Vatican, Rome; & the Sydney Opera House. Others include the 1997 Lilith Fair festival, many WOMAD festivals, rock concerts, & benefit concerts. She has also contributed soundtracks to many films, including the 1997 film ‘Seven Years in Tibet’ starring Brad Pitt, and documentaries ‘Mission: Joy’ and ‘Better Living Through Chemistry’. She has performed or shared a stage with numerous well-known artists, including Philip Glass, Michael Stipe, Billy Corgan, Beastie Boys, Peter Gabriel, Natalie Merchant, Sarah McLachlan, Sheryl Crow, Jewel, Bill T Jones, Laurie Anderson, Sir Paul McCartney, Annie Lennox, Lou Reed, Peter Rowan, U2, Paul Brady, & Sinead O’Connor. In 2004, Yungchen established the One Drop of Kindness Foundation, formally known as the Yungchen Lhamo Charitable Foundation, which is dedicated to improving the welfare of human beings in need, regardless of borders, through direct action. A complete being she is!.

I had the complete pleasure to have a conversation with Yunchen Lhamo about her brand new group of sonic offerings that has been released into the world just the other day. ‘One Drop Of Kindness’ is out now on Real World Records. We get deep into how, and where these seven new offerings developed from, the clear mission of the music and the living of service for others. As we are talking about the sound healing that is clearly intended from this album, we talk in length about one track in particular, which I have been using for a month now as a daily start, a reminder. For me, so much of this music is the feeling and mood it brings within me and it is clear that there is a path being created for human communication and sharing of both the common and the uncommon, and putting others ahead of yourself. The bridges being built here come with tools form many countries and take the form in many shapes, the instruments and artists devoted to the spirit of this music, the meeting of her co-produces at the time, THE TIME that was just right. None of this moment by moment living escapes importance for Yungchen, and with this newest release, I have not lost faith in the hope of opening hearts, uniting communities and bringing cultures toGether. After-all, it could just start with ‘One Drop Of Kindness’.

Kris Davis’ Diatom Ribbons Live At The Village Vanguard

Pianist/composer Kris Davis introduced her acclaimed 2019 album ‘Diatom Ribbons’ by talking about the micro & the macro, using the titular microalgae as an evocative analogy for her compositional approach. The comparison could be extended, in a way, to describe the legendary Village Vanguard – although in time, rather than in space (the basement club’s notoriously intimate confines don’t allow for much of a macro view). On this venturesome new double album, the long & storied history of one of jazz’s most revered venues coexists with the immediacy of contemporary invention in thrilling and unexpected ways. With ‘Live at the Village Vanguard’, Davis’ 2nd release with her far-reaching Diatom Ribbons band, she adds her name to the astounding roster of legends who have recorded at the Vanguard, yet the music takes forms that even visionaries like John Coltrane, Sonny Rollins or Bill Evans could never have imagined. The album, which dropped September 1, 2023, via her own Pyroclastic Records label, reunites Davis with her core collaborators from that album – drummer Terri Lyne Carrington, turntablist & electronic musician Val Jeanty and bassist Trevor Dunn, as well as the addition of a new voice to the mix in the person of guitarist Julian Lage. ‘Live at the Village Vanguard’ follows in the kaleidoscopic spirit of its celebrated predecessor, which was hailed as one of the top 5 albums of 2019 by both DownBeat & JazzTimes magazines while topping the list of both the NPR Critics Poll and The New York Times. The music is an inspired collage of eclectic influences, drawing on the music and philosophies of Wayne Shorter, Olivier Messiaen, Sun Ra, Geri Allen, Karlheinz Stockhausen, Charlie Parker, Eric Dolphy, Ronald Shannon Jackson, Paul Bley & Conlon Nancarrow, among others. In her role as Associate Program Director of Creative Development for the Institute of Jazz and Gender Justice at Berklee College of Music, Kris plays an active part in remedying the historic injustices and imbalances in the jazz world while serving as a role model in her own work. She and bassist Linda May Han Oh are only the second & third women to win the Grammy for Best Jazz Instrumental Album for Terri Lyne Carrington’s 2022 album ‘New Standards Vol. 1’, an honor they share with Carrington, the first woman to win the category with 2013’s ‘Money Jungle: Provocative in Blue’. This new record showcases the fact that Kris Davis also becomes one of very few women instrumentalists to have recorded at the Vanguard, preceded only by Geri Allen, Shirley Horn & Junko Onishi.

I had the honor of getting some time with Kris Davis to walk through the creation and performance of this new record. Kris explained how she was able to get onto the schedule of the Village Vanguard with Diatom Ribbons. ‘Knock Knock – who is it?” We got into the pieces of the band and how they fit into the whole of the space of the music and the spaces between. Having had Julian Lage on the program before it was clear about how these open-minded blazers of new trails made time for this project. Each person/artist fills a need for me as a listener to this live landscape – and you can feel the drops of their soul’s sweat in each note. We talk about song selection with honoring those who came before and also adding a bit of a newness to the past. Check out which tines we sorta dissect a bit including “Delores Takes 1 & 2”. I was able to get some insight into a new release on her Pyroclastic Record Label, “Sculpting Sound”, six high-definition concert films, each featuring two musicians famed for their distinctive voices playing with, and on, sound sculptures by Harry Bertoia‘s Sonambient sculptures. This has to be as maGical as it looks in writing. Kris and I also spoke about another visionry on the scene and friend of this program, Kassa Overall, as she was on his latest release and if you listen closely, there could be more to come.

Kris Davis Diatom Ribbons by Caroline Mardok

Dixie Longate’s Tupperware Party Is Back

Friend of the proGram Dixie Longate hails from Mobile, Alabama where she lives with her three kids: Wynona, Dwayne & Absorbine, Jr. She started selling Tupperware as part of the conditions of her parole back in 2001. Within a few years, she became the top selling Tupperware representative in the US. When a friend of hers told her she should turn her living room party into a theatrical show, she laughed so hard at the idea, she almost had to put down her drink. Dixie’s Tupperware Party soon opened off-Broadway in 2007 to both raving fans & great reviews. The show earned Dixie a Drama Desk Award Nomination for Outstanding Solo Performance. She lost to Laurence Fishburne! The following year, with plastic bowls in hand, she embarked on a small tour to some theaters in the US. 10+2 years later, that tour was still running and had become one of the longest-running off-Broadway tours in American theater history. She followed that up in 2014 with her second show, ‘Never Wear a Tube Top While Riding A Mechanical Bull (and 16 other things I learned while I was drinking last Thursday)’ which was originally produced by the Denver Center for the Performing Arts which Dixie discovered is really hard to say after 8 alcoholic Shirley Temples. During the lockdown in 2020, she came up with her first streaming show while refilling her breakfast vodka as she was trying to homeschool her kids. Dixie’s Happy Hour ran in 26 cities over the first few months of 2021. After 22 months of being forced to be with her kids full-time, she decided it was time to emerge from the trailer to share all the things that she learned when the world was flipped over and life took a crap on the front lawn with her new show, Cherry Bombs & Bottle Rockets.

It was a pleasure to catch back up with Dixie after, well to be honest, we had to take off our shoes and socks to figure how long it actually has been. Dixie was just about to head out to host a celebrity cruise when we spoke, can’t even imagine that! I got a little reminder about the life lessons, feelings of self-empowerment, and PLENTY of reasons to get on up and start each day as a reasons I loved this show so much. Oh yeah, Dixie is bringing the Tupperware Party back to Madison on September 15th at The Overture Center and bringing with her plenty of audience participation and homespun wisdom. We spoke about the research & development department and the discoveries of the many many uses of Tupperware, oh yeah, there’s also a party to prepare for! We talked a little bourbon and love of exploring food, as well as catching up to what her family is up to and who were some of the most important role models and inspirations that have kept her working toward holding people up and working toGether to get there. The live event and party Dixie brings to town is the smile you might just have forgotten you once had.


Hypnagogia From Kuf Knotz & Christine Elise

Christine Elise is classically trained harpist, pianist, & vocalist who has been consecutively touring across North America for the past 4 years. Studying music therapy at a masters level led her to find a passion for community music therapy. She has facilitated group sessions & workshops for professionals & clients in the USA, South Africa, Peru & Jamaica. She has presented at national, regional, & world music therapy conferences and written scholarly articles published by Music Therapy Perspectives. She has provided clinical supervision for undergraduate and graduate students at MusicWorks, Jamaica Field Service Project, Women’s & Children’s Hospital of Buffalo, NY, Warren Wilson College, & Immaculata University. Christine taught as an adjunct professor for the music therapy department of Immaculata University College of Graduate Studies and Boyer College of Music and Dance of Temple University for several undergraduate and graduate level classes. She has composed for various organizations & institutions. Recent commissions include The Free Project Series, for Pennsylvania Humanities Council, What Does Freedom Mean to Me? as part of the The Dedication of the Commemorative to Enslaved Peoples of Southern Maryland for St. Mary’s College of Maryland, Club House Theme Song for AHA Studio for Integrated Therapies and over 20 original compositions for Autism Across the Globe, directed by Rima J. Irani or Lebanon.
Named Philadelphia Magazine Best Rapper of 2022, Kuf Knotz Blends hiphop poetry with deep grooves of soul and beats sun kissed with the spirit of Lo-Fi & 90’s era vibes , Kuf’s inimitable style focuses on unsubtle spirituality, that, like his music, focus on unity, positivity & creativity. In 2008, the same year he opened for Bruce Springsteen, Kuf sang lead vocals on “Unstoppable,” a song created to mark the Philadelphia Phillies winning the World Series. In 2010, he recorded “Boombox Logic,” which was named the year’s best hip hop song by the Independent Music Awards. His next venture, 2015’s A Positive Light,” reflected his carefully forged fusion of music styles. Kuf’s on-screen credits include a part on the hit FOX TV show “It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia.” He appeared in a Domino’s Pizza commercial and was a cast member in a music-based reality show. Film and video are close to Kuf’s heart; he earned a degree in video production from the Art Institute of Philadelphia. Kuf has opened for The Roots, Ms. Lauryn Hill, Common, Wyclef Jean, The Wailers, Arrested Development, Josh Ritter Robert Glasper, Robert Randolph, G-Love and others. In 2018, Christine & Kuf founded a community music therapy outreach performance project called Higher Grounds Music, using the power of music, clinical training, and performance experience to foster personal growth. Working in a strength based model, the workshops/performances are designed to support participants in building skills to build confidence, increase motivation and drive and strengthen self-care skills.

I had the pleasure of catching up with Christine & Kuf a short time after they were in Madison, opening up for friend of the program, Wax Tailor. We got into the entire thng from how the brand new album ‘Hypnagogia’ came about, the process the went through and go through to create toGether, and we even dissected 2 tracks from the record. The first track we go into features Speech from Arrested Developement, so we chart the path of that tune (including who turned it down)and the other track selected to open into is the one that I see/feel inside my mindspace as well as my ear holes. That is the part about their music that really I really appreciate so much, they make music that I feel and see at times – there’s plenty to feel on this new record. The conversation here is rich and real and that is the real reason I wanted to connect. I selfishly do want to have them stay here in Madison to do some workshops as part of their Higher Grounds Music project and have performance open others minds, bodies and spirits to a positive vibe that is contagious, and feels good to pass along to others.

HR of Bad Brains and His Wife Lori

Paul D. Hudson, known professionally as H.R. (Human Rights),lead the hardcore punk band Bad Brains, and is an instrumental figure in the development of that genre (really its more of a undefined sonic community). His vocal delivery has been described as diverse, ranging from a rapid-fire nasal whine, to feral growling & vast screeches, to smooth near-crooning or staccato reggae rhymes. He has departed that band periodically to pursue solo efforts that are more reggae than Bad Brains’ punk type sound. H.R. and his Bad Brains bandmates became Rastafari around 1979 after attending a Bob Marley concert at the Capitol Center. This spiritual direction influenced the music of Bad Brains via his vocals, and inspired the creation of his reggae band, Human Rights (or H.R.). Although reggae is the focus of his solo material, he often has explored rock and other musical genres as well. Interviews with H.R. feature prominently in the 2006 documentary American Hardcore, in which he discusses the early days of the hardcore scene in New York City & Washington D.C., and his association with peers like Minor Threat & the Cro-Mags. In particular, he recalls encouraging Ian MacKaye to fully articulate Minor Threat’s emerging straight edge philosophy, to give young people a positive direction. As depicted in the 2012 documentary Bad Brains: A Band in D.C., H.R.’s behavior, such as wearing a motorcycle helmet during a performance and refusing to sing, caused some friction with other members of the band. In late 2016, the film Finding Joseph I: The HR From Bad Brains Documentary premiered in Europe and the United States. Directed by James Lathos, the documentary features interviews with H.R., as well as other musicians, peers, & family member, while chronicling his life, struggles, & philosophies.

There are not enough words to keep adding to the influence H.R. had one so many people, myself included. I believe and would credit him with being one of the people that helped open my mind’s ear to allow more diverse sounds to clash into one another. Something I try and continue to do every day. Many know about H.R.’s behaviors on and off stage, his mental conditions untreated and treated and some know about the long years of thoughts shattering headaches he suffers from, and how surgery years ago helped, but like may things, they came back with attitude. I was lucky enough to get a little time with Lori Carns Hudson, H.R.’s wife, to talk about these headaches and the obvious toll(s) they have taken on a life and a career of someone many know via name/video/legend/. We also get an idea what Lori does daily to try and ease the times, keep things moving forward (when tours get canceled & creative opportunities are less soften) and care for H.R.. These are sometimes the people that get forgotten in the shuffle of the suffering. Lori shares some info on a brand new single featuring Nick Hexum of 311 and potential album in the Fall. What we really learn is that help is what is also needed from the community, a hard thing to ask for, but a recognizable truth. Here’s a place to go to be a part of that community. Lori has also started a blog about excruciating pain & caregiver fatigue.

Photos used with Lori’s permission

Between Thoughts With Gabriela Quintero

Grammy Award winning duo Rodrigo y Gabriela grew up on an eclectic mix of classic rock, heavy metal & flamenco, a rare alchemy of influences that still informs their work today. Not long after the dissolution of their first band, the two musicians set off with their acoustic guitars and ended up in Ireland, where they soon ran out of money and began busking on Dublin’s Grafton Street — a turn of events that led to their crossing paths with Irish singer/songwriter Damien Rice, who then asked them to open for him at an early headline show. As they developed their distinct breed of guitar music, Rodrigo y Gabriela quickly gained recognition for their extraordinary live show and made their full-length debut with 2002’s ‘re-Foc’. Along with turning out eight additional acclaimed & kaleidoscopic albums over the years: including Area 52 (a 2012 effort made with a Cuban orchestra), 9 Dead Alive (a 2014 release that spotlighted their more rock leaning sensibilities) and the 2020 Grammy winning Best Contemporary Instrumental Album, ‘Mettavolution’, the duo has cemented their status as a globally renowned live act. Among their many successes: performing at The White House for the President and First Lady of Mexico at a 2010 event hosted by Barack Obama; headlining the Jazz World stage at Glastonbury; selling out major venues like the Hollywood Bowl, Red Rocks Amphitheatre, London’s Royal Albert Hall, Radio City Music Hall, and the Sydney Opera House; and performing to massive crowds in such far-flung cities as Tokyo & Paris. 2023 sees the release of their most ambitious project yet, ‘In Between Thoughts…A New World’, which features their signature dual guitar attack augmented by a full orchestra, and a corresponding world tour. This eagerly awaited and first full-length collection in four years, “In Between Thoughts…A New World” arrives as one of the duo’s most revelatory offerings yet, a spontaneously composed unified work primed to bring about the same expansion of consciousness that inspired its creation. Self-produced at their studio in Ixtapa, Mexico, the album includes such singles as “The Eye That Catches The Dream,” “Egoland,” & “Descending To Nowhere,” the latter joined by an official music video, directed by acclaimed Mexican filmmaker/broadcaster Olallo Rubio. A 2,000 unit limited edition custom color deluxe 2xLP vinyl edition is available exclusively at shop.rodgab.com featuring a translucent “Galaxy” custom colored LP alongside a bonus LP collecting all nine tracks from last year’s deeply metaphysical Stages project on opaque “Galaxy” custom colored vinyl in a gatefold package. Some things are born for vinyl.

I had the amazing opportunity to have a conversation with Gabriela Quintero ahead of the June 14th Rodrigo y Gabriela event here in Madison at The Orpheum Theater. We started out by giving major props ot the entire crew on this tour for being able to put forth a most elaborate stage setting, that follows the story of the album and the music. Then we dive into what the show will feel like for those in attendance to go with those visuals and the story. Now, I will always say “Don’t miss when Rodrigo y Gabriela are in town, you’ll be blown away by the entire package of the event, but this one, based on the drive of this new record, the stage scenes and the artists, will take a new piece of cake for our enjoyment. We spend a good amount of time discussing the new record. it is not every day an artist tells you they didn’t really consider what fans/others will think of the music since the end of the world was coming. That was part of the approach on some, let’s call it research and development that went on with this album. The went electric at times, even!! We talk about the making of the ‘Descending To Nowhere’ video and the meaning, and energy that went into its creation and the practice of traditional Eastern spiritual meditation as a tool in the toolbox as artists, world travelers and people of plantet Earth. I waiting a long time to finally catch up with one of these two great people and it certainly did not disappoint and with this new album, I think the timing for me was perfect.

A Rebirth With Lakecia Benjamin

Voted by 2020 Downbeat Critics Poll Rising star Alto Saxophonist and Up and Coming Artist of the Year by the Jazz Journalists Association, Charismatic and dynamic saxophonist Lakecia Benjamin fuses traditional conceptions of Jazz, HipHop, & Soul. Her electric presence and fiery sax work has shared stages with several legendary artists, including Stevie Wonder, Alicia Keys, & The Roots. A streetwise New York City native born and raised in Washington Heights, Lakecia first picked up the saxophone at Fiorello LaGuardia High School for the Performing Arts. From there she joined the renowned jazz program at New York’s New School University. However, even at that early stage, she was already playing with renowned jazz figures like Clark Terry & Reggie Workman, which introduced her to opportunities to play and tour with an array of artists such as Rashied Ali, Christian Mcbride, Gregory Porter & James “Blood” Ulmer. With her deep jazz roots, she was soon in demand as an arranger and horn section leader, landing stints with such acclaimed artists as Anita Baker. Lakecia’s album ‘Pursuance’ is an intergenerational masterpiece that takes one on a journey through the lineage of the music with the works of John and Alice Coltrane. Benjamin pays homage to those who have come before by featuring innovative bandleaders of her generation, such as, Reggie Workman (Coproducer and playing ), Ron Carter, Gary Bartz, Dee Dee Bridegwater, Meshell Ndegecello, Regina Carter, Bertha Hope, Last Poets, Greg Osby, Steve Wilson, John Benitez, Marc Cary, Marcus Gilmore, Keyon Harrold, Marcus Strickland, Brandee Younger, Georgia Anne Muldrow, & Jazzmeia Horn. Phoenix, her fourth and latest studio album, dropped on January 27, 2023 via Whirlwind Recordings. The far-reaching new album finds the tour-de-force saxophonist in a poised & profoundly individual position alongside an all-star cast of musicians. The album was produced by the multi-Grammy-award winning Terri Lyne Carrington and features a star-studded line up of specially curated guests Dianne Reeves, Georgia Anne Muldrow, Patrice Rushen, Sonia Sanchez, Angela Davis & Wayne Shorter (R.I.P.). The band is composed of trumpeter Josh Evans, Victor Gould on keys, Orange Rodriguez on synths, drummer Enoch (EJ) Strickland, percussionist Nêgah Santos & bassist Ivan Taylor. Trumpeter Wallace Roney Jr, Rhodes organist Anastassiya Petrova & bassist Jahmal Nichols all join for one track each.

I had the complete honor of chatting it up a little bit with one of my favorite new artists doing that thanG that makes me see it as much as I feel it. We are once again really lucky to have such amazing artists come spend a little time with us, this time as part of the 2023 Madison Jazz Festival on June 17th at Shannon Hall in the Wisconsin Union. Lakecia and I talk quick about her great grandpa and his 100th birthday and his belief in her (and her first sax). We dive into a little bit of what this event could feel and sound like for event goers. We got into possibly one of her most ‘rebirth’ moments and talked a nit about her car accident and how the tragic part of life was something that united her with the trials of others. We seed to flower ‘Phoenix’, and dissect a track or two, she gives major props to her producer, the legendary Terri Lynn Carrington, on how she worked and reeled Lakecia back in. We talk about Mr. Wayne Shorter‘s voice addition to ‘Supernova’ and how that went down is a cool tale for sure. The cool thing about when Lakecia made her setlist for the listeners, even after we sorta closed out our conversation, she was still thinking about how to build the best set for listeners and added one more (I swear she’s reading my sets/mind). This!!

Xiomara Laugart: The Voice Of Cuba

Originally from the Guantanamo province of Cuba, Xiomara Laugart began her career at the age of 15, performing several different expressions of traditional and contemporary Cuban music. She had an extensive career performing nueva trova music in Cuba and has recorded over 17 albums. Xiomara’s remarkable fluidity allowed her to interpret musical genres from the traditional to contemporary Cuban music. Her son, the versatile human/artist, Axel Tosca benefitted from a wide range of musical experiences growing up in Cuba, winning several piano competitions before moving to the U.S. in 2005 where he continued his education at the New School for Jazz and Contemporary Music. Together, they’ve become two of the most globally recognized musical representatives of Cuban culture and song. Those who have entered Cuba through Jose Marti International Airport in Havana will know that upon arrival, they are greeted by beautiful video images of Old Havana on TV screens and the sultry voice of Xiomara Laugart singing “Hoy mi Habana”. This is not a coincidence. Xiomara is known as the “Voice of Cuba.” She has been representing her country and her people at venues aroundAt the turn of the millenium, Xiomara moved to New York City and became the lead vocalist of the band Yerba Buena. The group received a Grammy nomination in 2003 for their first album President Alien. Music from the album can be heard in the film Dirty Dancing: Havana Nights and in Pepsi commercials. In 2007, Xiomara left Yerba Buena and embarked on an adventure that held the enormous responsibility of representing one of the most important figures in Latin culture, Celia Cruz, the Queen of Salsa Music, in the first ever theatre production of CELIA: The Life & Music of Celia Cruz.

I had the honor and pleasure of catching up with Xiomara Laugart ahead of her headlining set on June 17th at The Sessions At McPike Park. She helps convey a little pre-show image of what emotions and styles we can expect in the Madison sunshine from her and her son Alex’ trio. Xiomara shares a bit of a personal story of her dad and how she recalls getting the ‘music’ in her from bedtime songs and we talk about how she keeps up with the times to be able to blend the old with the new. She credits her son Axel for a lot of that. We talk about her/his open mindedness towards all sounds and the experiences of working with others (Roy Hargrove, Louis Vega etc.) gives the assist in being able to do so for both of them. This is going to be one to remember on the lawns of McPike Park as Cuba and beyond come to Madison.

The Intuition Of Brooklyn Funk Essentials

Across a career that stretches thirty years & seven albums, Brooklyn Funk Essentials have established themselves as an audacious project, combining soul, hip hop, spoken word, jazz, Latin & of course, THA’ funk. The band have built up a loyal international cult following on every continent since inception in 1993 by iconic producer Arthur Baker and bassist Lati Kronlund. BFE was born out of New York’s buzzing hip hop, jazz & slam poetry scenes in the early 90s, rotating some of the finest musicians, DJs, poets, rappers and singers. BFE’s celebrated debut album ‘Cool & Steady & Easy’ (Dorado/RCA 1995) scored an underground hit with the version of Pharoah Sanders & Leon Thomas’ ‘The Creator Has a Master Plan’, while tracks like ‘Take The L Train’ & ‘Big Apple Boogaloo’ became DJ favorites. Brooklyn Funk Essentials have just served up their 7th long player ‘Intuition’, as they tour the UK & Europe. It is a master-crafted collection of R&B, discofunk, poly-riddims, infectious funk stompers with pop-laced hooks & the true, real, good vibes as we’ve come to digg, on Dorado Records. Brooklyn Funk Essentials’ first long player since 6th album ‘Stay Good’ in 2019, ‘Intuition’ sees BFE lay out their new ‘all killer no filler’ collection across 8 tracks of laid back grooves & arrangements that still remain cool, steady & easy. Alison Limerick (vocals), Desmond Foster (guitar, vocals), Ebba Âsman (trombone, backing vocals), Hux Nettermalm (drums, percussion), Kristoffer Wallman (keys, vibraphone and synths) and bandleader Lati Kronlund (bass, guitars, keys and producer) deliver a confident and vibrant set of originals. The release day focus & title track ‘Intuition’ is a hook-laden jam with hints of Brubeck, Chaka Khan & Nino Rota, featuring Alison Limerick and guitarist Desmond Foster on soulful vocals and Hux’s funky drummer beats It follows up the recent 4th single from the album ‘Rollin’, which was playlisted by Jazz FM for four weeks. Both of which, Lati & Alison discuss in our below conversation.

I had the honor of chatting with Alison and Lati about the creation of this perfectly timed new record. A little notice. Brooklyn Funk Essentials has been a mainstay on my person turntable for years – just a sound that stuck with me early and never let go. We got into how the natural flow of the sound sort of took over when this album was born and raised up. We dissect a couple of tracks and that’s where the real insight almost always lies finding out some of the hows and what went downs that only those who are in that know, knew. I found the discussion on how these new tunes are being playe dlive, and where the nuances are showing up and what the audience does to enhance an already really cool experience. And, Lati builds a setlist that Alison totally agrees with. What a time, what a band, what an album.

A Little Time With Sona Jobarteh

Sona Jobarteh is the first professional female Kora virtuoso to come from any of the West African Griot dynasties. Her lineage carries a formidable reputation for renowned Kora masters, most notable amongst these are her grandfather Amadu Bansang Jobarteh and her cousin, the legendary Toumani Diabaté. Sona is reputed for her skill as an instrumentalist, her distinctive voice, infectious melodies and her grace onstage, and she has rapidly achieved international success as a top class performer. The demand for her live performances has rocket in recent years, and 2019 saw her perform at some of the world’s most renowned festivals & venues such as the Hollywood Bowl in LA, WOMAD in Australia & New Zealand and Symphony Space in New York City. Sona has the unique ability to touch audiences globally and from all backgrounds & cultures, while also commanding the attention of sitting presidents & royalty alike. Her captivating stage show has proved to be popular everywhere, and with a repertoire that exudes accessible sophistication, her audience demographic is constantly expanding. Sona’s dedication to spreading powerful humanitarian messages through her songs and her stage performances makes her much more than a regular musician; she is in fact a compelling social activist, speaker, & change-maker who believes in leading by example. Her achievements in setting up a pioneering Academy in The Gambia, alongside her dedication to social change has gained her invitations to deliver speeches at high profile events around the world, including summits for the UN & the World Trade Organization. Sona founded the Gambia Academy in 2015. This pioneering institution is dedicated to achieving her mission of educational reform across the continent Africa. According to Sona, Africa faces the crucial & urgent challenge of addressing its education systems. Children who are fortunate enough to be able to attend school spend most of their waking hours in school, however in most cases the environment, culture, approach & curricula content within these schools are invariably oriented around a post-colonial value system and subsequently a foreign perspective. For Sona, it is detrimental for future generations of the continent whose values and concepts are shaped during their school years, to continue to be trained within a system where African culture, African history, African traditions and their intrinsic values are either non-existent, or at best relegated to the position of extra-curricular ‘activities’. This Academy is therefore the first of its kind in The Gambia to deliver a mainstream academic curriculum at a high level, while also bringing the culture, traditions and history that belong to students, to the front and center of their everyday education.

I had the honor of catching up with Sona ahead of her March 21st event in Madison at the Garver Atrium. Fresh off her 60 Minutes interview that certainly opened more doors and windows to what she has been doing and where she is heading, Sona and I discuss a little about what a newer person to her music can expect at a live event such as the one here in Madison. We learn about some of the music we may here from here latest release, “Badenyaa Kumoo” and how she feels while presenting the music live – the conversation. I could not spend time with Sona without touching on the powerful work she has dedicated as her purpose in life, The Gambia Acadamy. We touch briefly on a few aspects of the what that is happening to help achieve a new model of education in Africa and try and find the middle points in her life’s Venn diagram to see how/where/if/when the two marry. I am honored to have had this opportunity to discuss only a few aspects of what makes Sona go…and go she does, as you can tell by her answer to the final question about where she Goes to find a little ‘Sona time”. Do yourself a favor and find a way to start a conversation of your own by listening to her music, supporting her missions and or both, as forward is the way she is heading.

Family Time With Larry Campbell And Teresa Williams

There is no place on earth that Larry Campbell & Teresa Williams feel more comfortable than onstage at Levon Helm Studios in Woodstock, NY. For almost 10 years, Larry & Teresa were staples of Helm’s Midnight Ramble band, playing countless shows at “The Barn.” So when it came time to record their own live album, it was a no brainer as to where to set up shop for 2 nights to record. Recorded on September 20 & 21, 2019 after returning to Woodstock from months of touring, Live At Levon’s! [out now on Royal Potato Family] gathers the best performances from those 2 shows on a sonically pristine live collection that crackles with both energy & spirit. The album gives us Larry & Teresa delivering originals like “Angel Of Darkness,” “Surrender To Love,” & “It Ain’t Gonna Be A Good Night,” along with their renditions of songs like “Darling Be Home Soon” (The Lovin’ Spoonful), “Caravan” (Duke Ellington) & “Big River” (Johnny Cash).

Of course, Larry was a member of Bob Dylan‘s “Never Ending Tour” band from March 31, 1997, until November 21, 2004. Through his association with Dylan’s bass player Tony Garnier, Campbell joined the band, replacing John Jackson as a guitarist, and expanded the role to multi-instrumentalist, playing instruments such as cittern, violin/fiddle, pedal steel guitar, lap steel guitar, mandolin, banjo, and slide guitar. We don’t have enough room to discuss all the great folks he, and they have worked with or produced, but in our conversation this time around, we do talk about our mutual friend, Mr. Jorma Kaukonen – as one of the new tunes has a story behind it, of course it does and we also discuss Larry & Teresa’s participation on the new tribute album to the great Eric Andersen. We spend a bunch of time discussing the new album, as a live album with these two really shows off all you get when they are in a room sharing music. That’s part of this chat as well. Being toGether. Folks here near the Madison, WI area will get to hang with Larry and Teresa March 21 at the Stoughton Opera House with Shawn Mullins. WOW., so we paint a tiny picture of what that could look and feel like. We have talked many times over the years, but this time on the heels of this live record makes me feel complete. The true experience is out there to go get SUM of.

Supreme Beings of Leisure “22”

Yes, it’s been 14 years since their last release, 11i, but Supreme Beings of Leisure is back with a brand new story to take us through toGether. The band—consisting of original members Geri Soriano, Ramin Sakurai, and Rick Torres—had to live life. A whole lot of it. There were marriages, kids, a divorce, the death of parents, a flooded recording studio, the pandemic, even a near-death experience. With their 4th studio album, those experiences have been transformed into music. And so 22 years after their critically-acclaimed, self-titled debut (and two decades since this trio has played together), Supreme Beings of Leisure is back, with an impressive array of guests to boot on ’22’. Stay in the game long enough and you collect enough friends to make a fantastic team effort—which is exactly what22 is. Beyond the core trio, the album features keyboardist Rami Jaffee (Foo Fighters), guitarist Marty Friedman (Megadeth), violinist Lili Haydn (Paige/Plant, Funkadelic), drummer Satnam Ramgotra (Hans Zimmer), percussionist Duke Mushroom (Masters at Work, Janet Jackson, Gloria Estefan), bassist Adam Dorn (Mocean Worker), pianist Scott Tibbs (Beyonce), and vocalists Durga McBroom (Pink Floyd, David Gilmore), Frank Navin (The Aluminum Group), and Monica Reed (Sting, James Brown, Deep Purple). Longtime SBoL fans will be thrilled to be back inside of the sonic bubble known as ’22’. There’s so much richness and depth, all packaged in the incredible storytelling and songwriting you’ve come to expect.

I had the fortune of catching with with Geri and Ramim ahead of the new album’s official drop. We actually go back a bunch of years as this music, their music, is one that paints my landscapes and allows a personal walk or run or hopscotchin’ thru and so I am so thrilled there’s some new places to visit. We got into the seed to flowers way this record came to become and form, how the pieces fell into place and the process by which they work. The music has lives attached to it, with individual heartbeats of what was and has been happening immersed within. We got into a few of the tracks and their tales, their importance and yes, their grooves. As noted above, what a list of stars from many skies that became a part of these stores – so of course there were moments shared about collaborating, and a fun chat about that time Ramin got Marty Friedman’s autograph [and vice-versa]. Worth the wait is all I can advise and keep ’22’ on repeat as you go through some of these new normal type days. EXCITING.

DA CRUZ Scream Baladas da Luta

The 6th album by DA CRUZ (Bern/São Paulo) is called “Baladas da Luta” (“Ballads for the Fight”), and that’s exactly what it sounds like. Profound, Brazilian urban music in an attack position against hatred, delusion & political short-sightedness. There are guests on this album like the British-Nigerian pidgin rap guru Magugu or Arnaldo Antunes, who was chosen by “Rolling Stone” as one of the hundred best artists in Brazilian music. There is heavy-blooded Afrobeat, angry Hip-Hop or a Brazilian disco flair. There are touches of Krautrock, Baile Funk or Soul – all held together by the warm voice of Afro-Brazilian singer Mariana Da Cruz. Mariana Da Cruz grew up as the seventh child of a cotton picker and a cook in Paranapanema, a small provincial town in the state of São Paulo. Recordings, concerts, music lessons; all that was unaffordable. Music, however, was an escape point even then – Mariana absorbed it through a small transistor radio in her nursery. She was already singing as a teenager in a club in the nearest big city, Campinas, where she studied to become a teacher: Bossa Nova, MPB, Elis Regina, Jorge Ben – all the classics – it was her basic research. But curiosity drove her first to Lisbon in the early noughties, later to Bern, where she lives today. It stands to reason that she would reflect on the world’s dislocations through her first home, Brazil. A country that anticipated all the developments we see everywhere today. “There is a fundamental alienation between politics and the people, there is burgeoning racism, social divisions, there is an ever greater injustice in the distribution of wealth, and there is this inexplicable yearning for authoritarianism”, she says. And she sings against all this. For more than 15 years. A key driver of her music is her engagement with her African roots. Whereby the situation here – as for all Afro-Brazilians – is somewhat complicated: “We know that our ancestors come from Africa, but we don’t know from where. You can’t do any research on that,” explains Mariana Da Cruz. “We’ve travelled a lot in the last few years for this search for traces, been to Burkina Faso, Bahia, Rio – and all these experiences and impressions flow into my music. Da Cruz is a radical independent project. All of their albums so far have been recorded, mixed & produced in their own studio. They have been released on their own label Boom Jah Records, except for two albums released with the American label Six Degrees Records. The core of the band besides Mariana includes Ane H., former singer and programmer of the industrial band Swamp Terrorists, Bernese guitarist Oliver Husmann and drummer Pit Lee.

I had the honor of chatting with Mariana and Ane H. of DA CRUZ about the new release, “Baladas da Luta”. We get deep into the need and reasons behind this album and how the music stands with Brazil as times get very unrecognizable. The power of the songs are clearly explained by Ane and Mariana and if you wonder if music does have the power to make a stand against or stand with a group who is in need of a shouting voice, this album will take you by the ear and show you. Not only do we talk about the music, the situations on a global level that do affect us all, there are questions asked on how we find one language to speak…to SHOUT…to unite. For me, these people making this music always opened my body to the grooves of the sound, but this record has my eyes and mind in concert with my heart and sense of equality and justice. There is power in these songs. Check for yourself.

CODAFEST 2022 and Ugochi

Her created sounds have been described as ‘lively, energetic music that makes your feet move & heart think’. With over 2 decade of experience in the literary & music industry, UGOCHI has gained quite a notable reputation for her solo career & collaborations. Not content to rest on her gnash, UGOCHI are always laying foundations for the next release, adding more classics to their repertoire. She has shared the stage with several established artists such as Common, Eric Benet, John Legend, Femi Kuti, Edwin McCain, Seun Kuti, Maxi Priest, Malik Yusef, Umphrey’s McGee, Richie Stephens, Blitz the Ambassador, Yellowman, J. Ivy, Queen Ifrika, Luciano, Wayna, Femi Kuti, Shaggy, Richie Stephens, Queen Ifrika, Vieux Farka Toure, Tony Allen, Bushman, Fatoumata Diawara, Wayne Wonder and Stephen Marley, King Sunny Ade, Me’Schell Ndegeocello. Ugochi & A.S.E.’s music is not just a unique flavor of soul music cooked up in her cosmic kitchen of sounds, styles & accents; it is also an introduction to world affairs for Africa enthusiasts all over the world. Her music honors her musical influences thru the expression of heart felt lyrical poise & soul swept instrumentation, giving birth to an incredible sound that fills a need that may have been previously unknown.

I had the complete pleasure of catching up once aGain with family to the show, UGOCHI as she and A.S.E. are heading back to Cafe Coda on November 17th as part of CODAFEST 2022. We discuss how a live experience like this is an opportunity to leave all that other stuff somewhere else and make this shared moment an opening to joy and healing. The band always finds this togetherness on a stage, with a community to be healing. Some of the styles of sounds/rhythms are discussed – hint – very similar to the way greenarrowradio flows and the love of how a place like Madison come with open ears, open hearts and especially open minds really is not lost on Ugochi or A.S.E., so, if anyone round here has a couch that is just right for that stage……

Miguel Espinoza Flamenco Fusion W/Dave Hagedorn

Miguel Espinoza Fusion twists jazz, flamenco, Cuban and classical Indian musical forms into intoxicating journeys that thrill audiences! Described by Guitar Player Magazine as “mesmerizing”, Miguel Espinoza has recorded and performed with Bela Fleck, Kai Eckhardt, Kitaro, Tuck and Patti, Rita Moreno and Ben Vareen. April 2022 saw the release of their third CD – Living in a Daydream – featuring Grammy-winning pianist and Hamonicist Howard Levy. Miguel Espinoza Fusion performs to sold out audiences across Colorado, and were the honored winners of Denver’s Westword Magazine 2019 “Best of World Music.” Their first CD, Turtle Dreams, is the winner of Indie Acoustic’s Best Instrumental Album of 2019 – full of original music that has been described as “colorful and vibrant”, “emotional”, a “stunning combination of jazz, flamenco, and subtle world music”, and ”sophisticated rhythmic elements…emotional, natural and organic”. Their second CD, Veneta, was released in August 2020. Visually and aurally stunning, with flamenco/jazz guitar, fiery cello, riveting salsa and Indian tabla, a Miguel Espinoza Fusion show is like nothing else!

I had the pleasure of chatting with Dianne Betkowski and Miguel Espinoza ahead of the November 4th Miguel Espinoza Flamenco Fusion W/Dave Hagedorn event at the North Street Cabaret in Madison. Special guest, Grammy-nominated vibraphonist Dave Hagedorn, will join Flamenco Fusion for a limited series of Midwest showsand this is one of them. Dave is a world-class performer who has recorded with the George Russell Living Time Orchestra on Blue Note Recordings (nominated for a Grammy award), Brian Setzer Big Band, Pete Whitman X-tet, Phil Hey Quartet, the Out to Lunch Quintet, and also with the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra on Teldec Recordings. Dianne/Miguel and I talk a bit about what working with Dave adds to this already unique sound and stylings. They share an idea of the who and what’s making this group go and what to expect in a live setting. We also talk about their latest release ‘Living In A Daydream’ featuring Howard Levy of Béla Fleck and the Flecktones. [sounds like he and others will be on an upcoming release as well – stay tuned]. We close out the chat with a little discussion of the give back with the work they are doing through Urban Arts Music. Yep, complete package.