Monthly Archives: December 2024

Linear Labs: São Paulo & Adrian Younge

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Adrian Younge is a self-taught multi-instrumentalist, composer, & orchestrator who has produced for entertainment greats such as Snoop Dogg, Kendrick Lamar & Wu Tang Clan. In 2007, Younge relinquished his position as a professor of law to find himself at the center of the Black Dynamite phenomenon. He served as the film’s editor/composer. Hailed as a modern blaxploitation masterpiece, the soundtrack was listed in the top 10 best soundtracks of the year by the LA Times. In 2011, Younge created the album, ‘Something About April’, showcasing a dark mix of psychedelic soul & cinematic instrumentals. In 2013, the project was sampled twice by Timbaland for Jay-Z’s Magna Carta… Holy Grail, solidifying Younge as a new sound in hip hop. His work has also been sampled by various artists including No I.D., DJ Premier, Schoolboy Q, and more. Younge owns/operates Linear Labs, a recording studio/label which reflects his dedication to the art of analog recording, utilizing analog tape & live instrumentation exclusively. Under the label, he’s produced projects for artists such as Ghostface Killah, Souls of Mischief, & The Delfonics. In 2017, Younge & Ali Shaheed Muhammad (A Tribe Called Quest) formed the band, The Midnight Hour. In addition to musical releases & touring, they’ve teamed to score a myriad of television/film projects: Marvel’s Luke Cage (Netflix), Raising Kanan (Starz), The Equalizer (CBS), Reasonable Doubt (Hulu), Run This Town (2019), Washington Black (2023), Boogie (2021), and Bitchin’, The Sound and Fury of Rick James (2021). Younge has also scored Black Dynamite (2009), Black Dynamite animated series (2012), California King (2023), The Big Payback (2023), Queens (ABC), All Rise (OWN), & Human Footprint (PBS). In 2019, Younge, Muhammad, Andrew Lojero & Adam Block created Jazz Is Dead (JID): a multimedia company specializing in the production of live concerts, studio albums, television & film. JID concerts have earned an ever-growing fanbase through national/international tours. Under the label, Younge & Muhammad have produced albums w/their musical heroes including luminaires such as Roy Ayers, Lonnie Liston Smith, Gary Bartz, Jean Carne, Marcos Valle & Tony Allen. In February 2021, Younge released the seminal album, ‘The American Negro’, his most important work to date. This project, in tandem with his Amazon original podcast, ‘Invisible Blackness’ and short film ‘TAN’, provides an unapologetic critique on the evolution of racism in America. The podcast features conversations with guests such as Chuck D, Roy Choi, Dr. Melina Abdullah, Wayne Brady & Mahershala Ali. For Adrian, the message is more important than the music. The many projects continue today as he is working on JID30’s and we are just searing up JID20’s. In between, there is more going on over at Linear Labs: São Paulo. São Paulo sparks a new golden era of musical genius defined by the maestro Adrian Younge, encapsulating what he’s learned in building the first era of Linear Labs and its successor label Jazz Is Dead. Linear Labs: São Paulo marks the evolution of this journey. Step into an extraordinary psychedelic and soulful experience with Adrian Younge presents Linear Labs: São Paulo: a compilation of new songs showcasing the musical brilliance of Adrian Younge with artists from around the world. Essentially, the album features one unreleased song from an array of forthcoming albums Younge has produced for Linear Labs, including Something About April III, the tertiary installment of Younge’s masterwork trilogy, and a new blaxploitation adventure from hip hop legend Snoop Dogg, entitled ‘Don’t Cry For the Devil’. Also included on this preview is Brazilian actress/ singer Samantha Schmütz, Middle-Eastern singer Liraz, London-based jazz vocalist ALA.NI, afro-futuristic soul singer Bilal and a bonus song with Stereolab’s Lætitia Sadier.

I had the pleasure of catching up with friend of the proGram, Mr. Adrian Younge shortly after ‘Adrian Younge presents Linear Labs: São Paulo‘ dropped and even before we got into how that all took shape, and color, we just did a routine check in with each other since last we spoke. It is always one of my objectives to try and get listeners to ‘feel’ the way the artists, these PEOPLE, feel as they go through the artistic explorations and expressions. The global reach of many of his projects is always something that catches my ear – but on this compilation, this peek into the future, I really took off in flight with it. We talk about how then then gets mixed with the now and sometimes the future gets created, on analog even. I feel a connection with this cat, so the support is brotherly for me and I truly believe he will continue to unlock and open new doorways into sonic adventures that seem familiar yet, there’s a welcoming newness to that rare groove…and it may just be Adrian Younge.

Can’t Look Sometimes

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The middle part of this week’s proGram could not keep focused on ahead.

Take The Green Line- Bruce Katz Band (Live)
***pre-recorded conversation with Bruce Katz***
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I Need My Baby- B.B. King (Live at the 1977 Nancy Jazz Pulsations Festival)
Have Faith- B.B. King (Live at the 1977 Nancy Jazz Pulsations Festival)
Egyptian Princess- Pyletribe Ft. Eric Gales & Artimus Pyle
Down Don’t Bother Me- Jim Stephens Ft. BoyWonder
Baby What You Want Me To Do- Jim Stephens Ft. Ariel Skye, Ivan Neville, Eddie Christmas & Reggie Scanlan
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Psicolimite (Perverse Flute)- Gianfranco Reverberi
Psicolimite- Gianfranco Reverberi
For QnD- Leon Raum
G’Z UP- Denzel Curry Ft. 2 Chainz & Mike Dimes
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I Believe In Miracles- Dubmones Ft. Earl 16
John Crazy- Beres Hammond

Bruce Katz Band Live

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Bruce Katz is a legendary keyboardist (Hammond B3 & Piano) who has released 12 albums as a leader and has appeared on over 75 other CDs with the likes of John Hammond, Delbert McClinton, Ronnie Earl, Little Milton, Butch Trucks, Duke Robillard, David “Fathead” Newman, and countless others. He has also had a strong musical connection with the Allman Brothers Band, and was a member of Gregg Allman’s band for 6 years, Jamoe’s Jasssz Band (2010-2015), Butch Trucks’ Freight Train Band & Les Brers (2015-2017). Bruce also occasionally toured with the Allman Brothers as well. Of course he has been nominated and received many accolades in his illustrious career. He is a unique player/composer who combines Blues & American Roots music with elements of jazz, and improvisational rock music that creates a signature sound that is all is own. Bruce was an Associate Professor at the Berklee College of Music for 14 years (1996-2010), teaching Harmony, Hammond organ labs, Blues History & Private Piano Instruction. Bruce began playing piano at age 5 and has a lengthy background in classical piano. After hearing a Bessie Smith record when he was 10, he started teaching himself blues and early jazz on the piano. He then heard boogie-woogie & swing music and continued his musical journey into more aspects of jazz and American roots music. Bruce attended Berklee College of Music in the mid-1970s, studying Composition & Performance. For the next 15 years, he performed with many of the leading musicians in New England, and played “on the road” for long stretches of time. In the early 1980s, Bruce played with Big Mama Thornton on her East Coast tours and this experience revived his desire to play Blues Music as a primary focus. After a particularly long stint of touring in the late ’80s with Barrence Whitfield and the Savages, he decided to come off the road and enrolled at the New England Conservatory of Music in Boston where he earned a Master’s degree in Jazz Performance and studied with Geri Allen, Paul Bley, Cecil McBee, & George Russell. It was during this time that he conceived of and started writing music that became the Bruce Katz Band. In 1992, he met Ronnie Earl, who soon invited him to join his band, The Broadcasters. During his nearly 5-year stint with Earl, he toured the world and performed on 6 albums, writing & co- writing many of the tunes, such as “The Colour of Love,” “Ice Cream Man,” & “Hippology.” The album “Grateful Heart” (Bullseye) won the Downbeat Critics Poll for Best Blues Album of 1996. Also in 1992, Katz debuted his 1st solo album, “Crescent Crawl”, on the AudioQuest label. He released “Transformation” the following year. Just before the release of “Mississippi Moan” in 1997, his 3rd solo album, he left the Broadcasters to concentrate on a solo career. At that point, the Bruce Katz Band began touring the U.S. & Europe, and has been his ongoing focus, in addition to his many other projects. In these years, Bruce played with Duke Robillard (2001-02), John Hammond (2005 – 2014, Gregg Allman (2007-13), Delbert McClinton (2011-2014) and many other high profile roots, blues, & rock performers, while continuing to tour and record with his own band. His albums have consistently appeared high on the national & international radio play charts and have garnered critical & popular acclaim, still to this very day.

I had the pleasure of catching up with Bruce ahead of the December 10th event in Madison at the Red Rooster. We got into what soeone could expect from this trio in the live setting and het introduced to his bandmates, Aaron Lieberman & Liviu Pop. He leaves us pretty well informed on the who and what of it all. The music will range from blues to rock and root but there will be moments where we go for an unknown ride, unknown to the entire room. I look forward to this ride. We dive into the latest release from his own label, Dancing Rooster Records, ‘Back In Boston Live’ and hear how the plan took shape and how they ended up selecting the tracks they did – this album, which dropped this Summer, will certainly give an idea of what to expect form the trio live. When I asked if there was anyone making a name for themselves today he’d like to receive a call from to play with, he could not think of anyone off the top of mind, but this led to great stories (more stories) of how he landed the Delbert McClinton job, Gregg Allman being head over heels for a chance to meet Ringo Starr and Gregg not letting Roger Daltrey on stage (say what?) during a Michael J. Fox fundraising event! During some of the story time of the past, we get to know some of the things he learned from the many collabs and bandmates over the years. This is a classic convo with a classic guy.