Grandmaster Flash has some grand plans for the near future. I was reading on his website that he recently penned his memoirs with David Ritz and will release them as a book this year. Ritz is responsible for writing the memoirs of Ray Charles and Marvin Gaye and now The Message: The Grandmaster Flash Story. Meanwhile the Flash has been toiling away in the studio, putting soul into stereo, and DJing his favorite tunes on his weekly Sirius Radio show - The FlashMash - on Saturday nights. His studio sessions will be mixed down and mastered to become a new album: The Bridge which will be released on Adrenaline Entertainment sometime in 2008. ([More →])

Brian Chase, the drummer we all know and love, has just released a new CD for one of his jazz projects. He and Seth Misterka recorded an album with only sax and percussion that is reminiscent of works by John Coltrane or Sun Ra. Misterka is a Brooklyn-based multi-instrumentalist and composer who specializes in free-jazz saxophone. If you’ve read my review of the recent Yeah Yeah Yeahs concert, you know my feelings about Brian Chase becoming our generation’s Max Roach, so this new free-jazz album must be fabulous! I think the music was actually recorded in 2005, but just now released as their debut album, titled Brian Chase & Seth Misterka Duo. ([More →])

I love music events. I love attending them, I love hosting them, I love hearing other peep’s experiences of them. That’s a huge reason why I write about music for a living. I’ve attended concerts since I was 5 or 6, I’ve been a crew member for various production companies, warehouse events and soundsystems for 14 years, and I’ve experienced countless types of music environments. Therefore, I can say from experience that the Treasure Island Music Festival was unique. ([More →])

The incredible artists/activists Dr. Cornell West and Mos Def laid some knowledge on the table on Bill Maher’s show a few days ago. I adore the combined energies of West and Def. Mos Def has so much charisma and a fantastic sense of humour, he keeps the energy up and just keeps dropping conspiracy theories. Dr. Cornell West has the deep voice and elegance of a professor and a Panther. They complement each other perfectly. If only Adam Yauch and Mos Def would run for Prez and VP of the US, then get Dr. West a high position in the White House or the Congress… That’s the US I want to live in! ([More →])

Jesu has added experimental metal band Yakuza to a few of their US shows in support of the new Yakuza album, Transmutations. Yakuza’s music is described as “a metal base with progressive flair, while somehow also incorporating elements of jazz, world beat, and post-rock ambience” and “psychedelic elements alongside stretching, doomy movements and the band’s trademark jazz-influences, while also incorporating breakneck grind riffs and grooves at the same time.” With that many different elements coming together in such a fluid and evolving sound, you can see why I would refrain from trying to describe them in my own words! This one place where I will let the PR people figure it out… I really like their music though. It’s extreme to say the least, but with very classical elements. Almost like post-rock band Do Make Say Think if you played their music at 78 rpm… ([More →])

Today we present you with the video for “Frank and Ava” from the new Suzanne Vega album Beauty and Crime. Vega is still so lovely… The whole album is inspired by and devoted to the city of New York, so the video rightfully opens with a full shot of the city’s skyline, and zooms in until we see Suzanne Vega looking classy and sitting in a quiet afternoon bar setting. This song is smooth and snappy. There is also a great video of Vega performing live with another song off Beauty and Crime - “New York Is A Woman.” It’s a dreamy and soulful song. ([More →])

Amiina is sick! One of the fair maidens is ill and they must cancel their US tour. They promise to reschedule a new tour, but not for some time. Amiina is booked solid until Winter! In October they will travel through Europe and the Far East on tour, then spend some time in the studio. ([More →])

Many musicians will bring good cheer to the US on 9/11 this year, and Baby Elephant will be one of them with the release of Turn My Teeth Up! But you won’t have to wait to listen to this groovy, ultra-funktastic music - you can listen to it today on the band’s music$pace page. Baby Elephant is comprised of Prince Paul, Newkirk, and Bernie Worrell at its core and they will drop their debut album on Godforsaken Music. Bernie Worrell is a dreamy synthesizer mastermind who has played with the Talking Heads and P-Funk, as well as a two-time Rock and Roll Hall of Famer. But the delicious name-dropping doesn’t end there! Also featured on different tracks are George Clinton - the man who put the P in Phunk, David Byrne - the eccentric Talking Head himself, Yellowman - the whitest Jamaican to chat up a mic, Shock G - who put the Hump in Humpty, plus Gabby La La, Nona Hendryx, and Reggie Watts! ([More →])

It was exactly 40 years ago that Louis Armstrong popularized the tune “What A Wonderful World,” yet it continues to be relevant in today’s social climate. When Louis Armstrong sang it, the world was rife with racial struggles and political upheaval. Now, when Jolie Holland and Booker T. Jones sing it, the world is again struggling with political problems and social collapse. The angelic singer and the tough organist wanted to remind us of how lovely life is, even in the midst of economic and political strife. Their attempt to bring beauty into a world of struggle pairs the equally unusual combination of Jolie Holland’s ethereal voice with Booker T’s earthy organ and piano. ([More →])

From The Corner To The Block and straight out of Hurricane Katrina’s path of destruction! ANTI- Records will soon release a very special album from the N’Orleans band Galactic. One of the most inspiring and unique albums to be pressed since the devastating storm intersected with one of our nation’s oldest cities, From The Corner To The Block is a rare documentation of worlds colliding. Not only because the musicians were forced to evacuate their homes during the recording process, but also from the seamless integration of hip hop bounce with traditional Mardi Gras marches and old-world brass band stomps. ([More →])

Eric Clapton is a man of action. When he first attended a London art show 10 years ago that featured 3 graffiti artists - Quinones, Stash and Futura - he was quick to show his appreciation for the artwork. Clapton purchased a few pieces from the show, then commissioned the artists to do custom paint jobs on a few of his guitars. A full decade since that London art show, Clapton still does not hesitate to endow the arts. When Lee Quinones recently decided to sell a collection of his paintings he calls his “dirty-dozen,” he fired off an email to a few fans of his work to let them know it was available for purchase. Eric Clapton - our man of action - hit Q back 10 minutes later with a reply like “Lee, they’re mine.” Clapton followed through with $120,000 USD for the lot. ([More →])

Macy Gray has a new video for “Everybody” off her new album Big. The video was shot on the Santa Monica Promenade and depicts Gray calling for action and participation. People join in declaring their own message of empowerment, involvement and participation. Gray is also calling on everybody to participate by posting video responses on youTube. So far, there have been great responses from Common, will.i.am, Lauren London, and Baron Davis. ([More →])

Environmental campaigns seem to go hand-in-hand with music events. Live Earth is a fine example. Many bands are using their tours as platforms for environmental education and recycling programs, like Linkin Park, Cheryl Crow and the Beastie Boys. But nothing sings about environmental doom and destruction like a carefully chosen documentary soundtrack. Finally, someone has matched planetary doom with the perfect soundtrack of doom metal and dark ambient electronica! I feel I have finally found a single category of music to describe many of my favorite bands - a class of music that I haven’t been able to summarize with a single name until today - Music For Environmental Doom! It’s perfect! What other category could so perfectly link Khanate with Gas, Brian Eno with Arve Henriksen, and Mogwai with Sigur Ros or Lamb? I’d love to own a soundtrack with this music, especially if it were on gatefold double vinyl! ([More →])

Thelonious Sphere Monk was born on October 10th 1917 in Rocky Mount, North Carolina. By the age of 5 he was uprooted from NC and transplanted in New York City where he began playing piano. By the age of 13, he had won the weekly amateur contest at the Apollo Theater so many times that they barred him from entering again. He was only 19 when he joined the house band of Minton’s Playhouse, the Harlem jazz club where he played with Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie and Miles Davis. For the next two decades, he experimented with and perfected the style of music he is credited with inventing: bebop. He recorded with John Coltrane, Miles Davis, Dizzy, The Bird, and Charlie Rouse.

To honor the significant influence that Thelonious Monk has had on music and celebrate his unique compositions, Duke U and the Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz will present “Following Monk” - a festival of 18 events over 6 weeks in North Carolina. ([More →])

Maybe Posh Spice being dazzled by Stevie Wonder’s performance at the Beckham’s welcoming party was just the nudge that ol’ Stevie needed. Today he announced he’ll hit the road for the first time in more than 10 years! He will touch 13 cities on his US tour, from San Diego on August 23rd to Boston on September 12th. ([More →])