R.I.P. Alex Chilton

One of the main songwriters of the band Big Star, and a teenage member of the Box Tops, died Wednesday of a heart attack. He was 59.

Mixtape 5 - 2010-03-12

A little late this week, sorry bout that. Also, computers can't pronounce "kayo dot"

Kool G Rap & DJ Polo - Ill Street Blues
Live and Let Die (1992)

Neil: One of the illest songs in all of hip-hop by the illest MC in the game.

Kayo Dot - The Manifold Curiosity
Choirs of the Eye (2003)

Tony: Perfection. Nothing comes close.

Kid Koala - Basin Street Blues
Some of My Best Friends are DJs (2003)

Chris: Kid Koala applies his turntable virtuosity to some Dixieland samples. Magic ensues.

Herbie Hancock - Rain Dance
Sextant (1973)

Elliot: This is from Herbie's last album with the Mwandishi band, a fusion project from the early 70s where his experimentation with synthesized sounds began. This also happens to be the last record he made before the wildly successful Headhunters (1973), but I like his work with Mwandishi a bit more. Herbie on keys/synth, Bennie Maupin on reeds, Eddie Henderson on trumpet, Julian Priester on trombone, Buster Williams on bass, Billy Hart on drums, and Dr. Patrick Gleeson on synth.

Mixtape 4 - 2010-03-05

The Blue Method - Let Me See You
Kill the Music, Vol. 2 (2007)

Chris: The Blue Method is a funk/soul band that borrows heavily from the legends in those genres. I first heard them a couple years ago on WPRB but I only just got my hands on this album. On "Let Me See You" they do a great job of emulating James Brown's style, but the real treat comes at about 3/4 through the song-- watch out for it.

Boris - Ibitsu
Akuma No Uta (2003)

Neil: Boris is one of the best hard rock bands to really come into their own in the last decade. Yeah, they're a hard rock band, and don't let those hipsters tell you different. Boris is great because they're so goddamn eclectic. Their music has elements of sludge, post-rock, drone doom, stoner metal, shoegaze, and pretty much everything else you could think of (ok, the last one's not true.) Anyway, you should get all their albums so you can be ready when they decide to release an avant jazz freak-folk album of trip-hop covers. Or something.

Nawal - Hima
Putumayo Presents: Women of Africa (2004)

Tony: I heard this CD playing at an Ethiopian restaurant. There's just something really intriguing to me about listening to music in other languages.

Paul Motian - Osmosis Part III
I Have the Room Above Her

Elliot: This is a beautiful song from a wonderful trio recording entitled 'I Have The Room Above Her' (2005). Paul Motian (on drums) has an incredibly unique and expressive sound, and is best known for his work with the Bill Evans Trio in the 1960s. Four decades later he is still making some of the best music of his career. Joe Lovano on tenor sax and Bill Frisell on guitar.

Depotax

Hilarious, horrifying, and somehow ridiculously catchy. Watch the showcase video.

http://depotax.com/

Mixtape 3 - 2010-02-26

Soil & "Pimp" Sessions - SUMMER GODDESS
Pimp of the Year (2006)

Chris: Soil & "Pimp" Sessions is one of a number of hugely popular jazz-inspired bands that have sprung up in Japan in the last few years. Pimp of the Year is an incredibly fun album, and it's nice to have some summer music when there is a SNOWICANE raising hell outside.

Talk Talk - After The Flood
Laughing Stock (1991)

Neil: I'll be honest. I really hate post-rock. For the most part, I think it's boring and pretentious. Talk Talk is considered to be one of the first post-rock bands, but they manage to avoid all the cliches I hate about the genre. Their music combines elements of jazz, post-punk, and ambient music into something truly unique and special.

Guillermo E. Brown - More & More
Soul at the Hands of the Machine (2002)

Elliot: It melted my face clean off.

Erik Truffaz - Good News from the Desert
Rendez-Vous (2008)

Tony: Rendez-vous is French jazz trumpet player Erik Truffaz's ambitious project featuring Sly Johnson, a French beatboxer; Murcof, a Mexican electronic artist; Indian duet Indrani and Apurba Mukerjee. This ambient nu-jazzy track features only Erik and Murcof, but check out the rest of the album for some more interesting collaborations.

Bill Nye Parody Music Videos

I'm only now discovering how great these are -- I didn't understand most of them growing up. Seriously, how is a kid growing up in the 90s supposed to get P-Swamp All Stars with DJ Hoppy - The Amphidelic Mothership Metamorphosis? Luckily, some kind soul uploaded most of the videos to youtube. Check them out, there are a TON of these since the show ran for so long.

Mixtape 2 - 2010-02-19

Christian McBride - Say Something
Live At Tonic (2006)

Elliot: One of my favorite tracks from the live album Live At Tonic (2006). Christian McBride on bass, Geoffrey Keezer on keys, Terreon Gulley on drums, Ron Blake on saxes. I love the way they go from funk to swing and back. Also, shout out to Neil for Black Saint. I would love to see a ballet performance of the whole piece sometime...

Shirley Bassey - Light My Fire (Kenny Dope mix)
Diamonds Are Forever: The Remix Album (2000)

Chris: You may recognize Shirley Bassey from a few classic James Bond theme songs. On Diamonds Are Forever: The Remix album, several big producers make interesting use of the diva's voice but Kenny Dope's attempt really stands out.

Charles Mingus - Track C - Group Dancers
The Black Saint and the Sinner Lady (1963)

Neil: Black Saint is a really awesome album because it's really accessible and avant-garde at the same time. This shit is mindblowing, seriously. I chose this track because it has some awesome flamenco guitar in it and it's not as long as the last track.

Bonobo - Days To Come
Days To Come (2006)

Jacob: From the British DJ and bassist Simon Green comes this laid back groove. The hauntingly beautiful vocals are from Bajka, an indian vocalist who fuses with Bonobo to create a lush and jazzy track.

Bugge Wesseltoft's New Conception of Jazz - You Might Say
Sharing (1998)

Tony: Some outstanding Nu Jazz Trip Hop from Norwegian jazz pianist Bugge Wesseltoft.