STEADY ROCKIN' WITH PUMP

DJ Pump: Steady Rockin Vol. 1, [Saul Gravy, 2006]

Hot damn, it's Friday and we're all sick of our bosses causing drama in out cubicles, construction sites, kitchens, wherever, even our bosses are happy the weekend has come. Kicking off the Ear Fuzz weekend is DJ Pump's Steady Rockin' Vol. 1, a sure-shot mix that is likely to bring the funky bones out of the straightest cats. Steady Rockin' Vol. 1 is liable to put a smile on faces; male, female or house pet, it doesn't matter, because if 60 minutes of super funky disco burners does not put a smile on your face, then I'm going to have to ask Junior to check your pulse while Independent J plugs in the defibrillator.

The tracklisting for Steady Rockin' Vol.1 speaks for itself, but more so, it speaks for Pump. I can only imagine how much digging Pump has done, the man probably has more records than a small public library has books.

If you're up on turntablism I'm sure you know Pump's work, if not, here's his resume:

1995-1996 Western Canada DJ Battle Champion
1997-2000 Calgary DMC Champion
2000 DMC Canadian Champion
2000 ITF Canadian Champion
2001 DMC Canadian 1st Runner Up
2001 Vestax Canadian 2nd Runner up
2001 Allies All-Star Beatdown Finalist

I'm not an easy person to impress, but on three occasions I saw Pump rock two different crowds: head nodding tablist fiends and gyrating females in tube tops. A lot of DJs are typecast as tablists or party DJs, but DJs that can do both are the DJs worth remembering and Pump is on that alpha list.

In addition to DJ fame, Pump can boast production credits to his list of accomplishments. Checkout Pump's MySpace page, click on that little Flash mp3 boombox where it reads "band members" and drop your jaw! Pump takes The Friend's of Distinction hook from "Let Yourself Go" to create a beat tighter than J-Lo's ass. And, labels looking for beats, don't be fools, get at the man Pump.

STEADY ROCKIN VOL.1

1. Steady Rockin The Party Intro
2. Spoonie G - Love Rap
3. Wayne Mghie Break
4. Uncle Louie - I Like Funky Music
5. Radiance - This Is A Party
6. Grand Master Flash - Flash To The Beat
7. Zapp Party Break
8. Rick Summer - Shake It Up
9. Positive Force - We Got The Funk
10. Jackson 5 - The Mirrors Of My Mind
11. Fatback Band - Fatbackin'
12. Bell & James - Livin' It Up (Friday Night)
13. Weeks & Co. - Rock Your World
14. Secret Weapon - Must Be The Music
15. Cissy Houston - Think It Over
16. Dr. York - Shake-n-Skate
17. The Marvelous Three & The Younger Generation - Rappin' All Over
18. Gino Dentie & The Family - Direct Disco Break
19. Heard It Through The Grapevine Break
20. Harvey Scales - (Show Up) For The Showdown
21. King Tim II - Personality Jock
22. Steady Rockin Break
23. Sambo Soul - Mambo #5
24. Two Man Sound - Que Tal America
25. Carol Douglas - Love Sick
26. Lord Rhaburn - Disco Connection
27. Ross Carnegie - F Minor Disco / Sizzle - Love Is All Around
28. Black Heat - Love The Life You Live
29. De Wolfe Music Librairie - Party People
30. Wood, Brass & Steel - Funkanova
31. Barry Kunzel - Supervisor
32. Secret Break
33. Southroad Connection - You Like It, We Love it
34. Nightlife Unlimited - Peaches And Prunes
35. Tropique - The Runner
36. Crown Heights Affair - Dreaming A Dream
37. New Mastersounds - Nervous
38. Bus People Express - Augusta Georgia
39. Nina Simone - Funkier Than A Mosquito's Tweeter
40. R.D. Burman - Aa Dekhen Jara
41. Hungarian Break

Pump's website
Pump's MySpace

Angels and Space Gods: J.D. Blackfoot

J.D. Blackfoot: Angel
From: Ultimate Prophecy [San Francisco, 1971]

J.D. Blackfoot: Epitaph For A Head [Philips, 1969]

Autumn's here and as the leaves start to fall from the trees my musical taste veers towards the slow and soulful in preparation for those long winter nights. To combat this natural hibernation setting in I've called on the almighty power of psych rock from J.D. Blackfoot.

Formed by the superbly monikered Benjamin Franklin Van Dervort, the J.D. Blackfoot band that played on the album the Ultimate Prophecy were a short lived affair to say the least. You can read more about the comings and goings of the band at the severely moustached Devort's website.

Their one album together ofter veers on the edge of psych's worst excesses with the track Prophecy in particular sounding dangerously close to a dry run for Spinal Tap's Stonehenge number. The ballads, on the other hand show the wonderful county tinged melodies the band had on offer.

Angel is the lightest of light folk styled tracks, its upper pitched vocals and soft harmonies reminding me a lot of early Love but with a distinctively country twang. Sweet but never descending into sickly saccharine levels it's a recent fave.

So, all very nice and all that but where's the hibernation combating rock? Look no further my friend for here is the truly awesome Epitaph For A Head. Released as a single only and even more rare than an OG of the album it shows what happened when the band took the bad pills rather than the happy ones: a bad rock trip of a song, with whacked out guitars, clattering drums and lyrics on a whole nother level (Ah, It's A Space God) . Turn it up loud and let it blow your mind.........

Beating The Blues With Bobby

Bobby Bland: "Who Will The Next Fool Be", "Yield Not To Temptation"
From: The Anthology [original 45s released on Duke Records, 1962]

Bobby Bland: "Shoes"
From: Duke 45 [Duke Records, 1967]

Throughout the `50s and `60s hundreds of R&B singers were supposed to make radio hits whether they had talent or not. In that respect, nothing has changed in the present R&B industry, but while perpetrators mask themselves as originators, history remembers the distinct. Like I was a diabetic on a bag of sugar, Bobby "Blue" Bland's vocal kicks send shivers through my body and for that reason alone, he is remembered.

Bland's early career started in the late-40s with with Johnny Ace, Earle Lacy Forrest, Rosco Gordon, Tuff Green, Junior Parker and B.B. King, together they formed a group called Beale Streeters. The group had a string of singles that included, "My Song", "Cross My Heart", "Too Close To Heaven" and "The Clock", but the men seperated to pursue solo careers. In 1951 Bland had a 45 on Chess Records with "A Letter From A Trench In Korea" and "Cryin'", ironically, Bland joined the army in 1952 and was discharged in 1955.

Bland was signed by Duke Records in 1952, but did not see a successful single until 1955. Today, I bring three of Bland's singles from the 60s, the era when Bland saw the height of his success. Although 1960's "Cry, Cry, Cry" and 1962's "I Pitty The Fool" are Bland's sure-shot singles, "Who Will The Next Fool Be" and "Yeild Not To Temptation" are for lack of better words, fiya!

"Who Will The Next Fool Be" sounds like a classic Ray Charles session and likely, Charles was an inspiration to Bland. I can say for certain that Bland's powerful vocal bursts are influenced by Rev. C.L. Franklin, Aretha Franklin's father, and Soloman Burke probably had influenced Bland, too. The song's beautiful arrangement has a penetrating sax that could be a number of session players: Jimmy Beck, Johnny Board, Bobby Forte or Monk Higgins, regardless, the sax helps to peak Bland's scorching vocal kicks. After a few listens to "Who Will The Next Fool Be", I knew the song had to be a cover and it turns out that country singer, Charlie Rich, had originally written and released the song in 1961, a year before Bland covered it.

Whenever I hear "Yield Not To Temptation" immediately I think of Ray Charle's "You Are My Sunshine", which is a brillent piece in its own right. "Yeild Not To Temptation" is a gospel crossover turned sinful with its fast rhythm and soulful sax, which I'll guess is Monk Higgins, because of the slighty funky horn style, a style that Higgins drifted into by the late-60s. At this point, Bland was a sex symbol and I'm sure this joint had women dancing all over America.

"Shoes" is an oddball song for Bland and to be truthful, I don't know too much about it. "Shoes" is a northern soul favorite and was released on Duke in 1967 as the A-side with "Touch Of The Blues" as the B-side (depending on what issue you have, it could be reversed). "Shoes" definately has a Motown sound to it, which is uncharacteristic of Bland's work, but he adjusts well to the tempo change. His earthy voice still sends shivers though the body, no matter how danceable "Shoes" sounds.

40th Anniversary: A Definitive Milestone

Biji - Sonny Rollins
from the album Sonny Rollins + 3 on Milestone (1995).

The Kicker - Joe Henderson
from the album The Kicker on Milestone (1967).
Both also available on Sonny Rollins Milestone Profile (2006)

Orrin Keepnews had already contributed to the jazz idiom as the producer for many indispencible recordings for Riverside before that label went backrupt in 1964 thanks to his partner (Bill Grauer). Keepnews rebounded beautifully though in starting Milestone Records in 1966 with the intention of providing a label for straight ahead jazz players while many of the more venerable labels were switching their focus to the more commercial crossover sound. To celebrate the label's 40th anniversary, Milestone has released a set of 5 CDs each comemorating one of the label's biggest artists (Sonny Rollins, Joe Henderson, McCoy Tyner, Jimmy Smith, and Jimmy Scott).

I get asked about where people should start to learn about jazz and build their collection. I'm happy to hear folks my age consider this is an essential part of intellectual fulfillment, but I guess new listeners can be overwhelmed by such a large and well documented genre. Typically I just start loaning albums and encouraging people to buy buy buy and discover their own taste. Personally, I tend to stay away from compilations and retrospectives in favor of the albums themselves for the obvious advantages of cohesiveness and overall album vision the artist may have had. However, if you don't own any Sonny Rollins, 1) SHAME ON YOU, and 2) this disc isn't a bad place to start. Rollins joined Milestone in 1973 when it was purchased by Fantasy and he released a slew of beautiful records on the lable. "Biji" is one of my favorite Rollins tracks of all time with Rollins extended sax verses fitting together seamlessly with Tommy Flanagan's piano from start to finish. Rollins has been an amazingly consistent and innovative musician for ages with nearly 50 years of recordings and counting for the Saxophone Colossus. NOTE: seeing him live in San Francisco a couple of years ago was also the greatest concert experience ever for me.

Packaged with each of the Milestone Profiles artist CDs is a bonus disc that has selections from 8 different Milestone artists (different from the ones found on the aritst's discs). Joe Henderson's late bop stomper "The Kicker" is featured on this disc. This bonus disc of disparate artists and styles is almost like a blog post in its scattered-ness but ability to introduce you to a bunch of artists at once essentially for free. However, an odd decision was made to have the same bonus disc packaged with each of the profiles CDs...who would need 5 copies of the same CD?

Beyond Funkadelic: Ruth Copeland

Ruth Copeland: Suburban Family Lament and Don't You Wish You Had (What You Had When You Had It)
From: I Am What I Am [Invictus, 1971]

Right I know I promised more in depth stuff this week but I have got the ultimate mother of all head colds and have to be quick on the keyboard before it entirely disappears beneath a layer of phlegm. With that beautiful thought in mind I'll let the quality of the music speak for itself as I give you Ruth Copeland's Sophomore album I Am What I Am.

While Copeland's fame was pretty short lived, for a while she seemed to hold the future of P-Funk in her hands. After forming a friendship with George Clinton, Copeland penned a number of tracks for Parliament's debut LP Osmium. The Funkadelic/Parliament boys repaid the favour by playing on her debut release cunningly titled Self Portrait.

The link between Copeland and Funkadelic continued with Ruth's second album and member's of the band even ended up touring with her when she supported Sly Stone. However, insanity took over on tour when Copeland started calling the group Funkadelic on flyers for shows. This was too much insanity for Sly and Copeland's relationship with the Funkadelic collective ended soon after.

Despite the rockier style of music on offer the link between Copeland and Funkadelic is extremely clear in Suburban Family Lament with the funky underbelly twisted by Copeland's unique, abrasive, vocal style and some searing drum work by Tiki Fulwood. This track always had a hint of Betty Davis for me too with it's sweet mixture of bitterness and righteous anger offset by the humour on offer.

Don't You Wish You Had (What You Had When You Had It) again displays Copeland's independence in full effect over some stunning, bluesy, Eddie Hazel guitar work and a funky pot of indignation. Great great stuff.

In Remembrance

2Pac: "Trapped"
From: 2Pacalypse Now, [Jive, 1991]

Thug Life: "Pour Out A Little Liquor"
From: Thug Life Vol. 1, [Interscope, 1994]

2Pac: "Old School"
From: Me Against The World, [Interscope, 1995]

On September 13, 1996 the rap industry lost a superstar, a mother lost a son and millions of people lost a living legend. Ten years have past and no arrests have been made for Tupac Shakur's murder. More albums under Tupac's legacy have been released than in his lifetime. A bouquet of conspiracy theories have replaced flowers and documentries substitute his rap shows.

Although the loss of Tupac has birthed fanatics that cannot let go, Tupac's memory remains a healthy inspiration for millions. In the `90s, Tupac's music broke racial boundries that on some level bridged people despite a brick wall of demographic seperation. I grew up on a street that was center of cultures and occasionally our cultural differences would collide, but after beefs were squashed we eventually mixed in peace. Not one house party would be without a Tupac album and thankfully music is blind to color, religion and income.

Tupac's music continues to be scrutinized for promoting violence and ugly characteristics, but in a Westernized world that ignores third world atrocities and homeland poverty, it is not a suprise Tupac's life was controversial. His see-saw actions made him a saint and criminal with no clear balance. The situations that filled his life are a lot for any man to bear and his decisions were a reflection of his age.

I often wonder how dead rappers would be living if they were alive. I see a lot of dead rappers disspointed in rap's futile advancements. There is nothing new about Tupac that I can write, he is dead, but in remembrance I can feel why his music will never die.

Not So Deep

Unknown Artist: She's Got To Have It and Run Linda Run
From: Deep Throat Anthology pts 1&2 [Light in the Attic, 2005]

Life is failing to slow down and time is of the essence so who's up for a bit of sleaze?

The original Deep Throat movie had an eclectic and raucous soundtrack that fitted well with the action on film (I mean, how the hell do you score a scene with cola being drunk from orifices?). While it has its moments I've never really enjoyed the score as a listening experience in its own right, even the best song, a cover of Love is Strange, goes on for about 4 minutes past it's optimum finishing point.

The soundtrack to the sequel Deep Throat II is a far more enjoyable listening experience to me. Perhaps the anonymous artists recording the music were aware that the film was going to be released without any hardcore footage and that therefore their music may not be drowned out by the collective din of five finger shuffling or maybe they just put the bigger budget to good use, who knows? Whichever way, the garage sound of the original has been replaced with well written funky numbers that stand up (sorry) to scrutiny on their own strength.

She's Got To Have It is a nice slice of popfunk with a strangely folky edge, stuffed full with the expected double entendres. I love the bass and drum pop off on this with the added pleasure of a rather lovely piano accompaniment.

Run Linda Run is an instrumental piece that should be pure cheese but for some reason manages to avoid it to my ears. Starting with the most innocuous of beginnings the track throws every instrument they had in the studio into the mix for their own little solos (fiddle anyone?)and even has time to drop in two little breaks for good measure.

Back with some more indepth posts soon....

Getting High With Sly

Sly Stone: Crossword Puzzle and Who Do You Love
From: High On You [Epic, 1975]

Sometimes it's difficult blogging about the music you love. There are some artists that I rate incredibly highly whose output is so well known that it seems pointless to feature them. Near the top of that list would be Sly & The Family Stone. While I did blog about one of their better known efforts back in my Evigan days I've been itching to post more about one of the artists I feel changed the musical landscape for ever.

It's taken me a while to get round to it but fortunately, considering the hectic pace of life right now, it occurred to me that I could always focus on their lesser known/widely trashed later efforts. Although it's undoubtedly true that the quality of the output slowly deteriorated as the seventies rolled on it'd be a foolish music aficionado indeed who blanket ignored the albums that followed Fresh.

The example I have for you is Sly's High On You which seems like a rather ironic title considering the state of the man's mind at the time. However, there's lots of goodness stashed away behind that ingeniously trashy cover photo.
The album also has the distinction of being the only release to be credited to Sly singularly (possibly down to his claims that he played "everything").This raises the big question: how does Sly working alone affect the sound? The Answer? Not a jot. While the album is very much from the party period in Sly Stone's career, when enjoyed for what it is it's nigh impossible not to appreciate the quality music he was still producing.

Crossword Puzzle is a stomping piece of party funk, bubbling with energy from it's highly recognisable horns to it's popping bass line. What took me by surprise on first listen is Sly's vocal delivery on this album. Gone is the mumbling drawl of Fresh replaced instead by a crystal clear and emotionally connected Sly, reminding me why I rate him so highly in my list of soul singers.

Who Do You Love? is another quality piece of Stone music. From the rise and drop of the chords to the treatment of the whole track as one elongated chorus it's a great uplifting piece of funk that, while breaking no new ground, speaks volumes about the talent Sly could bring to any project.

Rap's First Lady

MC Lyte: "10% Dis"
From: Lyte As A Rock, [First Priority Music, 1988]

MC Lyte: "Cappucino"
From: Eyes On This, [First Priority Music, 1989]

MC Lyte: "Poor Georgie"
From: Act Like You Know, [First Priority Music, 1991]

Firstly, MC Lyte is my first rap celebrity crush. Secondly, MC Lyte is rap's first lady. Thirdly, MC Lyte still does it for me, period. It's no secret the rap industry has slighted women for years with little change. There are no major labels with a female calling the shots and today's successful female rappers are, for the most part, a sexual gimmick. Beyond industry politics is Lyte, a solid woman, a role model and a concious rapper-concious sans "I heart hip-hop" T-shirts, Lord knows I hate those-but Lyte's longevity is what impressed me the most. Rappers falloff like junkies and to grow old, and stay relevant in rap means to expand rapper skill sets. In February, Lyte donated her diary to the Smithsonian Institution to help preserve the legacy of Boogie Down Bronx's role in rap history. And, in August she joined Queen Latifah and others in L.A. for the second Hip-Hop Leadership Camp. There is no mistaking Lyte's role in rap is that of an ambassador.

In the `88, Lyte and Antoinette, a female rapper from Queens, tore pieces out of each other creating a classic cat fight. Antoniette's "I Got An Attitude" uses a production similar to "Top Billin'" and Lyte lashed out at her with "10% Dis". Audio Two produced "10% Dis" and he uses the same drums from "Top Billin'" for this production. Ironically, Antoniette came out with "Lights Out, Party's Over", a response to "10% Dis" that uses "Top Billin'" drums again! Quite frankly, this was the start of The Honeydrippers' "Impeach The President" sample craze that spread all the way to an ugly Shaggy production.

Lyte's ablity to use ghetto scenarios to create a vivid story through wit in her lyrics is heard on "Cappucino". A lot of people have problems with violence, drugs and sex in rap music; personally, rap with those characteristics is like a Honda with an annoying muffler, we love it, hate it and love it again. "Cappucino" and "Poor Georgie" raise issues that are common enough to trigger awareness in hope of change, which is a reflection of their time. Somewhere during the rap industry's evolution responsibility was pawned for contracts, of course this is not a newsflash, but 70 years from now rap purists will be extinct-whatever, the ozone layer will be kaput too.

Daddy's Home

Big Daddy Kane w/ Big Scoob, Jay-Z, ODB, Sauce Money, Shyheim: "Show & Prove"
Big Daddy Kane: "Sex According To The Prince Of Darkness"
From: Daddy's Home [M.C.A., 1994]

The worst thing about BDK's Daddy's Home is Big Scoob, or if you prefer, Scoob Lover. Scoob is annoying like Fransworth Bentley and I'm guessing he's the little cousin to a someone, because his rhymes are ugly. He leads "Show & Prove" into a mild train wreck, but Sauce Money, Shyheim, BDK, Jay-Z and ODB more than compansate with tetchy raps. Premier cuts up a Slick Rick sample (coincidently, Daddy's Home's "In The PJs" has a Slick cut) for his boom-bap production that is built for a posse cut. Young Shawn Carter delivers like Fu-Shnickens and hearing junior Jay-Z always cracks a smile on my face. Shyheim's child rapping days were an enigma to rap fans of his generation. Born in `79 and Wu-affiliated by 14-years-old, his accomplishment raised the bar too high causing him to falloff, but Shyheim turned heads at the end of rap's golden era, for this we forget his post-teen products.

Feeling bad about liking "Sex According To The Prince Of Darkness" is OK, but if freaking girls is a sin then BDK is a nun's worst fear. Vintage BDK sexes the mic with Big Willy lyrics that wouldn't work for no man other than BDK. I am sure more than a few women oppose BDK's command of the tongue. However, it's OK to place Adina Howard's "Freak Like Me" number two on Billboard-whatever, point is when I am going to the bedroom I prefer the BDK mentality. The saxophone is an infectious addition to this silky production that is a sure-shot headphone banger. Bottom line: this joint is one hard freak rap ballad.

Ready To Die foreshadows a lot of records released in `94 and forgetting about BDK's album is not hard. Although a lot of people blink and miss Daddy's Home, the cover is tight, but I don't have a camera or scanner handy!

"I get hit by a lot of 20-year-olds on my MySpace."

Kool G Rap & DJ Polo: "Erase Racism"
From: Wanted: Dead Or Alive, [Cold Chillin', 1990]

Kool G Rap & DJ Polo: "Straight Jacket"
From: Live And Let Die, [Cold Chillin', 1992]

Kool G Rap: "For Da Brothaz"
From: 4, 5, 6, [Cold Chillin', 1995]

Questioning Kool G. Rap's future as a rapper is a XXL sidebar that 20-somethings keep alive through rumors that sting G. Rap fanatics, but for the sake of water cooler chit-chat we'll embrace any rap rumor. G. Rap's exclusive HHG Q&A interview is a hilarious reminder that rap's publicity machine is tailored to fit 18-year-olds with part-time jobs. Speaking in third-person is classic G. Rap, but his MySpace reference-"There are a lot of kids who know G. Rap right now who are not 30 years-old. I get hit by a lot of 20 year-olds on my MySpace."-and shrewd positioning are lame. It's a shame that rap lacks consensus over all of its attributes, but if rap topples the whistle and snap, I am sure G. Rap will not have to put on face for young record purchasers.

On my block Maxwell and TDK cassettes (Sony was too damn expensive!) held down the illest raps from 1990 up until the CD-R/ MP3 revolution killed our analog adventure. G. Rap is a piece of my mixtape youth that stuck with me into adulthood. Cold Chillin' Records is before my generation, but the bridge to Cold Chillin' for my youth are G. Rap and Grand Daddy IU.

"Erase Racism" left me dumbfounded, because I could not understand how G. Rap could make a highly positive single after a string of hard lyric based raps he is better known for. G. Rap's rhyme, "I'm no villain so why would I be killing Indians," blew up in my neighborhood. Hearing a rapper drop a rhyme about Native people made us feel not so extinct, but the Cool V and Biz Markie production is what hooked me-it's like afro-centric rap without all the afro.

"Straight Jacket" reminds me of the Geto Boys' ability to market psychotic lyrics as not-so-crazy realities. Trackmasterz produced "Straight Jacket" with a production that is heavily layered to suit G. Rap's insane anthem; "I went to lover's lane/ seen a couple kiss then blew out the brother's brain...A lady picked me up hitchhiking what a big mistake/ several hours later there's a body by the lake."

T-Ray produces my favorite G. Rap single, "For Da Brothaz", which tactfully uses Art Farmer's "Soul Sides" to structure G. Rap's homage to his people. The horns are amazing on this track and during a period of NY productions when horns were manditory, I think these horns steal home plate.

After consideration, I suppose MySpace references are not going to hurt G. Rap's reputation, after all, I added him.