NPR has a dope reflection on Mr. Hathaway. The link is below. I still think he’s one of the greatest vocalists of all time. He mixed purity of tone with grit in such an amazing way (one I’ve only seen matched by Stevie Wonder). RIP. Tragic death, but he left us with some wonderful work.
And the greatest band in the land delivers yet again (with orchestra and choir in tow)
“hold the line please
Call me crazy, I thought maybe He could mind read”
My Nana passed yesterday.
Those of you with the most recent album know her as the fine young thing featured in the liner notes.
She turned 99 this year. It’s hard to explain how much I miss her, and I have no idea how I’ll play at the funeral next Tuesday.Writing on what this wonderful woman means to me is an endeavor I can’t quite reach. As is so often the case, music helps me speak better than anything else.
The group Sweet Honey in the Rock has a song called “No Mirrors in My Nana’s House.” I grew up thinking the song was about her.
There were no mirrors in my Nana’s house,
no mirrors in my Nana’s house.
And the beauty that I saw in everything
was in her eyes (like the rising of the sun).The world outside was a magical place.
I only knew love.
I never knew hate,
and the beauty in everything
was in her eyes (like the rising of the sun).
…was in her eyes.
These lyrics so perfectly explain Nana. I didn’t need a mirror to see myself and my worth. She gave me (and so many others in my family) an awareness that we had something to offer the world, no matter what we may have heard otherwise…that no matter our race, our income, or any other arbitrary factor, we were golden in her eyes.
Her scope of experience is one I have a hard time grasping. To have lived a century, watching as a nation tried to live out its creed…to have dealt with racism on such a personal level, seeing the world change as open prejudice became socially unacceptable and politically incorrect. I can’t imagine it.
Love you, Nana
And I can’t imagine her not being here. She is beauty personified to me. I wanted to write this because I seldom focus on the good moments in life. I’m a cynical old man in a 21 year old’s body, and I often take good news for granted. But this woman’s life was good news I can’t ignore. As depraved as this world can get, she’s one of the few pure things I know.
Every time I left her house, she’d say: “make sure you love one another! Take care of your brothers and love one another! That’s the most important thing.”
I can only hope to follow her advice as well as she did.
I’m a huge fan of the Roots and John Legend. So when I heard they were doing an album together I got a grin similar to the one I had last night (the Celtics did their thing. Rondo!!)
I digress. I can’t wait to purchase the album, but until then I’m gonna play the mess outta this concert from “It’s All the Way Live”. Absolutely killlllling. The Roots Crew is fantastic as always, and the music selections themselves are beyond poignant. The band is amazing. Live instrumentation never went anywhere, but now it seems more relevant than ever.
In an era where anyone can cut an album by sampling something and getting a mic, innovation and skill are few and far between. Artists such as JL and the Roots utilize these tools and more, balancing technical artistry with a penchant for storytelling (Black Thought/John Legend with their words and everybody else with their respective instruments). The Roots’ guitar player, Captain Kirk, is one of the most virtuosic guitar soloists I know.
My favorite cut is the cover of Bill Withers’ I Can’t Write Left-Handed. Withers wrote it in protest to the Vietnam War. Sad that the words still ring quite true. Video of the performance:
Many thanks to All the Way Live
I don’t know how in the world they get so many soundboard recordings of concerts, but I love them.
Peep the video below. The band is killing…includes Alex Han and Christian Scott. And of course Mr. Miller plays bass like no other…
“UMBC Stuff: 2006-2010.” I wrote that on a box the other day. Wasn’t til then that I finally realized it–my undergrad career is over. It’s a slightly sad admission to self. I fully intend to stay in touch w/ all my friends and professors, but I know that just as with high school, life and its assorted distractions, advances, and movements, will separate many of us. One thing’s for sure, though, I love my school. And I love the history I have there. The friends gained, the mistakes made…the growth. Maturity’s a continuous goal for me, but UMBC has helped so much in that pursuit.
Before this gets too mushy, I just want to thank all those who have called, emailed, and texted their congrats…as well as the assorted gifts people have so generously given. (If you get some mail with illegible doctor scrawl on it, it’s probably a thank you letter from me).
Here are a few pics from graduation. It’s been real BC.
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Pick up their LP “Distant Relatives” asapppp. The CD is dope.
So Ndelible’s drummer Ron B is a beast. He took this footage of one of our rehearsals and added a bit of video magic to it in post. I’m on the right side playing EWI/Strings. This song (Coldplay’s Rush of Blood to the Head) is gonna be on our mixtape, which will be coming out in the next few months. The mixtape will be completely gratis…free, free, free. The second album, not so much! :)
Hope you all enjoy
Personnel: Dave James (Vocals/Acoustic Guitar), Myron “Q Dot” (El. Guitar), Tommy (Bass), Ron B (drums), Sam Buck (keys), Me (EWI/Sax).
Last Sunday was a busy day for Ndelible. We did a radio show in College Park and then hit Expo Lounge in DC. Great shows. Mixtape’s coming soon!
I’m a bit late, but I wanted to post NPR’s remembrance of the icon that was Dorothy Height. I know a lot of folk think we live in a post-racial society…that may or not be true, but wherever we are, we owe a lot of the progress to folks like Dorothy Height. It’s so easy to forget that our rights were bought with blood, tears, and toil. This is a great review of her life from NPR. RIP.
Sitting in with the great at the Birchmere. Mr. Magic. I know it's hard to see, but that's me playing first. Walt comes in at the end and we do a little jam. |
The People's Gathering is available on iTunes, amazon.com, and cdbaby. You can also get a copy from me directly. Check out some of the reviews it's gotten from Kirk Whalum, among others, below... |
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| "Hey Joe, Just listening to down by the riverside, sweet! Love this approach. You sound great dude! Love your melodic approach.
Very relaxed. Soulful."
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| "Sounding good, Joseph..!
Keep it up, bro!"
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| "Whatever your music taste, this project (The People's Gathering) has it all!!
'Down By The Riverside' will have you captivated from beginning to end. Joseph has a 'Cutting Edge' sound that has never been heard. GREAT BUY!!"
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