The HighLife

Kardinal Offishall - Nina


"when love calls your heart, i guess you got to pursue"
-Mos Def

I never thought i'd see the day when Roy Williams, Coach K, Rick Pitino, and Bobby Knight would be caught with their pants down, all at the same time.   Talk less of with a bunch of leather clad rocker dudes standing in the same room chastising them. Wow!

Futuristic supergroup?
N.A.S.A ft Kanye West, Santogold, & Lykke Li - Gifted

It's Friday again people!  Hope your week has been awesome.  It's been an African kind of week for me.  I've been dropping highlife and afrobeat tracks all week, and today we'll be concluding the series with a diverse set of tracks that truly hit at the essence of the genres.  Relax, drop your inhibitions, pick up your feet, and dance like you're the only one in the room.  This is Afrobeat.  Welcome to The Jumpoff!

And i'm spent!  That'll it do it for now.  Hope you've enjoyed the selections.  Until next time, be easy.
Afolabi

p.s. Flavorheard w/ Certified Max  of Certified Bananas @ Middlesex Lounge  tonight.  Do it!

One day til the weekend and please believe i'm so ready for it.  My Pitt Panthers will be taking the floor soon, and i just had to drop this edition as a herald of future success.  Welcome to The Jumpoff!

A-Side
We looked at music from Femi Kuti yesterday, and continuing the trend we've got music from his younger brother today.  I've mentioned this guy a bunch already on this site, search his name on here and you'll find it.  Regardless, this is the future of afrobeat.  Seun Kuti - Don't bring that shit to me, Mosquito Song


B-Side
We go back to Ghana for the second track of the day.  This is another artist i've never really heard of before, but i really like this song.  Ebo Taylor - Atwer Abroba


That's it for today.  It's almost the weekend! Until next time, be easy.
Afolabi

New album from MF Doom - Born Like This, peep it here and then go make it yours.

New album from UK soul sensation, Omar - Sing (If you want it)

Some randomness today - a cool little computer animation about the science behind Little Red Riding Hood to some music. Thanks for the link, Gareth!

 

Formed by Gabe Dixon almost a decade ago, this trio has been commonly found improvising their often jazz-influenced performances.

"Dixon’s elevated chops also led to some high-profile moonlighting: along with performing with Alison Krauss, O.A.R. and others, the talented youngster played keyboards on Paul McCartney’s Driving Rain, while also backing the great one at the internationally broadcast “Concert For New York City.” McCartney offered him the keyboard slot for his world tour, but Gabe respectfully turned him down to focus his energies on his band’s then yet to be released Warner Bros. debut."

"His first influence, though, was the Beatles. “That came from my mom,” says Gabe with a fond laugh. “As a teenager, she was kicked out of a Beatles movie for screaming too loud."

(Source: Gabe Dixon Band website)

Gabe Dixon Band covers Bob Marley's Is This Love?


I'd also like to share additional music by the Gabe Dixon Band. Enjoy.

Hello again.  Nothing witty to say.  Straight to the afrobeat we go.  Welcome to The Jumpoff!

A-Side
As we work our way down the seniority chain, we find ourselves at the first offspring of afrobeat.  His father created the sound, and he's done a lot to carry the sound into halls that typically wouldn't have it.  Unlike his father's strictly pan-African view of music, and the world, he's branched out into many other genres and worked with artists spanning many tongues, cultures, and countries.  I've also seen he and his band, The Positive Force, performing live.  And i'll tell you this much, i left drenched in my own effort, but what sweet effort it was.  Femi Kuti - Live for Today/ No Shame


B-Side
Highlife music is a very West African genre.  The Gold Coast, also known as Ghana, does highlife, and they do it very well.  It could be argued that highlife made it's way over from Ghana into Nigeria, which eventually led to the birth of afrobeat.  But we're not here for that.  This is a Ghanaian band from the highlife era i assume, origin unknown to me, that has a really nice sound with a really poignant message.  The Third Generation Band - Because of Money


And on it goes.  Keep on keeping on.  Until next time, be easy.
Afolabi