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iamomHad a great day with Z today. We did the swimming thing, the library thing, and a hell of a lot of reading thing. We also made a nice dinner of pasta with a homemade tomato sauce that featured fresh vegetables, grilled Italian sausage, and fresh basil right off the plant. Z really dug that.
I also had a late-night rehearsal with the band tonight in advance of our next club gig next Thursday May 26th. I put together the following mix of tunes that we're currently playing or have adapted for our group. Right-click each link and choose "Save Target As..." to download the files to your hard drive, or else left-click to play the track via your media player or web browser:
Bugge Wesseltoft -- oH Ye
medium up-tempo funk head in F minor with a fast melody over a quick but light funk groove -- that gorgeous tenor playing is courtesy of Josh Redman
Common -- Heat
low-down but not-too-slow groove in G minor by the rapper Common
Feist -- One Evening
light pop cover by Calgary-born rising singer-songwriter Leslie Feist
Dr. Dre -- The Watcher
from the seminal gangsta classic Dre 2001, this track yields a great bassline to cop for a new funk cover (new melody to replace Dre's rap not yet composed)
Herbie Hancock -- I Thought It Was You
a highly-acceptable foray into pure pop vocals and lyrics, this is the opening track from Herbie's gorgeous 1978 jazz-funk fusion album called Sunlight
Herbie Hancock -- Sunlight
the title track from this great album; the groove isn't the most killing, but listen to that harmonic progression -- it goes through about 8 different key changes and each one feels totally seamless
Herbie Hancock -- No Means Yes
hard funk fusion at its finest, also from the same album -- I've uploaded this track to the site previously under a different title, and the highlight of the track kicks in at the 1:00 mark
James Brown -- Night Train
we've yet to attempt this truly classic JB track, but the melody and the groove are very enticing to us -- plugging into that groove without an electric guitar might prove challenging, though
James Brown -- Think
a heart-wrenching melody is turned in by Brown on this track, along with a very tasty sax solo (probably by Maceo Parker) in the middle
Jeremy Coates -- Half-Step Up
crazy up-tempo rock bebop head full of great modulations and chromatically-ascending shout chorus -- composed by my high-school friend and bass player Jeremy Coates and featured on his debut album
Lionel Richie -- Love Will Find A Way
chosen by our bassist, this tune from Lionel's huge hit record Can't Slow Down has a great melody, a good hook, and intriguing chord changes -- the groove will likely require some modernization, though
Miles Davis -- Tutu
a down-tempo jazz funk head in G minor with a beautiful melody and harmonic progression, written by Miles in honour of Archbishop Desmond Tutu
Steely Dan -- Kid Charlemagne
look, we just can't do without some good Fagen and Becker
Steely Dan -- Peg
this groove is smokin'...
The JB's -- Pass The Peas
a classic 60s funk groove from The JB's, a band comprised of James Brown sidemen who released a handful of records in the 60s and 70s
I also had a late-night rehearsal with the band tonight in advance of our next club gig next Thursday May 26th. I put together the following mix of tunes that we're currently playing or have adapted for our group. Right-click each link and choose "Save Target As..." to download the files to your hard drive, or else left-click to play the track via your media player or web browser:
Bugge Wesseltoft -- oH Ye
medium up-tempo funk head in F minor with a fast melody over a quick but light funk groove -- that gorgeous tenor playing is courtesy of Josh Redman
Common -- Heat
low-down but not-too-slow groove in G minor by the rapper Common
Feist -- One Evening
light pop cover by Calgary-born rising singer-songwriter Leslie Feist
Dr. Dre -- The Watcher
from the seminal gangsta classic Dre 2001, this track yields a great bassline to cop for a new funk cover (new melody to replace Dre's rap not yet composed)
Herbie Hancock -- I Thought It Was You
a highly-acceptable foray into pure pop vocals and lyrics, this is the opening track from Herbie's gorgeous 1978 jazz-funk fusion album called Sunlight
Herbie Hancock -- Sunlight
the title track from this great album; the groove isn't the most killing, but listen to that harmonic progression -- it goes through about 8 different key changes and each one feels totally seamless
Herbie Hancock -- No Means Yes
hard funk fusion at its finest, also from the same album -- I've uploaded this track to the site previously under a different title, and the highlight of the track kicks in at the 1:00 mark
James Brown -- Night Train
we've yet to attempt this truly classic JB track, but the melody and the groove are very enticing to us -- plugging into that groove without an electric guitar might prove challenging, though
James Brown -- Think
a heart-wrenching melody is turned in by Brown on this track, along with a very tasty sax solo (probably by Maceo Parker) in the middle
Jeremy Coates -- Half-Step Up
crazy up-tempo rock bebop head full of great modulations and chromatically-ascending shout chorus -- composed by my high-school friend and bass player Jeremy Coates and featured on his debut album
Lionel Richie -- Love Will Find A Way
chosen by our bassist, this tune from Lionel's huge hit record Can't Slow Down has a great melody, a good hook, and intriguing chord changes -- the groove will likely require some modernization, though
Miles Davis -- Tutu
a down-tempo jazz funk head in G minor with a beautiful melody and harmonic progression, written by Miles in honour of Archbishop Desmond Tutu
Steely Dan -- Kid Charlemagne
look, we just can't do without some good Fagen and Becker
Steely Dan -- Peg
this groove is smokin'...
The JB's -- Pass The Peas
a classic 60s funk groove from The JB's, a band comprised of James Brown sidemen who released a handful of records in the 60s and 70s
