April 8, 2026

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Jazz Note # 9 – Then and Now

dave@weheartmusic.com November 10, 2010

One reason I like jazz is how incorporates other musical genres like Blues, Soul and Samba. Does Hip Hop have a future in this stream? Nas certainly floated the question when he released his album, “Hip Hop is Dead.” His statement wasn’t if Hip Hop is viable but was it more than a product. Can it survive as an independent art form or like disco will it be gobbled by a music industry looking for steady revenue?

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Jazz Note # 8 – Pay Tribute

dave@weheartmusic.com September 27, 2010

Allen Toussaint is one of those musicians you may have never heard of but you know his work.   His collaborations run from Patti LaBelle and Otis Redding to The O’Jays and The Rolling Stones.  He wrote the Grammy nominated song, “Southern Lights”, famously sung by country singer, Glen Campbell.  Recently he did an album with Elvis Costello and even appeared with Cyndi Lauper on David Letterman.  Songwriter, producer, musician, there isn’t a facet or genre Toussaint hasn’t touched in his forty years in the business, but what drew my attention was an album he released a couple years ago, “The Bright Mississippi.”

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THE IMAGINE PROJECT – HERBIE HANCOCK

dave@weheartmusic.com July 10, 2010

In the liner notes Herbie Hancock apologizes to anyone he may have left out.  After listening to his latest album, The Imagine Project, I wonder who it might have been.  The purpose of the project “is an effort to show the power and beauty of global collaboration as a golden path to peace.”  How do you do that?  By inviting everybody to be on your album from Pink and Chaka Khan to John Legend and Seal.  Even my two favorite bands, Los Lobos and The Chieftains make an appearance, as well as international stars like Anoushka Shankar and Juanes. 

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Shonen Knife Super Group (2008)

Shonen Knife (少年ナイフ)

vusleeper July 15, 2009

I fell in love with Shonen Knife in the early 90s, with Let's Knife. And although my first (and favorite) Knife song is "Riding the Rocket", the lyrics may sound outdated due to the fact that Pluto was de-planetized: "Riding the rocket, I wanna go to Pluto.". They were further popularized when the band was asked to open up for Nirvana (who was supernova-ing with Nevermind).

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