i’ve been listening to a lot of jazz. it’s taken over my life, and i couldn’t be happier about it. it started with the ipod shuffle to a robert glasper song. made me realize i needed a live show in my life. this was a tuesday night. the first venue i looked up was the jazz standard. how about the robert glasper trio is playing there the following thursday to sunday?

floored.

now i’m experiencing an amazing domino effect. look at robert glasper’s twitter feed, find an interview of his bandmate, trumpeter ambrose akinmusire. fall in love with akin musire’s music. on a youtube search for akinmusire’s “ruby”, i find about a trio called pascal’s triangle, led by pianist pascal le boeuf. looking at pascal’s work, i discover he’s a twin (being a twin, i have a special affinity for them. ). he has two albums with his brother, remy, and they’re both pretty cool. the composition is really interesting and emotive. they’re incredibly talented in their arrangements and playing, especially to only be in their early twenties.

the le boeuf brothers’ first album was house without a door and the video above is the title track. the one below is “wetaskiwin”.

absolutely. friggin. insane. not just these songs, but the album in its entirety.

feel the love.

the concept of mastery always comes to mind when i’m taken by incredible talent that’s obviously been fostered and developed into skill. it inspires me. hobbies and interests should be taken to the level of craft. all of them won’t, but at least one of them must.

i’m starting to read george leonard’s mastery: the keys to success and long-term fulfillment. so far, it’s a pretty good read.

time to practice to perfection.

“Confessions to My Unborn Daughter” is my absolute favorite song right now. It makes me want to start a journal to eventually give to my (currently nonexistent) children after I use it as my own parenting guide. Listening to it may not necessarily make you feel like doing the same, but it will make you feel, if not feel good. Enjoy.

The video above is “Dreams Of The Manbaniese” from Akinmusire’s first album, Prelude … to Cora.

The rapper is Silas Zephania. The producer is Politiks. The combination is beautiful. They have an album together called War Begins Where Reason Ends available on iTunes for $9.99 or on bandcamp for £3 GBP, which is about $4.65 USD.

Below is a video of him performing “Teacher Don’t Teach Me No Nonsense”. You may not know what he’s saying, but you feel the music and understand the vibe from the title.

Tonight I shuffled upon a little reminder about life, and I’m grateful for it. Please enjoy this selection, “Open Mind”, from The Robert Glasper Experiment, composed of pianist Robert Glasper, bassist Derrick Hodge, drummer Chris Dave and keyboardist/saxophonist Casey Benjamin. As you listen, remember, it is experimental.

The Robert Glasper Experiment – “Open Mind” featuring Bilal

Photo credit: Jati Lindsey

My music sharing friend, Rodrick, told me about Mara Hruby a while back. I downloaded the album, put it on my iPod and went about my business. Recently, I’ve been giving her EP, From Her Eyes a lot of play. She’s got a pretty voice and does well handling men’s songs. Looking forward to more Mara.

This Van Hunt cover, “Character”, asks a very important question we should all reflect on. Enjoy!

Mara Hruby – “Character”

“Flamenco Sketches” is one of my go-to songs when I want to relax.

Miles Davis – “Flamenco Sketches”

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He’s pretty talented. I’m looking forward to hearing more from him. Enjoy.

Frank Ocean – “Strawberry Swing”

Frank Ocean – “We All Try”

Frank Ocean – “There Will Be Tears” (in my opinion, an improvement upon the original by Mr. Hudson)

Frank Ocean – “Swim Good”

Lupe Fiasco – “Beautiful Lasers (2 ways)”

Since before “Kick, Push” hit the scene, I’ve been a big fan. Lupe’s an important artist and an important rapper. Obviously brilliant, he adds another dimension to the idea of who a popular rapper is and what they’re “allowed” to be. He’s not a commercial artist. He’s part of the young, black and gifted who wants to uplift his people, open people’s minds and bear light at the same time. Even in the pain that’s sometimes in his music, you can hear love.

“Beautiful Lasers” is one of the most emotionally honest songs I’ve heard in a really long time. It shatters the facades and probes into heart of things: this world, our selves, private struggles we all have had at one point or another, but won’t voice. I’m always reminding myself and others to be courageous. Vulnerability takes courage, and to create this, Lupe was courageous. Have to respect that.

Lupe is a true product and amalgamation of the black music lineage in the United States, which is a rich progression of music starting with spirituals, then blues, jazz, rock n’ roll, R&B, then hip hop. Although not as apparent on LASERS, which the label was intent on making commercial, his previous albums blend elements of all these genres quite nicely and rather organically. He’s obviously influenced by jazz, and I even like to consider him a ‘jazz rapper’, meaning his music requires the same level of attention as jazz because of its complexities and nuances.

Listen with care!

Lupe Fiasco – “Shining Down” feat. Matthew Santos

Lupe Fiasco – “Ghetto Story” (from the original version of Food & Liquor)

Originally written in 1997 by Chicago Tribune columnist, Mary Schmich, under the title “Advice, like youth, probably just wasted on the young”, Baz Luhrmann set it to music and released “Everybody’s Free (To Wear Sunscreen)” in 1999.

There’s some great advice in here, such as:

Sunday night, bassist, composer and singer Esperanza Spalding became the first jazz artist to win a Grammy for Best New Artist. It’s kind of a big deal. I’ve been intending to listen to her music for a while and the opportunity knocked me upside the head yesterday when my friend, artist/designer/deejay/conversationalist extraordinaire, Alvin Black III, decided to repost his Essential Esperanza mix he compiled back in December to celebrate her Grammy win.

It’s a really nice introduction to her work. So much so that I’m already making plans to buy a concert ticket. Budget? What budget? I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.

Love, forgiveness, and relationships have been occupying most of my mental space recently, which is why the last few posts have been about that. It’s the running theme of my life right now, and you can expect more inquiry and exploration in that department. I think it’s helpful for everyone.

On that note, I’m revisiting Don Miguel Ruiz’s The Mastery of Love: A Practical Guide to the Art of Relationship. The third and seventh chapters, titled “The Man Who Didn’t Believe in Love” and “The Dream Master”, both struck a chord with me. I hope they offer something valuable to you as well. Click the links for transcripts of each chapter.

Don Miguel Ruiz’s Mastery of Love, chapter 3: “The Man Who Didn’t Believe in Love”, 9:23

Don Miguel Ruiz’s Mastery of Love, chapter 7: “The Dream Master”, 4:19

“Moanin’” is from the 1993 Nostalgia in Times Square. Listen to this song! It enraptures you. Jazz requires attention. Quintessential cool.