This April is the 30th anniversary of Marvin Gaye’s tragic passing and my girl DJ Moonbaby (my musical soulmate for many years as evidenced by this, this, and this blog post) will be doing a special tribute this coming Thursday, April 10th, on her radio show “Unrestricted” on Acceleratedradio.net which airs on Thursdays 8-10 p.m. PST, and can be accessed via the internet or via the TuneIn, iHeartRadio, or iTunes apps (search Accelerated radio). Moonbaby will be interviewing both Zeola Gaye about her new book “My Brother Marvin” and producer Amerigo Gazaway on his Yasiin Gaye project (with Yasiin Bey aka Mos Def). Moonbaby will be playing some tracks from the Yasiin Gaye project, and some classic Marvin and Marvin-esque tracks:
Here is one of DJ Moonbaby’s choices for one of the best National Anthem performances out there by Marvin Gaye at the All-Star Basketball game in 1983:
Hey y’all. Missed ya. I’m still here – listening and digging deep for the best in roots and roots-inspired music. I felt inspired tonight listening to the heart and soul of LA music on public radio. Yesterday a legend of Latin music passed away, Bebo Valdes, and over at KJazz (88.1), they were playing his incredible discography.
LA’s public radio scene is truly too diverse and voluminous to even begin to do it justice (not to mention the amazing radio stations around the country – KUT Austin, WWOZ New Orleans). Later in the evening, I heard ska and old school reggae over at KSPC (88.7) and then over at KCSN (88.5), they were playing some mean-ass classic rock, Derek and the Dominoes and the always welcome Jimi Hendrix. I would be remiss if I did not give a shout to two of my favorite DJ’s in LA including Miss DJ Moonbaby who will be guest DJing next Saturday night/morning (March 31st), Easter morning, at 4 a.m. for Morgan Rhodes’ The Listening Station on the always stellar KPFK (90.7). DJ Moonbaby will be playing some great soul music from 1980 on the show which features “progressive soul and alternative electronica.” I can listen to that for hours. I love me some down-tempo house or Portishead. Also back on KSCN, my friend Kat Griffin hosts Americana Matinee on Sunday mornings from 9-noon as well as an internet radio show on Wednesdays 5-7 pm called Madly Cocktail. Kat’s shows are truly balm for the soul, I promise you. So please head on down left of the dial or if you’re around the world, check out these folks on the radio working hard for your listening pleasure via the magic of the world wide web.
In the meantime, here is the Maestro, may he descanse en paz:
My good friend DJ Moonbaby was spinning some gems tonight and she inspired me to write a blog post and share some of the musical wealth with you. Some beats, rhymes and life to help push us through as we walk along this sometimes bumpy and unexpected road…Speaking of journeymen, I have to acknowledge the passing of Argentine folk singer and peace activist Facundo Cabral, who was murdered in Guatemala today in an ambush style attack – truly horrific. As a 9 year old child, he once walked 1800 miles to look for work to support his mother and six siblings after his father abandoned them. He literally grew up dirt poor, illiterate, and went to on to teach himself to read, to learn, and his consciousness was raised and he went on to become one of the most beloved folk singers in Latin America. In the year 2011, a killing like this reminds us that oppression and fear still are alive and well and we must continue to rise up together as a human family and do what we can to bring peace and justice to the world. At the end of the post you can see his signature song from a performance, which I believe is from the 1970s.
Back to the music at hand. From the Moonbaby playlist here is Tribe Called Quest with the song “Electric Relaxation” from the album Midnight Marauders from the year 1993. Sheer perfection:
That jogged my memory of this 1995 classic from the LA group, Pharcyde, “Runnin”, featuring sample from Brazilian samba:
Another Moonbaby tune. Talib Kweli featuring Norah Jones with the gorgeous “Soon The New Day”:
This song ties it all together for me, “History” by Mos Def featuring Talib Kweli:
If we don’t understand the past and where we came from we are doomed to repeat….Here is Facundo Cabral with a hauntingly profound performance of “Yo No Soy De Aqui Ni Soy De Alla.” May he continue his journey with our ancestors and find peace on the other side:
“Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.”
~Martin Luther King Jr.
This past weekend was full of musical and cultural inspiration as I journeyed through the land of my birth, Los Angeles. First up was DJ Moonbaby’s set at the Natural History Museum’s First Friday event near downtown Los Angeles. The DJ booth was set up in front of a replica of giant African elephants across the hall from the giant T-Rex. Moonbaby played her own eclectic mix of electronic groove a la Portishead and then some old school hip hop and funk. One of my favorites (you know I love that funk) was Rick James’ “Give It To Me Baby,” a classic late 70s/early 80s funk dance hit complete with the horns. Here’s a performance from the 1982 Grammy Awards show:
After that my friend and I headed west, meandering through downtown LA, Echo Park (the area I spent the first few years of my life), through memories in Hollywood to enjoy a late dinner at Canter’s Deli on Fairfax. This was the spot for grabbing a late night meal after a hard night of dancing or seeing a music show when I was a wild teenager. Their bar, the Kibitz Room, has its own place in the LA music history as many great musicians have jammed there after hours. Guns N Roses were just an unknown band playing there back in the 80s. After all these years, I finally took a closer look at the mural outside of Canter’s depicting the history of the Jewish community in Los Angeles. I happen to be a huge fan of LA murals and this one was quite moving. Here’s one of the scenes:
As we left Canter’s, my friend popped in Chavez Ravine by Ry Cooder, an album that tells a story of one segment of the Chicano community in Los Angeles by chronicling the history of a barrio that was destroyed to make way for Dodger’s Stadium. On this album, Cooder brings together many Mexican-American musicians including some of the guys from Los Lobos and the legendary Chicano musician and activist Lalo Guerrero. Here is one of my favorite tunes by Lalo from this album, “Chuchos Suaves”:
Here is Lalo doing his ode to the blues, “Muy Sabroso Blues”:
My mom and I went out to Malibu on Saturday to spend some time at the beach for mother’s day and we saw pro surfer, Laird Hamilton, when we were having lunch. He is a big wave surfing legend, known for doing what no human does, surfing these mega monster big waves:
Later on that same day, walking through the Third Street Promenade in Santa Monica, a cacophony of sounds greeted me as dozens of street performers lined the street. A band that really drew me in was a horn ensemble, playing haunting minor chord infused Eastern European folk tunes, the Petrovic Blasting Company:
Los Angeles has much more to offer than my tiny slice of life and I hope to bring you more future posts on the cultural and musical diversity and history of this mega-tropolis. Happy traveling…
Los Angeles native DJ Moonbaby (Angela Jollivette) has been exposing Angelenos to the finest of soul, jazz, r&b, hip-hop and electronic music since she was in grade school hiding her boombox under the desk.
Today she has her own inspirational soul/gospel radio show “Worry Free Wednesdays” on www.churchbeatradio.com, every Wednesday at 11 a.m. and 4 p.m. (PST). She DJs out and about town and will be headlining the May 7th First Friday event at the Museum of Natural History in Los Angeles. If you’re in LA – don’t miss that! She introduced me to several artists including Esperanza Spalding, DJ LadybugMek, and The City Champs. Follow her on twitter: @djmoonbaby!
Rootnotemusic: What experience are you trying to bring to people when you’re DJing? You seem to cross sound boundaries and have a wide range of influences. Please give me a bit of the Moonbaby musical philosophy.
DJ Moonbaby: I just love good music. I don’t care what genre; my roots are deep in soul and jazz but I want to expose my audience to the unknown to expand their musical taste. I love when people come up to me and ask ‘what was that song you were just playing?’ I think I get more excited about being asked that question more than making them dance – because they’re engaged, thinking, and wanting to discover more!
I asked her to give me a sampling of the sounds we might hear on her weekly radio show or if we caught her at a live gig. Here is an exclusive Moonbaby mix starting out with the soul master, Stevie Wonder, with his reggae inspired “Master Blaster (Jammin’)” live from 1980:
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