R&B – Page 6 – #DKLPHOTOS

Trombone Shorty and Orleans Avenue | Twilight Concert Series | August 29, 2013

The first time I heard of Trombone Shorty, he was a recurring character on the HBO Series “Treme”. At first I thought he was fictional character, but as I did more research on the music played in the show, I discovered that he was, in fact, a highly acclaimed trumpet and trombone player who grew up a child prodigy from a musical family. I can truly say that a television show helped me delve into New Orleans R&B, Funk, Soul and Jazz. I watched many videos of him perform (like the one immediately below) and I knew that talent like that needed to be seen live. When I heard he was to have a free concert on the Santa Monica Pier, I “penciled” it into my calendar.

I love horn sections. Earth Wind and Fire, Blood Sweat and Tears, Chicago. They each had amazing horn sections that gave their hit songs an extra something. Every so often, I’ll hear a popular, modern album that utilizes a great horn section, and I think that there’ll be a resurgence or renaissance of that type and style of music, but it hasn’t happened yet.

Dustbowl Revival did a great job warming the crowd up, and when Trombone Shorty took the stage the audience was adequately lubricated for some funky, jazzy goodness and with the first note, the dancing began.

Trombone Shorty and his backing band, Orleans Avenue, wowed the audience with their musical prowess. While his singing was good, it was his work on the trumpet and trombone that truly mesmerized the audience. The highlights of his set, for me at least, was when he showcased his impressive circulatory breathing, holding notes for what seemed to be forever. A partial video clip is in the highlights I posted below, and they are partial because I had to stop filming as I had to watch him hold that note with my own eyes instead of the through the lens of the camera. It was amazing.

He played to the audience’s local leanings by covering snippets of popular Los Angeles hip hop standards by Snoop and Dre and added his own flare to classic jazz standards (snippets of each are included in the video montage below).

Watching Trombone Shorty perform made me long for another trip back to New Orleans. When that trip happens, I’ll make sure it coincides with a Trombone Shorty performance at a New Orleans club.

September 14, 2013 by dklee13 Categories: ConcertsTags: concert, concert review, funk, Funk Metal, jazz, Jazz Intrument, Jazz Rock, Modern Jazz, neo soul, new orleans, New Orleans R&B, Orleans Avenue, Orleans Jazz Ensemble, photos, pics, pictures, R&B, Review, santa monica pier, soul, treme, trombone, Trombone Jazz, Trombone Shorty, troy andrews, trumpet, twilight concert, twilight concert series, video Leave a comment

Solange | FYF Festival | August 25, 2013

To check out pictures of other bands I was able to catch at the festival, CLICK HERE.

Having been blown away by Beyonce when I saw her perform at the Staples Center earlier in the year, I thought it was only right to see her younger sister, Solange, perform. I had heard good things about her latest album, Solo Star, and even better things about her EP, True, so I ventured over to the stage where she was set to perform.

As it was when I saw Beyonce perform, I felt a little out of place. Most of the audience members were young women, but casting any uneasy feelings aside, I held my ground and braced myself for the experience. As an aside, for me, there’s really no more uneasy feeling that going to a concert “blind” without having any knowledge or sense of what was to come.

Beyonce, to put it bluntly, blew my mind. It’s hard for anybody, let alone a sister, to live up to the “Beyonce standard”. When Solanage took to the stage, all I could think about was how Solange personally reconciles the comparisons and expectations. From what I had read, Solange’s music leaned more on mid to late ’60’s soul or eccentric synth-funk than modern hip-hop, pop sensibilities of her older sis.

The crowd warmly greeted Solange to the stage and backed with a full band she commenced her set. Lacking the kind of big-budget, stage production that Beyonce incorporates into her shows, Solange relied on her personality and “vibe” to engage the audience. Her music was mature and smooth, and carried with it a style classy and sophisticated. There were no choreographed dancers, but Solange used the entire stage effectively, addressing the entire audience. When digging deep into emotional songs, close up shots of her face projected on the video screen monitors showed someone crafting her own style and meaning to the music.

I enjoyed her set, and though I can’t visualize her having the type of career or stardom her sister has already achieved, she can, and most likely will, carve out her own path and will be making her brand of music for years to come.

September 13, 2013September 13, 2013 by dklee13 Categories: ConcertsTags: Alternative R&B, beyonce, Contemporary R&B, electronic, fyf, fyf fest, fyf festival, fyffest, fyffest 2013, knowles, neo soul, R&B, Sol-Angel, solange, Solange Piaget Knowles Leave a comment

How To Dress Well | FYF Festival | August 25, 2013

To check out pictures of other bands I was able to catch at the festival, CLICK HERE.

How To Dress Well's double mics. — How To Dress Well’s double mics.

Though he released a highly acclaimed album back in 2010, I didn’t become familiar with Tom Krell’s (p/k/a How To Dress Well) music until earlier this year. While I was reviewing the various acts that were slated to perform at the festival this year, I clicked on the musician’s link from the FYF Festival website and thereafter spent the next hour playing his music. I was hooked, and circled his 5:20pm set time as “must attend”.

I spent the months leading up to the festival buying albums of all of the artists that I was interested in, when I purchased How To Dress Well’s 10” EP “Just Once”. It may be one of the best purchases I’ll have made this year. Limited to 1000 copies, that vinyl is described as a one time-only, orchestral release, part of proceeds from sale of which went to MindFreedom.com to benefit those with mental health issues. It was recorded in the memory of one of Tom Krell’s friends and was simply, amazingly, hauntingly beautiful.

I was able to get up front for his set. While the stage hands were setting up, a DJ was spinning some 90s era music. An Aaliyah song started to play and I noticed Tom offstage singing along. When he took to the stage, he was accompanied by a keyboardist and a violinist. Using the a two-microphone technique, he jumped into his set opening with a new song tentatively titled “For Cyril.” Amazing. And it kept on coming.

His music, with sparse drums and layered, falsetto vocals, set a mellow vibe as haunting as the recordings I had purchased. It may have been a rather dark set for the middle of the day- which Tom acknowledged half way in when he introduced an upbeat song with, “This is a dance song, because it’s too early to be this dark”- but I was loving every minute of it. He further made light of the dark set by also telling the crowd that it was his mom’s birthday. He mixed R. Kelly’s “I Wish” into one of his songs to his audience on their toes. At the end by telling the audience that if there was anything he would want to impart on the audience before he left, it was to be, “Be nice to people.” A simple message amongst complex, stunning music.

His set met my expectations, save but a few technical difficulties, and I will definitely be keeping an eye out for any more intimate club gigs that he may have in Los Angeles in the future.

The setlist was sourced from setlist.fm:

For Cyril (New Song)
Suicide Dream 1
Cold Nites
No More Death
& It Was U
Ready for the World
Set It Right
Repeat Pleasure (New Song)

Tom Krell p/k/a How To Dress Well with his violinist.

Tom Krell p/k/a How To Dress Well with his keyboardist.

September 4, 2013 by dklee13 Categories: ConcertsTags: Alternative R&B, concert, fyf, FYF 2013, fyf fest 2013, fyffest, fyffest2013, how to dress well, htdw, indie electronic, lo-fi R&B, love, photos, pictures, R and B, R&B, Review, tom krell, video, vocal loops Leave a comment

Album Review: The Airplane Boys “Brave New World” (Mixtape)

Back in 2011 I had the pleasure of being introduced to a hip-hop group based out of Toronto, Ontario. A company I was working for was interested in bringing them in as clients, and my friend forwarded me a few tracks to check out. I’m very picky about the hip-hop I listen to. Continue reading →

March 12, 2013February 10, 2015 by dklee13 Categories: OpinionTags: airplane boys, alignment, apb, asai, beck motley, blessing, bon voyage, brave, brave new world, broken, coachella, complacent virtues, concept album, download, EMD, globetrotters, her fault, hip hop, jamiroquai, japan, kanye, mixtape, never know, on the rox, osheaga, R&B, roof topping, roxy, stampede, T.I.D.E.S, temples, the airplane boys, the righteous, tokyo, where've you been Leave a comment

The Time I Kicked It With John Stephens

I sang in an a capella group at Cornell University. I have very fond memories of my time singing with the group. We traveled and performed around the world and got to experience a lot of things that other college students could only dream of. Throughout my four years in the group (95-99), I always kept an ear out for new recordings and cool arrangements from other campuses.

As it turned out, one of my best friends growing up went to the University of Pennsylvania. He knew that I was interested in a cappella music, and gave me a copy of a CD when I came by one year to visit. He told me of a friend who had an amazing voice, who was in the University of Pennsylvania a cappella group called The Counterparts. The album was called “Housekeeping” the singer’s name was John Stephens, and the song he sang on was “One Of Us“.

A few years later, while I was attending law school, and working part-time, I happened to be living in a “guest room” in the back yard of the home my friend and his brother were living in. My friend let me know that John Stephens was heading into town and would be crashing on the couch for a few nights. He told me that John was in town for meetings with some labels, and that maybe I should see if the firm I was working for at the time would be interested in trying to set up a meeting. My buddy made a copy of John’s demo (which I thought was dope by the way) and I tried to pitch him to the firm, but they were too busy or too skeptical to really pay any attention to me. Maybe I should I have tried to persuade them a little harder, but hell … I was attending a cut-throat law school, and working part time, so I figured that if they weren’t interested, it wasn’t any skin off my back. I had enough on my mind.

One night while we were all kicking it at a bar, I mentioned to John that I had the one CD of his college a cappella group, and we talked to each other about our backgrounds in music. I found out that, like me, he was the business manager of his a cappella group. His knowledge of music, though, was definitely far superior to mine, and he obviously seemed to have much more passion than I did in pursuing a career as a singer. My career as singer was limited to a few auditions for the revamped “Star Search” and vocals for original music used in a short-lived animated series called “Phatheadz” (sp? … I can’t even remember it anymore) that was available to watch on the no-longer available site urbanentertainment.com…. but I digress… We drank the night away, and did what what young men in their early 20s do at bars. From what I can remember, it was a good time.

John’s meetings must have went pretty well…. he ended up getting deal with a label, and has had a pretty decent career. I still have his a cappella group’s CD, but I wish I could find that CD of demos I was given before he was signed. D’oh!

Click here to find out who John Stephens is.

March 6, 2013November 23, 2013 by dklee13 Categories: UncategorizedTags: a cappella, acappella, cornell, demo, entertainment, hidden jewel, john, john legend, john stephens, label, law school, legend, music, old music, one of us, R&B, record, soul, star search, stephens, unsigned, Upenn, urban, who is john legend, who is john stephens Leave a comment

In Memoriam | Ernie K-Doe | 1936-2001 | How I Was Introduced to “The Emperor of the Universe”

There’s so much music out there these days that unless by some divine intervention, you may never hear some of the best music that’s ever been recorded. If it weren’t for a bachelor party down in New Orleans, I probably would have never heard of Ernest Kador, Jr. (February 22, 1936 – July 5, 2001), professionally known as Ernie K-Doe.

It’s been a few years so I may fail to remember all of the details, but a close friend of mine decided to have his bachelor party in New Orleans. It was after Hurricane Katrina hit, so the groom-to-be decided to mix in some community service with the bar hopping. We woke up early one morning and took a shuttle down to the Lower Ninth Ward and spent the day painting walls, hammering in floors, throwing out debris, etc. in a temporarily abandoned theater of a local high school. Drenched in our sweat (and a little blood) by day’s end, we really felt like we had done some good for the local community.

Me painting some doors at school in the Lower Ninth Ward.

Afterwards, the person who facilitated the community service for the day suggested we head to a local spot, in the heart of Treme, called Mother-In-Law Lounge for some traditional New Orleans’ eats. We picked up some crawfish and other local cuisine, and drove up to this small, unassuming “lounge”. We walked into the side yard, and was immediately approached by spritely, enthusiastic, elderly woman with maroon dyed hair. Our guide introduced her as Miss Antoinette.

Miss Antoinette ushered us into her establishment and started to gush about her late husband, Ernie K-Doe. She explained to us that the lounge had been completely destroyed by Katrina, but that the community came together to rebuild the lounge and the city. She explained that the bar was opened by her late husband and was named after his only number one hit song, “Mother-in-Law”, which was written and produced by Allen Toussaint and which is possibly THE biggest hit in the history of New Orleans R&B.

Some of the fellas with Miss Antoinette and Ernie K-Doe's statute. — Some of the fellas with Miss Antoinette and Ernie K-Doe’s statute.

I was so taken by Miss Antoinette’s personality, and probably a little taken by the life-size statue of Ernie in standing near the entrance, that music unheard, I went ahead and bought compilation album of Ernie’s greatest hits. After all, Antoinette said that her late husband was the self-proclaimed “Emperor of the Universe”, so how could I not buy the Emperor of the Universe’s greatest hits? LOL. We ate, and drank, then head back to our hotel rooms to get ready for the evening.

I popped in the CD, and the first song was “Here Come the Girls”, a song that was also written by Allen Toussaint. It was the first time I had ever heard the song, and I was immediately blown away. Why had I never heard this song before? I love a good horn section, and this song has it. Ernie’s vocals were soaked with attitude. And the hook does what it’s supposed to do … and it hooked me in for the rest of the album. This was New Orleans R&B, and I’m glad I found it. The rest of the album is solid, and I’ve posted a few of my favorite songs below:

1. “Here Come The Girls”

2. “Back Street Lover”

3. “Whoever is Thrilling You (Is Killing Me)” [which was also covered by Rufus]

4. “Fly Away With Me”

Miss Antoinette died the following year of a heart attack on Mardi Gras Day at the lounge. The lounge is still open, and hopefully it stays open for years to come. I’ll always have fond memories of the evening we spent with her, and learning about some essential New Orleans music. Thankfully, we still have The Emporer of the Universe’s music.

R.I.P. Ernie K-Doe and Miss Antoinette. You’ve helped write a chapter in my life, and it comes with a soundtrack.

February 22, 2013April 6, 2013 by dklee13 Categories: UncategorizedTags: allen toussain, back street lover, emperor of the universe, ernie k-Doe, fly away with me, here come the girls, In Memoriam, is killing me, jazz, mardi gras, Miss antoinette, mother in law, music, new orleans, R&B, rufus, treme, whoever is thrilling you Leave a comment

Music Tidbit: “Tuesday Heartbreak” by Stevie Wonder

“Tuesday Heartbreak” was track 4 on Stevie Wonder’s 15th album “Talking Book“. The album’s first track was “You Are the Sunshine of My Life“,which earned Stevie Wonder his first Grammy Award for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance. “Talking Book” is a must have for anybody who wants vintage, hit-making Stevie.

“Tuesday Heartbreak” is one of my favorite tracks off of the album. Written by Steve, a notable player on the track is world renowned alto saxophonist David Sanborn. “You Are the Sunshine of My Life” was released as a 7 inch vinyl single. On the “B-Side” is “Tuesday Heartbreak”. My copy of this vinyl single is perhaps may favorite Motown collectible. I shot the video using a small digital camera…. it sounds a lot better in person… 😉

February 20, 2013February 20, 2013 by dklee13 Categories: UncategorizedTags: B-Side, classic, david sanborn, grammy, music, R&B, single, Stevie wonder, talking book, tuesday heartbreak, vinyl, you are the sunshine of my life Leave a comment

Album Review: Allen Stone’s “Last to Speak”

Allen Stone’s vocal style reminds me of the classic soul and R&B singers of the 60s and 70s. Growing up in the small community of Chewelah, Washington (population 2,606 as of 2010!), it can be hard to imagine a voice as soulful coming from such an isolated city, especially since his dad was a pastor, and he grew up on gospel music, so you’d expect more of a secular influence.

Allen’s first full album release is “Last to Speak”, which, unfortunately, is only (as of the date of this writing) only available in a digital format.

It is a strong debut and gives the listener a craving to follow this talented singer to see where he evolves and takes his music. Though lyrically the music leans closer to folk than I necessarily would prefer, there is no doubt this album highlights the wide range of musical influences that Allen Stone has been able to cultivate at his young age (25 as of the date of this posting).

Elements of classic soul, popular music and R&B are used to tell various stories of heartache, social and religious commentary and self exploration, reminiscent of Stevie Wonder’s work during the late 70s and early 80s (Allen Stone has stated that Stevie Wonder was one of his idols).

I’ll admit that the album sequence could have been better. I would have put “Running Game” and “False Alarms” (in that order) before “Last to Speak”. That’s just a personal preference.

The vocal production is raw. It isn’t polished, softened or auto-tuned, and it shows all of the natural tendencies of Allen’s voice. I saw Allen Stone in concert in 2012, and I can guarantee you that what you hear on this album is how it sound live and in concert.

1. Shelter-I would have picked a different track to open up the album – ****

2. Quit Callin – ***

3. Better Off This Way – *****

4. Reality – I’m a big fan of the keys that open this track – *****

5. Figure It Out -I really love the chorus of this song- *****

6. Poison – For a song about that’s social commentary, I didn’t think the music matched the message-***

7. Running Game – Solid bass line – *****

8. False Alarms – *****

9. Vibe With Ya – ****

10. Breathe Anymore – ****

11. Last To Speak – Strong social message – ****

ALBUM RATING: ****

February 14, 2013February 16, 2013 by dklee13 Categories: UncategorizedTags: Album, allen stone, folk, four stars, Last To Speak, R&B, Review, soul 1 Comment

The Robert Glasper Experiment at The Roxy 2/8/13

I’ve always prided myself in being a jazz aficionado. I’ve tried to educate myself in the history (I’ve watched Ken Burns’s documentary twice) and cultural significance (I wrote my senior Anthropology paper on the influence of Jazz Music on society and culture) of Jazz Music.

I don’t listen to much radio these days, and the music that I “discover” tends to be through word of mouth. I’m a Jill Scott fan, and one day she posted a tweet that caught my attention:

Now, I had heard good things about Robert Glasper (I knew that he was nominated for a 2013 Grammy), but I really didn’t pay too much attention to his music, so this tweet caught my attention. I mean, Jill Scott is so incredibly talented, that if another musician were to give her musical fits, that musician MUST be as, or more, talented than she.

I started pulling up some video from YouTube, and was instantly hooked. It was like a modern day version of Guru’s Jazzamatazz albums. I noticed in one of the YouTube videos a link to purchase tickets to an upcoming show he was to have at the Roxy, and with the Grammy’s that same weekend, I thought it may be a good idea to purchase a couple of tickets to catch the his show. After all, his latest album “Black Radio” had tons of features on it, and who knew how many musicians may have decided to swing through that evening.

I went to the show with a friend, and I’m glad I bought tickets ahead of time I smirked a little bit when the people in front of me in the box office line were told that tickets had sold out.

We got inside while DJ Shafiq was spinning, and were relaxing comfortably when Taylor McFerrin took the stage. It was my first time listening to Taylor McFerrin’s music. He’s a talented producer/vocalist who is signed to Flying Lotus’ Brainfeeder Label. His show consisted of a freestyle improvisation where he riffed on a vocal pattern, stored it in his computer module, and looped it while playing keys or singing over the looped elements. All of a sudden, he started to sing Bobby McFerrin’s “Thinkin’ About Your Body”. I mentioned it to my friend in passing. It wasn’t until the next day that I realized he was Bobby McFerrin’s son. LOL.

After Taylor’s set, The Robert Glasper Experiment took the stage.

My friend trying to sneak a peek of the Robert Glasper setting up. — My friend trying to sneak a peek of the Robert Glasper Experiment setting up.

The set was amazing. I do not, unfortunately, know all of Robert’s music by heart (yet), but I think that they MUST have played the following songs, because the featured artist’s came on stage to perform as well:

Bilal: “Letter To Hermoine”

Bilal and Lupe Fiasco: “Always Shine”

LaLah Hathway: “Cherish The Day”

Ledisi: “Gonna Be Alright (F.T.B.)

And although they weren’t featured on any of the tracks on “Black Radio”, Marsha Ambrosious and Elzhi (of Slum Village) stepped up to the stage to perform as well. Ms. Ambrosious was kind enough to snap a picture of me after her set.

The vibe and setting in the Roxy was intense. Whenever the band started going off an a jazz riff, I kept thinking to my self, “This is what it must have felt like to be at a John Coltrane or Miles Davis show, back in the day.” People were entranced. The music enraptured.

The Robert Glasper Experiment performed with an intensity and focus that is impossible to measure. The beats were on point. The solos amazed. The performance was brilliance animated. Here are a few snippets.

And the kicker was that it was all accessible. Though Jazz is the foundation for American black music, people seem to lack a certain appreciation for it. This evening, the people in the audience ate it up with a spoon. Maybe it was because all of the guest artists made it seem to be more of an R&B or Neo/Soul show, but at the heart of it, it was all jazz. Pure, unadulterated jazz put through an R&B filter. The results? Amazing.

The Robert Glasper Experiment won a Grammy the following night. I’m glad I got to experience the music before the win.