Modern Griot Reviews: #FunkGodJazzMedicine at Weeksville

Our society often focuses more on representation and showing images of oppressed people as proof we have “progressed,” but the other side of true moving forward for people who live in oppressive societies is self-determination, something that often gets ignored for the more superficial representation only politics. Self-determination is the freedom and ability to control […]

Modern Griots: Rahsaan Roland Kirk

Today is the day I entered into this world and one way I will celebrate is with a tribute post to musician Rahsaan Roland Kirk, with whom I share a birthday. “Y’ know, Music is a beautiful thing. When I’m reincarnated, I’m gonna come back as a musical note! That way can’t nobody capture me. […]

Moving On the Wires: SHAOLIN JAZZ L!ve in DC

For those in the Washington, DC area today, Shaolin Jazz is doing their first musical performance tonight at the legendary Blues Alley. It is the first DJ-led performance at Blues Alley including DJ 2-Tone Jones, the co-creator of SHAOLIN JAZZ, his fellow band members of Sound of the City and special guest artists.. Their repertoire […]

Modern Griots: Onyx Ashanti

Onyx Ashanti created a new style called Beat Jazz,” which is all produced on two handheld controllers, iphone and a mouthpiece. This is how he describes his work and himself: I am what can only be described as a cyborg musician. in other words, the music I create live, can not be replicated without technology. […]

Otherworldy Videos: Mr. Porter

1960 What? Be Good (Lion’s Song) Be Good (Lion’s Song) Lyrics Video

…An Album By Its Cover: Herbie Hancock

Herbie Hancock is an innovative jazz musicians, but he also knows how to pick great album covers. Also, here is an article placing Hancock in a futurist context. Thrust (1974), Cover by Robert Springett Magic Windows (1981), Cover by David Ross Head Hunters (1973), Cover by Victor Moscoso The Solid Steel Interview (2002) Future Shock […]

Rewind: “Bridging the Gap”

Nas feat. Olu Dara- Bridging the Gap I remember seeing this video a few years ago and I remember liking it, but it did not fully connect with me until recently when I started my research on jazz, blues and hip-hop for my senior projects. My appreciation of Nas increased knowing that his father is […]

Modern Griots: Coltrane Curtis

“Coltrane Curtis, most recently known as the managing partner of New York-based media company Epiphany, is the latest to be chronicled in R+I Creative’s The Pursuit of (Cool) series. This latest video focuses on Coltrane’s fashion influences from the world of jazz. He speaks about why people like Duke Ellington, Wynton Marsalis and Mos Def […]

We’ve Got the Jazz (Style)

Jazz musician Etienne Charles speaks about how today’s hip-hop style is borrowing a lot from yesterday’s jazz style– the suits, ties, fedoras, jackets. Check out more from iRock Jazz.

Modern Griots: Gerald Watson, DJ 2-tone Jones and Shaolin Jazz

Yesterday, I wrote about the Festival of the Nw Black Imagination and one of the speakers was DJ 2-tone Jones. The idea for Jones and Watson’s project started with the graphic designer Logan Walters‘ project called, Wu-Note, in which he redesigned Wu-Tang Clan album covers as if they were original jazz Blue Note Records albums. […]