Zblog

This is another hard list to pick..... man, there's been some good shows. These are the shows that gave me the goose bumps 'cause the the bands rocked, the crowd was bumpin', and I picked up lots of musical insight. If you have recommendations of a good show, let me know.... and maybe I'll add it to the list.

1) GROVER WASHINGTON JR./J.J. JOHNSON- Mt. Hood Jazz Festival: Gresham, OR (1986)
2) WAR/OHIO PLAYERS- Bumbershoot Festival: Seattle, WA (1993)
3) OUTKAST/BLACK EYED PEAS- Roseland Theatre: Portland, OR (1999)
4) CHICAGO ART ENSEMBLE/CAB CALLOWAY- Bumbershoot Festival: Seattle, WA (1993)
5) MACEO PARKER/MAKTUB- Crystal Ballroom: Portland, OR (1999)
6) THE FUNKY METERS- Bumbershoot Festival: Seattle, WA (1999)
7) PRINCE PAUL- Wow Hall: Eugene, OR (2000)
8) TOWER OF POWER/ISAAC HAYES- Bumbershoot Festival: Seattle, WA (1999)
9) EARTH, WIND, & FIRE- Oregon State Fair: Salem, OR (1996)
10) CROWN CITY ROCKERS- Blake's on Telegraph: Berkeley, CA (2003)

If your lookin' to get an edge in the music industry or you're just curious to read about musicians and their life, then I recommend checking these out...

1) AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF MILES DAVIS- Miles Davis
2) CONFESSIONS OF A RECORD PRODUCER: HOW TO SURVIVE THE SCAMS AND SHAMS OF THE MUSIC BUSINESS- Moses Avalon
3) Q: THE AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF QUINCY JONES- Quincy Jones
4) KIND OF BLUE- THE MAKING OF THE MILES DAVIS MASTERPIECE- Ashley Kahn and Jimmy Cobb
5) THELONIOUS MONK- Louis Joos
6) BUPPIES, B-BOYS, BAPS AND BOHOS: NOTES ON POST SOUL BLACK CULTURE- Nelson George
7) FUNK: THE MUSIC, THE PEOPLE, AND THE RHYTHM OF THE ONE- Rickey Vincent
8) PUBLIC ENEMY- Chuck D
9) THE THELONIOUS MONK READER- Rob Van Der Bliek
10) RUMINATIONS- KRS-One

This was tough, I think there's several albums that I didn't list that have as much influence on me as the one's in the top twelve. Again, these are the top twelve most impressionable albums.... In other words, these albums changed the way I looked and felt about music. For instance, I bought the first Pharcyde CD before I had bought a CD player.... and when my brother brought home a copy of Quincy Jones THE DUDE album I walked around town for months singing, "who is it... that walks the street with all the action..... it's the dude." I'd always try to stick my head out like the dude sculpture on the cover.... and you gotta love those Ohio Player album covers. Check out the picks!


1) THERE'S A RIOT GOIN' ON- Sly and the Family Stone
2) MIDNIGHT MARAUDERS- A Tribe Called Quest
3) FIRE- Ohio Players
4) THE DUDE- Quincy Jones
5) BIZARRE RIDE II THE PHARCYDE- The Pharcyde
6) MISTER MAGIC- Grover Washington Jr.
7) SURVIVAL OF THE FITTEST- The Headhunters
8) A DONNY HATHAWAY COLLECTION- Donny Hathaway
9) SUPERFLY SOUNDTRACK- Curtis Mayfield
10) LIGHT OF WORLDS- Kool & the Gang
11) KIND OF BLUE- Miles Davis
12) SONS OF SOUL- Tony, Toni, Tone

This is my debut posting on the newest page of my web site.... the zblog. The zblog will offer periodically posted journal entries, news, and special topics. Keep checking back for more, cause I'll keep things up to date while on tour, in the studio, or when I feel like something needs to be heard.

These are exciting times for me these days. I'm currently in the middle of recording my first album under my new music production title, WHY AND HOW DO YOU KNOW MUSIC. I hope to have the album completed by this summer. The album will feature a handful of my favorite local Bay Area artists, including: PISEAS spittin' the raps, DAWGISHT doin' the beats and engineering, TIMM WALKER doin' his phatty bass lines, and the album will be mixed and mastered by KIP BEELMAN of Seattle's Soundhouse Recording. Don't be fooled, this album will shake your booty so hard that your pants may fall off.... and I know many of you wear some tight pants, so that's some major booty shakin'.

Also, starting in May, I'll start performing with the band called, THE GET DOWN. The band members are John Chell on drums, Ian Strider on bass, Ryan Riley on guitar, Patrick Gloria doin' vocals, and myself on the keys. We play some mean dance grooves and rockin' funk jams, so watch out for upcomin' shows in a venue near you.