Eclectic Grooves

Thanks for the positive comments on the Steve Reid post. I enjoy turning people on to creative and interesting music that they might not have been exposed to yet. That's the whole reason that I keep this blog up and running. I know that I haven't exactly been a prolific poster, but I hope to post more frequently in the future. First, I want to expose your ears to the euphoric sounds of the ethno-spiritual free jazz sextet, the Evolutionary Jass Band . Evolutionary Jass Band's founding members Jef Brown and Michael Henrickson(formerly of the Portland avant garde collective JOMF ) started the Evolutionary Jass Band around 2001 with the idea of creating spontaneous music with heart and soul. They were originally named the Steele Street Revolutionary Jass Band, but Jef felt that the band should be more about change and evolving. With a similar open-door membership policy to JOMF , their band members have included many of the talented multi-instrumentalists that have been emerg...

When I picked up the latest issue of Wax Poetics , my head was overloaded with new musical ideas for this blog. For those of you who have never heard of Wax Poetics , it's one of the most artistically creative and entertaining zines focusing on jazz, funk, soul and hip-hop from the past and present. Previous covers of Wax Poetics have featured such heavy hitters as James Brown, Isaac Hayes, The Meters and David Axelrod. The April/May issue of Wax Poetics features an engaging interview with Steve Reid , one of the most trailblazing drummers/percussionsists in the musical pantheon. Reid got his start in music at age seventeen when Martha and the Vandellas came to play at his high school. Their drummer was a no-show, so Reid sat in and eventually became a member of their touring band, even playing on a couple of Martha and the Vandella's hit songs "Dancing In the Street" and "Love Is Like a Heat Wave". After a year of touring and recording with Martha and the...