Gregory Porter - an amazing singer

 I don't do a good job of keeping track of new artists and many may laugh that I recently came across music by Gregory Porter.  I initially heard Gregory on the radio and was fairly impressed with what little bit of his music they played.  Several weeks later, I was in a local music store digging through the crates as they say and came across what I suspect may be Porter's first CD.  I immediately purchased the CD and inserted into the player in my car - yes my car still has a CD player - and was amazed by the music created by Gregory and his band.  If you are not familiar with Gregory's music, I ask that you invest 11 minutes or so of your time to listen to the tracks below.  I'm not a music critic so my description of Gregory's music may be somewhat lacking. That being said, his voice is both rich and powerful. There is clarity in his voice and he has a pace that varies from slow and low to upbeat.  The musical backing on the two tracks below are phenomenal and truly make these songs (and the CD as a whole) very special.  When I listen to his voice and music to an extent, it reminds me very much of  Dianne Reeves (another special artist).  I hope you take the time to listen to the tracks below.

Enjoy the tunes!

Gregory Porter

Real Good Hands

On My Way to Harlem

Dianne Reeves - I can't quite explain why Porter's music reminds me or Dianne, but it does. Take a listen and see what you think.

Better Days

Rindge Leaphart

https://www.linkedin.com/in/rindgeleaphart/ 

 As of late I have been fortune to come across recordings from a variety of jazz musicians. Below are links to some of these artists.  Many of these artists might be well known to others, but they are definitely new to me.  I'm glad to have come across their music. I hope you enjoy this random sampling of artists.

Sonny Criss: The Beat Goes On 

Stanley Turrentine: Pieces of Dreams

Chris Potter: Live

Stanley Getz: https://www.Stan Getz & Joao Gilberto - Corcovadoyoutube.com/watch?v=W-YnyZG8fNU

Hugh Masekela: Grazing in the Grass

Vincent Herring: Straight Street

Clark Terry St Louis Blues I heard this tune the other day and found it quite playful and fun to listen to Enjoy!

Those are just a few of the artists.  As I come across others, I will amend the list.  I hope to be able to find CD's of their music.

All the best,

Rindge Leaphart

Sneaker Fans - Rindge Leaphart

https://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2016/12/sneakers-have-always-been-political-shoes/511628/

Sharing an article that sneaker-heads might enjoy.  Also, if you have not seen the film: “Just for Kicks”, I'd suggest tracking it down for a view or two.

Rindge Leaphart

Quite Colourful Indeed by Rindge Leaphart

I recently came across Colourful Radio out of the UK, a true gem.  In my search for great international music, I discovered Colourful Radio.  The station plays what seems to be a heavy dose of US artists, but also music by artists out of the UK, the Caribbean, as well as other parts of Europe.  What I find quite interesting, is that a decent portion of the music by US artists are cuts that I am not familiar with.  It's as if they have found a treasure trove of B-side cuts that may have been overlooked by others.  Or it could just be, that I am not as up-to-date on Neo-Soul artists and cuts as I think I am. Either way, the music is great.  I have caught several interviews of artists that were thorough and well done.  Not cookie cutter interviews by any means.  The station is now a regular on my playlist and I'm actually listening as type this post.  Make sure to check out the links below to add some Colour to your listening experience.


http://www.colourfulradio.com/

Guest Interviews on Colourful

Rindge Leaphart

Hip Hop from Turkey

Quick update on Ceza;

I happened to be in Boston this past summer (2021) and had the opportunity to be in an Uber with a driver from Turkey.  He was playing rap music and we started talking about different artists from Turkey.  Turns out he is a big fan Ceza as well. The conversation and listening to his sample of Turkish rappers including Ceza made for an enjoyable ride.

Regards,

Rindge Leaphart  

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I recently picked up a couple of CD's of Turkish rap.  The first CD is by Sogopa Kajmer & Kolera and titled Bendeki Sen.  The second CD is by Ceza and titled Suspus.  Let me start off by saying I don't understand the Turkish language at all.  So why by purchase CD's of Turkish rappers?  Because I enjoy learning / listening about how Hip Hop and Rap music manifests itself overseas.  Plus, you never know, you might just pick up a CD with great music even if you don't understand the lyrics.

Both of the CD's were enjoyable.  I think Sagopa and Kolera did a god job with their duets if you will.  I like how they incorporated riffs / samples of American rap on their CD (sampling was once the lifeblood of rap and may still be).  The last  cut on the CD Scratch Diploma is one of my favorite cuts as it is roughly 4+ minutes of a DJ scratching.  The entire CD can be accessed via the following link: Bendeki Sen

Ceza's CD has a number of cuts I found enjoyable.  Ceza has a number of cuts with not only rapid fire lyrics but also very sonic-ally please music and of course the DJ scratching brings a smile to my face.  Several cuts that you might want to check out are: Suspus , Ne De Zor , Ders Al - rapid fire lyrics and one of my favorites is Milyon Farkli Hikaye not sure what he is rapping about on this cut but he sounds very passionate and the beats are somewhat melancholy lending support to that whatever the subject is it is quite important to him.


I hope you enjoy this dispatch!

Rindge Leaphart

http://www.linkedin.com/in/rindgeleaphart
http://rindgeleaphart.wordpress.com/

Mixtape of funky Arabic tunes from the ’60s and ’70s collected by Jannis of Jakarta Records

I found the link below on Wax Poetics - "funky" is a very good description. Music is catchy and has a very upbeat pace.  In some instance you can tell the music is dated, but good music is good music and it transcends time.  Hopefully you will enjoy as much as I did.

http://www.waxpoetics.com/music/mixtape/mixtape-funky-arabic-tunes-60s-70s-collected-jannis-jakarta-records/ 


Rindge Leaphart

http://www.linkedin.com/in/rindgeleaphart
http://rindgeleaphart.wordpress.com/ 

Rindge Leaphart thoughts on Les Nubians

French language Neo Soul is how the two sisters from France describe their music.  I would also add in a dash of Spoken word.  I read an article about the dynamic duo in the WSJ years ago and decided to pick up their CD.  I must say I was pleasantly surprised.   The CD is titled Les Nubians presents Echos.  It is a compilation of spoken word with really nice beats (similar to my previous post http://rindgeleaphart.blogspot.com/2012/04/rindge-leaphart-comments-on-abd-al.html). The spoken word was a mix of English and French.  The spoken word on this CD  has some very clever lyrics.  When you match the lyrics with the beats, this CD is a winner.  There are multiple artists who are presented on this CD and they all shine.  The track titled NYC is one of my favorites.  This is a really nice CD to sit back and listen to with your loved one.


Rindge Leaphart

http://rindgeleaphart1.wordpress.com/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/rindgeleaphart/

http://www.lesnubians.com/

http://www.lesnubians.com/bio
http://www.myspace.com/echosnubianvoyager

Rindge Leaphart Comments on Xavier Naidoo

I picked up  Xavier Naidoo's CD titled Zwischenspiel/Alles für Den Herrn (http://www.amazon.de/Zwischenspiel-Alles-f%C3%BCr-Den-Herrn/dp/B00005YXHB) while in Germany and it is one of my most cherished CD's.  Xavier has a very soulful voice.  I've always been disappointed that his music did not make it across the Atlantic.  It could be that most of his music is in German, but even then it is still great music and his voice is very powerful.  The CD above is a 2 CD set and every track has great music combined with a soulful voice.  I haven't listened to other music from Xavier besides these CD's so I can't attest to his other recordings.  Some of the recording are English.  If you listen to these CD's with an open mind and you have an appreciation for soul music, I think you will be very impressed.  There are at least 1-2 tracks where he has a rapper perform with him that is also sonically pleasing.  He gets credit for having a phenomenal voice, but credit should also be given to whomever arranged the music.  Top notch production!

Does anyone else have any comments they can share about Xavier?

http://www.xavier.de/microsite/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xavier_Naidoo

http://rindgeleaphart.wordpress.com/

Rindge Leaphart

Rindge Leaphart Review of Shad

I came across Shad's The Old Prince CD while in Canada.  It was somewhat difficult finding a CD.  I asked one of the workers at the store to recommend popular Canadian rappers and he kept referring me to US artists.  After a little persistence, I finally found a Canadian rapper (I think this was before Drake hit it big) - Shad.

I don't know how Shad is viewed in Canada.  I found his style and lyrics to be somewhat whimsical and not too serious, which at times is refreshing.   His music on the CD was not "hardcore" by any means, I would call them light and easy on the ears, if not overly appealing to my sonic tastes.  I can't say Shad is one my favorite finds from international rappers, but I enjoyed his CD, even if it is not on my "must listen to regularly list"

I have included a link to one my favorite songs off of his CD below.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shad_%28rapper%29

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ExOCc_bHj6U&feature=related

http://rindgeleaphart.wordpress.com/

Rindge Leaphart

Mark B and Blade from the UK - Rindge Leaphart Review

I came across the CD while in the UK back in 2000 or 2001.  I stopped into a music store and asked the sales guy to recommend a good rap CD.  He pointed me in the direction of Mark B and Blade.  What a great album..  Years later and this CD still excites me.  One of the things I like about the CD is that it reminds me of what hip hop in the US used to be.  Fat beats, great dj, with scratching, and tight lyrics.  The rapper told his story (or I assume it was his).  Minimal foul language and 12 tracks or so that were all tight.  This is a great CD that I rarely tire of.  Anybody else know of any good UK rappers that they would recommend?

Rindge Leaphart

http://tunedr.blogspot.com/2012/03/hip-hop-classics-mark-b-and-blade.html

Global Music

This is my first post and I will keep it short.  The purpose of this blog is to share some of my findings on global music that I have come across.  Hopefully others will benefit from the little I have to share and offer up some of the favorite sounds from around the world.

Rindge Leaphart