Bridging the Gap January 3, 2023

*Kamasi Washington: "Integrity" (Harmony Of Difference -EP 2017) Amer. jazz saxophonist, composer, producer & band leader. He has played with a wide array of artists from Snoop Dog & Nas to Wayne Shorter & Herbie Hancock.

*Makaya McCraven: "Sunset" (Deciphering The Message 2021) Amer. jazz drummer/multi-inst. & producer. Father drummer Steven McCraven & mother Hungarian folk singer Agnes Zsigmondi.

*The Jazz Defenders: "Wagger Jaunt" (King Phoenix 2022) Briston UK based quintet led by pianist George Cooper with their original modern soul jazz take on classic hard bop of the Blue Note era of jazz.

*Hattler: "Teaser" (Velocity 2018) German composer, producer & bass guitarist extraordinaire Helmut Hattler is continually reinventing himself. Hattler is one of these incarnations feat. Fola Dada soulful singer and dancer from Stuttgart.

*Flevans: "Some Day feat. Izo FitzRoy" (Part Time Millionaire 2019) Nigel Evans is a British musician, multi-inst., DJ & producer whose eclectic style includes funk, breaks, soul & electronica. IF: Brit. sing/ songwr. & pianist.

*Eric Lau: "Let It Out feat. Rahel" (New Territories 2008) British soul producer mixes samples with live and sequenced instrumentation. Rahel: Singer/songwr. of soul & alternative pop music.

*Ozomatli: "Te Estoy Buscando" (Street Signs 2004) LA based band combining latin & world influences with funk & hip hop. They are a politically conscious band advocating for social change through music and activism.

*Empresarios: "A Fuego Lento" (The Vibes 2015) Amer. latin fusion funk band from Wash. DC. Their sound is described a "Tropicaliente." Band leader Javier Miranda & lead singers Frankie Rosado & Felix Perez are all from Puerto Rico.

*Sidestepper: "La Flor Y La Voz, Pt. 2" (Supernatural Love 2015) Sidestepper started as a studio project of producer Richard Blair in the mid 90s. He went to Colombia to work with legendary singer Toto La Momposina and stayed.

*Orgone: "The Truth feat. Kelly Finnegan" (Connection 2021) Amer. funk, soul, afrobeat band from LA led by Dan Hastie & Sergio Rios. KF: Songwr. producer & lead singer of Monophonics.

*The Neville Brothers: "Fire And Brimstone" (Yellow Moon 1989) Art, Charles, Aaron & Cyril Neville formed the legendary funk, soul & R&B group in 1976 after convening to record with The Wild Tchoupitoulas, a Mardi Gras Indian group led by their uncle George Landry aka Big Chief Jolly.

*Mr. Confuse: "Only A Man feat. Dan Salem" (Only A Man 2018) Hannover Germany based producer, label owner & DJ with a unique style: the "Mr. Confuse Sound" defined by his creativity & authenticity.

*Chris Joss: "Lost Track" (Volume II 2019) French multi-inst. producer suffers from misophonia making live performance impossible.

HOUR 2

*Carole King: "Smackwater Jack" (Tapestry 1971) Amer. sing/songwr. pianist Carol Joan Klein started performing in high school while dating Neil Sedaka. She became songwriting partners with Gerry Goffin and they later married. Carole was inducted into the Songwriters Hall Of Fame in 1987.

*Mother Earth: "It Won't Be Long" (Living With The Animals 1968) Eclectic blues rock band formed in 1967 in California fronted by now iconic singer Tracy Nelson.

*Alice Russell: "Two Steps" (Pot Of Gold 2008) British soul singer Alice Russell grew up in a musical family. Her father was an organist and she began studying the cello at age nine. Along with fronting her own band she has collaborated with a wide array of artists such as Quantic, TM Juke & Nostalgia 77.

*Black Pumas: "Fire" (Black Pumas 2019) Formed by multi-inst. producer & composer Adrian Quesada & singer/songwr. Eric Burton in Austin TX in 2018. Burton had been busking in CA and moved to Austin where he met and formed a partnership with Quesada.

*Aja West & Friends: "My Modo" (Total Recall 2012) Seattle funk meister, leader of The Mackrosoft & label owner Aja West assembled "friends" including musician/singer Reggie Watts for this excellent funk/soul record.

*The Bamboos: "If Not Now (Then When) feat. Durand Jones" (Hard Up 2021) Australia's premier deep funk outfit led by lead guitarist/producer/songwr. Lance Ferguson. DJ: Amer. Neo soul singer from Louisiana.

*Bajka: "Muro Ilo" (Zaiedno! ) Bajka are a band from Mayenne in the NW of France and draw on Gypsy traditions. They also play in the Romanian taraf tradition. 

*Banda Magda: "Le Tigre Malin" (Tigre 2017) Led by Greek singer, accordionist, composer & producer Magda Giannikou, Banda Magda is a true 'world music' band.  She sings in multiple languages and the band moves effortlessly between styles.

*El Michels Affair: "Zaharila feat. Piya Malik" (Yeti Season 2021) NYC funk/soul band founded by Leon Michels in 2005. PM: Indian singer/actress from London residing in Brooklyn.

*The Dining Rooms: "Sergio Leone Asteroid" (Do Hipsters Love Sun (Ra)? 2015) Italian jazz electro duo of multi-inst. sing/songwr. Cesare Malfatti & DJ Stefano Ghittoni .

*Bill Laswell, Bernie Worrell & Karsh Kale: "Shochurolling" (Funkcronomic-EP 2016) Amer. bassist, producer & label owner Bill Laswell, Amer. keyboardist, composer, producer Bernie Worrell & drummer percussionist Karsh Kale came together for this funky, psychedelic EP.

*Bei Bei & Shawn Lee: "Love In Hong Kong" (Year Of The Funky 2017) Chinese guzheng player composer & teacher living in LA & Amer. multi-inst. producer Shawn Lee residing in London collaborated on their second album of fabulous world funk.

*The Mackrosoft: "Lucky Charms" (Straight Outta ROMpton 2003) Seattle funk legend Aja West fronts The Mackrosoft band and runs the Mackrosoft Record label.