Bridging the Gap August 28, 2024

*Farofa Carioca: "Moro No Brasil" (Moro No Brasil 1998) Genre bending Brazilian group founded by Seu Jorge & Gabriel Moura. 'Farofa' is a dish made of a mixture of multiple ingredients, as is the music of Farofa Carioca, (samba, axe music, choro & xote, as well as hip hop & reggae.

*Forro In The Dark: "Chororo" (Dia De Roda-EP 2008) Forro In The Dark is a NY collective of Brazilian ex-pats Mauro Refosco (perc.), Guilherme Monteiro (guit.) & Jorge Continentino (pifanos, flutes & sax.)

*Bossacucanova: "Consolacao feat. Silvio Cesar" (The Best Of... ) Brazilian group combining bossa nova with electronic music feat. Marcio Menescal, DJ Marcelinho Da Lua & Alex Moreira. Silvio Cesar is a Brazilian composer & singer.

*Brian Jackson, Adrian Younge & Ali Shaheed Muhammad: "Under The Bridge" (JID008 2021) Brian Jackson is a jazz multi-inst. singer & comp. AY: Amer. composer, arranger, prod. ASM: Amer. comp. DJ, prod. & rapper.

*Makaya McCraven: "Mantra feat. Brandee Younger Tomeka Reid, Dezron Douglas & Joel Ross)" (Universal Beings 2018) MM is an Amer. jazz drummer & producer, Universal Beings feat. musicians from NYC, LA & London.

*Max Beesley's High Vibes: "We'll Always Have Yesterday" (Zeus 2023) Writer, arranger, producer Max Beesley is a British musician & actor who plays keys, perc. & vibraphone. He has toured extensively with other acts, Stevie Wonder, George Benson & Earth, Wind & Fire, etc. This is his first solo album.

*Masayoshi Takanaka: "Oh! Tengo Suerte" (Seychelles 1976) Chinese/Japanese guitarist. His first professional gig was with Haruomi Hosono's band Apryl Fool. He was wearing his school uniform.

*Harry Hosono & The Yellow Magic Band: "Japanese Rhumba" (Paraiso 1978) HH is a Jap. sing/songwr. musician & producer considered to be one of the most influential musicians in Jap. pop music history.

*Sadistic Mika Band: "I'm Sittin' On the Edge Of Skies" (Sadistic Mika Band 1973) Jap. glam, funk, rock band formed by guitarist Kazuhiko Kato after being inspired by the English glam rock scene in 1972.

*Youssou N'Dour: "Birima" (The Best Of... ) As a teen YN sang regularly with Star Band, the most successful group in Senegal at the time. He formed Etoile De Dakar in 1981. He is a highly influential musician at home and abroad.

*Segun Bucknor & His Revolution: "La La La" (Nigeria 70 1972) Segun Bucknor was a Nigerian afrobeat keyboardist, vocalist, composer, bandleader & journalist.

*Almon Memela: "The Things We Do In Soweto" (Next Stop Soweto Vol. 4 ) So. Afr. composer, guitarist & producer. He sought guitar lessons at Dorkay House, education & performance center, but instead, they asked him to teach guitar.

*Gasper Lawal: "Kita Kita" (Nigeria 70) In the mid 60s Gasper relocated to London from Nigeria and became a much sought after session musician as well as releasing his own outstanding solo work.

HOUR 2

*Bei Bei & Shawn Lee: "Love In Hong Kong" (Year Of The Funky 2017) Bei Bei is a Chinese guzheng player/teacher & composer living in So. Cal. Shawn Lee is an Amer. multi-inst. producer living in London. This album is their second collaboration.

*Covet: "Merlin" (Catharsis 2023) Chinese/Amer. guitarist, composer & multi-inst. Yvette Young formed Covet in 2014. She writes by singing the parts to herself and transposing them to her guitar.

*Khruangbin: "Dern Kala" (The Universe Smiles Upon You 2015) Inspired by Thai rock/funk they named their band "Khruangbin" which translates to airplane and refers to the International set of influences on their music.

*Flevans: "Some Day feat. Izo FitzRoy" (Part Time Millionaire 2019) Nigel Evans is a British multi-inst. DJ & producer with an eclectic style encompassing funk, soul, breaks & electronic music. IF: Sing/songwr. of soul, gospel & blues.

*Dr. Rubberfunk: "With Love feat. Stephanie Whitelock" (My Life At 45 2020) Simon Ward is a British multi-inst. producer & DJ from Surrey. SW: Sing/songwr.

*Ferry Ultra: "Brown Eyed Love feat. Sharon Phillips" (Ferry Ultra And The Homeless Funkers 2012) DJ producer Ferry Ultra (Ferry Ghods) brings the jazz/funk/soul vibes to spare in loving tribute to all things soulful. SP: Singer from Trinidad & Tobago.

*Ghost Funk Orchestra: "Asphalt Homeland" (?) Composer/prod., multi-inst. Seth Applebaum conceived GFO as a one-man recording project. Experimentation has evolved the project into a powerful live band.

*Guts: "Ghetto In Paradise" (Paradise For All 2011) Guts is Fabrice Franck Henri a French prod./DJ beat maker based in Ibiza.

*Hattler: "Acid Blues No. 1" (Sundae 2021) Helmut Hattler is a German bassist/composer with his own distinctive, innovative style. "We follow no one else. We make our own music."

*Hindu Love Gods: "Wang Dang Doodle" (Hindu Love Gods 1990) Bill Berry, Mike Mills & Peter Buck from R.E.M. got together with rock n roll wild man Warren Zevon for this blues based recording. It was supposedly a drunken all night session resulting in the album.

*Taj Mahal: "Sophisticated Mama" (Senor Blues 1997) Amer. singer, guitarist, multi-inst. & songwriter Henry St. Claire Fredericks (Taj Mahal) incorporates many elements of world music into his blues.

*Albert Collins: "Trash Talkin'" (Trash Talkin' 1969) AC was a Texas singer & guitarist and was the embodiment of Texas blues guitar. His 'ice cold' sound earned him the nickname "Ice Man."

*Ike Turner: "Bi Polar" (Risin' With The Blues 2006) Amer. musician, songwriter, bandleader, arranger & producer known as a great innovator in rock n roll.