Bridging the Gap May 21, 2025

*David Nesselhauf: "The Calling" (A Guide To Afrokraut III 2023) German bassist, prod. & comp. David Nesselhauf (Hamburg Spinners, Diazpora) fuses elements of krautrock & afrobeat into his adventurous music.

*The Electric Peanut Butter Company: "Fat Budda" (Trans-Atlantic Psych Classics, Vol. 1 2014) Amer. multi-inst. prod. comp. Shawn Lee joins with fellow Amer. multi-inst. prod. comp. Adrian Quesada sending music back & forth across the Atlantic to create their retro-funk psychedelic classics.

*Chris Joss: "Sleazy Backdoor" (Escape Unlikely 2016) Prolific French multi-inst. prod. Chris Joss builds his songs one instrument at a time. Chris suffers from hyperacusis, a debilitating condition which prevents him from playing live.

*The Claypool Lennon Delirium: "Cricket And The Genie (Movement I, The Delirium)" (Monolith Of Phobos 2016) Leader of Primus, Les Claypool & multi-inst. sing. comp. Sean Lennon, son of John & Yoko got together after Primus & GOASST toured together to make this "old school psychedelic space rock record."

*GOASST: "Midnight Sun" (Midnight Sun 2014) Amer./Brit. Sean Lennon & Amer. model, sing. & musician Charlotte Kemp Muhl are a couple and Sean says he "stumbled" on Charlotte's musical talents more than a year after they started dating.

*Nightmares On Wax: "Breathe In feat. Oshun" (Shout Out To Freedom... 2021) Eng. DJ prod. George Evelyn is NOW. He started his own label in 2005 called Wax On. Oshun is hip hop soul duo of Thandiwe & Niambi Sala.

*Novalima: "La Danza" (La Danza Pt. 1-EP 2023) Founders Ramon Prieto (Lima), Rafael Morales (London), Carlos Li Carillo (Hong Kong) & Grimaldo Del Solar (Barcelona) met as high school students in Lima put together their first album sending CDs to each other from their far flung locations.

*Adrian Quesada & iLe: "Mentiras Con Carino" (Boleros Psicodelicos 2022) AustinTX based comp. prod. multi-inst. AQuesada pays tribute to 60s & 70s Latin psychedelic ballads with his own compositions & covers. iLe is a Puerto Rican singer & former member of Calle 13.

*Bahama Soul Club: "Rumba Fugaz (Jack & Jointz Remix)" (The Havana Remixes 2017) German born, Portugal based group led by comp. prod. eng. Oliver Belz who started out in music as a drummer in jazz rock & soul bands.

*Bella Brown & The Jealous Lovers: "Soul Clap (Radio Edit)" (Soul Clap-Single 2024) Sing. songwr. dancer actress & choreographer Carol Hatchett is Bella Brown. She was a Harlette with Bette Midler & now fronts her own classic soul/funk band.

*Beta Hector: "Payback feat. Dionne Charles" (Payback/Creepin'-Single 2010) Multi-inst., prod. & DJ Simon Hill is Beta Hector. He formed Baby Charles with singer Dionne Charles.

*Betty Davis: "Come Take Me" (Betty Davis 1973) Amer. model, funk & soul singer/songwr. known for her memorable live performances was married to Miles Davis from 1978-80.

*Booker T. & The MG's: "Over Easy" (The Best Of... ) Amer. organist Booker T. Jones led this instrumental R&B & soul combo. They were the house band for Stax Records in the 60s & early 70s.

HOUR 2

*Club Des Belugas & Lene Riebau: "Playing On The Radio" (How To Avoid Difficult Situations 2021) CdB are a German nu jazz band incorporating Black Amer. sounds of the 50s, 60s & 70s led by Maxim Ilion (Martin Kratzenstein) & Kitty The Bill (Katrin Stoffel). Lene Riebau is a Danish jazz singer.

*De-Phazz: "Cougar feat. Barbara Lahr & Tubliah" (Jelly Banquet 2022) Downt. German jazz band led by comp. prod. sound painter Pit Baumgartner. Barbara Lahr is a German sing. guit. bass. Tubliah is a Germ. guit. songwr.

*The Dining Rooms: "Art Is A Cat feat. Beatrice Velasco Moreno" (Art Is A Cat 2020) Italian jazz, electronic & downt. prod. duo of Cesare Malfatti (bass, guit. & keys) & Stefano Ghittoni (electronics, keys & vox).

*Don "Sugarcane" Harris: "Which Way Is The Bathroom" (Keep On Driving 1970) Amer. sing. violinist & guit. played R&B as Don & Dewey in the 50s. Later known for his jazz/blues fusion playing with John Mayall, Frank Zappa & Johnny Otis.

*Frank Zappa: "Watermelon In Easter Hay" (Guitar 1988) Amer. iconoclast & guitarist FZ put out this album of solos culled from live performances & released as 32 tracks on CD.

*Gary Bartz, Adrian Younge & Ali Shaheed Muhammad: "Spiritual Ideation" (JID006 2021) Comp. prod. AYounge & DJ, comp. prod. Ali Shaheed Muhammad feat. Amer. jazz alto sax performer comp. Gary Bartz on this 6th edition of their Jazz Is Dead series.

*The Greyboy Allstars: "Profundo Grosso" (Inland Emperor 2012) The band came together in 1994 when asked by DJ Greyboy to play a record release party. They enjoyed it so much that they decided to stay together as a band.

*Hamburg Spinners: "Huschdegudsl" (Im Schwarzwald 2024) German funk, jazz, modal band playing soulful grooves & solid R&B from smokin' organ guitar bass & drums.

*Low Fidelity Jet Set Orchestra: "Behind The Star-System" (Searching For A Bit Of Popularity 2008) Hammond organ, deep funk roots, jazz & bossa nova excursions characterize LRJSO's sound. Formed by Italians Dave Masoch (computer, programming & sampling) & Paolo "Apollo" Negri (Hammond organ).

*Manu Dibango: "Homeless feat. Ray Lema" (Wakafrika 1994) Cameroonian saxophonist who began his musical career in Brussels & Paris in the 1950s. His International breakthrough came in 1972 with the song Soul Makossa. Ray Lema is a pianist, guitarist & songwr. from Lufu-Toto (Congo.)

*Gyedu-Blay Ambolley: "Adwoa" (Simigwa 1975) Highlife sing./songwr. comp. & prod GB Ambolley is from Ghana. He created "hiplife" when he combined hip hop & highlife music.

*Orchestre Poly-Rhythmo De Cotonou: "Zizi" (Echos-Hypnotiques Vol. 2 ) Band from Benin in W. Afr. founded by singer Melome Clement in 1968.

*Houghas Sorowonko: "Enuanom Adofo" (Ghana Special... ) Featuring Gyedu-Blay Ambolley (musician, prod. songwr.).