Bridging the Gap July 9, 2025

*Booker T. & The MG's: "Fuquawi" (Melting Pot 1970) Amer. inst. band feat. Booker T. Jones on keys & Steve Cropper on lead guit. They were one of the first racially integrated rock groups and the house band for Stax Records.

*Blundetto: "Pais Azucar" (Good Good Things 2020) Blundetto is French prod. DJ, sing. comp. Max Guiguet playing electro, funk, soul, jazz, reggae, dub & world music.

*Bebo Best & The Super Lounge Orchestra: "Ocean 14" (Jazzmamba 2016) Italian comp. musician, arr. & eng. Bebo Baldan is Bebo Best. He has worked with a wide variety of international musicians from FZ to Nicola Conte & is now based in Portugal.

*Beastie Boys: "Namaste" (The In Sound From Way Out! 1996) Amer. hip hop band formed in 1981 as a hard core punk group. They became a rap band & continued until 2012 after the death of vox & bassist Adam Yauch.

*The Mackrosoft: "Life Is Too Short" (S.E.M.E. 2009) Amer. jazz funk fusion band led by multi-inst. comp. Aja West out of Seattle, Wa. They put out more than 20 albums until West passed away in 2022.

*Liftoff: "Shine" (Sunday Morning Airplay 2011) Fort Knox Recordings artist Liftoff are Johnna Raskin vox, bass, husband Steve Raskin comp. prod. guit. keys, Rob Myers guit. sitar & Steve Albert guit.

*El Michels Affair: "Unathi feat. Piya Malik" (Yeti Season 2021) NYC based funk, soul, hip hop band founded circa 2002 by multi-inst. prod. comp. Leon Michels. Piya Malik is an Indian sing/songwr. who is also part of Say She She.

*Anoushka Shankar & Norah Jones: "Traces Of You" (Traces Of You 2013) A Shankar is an Indian sitar player & comp. born in London. Her father is Ravi Shankar and Amer. sing/songwr Norah Jones is her half sister.

*Susheela Raman: "Meanwhile" (Music For Crocodiles 2005) Susheela Raman is a Brit. Tamil sing/songwr. Her music is built on the sacred Bhakti & Sufi traditions of India & Pakistan. 

*Stevie Wonder: "Cash In Your Face" (Hotter Than July 1980) S Wonder is an Amer. multi-inst. comp. sing. humanitarian, social activist & multi Grammy award winning performer. He has been at the forefront of presenting music that address societal injustice while remaining musically innovative.

*Gil Scott-Heron: "Not Needed" (Real Eyes 1980) Amer. sing. spoken word artist, activist & author. He worked with Brian Jackson to create a fusion of jazz, blues & soul music with a pointed political message.

*Marvin Gaye: "What's Going On" (What's Going On 1971) Amer. sing/songwr. with a 3 octave vocal range known for his soulful love songs as well as his poignant political sensibilities. He was shot to death by his father in 1984.

*Medeski Martin & Wood: "Queen Bee" (End Of The World Party (Just In Case) 2004) Amer. prog. avant funk, jazz, post rock trio.

HOUR 2

*The Souljazz Orchestra: "One Life To Live" (Inner Fire 2014) Canadian afro jazz funk band from Ottawa created in 2002. They record on the Strut Record label which focuses on dance & afrobeat music.

*Lloyd Miller & The Heliocentrics: "Electricone" (LM & The H... 2010) Lloyd Miller is a renowned ethnomusicologist & musican. The Heliocentrics are a world music project from perc. comp. prod. Malcolm Catto & co-founder prod. & bassist Jake Ferguson.

*Farafina & Jon Hassell: "Air Afrique (Wind)" (Flash Of The Spirit 1988) Farafina are a group from Burkina Faso in W. Africa. J Hassell is Amer. trumpeter, comp. & author who created "Fourth World" music that is ancient & digital, composed & improvised & Eastern & Western.

*Haruomi Hosono: "My Bank Account Is Gone" (Heavenly Music 2013) H Hosono is a Jap. comp. prod. musician known as one of the premier influences in modern Jap. pop music. He was co-founder of Yellow Magic Orchestra & has a massive solo output.

*Harry Hosono & The World Shyness: "Body Snatchers" (Flying Saucer 1947 2007) The brilliant Harry Hosono reworking some of his 'classic' songs & covering some UFO themed songs in a country western vein.

*David Bromberg: "Keep On Drinkin'" (Only Slightly Mad 2013) Amer. multi-inst. sing/songwr. prod. arr. D Bromberg is known for his quirky, humorous lyrics and ability to play rhythm & lead guit. simultaneously.

*Club Des Belugas & Anna Luca: "Set Fire To It All" (How To Avoid Difficult Situations 2021) German nu jazz band led by Katrin Stoffel (Kitty The Bill) & Maxim Ilion (Martin Kratzenstein) feat. sing/songwr. Anna Luca.

*De-Phazz: Love Doesn't Care feat. Patt Appleton & Karl Frierson" (Jelly Banquet 2022) Downt. jazz ensemble fm Germany led by prod. comp. sound painter Pit Baumgartner. Pat Appleton is a Germ. sing/songwr. Amer. sing/songwr. Karl Frierson formed De-Phazz w/P Baumgartner.

*The Dining Rooms: "Teach Me To Dance feat. Beatrice Velasco Moreno & Sean Martin (Art Is A Cat 2020) Italian downt. fusing jazz & electro. with Stefano Ghittani & Cesare Malfatti.

*DJ Dress & Marty Williams: "Island Tree" (The Complete Moon Bay Sessions 2007) DJ Drez is DJ prod. Stephen Bradley & M Williams is SF Bay Area pianist, sing/songwr. & prod. 

*Adrian Younge & Ali Shaheed Muhammad: "Cosmic Changes (Inst.)" (JID019 2023) AY & ASM paying tribute to famous afrobeat drummer & comp. Tony Allen.

*Aja West & Cheeba: "Future Felines" (Flash & Snowball 2005) Brothers & Seattle funk legends Aja West & Cheeba paying tribute to their childhood cats, Flash & Snowball.

*Bela Fleck & The Flecktone: "Rococo" (The Hidden Land 2006) Amer. jazz, rock, country & world banjo player Bela Fleck.