MOYO EVENT

I present to you a sonic offering that takes me to another place. Hopefully it does the same for you. Best enjoyed with headphones. Enjoy the ride...
Follow me at @itsabyrd

All my gigs over the next 6-8 months have all been cancelled so if you dig the vibes please share and I'd really appreciate any support you can provide. Venmo @Aaron-Byrd-1 & Cash App $abyrd1818.

ESCAPE - FLY THE COUP BY AARON BYRD

It's been a particularly rough start of the year for us Angelenos. First, Woody Phillips, the founder of the famous Woody's Bar-B-Que, died on the eve of 2020. Then, just a few weeks later we lost Kobe. Now, Bill Withers too! Bill wasn’t from LA, but he began his music career here and adopted the city as his own and was accepted with open arms.

Of course, Bill Withers’ music stretches well beyond this city. It stretches across time too. His impact on the musical community has had a profound ripple effect that no doubt will remain. Just as the business of the music industry began to change and challenge his creative process, he made the bold and rather unprecedented decision to step away. Many folks don't even realize that his last release was 1985. Yeah, 35 years ago. The truth is, when you're able to craft narratives that distill the complexities of the human condition into simple yet profound songs with depth and sensitivity, your art is universal and cannot be defined by space or time. That's what Bill gave us and still does.  

Bill Withers made music that epitomizes “classic.” "Lovely Day" will be played at weddings until the end of time. "Grandma's Hands" will always evoke memories of the strong women who raised us. "Lean On Me" at worst, is a song of comfort and inspiration; at best, is a cultural phenomenon. Perhaps part of the reason why these and many others will stand the test of time is because many were crafted by classic musicians.

Did you know he worked with legends like drummer James Gadson who played with Watts 103rd Street Rhythm Band, Herbie Hancock, Quincy Jones, B.B. King, Rose Royce, Beck, Flea, Wilco and Feist, just to name a few. Gadson was the drummer on Still Bill, which includes "Use Me," "Lean On Me," and "Who Is He (And What Is He To You)?" Withers also recorded with Bernard Purdie, who is the most recorded drummer ever! Purdie has worked with everyone from Nina Simon, John Lee Hooker, Herbie Mann, Aretha Franklin, Richie Havens, Steely Dan, Hall & Oates, Bette Midler...everyone. Purdie is the drummer on "Ain't No Sunshine", which was produced by Booker T. Jones and features Stephen Stills (Crosby, Stills, Nash) on guitar. Guitarist José Feliciano and the legendary harpist Dorothy Ashby are both featured on 'Justments, which includes some of my favorite Bill Withers songs, "The Same Love That Made Me Laugh" and "Make A Smile for Me."

In my opinion, Bill Withers is one of the greatest American writers of all time. Not songwriters. Writers...period. Ask anyone who knows me well, I've said this for many years. If you haven't, I highly encourage you to check the man's catalogue. He did not make a bad song. Ever. His songs have meant so much to me and "Make A Smile for Me" is one of my top 10 favorite songs of all time. So when I woke up to the news of his passing last Friday morning, I was really shaken. I was also compelled to dedicate my daily IG Live mix to the genius, Bill Withers. 

I played a little over an hour's worth of songs from his catalogue that are some of my personal favorites, and some of them that aren't that well known. I'd like to share those songs with you. I start things off with my favorite song about Los Angeles, from one of the city's favorite adopted sons. Follow me at @itsabyrd

What's your favorite Bill Withers song?

All my gigs over the next 6-8 months have all been cancelled so if you dig the vibes please share and I'd really appreciate any support you can provide. Venmo @Aaron-Byrd-1 & Cash App $abyrd1818.

ALWAYS BILL - A BILL WITHERS TRIBUTE BY AARON BYRD

In numerology 7 resonates with the vibrations & energies of the “Collective Consciousness”, spiritual awareness, intuition & psychic abilities. 

In 2013, I journeyed down to Peru & participated in an Ayahuasca ceremony for a few days. It was equal parts contemplative, regenerative, physical, mysterious, spiritual and pure. The only other experience I’ve had that compares, is Burning Man.

Some say you meet THE best people at Burning Man. I disagree. You meet people AT their best, and that often means at their purest. Yesterday I put together a mix on IG LIVE inspired by the synchronicity between the two. Hours later Burning Man 2020 was officially cancelled. I present to you that divine sonic offering. Follow at @itsabyrd.

All my gigs over the next 6-8 months have all been cancelled so if you dig the vibes please share and I'd really appreciate any support you can provide. Venmo @Aaron-Byrd-1 & Cash App $abyrd1818.

AYA IN DEEP PLAYA - BURNING MAN MIX BY AARON BYRD

The first offering from my ultimate jazz playlist. Perfect to play while making dinner, sipping on a nice glass of wine, lounging on the balcony or to fall asleep to. Follow me @itsabyrd.

All my gigs over the next 6-8 months have all been cancelled so if you dig the vibes please share and I'd really appreciate any support you can provide. Venmo @Aaron-Byrd-1 & Cash App $abyrd1818.

29. JAZZ, VOL. 1

This is a sonic offering to those who just like to jog, sell cigarettes, sell CDs, walk to the store, walk home with a bag of Skittles, go to church, have a cellphone, play their music loudly, ask for help after being in a car crash, play with a toy gun, sleep, relax in the comfort of their own home, want to party on NYE, decorate for a party, take a walk with their grandfather, read a book in their own car, shop at Walmart, take out their wallet, maintain dignity, occupy public space, run, breathe...live. These words and sounds are dedicated to those who are exhausted by simply existing. Photo by @oladimeg. Follow me @itsabyrd.

All my gigs over the next 6-8 months have all been cancelled so if you dig the vibes please share and I'd really appreciate any support you can provide. Venmo @Aaron-Byrd-1 & Cash App $abyrd1818.

...while black

I present to you a sonic offering that represents dance music from the African diaspora. Photo by Alvin Balamesa. Follow me @itsabyrd

All my gigs over the next 6-8 months have all been cancelled so if you dig the vibes please share and I'd really appreciate any support you can provide. Venmo @Aaron-Byrd-1 & Cash App $abyrd1818.

FÊTE - Freeform Friday Extended Mix

My first three loves in life were my family, music and my people. Two of those three have completely consumed my heart this week. This emotional state that's equal parts love of my people and heartbreak for my people is having a profound & visceral affect on me. In times like this often turn to music. So I just hopped on the tables & put together a sonic offering in tribute to the artist that most encapsulates this duality. Helen, my fourth love. One final note...

to my black people, I know your exhausted by this relentless trauma so I highly encourage you to indulge in some self care. Take a bubble bath, a nice long walk, scream, exercise, sip on something brown, whatever it is that allows you to relax and release a bit. My hope is that these sounds will be a catalyst. Follow me @itsabyrd

All my gigs over the next 6-8 months have all been cancelled so if you dig the vibes please share and I'd really appreciate any support you can provide. Venmo @Aaron-Byrd-1 & Cash App $abyrd1818.

HELEN - A TRIBUTE TO SADE

With sounds from the Garifuna of Belice, Honduras & Guatamela to Venezuela, New York, Perú, México, Cuba, Panamá & Colombia, I present to you a sonic offering of Latin sabores. Buen provecho. 📷 by Adrian Dascal. Follow me @itsabyrd

All my gigs over the next 6-8 months have all been cancelled so if you dig the vibes please share and I'd really appreciate any support you can provide. Venmo @Aaron-Byrd-1 & Cash App $abyrd1818.

PAJARO

I have a distinct memory of hearing Afro house for the first time because it was both a spiritual and transformative experience. The depth of the bass, the fusion of tribal instrumentation with soulful house, the syncopation and polyrhythms immediately evoked a vision of a celebration in the bush somewhere in the Motherland with brothas and sistas dancing around a fire. A vision that continues to appear every time I'm blessed to hear and feel that particular composition of sounds. Still, all these years later. No other style of music summons these emotions. 

When I began to investigate why? It didn't take me long to realize that at its core, Afro house mimics the beating of the heart. THE organ that sustains life. In other words, the Motherland. With that in mind, I present to you the first sonic offering of two honoring the power of this music. 

This first volume is focused on SUBSTANCE. With sounds from Morocco, Libya, Tunisia, Egypt, Liberia, Mali, Gambia, Togo, Nigeria, Guinea, Angola...traversing from North all the way down to South Africa, the birthplace of Afro house.

Stay tuned for volume two, in the meantime take a trip to CHANZO, the source. 📷 by Maltilda Temperley. Follow me @itsabyrd

All my gigs over the next 6-8 months have all been cancelled so if you dig the vibes please share and I'd really appreciate any support you can provide. Venmo @Aaron-Byrd-1 & Cash App $abyrd1818.

CHANZO, VOL. 1

A blend focused on compositions, melodies and instrumentation that inspire creativity and self exploration. I present to you the first sonic offering of two, that celebrates the Divine Feminine.

DIVINE FEMININE

DIVINE FEMININE - PART DEUX

A tapestry of sounds that are like the womb.

Deep, sexy, mysterious and expansive like Jupiter.

Soft, pretty, unpredictable and the ultimate teacher like Saturn.

In honor of the Great Conjunction I present to you the second offering of DIVINE FEMININE.

DIVINE FEMINIE - PART DEUX

DJ, Curator, Music Director, Music Supervisor & World Traveller. Former KCRW DJ, Los Angeles.

Aaron Byrd

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