Compiling digital versions of various records in my collection expressing radical, brilliant, revolutionary thoughts on various issues and in various forms.

Rebellious Knowledge Archives

This is a record that was produced to promote Nina Simone's album "Black Gold." It is mostly an "open ended" interview with Nina Simone, where a radio DJ could read questions from a script on their show, and then Simone would "answer" them via playing the record. Because of this, when you listen you'll only hear Simone's answers. There are also musical snippets throughout the record from the album.

Nina Simone Radio Special

Nina Simone Interview And Music

This record contains statements and interviews with Angela Davis, as well as interviews with her lawyer Margaret Burnham, journalist Gil Noble and Charlene Mitchell, a member of the New York Committee to free Angela Davis.

Folkways Records, 1971.

Angela Davis Speaks

Special #FreePalestine! episode dedicated to all the Palestinians under siege and fighting to hold onto their homes and their loved ones while the Israeli state continues to massacre people and steal Palestinian land, as they have for many decades. I urge everyone who isn't already supporting the Boycott Divest Sanctions movement to read up on it - you can do so here https://bdsmovement.net/ - and support the boycott of the apartheid Israeli state. I have also included two short interview excerpts on this mix from the 1970s record "Palestine Lives!" for some historical context.

Below the tracklist I have also listed a number of places to donate and support compiled by Bassema Yousef.

This episode is also dedicated to my partner and her family, as well as all my friends and colleagues breaking their fast over this next 24 hours. Eid Mubarak! These selections celebrate Muslim musicians, including Ahmadi Muslims. 

Tracklist: Interview, La Troupe Palestinienne de Deir Yassin, Jaubi, Yusef Lateef, Sulieman Saud (McCoy Tyner), La Troupe Palestinienne de Deir Yassin, Interview, Abdullah Ibrahim

Resources:
*All donations are tax deductible*

Institute for Middle East Understanding ( IMEU )- IMEU helps bring media attention in the United States to issues surrounding Palestine  - https://imeu.org/

PCRF - Palestine Children's Relief Fund- Palestine Children's Relief Fund - provides injured and sick children in Palestine free medical care they cannot get in Palestine (they have extended support to children across the Middle East) https://www.pcrf.net/

Anera - incredible NGO that supports Palestinian refugees throughout Palestine, Syria, and Lebanon https://www.anera.org/

Islamic Relief USA - Provides direct humanitarian aid to Palestine https://irusa.org/

Growing Palestine- Amazing group that works with Palestinian farmers directly to help them remain sustainable and economically viable - and they are currently covering all administrative costs to get the money to farmers directly. https://growingpalestine.com/

May 12 2021

Free Palestine!

Pullin from the Stacks - Episode 167 (Free Palestine!)

Hard to find interview by journalist and radio host Art Seigner of Lester Jackson, the father of Black political prisoner, prison organizer and author George Jackson, who was murdered by prison guards in 1971. As written, in part, in the liner notes: "The over-all concern and emphasis is on the point of current prison conditions, where the climate seems unfavorable for the lives of Black controversial prisoners. Every American should hear this discussion, and face the unhappy fact - that this happened in an enlightened, democratic America." 

Part of the ongoing Rebellious Knowledge Archives playlist. Please share! - DJ Ian Head

Thoughts and Theories - George Jackson

Knowledge Archives

Thoughts and Theories on Soledad Brother George Jackson (Archival Interview)

Rest in Peace and Power Dave Trugoy the Dove Plug 2. An absolute tragic loss that I'm still in shock over. Sending love and support to his family and friends, and of course all the other fans like myself who literally grew up on De La Soul and Dave's voice and artistry. De La Soul is not dead however. Everyone should go out and buy and support their music when it starts streaming and becoming available for purchase in early March!

This is a mix I made last Friday evening of some of my favorite De La records and samples, with a focus on Plug 2's mastery of the written and spoken word. All vinyl except for one obscure guest spot that I love which he did with Moka Only awhile back.

Salute to one of the absolute best groups and emcees EVER.

De La Dedication Mix 2023

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De La Soul Dedication Mix

Latest addition to the Rebellious Knowledge Archives. A rare interview with John Coltrane, included in a 1970s era box set of his work released in Japan. He's asked various questions by the Japanese interviewer, including his thoughts on the Vietnam war and how he views the music he plays. Coltrane rarely gave interviews so it's a real treat to hear him speak, even if it's brief.

Part of the ongoing Rebellious Knowledge Archives playlist. Please share! - DJ Ian Head

John Coltrane Interview 1966

April 16, 2023 - Still processing the transition of the legendary pianist Ahmad Jamal, who is responsible in many ways for my love of jazz music and given me so much inspiration over the last 25 years through his records. I made this tape back in 2010 as a short tribute to him, part of my previous "monthly mixtape" series.

February 2010 Mixtape

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Monthly Mixtapes - A Short Tribute to Ahmad (2010)

Here’s a short tape for the start of summer. I was filing records this past week and figured why not digitize a few before putting them back in the stacks, then slap together a new mixtape?

So here’s a 23 minute break mix with a few goofy vocal samples and accapellas thrown on top – I did it on Serato but it’s all original wax from my personal stash. For the beat-heads, hopefully there’s more surprises in here than not.

It was fun to cut it up. Maybe I’ll do a few more. Hope you enjoy.

- DJ Ian Head

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Breaks and Snacks (mixtape)

This dedication mix is long overdue. In 1996, my friend Dave played me "Journey to Satchidanada" and I was blown away. A year or two later, I recovered a weathered copy of the record from a book and record store on East 7th Street in Manhattan while digging around with the same friend and it became a prized possession. Over the coming years I educated myself on more of her music, digging up copies here and there, and feel a bit lucky to have grabbed most of her records before the "craze" hit sometime in the late 2000s. It's truly unique and beautiful music - I admit that I can't totally stomach some of the more free-leaning cuts she recorded, in the same way I can't get into the late work of her also-legendary husband, but when I put these albums on the turntable it truly is a bit of an "inter-dimensional" experience, like the cover art of her "World Galaxy" album.

Belated happy birthday to Alice Coltrane! Besides the first track, which is a clip from a seminal session she did with Marian McPartland for NPR's "Piano Jazz" series, these are all from my personal copies of her albums.

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Pullin from the Stacks - Alice Coltrane Dedication

Just fifty favorite records of mine that I happen to own in vinyl in no particular order. Mostly 90s "backpacker" type stuff - it's a reflection of when I was collecting at the time, and doesn't necessarily represent all my favorite artists or favorite songs, many of which never were released on vinyl. I've never made a mix this long, and admittedly I ended up doing it in three separate parts. There was no real planning besides making sure I played 50 different records. Hope you dig it!

For 50 Years

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50 Hip-Hop Records for 50 Years of Hip-Hop (mix)

This month's livestream set, another eclectic mix of records and digital, everything from private press jazz to some un-released beats of my own. Hope you dig it! Tune in every second Thursday on Twitch for new live streams! - DJ Ian Head

Walking in Space - May 2024

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Back this week with some digs from the private press crate, one of my favorite places to find unique sounds and creative flavors. Hope you dig!

Tracklist: Morning Sky, Faces of Jazz, Dale Jacobs Group, Lamont Johnson, Guzzia Bros. Band, Danny Ward and Reality, Les James Trio

June 5 2024

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Pullin from the Stacks - Private Press Jazz Sounds

So I spent a few weeks trying to do something "special" for episode 250 of Pullin from the Stacks, but all my attempts just didn't feel right. Which meant I just kept putting off uploading a new episode this past month. But this week it was time for the latest Walking in Space livestream (second Thursday every month on Twitch!) and I felt like it came together pretty well, a blend of everything from folky-jazz to house to live hip-hop to gospel. A couple slip-ups in-between but that's just how things go! Hope you enjoy. Thanks to all the longtime listeners for sticking around and all the new listeners for checking this out! No track list for this one, but the final track is from my dude Jumbo's excellent gospel compilation "Love Hides All Faults," which everyone should check for!

July 12 2024

Pullin from the Stacks Episode 250 - Walking in Space

Sorry for my absence - but I'm back with some mellow sounds, starting and ending with two great versions of the classic "People Make the World Go Round." The first is by Monty Alexander, which I only recently found out about, and the last is a more well-known take by Johnny Lytle. In-between are a variety of mellow-ish tunes for coolin out in the August heat.

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Pullin from the Stacks - People Make the World Go Round

Following up on last summer's salsa mix, here's some more of my favorite selections and digs to play loud in your car, living room, porch, or wherever!

Tracklist: Ricardo Marrero, Bobby Valentin, Brooklyn Sounds, Latin Tempo, Ray Barretto, Joe Torres, Tata Vasquez, Pucho and His Latin Soul Brothers

August 14 2024

Pullin from the Stacks - Summer Salsa 2!

Figured it's a good time to re-up this tape from six years ago. I've been hesitant to do so since there's five million J. Dilla tribute tapes out there, but...whatever. Maybe you all will dig this one too! Here are the notes from the original release:

"I really dug Dilla, his choice of records, his lush filtered samples, his basslines, and the fact he loved to eat donuts. I was introduced to his genius by Jumbo of the Lifesavas. He hit me with a dub of the early Slum Village album before it dropped, and told me to dub it and give it back to him the next day, cuz that was his only copy. And even rocking a dub of a dub, the beats were just so ill. I’d bump the shit til I couldn’t take the rhmyes anymore, but I never got tired of the beats.

I’d wanted to do this tape for awhile, and felt I should put something together dedicated to Dilla, as I was a fan of his music. Not every beat or 12 inch, but the feel of his production – he just had a great ear for great records. This tape is a mixture of some of my favorite Dilla-related records (that I own on wax) from well-known to more obscure, from rock to classic hip-hop tracks. It is by no means any kind of compendium, and isn’t meant to be. It’s just a brief sampling of music I dig, music that represents the inspiration I took from Jay Dee."

Dilla Favorites (2009 Mixtape)

Been a lot going on, but finally I've returned with some treats! The records have been stacking up and need to get filed - so let's get into it! RIP to the legend Sergio Mendes, I played a short set of a few of my favorites of his. (Also RIP to the legend Frankie Beverly, tribute on a forthcoming episode.) The rest of this episode is an adventure through other recent arrivals and digs. Enjoy! Hope everyone is holding up ok in this awful world. 

Tracklist: Sergio Mendes (4 songs), Bobby Guajardo and the Latin Breed, Howard University Jazz Ensemble, Milcho Leviev, Release Music Orchestra, Agora, University of Puerto Rico, Elis Regina, Johnny Costa Trio

September 20 2024

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Pullin from the Stacks - More Stacks of Wax

I began the Pullin from the Stacks podcast just over 10 years ago, publishing my first episode on October 19, 2014. The name is from the classic Digable Planets cut "Pacifics," a song which has a lot of meaning to me. I think I actually messed up and called it "Pullin from the Crates" for that first episode. The first record I played was a cover of Herbie Hancock's "Maiden Voyage" by the Jazz Piano Quartet. 

The first record I play on this episode is a different "Maiden Voyage" cover, this time by the Dalton Jazz Ensemble, a school band record I found at Recollect Records in Denver years ago. One of my favorite songs, I still search out any version I can. The next record is the first record I ever put on my Discogs "want list," Michael Sardaby's "Gail," after hearing a soundclip on Youtube one day. Even back then it was going for more money than I'd ever spent on a piece of wax. A few years later, I sold my old copy of Eminem's first 12" for a couple hundred, and immediately went to see if there were any copies of "Gail" available at the same price - and there were! I feel so lucky to have snagged one. The next record is from one of my favorite jazz compilations, this one out of Hungary in the early 70s. I highly recommend it, the whole record is gorgeous, it's called "Modern Jazz Anthology X" and folks are sleeping on it! Staying in the same part of the world, I was introduced to Romanian jazz legend Johnny Cretu Raducanu after hearing a few Electrecord releases he had played on. The cover of this 10" and his own cover of Charles Mingus's "Haitian Fight Song" drove me to track down a copy online. The whole record is stunning. Speaking of stunning it is hard to find words to describe the beauty of this masterpiece by Winston Mankunku Ngozi, often referred to as South Africa's John Coltrane. It is a desert island record. The following tune, from the Roy Haynes Trio, is one I heard on Karriem Riggins masterful mix, "Music Kaleidoscope," and had to track down. I found it one weekend in a super random record store deep in Long Island. The Chucho Valdes represents my love of Cuban jazz; while I didn't find this record during my time in Havana, I did get hip to Mr. Valdes and months afterword dug this out of a crate on the floor under a table at the WMFU record fair. The Milton Banana cut I play here is from the first record of his I bought, I think at Human Head back in the day. He's killing it on the drums!! I don't remember when I first heard this RF 45 - maybe Junior played it? - but it's a gem, had to track one down. And Green Caterpillar man...I first heard this when Rev Shines played it YEARS ago on KBOO during Jumbo's "Beat Jeopardy" show. I remember being like "wtf is this?!?!?" - took many years to find a copy. I bought this off a dude in Colorado on Amazon.com in like 2015 for about $80. Clean. No regrets on that. The Soul Surfers cut here is just crazy to me, I think someone posted it on IG and I took notice. And finally, this beautiful cover of Kendrick Lamar by my guy Sly 5th Ave released by my people DJ Center and Footlong Development is a stone cold classic. I can't count all the DJ gigs I end with this 45 or all the people coming up to the turntables to see what it is.  

This is not the end of the podcast. There will be more episodes, though probably less often, as has been the case for much of 2024. Hoping to get back on a schedule of 1-2 episodes a month, possibly with some special guests. Speaking of guests, I want to thank everyone who's contributed a guest set these past ten years! Alex Stange, DO77, Duiji Mshinda, John Morrison, DJ Center, J. Rawls, Bruce Phillips, Evolve-One, LateBloomer and dflush, Daniel Littlewood, the DadBodRapPod, and Waffles Hidalgo. Much respect! And the biggest thank you goes out to everyone who's tuned in once or a hundred times, downloaded, subscribed, told their friends, or talked shit. It's all appreciated.

Pullin from the Stacks - 10 Years of PFTS!

RIP to the legends Lou Donaldson and Roy Haynes, who passed recently. I play a couple of their records on the bookends of this episode. The Lou Donaldson joint that starts things off, a cover of "Everything I Play Gonh Be Funky," reminds of my very early days of digging, finding this at an East Village bookstore in 1997 or so, and always treasuring it. I didn't get hip to Mr. Haynes later on even though I already had some of the hundreds of records that he played on in my collection. In-between, I included some of my recent digs, since it's been a while since I last recorded an episode. Thanks as always to folks tuning in - working on a few things right now, more soon! For now, dig in and go and track down more of these legendary artists' work.

Tracklist: Lou Donaldson, Steve Goodman, Luiz Bonfa, Cal Green, Milt Jackson, Jackie McLean, Roy Haynes

Pullin from the Stacks - Lou, Roy and more

Putting together a mix of my favorite digs this past year, but first, a few more recent finds and classic selections! Tracklist: David Axelrod, Howard Wales, Visioneers, Barbara Carroll, Don Randi, Patrice Rushen

Pullin from the Stacks - Short and Sweet

RIP the legendary Nikki Giovanni. Here is a great album of her poetry from the 1970s. An excerpt from her liner notes on the back of the cover:

"The reason I like chocolate is when I was in 5th grade 5 cents would buy a Sugar Daddy which would last all day long. It always seemed to me that happy occasions brought forth a chunk of chocolate. I have a fondness also for peppermint but for a different reason.

Some of these poems aren't strictly children's poems but that's because I don't believe children can be strictly categorized. I once gave a birthday party for my son, Tommy, where I served caviar, black bread, salad, and assorted cold meats with a ginger ale punch. 'You know, Nikki,' (all Tommy's friends call me Nikki) a little girl said, 'the reason I like to come to your house is we get grown up food." Maybe. Or maybe she was just saying that the reason she likes chocolate is that it's good."

Nikki Giovanni - the reason I like chocolate (Poetry LP)

Ending the year with a number of my favorite purchases this past year. Maybe one or two of these I actually "dug" up somewhere - the Dick Drew Trio was something I pulled out from deep under other record racks in a store in Las Vegas last May, for instance, but I also bought several of these via Discogs. Record collecting continues to change in ways that make it less familiar to me - many records are now status symbols for wealthy people to show off rather than listen to, when previously they were "status" symbols for many of us in terms of our digging commitment or record knowledge. Actual "digging" for records isn't something I've had as much time for, but still what I love. But shout out to the amazing dealers who are out there with the rusty shovels every week, finding these gold nuggets for the rest of us! And huge, huge thank you to all the people tuning into the podcast - you are massively appreciated! 

Tracklist: Raffy Bushman, Latin Tempo, Sambalanco Trio, Dick Drew Trio, Masaru Imada Trio, Milcho Leviev, Frank Cunimondo Trio, Morning Sky, Jazzbois, Aquila, Johnny Costa, Billy Harper Quintet

Pullin from the Stacks - Favorite Finds of 2024

Spent the holidays in Portland with the family, had some good adventures at the record shops and thrift stores - one of these records I pulled out from underneath an old rug at a Goodwill for a dollar. Was fun getting back into the sale bins and antique stores rather than just shopping at the fancy places. Grabbed all of these while on the trip, with one being gifted to me by the homie while there. Now it's a New Year and the other side of Los Angeles is burning up and Trump begins his reign in under two weeks. Hope these tunes bring some type of calm for a few moments in between all the horrible things in the world.

Tracklist: Baba Yaga, Bronx River Parkway, Johnny Frigo Sextet, Marva Josie, Ed Bennett, Stanley Cowell, The Piano Choir, the Cosmic Tones Research Trio, Eje Thelin Group

Pullin from the Stacks - Portland Purchases

Seemed like a good moment to salute the city of LA, a city I never thought I'd end up residing in as a kid but where I now live and don't plan on leaving. A huge city, where horrible fires and climate change have destroyed the homes of thousands of people including some of those featured on this mix. If you are looking to support folks in need, check out: https://mutualaidla.org/ I recorded this mix live on Twitch, totally unplanned and a bit rough but fun, might try and do that more often this year? We'll see. Thanks as always for tuning in!

Tracklist: Elusive ft. Aceyalone, will.i.am, People Under the Stairs, Warren G, Warren G, Vooodu ft. Meen Green, Funkdoobiest ft. Cypress Hill, Kankick, Lootpack, Snoop Dogg, Abstract Tribe Unique, MC Eiht, Pharcyde, Georgia Anne Muldrow, Phoenix Orion, MURS, DJ Quik, Warren G, Alkaholiks, Yo-Yo, Madlib, T-Love ft. Chali2na, Haiku D'Etat, Medusa

Pullin from the Stacks - Los Angeles Hip-Hop Records

Some music for these extremely troubled times. Hope everyone is staying as safe and healthy as possible.

Tracklist: Adrienne Rich, Dollar Brand, Melvin Sparks, Sly5thAve,  Ill Considered, Latarnik, Dezron Douglas and Brandee Younger

Pullin from the Stacks - Prayers for a New Year

I love records. But I love records because I love music. And sometimes, in fact often, great music doesn't get pressed on vinyl. And that's ok! That's why Bandcamp is so great. It's endless in how much great stuff is available there. Here's just a small sampling of the beautiful music I've found that as far as I know, has not been pressed onto vinyl, but is available digitally if you seek it out. 

Tracklist: Jazzbois, Nautilus, Raffy Bushman, Okonski, Soil Pimp Sessions, Chicago Soul Jazz Collective, Sunstrider

Pullin from the Stacks - Digital Jazz

Ok, this is a really special one. The amazing artist Josh MacPhee, of http://JustSeeds.org and many other places, has dug deep into his collection of revolutionary wax and put together an incredible and inspiring mix for Pullin from the Stacks! Everything from funk, free jazz, hard rock, folk, nu-wave and more, from all parts of the globe, all off original pressings. Commie Freaks!! (Josh's name but I actually had a high school teacher call me that once lol). Please please follow Josh and check out and support his and other JustSeeds artists' amazing work!! And check out this entire mix - I guarantee there's records on here you've never ever heard before! - Ian

Tracklist:
1. AREA, “L'Internazionale,” 7”, Italy, 1974.
2. Ton Steine Scherben, “Macht Kaputt, Was Euch Kaputt Macht!,” Warum Geht Es Mir So Dreckig? LP, West Germany, 1971. 
3. Zuno Keisatsu, “Pick Up Your Gun,” Second LP, Japan, 1972.
4. The Peter Brötzmann Octet, “Machine Gun” (excerpt), Germany, 1968. 
5. Horn, “Free All My Brothers and Sisters,” On the People’s Side LP, Canada, 1972.
6. Peace, Bread, and Land Band, “Angela Davis,” Liberation Music 10”, US, 1971
7. Tania Castellanos and Pedro Coto, “Por Angela Davis,” Libertad Por Angela Davis 7”, Cuba, 1971. [side A]
8. The Lumpen, “Free Bobby Now,” 7”, US, 1970
9. Colette Magny, “Babylone/U.S.A.,” Répression LP, France, 1972. 
10. Fran Ferrer and Puerto Rico 2010, “Camillo Torres,” Puerto Rico 2010 LP, 1972.
11. Franklin Boukaka, “Les Immortals” 7”, DR Congo, 1972. 
12. Voz de Cabo Verde, “Viva Liberdade,” Viva Liberdade LP, Cape Verde, 1975.
13. Knutna Nävar, “Richard Dollarhjärta,” Vi Slåss För Vår Framtid 2x7”, Norway, 1972.
14. Röda Ropet, “Ge Mig Sanningen,” Spänn Bågen LP, Sweden, 1975.
15. Soul Service w/Røde Klaus, “EEC’s ABC,” Superfaellesmarkedet 7”, Denmark, 1972.
16. Henry Flynt and Nova’ Billy, “The International,” Nova’Billy LP, US, 1975.
17. Cem Karaca & Dervişan, “1 Mayis,” 7”, Turkey, 1977.
18. Sedition Ensemble, “Inside/Outside,” Regeneration Report LP, US, 1981.
19. Cornelius Cardew, “Smash the Social Contract,” 1936–82 LP, UK, 1982. 
20. Funkionaries, “Replacable Parts,” 7”, US, 1979.
21. Perplex, “Wahltag,” 7”, Germany, 1981.
22. Talking Reds, “The Programme,” The Workers United 7”, UK, 1980. 
23. Red Crayola, “Born In Flames,” Born In Flames 7”, UK, 1980.
24. May Day Singers, “In the 80’s,” 7”, US, 1980. 
25. Are & Be, “If There is No Struggle,” 12”, US, 1982.
26. Kohl and the Gang, “Äh Mama Fix,” flexi-disc, West Germany, 1983
27. Saal 2, “Die Internationale,” Angst Vorm Tanzen 7”, Germany, 1980.

Pullin from the Stacks - Commie Freaks! Guest Set from Josh MacPhee

Back this week with some amazing pianists covering jazz (?) standards (?) old and new! Some recent digs and some old favorites. Enjoy.

Tracklist: Tony Lee, Johnny Costa, DJM Trio, Eugen Cicero, Ashley Henry, Herbie Hancock

Pulllin from the Stacks - Piano Standards

Two legends have passed on recently - Roberta Flack and Gwen McCrae, both of whom had records that have been important to me for many years. Unfortunately some of my Roberta Flack records were damaged in a flood years ago, and so I tried to pull a few favorites from what I still have, and mostly less obvious pieces from both artists catalogs. That being said, I still included two big hits on here because of the impact that each song had on me - McCrae's "90% of Me" is such vintage funk, a record I got in my earliest days of digging, and I will always cherish. And Flack's amazing duet with Donnie Hathaway, "Back Together Again" - I will never forget when Bobbito dropped this at APT in late 2001 and DJ Center and I lost our minds. RIP to these incredibly amazing women.

Pullin from the Stacks - Roberta Flack & Gwen McCrae Tribute

It felt important right now to come back to the words and teachings of Howard Zinn, when the U.S. government is causing and propagating so much fear and racism and oppression and just plain meanness, and things seem tilted toward hopelessness. This is the third in my series of mix-tributes to Zinn, and the vocal samples here come from a few great interviews and programs you can find on Youtube, including a great interview Laura Flanders did with the amazing Staceyann Chin and Imani Perry a couple years ago: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v4R3-OyS2ho 

The beats are from a variety of producers, all vinyl selections from the crates. Finally, in these times, I always turn back to this essay from Zinn: https://www.howardzinn.org/collection/a-marvelous-victory/ "What we choose to emphasize in this complex history will determine our lives. If we see only the worst, it destroys our capacity to do something. If we remember those times and places—and there are so many—where people have behaved magnificently, it energizes us to act, and raises at least the possibility of sending this spinning top of a world in a different direction. And if we do act, in however small a way, we don’t have to wait for some grand utopian future. The future is an infinite succession of presents, and to live now as we think human beings should live, in defiance of all that is bad around us, is itself a marvelous victory."

Read Howard Zinn

Zinnstrumentals 3 (Mixtape)

Spent a week on a work and mini-birthday trip, and got some serious digging in at a number of spots, both places I'd been and some I'd never been to before. Some great come-ups and here's just a few of stack I brought back with me! Hope you dig it.

Tracklist: Alvin Queen, Oscar Peterson Quartet, Al Hobbs, Howard University Jazz Ensemble, Jasmine, Manfredo Fest Trio, The Great Jazz Trio, Nathan Davis, John Gordon, Henry Franklin, Doug Riley

Pullin from the Stacks - Records I Brought Back

Went back to the "Jazz 45s" box and pulled a few things out that I hadn't played in awhile. Spring is here and it felt right. A short set of selections, new and old - enjoy!

Tracklist: Sam Hankins, Eric Kloss, Nautilus, Quincy Jones, Charles Mingus, Takumi Moriya, Phi-Psonics, Unknown artist, Eddie Harris, Jukka Eskola Trio, Mary Lou Williams

Pullin from the Stacks - More Jazz 45s!

I was late to the library game, and only own a short stack of these gems, but for folks unaware, some amazing studio musicians (especially in Europe) recorded some of the funkiest and weirdest music on "library" records, that were available to radio and tv producers to use on their shows or elsewhere. Recently I discovered that one of the iconic sound effects associated with the early days of Portland Trailblazers broadcasts that I used to hear all the time as a kid actually came from a 1970s KPM record. 

No tracklist on this one! Dig in.

Pullin from the Stacks - The Road Forward (Library Selections)

I did this mix back in 2011 as part of my Monthly Mixtape series. One of my favorites, thought I'd upload it again for folks who might have missed it.

June 2011 Mixtape

Monthly Mixtapes: Native Tongues at the Disco (2011 Mix)

Idris Muhammad's birthday was November 13, and so I thought I'd do a tribute episode to the legendary drummer (RIP) whose sound shaped so much of jazz, soul, funk, rock and later hip-hop. I was very lucky to witness his greatness once, several years ago at the Blue Note when he was playing with Ahmad Jamal's group. So here's a few tunes - only one from his own releases, while the rest are records he played on and shaped in his own way. I tried to stay away from the well-known classics but don't worry, it's all super funky. 

Tracklist: Idris Muhammad, Horace Silver, Charles Kynard, Grant Green, Shirley Scott, Leon Spencer, Eugene McDaniels, Ernest Ranglin

November 20 2019

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Episode 120 (Idris Muhammad Dedication)

After Breonna Taylor again saw no justice this past week, I felt compelled to break from Pullin from the Stacks and put together something about abolition - abolition of the police, of prisons, of the systems of repression operating throughout this country. Took a few days but here is a mix in the vein of my "Zinnstrumentals" tapes, featuring some interview excerpts of brilliant people talking abolition over a blend of hip-hop instrumentals from the crates. I urge everyone to take a listen, especially if you're not sure about abolition yourself. And I also urge everyone listen to the full interviews and recordings, which I've linked to below. Thanks so much to all the amazing people pushing for abolition and social change right now. 

Interviews used (in no order):
Andrea Ritchie and Derecka Purnell: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eii5WqeOHlA
Ruth Wilson Gilmore on Democracy Now: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1HWqYANmWLY&t=226s
Angela Davis on Democracy Now: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ebWFnGWOaA&t=54s
Marc Lamont Hill and others at Riverside Church: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kCCJt2pLP_s
Peter Murkuria on Prison Radio: https://www.prisonradio.org/media/audio/peter-mukuria/meaning-abolition-220-peter-mukuria
Mumia Abu-Jamal on Prison Radio: https://www.prisonradio.org/audio-listings
Walidah Imarisha on the Activist Files podcast: https://soundcloud.com/activist-files-center-for-constitutional-rights/episode-11-walidah-imarisha-and-gabriel-teodros-talk-science-fiction-as-social-justice-strategy

ABOLISHtrumentals

Abolish the Police!

When I'm not at the dayjob, I'm probably at a record store. Pullin from the Stacks podcast most Wednesdays, available here, Apple Pods (please subscribe!) and elsewhere.

DJ Ian Head

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