Jon Saxe, Bill Raley, Jeff Lunn playing My Favorite Things

my favorite things

And we've finally reached the end of 2016! Ultimately it has proven to be a rather forgettable year overall, and it appears this is a universally shared sentiment. Yet again, Albert Ayler's theory that music is the healing force of the universe has been put to the test, and luckily, it's proven to be as accurate as ever! 

Breaking from tradition and my usual countdown of the top albums, tracks and EPs, I thought I'd mash them all together in one 90 minute mix, which I think you'll agree, makes for a much better listening experience.

Wishing everyone a Happy 2017!

Spacewalker

Badbadnotgood feat. Charlotte Day Wilson - In Your Eyes | Innovative Leisure
Solange - Cranes in the Sky | Columbia
Jordan Rakei - Midnight Mischief | Soul Has No Tempo
Frank Ocean - Pink + White | Boys Don't Cry
KING - The Right One | KING Creative
Byron the Aquarius - Cosmic $hit | Wild Oats
Anderson .Paak feat. The Game & Sonyae Elise - Room in Here | Steel Wood
Ivan Ave - The Circle | Jakarta
Tall Black Guy feat. Miles Bonny - This One is For the Ladies and Gents | First Word
Isaiah Rashad - Brenda | Top Dawg
Yussef Kamaal - Strings of Light | Brownswood
Skymark - Flying Fantasy | Modern Sun
Mndsgn - Cosmic Perspective | Stones Throw
Omar - I Want it To Be | Freestyle
Mac Miller feat. Anderson .Paak - Dang! | Warner Bros.
Tenderlonious - Song For My Father | 22a
Far Out Monster Disco Orchestra - Step Into My Life (M&M mix) | Far Out
Kaytranada - Track Uno | XL
Igor Jadranin - Boulevardd | Back to the World
Steven Julien - XL | Apron
Chaos in the CBD - Invisible Spectrum | Rhythm Section International

BALANCE - Best of 2016 (Hosted by Spacewalker)

Mint Condition Guest Mix by Andre Acosta
Disco, Boogie, Two-Step, Crossover and more...
Originally Aired on NTS on 3/16/20: https://www.nts.live/shows/mint-condition/episodes/mint-condtion-w-andre-acosta-16th-march-2020

Mint Condition - Andre Acosta Guest Mix (NTS) 3/16/20

Internationally known producer and professor J. Rawls was kind enough to put together a beautiful set of "favorites that I don't get to play out" for your listening pleasure. HUGE thank you to Dr. Rawls for this one! Make sure to follow and support his past and upcoming releases - you can find the latest from him at http://instagram.com/jrawls82, http://twitter.com/jrawls82 and https://soundcloud.com/user9989844. Don't miss his recent Instagram live sets on Sunday evenings - J. Rawls Live at Home! - which are necessary listening during these times! 

No tracklist for this one but get ready for more amazing guest sets and bonus mixes in the near future!

April 29 2020

Subscribe on iTunes!

Pullin from the Stacks - Episode 130 (Guest set from J. Rawls)

1.  Donald Byrd - Flight Time 
2. Gene Harris - Losalamitoslatinfunklovesong
3. Ramsey Lewis - Sun Goddess
4. Cymande - The Message 
5. Grant Green - Ease Back 
6. Dizzy Gillespie - Matrix 
7. The Blackbryds - City Life 
8. The Fatback Band - Baby I’m A Want You
9. Lou Donaldson - Everything I Play Is Funky
10. The JB’s - Gimme Some More
11. Young Holt Unlimited - Wack Wack 
12. Reuben Wilson - Bambu
13. Ronnie Foster - Sweet Revival 
14. Gary Bartz - Celestial Blues feat. Andy Bey
15. Donald Byrd - Places & Spaces 
16. Ronnie Laws - Tidal Wave 
17. Eddie Harris - Happy Gemini 
18. Cymande - Dove

Jazz4Good

The Coming - Inst

Digital:
https://superhi-firecordings.bandcamp.com/album/shf-22-vested-soul-give-me-a-chance

Vinyl:
https://gatedrecordings.bandcamp.com/album/give-me-a-chance

Here I Am

AWB - How Sweet (Mark Wayward Edit)

Went into the crates to pull a few selections from the great jazz label Muse. Tried to stay away from some of the sample-favorites (no Walt Barr or Catalyst this time around). Instead, it's a journey into the a variety of styles and flavors, some creative and beautiful music made by a wide range of musicians in the 70s and early 80s. There's definitely another stack of records I wasn't able to include this round, so maybe a part two will be in the works for the future.

Tracklist: Dom Um Romao, Pat Martino, Cedar Walton, Joe Chambers, Mark Murphy, Deodato and Joao Donato, Eric Kloss

Pullin from the Stacks - Episode 143 (Muse Records Selections)

A selection of new jazz joints I've mostly found on Bandcamp recently - some digital-only, some not. Also something new from J. Rawl's Liquid Crystal Project! Enjoy.

Tracklist: Ali Shaheed Muhammad and Adrian Younge, Dougie Stu, Katalyst, Camarão Orkestra, HUMMUCIDE, Sunny Park, Liquid Crystal Project

October 28 2020

Pullin from the Stacks - Episode 145

We are very excited to premiere “Black Lives Matter”, a blazing hot and extremely timely Afrobeat song by brand new London-based supergroup, Eparapo. Due for release this Friday on the unstoppable Wah Wah 45s.

Eparapo came together during the unprecedented events of this year. Despite being a project born from the privations of lockdown, with their music they sought to create an expression of hope, resilience & resurgence. With a white supremacist still in the White House and far right rhetoric being normalised by governments across the world, Eparapo see Afrobeat, highly political from its inception, as a tool to fight injustice and corruption. 

In the current global political climate and especially under the spectre of lethal police brutality in the U.S., the B.L.M. movement is the most important since the civil rights era and attempts are being made to discredit it in the same way. Rather than standing idly by and hoping for the best, this group of musicians wanted to contribute to a soundtrack which inspires, engages & hopefully motivates listeners from across the spectrum. 

The word “eparapo” means “join forces” in Yoruba, the language of Afrobeat. In troubled times when so many seek to divide us, an expression of unity can be an act of defiance. A call to join forces, come together and fight back. Eparapo is also the title of a track by the late, great Tony Allen - drummer for Afrobeat legend Fela Kuti and lifelong friend and mentor of the UK's “Afrobeat Ambassador”, Dele Sosimi. Not only did Tony help to invent Afrobeat, he always looked for ways to push the boundaries, never content with recreating what had gone before but constantly expanding and developing the genre. This project hopes to pay homage to his legacy, and that of Fela Kuti himself. Its aim is to innovate, fuse and diversify while still retaining the essence of the music. 

Eparapo is led by bassist, composer & producer Suman Joshi. He has been a member of Dele Sosimi’s Afrobeat Orchestra for nearly a decade and has performed on stage with the likes of Tony Allen, Seun Kuti, Ginger Baker & Laura Mvula. He is also bassist with UK jazz ensemble Collocutor and fusion project Cubafrobeat.  Featured vocalist on both tracks is the aforementioned Dele Sosimi - keyboard player and musical director for Fela’s Egypt 80 as well as Wah Wah 45s recording artist on both his solo material and the recent collaboration with house music producer, Medlar. 

The rest of the group comprises of Afrik Bawantu bandleader, Ibibio Sound Machine and Keleketla! percussionist, and Koichi Sakai collaborator, Afla Sackey; highly rated UK jazz vocalist Sahra Gure; saxophonist, composer, producer and bandleader of the renowned & forward thinking jazz outfit Collocutor, Tamar Osborn; keyboard player, producer and front man for Lokkhi Terra and Cubafrobeat, Kishon Khan; one of the UK’s finest and most in demand trumpeters, Graeme Flowers, who has played with Quincy Jones, Gregory Porter and many more; trombonist for Bellowhead and mainstay of Dele’s Afrobeat Orchestra, Justin Thurgur; and finally drummer for Steamdown and Sons of Kemet, as well as the man behind the Nache project, Eddie Wakili Hick. 

Half of  the artist's income for this release will be donated to the NAACP - a civil rights organization in the United States, created for the advancement of black people by means of following judicial policies.

Exclusive Premiere: Eparapo ft. Dele Sosimi "Black Lives Matter" (Forthcoming on Wah Wah 45s)

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.

Pullin from the Stacks - Episode 143 (Muse Records Selections)

DJ Ian Head