Choosey Lover

Choosey Lover (feat. Jazze Pha)

In anticipation of Record Store Day April 19th  here are snippets of the two tracks I was Honored to mix  featuring Rick James & Teena Marie..

The Long Lost 20 Minute Long Beach Live Version and one of my Favorite tracks .

And the Classic Rick 1978 Hit You & I ..These are small sample of what will be on of the rarest releases with only 2500 individually numbered copies available.... 

Rick James - Teena Marie - Fire And Desire Live  M+M RSD  FULL VERSION

The right music the right mood at the right time, the best music and throwbacks, Music for your listening pleasures, the Midday Soul Cafe' with your man Jesse Johnson, former radio personality of 89.3 WKKC and WIUN Redhawk radio Indiana 

Classical, Jazz, Blues, R&B, Dusties, Steppers music, Old School, Soft Rock, Easy Listening, House and some Hip Hop Check us out jessecjohnson.com 

She's Got Paper's On Me

Jam Tonight (12" Serious Jam Remix) - Freddie Jackson

From the new album "Elevator Music For Introverts" the song: My Love is(Like Horns) is one of the many instrumental tracks on this album.

My Love is(Like Horns)

gone for awhile

Mary J. Blige - Before I Let Go

Keith Sweat Feat. Ll Cool J : Why Me Baby ( 1992 )( Promo )( Marley Marl Club Remix )

Smooth Jazz Tribute to Charlie Wilson

Charlie, Last Name Wilson

Maze Feat. Frankie Beverly | Before I Let Go (Change Request ReVision)

For this ReVision—my third one from this same group—I chose an iconic song that has had a great influence on me and my artwork throughout my lifetime. Featuring groove-intensive rhythm and blues, combined with a west coast-style songwriting balladry, their sound was something I immediately connected with from the very first time I heard “Joy And Pain” on the radio as a child. 

Often referred to as the “Black Grateful Dead” for their loyal cross-generational fanbase, Maze was formed in San Francisco, California in the late 70s, fronted by the Philly-raised songwriter and former gospel singer, Frankie Beverly. 

Originally called Raw Soul, the group changed their name to Maze upon the recommendation of Beverly’s mentor—as well as a major catalyst for their meteoric ascension in popularity—Marvin Gaye. 

Written and produced by Frankie Beverly and released on their 1981 Live In New Orleans recording, "Before I Let Go”, is the quintessential Maze record. Peaking at number thirteen on the Billboard R&B chart in 1981, this masterpiece would later go on to define the group, achieving iconic status as a cross-generational cultural benchmark of contemporary Black American Music.

“It was about somebody who was really having trouble letting go of something”, states Beverly of the “ode to a love lost” that helped inspire the song's lyrical content. Initially written in a slower tempo, the members of Maze developed the song into the seductive groove that cemented its musical legacy.     

Featuring conventional instrumentation of this era for an R&B ensemble—live percussion, Electric Bass, Guitar, and Fender Rhodes—I replaced the Electric Guitar lead parts with standard polyphonic synth choices for that period, including Sequential Circuits Prophet 5 bright brass pad, layered over a saturated Oberheim OB-X brass tone, for harmonic texture. 

For as much as they have written and recorded timeless songs and records, you really have not fully experienced their spiritual mastery until you've seen Maze Feat. Frankie Beverly live in concert.

Buy ReVision

Maze Feat. Frankie Beverly | Before I Let Go (Change Request ReVision)

Listening to these tracks while working at home today, I thought it might be nice to share & show what the sound of new Modern Soul & Gospel music is like today. A real mix of mid & down tempo with a couple of cheeky shufflers as well . . . hey there's even Jimi Conwell track included, so I hope there is something there to enjoy . . . X

Charlie, Last Name Wilson

Smooth Jazz All Stars