maestro please

i love jazz record album cover art.

(click to listen)











if i got to travel as much as i wanted to, had money connects, and owned a nice video camera, i'd do this:

Maestro Knows - Episode 2 (Berlin) from Maestro Knows on Vimeo.

and finally i ask...

why must i cry?

most definitely

the official i waste dollars on impulse itunes purchases mixtape:

1. motion man - "confidence"
2. masters of illusion - "we all over"
3. jay electronica - "exhibit a"

this is why i like mos def:

hey remember that one time?

it's been one of those weeks. know what i mean?

yeah, neither do i.

first place cubs. keep hittin baby!

i've always hated those "it's gonna happen" signs and it's nice to see these hardly show up at the games anymore.

i know a waukegan good ol boy who got 2, and a matching head band.

numb skull.

this guy is hilarious.

"i am very, very humble."

-ricky henderson




hope you have a splendid week.

facial

today's mid day version of the top 10 on sportscenter was "top ten best facials" in theme with the leak of that xavier kid dunkin on lebron at his summer camp (which was really nothing too crazy).

#4 was jordan and pip on patrick chewing.

i remember watching the playoffs with my dad when pip owned chewing, pushed him off, and took a couple steps over him. classic.

sit down spike.



"now he is jacked up."

have a splendid day patrick chewing.

banksy

check out a vid of banksy's new show in england at the BlanchardbuZZ.

here are some of my fav's:

manic monday mixtape

new beasties in a couple month's, but in the meantime you can download there new joint with nas "too many rappers" here.

joker

nerd alert:

simply titled Joker, the graphic novel written by award-winning author brian azzarello (100 bullets) and art by lee bermejo (daredevil & hellblazer) is an entertaining dark look at the diabolical jester's life through the eyes of one of his loyal henchmen. azzarello delivers insight to the method of the joker's mayhem, as he seeks revenge on his fellow rogues who sliced his piece of the pie while he was in the mad house. i finished it in about a little over an hour or so and the art is great and perfectly goes with the dark rainy gotham that azzarello provides.

you can get it here.

what are you up to?

if you're in the city tonight:



and sonotheque.

hit me up!

sexy color water

Stina Persson is an illustrator based in Stockholm, Sweden.

smokin and drinkin on a tuesday night

super-heroes

11:41 p.m.



conan is a super-hero and jimmy fallon just has you wanting roots crew live.

speaking of which, black thought killed it.

i can relate tariq.

listen to the mahavishnu orchestra

according to wikipedia.com:

In its first version, the band was led by "Mahavishnu" John McLaughlin on acoustic and electric guitars, with members Billy Cobham on drums, Rick Laird on bass guitar, Jan Hammer on electric and acoustic piano and synthesizer, and Jerry Goodman on violin. This first incarnation of the ensemble was a multinational group: McLaughlin is from Yorkshire, England; Cobham from Panama; Hammer from Prague, Czechoslovakia; Goodman from Chicago, Illinois; and Laird from Dublin, Ireland. Jean-Luc Ponty was actually McLaughlin's first choice for violinist, but the idea was stalled by "immigration problems". Ponty would later play with McLaughlin on both Apocalypse and Visions of the Emerald Beyond. The group is best known for their two most popular albums: The Inner Mounting Flame (1971) and Birds of Fire (1973).

This group was considered an important pioneer in the jazz fusion movement. McLaughlin and Cobham met while performing and recording with Miles Davis during the Bitches Brew sessions. McLaughlin was also influenced in his conception of the band by his studies with Indian guru Sri Chinmoy, who encouraged him to take the name "Mahavishnu" which means "Divine compassion, power and justice."

McLaughlin had particular ideas for the instrumentation of the group, in keeping with his highly original concept of genre-blending in composition. He particularly wanted a violinist as an integral contributor to its overall sound. As the group evolved, McLaughlin adopted what became his trademark: a double-neck guitar (six-string and twelve-string) which allowed for a great degree of diversity in musical textures, and Hammer became one of the first to play a Mini Moog synthesizer in an ensemble, which enabled him to add more sounds and solo more freely, like the guitar and the violin.

Their musical style was an unprecedented blending of genres: they combined the high-volume electrified rock sound that had been pioneered by Jimi Hendrix (who McLaughlin had jammed with on his initial arrival in New York as part of the Tony Williams Lifetime), complex rhythms in unusual time signatures that reflected McLaughlin's interest in Indian classical music as well as funk, an improvisational concept that was rooted in jazz as well as Indian music, and harmonic influence from European classical music. The group's early music was entirely instrumental; their later albums had songs which sometimes featured R&B or even gospel/hymn styled vocals. In the aforementioned two albums, though, the group goes from this intense fusion of upbeat genres (the best example of which is "Vital Transformation") to very serene, chamber music-like tunes, such as "A Lotus On Irish Streams" and "Thousand Island Park", which are compositions for acoustic guitar, piano and violin; or from low-key to extremely busy in a single piece, such as "Open Country Joy."

there's a nice piece about The Mahavishnu Orchestra in the latest issue of

roger troutman straight pimpin.

Power, Passion and Beauty- The Story of the Legendary Mahavishnu Orchestra: the Greatest Band that ever was written by Walter Kolosky is available at Amazon.com.


enjoy your monday.

blog tape vol. I

alex pardee

is an artist/illustrator outta san fran.

check it out:













nice happy drawings.

enjoy your weekend.

make moves

whistlin that jazz and



blazin trails

for:

?

DO IT BULLS!

note: i am a kirk hinrich fan as well as a ty thomas fan.

kirk hinrich is not getting any younger and despite hitting jumpers in the post season, i still don't trust ty thomas with the ball.

the bulls seem to be putting the emphasis back into defense and carlos boozer fits the roll of a 20 and 13 work horse who will fill up the lane backed up by an every game improving joakim noah.

a talented back court + a talented front court = success?

maybe.

luol deng is back bulls fans. hopefully he'll still be the hard working slasher we've come to love.

if it goes down, it'll look like this:

pg derrick rose

sg john salmons

sf luol deng

pf carlos boozer

c joakim noah

nay sayers are quick to mention boozer's free agency option in 2010, but will he want to leave if the bulls get an all star?

shhh!

a beastie boys "secret" show has been slated for thursday, august 6th in chicago at the congress theater.

ebay time.

their new full length album Hot Sauce Committee Part 1 hits stores september 15th.



cool. (note: MCA is holding what looks like my cat chewy)

track listing:

1. Tadlock’s Glasses
2. B-Boys In The Cut
3. Make Some Noise
4. Nonstop Disco Powerpack
5. OK
6. Too Many Rappers (featuring NAS)
7. Say It
8. The Bill Harper Collection
9. Don’t Play No Game That I Can’t Win (featuring Santigold)
10. Long Burn The Fire
11. Bundt Cake
12. Funky Donkey
13. Lee Majors Come Again
14. Multilateral Nuclear Disarmament
15. Pop Your Balloon
16. Crazy Ass Shit
17. Here’s A Little Something For Ya

gallery wednesday

build



dark knight mixtape



good morning

oh my god, shoes.

I've been pretty good with my shoe purchases as of late, but 23isback.com's release dates have got me itching like a crack feen.

These "Hall of Fames" are ridiculous!



Have a splendid Tuesday.

represent

your kid's dance moves are so two thousand and late.

screw t-ball. get your kid up on this.

uptown saturday night

late night hype. chillin.

no. but really...



get the vibe right.



sorry it took so long brian

Happy 4th erry body! Seems like everyone I knew was at a wedding today or is going to one soon. Random.

3 hour naps at night = cosentino syrah, kill bill on spike, straight blogging.

Cubs game tomorrow anyone?

Have a splendid Sunday.

i love this game?

crazy.

"a rising star...



for an aging nut."



and welcome back, cheater.



it's official.

i hate LA sports teams.