Tag: Adam Deitch

The Killa 4 Dilla 4/30/16 New Orleans, LA @ Maison – Fiyawerx Prod. – J Dilla Tribute

Killa 4 Dilla 4/30/16 Maison, New Orleans

The Killa 4 Dilla II – April 30, 2016
New Orleans, LA @ Maison (actually started 5/1/16 @ 3:30am)
Part 1 of 2: ???, The Light (with Ivan Neville, Ian Neville & Nikki Glaspie), [Alvin Ford Jr exits, Louis Cato enters], Thelonius > Players > Get Down > U and Ur Smile > 2 You 4 You, [Louis Cato exits, Adam Deitch enters], Thought U Wuz Nice, So Far To Go

Bee Getz as quoted in his NOLA Jazz Fest After-Dark 2016 overview review at Live For Live Music:

After the rousing success of their first endeavor, a late-night, post-BUKU throwdown, FIYAwerx Productions revealed a Jazz Fest after dark redux, and the Killa 4 Dilla II was born just days before the show. The FIYA Dept had this one tucked up their sleeve for a few weeks, but once they announced the second edition of their J Dilla tribute, the excitement around the city was palpable. Boasting a roster of jazz-funk heavyweights with a healthy appreciation for hip-hop history, the band came together in short order to summon a ghost of The Ummah. Lacing us with two hours of classic Jay Dee, this was Welcome to Detroit, the Frenchman Street edition.

The ensemble included the likes of Borahm Lee (keys and samples), Nate Edgar (bass), Nicky Cake Cassarino (guitar), Ian Neville (guitar), Maurice “Mobetta” Brown (trumpet), Khris Royal (sax and effects), Alvin Ford Jr (drums), Adam Deitch (drums) and emcees Nikki Glaspie and M@ Peoples. The outfit ambled on stage just after two in the morning, and deftly delivered a cadre of bangers that had us “Body Movin'” and crush-groovin’ late into the night. A student of the James Yancey pantheon, Borahm Lee was a revelation; a true-school beat conductor for this focused free-for-all, playing choice Rhodes betwixt a bevy of samples and looping gymnastics. Soulquarian essential oils were in the air on Common‘s “The Light”, and the energy turned Nthfectious; Cassarino‘s slinky Spanky Chalmers licks, Edgar‘s Pino Palladino was perfection, and Glaspie‘s mojo was workin’ through Rashid‘s effervescent verses, the dreaded femcee gripping the mic like it was mama’s gun. Another period piece, Slum Village‘s “Jealousy” was handled with verbal authority by M@ Peoples. This talented local emcee shined on a vast array of Dilla-gence throughout. Brown and Royal passed the champion sound forth and back, and Ford was steady-clicking a metronome of Dillafication, the off-beat/on-beat, blunted breaks mined from a Conant Gardens bassment.

Killa 4 Dilla 4/30/16 Maison, New Orleans

Miraculously, the man, myth, legend, the all-galaxy cat himself, Louis Cato appeared out of thin air and relieved Ford on the drum kit; a segment of virtue and virtuoso, this was beyond Filthy Mcnasty. Naturally, it being a FIYA Dept hip hop show in NOLA, the boy wonder Adam Deitch emerged to nail the illest Iverson crossovers. Lettuce‘s hip-hop heartbeat got luscious on a lucid dreaming “Lightworks,” an MPC piece of masterpiece theater found on Yancey‘s final finished document, Donuts. The Killa chorale continued to bless the Maison massive by honoring the legacy of hip-hop’s greatest producer; emotional readings of several undying soundtracks to our lives included “Runnin'” (The Pharcyde) and the SV/Common slab of heat rocks “Thelonious.” Most treasured was an sojourn through this writer’s amaranthine anthem: De La Soul‘s 1996 word-to-the-wise “Stakes is High”. James Casey and the Mayor of *my* New Orleans Derrick “Smoker” Freeman assumed the role of Plug-One and Plug-Two; this duo led the crew through golden-age, rap-superhero theme music.In a word: FIYA. A new generation of Native Tongues had been reinstated. Vibes? Vibrations. Jay. Love. JazzFest.

The Killa 4 Dilla II – April 30, 2016
New Orleans, LA @ Maison (actually started 5/1/16 @ 3:30am)
Part 2 of 2: ??? > Lightworks > ??? > Jealousy, Runnin’ (Can’t Keep Running Away) > Stakes Is High, Encore: [Adam Deitch exits, Nikki Glaspie enters], Think Twice

The Killa 4 Dilla II:
Borahm Lee – keyboards
Alvin Ford Jr. – drums (beginning until The Light)
Louis Cato – drums (Thelonius > 2 You 4 You)
Adam Deitch – drums (Thought U Wuz Nice > Stakes Is High)
Nikki Glaspie – drums (Think Twice), MC (on The Light)
Nate Edgar – bass
Nick Cassarino – guitar
Maurice Brown – trumpet, MC (on 2 You 4 You, ??? before Lightworks, & Jealousy)
Khris Royal – saxophone
Ivan Neville – vocals (on The Light)
Ian Neville – guitar (on The Light & Runnin’)
M@ Peoples – MC (on Thelonius & Players)
James Casey – MC (on Runnin’, Stakes Is High & Think Twice)
Derrick Freeman – MC (on Stakes Is High)

Greg Bryant - Killa 4 Dilla

Killa 4 Dilla 4/30/16 Maison, New Orleans

New Orleans Jazz Fest Late Night: Break Science Live Band at The Blue Nile 2016

Break Science Live Band 2016 New Orleans Blue Nile

Break Science Live Band
April 30, 2016 New Orleans, LA @ Blue Nile
Part 1 of 2: Owner Of A Lonely Heart [Yes] > Goin ‘Down [Michal Menert collab], In Full Effect (clip), Hand Clapping Song [The Meters] > Funky Style (clip), Brain Reaction, Intergalactic

Bee Getz as quoted in his NOLA Jazz Fest After-Dark 2016 overview review at Live For Live Music:

Break Science is trendsetter in realms of live electronic music; implementing avant garde approaches to technology while retaining core identity and original sound. The duo comprised of Adam Deitch and keyboardist/sampler/producer Borahm Lee have begun to reinvent themselves as a live band, drafting Lettuce crew Jesus Coomes (bass), Adam “Shmeeans” Smirnoff (guitar) and The Shady Horns (Ryan Zoidis & Eric “Benny” Bloom) to make a formidable dance music dragon.

Break Science Live Band 2016 Blue Nile

It’s clear that familiarity and trust are crucial to the duo’s transition into a full live band. Deitch remains a force behind the kit, propelling the breaks, programming pads, and setting the ultimate tone; while Lee is mad professor, furiously twisting knobs, painting Rhodes colors, and layering the synth waves. Shmeeans and Jesus would lay back, low-down dirty and deep in the cut, serving the songs and keeping it vibey with disciplined restraint.

On the other hand, saxophonist Ryan Zoidis was levitation station, a dude not of this earth. The Shady Horns veteran hellraiser married imaginative melodies with sinister, psychedelic tones; all done through his Korg analog guitar-synth triggered by a custom-equipped mouthpiece. Eric
Benny” Bloom is well versed in live-band electro-soul from his tours of duty in Pretty Lights Analog Future Band, and his stimulating, muffled wah wailing remained a perfect Zoidis foil in yet another compelling context.

The undeniable Tycho/Kendrick Lamar mashup “Vibe Walk” was a moving expedition, paired with familial collaborations with Michal Menert (“Goin Down”). Two tracks from the recent Manic Science project were reinterpreted: the Nice & Smooth-sampled “Funky Style,” and the haunting Pretty Lights remix “I Can See it in Your Face.” In mixing older Break Science originals like “Zion Station”, re-working NOLA classics (The Meters “Hand-Clapping Song”), and powering through AOR radio staples (Yes‘s “Owner of a Lonely Heart”), the omnifarious Break Science personalities were revealed. A smattering of new songs were interspersed within the set, only adding to the promising potential of this larger unit. Break Science Live Band surpassed many expectations, and chaperoned an enchanting journey down the wormhole of organic electronic music in 2016.

Break Science Live Band
April 30, 2016 New Orleans, LA @ Blue Nile
Part 2 of 2: Throwback [Michal Menert collab] > I Can See It In Your Face [Pretty Lights], Let’s Go, Vibe Walk [Kendrick Lamar vs Tycho]

NOTE: Please excuse the fact that the audio on these is subpar. I think my Sony ECM-MS908C external video cam microphone started to crap out in a weird way (after extended use in the humidity I guess?). Luckily it didn’t happen until the 8th night (of 8 nights) so it didn’t affect too much of my footage. I promptly replaced the mic. I actually I picked up two because it is no longer being manufactured. I’ve been using these mics since 1999 and they still do a great job. I think I’ve owned 5 of them, if you count the 2 I have now.

Jam Cruise 2016 VIDEOS: Lettuce in the Theater, Adam “Shmeeans” Smirnoff in the Jam Room and Eric Bloom in the Jazz Lounge

Lettuce Jam Cruise Pantheon Theater

Lettuce 1/8/16 Jam Cruise – Part 1 of 2:
“Neal Untitled”, Let Bobby, Ghost of Jupiter, Squadlive > Lettsanity > Body Heat [James Brown cover] (with Nigel Hall) > Lettsanity

Bee Getz as quoted in his Jam Cruise 14 overview review at Live For Live Music:

I am not sure I have vernacular to adequately describe what went down in that room. Lettuce is already leading the charge toward the new frontier; evolving, growing and exploding into a genre all their own. In the Pantheon Theater, twas a mixture of the hour, the elements, and environs. Riding the high of their film screening, this was a focused band on a mission. The willingness to dive headfirst into pure, free-form Type II jamming, as an eight or nine piece ensemble, was astonishing. That they are delivering these excursions to the netherworlds is enough; yet the physicality of their sound is a historical discovery, a breakthrough on the search for new land. Infinitely more bass gymnastics from the crooked cross became an assiduous assault. This was sonic ammunition for a frenzied dance-rage deep into the ocean waters, never mind thousands of leagues beneath.

From bombastic trap-thunderclaps, with humongous bottom end from the man they call Jesus, the question wasn’t bass, it was how low could they go. The sounds emanating from Neal Evans were grandiose; downright imperial in their psychedelia. The same can be said for the synth-rig Ryan Zoidis pumped through his alto, drenched in the dankest in dub arkology. Furious percussion grooves from Deitch, augmented by Tyler Coomes, created opulent hip-hop temples of boom, This new soundwave enabled their wide-open improvisations to be created with colors native to Tipper, or Thriftworks, yet the textures are in the late 70’s Bootsy Collins zip code, Benny Bloom was the G-code personified, blowing his bitch’s brew atop the wave. There is simply no other music being made like this. Period. On this night, Lettuce would drop no less than THREE of these magnum opuses, snowflake adventures bursting at the themes. The first two were Neal Evans‘ creations; dude is a mad freaking scientist, imagining post-apocalyptic galaxies and manifesting them in song. This was the spirit of ‘Choose Your Own Adventure,’ set to psychedelic crunk. Throw in a Nigel Hall and Shmeeans-led D’angelo tease (“Chicken Grease”) in the middle of “Do It Like You Do” and Lettuce officially shut down Jam Cruise. We have glimpsed the future. Get some shades, yo.

Lettuce 1/8/16 Jam Cruise – Part 2 of 2:
Blast Off > Trillogy > Making My Way Back Home (inc. Bustin Loose [Chuck Brown cover]) (with Nigel Hall) > Do It Like You Do (inc. Chicken Grease [D’Angelo cover]) (with Nigel Hall & ???)

Lettuce question & answer session 1/8/16 Jam Cruise:
Earlier in the afternoon, after they premiered the “Let Us Play” documentary there was a Q&A session with everyone from Lettuce plus Kunj Shah of Live 4 Live Music (producer of the film) and Jay Sansone of Human Being (director of the film)

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Shmeeans Jam Room Jam Cruise

The night before, Adam “Shmeeans” Smirnoff held down the Jam Room for no less than 3 hours. It started around 2:30am with Alvin Ford Jr. holding down the main drum chair for approximately 2.5 hours with only a short break for Trombone Shorty’s rhythm section to jump in.

Adam “Shmeeans” Smirnoff’s Jam Room 1/7/16 Jam Cruise – Part 1 of 4:
A loose Jam with Deitch on the 2nd drum kit and Ivan Neville, Borahm Lee & Nigel Hall flourishing on the keyboards.

Adam “Shmeeans” Smirnoff’s Jam Room 1/7/16 Jam Cruise – Part 2 of 4:
An hour later I stepped back in to find Trombone Shorty‘s rhythm section (Mike Ballard & Joey Peebles) laying it down and pumping and slinking through several improvisational grooves along with Karl Denson’s Tiny Universe guitarist DJ Williams and Jans Ingber (formerly of the The Motet).

Meanwhile, stuff like this happened:

Adam “Shmeeans” Smirnoff’s Jam Room 1/7/16 Jam Cruise – Part 3 of 4:
Then Nigel Hall and Jesus Coomes joined Ryan Zoidis, Eric McFadden and a dual drum assault of Isaac Teel from Tauk and Alvin Ford Jr. for a run through Nigel’s own tune “Don’t Change For Me” with a slight bridge to pay tribute to the godfathers The Meters on “A Message From The Meters”. Shit was hot.

Adam “Shmeeans” Smirnoff’s Jam Room 1/7/16 Jam Cruise – Part 4 of 4:
The jams just continued and continued with Charly Lowry (recent vocalist for The New Mastersounds) and many other players. Jesus gives up the bass to Oteil Burbridge and Deitch tries to battle it out with Alvin Ford Jr., but Ford the cyborg holds it down like a machine and prevails with Deitch throwing in the towel around 5am. Shortly after this video ended, the very talented unknown female guitarist Emily Musolino seen here took over on bass duties and kept it rocking for 30+ more minutes. Does anyone know who she is?

Bee Getz as quoted in his Jam Cruise 14 overview review at Live For Live Music:

The concept of the Jam Room is in its essence what makes this boat sail. Lettuce guitarist Adam “Shmeeans” Smirnoff had hosting duties on night two, and it was a gluttonous, rowdy affair; the funk and grooves were massive, and the sound was gargantuan. Ably assisted by members of Lettuce, Dumpstaphunk, Jans Ingber, Todd Stoops, Eric McFadden, Tyler and Jesus Coomes, Oteil Burbridge, among others, the first two hours of this Jam Room was maybe the best of the week. Alvin Ford Jr, drummer of Dumpstaphunk, showed everybody why he is a fucking cyborg. Word on the street is that Ford was created in a lab, fed only the highest grade supplements, and trained twenty hours a day for twenty years. He is now a veritable Terminator. built to destroy any drum kit or drummer, at any given moment in time. The ‘Boy Wonder’ Adam Deitch, and the new kid on the block Isaac Teel (Tauk) both sat down to double drum with Ford, and for a while they each pushed along and rode the train as best they could. In the end, Ford took them both down, as Deitch playfully gave up and threw his sticks in the air, signifying “defeat”, while Teel took it in stride, as he definitely had the most God-given steez of any player on the Divina. Daps go to Shmeeans for leading this ensemble through some of the heaviest funk on Jam Cruise. Key tunes- an uplifting, bouncing “Don’t Change for Me” (Nigel Hall), a raging “Hang Up Your Hang Ups” (Herbie Hancock), and “Thank You for Lettin Me Be Mice Elf, Again” (Sly Stone).

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Eric Benny Bloom Jam Cruise Jazz Lounge

Eric “Benny” Bloom’s Jazz Lounge 1/7/16 Jam Cruise – Part 1 of 4:
The end of Mercy, Mercy, Mercy [Joe Zawinul cover] with Johnny Vidacovich, David Torkanowsky (both of Astral Project), Michael League (of Snarky Puppy), Will Bernard & Congo Sanchez

Eric “Benny” Bloom’s Jazz Lounge 1/7/16 Jam Cruise – Part 2 of 4:
Night Train [Jimmy Forrest cover] with Stanton Moore swapping out with Johnny Vidacovich and Mike Maher (of Snarky Puppy) joining on trumpet

Eric “Benny” Bloom’s Jazz Lounge 1/7/16 Jam Cruise – Part 3 of 4:
Passion Dance [McCoy Tyner cover] with Stanton Moore, David Torkanowky, James Singleton, Will Bernard, Skerik & Weedie Braimah

Eric “Benny” Bloom’s Jazz Lounge 1/7/16 Jam Cruise – Part 4 of 4:
How Blue Can You Get [Johnny Moore’s Three Blazers cover] with Alvin Ford Jr., David Torkanowsky, James Singleton, Eric McFadden & Skerik

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