Charlie Coffeen Presents J Dilla’s Donuts
February 9, 2019
Chicago, IL @ Thalia Hall
The second annual performance of J Dilla‘s game-changing Donuts album. Charlie Coffeen (of Sidewalk Chalk) leads a 20+ piece orchestra in recreating and re-imagining the album from top-to-bottom featuring special guests Makaya McCraven, Braxton Cook, and Chris Turner. 100% of merchandise sales benefit the James Dewitt Yancey Foundation.
Part 1 of 3:
Donuts (Outro) > Workinonit, Waves, Light My Fire, The New, Stop, The Diff’rence, Mash, Time: The Donut Of The Heart
Part 2 of 3:
People (with Chris Turner), Lightworks, Stepson Of The Clapper, The Twister (Huh, What) (with Braxton Cook), One Eleven (with Chris Turner), Don’t Cry (with Chris Turner), Two Can Win (with Braxton Cook), Anti-American Graffiti, Geek Down (with Braxton Cook)
Part 3 of 3:
Glazed, Airworks, Thunder, Gobstopper / One For Ghost (with Braxton Cook) > Dilla Says Go, Walkinonit, The Factory
featuring: Charlie Coffeen – keyboards Makaya McCraven – drums Garrett McGinn – bass George Wundsam – guitar Jackson Shephard – guitar Matt Platskota – percussion Jonathan Hoard – vocals Camile Trust – vocals Melissa McMillan – vocals Sam Trump – trumpet Alex Wasily – trombone Sam Hudgens – saxophone Kendrick Pullums – flute & clarinet Matt Jones Orchestra (8 string players)
Special Guests: Chris Turner – vocals Braxton Cook – saxophone & vocals Angele Anise – vocals
Happy 50th Jazz Fest everyone! Here are some very rare audio recordings of The Meters that I have cleaned up and corrected the speed on. Years ago I traded for 2 CDRs marked as “The Meters 11/28/80”, and it turned out to be 2 different recordings that seem to be incomplete. Also, both recordings were running fast, probably from a bad cassette transfer. I’ve slowed them down and cleaned them up as best I can. Enjoy this rare funk as you get your mind right for the 50th New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival this year!
01. People Say 7:27
02. Cissy Strut > 3:57
03. Love The One You’re With > 2:57
04. Hey Pocky A-Way 7:18
05. They All Ask’d For You 7:00
06. Big Chief 5:48
07. Standing In Your Stuff // 6:00
George Porter, Jr. – bass, vocals Zigaboo Modeliste – drums, vocals David Torkanowsky – keyboards, ?vocals? Scott Goudeau – guitar, ?vocals? Tony Dagradi and/or Fred Kemp – saxophone
We know that this group played at Jazz Fest in 1983 and 1984. There is an audience recording that exists of their 1984 Jazz Fest performance. I have not heard it, but I have seen the info file and it’s a totally different setlist with no Meters tunes really except Gossip. So this recording could be from Jazz Fest 1983 or at some other time from 1982 to 1984. I presume and assume this was recorded in New Orleans.
I found this as filler on the 11/28/80 Meters CDRs I traded for years ago. Upon closer inspection of my CDR’s, it was actually about 45 minutes of 11/28/80 and then this Metrics recording on the other side of the cassette.
The tape was also running too fast. This is my first attempt at shifting/fixing the pitch, so it may not be correct, but it sounds closer to reality than it did. It’s also an incomplete recording. I don’t know how much is missing from the end. 2019-01-19 – Funk It Blog
The Meters (with Sam Henry subbing for Art Neville)
November 28th, 1980
New Orleans, LA @ Tipitinas
FM/SBD (WTUL) > 3rd Gen (presumably a cassette) > DAT > ??? > FLAC > WAV > Cool Edit Pro (amplified) > CD Wave Editor (tracking) > WAV > FLAC
01. WTUL radio intro
02. Rigor Mortis
03. Fire on the Bayou >
04. Jungle Man
05. talk & tuning
06. Africa
07. Cissy Strut
08. Just Kissed My Baby
09. People Say >
10. “Try To Get Over” >
11. They All Ask’d For You
Sam Henry – organ & vocals (subbing for Art Neville) George Porter, Jr. – bass & vocals Leo Nocentelli – guitar Zigaboo Modeliste – drums & vocals
They are announced as “The Funky Disgusting Meters”! It sounds like George Porter’s group, Joyride, was the opening act because Zig calls them out during the jam into Jungle Man.
The New Orleans Jazz Festival is a 10 day marathon that fills the city with amazing musicians and music for 2 full weekends (and the daze between). I’ve found that there is a much more palpable energy on the first weekend, when you can feel the city coming alive and people aren’t yet worn down, hitting the wall, or already crashed and burned. Maybe you can’t separate the pros from the amateurs yet, but everyone is ready for magic to happen.
This year’s pleasure was hearing Johnny Vidacovich & John Medeski team up for 3 shows, on First Friday and then on Monday and Tuesday. Vidacovich’s playing on all 3 was fresh and invigorated, which you’re not guaranteed to get from him on second weekend gigs, whether he has his pre-show espresso or not.
These are once in a lifetime performances by musicians that are absolute masters of jazz, groove and intention in their playing. Much of it is improvisational, but at peak execution. It is extremely gratifying to capture these musical moments for posterity and help spread them far and wide, hopefully bringing attention and wider appreciation to this alluring city and it’s spectacular musical gumbo.
Medeski, Vidacovich & Wood with Skerik
Friday, April 27th, 2018
New Orleans, LA @ Maple Leaf
SET ONE: Hip Chops [Rahsaan Roland Kirk], Sham Time [Eddie Harris], Coffee [Vidacovich] > Improv > Improv > Improv (inc. Third Stone From The Sun [Jimi Hendrix] & A Love Supreme [John Coltrane]), Blues Improv Outro
Medeski, Vidacovich & Wood with Skerik
April 27th, 2018
New Orleans, LA @ Maple Leaf
SET TWO: Buster Rides Again [Bud Powell] (inc. Caravan [Duke Ellington]) > Wiggly’s Way [Medeski] > Improv > Improv
Medeski, Vidacovich & Wood
Monday, April 30th, 2018
New Orleans, LA @ d.b.a.
Set TWO: Chinoiserie [Duke Ellington], Bemsha Swing / Lively Up Yourself [Thelonious Monk / Bob Marley], Tootie Ma (Is A Big Fine Thing) [Danny Barker], You Haven’t Don’t Nothin’ [Stevie Wonder], Nostalgia In Times Square / Angel Race (I’ll Wait For You) [Charles Mingus / Sun Ra]
Unfortunately I didn’t arrive in time to capture video of the first set, as it was just too crowded. I did get in to see most of it though, and Picklemic has audio of both sets right here:
John Vidacovich, John Medeski & Will Bernard
Tuesday, May 1, 2018
New Orleans, LA @ Cafe Istanbul
Beatrice [Sam Rivers] > Y Todavia La Quiero [Joe Henderson], Mojet [Medeski], Improv > ?Improv? > Improv > Tubby [James Booker], Softly, As In A Morning Sunrise [Sigmund Romberg], Is It Nature’s Rock N’ Roll? [Vidacovich] > Coffee [Vidacovich] (coda)
