Primus – Louisville, Kentucky – videos + exclusive radio audio

Primus 10/10/11 Louisville, KY @ 91.9 WFPK
Interview – Lee Van Cleef – Interview – Tragedy’s a’ Comin’

Primus ripped through Louisville, Kentucky, last Monday with their original lineup of Les Claypool, Larry LaLonde and Jay Lane. I’ve seen them over the years with each of their three drummers (Tim “Herb” Alexander” and Brian “Brain” Mantia) and I can honestly say that Jay Lane is my favorite. After all, he was the one that helped develop the original Primus sound in the late-1980’s and he did co-write most of the songs on Frizzle Fry & Sailing The Seas of Cheese. To me, his playing is groovier and tighter than the other drummers. Also, to his credit, his return to the band rekindled the Primus spark and inspired Claypool to write and record a new album, so you can’t fault him for that.

Early in the afternoon of October 10, 2011, Primus entered the studio at our favorite independent radio station, 91.9 WFPK Radio Louisville. Here I bring you the exclusive recording of their interview and performance. You can stream it at the top of this page, or press the down arrow on the soundcloud bar to download the 83mb lossless FLAC file (Sidenote: Although it was recorded from the webstream, which was most likely a lossy MP3-quality stream, I chose not to downgrade the quality further by compressing it to MP3 again. And that’s why you get a FLAC file and not an MP3. But really is that extra 60mb really gonna tip the scales and fill your hard drive to the bursting point?).

Here I also present the videos I shot from the front row. The audio has been upgraded with my friend’s recording with schoeps microphones, which is available to download over at etree. The video starts out with Extinction Burst (one of my favorite tracks off the new album), and then there is nearly 5 minutes of Those Damned Blue-Collar Tweekers, including most of Claypool’s bass solo jam middle part. It ends abruptly about 1.5 minutes before the end of the song due to “security.”

Roy Ayers live with Robert Glasper Experiment & Pete Rock

Roy Ayers, Peter Rock & The Robert Glasper Experiment – July 9, 2011 @ North Sea Jazz Festival – We Live In Brooklyn, Baby

This week I want to hip you to the Robert Glasper Experiment. This group has seamlessly melded jazz and hip hop like no one else. We’re talking about Robert Glasper on piano and fender rhodes, Chris “Daddy” Dave on drums, Derrick Hodge on bass and Casey Benjamin on sax and keytar/vocoder.

Roy Ayers is another artist that is known for melding genres by forever blurring the lines between jazz, funk and soul. So his pairing with the Robert Glasper Experiment at last summer’s North Sea Jazz Festival in Rotterdam, Netherlands was only fitting.

It all started back in April of 2010 when Revive Music Group organized a Roy Ayers Tribute in Harlem that paired the Robert Glasper Experiment with legendary hip-hop producer and DJ, Pete Rock, and contemporary jazz vibraphonist, Stefon Harris. (Check All The Way Live’s exclusive audio recording.) It was also at this April 24, 2010 tribute show that Roy Ayers himself was presented with a Legends and Legacy Award and joined the group for a rendition of his hit, “Searching.” (See the videos here.)

The Roy Ayers Tribute was performed again by the Robert Glasper Experiment, Pete Rock & Stefon Harris on September 11, 2011 in Paris, France. At that show, Bilal joined the group for an expansive and mind-blowing version of “Everybody Loves The Sunshine”. (The full video is on youtube and mp3s are known to circulate of both this show and the Robert Glasper Trio‘s performance with Bilal from the next day.)

This brings us to July 9, 2011, when the Robert Glasper Experiment & Pete Rock threw it down again, this time at the North Sea Jazz Festival and with Roy Ayers receiving top billing. Here I present the full audio recording, 68 minutes long, mp3 format, sourced from the North Sea Jazz Festival web video stream: http://www.mediafire.com/?8fc9l3dsb4bxq3s. Also, part of the performance is available as a DVD download here.

Here is the full info to go along with that mp3:
Roy Ayers with Pete Rock & The Robert Glasper Experiment
July 9, 2011
Congo, Ahoy, Rotterdam, The Netherlands @ North Sea Jazz Festival
SBD > video webstream (unknown kbps) > Cool Edit Pro > WAV > MP3

01. unknown instrumental
Roy Ayers enters:
02. Everybody Loves The Sunshine
Pete Rock enters:
03. Don’t Stop The Feeling
04. We Live in Brooklyn, Baby
05. Pete Rock spins records
06. Don’t Stop The Feeling

Roy Ayers – vocals, vibraphone
Pete Rock – DJ
John Pressley – vocals & percussion
Raeford Gaskins – saxophone
Robert Glasper – piano
Derrick Hodge – bass
Chris Dave – drums
Casey Benjamin – saxophone & vocoder keytar

Return To Forever covers Freddie Hubbard’s Red Clay (AUDIO)

Return To Forever IV – Romantic Warrior (inc. Red Clay at 14min15sec)
June 21, 2011 Indianapolis, IN @ Murat Theatre

When Return To Forever played the Murat Theatre on their 2008 reunion tour, Lenny White remarked about his time playing with Freddie Hubbard (who was from Indianapolis). Then, during his 13 minute drum solo (in the middle of a 39 minute Romantic Warrior), White proceeded to tease Hubbard’s seminal composition, Red Clay, but only for 2 bars.

Fast forward to Return To Forever’s 2011 tour, same town, same theatre, and the entire band locks into the Red Clay groove for about 3 minutes in the middle of a 20 minute rendition of Romantic Warrior.

Fortuitously, I was recording the audio of said 20 minute Romantic Warrior on my iPhone4 with the Blue FiRe app. The audio is mono, but the quality is close to excellent. I also recorded the next tune, Spain. Go ahead, press play.

Return To Forever IV – Spain
June 21, 2011 Indianapolis @ Murat Theatre

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