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
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
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.
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)
