Getting in the Mood: Holiday Music

So I'm definitely that person who starts listening to Christmas/Holiday music as soon as it gets cold or in the case for this year, as soon as the first snow falls. With our October "Nor'easter", snow coated the ground, and especially in my area it basically looked like a winter wonderland [1]. A large part of my was appalled, since it was not even November yet and because this more than likely means that this is going to be a cold ass winter[2]. The other smaller part of me welcomed it only because that means my favorite two holidays (other than my birthday of course) are approaching, Thanksgiving and Christmas. And so Christmas music is officially on deck.

As I watched the snow fall outside, I thought about my favorite holiday jams. The kind that make you all warm and toasty even when it's bitter cold outside and the kind that make you think of all the holiday memories you have with family and friends. Here are my top 10 Holiday Jams because it's never too early to enjoy some good music.

1. The Temptations- Silent Night

I believe that this is one of the greatest Christmas songs ever written/done. And what a group to do it. The soul that just comes through the speakers leaves me breathless every-time. This song always plays on Christmas eve at our house, filtering throughout the downstairs and I often catch myself just staring at our Christmas tree and swaying to the music. It's a beautiful beautiful song, and I love how they also focus on the Jesus aspect.

2. Vince Guaraldi- Peanuts- Oh Christmas Tree

I am one of the biggest fans of the Peanuts Gang (especially Snoopy and Woodstock) and their holiday movies are classics, and I fully believe the music definitely makes each movie even better. The Peanuts holiday soundtrack is ridiculously amazing and this one here is my favorite.

3. Donny Hathaway- This Christmas

Donny Hathaway has one of the most amazingly soulful voices. Unfortunately his life was too short but he managed to leave us with many gems, this being one of my favorites. That man can belt a tune and make you all warm and fuzzy inside. This is the song my siblings and I would come down the stairs to as my father taped us. Every year without fail (even now).

4. Thurl Ravenscroft- Mr. Grinch

What's a Christmas without some holiday cheer and the occasional grinch. Whether I'm feeling super happy or moody as hell, this song always reminds me of the wonderful childhood holidays. And sometimes I'm feeling extra grinchy and I'll have this song on blast so everyone knows how I'm feeling.

5. Nat King Cole- The Christmas Song

If you don't have this man's Christmas CD- GO BUY IT NOW. There I said it. I mean, this man had the voice. There is no Christmas without this song. (Sidenote: I also suggest listening to his other music. It. Is. Stellar. A favorite mine is Stardust.)

6. The Nightmare Before Christmas- What's This

I'm a huge fan of Tim Burton and this movie was the beginning. One of my favorite animated films. And the song is just so darn catchy.

7. Dean Martin- Baby It's Cold Outside

I have a love affair with Dean Martin. If I could go back in time...I would buy front row tickets to see him (and the Rat Pack) perform.This song is also perfect whenever I'm cold or it's snowing, like this past Saturday, and I'm feeling in a chilly silly mood.

8.The Drifters- White Christmas

I first heard this song when I watched Home Alone way back in the day as a youngin'. I only just realized found out that this group was black and it blew me away. It's actually quite interesting what popular 50s musicians/groups where actually black. Anyway, this song has always stuck with me and my father and I always end up singing this together, me taking the falsetto and him the bass. It's lovely.

9. The Temptations- Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer

You can never have too much Temptations. And this song is another favorite of mine. Soulful and fun, this song always leaves me full of Holiday cheer. There have been many versions, but none have done it better. 

10. Kurtis Blow- Christmas Rappin'

I know every lyric to this song and am ready to start a soul train line whenever this comes on. This is my jam.



Honorable Mention: Adam Sandler- Chanukah Song

After hearing this song for the first time on Saturday Night Live, it has always stuck with me. It's witty and totally makes fun of how serious people take holidays. It never gets old.


So there you have it folks. I'm sure some of you *cough* Zipporah *cough* are complaining about it being too early for Christmas music. Whateva you bunch of Grinches. But to all of you out there who get it, this is for you. I may not be one of those people with Christmas decorations outside on November 1st (no shade) but you can bet that my speakers will be having some Christmas tunes blasting in between all my other music.

[1] I always thought this was a dumb name. 
[2] And you know how black folks feel about the cold. 

What Kind of Friend Am I?

Ayo dawlins! It's been a minute. I've been hiding behind stacks of books, trying to be productive for class. I have managed to succeed and am very happy with my current standings. Just gotta push it out.

That being said, with grad school, work, and just being plain ol' lazy- I've found myself being a lousy friend. Now I was never really good with communication in the first place. If it's face to face, I can often be the life of the party and keep my friends rolling on the floor with laughter. Or I can sit there and listen to all their problems for hours and then try to give advice. I love my friends. Sure there are those that I count within my inner circle and I often base my inner girl circle on who would be my bridesmaids when I get married. Let's just say I plan on having a big wedding. But that's a good thing right?

These wonderful ladies and gents (you know who you all are) know embarrassing things about me, have known me for a ridiculous amount of years, have giving me a bed or couch to crash on, have seen me at my worst, and have seen me at my best. I've taking care of them when we've had too much to drink, I've cock-blocked, I've given and gotten advice, have had ridiculous random dance parties with, have had road trips with, and have driven/flown miles to see. We've studies together, got trashed together, cried over troubles, laughed over joys, been totally inappropriate, and have created some fantastic memories together.

These wonderful people are the types that I can not have spoken to for weeks, even months, and as soon as we get on the phone it's like we had talked just the day before. And I feel truly blessed that I have so many people that I can call my friends, my true friends, my best friends, my loves, my babes. You get the point.

But at the same time, I know I need to stop being such a bum, get off my butt, and make time to call my friends. There's one particular gent whose been waiting for my call, since it's my turn to call, and you're first on my list. And I've got a couple of people that I missed their birthdays since I usually rely on facebook (I know I know I'm one of those lousy people and you are too), and with the change in layout I barely go on anymore, so I'm always missing birthdays. So to all of you that I've neglected, HAPPY BELATED BIRTHDAY. You know I've got nothing but love for y'all. Sorry for being a lousy friend.

Honestly, I just want to say this as a public service announcement. Treasure your friends. I'm pretty sucky at doing so, and luckily that hasn't usually adversely affected my relationships. I'm blessed. And with friends like these, I'm a pretty happy camper. I love you guys and gals and thank you for putting up with me for so long.  Nothing but love.

 

Damn I love this song. Don't hate.

La Vida de La Lupe

It was in high school when the Spanish language first sparked my interest. Outside of class, I would listen to the radio station La Mega while trying to pick up the language through song. I enjoy merengue and bachata, the two most popular styles of music in the Dominican Republic but I prefer salsa, especially the good, Fania shit. Fania Records was essentially the Motown of Latin music that housed salsa pioneers like Celia Cruz, Hector Lavoe, and Ray Barretto. Salsa music was instrumental in introducing the larger world to the sounds of Caribbean oriented music, musica tropical. 

But before there was salsa, there was Puerto Rican bomba. There was cha-cha and mambo. Though salsa music is huge, it still is a fairly new genre of music, originating in the 1960's and 1970's. The aforementioned styles of music, as well as many others, were the components of musica tropical and La Lupe was the champion of them all. I can't pinpoint when I first discovered her music, but I promise that I have not listened to music the same way since.

Brash, flamboyant, witty and fiery, the Cuban-born singer was dubbed the Queen of Latin Soul but has been largely forgotten over the years. La Lupe's music was just as much sexy as it was political. Exiled from Cuba, she kicked off her shoes after each performance as a form of protest against Castro's regime.

She started her career singing traditional Cuban music with an orchestra led by Latin jazz great Mongo Santamaria. Impressed with her rich voice, she caught the attention of Tito Puente and together they had a string of hits including her most famous song, "Que Te Pedi." Her mastery of tropical rhythms along with her over-the-top persona, gave her performance an edge never seen before by Latin audiences. She would erratically hit her face, clap irregularly to the beat or at times, even slap her breasts while shouting "Ahi Nama!" With an act like none other, she was on top of the world in the sixties. But it wouldn't last for much longer.

La Lupe's life soon became consumed by alcoholism and drug addiction. Her drug-addict husband, who was later diagnosed as a schizophrenic, became abusive towards her. Between his hospital bills and her endless donations to Santeros, she went broke. The despair that now defined her life began to taint her professional life as she became more and more of a burden to her associates. According to Tito Puente, she her refusal to convert to salsa music and sticking with traditional musica tropical would soon make her a hasbeen. He decided to part ways with her.

In "Oriente," she beautifully emotes her falling out with Tito Puente as she shouts "Ay ay ay, Tito Puente me botó!"- a loose translation of 'he kicked me out.' She died from a heart attack at the young age of 52. How did this happen? She was the first Latin singer to sell out of Madison Square Garden, but some how once ended up homeless and destitute. She traveled around the world, wowing audiences with her musical genius but is relatively unknown to many fans of Latin music. La Lupe was as much passionate and talented as she was troubled. Once loved, but now forgotten, she lived a life free of apologies or restrictions. It may have worked to her detriment but that's what makes her legacy so incredible.

Going Back to Our Roots

Word dropped a few days ago announcing The Roots' new concept album slated to come out December of this year. Entitled Undun, the album is going to be a “existential retelling” of the life of Redford Stephens, a man who was murdered at the young age of 25 in 1999. I was unable to find more information about Stephens but I am speculating that his story is one of symbolism, one that challenges common narratives of young black men while exploring the intricacies of "ghetto life." The band's drummer ?uestlove (Questlove) explains more:

"undun is the story of this kid who becomes criminal, but he wasn’t born criminal. He’s not the nouveau exotic primitive bug-eyed gunrunner like Tupac’s character Bishop in “Juice”… he’s actually thoughtful and is neither victim nor hero. Just some kid who begins to order his world in a way that makes the most sense to him at a given moment… At the end of the day… isn’t that what we all do?”

I think the concept, like the band itself, is brilliant. It took some time for The Roots to gain success in the mainstream, with their fourth album Things Fall Apart being the first to go gold. And although they have made it big, they have been able to stay true to their uniqueness. Hip hop fans respected the insightful content and complexity found in Black Thought's lyrics, giving the group street cred. Critics appreciated their artistry which blended traditional hip hop beats with jazzy, live instrumentation.

The Roots have continued to grow throughout their career with many of their music tackling a variety of social issues. Undun may not sell a mil in its first week like a certain, lesser talented, squeaky voiced rapper but I am expecting nothing short of greatness. I remember back when rap songs used to tell a story. Well, not really considering I'm only 22 but that is besides the point. Many great hip hop songs featured storytelling but to my knowledge, the concept has never been expanded to an entire album. So this December I'll be at the record store, coppin this album. Until then, I'll be rockin' to their throwbacks.

Sister Escape... Now Live in Living Color

Or at least, now on Facebook.

That's right. You heard us. We have given in to the man and have expanded to Facebook. We are 105 members strong in only 3 days and constantly growing. We wanted to open up our escape concept to a place where dialogue with others can be open about anything.  The idea of our Facebook group is for members to feel free to use this space to post inspiring or funny stories, the latest gossip, political fodder, general thoughts, questions, or ideas, music, or anything that comes to mind!

So I hope you will join us. We've already had some fun, creative, informative, and interesting posts. And don't plan to stop!

Why I Hate Chris Brown

This post may seem passé but I was inspired by his appearance on last night's BET Hip Hop Awards. He joined Busta Rhymes, Wale, Eminem and other underground rappers on the show's cypher, when artists freestyle in a loosely structured format. It made sense for every other person to be there. But no, the self-centered twat had to participate and ruin what was otherwise a group of artists with a considerable amount of talent.

I hate Chris Brown. For the last two years, I cringe every time that fool appears on my TV screen or in a blog I'm reading. When I hear that god awful song "Look At Me Now" I get the sudden urge to punch a baby. And here is why.

Mr. Magic Himself

I can't tell you how much I've been missing New York City's smooth jazz station. In addition to the classic rhythm and blues station, it played music that all generations in my house could enjoy. It brings back memories of the family either playing bid whist or lively chatting with each other about politics in the living room. Smooth jazz was easy to listen to in the background and its creation is largely due to the music of one of its pioneers, the late Grover Washington Jr.

His rendition of this Bill Withers' classic is one of his most well-known songs, mostly because of its crossover appeal. The jazzier version allows Grover to showcase his mastery of the saxophone, blending perfectly with the composition of the song. Much ado is made about the validity of smooth jazz, with some not even considering it to be a legitimate sub-genre of jazz. However, critics cannot doubt the talents of Grover Washington Jr. His improvisation was sophisticated, edgy and one some songs, down right funky.

This is coming from my favorite album from him and one of the greatest jazz-funk/ soul jazz albums of all time, appropriately entitled Feels So Good. What I admire mostly was his approach to jazz in general. Some jazz musicians like Miles Davis and Charles Mingus want to get you to think, and they were geniuses at doing so. Washington, on the other hand, wanted you to feel. His sax work was very advanced, but still melodic and smooth. I find myself "singing" along to Hydra or Knucklehead because he gets the saxophone to sound like the voice of a Motown soul singer.

Now this is my favorite song by him. Grover's recordings are always so relaxed, so it surprises me to see him perform so energetically. Everybody looks as if they are having the time of their life. This performance almost looks like a jam session. Mister Magic was so funky that its beat later influenced DC-based go-go music. But his contributions to contemporary jazz are why we honor Grover Washington Jr. in this week's Throwback Tuesdays.