To 98.7 KISS FM: A Special Tribute to a Special Station

 Over two weeks ago 98.7 KISS FM, one of my favorite stations here in NYC closed ranks and merged with longtime rival, 107.5 BLS. Both are your standard rhythm and blues stations but KISS played slightly more oldies. It was devastating for fans who have been tuning in for the past thirty years. The city lost it's only smooth jazz station a couple of years ago and now is losing a historic r&b station, one that featured shows from popular syndication talk show hosts Michael Baisden and Al Sharpton. It's where countless of musicians and community leaders were given opportunities to share their voices with listeners across the city. They must now want adults to listen to the radio anymore. Thanks Nicki.

From colorofchange.org:

In the 1960s and '70s, local Black radio stations served as the political and social "drumbeat" of Black communities. At WERD Atlanta, the nation's first Black-owned station, DJ "Jockey Jack" Gibson regularly slipped political news and commentary between record plays. With WERD's studio located directly above the offices of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, Gibson was also known to lower his mic out the window to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. whenever Dr. King wanted to make a statement on air.⁷

A large number of local Black stations were shut down after Congress deregulated the airwaves in 1996. This gave deep-pocketed corporations the green light to buy up thousands of stations in one fell swoop. To cut production costs, corporate owners slashed local programming in favor of nationally-syndicated content that could be broadcast across a large number of stations.⁸ The Community Low Power Radio Act was designed to bring local programming back to the airwaves by making broadcasting licenses available to nonprofit community groups and individuals.

The last time I blogged it was loosely about the death of black radio. If you are like me and are possibly interested in starting or working with a local FM station , join color of change's efforts in taking advantage of the recently passed, Local Community Radio Act. We need ensure that our voices are heard and our ideas are shared so our interests can be valued. This cannot happen if we do not have the platform community support radio affords us.

It's been awhile since I've posted here and I deeply apologize, but I thought I'd comeback with my favorite segment, Throwback Tuesdays. And this post, is dedicated to my beloved KISS that I will dearly miss. Within the comforts of my home, I like to pretend that I am a disc jokey. I rant a lot about social and political issues on facebook while blasting my favorite tunes and sharing with anyone who will listen. I may not become the next quiet storm disc jockey (my voice is too nasally) but is just a snippet of tunes I would feature on my show.

1. Stevie Wonder "As"

2. Amel Larrieux "Get Up"

Will the Robert Glasper Experiment Work?

Whenever given the opportunity, I snidely inform you all of how much I detest much of the new music out now. It is why I created Throwback Tuesdays! It why I love TV One's UnSung. On Saturday mornings, I make an effort to get up before noon and tune to the classic soul that will be heard on Felix Hernandez's Rhythm Review because I prefer it to the junk that is out right now.

So when I do come across an artist with a style as fresh as Robert Glasper's, I breathe a sigh of relief. His new LP, appropriately entitled Black Radio, has been rippling through online sound waves since its debut two weeks ago. With successful performances on Letterman's Late Show and New York City's Highline Ballroom, and the number 5 album on iTunes, the Robert Glasper Experiment sent a strong message to the music community. It demonstrated how eager people were for creative, soulful, feel good black music. The former jazz pianist collaborates with a collection of underrated jazz, r&b and hip hop artists including Chrisette Michelle, Ledisi,  Lalah Hathaway and Yasiin Bey (the artist formerly known as Mos Def). Here is Bilal and Lupe Fiasco performing the track, "Always Shine":

My two favorite songs on the album is Ledisi's "Gonna Be Alright" and Erykah Badu's cover of "Afro Blue." Robert Glasper composes songs that weave together complex rhythms and melodies, showcasing each of the musicians' unique talents. While celebrating the diversity of incredible black music, we must ask ourselves why none of the music from our radios sound like anything from this album. 

One of the few conceptual albums to come out in a long time, Robert Glasper certainly sends a strong message with Black Radio. Black musicians from earlier generations articulated black thought and emotion in their music. This is what black music needs to return to. We aren't singing/ rapping about how we feel or about what we think. It's solely what we do. Absent is the soul that used to define black music. For the experiment to work, we need to not have people just enjoy Robert Glasper, we need them to follow his lead.

The Old, Old, Old, Oldies

Most cities with a lot of black people have at least two or three radio stations that play oldies. The classics. The good stuff. But why do oldies stations primarily play music from the 70's, 80's and 90's? Soul Train was great but soul music existed way before the decade that brought us black power. Here are a just a few examples of great music your grandparents may know something about.

Papa Chele played Ben E. King's greatest hits album for at least twelve years straight. For an album that includes Spanish Harlem, you could imagine why. Many of you are familiar with King's song, Stand By Me. A former lead singer for The Drifters, he scored his first hit in 1961 with Spanish Harlem.

She was taken from us too soon but Dinah Washington left behind plenty of music for us to treasure. She passed away at the age of 39 from an accidental overdose. Despite such tragedy, Dinah is remembered as one of the most successful female singers in the 1950's. Is You Is or Is You Ain't My Baby is a 1962 recording but it was first written by Louis Jordan in 1944.

Speaking of Louis Jordan, it is only appropriate that he be included in this list, and heard on our radio stations today. Tell me this isn't soul you hearing! Not just soulful, but The Father of Rhythm of Blues was often comical and political. I first heard Beans and Cornbread on the Malcolm X soundtrack but other songs of his including What's the Use of Gettin' Sober, That Chick's Too Young to Fry and  Pettin' and Pokin'. Beans and Cornbread was recorded in 1949.

 

I really don't think this wonderful woman needs an introduction. Ms. Lena Horne, ladies and gentleman. 

Do ever wish for TV One's hit television show Unsung to make an episode about a certain artist you love? With his incredible career and many gifts, it would be great for younger generations to learn about Johnny Mathis and the contributions he made to music. Chances Are was recorded in 1957 and a year later, Mathis compiled a selection of chart-topping single he made with Columbia Records and created a Greatest Hits album, the first ever in history.

It's important to may homage to all the soul musicians that gave music we have learned and loved. Let us not limit our appreciation to music simply because it is more familiar to our ears. Artists mentioned above and their contemporaries laid the foundation for all of the sounds we groove and bop our heads to. So call your local classic soul stations and make the disc jockeys dig deep for those old, old, oldies!

Mississippi Goddam!!!

Miss Nina Simone was one of the most profound musicians of her time. Whether she was singing jazz, blues, gospel or rhythm and blues, she often incorporated social and political themes from the Civil Rights movement into many of her songs. 'Mississippi Goddam' was written in 1963 in  response to two events that symbolized the escalating violence occurring across the country- the assassination of civil rights activist Medgar Evers and the bombing of the 16th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, Alabama which left four little girls killed.

Well the country has changed significantly since this song was written, with extreme racial violence being considerably less common. And while Mississippi is included in that progress, the state is currently engaging in politics that could endanger the lives of many of its citizens, albeit way different from the days of race riots and lynchings. These citizens are women and the attack is against their (our) bodies, ostensibly their privacy. This is attack is being carried out by "Yes on 26," a campaign that to amend the state's constitution, defining life at the start of conception.

Mississippi Goddam!!!

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.