Sooooo, I was thinking....

It just occured to me, as I was researching this dancehall artist named Movado, that I still have not replaced my missing copy of Damian "Jr. Gong" Marley's 2005 release "Welcome to Jamrock". If you loved his dad Bob, you need to take a stroll on over to Imeem and check out some of Damian's work. I have added a live version of probably the most popular song from this album "Welcome to Jamrock" below....take a listen. I tell you what, I have had a taste for stewed oxtail ALL WEEK LONG! Just today my girlfriend commented that we needed to look into another girlfriends getaway to Jamaica. Hmmmmm, I am noticing a pattern emerging here. I just left a Fela Kuti, all things Nigerian phase. I think I feel myself on the precipice of,yet another, all things Jamaican phase. Which has me thinking, when was it that I fell in love with Jamaican culture....the food, the music, the people, my people to be precise. Probably after my first trip there back in 1996....

So...Jah and I are driving through the mean streets this afternoon and I find myself doing something I almost never do...listening to the radio. Anyone who knows me well knows that I have removed the popular New York based garbage proliferating radio stations from my memory. I have NPR, WBAI (listener sponsored radio) and a Jazz station (also listener sponsored) on memory, but other than that....I usually listen to my CD's in the car. Well today, I am driving along and feeling real kinda mellow. As time goes on, I am catching a vibe from somewhere that I can't quite put my finger on. Then Jah starts his new "look what I can do" skill, whistling. Then it hits me..there is this slow dub rockin' out on the radio for like a minute that just has me in a straight zone! Music certainly does soothe this savage beast. I slowed down a bit, breathed a little deeper and let all sorts of folks cut me off in traffic and cross the street when they know I had the light...but I di...

Lately I have been fascinated, obsessed really, with the classics.....especially the ones with the pronounced horns and the perfunctory heavy bass. Fela Kuti, James Brown, Sylvester, Earth Wind and Fire just to name a few. Yeah, been taking it back to the basics these days in terms of my musical preferences, food and style of clothing. Simple, timeless and classic....that is what I am feeling right about now. Maybe my upcoming birthday has me in this mood..getting older, reflecting on times past and all that...who knows. Whatever the case, take a moment and check out this classic tune from Sylvester with me and see if it does not have you swayin' in your seats too. Despite all the trouble in the world, there are still things to smile about. I hope that you all are still finding ways to enjoy each day as much as I am. BTW....anybody seen my Penny Loafers??????????? Over and Over - Sylvester