broader than broadway

shinehead
Originally uploaded by third uncle.

roy ayers ubiquity
from the album
he's coming
LISTEN/we live in brooklyn baby

digable planets
from the album
blowout comb
LISTEN/borough check

one of the best things about being in new york for the summer are all the free events. since we last spoke i've gone to see femi (son of fela) kuti at central park, a premier screening of werner herzog's 'grizzly man' with the director on hand, and roy ayers at von king park in bed-stuy (fort greene to you real estate agents). femi was no fela, it's not fair to compare but it's also hard not to. his version of afrobeat is faster and slicker than dad's, a feel some may dig but no me so much. his energy was great though and anything even slightly resembling that classic afrobeat rhythm makes me happy no matter. herzog brought a laugh out during the post screening q and a of 'grizzly man'. when asked what the purpose of the film was, he dryly cracked, "i don't know. what is the purpose of children?" it was also learned that the first time he ever used a telephone was at age 17. and roy ayers in bed-stuy. i wasn't sure what to expect from the 64 year old, his best material over two decades behind. it was a mixed bag, mostly an icky kinda smooth jazz punctuated by soprano sax, but also some groovin' funk shit that sounded really good, especially coming from a buncha old timers and a white boy drummer. sad that they didn't play 'we live in brooklyn baby' considering they were playing in the heart of the borough. plus, i really believed they had to since the song, and its sampled/rapped/revised permutations, have been following me around and flooding my head for the last couple weeks. if anyone has smif n' wessun's 'home sweet home'(another song that samples the ayers' track) please send it my way. i'll love you forever for it.