Top 5:Non-EWF Earth Wind & Fire Tracks

Aaaaaaaand we're back!


I've been studying the vocals of Philip Bailey this month so I thought it would be fitting to make the subject of my next entry into the Top 5 series one on Earth Wind & Fire.

There's a catch, though. I wanted to pick songs that weren't on their records.

So, my personal rules as to what qualified was pretty simple: the song has to feature at least 3 band members playing on it and/or one of the vocalists singing lead. And nothing from any of their solo records. As usual, these are in no particular order.

That said, here we go!!!

                                            And Then - Weather Report

This one is a bit of an anomaly. Actually, the whole album was considered quite strange when it come out in 1978. The only reason I can really think of that both Deniece Williams and Maurice White appear on this track is because all parties involved were signed to White's American Recording Company (ARC) lable, a subsidiary of Columbia.




                                And I Do - Abraham Laboriel

Philip Bailey owns this song. It actually sounds more like an EWF song than what they were doing at the time...




                         Love's What's Happenin' - The Emotions

From Larry Dunn's opening synth solo all the way until the fade, this one grooves HARD. There are various breaks, feel changes and even time signature changes on this and the band remains tight!


                                The Paper - Deniece Williams

While her sophomore record wasn't as commercially successful as her debut (both produced by Maurice) Deniece's Songbird album was ripe with great songs and performances. The Paper was the closing song on this project and it's epic. 8 minutes in length, various tempo changes and horn solos, The Paper (about the ending of Williams' first marriage) is basically a minor blues with a bridge. But everyone involved manages to wring the maximum amount of emotion from the form. And it's just good to hear Maurice playing drums!


                       Tequila Mockingbird - Ramsey Lewis

This has always been a favorite of mine. Larry Dunn's song (and MiniMoog) along with the contributions of Verdine White, Al McKay, Philip Bailey and former EWF bandmate Ronnie Laws make this a groovy and unique experience (dig the changes Ronnie has to navigate at the end of his solo).


I left off a few obvious choices (Sun Goddess, Free, Best Of My Love, etc...) but hopefully I've hipped you to a few songs that you haven't checked out before.

I'll be back with another Top 5 list next week! Until then...


Be Good,
DLW

Top 5: Harvey Mason Tracks

Welcome back to the blog!

I'm gonna try something slightly different for the blog this summer; a Top Five series!

I've decided to begin with one of my favorite drummers, Harvey Mason.

      Quincy Jones - Tryin' To Find Out About You

I love this track! Rather than play a standard groove, Harvey essentially composed a drum part. And it's funky as all get out!



          Lee Ritenour - Sweet Syncopation

Another groovy one. Harvey's also playing percussion on this and there's a drum break in the middle of this that he doubles with percussion that creates a pretty hip effect. This will come up again later on the list...

          The Brecker Brothers - Some Skunk Funk

Word on the street is Harvey flew in the night before the session to rehearse with the band and sightread this on the first run through. 'Nuff Said.


             Minnie Riperton - Memory Lane            

Very tasteful cymbal work and groove changes in the context of a VERY hip pop tune!




               Harvey Mason - Phantazia            

I smile every time I hear this tune. An amazing composition by Dave Grusin, great rhythm section interplay with (and a rare bass solo by) Anthony Jackson and a slightly Cobham-esque solo by Harvey (enhanced by the aforementioned percussion overdub effect). This one has it all!


I purposefully made a few off-the-beaten-path picks so that (maybe) I'm hipping you to a few new things.

Remember, these are MY choices. Feel free to hit me up and let me know what YOUR favorites are!

I'm hoping to do 6 or 7 of these before summer's done. Wish me luck!


Be Good,
DLW

Planet D Nonet Township Jazz Project

Greetings!

This is a time-sensitive post so I'll keep this short and sweet.

I am VERY proud to be a part of the Planet D Nonet Township Jazz Project. This Detroit-based group (founded by RJ Spangler and James O'Donnell) has been making noise here and around the country for the last 6 years with no plans of slowing down.

This particular configuration will make it's debut at The Scarab Club on the 4th of July and we're holding a fundraiser to make this show the best it can be. We'll be featuring arrangements by South African artists such as Brotherhood of Breath, Abdullah Ibrahim, Hugh Masekela and many others.

As of this time of writing, there's still a day-and-a-half to pledge. Click on this link for details.

Thanks and hope to see you at the show!




Be Good,
DLW






YouTube clip

The Stanley Clarke Vocal Exercise

First, I have nothing but the utmost respect for Stanley Clarke. He's a first rate bassist/musician/producer/bandleader/film score composer/etc... and to have a career as long and varied as his is one of my goals.

Second, this is very much a tongue-in-cheek endeavor. If you are able to get any actual academic betterment from this video, said results are coincidental, a happy by-product of a (hopefully) humorous labor of love.


All that said, I present the Stanley Clarke Vocal Exercise!

Be Good,
DLW

Interview with Detroit Bass Players

Aaaaaand, we're back!

I was asked very recently by Craig Skoney, founder of the Detroit Bass Players Facebook page, to be the subject of an interview on the official website. Obviously, I was honored and happy to participate. You can read the interview HERE.

Since it's formation in 2010, The Detroit Bass Players group has grown to over 950 members and has organized several gatherings, including a 2nd gathering of DBP members in front of the Motown Museum which garnered the attention of the national press!

Hope you dig the interview and maybe even learn a few new things about me!


Be Good,
DLW

Lift Ev'ry Voice REDUX

Welcome back!

I'm trying to get caught up on my 1-solo-piece-a-month challenge for 2013. So I decided to do a shorter, leaner version of Lift Ev'ry Voice & Sing. I submit this as my February entry (aptly) and I'm planning (hoping) to post a new video every 2-3 weeks until I'm caught up. Until then...

Be Good,
DLW

2013 (The First Quarter)

Welcome back!

2012 was one of the busy years (that didn't require any extensive traveling) that I've ever had and 2013 is already trying to keep up the same pace!

January basically kept things going with my regular gigs and a few other sessions and one-off gigs (including up-and-comers guitarist Sasha Kashperko and saxophonist Rafael Statin AND I did a rare DJ-ing gig at Motor City Wine that was pleasantly punctuated by Techno legend Carl Craig dropping by and finishing up the last hour of my set!

February bumped things up a notch with 2 great shows at the DIA (with Trio Nomadian and Pam Wise), a performance with the B. Williams Experiment (Brandon Williams, Tony Gordon, Marcus Elliot and myself) playing with Talib Kweli at Dilla Day, a Valentine's Day performance with singer/songwriter Gordon Chambers and a show with one of my oldest rhythm section buddies, drummer Keith "Bubby" Webb.

March brought more of my regular gigs and a few special events, including a wrapping up a "Winter Tour" with my friend and amazing guitarist Kris Kurzawa's Trio. I performed twice on FOX 2 Detroit (in a 4 day time span, no less), firstly with the B. Williams eXperiment (bWx) and then with Big Will & The 360 Degrees Band.  Also of note was a GREAT show at the La Fille Gallery in Lansing with the B. Williams Experiment. MAN! The super supportive crowd helped push the show to the next level!

Well, hopefully this explains why my blog output has slowed somewhat. I've got quite a few topics lined up and maybe a little time to put them together. Stay tuned!

Be Good,
DLW

Trio Nomadian at the Detroit Institute of the Arts

                                           bWx backing Talib Kweli at Dilla Day Detroit (short bass solo at the end)

                                          bWx at La Fille Gallery in Lansing (Marcus and Brandon)