It’s a funny funky little tune wishing “you-know-who” a final farewell.

Stop by www.memshannon.com and listen to a clip.

New York’s Post-Pop duo KOKO DOZO’s members — Amy Douglas and Polarity/1 — remember 9/11 well. P/1 shares a neighborhood with the fallen towers. They remember; and they know that you remember. That day will live on in our nation’s DNA. Death, destruction and the trauma of invasion generate a force of memory that is trivialized by media rituals with solemn speech-making, dazzling graphic design, dramatic background music and the droning subtext of fear and vengeance.

KOKO DOZO also want to point out that national tributes to The Fallen — the rendering of tragedy as fetish — inevitably lead to more death, less freedom and the assurance that healing will never occur. For the past seven years America has celebrated the nightmare of 9/11 with a ceaseless Dance of Death.What has gone unnoticed and unheralded are all of us who have remained alive and who breathe life into the future with wisdom gained from that day. We are not “heroes” and we do not lobby for the construction of monuments to ourselves. We do not inspire insane acts of aggression and repression. We are not sexy ad copy for political campaigns. Living fearlessly is our act of defiance against brutality. That is what ultimately will make us safe and prosperous.

KOKO DOZO proclaims that the daily act of living through tragedy is more worthy of a holiday than death and destruction. We’re alive! And we want to celebrate being alive on September 11. And on every September 11 to follow. Life springs from the living. Creativity springs from the living. Hope and possibility are the natural expression of life in motion.

KOKO DOZO has chosen to perform on 9/11 and they will not request a moment of silence. They want their audience to dance. They want everybody to go out and dance; to remember the dead and celebrate the living. Be alive! It feels good. KOKO DOZO proclaims that it’s ok to feel good. Especially on September 11.

Koko Dozo play Club NME on Thursday, Sept 11th, 2008 with Boy Wonder www.myspace.com/boywonder and more. Go to www.myspace.com/clubnmenyc for more on lineup. This show should not be missed.

http://www.kokodozo.com

Style: Soul / Funk Jazz

Review by Ronald Jackson-Jazzreview.com
www.myspace.com/tonyrocadamo
Jazz vocalist Tony Adamo struts back with his silky, charismatic, and, as I’m sure many ladies will confirm, seductive vocals on this clever new release Straight Up Deal. While I’ve classified this recording as smooth jazz, it really serves up equal doses of funk, smooth jazz, and R&B. There are also elements of island rhythms and cool, piano-bar jazz. A true cornucopia of coolness in each genre.

I first became quite interested in Adamo’s talents after hearing his croonings with funkster/former Herbie Hancock Head Hunter bassist Paul Jackson. Impressive is an understatement. His stylish and signature vibrato-tinged voice adds a truly bright dimension to all he endeavors to set to song.

On this album, Adamo calls in the Tower of Power horns, Paul Jackson, Ernie Watts, Eddie Henderson, and Freddie Washington, just to name a very few. The additions toss more color on this vibrant canvas. This project includes a cool rendition of the classic “Mercy, Mercy, Mercy,” “In the Winelight,” which calls to mind the omnipresent spirit of the great Grover Washington Jr., and “Hey Lou,” a tune on which he and Paul Jackson also groove on Jackson’s Funky Fingers album. There’s also new vibrant funk like “No Strings.” Adamo consistently lights it up, showing his grasp of the various genres and his ability to manipulate, caress, and mold them into what fits for him…and us. I’ve seen that other reviewers of this album are a bit partial to the rhythmic, island-flavored “Lolita.” I must join the chorus of favorable reviews of this cut, as well as many of the other selections. It’s a contagious little number. In fact, the entire diverse project has a considerable amount of magnetism to it. Well done, indeed.Tony Adamo is on CDBABY.com

Future Psychediscorama With Koko Dozo’s Illegal Space Aliens
Brothers and a Sister From Another Planet

By Mark Kirby, MusicDish e-Journal

One night several years ago at an Irish pub in the East Village of New York City, the discussion of music turned to disco. It involved musicians and people over 40 years-old, people who might know what they’re talking about. Several of us were, in the heyday of Studio 54 and the disco era, into punk rock. Others of us were — me especially — strictly jazz heads. I reminded my friend of lonely nights in college smoking out of a four-foot bong and listening to Zappa and John Coltrane and wondering how to meet girls. They were at the campus disco parties, while we were above it all. And alone, getting in touch with ourselves.

Now a guy walked into the bar - no, this is not a joke, this is true - leans over and asks Nancy, the bartender, to put on a CD he brought. He had a box set called 100 Disco Hits and wanted to hear it. She put it on over a few protests and by the third cut half the bar was up dancing. “This shit is great, what were we thinkin’?” What were we thinking? The cuts that he played — “Boogie Nights,” “Disco Lady,” “Ain’t No Stoppin’ Us Now” — were all songs with soul power. Killer musicians, great singers, and songwriters that had some skills were at work on these gems. So many of the songs that turned off the young cynic back in the day — and I was one of them — now sound like musical versions of the politics of hope. Besides the quality of the music and the infusion of beer and liquor, these cuts stood out because the party music of today consists of desperate, vapid consumer fantasies “sung” over prepackaged, overly mechanized “music.” From Justin Timberlake to Mariah Carey, this is what dance music is all about. Like rap agitators Public Enemy asked back in the ’90’s “who stole the soul?”

These memories and thoughts came to mind while listening to Koko Dozo’s new CD Illegal Space Aliens. The band members present themselves as bizarro characters. Chief producer Polarity/1, who created the beats and sounds that make the backbone of the music, dresses like a pro wrestling manager who is channeling Sun Ra. Though using synthesizer sounds, drum machines, and synth bass, his music has a distinctive, organic quality, a certain freshness and vitality. Rubio — the self-described “multi-brained, Viking, Satanic wizard”; complete with Viking helmet and wizardly robe — provides funky, jazzy keyboards that flesh out and add spice and musicality to the grooves. Singer Amy Douglas, the “Inter-Galactic Empress,” looks like a grown up Punky Brewster turned dominatrix from Brooklyn by way of worlds beyond. But for all the outer spaceness of their image and electronic sounds, the music on Illegal Space Aliens is rooted in the organic soil of the disco, funk and soul of a bygone era.

The CD starts with dense electronic sounds that morph into a groove consisting of bass, a looped piano chord, and a beat made of these dense sounds, on the opening cut “Second Time.” Amy Douglas brings flesh and soul to this cyborg of a song. With musical experience covering punk cabaret, funk with George Clinton and down-home jazz with Illinois Jacquet, she has the pipes. She also has the musicality and taste to do it just right. “Face on the Dance Floor” starts with disembodied female voices and a vocal loop of laughs. A house beat kicks in and Douglas busts out with a Donna Summers-like vocal blast: “You know you got that face… hold your face on the dance floor / wave your feet in the air / make us believe that you don’t care / smash your face on the dance floor / put your kicks in the air / wave it some more put your fuckin’ face on the dance floor.” The song grooves along with interesting musical riffs and keyboard counter melodies, as Douglas goes off. The backup group female voices come back and the song’s next verse comes in. These little touches elevate this and other songs on the CD above average, boring house and dance music. You can dig this music without drugs or dancing.

Koko Dozo - “Face On The Dancefloor” Live @ Nacotheque

Some of the album’s cuts resemble the classic disco of the’70’s and ’80’s. “Boomchi” has that signature four-on-the-floor drum beat, offbeat funk bass lick, and soulful strings. The vocals come in like Chic’s classic “Good Times.” Busting out in Spanish, Douglas lets fly some wailing diva vocal blasts. The song’s break down features bass drum, breathy, chanting vocals, and an over-the-top spew in Spanglish by Rubio. Euro disco brought in the dominance of synthesizers and more mechanical rhythms. “Shine” is in this mold, but the piano licks and, once again, Douglas’ voice gives the song a human face: “Shine a light / I need to know that I’m alive / Shine a light / guide me to your secret side / give me breath that can revive.”

Koko Dozo mines other types of music, particularly the expansive side of soul and funk, on the slow jam “Down.” This features sweet lead and backup vocals, as well as chords that move and glide in an extended middle part that seems to drift away. Then, from silence, the song starts up with vocals that remind one of soul diva’s like Chaka Khan. “D.C. Whore” combines political satire and discordant, complex funk. “Fulano de Tai” is dirge-like, with music that evokes the image of an emotional desert and recalls one of Ennio Morricone’s more psychedelic soundtracks.

One of the strengths of Illegal Space Aliens, and my regular readers please forgive me, is that there are nine choice cuts on this record. No fluff, just a statement. This should be the new trend. This should also be an example of how to make dance music that is intelligent and cool, not dumbed down to the level of morons in too-tight $90 designer jeans.

www.kokodozo.com
www.myspace.com/kokodozo

Zen Conspiracy is available through CD Baby — http://cdbaby.com/cd/mashedbuddha2 and myTracks — http://www.mytracks.com/mashedbuddha

Mashed Buddha is the name of the one man band consisting of John Corda, his keyboards, his computer, and occasional human collaborators. A rarity in the world of electronica and it’s various offshoots, he adds musicality and, the not-so-predictable, human touch to a form dominated by DJs and people who program machines, then let them run through their paces. Mashed Buddha falls under the rubric of jungle and drum ‘n’ bass, but is so much more than the terms imply.

“I like to think of my music as electronica that doesn’t take itself too seriously,” he states. “Mostly it’s a blend of wild musical ideas that constantly run through my head. I tame them with soothing words.” He further soothes them by adding a rock and pop sensibility to the framework of drum ‘n’ bass. He achieves this by using tried and true techniques of songwriting such as creating verses, choruses and bridges from hooks, voices, keyboard licks, snippets of sound and catchy themes.

Unlike his debut CD, ‘Subdue Your Mind’, each song uses drum ‘n’ bass — frenetic drum beats matched against slower bass lines — but also elements of funk, downtempo, and even ’70s jazz fusion. On his latest CD, ‘Zen Conspiracy’, in addition to a richer pallette of sounds and guest vocalist Uri Geller, he incorporates something no one else in this genre uses: jazz improvisation.

Mashed Buddha was born out of Corda’s need to combine his musical tendencies and experiences, maintain his forward-looking creativity, and satisfy his need to communicate with an audience, an audience that approaches music with both mind and body. “Drum ‘n’ bass gives me artistic freedom while tapping into an audience that wants to listen.” In addition, he further explores his musical tendencies and leaves the house of Mashed Buddha, so to speak, by performing live in the Boston area with the acid jazz band Organism.

For more information on Mashed Buddha, visit his website — http://www.mashedbuddha.com — and MySpace — http://www.myspace.com/mashedbuddha –

DJs and radio programmers can download broadcast-ready songs from his album at Airplay Direct — http://airplaydirect.com/music/bands/2386/

SOULJAZZ ORCHESTRA (Canada) + KOBO TOWN (Canada)
KARLEX (France) + CHARANGA SOLEIL (USA)
plus
DJ NEVA

Free to the Public!

BAMcafe Live
Brooklyn Academy of Music
30 Lafayette Avenue
Brooklyn, NY 11217
718-636-4100
http://www.bam.org/events/bamcafelive.aspx

Friday, April 4th, 2008:
DJ NEVA 8pm
SOULJAZZ ORCHESTRA 9pm
KOBO TOWN 10pm

Saturday, April 5th, 2008:
DJ NEVA 8pm
KARLEX 9pm
CHARANGA SOLEIL 10pm

“Music Is The Weapon: Voices United Across Borders” is an ongoing experiment in breaking through America’s current protectionist mentality that creates so many obstacles and restrictions for musicians, and for artists in general. While countries around the world welcome American musicians, international musicians are finding it increasingly difficult to enter and work in the U.S. Issues such as obtaining visas, dealing with senseless homeland security laws, lack of music industry support, lack of media interest, prohibitive expenses, etc. - are among the major obstacles encountered by musicians in this country.

The participating musicians all come from the collision of different cultures and traditions. Although we share a common language called music, our experiences and backgrounds define our various dialects. This project connects multicultural musicians across national boundaries, to perform together in a rich and vibrant exchange of cultural expression, and hopefully create some new musical dialects in the process!

In the spirit of internationalism, we invite you to join us in a celebration of joining forces across borders - in this case, Europe, United States and Canada.

MusicDish - http://www.musicdish.net
Music for the Masses - http://www.musicforthemasses.org

Participating Artists:

* KOBO TOWN ( http://www.kobotown.com )
Named after the vibrant and turbulent neighborhood in old Port-of-Spain where Calypso was born, Kobo Town strives to recover the social conscience, satirical storytelling and strong acoustic/organic rhythms that characterized Trinidadian music in the past. Based in Toronto, Canada, the band serves up a steaming mix of Calypso, Roots Reggae, Dub, Mento and more.
BAMcafé Live: Friday, April 4th - 10pm

* SOULJAZZ ORCHESTRA ( http://www.souljazzorchestra.com )
Hailing from Ottawa, Canada, the Souljazz Orchestra combines Jazz, Funk, African and Latin music while touching on politics and spirituality. Most of their songs are rooted in Nigerian Afrobeat, but there are elements of Soukous, Salsa, Funk and Free Jazz thrown in as well.
BAMcafé Live: Friday, April 4th - 9pm

* CHARANGA SOLEIL ( http://www.charangasoleil.com )
Founded in New York City, Charanga Soleil is an all-star international dance band featuring some of the most seasoned and creative musicians on NY’s international scene. With a classic repertoire and original arrangements, the band brings together three of the world’s greatest dance genres: Cuban salsa, Congolese rumba-soukous, and Haitian compas.
BAMcafé Live: Saturday, April 5th - 10pm

* KARLEX ( http://www.karlexmusic.com )
Based in Montpelier, France, Karlex is a Haitian American singer who fuses with the vibes of his native island with funky guitar sounds, heavy bass and soulful rhythms in a unique blend he calls Afro Groove (i.e., World Soul meets Funk meets Pop meets Afro).
BAMcafé Live: Saturday, April 5th - 9pm

* DJ NEVA ( http://www.musicforthemasses.org )
NYC-born DJ Neva is an Ethnomusicologist with a specialization in “musical creoles” - the magic that happens when two or more cultures come together to create something new. Each of these two nights will inspire its own unique mix that reflects the bands that will be performing.
BAMcafé Live: Friday, April 4th - 8pm
BAMcafé Live: Saturday, April 5th - 8pm

To call them a hip-hop act serves no justice to the funk and soul elements that are perfectly crafted throughout their set. A paradigm of rhyme over a menagerie of supporting vocals, keys, and samples aligns the audience to stir an eruption of dance. Yes, yes, y’all. This is Austin hip-hop.

Afrofreque’s sound is reminiscent of The Roots, but only slightly. Add a mix of reggae, soul, funk, and old school hip hop and you can almost envision the picture. To get to hear them live would be the best description I could give. Once you add in some Prince and Nas samples, and a bit of wah guitars and funk-styled bass grooves, you can start to imagine what Afrofreque is all about. Their latest album release, Fresh Soul Frequencies, is sure to be the sound for the summer. Slick grooves and honest flow…. Austin hip-hop is alive. Afrofreque is a band to watch rise up over the next few seasons.

Considered one of the finest Hammond organ players throughout the world, Negri’s album A Bigger Tomorrow is extremely diverse from start to finish. The first tune on the album is “Applecore,” which features an up-right bass, jazz percussion, Gibson Les Paul guitar, tenor saxophone and, of course, the frenetic and emotional Hammond A-102 organ. This tune, like many others on the album, are upbeat, jazzy instrumental jams with a dash of psychedelic madness, funky energy, lounge ambiance and rhythm and blues/groove soul. “Big City” takes it down with a bluesy, laid-back jazz feel. This song creates a feel of less funk and more lounge with a jazz guitar solo and more concentrated organ sound.

Only two songs on the album have vocals—“Can’t Get Satisfied” and “Closer.” “Can’t Get Satisfied” is an upbeat, entertaining song with simple, laid-back jazz vocals and frenetic organ playing. The other song on the album with that includes vocals is “Closer.” Featuring a female jazz/pop vocal, “Closer” is slow-medium tempo jazz song with a soulful and crisp sound. Its sexy and sultry appeal, in addition to jazz/pop vocals makes it strongly reminiscent of the song, “Spooky” performed by Dusty Springfield from the Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels soundtrack.

“3 in a Bed”, “Point of Intersection” and “Mr. & Mrs. Thunderbird” are jazzy, funky songs with a psychedelic sound. The varied percussion instruments used on these songs, such as timbales, congas and maracas give the songs funky, almost tropical islands feel. “Orange Peel” is another example of a song with a tropical, psychedelic feel, starting off with congas and adding in the organ and a Wah-Wah guitar effect. “A Slice of Funk!” is a jazz/groove/rock song that includes a spoken word clip of a waitress asking for a man’s order and his reply, “Just a cup of coffee and a slice of funk!” This is just one example of where Paolo “Apollo” Negri adds in small, but interesting details to songs to give them an overall unique and eclectic quality.

“Under the Rain, Waiting For You” is the album’s most moody song; with its lower-octave organ parts and slower beat, this tune truly becomes a rainy day song. “Song For My Father” is a slow-medium tempo blues/jazz tune with a great tenor sax solo. “Let the Sun Catch You Sleeping” is a song that blends rhythm & blues, rock, jazz, and funk. Like many others on the album, this song contains a great jazz guitar solo and perfect breakdown of percussion and organ. “Filtersweeping, Mommy is Weeping,” the longest song on the album, ends our journey through A Bigger Tomorrow like a rolling wave. The song starts off with steady jazz percussion and flows into a spacey electric piano and guitar sound adding in several Hammond organ solos. The song ends with a slower, moodier synthesized strings outro.

The best way to describe Paolo “Apollo” Negri’s performance style on A Bigger Tomorrow is simple: Jimi Hendrix on organ. Negri plays with color and feeling, and, although it seems in some songs like he is all over the place, he is playing from the heart and creates a transcendent feeling like Hendrix created with his guitar. Overall, this album sounds like it is from a different era, most closely the Sixties or Seventies. Colorful and psychedelic, this musical montage creates lively sounds of rhythm & blues, jazz, soul, funk, fusion, rock, gospel and groove. Everything about this album, from the names of the songs to the myriad of instruments used in each tune, is extremely distinctive and eclectic. A Bigger Tomorrow is a perfect example of amazing musicianship, innovative style and creative energy.

Artist Note: Paolo “Apollo” Negri is a highly regarded session organ player in Italy who started his career with an Italian progressive trio, Nice Price. He went onto play with several musicians, although his most regarded projects are: The Link Quartet, a sixties lounge/acid jazz ensemble and Wicked Minds, a hard-progressive band.

Artist: Paolo “Apollo” Negri
Title: A Bigger Tomorrow
Genre: Funk-R&B-Jazz-Lounge-Soul-Groove-Fusion
Label: Hammondbeat
Website
Sound Samples

Tracks:
01. Applecore
02. Big City
03. Can’t Get Satisfied
04. Let the Sun Catch You Sleepin’
05. Mr. and Mrs. Thunderbird
06. 3 In a Bed
07. Closer
08. A Slice of Funk!
09. Miss Cherry
10. Point of Intersection
11. Under the Rain, Waiting for You
12. Orange Peel
13. Old Grand Dad
14. Song for My father
15. Filtersweeping, Mommy is Weeping

Erin Bruno-MuzikReviews.com Contributor

© MuzikReviews.com

Read More

This time out we get the Straight Up Deal from Adamo and he puts it all together on 14 sizzling tracks of jazz, funk, and rhythm and blues. Ernie Watts is back on tenor sax making the horn section special and crackling with a vibe that Tony just loves. With a great musical backing, Adamo is at his best, finding the least path of resistance, just a like functioning electrical circuit taking care of business. There is a lot of music on this CD and it seems Tony was determined to make up for lost time on this recording. He succeeds in accomplishing his goal if that is what he set out to do at the beginning.

That confident Low Rawls like vocal cadence is still his stronghold, it launches the music, and then the music returns the favor-it is really something to hear develop as you listen. It is like a sweet envelope of sound that Tony takes to the next level. Of course, this is only possible when you have some first-rate players in the studio with you, which he always seems to manage before he gets the session rolling. He has an entire team to back him, besides old buddy Watts, there is the superlative funk master Paul Jackson on bass on some tracks, and Jerry Stucker plays all the guitar parts and contributes some programming as well. The list is long and impressive so it is no wonder this album is so good.

Some of the more ear catching tunes are “No Strings,” as in attached, “Up In It,” and the red-hot “Groove Therapy.” After hearing these particular tracks, it was a certainty to feel like I was getting some real nice musical therapy. “Lolita” was a favorite as well. It sounds like a single to me, but that is my call, we shall see what gets all the spins.

I think if Tony can put together a few more albums like this in a much shorter span of time, and I know it’s not easy when you are an indie, it will solidify his place in the realm of jazz vocals, the pantheon reserved for those that earned that honor from years of hard work and consistency. It looks like he has a good start to head in that direction.

Artist: Tony Adamo
Title: Straight Up Deal
Genre: Jazz-Pop-Funk-R & B
Label: Urban Zone Records
Myspace Website

Tracks:
01. No Strings (4:15)
02. Passport (4:42)
03. In The WInelight (5:51)
04. Up In It (4:32)
05. Milestones (2:45)
06. Groove Therapy (4:31)
07. Hey Lou (4:22)
08. Mercy, Mercy, Mercy (4:54)
09. Autumn Leaves (3:59)
10. Midnight Cafe (4:13)
11. Wouldn’t You (4:22)
12. Lolita (3:48)
13. Stolen Moments (3:45)
14. Speak Low (3:39)

© MuzikReviews.com

Keith “MuzikMan” Hannaleck