Pete Rock plays The Phoenix Dec 14 followed by CL Smooth Dec 19

Great to have Pete Rock and former partner CL Smooth playing separate shows in Torono – don't count on a reunion anytime soon. 

Get tickets for Pete Rock's show on Dec 14 here and/or for CL Smooth's show on Dec 19 right here. 

Happy Birthday Cannonball Adderley!

Remembering Cannonball Adderley with a '69 Oslo show, a '63 throwdown with Yusef Lateef and David Axelrod's "Tensity" flipped by Pete Rock. 

Remembering singer/songwriter Eugene McDaniels on his birthday

Raising a glass to Eugene McDaniels with a discussion of his hit tune "Compared To What" performed by Les McCann and more. 

Common chats about his wellness book, basketball skills and new album with Pete Rock

Here's Common promoting his new book 'Then We Rise' on Late Night with Seth Meyers and The Jennifer Hudson Show.   

Happy Birthday Joe Farrell

Remembering saxophonist/flautist Joe Farrell on his birthday blowing fire with Elvin Jones in '68 and Return To Forever in '72.

Discussing Charlotte's well-sampled Backyard Heavies with J.R. Branch & Mickey Walker

The Sounds Visual site tracked down J.R. Branch and Mickey Walker for a revealing chat about the Backyard Heavies. 

Here's the scoop...

The Backyard Heavies were a short-lived, Charlotte-based R&B/funk band. An offshoot of the band The Tempests, producer Allen Touissaint encouraged the band to record some instrumental 45’s after they were brought to his attention by Marshall Sehorn.

One of their singles, 1971’s “Expo 83,” became a deep funk classic that was featured on countless DJ compilations, and would later be sampled by artists including Kanye West, Pete Rock, DJ Shadow & Cut Chemist, while other songs like “Chitlin’ Strut” would go on to be sampled by artists including Eminem, Kendrick Lamar featuring RZA, and Chance the Rapper. 

Check out the Sounds Visual interview right here. Listen to a couple of Backyard Heavies classics below. 

Happy Birthday Ahmad Jamal

Remembering pianist/composer Ahmad Jamal on his birthday with two interviews and a few of his well-sampled gems. 

Happy Birthday David Porter!

Celebrating the 81st birthday of singer/songwriter and frequently sampled Stax producer David Porter with a few familiar gems. 

Happy Birthday Ahmad Jamal

Celebrating the birthday of pianist Ahmad Jamal with recordings which may sound familiar to fans of Nas, De La Soul & Common. 

LINKS
Udiscovermusic Pianist Ahmad Jamal recalls 'At The Pershing'

B-Side Wins Again: Pete Rock

The flipside of Pete Rock's "Take Your Time" single was "Tha Game" featuring Ghostface Killah, Raekwon & Prodigy. 

RIP Clarence "Blowfly" Reid, 1939-2016

Clarence Reid aka Blowfly was the king of the Miami Sound whose beats and breaks helped build hip hop.

Black Milk w/ Nat Turner Band @ Tattoo tonight!

Black Milk's new album If There's A Hell Below is out Oct. 28. You can pre-order it on Bandcamp. 

Diamond D releases artwork, tracklisting for stacked Diam Piece album

Pete Rock shows you his record collection

Pete Rock & CL Smooth are joined by Camp Lo at The Phoenix tonight.

One For The Weekend: Ill Bill

  Truth by Ill Bill (produced by Pete Rock) from The Grimy Awards due Feb. 26