20 ALBUMS THAT CHANGED MY LIFE – Please note the topic carefully. It does NOT say “20 best albums” or even “20 favorite albums”. Thus, my list is merely a reflection of my own journey. So before casting me aside for ignoring more recent music, recognize that my age affords me a long landscape. More importantly, understand that just about every album I have embraced in the past 20 years is somehow BECAUSE of  those I’ve listed. If I were younger, my list would surely include Public Enemy, The Roots, D’Angelo, Ndegeocello,J Dilla and Erykah Badu – people whose records I listen to more regularly today than many on this list. It’s also noteworthy that 10 of these albums are “live” performances. That has something to do with discovering many of these albums in the lily white environment of my homestead. As a youngster, all I could do was close my eyes and conjure up images of what it would be like to be in the night club or at the concert – places I had no access to. It also speaks to a personal quirk - I like people more than I like “things”. My only affection for technology is to how it serves people. Thus even my favorite studio recordings basically serve to arouse my curiosity as to how the music would translate to the stage and a live audience. Since there’s no real way to quantify these records, I have listed them chronologically dating from the oldest.

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1) HERE’S LITTLE RICHARD (1957) – I was a grade schooler when I discovered Little Richard on Alan Freed’s radio show. I was as stunned. My uncle worked in radio and regularly sent me records, so I begged him to find me some Little Richard. This album contains most of Richard’s explosive hits. I was so excited I couldn’t wait to share my discovery with my Mom. I played her “Long Tall Sally” and asked, “isn’t it pretty?” I suspect she was ready to have me committed then and there. But what I had discovered was melisma, the essence of Gospel/soul singing. And guess what? Damnit, it’s still pretty!  Richard only stayed on the charts for about 2 years but these tracks captivated a generation into recognizing that the rock and roll revolution was about more than Elvis’ hair and hips and taught white kids that black music was about more than Johnny Mathis and Nat “King” Cole.

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2)  SATCHMO THE GREAT – Louis Armstrong (1958) – A weird compilation of performances and interviews recorded during Armstrong’s first visit to <?xml:namespace prefix = st1 ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" />..Africa... One hypnotic track captures an African group musically welcoming Satchmo at an airport. But ultimately it was Armstrong’s legendary trumpet that grabbed me, particularly on a poignant version of “St. Louis Blues”. Armstrong played with the same feeling as Little Richard sang and it touched me.

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3) COUNT BASIE AT BIRDLAND (1960) – So closely miked you can hear the ice in the glasses on the ringside tables – the band literally sounds like it’s in your living room. And what a band! The 5 saxes breathed as one. The brass sections hit like a single fine edged dart. And Sonny Payne gave me fantasies of being a drummer. I made a kit out of an old chair (snare), a waste basket and a couple tin pans and when my parents weren’t home, I bashed along to the entire album until I knew every one of Payne’s accents. With the onset of rock and roll, I had dismissed big band jazz as my father’s franchise until I discovered this album. It sounds fresh today!

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4) RAY CHARLES IN PERSON (1960) -  I hadn’t encountered black radio yet, so my exposure to RC came a bit late, with his crossover hit “What’d I Say”. But this amazing performance recorded at an r&b show in ....Atlanta.... showed me what I had been missing. “What’d I Say” was even sexier and funkier than the single but it was “Drown In My Own Tears” and “Tell The Truth” that bowled me over. I had discovered true soul music, steeped in all the elements borrowed from Gospel. Oddly, the set included a couple of blistering instrumentals which served to teach me that the musicians were no joke. The late saxophonist David “Fathead” Newman’s solos touched me the same as Ray’s vocals. Newman also inspired my younger brother to pick up a horn and forge a career. Ray’s nuances and stylings were so massively influential and so widely imitated that they gradually became clichés. But NOBODY outside the black church had heard music like this before Ray Charles.

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5) THELONIUS MONK’S GREATEST HITS (1962) – Greatest hits? An odd title for a jazz compilation, let alone by an artist as eccentric as Monk. I knew little about Monk’s music when an older friend took it upon himself to hip me. I suspect Monk’s reputation for weirdness was my initial attraction but there was nothing weird about the beautiful “Ruby, My Dear” and “’Round ..Midnight..”. The coup was the stompin’ big band version of “Little Rootie Tootie” (surprise, recorded live). Monk encouraged me to explore the association between soulful beauty and the intellect that helped shape this music.

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6) JAZZ WORKSHOP REVISITED – CANNONBALL ADDERLEY SEXTET (1962) – Another spirited live album that made me want to be in the club. Here was the intellect with a hard bop that was just a touch more soulful (and accessible). But Adderley’s sextet with brother Nat, fellow saxophonist Yusef Lateef and keyboard wunderkind Josef Zawinul never dummied down. Lateef brought along his penchant for Eastern music and unusual instruments (what other jazzer played oboe?) and Zawinul, the extraordinarily soulful Austrian ex-patriot who married a sister gave me hope that one day my life could grow closer to this music. I interviewed Zawinul in the 1990’s and he fondly called the Adderley sextet the swingingest r&b band there ever was. I wasn’t about categorizing things back then. “Primitivo” and “Jive Samba” made me feel the same way as “What’d I Say” and “Little Rootie Tootie”.

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7) HERBIE MANN AT THE VILLAGE GATE (1962) – Another club – in fact the first jazz club I’d eventually set foot in. This is probably the least profound record on this list but Mann’s exotic group opened my eyes to Latin and African music, along the way showing me that percussionists could be more than window dressing. Mann was to the flute what David Sanborn later became to the saxophone, an extremely accessible albeit admirably skilled player with a knack for sexy music that worked. Mann also had a weakness for groove and regularly re-shaped his band with young musical phenoms, later to include Chick Corea, Miroslav Vitous, Roy Ayers and Sonny Sharrock. This was his most successful record, just 3 songs – and just flute, vibes, bass, and 3 percussionists. I didn’t know it yet, but Mann had set me up to get into salsa.

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8) JAMES BROWN LIVE AT THE APOLLO VOL. 1 (1962) – Stop the presses! So THIS is what those little soulful 45’s turn into on a stage? I rest my case for the “live”. The Holy Grail of soul music and the keyhole to what would become funk. The record that made a 15 year old Jewish kid want to be black. On a more realistic note, the record that made a 15 year old Jewish kid want to work for James Brown. One out of two ain’t bad, is it?

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9) DESCARGAS VOL. 3 – THE TICO ALL STARS AT THE VILLAGE GATE (1966) – Meanwhile back at the “Gate”. When I bought this album I had no idea what it was. I vaguely knew who Tito Puente was but interesting sounding names like Joe Cuba, Ray Barretto, Eddie and Charlie Palmieri, Cachao, Johnny Pacheco and Barry Rogers (how did he get in there?) meant nothing to me. Until I played the record – 3 long jams by whom I soon learned were the all stars de musica Latino desde Nuevo York. Here were all the musical elements dear to my heart under one roof. Blazing horns, funky piano and bass, brainy improvisations and the complex rhythms Herbie Mann had hinted at – all with the sass, sex and aggression of rock and roll. Talk about confused – now the Jewish kid closed his eyes and wanted to be in the ..Bronx...

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10) COLD SWEAT – JAMES BROWN (1967) – Not so much the album which was stocked with filler, but the marathon funk jam itself reinvented how r&b was written and played – and I might add, listened to and danced to! COLD SWEAT cemented the fact that JB had finally assembled the band he’d wanted from day one – undeniably the most innovative AND funkiest r&b band of its era. Long live Clyde Stubblefield, Pee Wee Ellis, Jabo Starks, Little Joe Dupars and Maceo Parker. RIP Waymon Reed, Jimmy Nolen, Country Kellum and Buddy Odum. By now I knew James Brown and knew I HAD to work for him.

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11) ..74 MILES.. AWAY-WALK TALL – CANNONBALL ADDERLEY (1968) – It’s about that guy Zawinul again. This was Cannon’s funkier take on the boundary stretching Miles (also with Zawinul) was doing on BITCHES BREW. The BREW was easily the more important album but this was for the people - “Walk Tall” made me strut and “..74 Miles.. Away” made me dance. Zawinul wrote both songs.

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12) SWEETNIGHTER – WEATHER REPORT (1972) – Not my favorite WR album. MYSTERIOUS TRAVELER is my desert island disc, but this is the LP that sold me a life long membership in their fan club. This super group helmed by Zawinul, Wayne Shorter and Miroslav Vitous had released two intriguing albums already but each was a bit heady. SWEETNIGHTER is where it all came together – more successfully incorporating the r&b influenced vamps into the challenging rhythms of jazz.

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13) SENTIDO – EDDIE PALMIERI (1973) – The Miles-JB figure of salsa, Palmieri puts it all together. The musicianship is impeccable, the vocals soulful (even if you don’t speak Spanish) and the writing is exceptional. Later for all that, “..Puerto Rico..” and “Adoracion” are ON FIYAH!!! The album taught me that salsa was capable of expanding beyond its Fania formula while retaining all the base elements that made it so exciting. See a pattern in my list yet? Soul + Brains = Genius!

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14) AGHARTA – MILES DAVIS (1975) – Despite his glaring absence on my list thus far, I had been an avid Miles advocate since IN A SILENT WAY and a fan of his “funk” band from its inception although I have to confess to a bit of confusion about where they were going sometimes. AGHARTA sorted all that out for me. That it was recorded in concert is crucial. ....Davis....’ 70’s albums had become increasingly studio reliant. Album tracks were liberally looped and edited. They made for great records but how was this music to translate to live performance? AGHARTA, that’s how. Despite what the dumb ass critics wrote at the time, AGHARTA revealed this revolutionary funk had form and purpose despite the looseness with which MD sometimes approached it. Later live recordings would demonstrate that no two performances were the same, the band had lots of freedom to shape this music and that was its charm. That this record was exceptionally well recorded was a bonus – never before had we so clearly heard the rich textures and delicacies this band offered.  

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15) PARLIAMENT LIVE – P-FUNK EARTH TOUR (1977) – In the same way that Miles had assembled all that had happened in jazz with AGHARTA, George Clinton’s cast of characters did it with funk. Sly Stone fans will hate on me but once you take away the Family Stone’s wardrobe and mixed heritage, you have Larry Graham’s bass, Sly’s wit and mostly otherwise derivative music. Strictly as musicians the Family Stone couldn’t hold P-Funk’s jock straps (hate on me, I know). The P-Funk studio records were  a hint – MOTHERSHIP CONNECTION is the classic and there were others - but none made me feel like this did. Once you put this joint on and got caught up in Jerome Brailey’s foot while Bernie Worrell and Maceo Parker fills set up the groove, it was over! God bless JB, the funk had moved on – there was a new sheriff in town.

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16) FRESH FRUIT IN FOREIGN PLACES – KID CREOLE & THE COCONUTS (1981) – A transitional time. Funk had morphed into disco and played out. New rock was caught up in electronics and dirty needles. On the soul side, most of the country was caught up in Prince’s off shoot, Morris Day and The Time. But in ....New York City.... it was the more sophisticated August “Kid Creole” Darnell who had it all figured out. Both The Time and Creole’s were outstanding bands, but throw back threads was all Morris had in common with The Kid. Darnell’s lyrics had wit to rival George Clinton and his multi-dimensional music freshly merged funk, hard (real) salsa, rock and Broadway in a uniquely ....New York.... manner. Their gigs at the Ritz are legendary. August staged some of the cleverest productions of that era with a fraction of the budgets afforded more successful artist’s large venue tours. That Creole’s remarkable band and music never attracted a larger audience is tragic but not surprising. They were just TOO damn hip!

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17) 1999 – PRINCE (1982) – A confession – I was late coming to Prince. I thought he was just another falsetto slingin’ r&b dandy until a girl friend persuaded me to see the CONTROVERSY tour. Of course I was blown away – not just by his awesome skills as a singer-musician but for his stage show in which every production element was as musical as his band. 1999 became the album that convinced me that he was also a magician in the studio. The dance joints were bangin’ and what a lot of us came to refer to as his “boutique” songs were captivating. At a time when keyboard electronics were rapidly becoming cliché-ish, Prince proved how personable the new technology could become in the right hands.

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18) DREAM OF THE BLUE TURTLES – STING (1985) – Another confession – I spent much of my life as what I considered a musical purist (read racist). While countless friends begged me to check out the Police, I said “reggae is about Bob Marley – period”. I still play more Marley than Police but the amazing band that Sting assembled drew me to his debut solo disc. So this was my introduction to not just Sting’s wonderful writing and performing but also to the idea that there was some great music outside the fences I had foolishly erected.

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19) EYES OPEN – YOUSSOU N’DOUR (1992) – Late again. Not my fave Youssou album, that’s probably SET. But this is the CD that, well, opened my eyes to N’Dour and modern African music as a whole. I had a share of old afro beat in my collection but other than Ebenezer Obey and King Sunny Ade, I was as ignorant of modern African music as most bwanas. Youssou is the Marley of Senegal and sings intelligently and inspirationally about all the issues facing both ..Africa.. and the world. AND he has a killer band.

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20) SHOKI SHOKI – FEMI KUTI (2000) – Final confession – an awful lot of the new music I listen to today is from African artists. Gigi’s first Bill Laswell produced CD made me want to marry an East African. Thandiswa’s solo CD gave me a new appreciation of ....South Africa..... Thankfully I’m happily settled with my wife from ....New Jersey.... but my infatuation with African music that began with Youssou and Salif Keita in the 1990’s is alive and well. Femi has a lot in common with his late Dad, Fela. Like his Dad, he’s neither a great singer nor instrumentalist (although he gets the nod on sax) but he’s a superior band leader and takes his music more seriously. This infectious album took Fela’s Afro pop and shaped it into cohesive songs with clever arrangements while preserving the Kuti legacy of meaningful lyrics and can’t sit down rhythms.

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            There are certain days that call for being written about. I suppose by any measure today is one of those days.

But I can’t be writing today. I got some folks I gotta talk to.

I gotta talk to my Godfather, you know him as James Brown. I first knew him when I was a teenager at the peak of the civil rights 1960’s. A few years later he became my first boss in the music industry. I was proud of that. Because he was proud. At a time when his brothers wrestled with what to call themselves, he settled the matter decidedly with the release of a little seven inch piece of plastic. The labels read, “Say It Loud – I’m Black And I’m Proud”. Overnight, youngsters of Brown’s same color got the message. Gradually so did others. To be black and proud was not only acceptable but necessary.

James Brown had a lot of Godsons but I’m one who has to talk to him today.

I can’t be writing today.

I gotta talk to Curtis Mayfield. Curtis was the very first recording artist I met and interviewed after becoming a teenage radio disc jockey in 1965. Mayfield was remarkably warm and generous, patient with time and attention to a white media neophyte. As I got to know Curtis better over years, I got to know a man who had a gentle soul with a fervent vision. He was getting “people ready” before they even knew what they were ready for. Curtis was the closest thing to a musical parallel that Dr. Martin Luther King had and a poet laureate for people darker than blue. Curtis saw the train comin’, he was already on board.

I can’t be writing today.

I gotta talk to Clayton “C.P.” Brown. In 1963 when I met Clayton he was a student at all black ....Virginia.. ..Union.. ..University.... and I was a student at an all white high school. He was a part-time radio disc jockey in ....Richmond.., ..Virginia...., and I was an obsessed music fan who pestered him for his station’s cast off records. His tolerance turned into friendship. The more we learned from each other the more we had in common. He was certainly the first black dinner guest in my family’s house and I suspect I was the first white dinner guest in the Brown home. We rolled together, much to the chagrin of the ....Richmond.... police who routinely pulled us over just because two youngsters of different colors just had to be up to no good.

Some of Clayton’s friends accepted me and even a few of my friends accepted him but by and large it was just easier (and safer) to keep our own posse intact and create our own orbit. It wasn’t complicated – we were just boys like that. And as years went by we remained boys. We both got married and had kids – two of which ironically share a birthday. We remained boys as we chased our respective careers in different directions, me to ....New York...., ....Cincinnati...., ....Augusta.... and ....Minneapolis.... and Clayton to ....Boston...., Philly, ....Chicago.... and finally D.C. I lost my boy a few years back. One day he called and said he’d gotten sick. He never got better.

My life wouldn’t be what it is TODAY, were it not for my boy. I miss my boy. Today there’s something I gotta tell my boy. Today I gotta talk to my boy.

I can’t be writing today.

Today I gotta talk to my brother-in-law, Kenny. Kenny was a troubadour, a griot who preached peace. He was a free spirit that passed through this life much too quickly. A few years ago his voice was silenced but today his song is in the air. I need to tell him that.

So I haven’t got time to be writing today.

It’s a very small world. Thirty some years after leaving ....Richmond.., ..Virginia...., I found myself back there visiting a new friend, a young friend who has so much to say and so much difficulty saying it. I like to think the air I breathed with James Brown, Curtis Mayfield and Clayton Brown in the 60’s is still hovering around ....Richmond..... My young friend has breathed some of that air. Curtis Mayfield said, “you don’t need no baggage, you just get on board”. But my young friend still has some baggage to shed. While sometimes showing other sides of himself, my young friend is a sensitive soul. Sometimes too sensitive. His pride is fierce. Sometimes too fierce. There is so much in him that needs to get out and a whole people will be there to hear what he has to say – when he’s finally ready to say it.

Today I gotta talk to my young friend.

I can’t be writing today. I gotta talk to my son. There’s a new President today who looks like him. I wasn’t sure I’d live to see that. I’m not sure if my son thought he’d ever see that. But even though we happen to be in different cities, today we WILL see that and somehow we gotta share it.

So I got a son I gotta talk to today.

As I watch the Presidential Inauguration today, clutching the hands of my beloved wife, I wished I had the time to talk to my many friends in faraway lands. Friends of many faiths and colors. I wish I had the time to tell them that ....America...., my ....America....,  finally belongs to ALL its people and that we’re not the people you’ve been thinking we were.

I can’t be writing today, I don’t have time. But I can’t escape the abundance of hope in the air. Hope like no other time in my life. Just maybe I’ll have something to write about tomorrow.

     This is NOT just another election. This is not a choice between Democrats or Republicans – liberals or conservatives. It's not a choice between an elderly white man and a vibrant black man. It's a choice between the OLD America and the NEW America.

     With all due respect to Brother Obama and his campaign pledge to preserve America's middle class, I suggest the middle class has already all but evaporated. Obama is a politician in a political game – he can't afford to tell the whole truth and expect to win an election, but I suspect he KNOWS. America today is divided like never before – divided between the "haves" and the "have nots". There is little middle ground remaining - people are either papered up or they're struggling on one level or another. The division is so great and so invasive to our quality of life that it trumps racism, feminism and just about any other ism this election campaign has touched on.

     The OLD America struggles to preserve wealth and power. If the OLD America is allowed to continue at the helm of our government, how long will it be before we become a country where a small minority of wealthy, mostly white Christian men, control the power of a nation whose complexion is distinctly different than theirs? How long will it be before the desperation to retain that power and control brings about a police state that continues to infringe on the day-to-day rights and freedoms of the American people? If you haven't noticed, we're on the way to that now. Just take a look at the Supreme Court. At Guantanemo. At our prison culture. The OLD America has their everything invested and will do anything to preserve their classist, immoral "way of life".

     But in the streets there is another America – the real America – the NEW America. The NEW America is multi-racial, multi-cultural, tolerant, sensitive and compassionate. The NEW America is willing to sacrifice and contribute to the costs of freedom for all. The NEW America will spend the time and energy to raise our offspring responsibly. The NEW America will insist on providing higher quality education and health care to all. The NEW America will recognize our responsibility to the rest of the planet and their cultures and equally recognize the value and importance of the world's support. The NEW America will fight terrorism - but not just the terrorism that emanates from zealots abroad. The NEW America will fight the economic and cultural terrorism that some from within would bring upon our own.

     The one thing I've heard said time and time again in the past year is, "I never thought I'd live to see a black man elected President." If that happens on Tuesday, it will be a celebratory landmark event in our history. BUT the biggest significance of the election result will be if we are afforded the opportunity to truly unite behind and work with a leader willing to fearlessly tackle the multitude of real problems threatening this country's very foundation. (Of course you've got to love the irony that it took a black man's back to build America and it just may take a black man's mind to save America.)

     What remains for the NEW America? Challenges and a workload like this country hasn't seen since the Civil War. All the qualities intrinsic to any kind of successful democracy have been severely compromised by the Bush years but in the spirit of not hating the player, we should recognize that the real problem is the cultural climate of greed, arrogance and fear that licensed the Bushies to push their agendas. McCain the John and his polar-hoochie of a running mate are the last desperate whores for the OLD America. Desperate enough to try anything and everything they can muster to win this election.

     I don't care if you like Obama or not. I don't care if you're white, black or green. I don't care if you're a news junkie or an illiterate knucklehead. VOTE!!! VOTE!!! VOTE!!! Save the country. VOTE!!! Send McCain back to the desert and Palin back to her igloo. VOTE!!! Americans need the NEW America. The world needs the NEW America. Mankind as a species needs the NEW America. If you're not part of the solution, YOU ARE PART OF THE PROBLEM! VOTE!!!!!! VOTE OBAMA and vote for OUR America…our NEW America or shut up and face the consequences. As for me, I'm looking at real estate in London or Nice or Guadaloupe - gotta have a fallback. So please do your part in keeping me in America - VOTE OBAMA!!!!!!!!!!!! 

   Well the tour that never met a beach it didn't like has finally drawn to a close with the taping of shows two weeks ago in both London and New York. Thus I've lost my excuse for not posting anything for the past six months. But before I begin tackling subjects like the iminant D'Angelo and Maxwell comebacks or more serious fare like the economy and election, I want to give everyone a heads-up about this weekend's activities.

   I know it's football and baseball time (wouldn't you love to see Joe Torre and Manny Ramirez take their Dodger Blue into Fenway Park for a World Series against the Red Sox), BUT there are two (2!) things you GOTTA check out this weekend.

(1) Spike Lee's MIRACLE OF ST. ANNA...opening on a screen near you. In this day and age where a film success is measured solely by how it "opens", let's get Bro. Lee some huge numbers this weekend for an extremely worthy movie about a fascinating (and equally worthy) topic. Who knows? If his film is a smash hit, maybe the studio mavens will reconsider the budget he wants for our JAMES BROWN movie.

(2) Chris Rock's KILL THE MESSENGER stand-up special, debuting on HBO Saturday night.  Of course I'm biased and I haven't seen the final edit, but this looms as Rock's best special ever. Rick Rubin deserves the credit for the specific idea of compiling shows from three different countries (the special combines shows taped in South Africa, England and the U.S.), but from the git-go we all were dedicated to breaking the formulaic template of the typical stand-up special. That the bar was raised on what would turn out to be the barrier-breaking "Jackie Robinson Tour" of comedy was all the more appropriate. In addition to the 3 cities in which HBO tagged along, the tour also introduced Rock's unique brand of American comedy to Scotland, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, Puerto Rico and Hawaii. In all we played 9 countries on 4 continents. In London alone we did 11 sold out theatre shows and 2 sold out arena shows at the 16,000 seat O2. The Guiness Book Of Records celebrated the fact that the tour now holds the all-time record for tickets sold to a comedy event in the U.K.! Just as a basis of comparison, Chris sold more tickets this year in London than Jay-Z did in New York! Why is this so unusual??  BECAUSE Richard Pryor and Eddie Murphy NEVER played London!! NEVER!! Same in South Africa, Australia and New Zealand where we could have sold out many more shows had our scheduled allowed. And San Juan?? A Spanish speaking island with a comic who speaks only English??  I even had to make the shows opening announcements in my salsa-inspired, decidedly New York version of pidgeon Spanish. But the sold out arena was dollar-ish and the laughs were bi-lingual.

See what all the fury was about Saturday night! Kudos too to producer-director Marty Callner and his wonderful captain Randall Gladstein, not to mention HBO's Nancy Geller for buying into the multi-national concept of the shoot. And, of course, Rock's dedicated tour family - Dougie Fresh Miller, Tony Blades, Speilberg Claybrooks and the great Mario Joyner.

I've got tons of fun photos from the tour and plenty to tell diary-style when I find the time, but in the meantime I'll download some flicks from the shoots and tour wrap party.

I've been posting pictures but haven't yet written about the exciting, ground-breaking Chris Rock NO APOLOGIES tour. Ground-breaking in that Rock is selling tickets like never before, beginning with a maxed out New Years Eve to remember (with the lovely Jill Scott) in Madison Square Garden. Then Chris made his concert debut outside the United States with a thrilling 3 weeks in the U.K. last month. Chris sold out an unprecedented 10 nights at the Apollo Hammersmith in London - sold out so wuickly that promoters hastily added a return in May for 2 (now also sold out) ARENA (!) shows at the O2. Rock thus becomes the very first comic of any kind, British, American or whatever, to headline the 14,500 seat venue!! Later in the year Rock will make first time concert visits to Australia, New Zealand and South Africa - all more or less virgin territory for American comedy.

In other ground-breaking news, Rock will appear on the main stage at this years Bonaroo Festival outside Nashville in Manchester, Tennessee (June 13th). Rock and Led Zeppelin? Why the Hell not! With Obama-truth spreading across America, why shouldn't 2008 also be the year Rock rolls at Bonaroo?

Besides touring, I've been completely occupied with setting up promotion for the late April release of THE JAMES BROWN READER, the book I'm proud to have co-edited with friend Nelson George (Plume Books). A special MySpace page will soon be devoted to the book, the link to which I'll make available as soon as the page is up and running. I'm also busily working on two JB related projects for Universal Music, Volume 6 of the JAMES BROWN SINGLES and a previously unissued LIVE AT THE LATIN CASINO, recorded in January, 1967, the very week Alfred PeeWee Ellis replaced Nat Jones at the helm of the mighty James Brown Band. One of the 4 shows recorded was truncated into the long unavailable (and misleadingly titled) LIVE AT THE GARDEN LP on King Records. But we've gone through all the shows and compiled a red hot 2 CD set of powerhouse unedited performances. Still in the early stages of production, the release date is to be determined. Vol. 5 of the "singles" project is about to drop at www.hiposelect.com.

Meanwhile our Chris Rock entourage of five continues traipsing around the States. One of the pleasures of life on the road is always the opportunity to visit friends and re-visit favorite spots in cities I'd otherwise find it difficult to reach. In that spirit, here is the next round of dates:

   Tues-Thurs. Feb. 26-28 - Philadelphia - Academy Of Music

   Fri.-Sat.  Feb. 29-Mar. 1 - Detroit - Fox Theatre

   Thu. Mar. 6 - Lemoore,Ca. (Fresno) - Tachi Casino

   Fri. Mar. 7 - Santa Ynez,Ca. - Chumash Casino

   Sat. Mar. 8 - Indio,Ca. (Palm Springs) - Fantasy Springs Casino

   Sun. Mar. 9 - Denver - Lecture Hall

   Wed. Mar. 12 - Niagra Fallas - Seneca Niagra Casino

   Thu.-Fri.  Mar. 13-14 - Toronto - Massey Hall

   Sat.  Mar. 15 - Uncasville,Ct. - Mohegan Sun Casino

   Fri-Sat.  Mar. 21-22 - Atlanta - Fox Theatre

   Wed. 3/26 - San Antonio - Memorial Auditorium

   Thu. 3/27 - Dallas - Nokia Theatre (Grand Prairie)

   Fri. 3/28 - Biloxi - Beau Rivage Casino

   Sat. 3/29 - Houston - Verizon Theatre

   Sun. 3/30 - St. Louis - Fox Theatre

   Thu.-Sun. Apr. 3-6 - Oakland - Paramount Theatre

Personal agendas aside, everyone who cares about anything important in this world (starting with laughter, of course) should see Rock's new show. As friend Questlove told me after catching an early tour gig in Atlantic City, "Chris is edgier than ever - his best show in years".

You don't have to be an Obama supporter to enjoy Rock's show but I can't front, the show makes me feel the same way a recent Barack rally did - feel like there's actually hope for us (and our country). After the past eight years, that's no small accomplishment! Hope to see you all on the road!

A last minute heads up, I'll have the humble honor of guesting with the legendary CHUCK D on his national radio show "On The Real, Off The Record" tonight at Midnight, eastern time. "One The Real, Off The Record" is heard weekly on a variety of broadcast stations including most Air America stations, also on XM SATELLITE 167 and also as a webcast on airamerica.com.

Hope we kindle up an interesting enough convo to keep you awake on a winter Sunday night (I know it's fall but if you're anywhere near our snow-laden, 9 degree Minneapolis weather, you'd never know it).

Just a quick note to express appreciation to Ms. Daphne Brooks and the Princeton University Center for African American Studies for hosting "Ain't That A Groove", the recent two day symposium celebrating the genius of James Brown. Participating was an honor and a delight, I think it's safe to say we all had a ball. With all due respect, some academics seem to demonstrate an "obligation" to over dissect some things that are meant to be FELT before thought about. But, by and large, the speakers and topics were thought provoking without tipping over into revisionist history. (Although it might have been a stretch for "It's A Man's Man's Man's World" to be held as evidence of JB's sexism when the song was actually written for him by an old girl friend). I didn't have the heart, despite Questlove's urging, to say anything and throw a damper on the centerpiece of an entire panel discussion.

Questo, Universal Music's Harry Weinger, legendary JB music directors Fred Wesley and Pee Wee Ellis and I designated ourselves the "keep it real" brigade. The closing q&a segment was huge fun. At dinner Fred asked me what we were going to talk about in that session and I said, "I haven't got a clue. Let's just have laughs". He seemed relieved. I knew exactly what I wanted them to talk about but I also knew that if we could reveal Fred's warm sense of humor and Ahmir's rabid enthusiasm for JB's music, the session would take off.

Dr. Cornel West, as genial and genuine as everyone told me he was, predictably raised the roof. The Dr. did his homework! Why isn;t he ever interviewed for documentaries on the music - he knows his stuff! Everyone involved was well worth having aboard but particular mention is due musicologist Robert Fink, writer Bob Christgau, author Rickey Vincent, everything man Greg Tate and the delightful Mendi Obadike for their provocative and passionate presentations.

Kudus to Princeton. A symposium like this belongs at any venue with students of music and black culture. It's more than a little ironic that an Ivy League institution like Princeton would step up and actually pull it off.

Let's take it on the road, gang!

THURSDAY-FRIDAY, NOV. 29 & 30 - A 2 day symposium at Princeton University called "Ain't That A Groove - The Genius Of James Brown". 4 panels discussing the multi faceted cultural impact of the late Godfather Of Soul! I'm proud to be included among panelists that include music writers Robert Christgau, Ricky Vincent, Ernest Hardy and Kandia Crazyhorse, Universal Records' re-issue A&R guru Harry Weinger, ?uestlove of the Roots and luminaries of the academic world such as Mark Anthony Neal, Fred Moten, Farah Griffin, Imani Perry and the one and only Cornel West. 2 days of talking heads all about the King of Soul. It's not official, but with ?uesto in the house and special guests possibly including Fred Wesley and Pee Wee Ellis, don't be surprised if we also hear a little music! Registration required to attend:

www.princeton.edu/africanamericanstudies/news/events

For further information:

http://www.princeton.edu/main/news/archive/S19/51/65E59/index.xml?section=announcements

Hit the link and scan down. Someone else had nothing better to do than talk to me, LOL.

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