Fire For The People :: A Blue Scholars Playlist

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I think I’ve shared this before, but we drive a 12-passenger van. Because, of course we do. What else are we going to drive? The kids broke the AUX input several years ago, but the CD player works. So sometimes we make mixes especially for the van. Sometimes they are various playlists, and sometimes they are artist-specific. One of our favorite artists as a family is Seattle’s Blue Scholars.

I’m not sure if they ever broke up or if they’re just on some weird hiatus, but I don’t think they have released music together since 2011’s Cinémetropolis. Anyways, if you don’t know, them, Blue Scholars are (were?) a politically conscious Seattle hip hop duo. Formed in 2002 while members, DJ Sabzi (Saba Mohajerjasbi) and MC Geologic (George Quibuyen) were both students at the University of Washington. The duo put out 3 full-length albums, 4 EPs and a lot of singles. All of which is worth hunting down while the group is on hiatus(?).

Here’s the releases I drew from:

Tracklist:

  1. Solstice: Reintroduction from Blue Scholars

  2. Fire For the People from Bayani

  3. Lalo Schifrin from Cinematropolis

  4. Bruise Brothers from Blue Scholars

  5. Joe Metro from Bayani

  6. New People from Ooof!

  7. Sagaba from Blue Scholars

  8. Fou Lee from Cinematropolis

  9. Blue School from Blue Scholars

  10. Still Got Love from Bayani

  11. Selfportrait from Blue Scholars

  12. Southside Revival from The Long March EP

  13. Seijun Suzuki from Cinematropolis

  14. The Inkwell from Blue Scholars

  15. Hi-808 from Oof!

  16. Marion Sunshine from Cinematropolis

  17. Motion Movement from Blue Scholars

  18. Yuri Kochiyama from Cinematropolis

  19. Evening Chai from Blue Scholars

  • Visit Blue Scholars’ official website

  • Follow Blue Scholars at Facebook

  • Follow Blue Scholars at Twitter

  • Support Blue Scholars at Bandcamp

  • Purchase Blue Scholars music at Amazon

  • Browse all Holiday at the Sea Blue Scholars posts

Soundtrack to the Collective Meltdown (2021) :: A Holiday At The Sea (MEGA) Playlist

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The next time you’ve got nearly 5 hours to kill, I’ve got the mix for you! These are not necessarily my “favorite songs of 2021.” Instead, these are choice cuts; one representative track from each of my favorite 50 albums of the year. Regardless of length.

Get ready for a ride.

Tracklist:

  1. Pray for Peace by Ustad Saami from East Pakistan Sky

  2. Recessinater by Birds of Maya from Valdez

  3. The People vs. the Rest of Us by Damon Locks Black Monument Ensemble from NOW

  4. Bell Song by 75 Dollar Bill featuring Barry Weisblat from Social Music at Troost Vol. 1

  5. Ya Rossoul by Khaira Arby from Khaira Arby In New York (Live In 2010)

  6. Movement by Bell Orchestre from House Music

  7. Broken Mirror (A Selfie Reflection)/Composition 9 by Matthew E. White and Lonnie Holley from Broken Mirror: A Selfie Reflection

  8. Riddim Rek Sa Niouy Mom by Wau Wau Collectif from Yaral Sa Doom

  9. All That They Left You by Six Organs of Admittance from The Veiled Sea

  10. Days Like These by Low from Hey What

  11. VBS by Lucy Dacus from Home Video

  12. Brothers by Phil Cook from All These Years

  13. Dark In Here by the Mountain Goats from Dark In Here

  14. Djougoh by Nahawa Doumbia from Kanawa

  15. The Call by Madlib from Sound Ancestors

  16. Beat Up Born Where I Come From by Ghost of Vroom from Ghost of Vroom 1

  17. Dovetail by Girls in Airports from Leap

  18. descension (Out of Our Constrictions) III by Natural Information Society and Evan Parker from descension (Out of Our Constrictions)

  19. Beowulf’s Trip by Jeffrey Alexander and the Heavy Lidders from Jeffrey Alexander and the Heavy Lidders

  20. World is Turning by Rose City Band from Earth Trip

  21. Disposable Thumbs by Endless Boogie from Admonitions

  22. Staggering With a Lantern by Mountain Movers from World What World

  23. Albuquerque by Nick Cave and Warren Ellis from CARNAGE

  24. OUR SIDE HAS TO WIN (for D.H.) by Godspeed You! Black Emperor from G_d's Pee At States End!

  25. Juvenescence by Yasmin Williams from Urban Driftwood

  26. Invisible Map by Derek Piotr from Making and Then Unmaking

  27. You Can Regret What You Have Done by Matt Sweeney and Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy from Superwolves

  28. This Old World by Billy Strings from Renewal

  29. Kelp Highway by Drew Gardner from Drew Gardner

  30. Jnoun ! by Bachar Mar-Khalifé from Ghost Songs

  31. In Remembrance Of Those Fallen by Sons of Kemet from Black To The Future

  32. Bertha The Cool by Marc Ribot’s Ceramic Dog from Hope

  33. Give Me Back My Loving by Leo Nocentelli from Another Side

  34. Don’t Let The Tears by Howlin’ Rain from The Dharma Wheel

  35. Tree of Tule by Daniel Lanois from Heavy Sun

  36. Way To Cairo by Native Soul from Teenage Dreams

  37. Ethiopian Sunshower by Adrian Younge And Ali Shaheed Muhammad from Brian Jackson JID008

  38. Zengadyw Derekou by Hailu Mergia from Tezeta

  39. Ya Habibti by Mdou Moctar from Afrique Victime

  40. Tropicale Moon by Mouth Painter from Tropicale Moon

  41. Natural Facts by Wet Tuna from Eu’d To A Fake Boogie Volume 4

  42. Shrinks the Day by Ryley Walker and Kikagaku Moyo from Deep Fried Grandeur

  43. Musungu Elongo Paints His Face White to Scare Small Children by Kasai Allstars from Black Ants Always Fly Together, One Bangle Makes No Sound

  44. Trap Life by Sault from Nine

  45. Désert by Dobe Gnahoré from Couleur

  46. Part 1 by Elkhorn from The Golden Lag

  47. If It Comes In The Morning by Hiss Golden Messenger from Quietly Blowing It

  48. Morning River by Steve Gunn from Other You

  49. Shiva With Dustpan by Ryley Walker from Course In Fable

  50. Cortez the Killer (live) by Neil Young and Crazy Horse from Way Down In The Rust Bucket

  • Browse my favorite albums of the year

  • Browse my “2021 Yearly Wrap-it-Up” which is really a ramble about seeing Phish

  • Browse my favorite books of 2021

  • Browse my favorite movies of 2021

  • Browse my favorite television of 2021

  • Listen to a nearly 5-hour very low quality mix of one song from each of my favorite albums of 2021 called “Soundtrack to the Collective Meltdown”

2021 Year In Review :: Favorite Albums

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Here’s the dealio, my coolios.

Each year, I keep a running diary of sorts of all of the things I liked each year. If you’re interested (which I doubt you are), you can follow along with my real-time unedited yearly bookkeeping here.

At the end of each year I try to cull down the music section to what really defined my year musically. No ranking. Just great music. Here are 50 of my favorite 2021 albums in alphabetical order.

Albums In Visual Alphabetical Order:

Albums In Alphabetical Alphabetical Order:

  1. Social Music at Troost Vol.1 by 75 Dollar Bill

  2. Jeffrey Alexander and the Heavy Lidders by Jeffrey Alexander and the Heavy Lidders // Elixor of Life by Jeffrey Alexander and the Heavy Lidders

  3. Khaira Arby in New York (Live in 2010) by Khaira Arby

  4. House Music by Bell Orchestre

  5. Valdez by Birds of Maya

  6. Carnage by Nick Cave & Warren Ellis

  7. All These Years by Phil Cook

  8. Home Video by Lucy Dacus

  9. Kanawa by Nahawa Doumbia

  10. The Golden Lag by Elkhorn

  11. Admonitions by Endless Boogie

  12. Drew Gardner by Drew Gardner

  13. Ghost of Vroom 1 by Ghost of Vroom

  14. Leap by Girls in Airports

  15. Couleur by Dobet Gnahoré

  16. G_d's Pee At States End! by Godspeed You! Black Emperor

  17. Other You by Steve Gunn

  18. Quietly Blowing It by Hiss Golden Messenger

  19. The Dharma Wheel by Howlin’ Rain

  20. Brian Jackson JID008 by Brian Jackson, Ali Shaheed Muhammad, Adrian Younge

  21. Black Ants Always Fly Together, One Bangle Makes No Sound by Kasai Allstars

  22. Heavy Sun by Daniel Lanois

  23. Now by Damon Locks & Black Monument Ensemble

  24. Hey What by Low

  25. Sound Ancestors by Madlib

  26. Hope by Marc Ribot’s Ceramic Dog

  27. Ghost Songs by Bachar Mar-Khalifé

  28. Tezeta by Hailu Mergia

  29. Afrique Victime by Mdou Moctar

  30. Dark In Here by the Mountain Goats

  31. World What World by Mountain Movers

  32. Tropicale Moon by Mouth Painter

  33. Teenage Dreams by Native Soul

  34. descension (Out of Our Constrictions) by Natural Information Society/Evan Parker

  35. Another Side by Leo Nocentelli (1971)

  36. Making and Then Unmaking by Derek Piotr

  37. Earth Trip by Rose City Band

  38. East Pakistan Sky by Ustad Saami

  39. Nine by Sault

  40. The Veiled Sea by Six Organs of Admittance

  41. Black to the Future by Sons of Kemet

  42. Renewal by Billy Strings

  43. Superwolves by Matt Sweeney and Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy

  44. Deep Fried Grandeur by Ryley Walker And Kikagaku Moyo

  45. Course In Fable by Ryley Walker

  46. Yaral Sa Doom by Wau Wau Collectif

  47. Eau’d To A Fake Boogie Volume 4 by Wet Tuna

  48. Broken Mirror: A Selfie Reflection by Matthew E. White and Lonnie Holley

  49. Urban Driftwood by Yasmin Williams

  50. Way Down in the Rust Bucket by Neil Young and Crazy Horse

  • Browse my favorite albums of the year

  • Browse my “2021 Yearly Wrap-it-Up” which is really a ramble about seeing Phish

  • Browse my favorite books of 2021

  • Browse my favorite movies of 2021

  • Browse my favorite television of 2021

  • Listen to a nearly 5-hour very low quality mix of one song from each of my favorite albums of 2021 called “Soundtrack to the Collective Meltdown”

The Way Out Where Is In :: A Holiday At The Sea Playlist

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Here’s a fun little playlist to celebrate Serendipity.

Let me explain: My name is Brent and I love the Grateful Dead. So it makes perfect sense to lead off this mix with the Dead rehearsing with Brent in April 1979 right before his first tour with them.

And, not only is my name Brent and I love the Grateful Dead, I love the music of Miles Davis. So much so that Miles Davis is one of the reasons we named our oldest son Miles. So it makes perfect sense to include Miles Davis playing at the Fillmore West; a bill shared with none other than the Grateful Dead. You can watch video here.

OH, and if all that wasn’t enough, I was born in 1973! Not in Summer, but still, the Dead jamming with Brent for a song named after my birth year, how could I not include it here?!

So we have two tracks from the Dead and Brent rehearsing, two tracks of wild Miles opening for the Dead. Then, we wrap things up with the drums/space segment (except I reversed them here) from Dead and Co. in Phoenix, AZ, 2017. Because, guess what: WE WERE THERE!

So here’s a mix of out there stuff with inward significance. This playlist is not for everyone. But if you know, you know. Ya dig?

Setlist:

  1. “Booji Boy's Bad Trip (Drums, Space, Feedback)” by the Grateful Dead

  2. “Miles Runs The Voodoo Down” by Miles Davis

  3. “Summer of ‘73” by the Grateful Dead

  4. “It’s About That Time” by Miles Davis

  5. “Space/Drums” by Dead and Co.

  • Visit the Grateful Dead’s official website.

  • Follow the Grateful Dead on Facebook.

  • Follow Grateful Dead on Twitter.

  • Purchase Grateful Dead music on Amazon.

  • Visit the official Miles Davis website.

  • Follow the Miles Davis page at Facebook.

  • Purchase Miles Davis music at Amazon.

  • Visit the official Dead and Co. website

  • Browse all Holiday at the Sea playlists