Dear Arts Desk readers,

As approximately 62 of you know, I’ve been spinning a Friday Soul mix via the old Twitter account. Man is it groovy! I’m even linking to videos. The playlist so far:

1. Otis Redding, “Shake” (live at Monterey Pop, 1967)
2. Raphael Saadiq, “Let’s Take a Walk”
3. Laura Nyro, “And When I Die”
4. James Brown, “Super Bad”
5. Buddy Guy, “Feels Like Rain”
6. Mofro, “Ho Cake”
7. James Cotton, Muddy Waters, Johnny Winter, “Got My Mojo Workin’” (hey, we’re branching out)
8. The Impressions, “Long Long Winter”
9. Rod Stewart, “(Your Love Keeps Lifting Me) Higher and Higher”
10. Bettye LaVette, “You Don’t Know Me At All”
11. Van Morrison, “I’ve Been Working”
12. Curtis Mayfield, “People Get Ready” (some live version from, I think, 1974)

Eclectic, see, yet accessible. But it ain’t over ’til the fat lady sings! (No Aretha jokes, if ye please.) Just point the browser of your choice in this direction, make like a lemming, and follow along. Suggestions are appreciated. As are witty remarks concerning my inclusion of Rod Stewart…or the fact that a number of these tracks don’t necessarily qualify as soul.

Below the jump: the remainder of the mix, updated incrementally.

Read More “End-of-Week Mixtape: #FridaySoul!” »

Just returned from a spot of Indian food after the “We Are One” concert, where I collected some supremely lo-fi recordings of the hit-or-miss performances.  Garth Brooks got a lot of stagetime.  Stevie Wonder and Herbie Hancock got glossed over.  Will.i.am and Sheryl Crowe did some decent Marley with a sanitized “Where Is the Love” interlude.  My favorite performace, amazingly, was Bettye Lavette and (wait for it) Jon Bon Jovi on Sam Cooke’s “A Change Is Gonna Come.”

Also dug U2 more than I’d expected and found Pete Seeger a welcome presence.

First batch below.  More in a bit, plus a rundown of last night’s Mike Errico/Alfonso Velez/Sketches show at Jammin’ Java.

Springsteen, with gospel choir, on “The Rising”:

National anthem:

Lavette & Bon Jovi on “A Change Is Gonna Come”:

James Taylor & John Legend on “Shower the People”: