The New Standards, a Playlist

I give you The New Standards, a playlist. Some music that moves the soul. (spotify version)

• Sing a Song of Song by Kenny Garrett
  Featuring Pat Methany guesting and enjoying
• Strasbourg St Denis by Roy Hargrove
  The man is sorely missed. Great things always happened when he was on stage. He was electrifying the few times I was lucky enough to catch him live and brought the best out of his band.
• The Intimacy Of My Woman's Beautiful Eyes by James Carter
  JC was pimping. Check out when his saxophone comes back after that piano solo
• Nola by Jose James
  She's gotta have it
• Death Letter by Cassandra Wilson
  Whether live or in studio, this is an immaculate take on the ultimate blues song
  
• Queen of Sanity by Bilal
  He lets the students shine then drops some vocals that are unearthly
• We Must Be in Love by Charlie Hunter
  A wonderful take on Curtis Mayfield's The Makings of You
• Remember by Joshua Redman
  The spirit of the moment
• Always There by Incognito
  A celebration of Ronnie Laws's masterpiece
• Wild is the Wind by Amel Larrieux
  Restraint, heeding Nina's lead
• I'll Be There by Marcus Miller
  Vintage Motown by a bass god
• Come To My Door by Jose James and Emily King
  Mics were dropped
• Travelin' Girl by Dwele
  The tour when he had the horn section elevated this further
• Nick@Night by Nicholas Payton
• Cherish the Day by Robert Glasper and Lalah Hathaway
  Casey Benjamin is sorely missed, he was at the center of this concoction
• When Love was King by Gregory Porter
  Velvet voice
• Piano In The Dark by Brenda Russell
  The diva takes charge

Undeniable standards

• Carnaval de São Vicente by Cesária Évora
  I'm so glad I got to experience the barefoot diva live thrice. She always left you wanting more.
• Moussolou by Salif Keita
  The uptempo Salif Keita that is listened to back in Mali is very different from that which gets released on the "world music" circuit. This is one of the occasions when we all got to hear it
• Fairy Tales by Anita Baker
  Compositions isn't performed much live but it's my favorite album of hers. And this is my favorite on that. That Greg Philliganes piano solo is cooking
• Love is Stronger Than Pride by Sade
  Title track of the album that put a firm stamp on the legend
• Moussolou by Oumou Sangare
  Bluesy, she gets down to business
• Set by Youssou N'Dour
  Unapologetic grooves in his prime

The New Standards (fond edition)

• Funkin' for Jamaica by Tom Browne
  Funk. Funk. Funk
• Street Life by The Crusaders
  Randy Crawford's voice on this floats miraculously. Joe Sample gets into the groove
• I've known rivers by Gary Bartz
  The spirit of Langston Hughes set to music
• Be Thankful by William DeVaughn
  Grace is the word that describes the testifying that went down when this was recorded
• Everybody Love The Sunshine by Roy Ayers
  Bees and things and flowers.
• T-jam by George Duke
  George Duke was everywhere

The New Standards (sweet and sour edition)

• Whenever Wherever Whatever by Maxwell
  Maxwell's suite saved the life of this bachelor
• Hope She Cheats On You (With A Basketball Player) by Marsha Ambrosius
  Come again?
• He Loves Me by Jill Scott
  The sound of butterflies
• I'm In Love With A Stripper by Russell Gunn
  T-pain's anthem
• I Feel Like Breaking Up Somebody's Home by Ann Peebles
  Memphis changes you

Standard Time

• Stay With Me by El Debarge
  Where's Biggie and Puff
• I Understand by Dwele
  The sound of longing
• Oysters by Me'Shell NdegeOcello
  Lust or love?
• One Mo'Gin by D'Angelo
  Voodoo set the blueprint
• Heaven Somewhere by Common
  Throwing down with an all-star cast of vocalists. Pass the microphone
• Prince of the Night by Nicholas Payton
  The sound of the horn
• I Can Explain by Rachelle Ferrell
  The whistle register and the fearlessness
• I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings by Buckshot Lefonque
  Alternately Breakfast at Dennys
• In the Morning by Omar
  Record companies are criminal. That the Best by Far album isn't on streaming services is unforgivable
• Rush Over by Meshell NdegeOcello & Marcus Miller
  I have a love jones for this song
• Who Put You Behind the Wheel by Charlie Hunter
  Every project he gets involved with shines
• Love is Blindness by Cassandra Wilson
  Just saying, I use this song to test loudspeakers.
• Love Me In A Special Way by Russell Gunn & Dionne Farris
  Debarge's anthem
• The way you make me feel by Wil Blades, Charlie Hunter & George Sluppick
  Alternatively, Wishing Well by the erstwhile Terence Trent D'Arby.
• The Makings of You by Curtis Mayfield
  I aspire to the economy of feeling in this song.

These are some of my new standards. What are yours?

File under: music, soul, appreciation, toli

Writing log: May 26, 2020