The Earfull Podcast

In this episode, Nigerian afrobeat singer, percussionist, choreographer, fashion designer, graphic designer, and martial artist Duke Amayo talks about growing up in Lagos during the Nigerian Civil War, Fela Kuti, and trying to change the world with his music. Listen on iTunes! Duke Amayo sitting down for our interview in August British-born of Nigerian parents, Amayo‘s spirit was first ignited at Fela’s club, The Shrine, in Lagos, Nigeria. While growing up in Lagos, his primary passions were dancing and practicing Kung Fu to the rhythms of funk and Afrobeat. It was then that the seed of Afrobeat was first implanted within him. Amayo first traveled to the United States as teenager to study at Howard University. He later became the founder of a collaborative dance and multimedia collective called the “New Race” in D.C. Upon moving to NYC, he founded his own fashion line called “Amayo.” As the lead singer and percussionist  for Antibalas, Amayo has ignited festival crowds and packed audiences into a frenzy across four continents. Continuing in the tradition of Fela Kuti, Amayo presents the world with his one-of-a-kind style of music, dance, and martial arts – FU-ARKIST-RA. In addition to composing and arranging all the songs, Amayo sings and plays piano and organ intermixed with charged performances of traditional African lyrics and movement. He has opened for James Brown, performed with The Roots, Tony Allen, Femi Kuti, Seun Kuti, Baaba Maal, and with Michael Franti and Spearhead. As Sifu, he is a senior master of the Jow Ga Kung Fu School of martial arts, rooted in the ancient Shaolin school. He has been studying, performing, and teaching Kung Fu for 25 years. He recently choreographed a Kung fu/movement piece for the Washington Ballet, and has guest taught hundreds of NYC public school children for the National Dance Institute. Sifu Amayo has also trained and performed the role of the Lion Head in traditional Chinese Lion Dance for over 20 years. The Ancient Chinese Lion Dance is one of China’s most celebrated traditions. It is a high-energy performance where professional martial artists don the elaborately decorated two-person Chinese Lion body (head and tail), bringing to life a rich oral history that spans many generations of Chinese folklore. The Lion is a symbol of strength and prosperity and is considered to be good luck by all who cross its path. Sifu Amayo begins his one of a kind FU-show by calling the lion to life, performing a salutation ritual and paving the way for dance and celebration of our limitless possibilities. The Lion may be playful and happy, fierce, or bashful, depending on the mood. For more on Duke Amayo, visit antibalas.com. Amayo performing with Antibalas at Roots Family Picnic in 2009 Amayo performing with Antibalas at Echoplex in L.A. in 2010 Amayo with Antibalas in Sao Paulo in 2012 Amayo in Sao Paulo in 2012 Recordings featured in this podcast (in order of appearance): “Dirty Money” by Antibalas from the self-titled album (Daptone Records, 2012) “Ghana Style percussion” by Chata Addy and Sidah “Joromi” performed by Sir Victor Uwaifo “African Roots of the Blues, Part 1” “Clips on Nigerian Civil War” “Mr. Follow Follow” by Fela Kuti Clip from “The Invincible” with Jimmy Wang Yu “Car Wash” from Rolls Royce Greatest Hits Northern soul classic “The Snake” by Al Wilson “Sweet Banana” by King Sunny Ade “World War IV” by Antibalas “Zombie” by Fela Kuti & Afrika 70 Fox News coverage the 9-11 attacks “Who is this America?” by Antibalas “Him Belly Go No Sweet” performed by Antibalas at WFUV This episode of the Earfull Podcast was originally recorded on August 13th and released on October 2nd, 2013. The cover art for the Earfull was made by Hallie Bean. I’d like to thank Duke Amayo for sitting down with me and you for listening. For more information on Duke Amayo, please visit antibalas.com. You can find the Earfull on the iTunes music store, soundcloud, and Facebook.

This podcast, released on September 25th, comes just in time for Christopher Washburne‘s Birthday! In this episode, Washburne discusses trying to play trombone like Jimmy Page, meeting the Queen of Jordan, working with Tito Puente & Celia Cruz and surviving cancer.

Chris Washburne is one of those rare musicians whose musical activities cross many styles and cultural borders. From early in his career he refused to be pigeon-holed as just being a jazz or classical player, but instead has continually pursued a diverse path. Chris is currently freelancing as a studio musician and performing trombone, bass trombone, tuba, didjeridu and percussion with various classical, jazz, rock and Latin groups in New York City. He also tours extensively with various groups and has concertized throughout the North America, Europe, Asian, Africa, South America, Central America and the Caribbean.

Chris received his Bachelors of Music in classical trombone performance from the University of Wisconsin where he studied with William Richardson, Richard Davis and Les Thimmeg. In 1988, he completed a Masters degree from the New England Conservatory in Third Stream Studies where he studied with John Swallow, Ran Blake and Bob Moses. He was the winner of the 1988 New England Conservatory Graduation Concerto Competition. He spent two months living in Zambia in 1985, studying the traditional music of that region, and in 1993, received a Mellon Fellowship to travel to and explore the rich musical traditions of Cuba.

In 1999 he completed his Ph.D. in Ethnomusicology at Columbia University. He is currently Associate Professor of Music and Found Director of the Louis Armstrong Jazz Performance Program at Columbia University in New York. He has published numerous articles on jazz, Latin jazz, and salsa. He is author of the book “Sounding Salsa: Performing Latin Music in New York” (2008) and editor of the book “Bad Music” (2004).

He has performed with the Duke Ellington Orchestra, Tito Puente, Eddie Palmieri, Justin Timberlake, Celia Cruz, Ruben Blades, Marc Anthony, Celine Dion, Anthony Braxton, Manhattan Chamber Orchestra, the Bang On A Can All-stars, David Byrne, Bjork, Muhal Richard Abrams, Gloria Estefan, They Might Be Giants, Chico O’Farrill, Don Richols, John Cale, Grady Tate, Baba Olatunje, Leslie Uggams, the Smithereens, Ray Barretto, Roscoe Mitchell, Jackie Byard, Danilo Caymmi, Arturo Sandoval, Paquito D’Rivera, Dinosaur Annex directed under Gunther Schuller, Walter Thompson, the SEM Ensemble, Freddie Cole, Lawrence “Butch” Morris, among many others.

He leads his own highly acclaimed groups SYOTOS and NYNDK and is a member of FFEAR (Forum for Electo-Acoustic Research).

For more on Chris Washburne visit www.chriswashburne.com

Book cover for Chris Washburne’s “Sounding Salsa: Performing Latin Music in New York City”

The SYOTOS Band (from left to right): Ole Mathison (tenor sax), Armando Gola (bass), Ludwig Afonso (drums), Chris Washburne (trombone), Cristian Rivera (congas), and John Walsh (trumpet)

Recordings featured in this podcast (in order of appearance):

“Methane Mambo” performed by the SYOTOS Band live in Washington DC, August 8th, 2010. Composed by John Walsh.

“Moonglow” performed by the Benny Goodman quartet (with Teddy Wilson, Gene Krupa and Lionel Hampton)

Max Roach Drum Solo from “Session”

“Para Los Rumberos” performed live by Tito Puente‘s Orchestra

“Mr. Sandman” by The Chordettes (1954)

“Uncontrollable Urge” by Devo from Q: Are We Not Men? A: We Are Devo! (1978)

Various Live Jimmy Page Solos

“My Life in the Bush of Ghosts” by Brian Eno and David Byrne (1981)

“‘Round Midnight” performed by Howard Johnson & Gravity (1996)

“Sound 1” by Roscoe Mitchell Sextet (1966)

“La Danza de La Chiva” performed by Tito Puente and Celia Cruz (1969)

“Paginas de Mujer” by Eddie Palmieri from the White Album (1981)

“All the Things You Are” performed live by Dizzy Gillespie, Slide Hampton, Johnny Griffin, Hank Jones, Ed Gomez, Ed Thipgen (1987)

“El Tema Del Apollo” performed live by the SYOTOS Band live in Washington DC, August 8th, 2010. Composed by Eddie Palmieri.

This episode of the Earfull Podcast was originally recorded on July 11th and released on September 25th, 2013, which is also Chris Washburne’s Birthday!!! The cover art for the Earfull was made by Hallie Bean. I’d like to thank Chris Washburne for sitting down with me and you for listening. For more information on Chris Washburne, you can visit his website at www.chriswashburne.com. You can find the Earfull on the iTunes music store, soundcloud, and Facebook.

This is the debut show of the Earfull: the podcast that explores the lives of musicians through music! In this episode, William Shadrack Cole (my dad), talks about his experiences growing up in Pittsburgh during the height of the steel mills; becoming an amateur boxer at 11 years old; organizing the first sit-in in the history of Pittsburgh during the Civil Rights Movement; his mentor, Nigerian philosopher Fela Sowande; his controversial tenure at Dartmouth College; and, of course, his life as a multi-instrumentalist. Listen on iTunes.

Bill Cole (b. October 11th, 1937) is an American jazz musician, composer, educator and author.  An admired innovator in the music world, Cole successfully combines Eastern sounds with an American art form – jazz.  Cole specializes in non-Western wind instruments, especially double reed horns – including Chinese sonas, Korean hojok and piri, Indian nagaswarm and shenai and Tibetan trumpet, as well as the Australian digeridoo and Ghanaian flute.  Cole is the leader of the Untempered Ensemble which he founded in 1992. He has performed with Sam Rivers, Billy Bang, Jayne Cortez, Julius Hemphill, Ornette Coleman, James Blood Ulmer, William Parker, Fred Ho, Gerald Veasley and others, at Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, Town Hall, Symphony Space and venues around the U.S., and has recorded for Boxholder Records.

All About Jazz has written: “Cole has explored the expressive capabilities of Asian double reed instruments in a jazz context for almost four decades. His virtuosity on digeridoo, Chinese sona, Ghanian flute, Indian shenai and nagaswarm infuses his writing and improvising with a pan-global authenticity that avoids dilettantish exoticism.”  “Cole takes solo after solo that allows a lifetime of immersion in Jazz to reveal itself through the extraordinary timbral resources of his chosen instruments.” (Michael Parker) In the early 1980’s Professor Fela Sowande gave Cole a collection of 500 proverbs from the Yoruba of Nigeria. Since then Cole has written musical compositions based on almost 100 of the proverbs, many of which are among the Ensemble’s repertoire.  From 1975 – 1982 Cole wrote seven major works based on the philosophy of the Ibo of Nigeria, which holds that the human soul reincarnates seven times.  Each of the “Seven Cycles” increased in length and size – ranging from the First Cycle (featuring Cole with Sam Rivers and Warren Smith) to later Cycles that included as many as 40 musicians, drumming ensembles and Gospel choirs.

Cole served as professor of music at Amherst College until 1974, and then at Dartmouth College until 1990 (for more on his controversial time at Dartmouth, click here).  He retired in 2010 as Chair of the Department of African American Studies at Syracuse University.  Cole has authored books about two jazz legends: “Miles Davis: The Early Years” (1974, William Morrow/1994, Da Capo Press), and “John Coltrane” (1976, Schirmer/2001 Da Capo Press), and has published numerous reviews and critical essays.

For more about Bill Cole please visit his website at http://billcole.org/

Bill Cole in 1948

Portrait of Bill Cole taken sometime in the late 1950s

Bill Cole (left) performing with Baikida Carroll (center), Julius Hemphill (right), Abdul Wadud and Philip Wilson (not pictured) – Aug 1979

Bill Cole with the Untempered Ensemble, performing at the Brecht Forum in 2010. From left to right: Joseph Daly, Warren Smith, Ras Moshe, Shayna Dulberger, Bill Cole, and Bill Cole’s son Atticus Cole.

Bill Cole’s duet album with Billy Bang released in 2009

Bill Cole performing with Joseph Daly and Warren Smith in a tribute to Jayne Cortez earlier this year

Recordings featured in this podcast (in order of appearance):

“Don’t Wait For The Day of Battle Before Getting Your Weapons Ready“, from Proverbs for Sam by Bill Cole’s Untempered Ensemble, Boxholder Records 2008

“Peter and the Wolf, Op. 67” by Prokofiev, Leopold Stokowski conducting the All American Orchestra. Basil Rathbone, narrator. Recorded July, 1941.

“A Tisket A Tasket” performed by Ella Fitzgerald from Ella Fitzgerald: Ken Burns Jazz, Verve Records 2000

Excerpt from the “Nat King Cole Show” on NBC 4, starring Nat King Cole and featuring Peggy Lee and Julius LaRosa

“Raindrop” Prelude, Op 28, No. 15, Frederic Chopin

“A Night in Tunisia” from Musings of Miles by Miles Davis, Original Jazz Classics 1955

“Will You Still Be Mine?” from Musings of Miles by Miles Davis, Original Jazz Classics (Prestige) 1955

“Bye-Ya” from Thelonious Monk Trio by Thelonious Monk, Original Jazz Classics (Prestige) 1954

“Bach Cello Suite No. 1 – Allemande” performed by Mstislav Rostropovich

“Piano Concerto N.º 2 Op. 21 in F minor – II Larghetto” by Frederic Chopin, performed by Arthur Rubinstein and the London Symphony Orchestra conducted by André Previn, 1975

“The Old Country” from Nancy Wilson / Cannonball Adderley by Nancy Wilson, Capitol Records 1962

Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers performing in Tokyo in 1961

“We As a People Will Get to the Promised Land” Martin Luther King Speech

“Walter Cronkite Announces Death of JFK” November 22, 1963

Footage from “Death of Martin Luther King” 1968

“String Quintet No. 4 in G minor, K. 516” by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

“Turn on, Tune In, Drop Out” video by Timothy Leary

“City Blues” from The Gardens of Harlem by Clifford Thornton and The Jazz Composers Orchestra, JCOA Records 1975

“Wesleyan Gamelan Final Part” 2008

“Song for Clifford Thornton” from Untempered Trio by the Untempered Trio, 1992

“Beatrice” by Sam Rivers, performed by the Sam Rivers Quartet, 1989

“A Man of Outstanding Quality is Preeminent Among His Comrades” from Untempered Ensemble by Untempered Ensemble, 2011

This episode of the Earfull Podcast was originally recorded on July 7th and released on September 18th, 2013. It was edited from 3 hours down to a little over an hour. The cover art for the Earfull was made by Hallie Bean. I’d like to thank Bill Cole for sitting down with me and you for listening. For more information on Bill Cole, you can visit his website at BillCole.org. You can find the Earfull on the iTunes music store, soundcloud, and Facebook.

This beautiful piece of high-class artistic mastery was done by none other than the brilliant Hallie Bean. It’s the title of my show in the shape of an ear!!!!! I love it! The premier episode should be out this Tuesday. IF you’d like Hallie to make a beautiful graphic for you, you can contact her on linkedin, maybe (she hasn’t given me permission to give her e-mail address because she’s really popular).