LIC Radio

Birthday girl, Valerie Simpson It’s funny to think that last night I wasn’t even sure if I wanted to do a show today. I didn’t think I had enough material. However, the flood gates just opened, and at the end of the day, I actually ran out of time, with the Santana/McLaughlin performance of “Taurian Matador” being cut off three minutes before it ended. (I was able to cheat the system and upload the complete recording for the show reel.) In any event, it being the end of summer, we are balls deep into festival season, so there are some great performances from the Reading Festivals of years past, and then some other prog-rock goodies. I decided to dedicate the last part of the show entirely to birthday girl, Valerie Simpson, showcasing not only recordings she produced, but also wonderful reinterpretations of songs that she wrote (along with her late husband Nick Ashford). Good stuff.   Click here to check it out: LIC Radio 8/26/2025     Gerry Mulligan Quartet “It’s Sandy at...

Ginger Baker, 1980 I admit it, today’s show started off a bit disjointed, but now that I think about it, I think I’m the only one who really givers a shit. Sure, the Patti LaBelle tune that I added at the last second could have fit in better somewhere else thematically, but ‘tis the price of spontaneity. At the end of the day, Ginger Baker was the star of the show today. He would have turned 86 today, except no he wouldn’t have. I mean, who thought he’d even make it to 80, much less 86? There are also some tasty cuts by his old friend/colleague/nemesis, Jack Bruce. Yes, Clapton is featured on some tracks, but that was kind of unavoidable (between his legendary racist rant and his anti-vax stance, I’ve pretty much written him off). Enjoy!   Click here to check it out: LIC Radio 8/19/2025     James Blood Ulmer “More Blood” (James Blood Ulmer [Damu Mustafa Abdul Musawwir]) Shoctor Theatre, Edmonton, Alberta, CA, 8/19/82 Studio version released on Black Rock   (Columbia,...

Gil Scott-Heron Brett was back with me today and he brought some really good stuff to the table today. As we both seem to reacting to the current climate by vacillating between anger and bemusement, we discussed music that served as forms of protest of social comment. We were both of a mind that protest music needed to have “teeth,” and that passive messages of togetherness are insufficient to affect meaningful change. (Who knows? I may feel different tomorrow.) We also continued our conversation from the last time we did a show together about inspiration vs. cultural appropriation in music, particularly when it came to “folk” music styles such as the blues, and the point where “influence” becomes straight-up plagiarism. We did not play any Jimmy Page, but you can bet your ass he was referenced. And yes, I have been putting off doing laundry, so there was no was soft cotton underwear between my sensitive parts and the rough denim of my Levis.   Click here to check it out: LIC Radio...

              Terry Reid, 1973 Photo by Ian Dickson Upon returning from a tour in the UK, Aretha Franklin reportedly said: “There are only three things happening in England: The Rolling Stones, The Beatles, and Terry Reid.” The person who hipped me to Terry (I think some time in 2007) dropped that little nugget on me. All I could think was that he was in pretty good company. Doing a deep dive into his catalog, as well as archival live recordings, I discovered an un-parallelled artist. A songwriter who could be wistful, yearning, and humorous at the same time, and a vocalist who was powerful, emotive, percussive, with just the most inventive phrasing I had ever heard. News came down that he passed away yesterday and obviously, I had to pay some sort of tribute. I hope the songs that I played whetted the appetite of anyone listening who was not previously familiar with this incredibly underrated artist. What else? There was a “What’s New, Pussycat?”...