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My Internet’s been down for a couple of weeks, and I’ve queued up a bunch of good shows with this being the first I’m posting. So you can expect me to be light on the commentary and heavy on the content for the next series of podcasts.

To get things started, here’s a six-minute sample from Will Bernard’s recent CD Release party at 12 Galaxies on March 24, 2007. Will was joined on stage by numerous friends and fellow musicians including Wil Blades on the B3, a kicking Jazz Mafia horn section, and many other talented local artists. It was a stellar show, and this clip testifies to that no doubt!

 iPod/QuickTime Video [6:06m]: Play Now | Download
 Windows Media Video [6:06m]: Play Now | Download
 Will Bernard Audio [6:06m]: Play Now | Download

I’ve finally found some time to write and post about this superb gig of Low End Theory playing live at 12 Galaxies. These guys are part of the Bay Area’s super-talented Jazz Mafia collective that we’ve been covering for a while now, and they sure know how to kick down some serious low-end brass through their powerful section of in-your-face trombones. The group is made up of Adam Theis, Marty Wehner, and Joel Behrman on trombones (with a little trumpet thrown in for good measure), Marc Bolin on bass trombone, Dave Scott on keys, George Ban-Weiss on upright bass, and Eric Garland on drums. It was a kickin’ night of pumping horns, and the recording came out absolutely outstanding. And, thanks to the Mafia’s willingness to share their live performances with fans for personal, non-commercial use, you should definitely spend some serious quality time listening to the MP3s posted below, and don’t forget to support the band, and the collective in general, by getting out to see their live shows.

 Complete Compunction [8:12m]: Play Now | Download
 Anyone Who Had A Heart [8:21m]: Play Now | Download
 Super Glue [12:18m]: Play Now | Download
 Gospel Sermon [8:08m]: Play Now | Download
 Confucious [7:31m]: Play Now | Download
 The Whip [6:58m]: Play Now | Download
 Straight Shuffle [5:57m]: Play Now | Download
 Whoop Ass [10:01m]: Play Now | Download
 Not Standard [5:50m]: Play Now | Download

I’ve been meaning to post something about the Edmund Wells Bass Clarinet Quartet for a while now, but only now did I just receive their permission to post this sample from the group. I saw these guys open for the Shotgun Wedding Hip Hop Symphony at 12 Galaxies a few weeks back and was quite simply blown away. I’m betting there’s a fair amount of people out there who’ve never even seen a bass clarinet in real life, let alone four of them in a quartet format playing original compositions that are hard to fit into a single genre of music as well as some totally outragous covers of songs reaching as far and wide from Radiohead to Black Sabbath. This is like no other band you’ve ever seen, and it’s definitely worth checking out. So, listen to this sample from my 12 Galaxies recording, visit their website, buy their debut album, and go see them live! Please remember that this recording is intended for personal, non-commercial use only and cannot be used for any other purpose without the direct consent of the artists.

 Edmund Welles 1 [3:28m]: Play Now | Download
 Edmund Welles 2 [5:01m]: Play Now | Download
 Edmund Welles 3 [4:47m]: Play Now | Download
 Edmund Welles 4 [7:03m]: Play Now | Download
 Edmund Welles 5 [2:58m]: Play Now | Download
 Edmund Welles 6 [3:14m]: Play Now | Download
 Edmund Welles 7 [4:53m]: Play Now | Download
 Edmund Welles 8 [3:07m]: Play Now | Download

Here’s another hot post from some of our friends in the Jazz Mafia, who just took top honors from the SFWeekly for putting on the Best Live Music Night in SF in 2006. This time we were blown away by the live hip hop talents of the Shotgun Wedding Quintet playing their once-a-month gig at 12 Galaxies in the Mission. These guys have got real talent and a lot of potential, and I personally can’t wait until their first studio album is released. Dublin rocked the house with his smooth-flowing rap style all while being backed up by a top-notch live band that includes multi-instrumentalists playing saxaphone, trombone, keyboard, bass, and drums — not to mention some jammin’ live sampling and scratching from DJ Aspect. If that wasn’t enough, they ended the night with Dublin and special guests slammin’ some incredible roundtable freestyle rhymes on topics suggested by the audience. Truely amazing stuff that is not to be missed. So, make sure to watch the seven minute video below where they play two swinging tracks back-to-back, and make sure to go check them out live sometime.

 QuickTime Video [7:34m]: Play Now | Download
 Windows Media Video [7:33m]: Play Now | Download
 Shotgun Wedding 1st Set [58:55m]: Play Now | Download
 Shotgun Wedding 2nd Set [60:50m]: Play Now | Download

A few months back, I stumbled onto a collective of bands dubbed the Jazz Mafia through some other artists I’ve been recording lately — a few degrees of separation if you will. After attending my first show of the Realistic Orchestra playing at 12 Galaxies in early April, I was instantly hooked. I mean seriously, where else can you see an 18+ piece brass band these days? Trust me, if you haven’t seen these guys yet, you’re missing out in a BIG WAY. For those who don’t know, the Realistic Orchestra includes some of the Bay Area’s finest musicians playing in the classic ensemble format known as the “Big Band” with more modern elements provided by DJ Aspect and MC-Battle Champion Dublin. These elements combined with electronic influenced grooves, epic arrangements, and cutting-edge jazz improvisation create a distinct and unmistakable sound not to be missed. So, take a moment to watch this eight-minute video I recorded of their epic “Mountain Man,” a track they often lovingly refer to as their theme song.

 QuickTime Video [8:37m]: Play Now | Download
 Windows Media Video [8:37m]: Play Now | Download
 Scary [18:30m]: Play Now | Download
 Solidude [4:21m]: Play Now | Download
 Darling Nikki [6:08m]: Play Now | Download
 Dr. J the Pirate [6:23m]: Play Now | Download
 Arc Line [5:06m]: Play Now | Download
 Nightfall [10:10m]: Play Now | Download
 Fringe Town [10:54m]: Play Now | Download
 Dume Flume [14:36m]: Play Now | Download
 Mountain Man [9:05m]: Play Now | Download