Hello from www.beleza-music.org HQ. Lots of interesting news to report in the world of broken beat, past and future jazz, experimental electronics, and generally enriching music and where you can find it across the globe, hopefully in a few days. But for right this second, oh boy, it's another one of those overwhelming music weeks that happen every so often. Some Philadelphia-specific shows that are really worth the mention, worth the money, and worth the frantic bike riding all over town. For those outside of Philly, if this stuff piques your interest, hold tight for the full newsletter, and look at the artists' tour schedules. They could be coming to a town near you...

Tonight (monday):
Four Tet at the First Unitarian Church, 2125 Chestnut Street (22nd and Chestnut), 8pm, $10, All Ages
R5 Productions...again. Sean Agnew and his merry band of miracle workers are a promotion MACHINE, bringing a mind-boggling range and quantity of talent to the PHL. Tonight I'm checking out Four Tet, Hot Chip, and Koushik at the punk rock church, home of our friends, the Unitarians, who, as far as I can tell, fall into that elite category of Christians Who Don't Suck. Should be an evening of joyful oddness, with Four Tet's bombastic and nuanced beats-in-a-blender approach that manages to come out pretty smooth for its jaggedness. R5 describes Hot Chip this way: "The band like to think of themselves as a modern day pop group with the spirit of Brian Wilson, the passion of Public Enemy and the niceness of the Neptunes" and Stones Throw's Koushik thusly: "Mixing the austere aesthetic of an early 90s crate-digging hip hop producer with the colouring of a free jazz sensibility and the dreaminess of the best psychedelics, this ain't no by-the-numbers laptop folktronics." Oh, what fun!

Full scoop @ http://www.r5productions.com/shows.html

Tomorrow (tuesday):
Mood Swing: Illvibe celebrates North's 2 year anniversary, spesh-guest DJ 99
222 South Street, 10pm, 21+, FREEE

Congratulations to North, which is celebrating its first 3 years! A wonderful cozy, classy lounge, with music by my favorite crew in Philly. The Ill-boys have a bunch of current projects, new tracks, new dj mixes, and 2 internet radio shows, just amazing music coming from every direction. These guys always surprise and impress me. They are the ones to watch if you want bumpin' hip hop *and* the latest super-hot very-special exclusive only-on-cdr-from-an-mp3-that-someone-I-can't-tell-you-who-may-or-may-not-have-sent-me-over-IM. Ah yes, and they've asked me to help them celebrate this special installment of Mood Swing. Do you know this will be my first time playing on home turf in 2005? Whoah, how did that happen? Oh right, I was on another continent, in other cities, and playing hermit in my house.

For hours of entertainment (literally...check out their internet streams): www.illvibe.net

The Day After (wednesday):
West Philly Future Jazz Battle Royale!!!!!

*** In this corner, Philly/Brooklyn clothing/record label with a conscience brings us: ***
Ropeadope presents DJ Logic Trio with Calvin Weston and Jamaladeen Tacuma, John Ellis Quartet, Uri Caine vs. Jason Moran duet, World Cafe Live, 3025 Walnut St 6 pm (film) — 7 pm (music) — $15
From Ropeadope:
"ropeadope & blue note records present:
what is jazz?
@ the world cafe live.

a monthly concert series that mixes and matches styles, sounds and players while begging the question....what is jazz? the answer, of course, is the question as THIS generation of jazz musicians try to avoid the public pronouncements that "jazz is dead" and demonstrate that America's art form is, today, more vital than ever.

the series will include films (electric miles, monk in oslo, mingus triumph of the underdog); an educational component (with the university of pennsylvania), decorations (including blown up classic blue note album covers) and more - the overall vibe of the night will be to create an intimate enviornment that is "special" - and there will be lots of give aways, surprises, special treats and of course great music"

Kicking the night off will be that psychedelic film classic, Space is the Place. Plus: blue note listening party: mizzel brothers, jazzanova & david axelrod spun by Jneiro Jerel and DJ Stez Rock.

PS - Ropeadope is podcasting. Pass it on.

*** And in this corner, Chicago native/Oslo resident and free jazz enthusiast comes with: ***
Ken Vandermark's Free Music Ensemble, Community Education Center [CEC], 3500 Lancaster Ave, 9 pm, $12
"With Nate McBride on bass and Paal Nilssen-Love on drums, this trio is likely the most adventurous of all of Vandermark's offerings. Working in somewhat of a modular system of composition, each element can be utilized by any member of the group.

The sets are constructed by resequencing material, and components remain variable rather than standardized. This forces each player to constantly reinvent and reinterpret the music from moment to moment - nothing is permanent." - www.kenvandermark.com

"Focusing on new material the trio demonstrated how Vandermark is bringing together the traditions of the American Free Jazz, with all the obvious references to blues and funk, and the European improv principles, with its affinity to explore dynamics and timbre, into a unified convincing musical statement." - http://www.allaboutjazz.com/php/article.php?id=15392

What to do???? Honestly and truly, I may very well start the evening at the World Cafe, pedal over to the CEC, and then SpeedRacer back to the World Cafe. Hey, it can't be more than like a mile or 2.

Thursday:
I don't know about you, but I'll be ready for a night in.

Friday: Dj Ultraviolet + Stef Tataz present: Ladies Love Hip Hop, hosted by Monie Love @ Fluid, 613 S. 4th Street, 10-2, $5 b4 11pm $7 after
The hip hop jam that never fails to please. It's the meeting point...everybody goes cuz it's super fun. The room is always jumpin, and the djs have breastisses. Huh!!!! Who knew!?!

So, I haven't started looking at the weekend yet, but if there's outstanding stuff that crosses my radar, I'll let you know in a quickly-upcoming full newsletter with marvelous tales of new albums, new tracks, new mixes, new news, pointers to ways to lend a hand to the hurricane victims, and maybe some storytelling.

Wishing much joy, and if you can't find it somewhere in this list of events then you are just grumpy,
99

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