Nancy Sinatra: These Boots Were Made For Walkin’
Taken from the album Boots on Reprise

James Brown: Get On The Good Foot
Taken from the album Get On The Good Foot on Polydor

Big Daddy Kane: Ain’t No Half Steppin’
Taken from the 12″ on Cold Chillin’

Fats Waller: Your Feet’s Too Big
Taken from the album Greatest Hits on RCA

These are dark days. And this is how I say, Poor me.

Late last night, I had finally lined up a tasty little smattering of danceable tunes for this week’s post… and then it hit me– I can’t dance. Hell, I can’t walk. I can’t even shuffle. So $%#! the fonky booty shakers. I want the world to know my pain.

To that end, I decided to convey my throbbing invalidity with a handful of songs that, doing little to decrease my hyper-acute self-pity, at least make very clear where the problem lies.

Dance it up, Jerks. Get on the Good Foot! Half-Step with Daddy Kane! See if I care. I’ll be in my bedroom watching Golden Girls re-runs, tears welled in the corners of my eyes.

Djavan : Maria Das Mercedes
taken from the album “Flor De Lis” on Som Livre (orig. 1976)

Djavan : Serrado
taken from the album “Faltando Um Pedaco” on EMI (orig. 1978)

Djavan : Aquele Um
taken from the album “Agua” on EMI (1983)

It’s a pretty rare thing to be in the presence of people who inspire us. Sure, we might visit an old grade-school teacher who made an impact on us, or perhaps there’s an opportunity to see an author speak at a bookstore, but in general, those people who we admire on the grander scale – the real heroes of our imagination – tend to be out of reach. I imagine that distance actually magnifies the effect that these people have on our insides. The giddiness of seeing a performer we obsess over on stage, right before our very eyes, would perhaps be lessenend if we were to spend any real amount of time with them. No one wants to realize that their own personal “Genius” may also be sleazy, washed up, and just downright unlikable.

Then again, there are special moments when we come into direct contact with those seemingly untouchable characters, and in the flesh they somehow manage to surpass our grandiose expectations. That happened to me this past Thursday night. Spinning records to the ordinarily appreciative crowd at my weekly gig– in walks one Seu Jorge. Dude has been one of my favorite artists for more than a minute. Seeing him live in prospect park this past July was definitely the peak of my summer concert experience. My first reaction? I dropped Djavan. Seu, a man who doesn’t shy away from gyration, FLIPPED. I proceeded to go on a pretty heavy Brazilian trip, and he kept on flipping. We got to kick it at closing– the man danced non-stop for long enough to make me thirsty at least twice– and, although his English is limited, he expressed profuse appreciation for the music (in particular the Djavan). As you can imagine, I was high as a kite. Now, I figure you all should check out this same Brazilian samba-soulster that made Seu shake dreads.

And check this out: looks like I’m running for local office in a town that I’ve never been to.

Don Covay: Money (That’s What I Want)
Taken from the album Superdude on Mercury (1973)
Don Covay: Rumble In The Jungle
Taken from the album Hot Blood on Mercury (1975)
Don Covay: What’s In The Headlines Today
Taken from the album Different Strokes For Different Folks on Atlantic (1970)
Don Covay: An Ugly Woman (Is Twice As Sweet)
Taken from the unreleased album Funky Yo-Yo intended for release on Polydor

There’s something to be said for the Kevin McHale’s of the world. The C-3P0’s. The Dan Quayle’s out there. These are the great unheralded could-have-been’s. The crucial, if relatively anonymous counterparts to their celebrated brethren. Well, here’s one more to add to the mix. I’ll come right out and say it: Don F’ing Covay. God bless ‘im.

You gotta hand it to the ol’ D.C., he really gave it his best shot. Even without the electrifying voice of Wilson, the on-stage charisma of Otis, or the chops of James, Don Covay made his mark: Forty plus years in the studio and still going strong. A real ox, this one.

Don charted records in three decades, over the course of a dozen albums spanning everything from gospel to rock and back again. Almost preturnaturally doomed to be ever-so-slightly eclipsed by virtually all of his major label mates, Don kept at it. Kept churning out those dance craze novelty tracks, the crooner gems, the occasional quasi-anthemic funk masterpiece, so that, nearly a half-century later, some punk-chump wanna-be soul guru like me could look back across his body of work and say, Hey, Don. Nice job, buddy. You did good.

1.”Money”– Perhaps the best opening to a song in history. Period.
2.”Rumble…”–ALI KUBA YAY!
3.”Headlines…”–Soulful blues… with KAZOO!
4.”Ugly Woman…”–Riotous second-line stomper.

Here’s to you Superdude. Cheers to the illustrious Mr. Covay! A working man’s hero. The man who, when he wasn’t trying in vain to become the star he was never quite born to be, wrote “Chain of Fools” and “Mercy, Mercy”. Here’s the guy who lent his gravelled tone to one of the greatest forces in Rock n’ Roll history…

Sure Mick Jagger was the star, but let’s call a spade a spade, shall we. Where would ol’ Mickey be without the one, the only, Don Covay?

Connie Price & The Keystones : Sticks & Stones and Fuzz And Them
taken from the album “Wildflowers” on Now Again (2004)

Radio Citizen : Everything (Ft. Bajka) and Night Part I
taken from the album “Berlin Serengeti” Ubiquity (2006)

Not enough people understand the importance of making moody music that grooves. Must funk be flamboyant? Certainly not (no offense to Bootsy or Jimmy Castor). Nor should we presume that moody music, the vision inducing tincture of dark alleys and cold winds, must embody the softness of the spot where it hits us. When I’m alone and brooding at 2am, as I am right now, I like some backbeat to my mental movie theater. Dimly lit and suspenseful, these tunes still manage to satiate my drummer’s tick.

These tracks from Wildflowers supposedly came out back in 2004, but they’re new to me. If I’m understanding the liner notes correctly, I think that the band includes members of L.A. Carnival and Stark Reality among other notables (like Dan Ubick from Breakestra). That would make sense due to their Los Angeles location and Stone’s Throw affiliation. Nice work fellas. Thanks for helping my vision turn to noir.

Ever since copping the HVW8: Music Is My Art collection, I’ve been spinning album opener “The Hop” on a regular basis. The rest of the record is no less infectious and inspiring. German producer Niko Schabel brings a very organic and jazzy swing to the project. Globetrotting vocalist Bajka has a proper swagger to match. Here’s what Ubiquity has to say.

Nina Simone: Baltimore
Taken from the album Baltimore on CTI (1975)

Nina Simone: Funkier Than A Mosquito’s Tweeter
Taken from the album Is It Finished on RCA (1974)

Lorez Alexandria: Baltimore Oriole
Taken from the album Jazzier Rhythms on Hubbub Records, originally released on Argo (1963)

Aside from Spank Rock and–well, maybe just Spank Rock–the ol’ B-more just doesn’t get too much love these days. Sure there’s the revitalized club scene; maybe the Cal Ripken crew is even vying for playoff seat this year. But the truth of the matter remains that Baltimore exists as a kind of mystical urban abberation on the map of great American cities. Kinda like Pittsburgh.

I find it pretty strange, then, that for a city with such a step-sisterly presence in the landscape of this country, such ill songs have been written for her.

Cue bubbling baseline. I remember exactly where I stood in the checkout line of the now defunct Aaron’s Records (R.I.P), when I heard it. And I thought, ‘Wow, this sure is a nice reggae tune…’ A few more bars rumbled on and then, like a asteroid to my aural cavity–BLAMMO! Nina!?!

Sure, the tune doesn’t exactly sing the praises of the Dirty B, per se (what with the junkies and prostitutes being the highlighted citezenry), and you’d be right to note the slightly cheesed-out string-heavy chorus as a detracting element, but I’ll be damned if the song as a whole doesn’t do justice to the land of the Oriole. And I’ll be damned if it doesn’t just beg for and succeed, I might add, in garnering Baltimore a little much-deserved recognition.

This post is for you Baltimore. You and your junkies and your prostitutes and, yes, your Orioles. Also this marks the first nod Queen Nina has received on the Crate. I think I can speak for both myself and the Cap’n when I say that Ms. Simone was one of the greatest… pretty much ever. Do your research you won’t be disappointed.

As for Lorez… bottom line this track dominates the universe. Also, I think you’ll note its sonic similarity to the “Mosquito’s Tweeter” track (another universe dominator), which I thought was nifty. You can find more info about this stunning jazz maven here.

Both of these divas passed away in the last few years, Lorez in 2001 and Nina in 2003. May their funky contributions live on!

For now, that’s all. Keep posted, friends. Peace.

Captain Planet & Murphy’s Law : The Funk Brothers Mix
(the link works now!)

Bad news: The summer ends. Adios to the concerts in the park, the beached out Sundays, all 31 of Baskin Robbins’ flavors.

Good news: Your favorite blog celebrates a lengthy hiatus and 99 epic, soulful, funky, beat-heavy, smooth-groovin’, mind-meltingly original posts with a impromptu sibling collabo mix. Murphy and the Captain working a broad pallet of delightful tunes into a thirty-two minute sampler. No crazy mixin’ here–just good music live and direct from the City of Angels…

It’s probably no substitute for the euphoric swell of ice cream on a summer day, but then, what is… We offer what we can–the Crate’s own specialty menu: 11 flavors of delectable listening.

Bayete Umbra Zindiko: Don’t Need Nobody
Fugi: Mary (Don’t Take Me On No Bad Trip)
James Brown Band: Just Enough Room For Storage
Marlena Shaw: Woman Of The Ghetto
Bobbi Humphrey: Jasper Country Man
The Sylvers: We Can Make It If We Try
The Temprees: People Make The World Go Round
Omar: Get To Know You Better
Raphael Cortijo y Su Bonche: Tiempo De Amor
Aloe Blacc: Patria Mia
Strange Fruit Project: Under Pressure