A Kama Sutra:

The terminators are out there. They can’t be bargained with. They can’t be reasoned with. And they won’t stop fucking until their batteries run out. So much for our future.

From NPR‘s “Church Unites Hip-Hop and Gospel“:

At one time, preachers wanted nothing to do with hip-hop, a music genre often associated with drugs and violence. But religious leaders are now using hip-hop gospel music to reach out to local youth and get them involved in the church.

“Vo Chong Que” is one of the three tracks that steers off the semi-classical theme in Duc Tuan’s latest album, yet the fun, countryside vibe is growing on me, especially Ngoc Tuyen superb voice, which is a reminiscent of Mong Thuy.

By the way, the album is available to be pick up at Kim Loi Studio.

Common’s “Drivin’ Me Wild” produced by Kanye West.

“Swing ’77” displays an astonishing bond between violinist Don Harper and guitarist Denny Wright. While the violin saws away like a hillbilly, the guitar picks up the Latin vibe over the plucking acoustic bass that swings like a motherfucker. Yet whether Harper and Wright perform as a duo, trio, quartet or sextet, Combo featured some of the most exotic sounds in jazz including the cover of Ellington’s “Mood Indigo” and Rodgers-Hammnerstein II’s “My Favorite Things” made popular by John Coltrane in the 60s. With each track clocking in no longer than four minutes, this LP serves as a delightful appetizer to jazz.

An interview with jazz legend Sonny Rollins on NPR.

NPR‘s Weekend Edition with Lyle Ritz:

Ritz is known as the “father of jazz ukulele” for merging the genre with the four-stringed instrument, and his credits on bass include multiple pop hit singles. However, it was in college, while he was working at a Los Angeles music store, when Ritz first pick

Haven’t got a hold of Billie Holiday: Remixed & Reimagined yet, but here is what Nate Chinen wrote in the New York Times: “The remixes may be modish, but the originals are timelessly modern.”

Fred Kaplan’s “Still Married to the Music“:

It’s a happy accident that two of the most self-absorbed legends in the history of jazz — the bassist Charles Mingus and the alto saxophonist Art Pepper — married women who wound up equally absorbed in the preservation of their legacies. The men have been dead now for a quarter-century, yet their widows, Sue Graham Mingus and Laurie Pepper, keep unveiling major discoveries.

Had a relaxed time on the beach to catch up with some jazz. I’ll try to blurb them when I get a chance. With the ever-growing collection, it would take me at least three-month vacation to go through, but I’ll get there. So stay tune for more dope jams. I promise you’ll like them. If not, shrug!