Today's Hot 19

Another pleasant afternoon of music selected by the iPod shuffle....

1) I Man a Grasshopper – Pablo Moses
{this is a great song from a great album of revolutionary 70s reggae. I love this stuff and I spent the 80s in Santa Cruz listening to it. ...This song asks the question: What do grasshoppers want? Why "grass," of course.}

2) Lester Leaps Again – Lester Young

3) Junk Food – Mutabaruka
{I vividly remember being at the front of the stage in Freedom Square, Washington D.C. one 4th of July while Mutabaruka--a barefoot, dreadlocked Rasta prophet/poet--played this song. My friend Samad was rockin' to this positive message.}

4) Take the "A" Train – Duke Ellington and his Orchestra

5) Shadow Waltz – Sonny Rolllins

6) Bilolo – Ricardo Lemvo & Makina Loca

7) One With You – Carlos Santana
{this song makes me cry}

8) Touched – Rachel Smith
{Rachel is a very good friend of ours and a tremendous musician. She now lives in Boston. Her music is on my iPod and every time it comes up, I'm like "who is this amazing singer?" Of course, it's our dear Rachel. We miss you Rach!!!!!}

9) Waiting – Santana
{the first Santana song from the first Santana album}

10) El Preso #9 – Mariachi Los Camperos
{old school, oh yeah}

11) Don’t Rock My Boat – Bob Marley

12) When It Hurts So Bad – Lauryn Hill
{The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill is such a good album. I was a big fan of Lauryn Hill back in 1998-99...I hope she makes a comeback one day.}

13) Temba, Tumba, Timba – Los Van Van
{Cuba's best contemporary band, imho}

14) Dub is the Roots – Mad Professor featuring Mickey Dread
{I can't get enough dub...especially in the summer}

15) One Foundation – The Wailers

16) A Todo Cuba Le Gusta – The Afro-Cuban All-Stars

17) I Mean You – Thelonious Monk
{kids, Thelonious is one thing you can never O.D. on}

18) G.M.S. – Jane Bunnett

19) Pressure Zone Dub – Mad Professor
{more dub!}