MAYA JANE COLES, JAZZ $, SLY & NOVENA
A dispatch from a sick bed in frigid New York City
https://djmag.com/longreads/how-maya-jane-coles-what-they-say-became-backbone-major-pop-hits
Laid low by a stomach flu and chilled by the dead of winter, I sought out some sonic solace. There was a house music track that’s haunted me from gym workouts, passing cars and walking through Soho shops for many years. After some on line detective work I found the name and history of Maya Jane Coles’ 2011 “What They Say,” which has been one of the defining tracks of my existence for years, filling the background of many experiences, while remaining somewhat mysterious to me. It’s role in many other hits has perhaps played a subliminal role in following me around, but the original’s hooky, soulful groove is what makes it semi-immortal. Below is a link to the track and above a link to a solid piece about its history.
https://apnews.com/article/jazz-legacies-fellowship-mellon-foundation-bertha-hope-0f293e44b2a1bfab53d91a322c93f395?fbclid=IwY2xjawIi6d5leHRuA2FlbQIxMAABHTzAryw8pS0kEFw-CojXLCcGVLoRUeXyl8ty8dqPotwy_9RAG-pnS4rv_Q_aem_E_2xJjOs6KbyQkWhWKAJyA
In an lovely bit of good news the Mellon Foundation is gracing a slew of jazz elders with $100,000 grants. In an era where funding the arts will be under pressure to conform to a degenerate white washing of American musical history, these players embody the culture’s spirit. Check out the piece.
In honor of Queslove’s ‘Sly Lives’ doc, here’s my 2012 interview with the legendary bandleader and, as a bonus, a short one with his lovely daughter Novena Carmel, then a talent booker for LA clubs, and now a KCRW radio deejay.
Stay warm, in body and mind, where ever you are.