Your trusted source for insightful reviews and commentary about music that transcends...
Transcendent music seeks to put you onto music that you might not ordinarily be exposed to from mainstream media outlets.
We like to showcase artist performing in the genres of Jazz, Funk, Blues, Soul, Hip Hop, R&B, House, Electronic and other less identifiable forms.
Tanscendent Music presents the incredible sound and style of Tank and the Bangas! We are excited to feature this band. They are unique in every sense. Tank and the Bangas are fun and incredible stewards of musical creativity. They are from New Orleans, LA. Conspicuously, the flare of the bayou permeates through their compositions. It is almost scary how good this group of young musicians are. The unique talent displayed in their performances is quite frankly an artistic breakthrough in music.
Their musical talent is unleashed and their unique style is unconstrained. Tank and the Bangas are FREE of chains. Their freedom of expression is powerful. It is literally scary to think of the musical potential of this band. Their abilities are limitless.
It is so necessary to break the chains. Tank and the Bangas push the envelop, unapologetically, clear off the table. They push the limits of convention and understanding. Their music embodies elements of soul, hip-hop, funk, many others, and some music that is pleasantly undefinable. It is also enjoyable to experience the lyrical rhythms of spoken word intertwined throughout. Enjoy and support, Tank and the Bangas. They are Transcendentmusic.
I bring you this Transcendent artist a few weeks after his latest album release, Awaken, My Love. When I began writing this album review, immediately after it's release, I realized there was a lot I did not catch. Captivated by the smooth grooves, I found myself vibing more and focusing less on the message being expressed. Granted, the intricate musical presentation and original style is precisely what makes this release Transcendent Music. However, I wanted to understand it fully and not just be wowed by its stylistic presentation. I listened multiple times to hopefully pick-up what I did not catch the first few go-arounds. You have to be an active listener for this one. This album is an experience that is borderline interactive. In under an hour, it makes you think about the meaning behind its metaphors and subtleties but it also makes you feel good while you're thinking [about those things].
By exploring relevant challenges and experiences in the Black community, Childish Gambino reminds us loud and clear to "stay woke." I would safely assume the challenges and experiences he explores extend to other systematically oppressed groups alike. Awaken, My Love is artistic and hypnotic however, so, it is easy to miss that. During your next (or first) listening session, try to resist being sucked in to the elaborate trance created by honeyed vocals and funky back beats laced with synthesizers and expressive bass guitar licks. Marinate on what he is saying.
Gambino depicts tribulations and seemingly unsurmountable cultural obstacles in our communities. He depicts them as these universally terrifying popular characters, such as soul-stealing zombies and fear-instilling boogiemen. The metaphorical undertones are resounding. Think about it. Who are the zombies? Who is the boogieman? There is likely not a singular answer to these questions. We all have our own versions of zombies and boogiemen. They exist in the form of political policies, social inequities, individual behaviors and many other injustices, or forces that too often seem to destroy us. Regardless of the form that the oppression is manifesting itself, we're reminded at the end of the album to "keep standing tall."
Many listeners of Childish Gambino gravitate to his music for it's fun and clever lyrical presentation. He is one of rap's most entertaining and intellectually stimulating artists. He is notorious for his witty metaphors and appropriately inserting his singing voice. His punch lines always provoke deep thought or hysterical laughter (sometimes simultaneously). He does something interesting and different in this album though. To the surprise of many, Childish releases this record without rapping a single lyric and instead relies on the animation of his voice and altering of vocal styles to convey a message, which strikes a more serious tone. He skillfully channels the spirit of classic Funk with the instrumentation choices, fuzzy bass and modulating guitar tones. The music made me feel like I was listening to Parliament or Bootsie Collins or some Funk band straight out of the 70s. This was simply brilliant. This creative approach draws linkage from Funk to Hip-Hop culture. Not to mention, a lot of the issues that were prevalent around the inception of funk, circa mid-1960s, are still relevant today. Intentional or not, the composition of this album is simply an effective Transcendent way to present some of the most critically important issues of our day.
Transcendent Music Movement Presents: Robert Glasper
YouTube has undoubtedly been a
tremendous asset to music.In the advent
of social media and video sharing sites such as YouTube, I have been exposed to
so many great musicians.YouTube has
exposed me many of the TRANSCENDENT musical artists that I have profiled on
this blog.Some years ago, I discovered a
unique and talented artist on YouTube, and have followed his career ever since.That artist is the one-and-only, Jazz
pianist, Robert Glasper.
One-and-only is not used
frivolously in describing Mr. Glasper.Robert
Glasper was born
in Houston Texas where he was exposed to gospel, Jazz and Blues music at an
early age.Glasper’s mother played piano
and was in the choir at their family church.She also played Jazz and Blues professionally with a band at different
venues in town.Glasper’s mother took
young Robert along to her gigs, and used them as a modified daycare center. Robert Glasper’s mother was his biggest
musical influence during his development as a young musician.Twelve-year-old Glasper began playing for his
church and later developed aspirations to become a Jazz musician.Like many Black musicians, church was the
place where Glasper cultivated his craft.It was there where Glasper realized the power of music and how audiences
could be moved by it.When speaking
about playing in the church in his bio on
allaboutjazz.com he was quoted saying:
It definitely just
gave me that sensitivity and knowing how to reach people and knowing how to be
in tune with your feelings and the emotion of the music. My thing is, it helps
me relate to the audience 'cause they're gonna give you what you give them.
When you bring the crowd into your world, you can do anything you want.
Let’s discuss his music.Jazz
is a very broad genre.There is Smooth
Jazz, Jazz-Fusion, Classical Jazz, Big Band Jazz and this list probably could
stretch the length of this blog.Robert
Glasper is a Jazz pianist whose skills, at their core, put him in the ranks of
the greatest Jazz musicians of all times. His skills as a jazz pianist are often
compared to Thelonious Monk.Robert Glasper has made it a point for his music not to be limited or
categorized as strictly Jazz.He has
capitalized on his ability to dabble in almost any genre and has stretched the
boundaries of what is stereotypically Jazz.Yet, his music could not be mistaken for anything other than Jazz, which
is an interesting dynamic of his music.Glasper is quoted in an article on his website saying, “We
can go anywhere, literally anywhere, we want to go. We all have musical ADD and
we love it.”The point he was making is that all of the
musicians in his band enjoy varying genres and styles of music.They are almost incapable of focusing on a
single sound of music.Consequently,
they have broad influence and enjoy playing a lot of different types of music.This is what makes Robert Glasper such a
standout artist.He is one of the few
artists who can intermingle Jazz with Hip-Hop and R&B in a way that can
both be respected by Jazz enthusiasts and also enjoyed by Hip-Hop and R&B
listeners.
Robert Glasper along with his band,
The Robert Glasper Experiment, and a host of featured vocalists showcased the TRANSCENDENT
qualities of his music in his newest Album.In February
2012 Robert released his fourth album, Black Radio.Black Radio includes Robert Glasper’s extremely
complex piano scores with Hip Hop style backbeats and R&B and Hip-Hop
vocals from artists including Erykah Badu, Bilal, Lalah Hathaway, Yasiin Bey
and Lupe Fiasco, just to name a few.The
beautiful thing about this album is its expansiveness.It draws you in with its Hip-Hop elements and
moves you with Jazz permeating throughout the entire album.Robert is an exciting artist to listen to. His collaborative efforts in this album are
going to attract a broader audience and introduce new listeners to Jazz in an
indirect way.The TRANSCENDENT MUSIC
MOVEMENT supports Robert Glasper’s spectacular work and encourages our readers
to view his videos and listen to his music.Black
Radio is a great album to start with.Every one of his albums has presented a different style of Glasper’s
extraordinarily unique Jazz form.There
is something for everyone in Robert Glasper’s TRANSCENDENT MUSIC.
The Transcendent
Music Movement Presents: Gary Clark, Jr.
Buddy Guy, Freddie King, Muddy Waters, Stevie Ray Vaughn, Eric
Clapton, B.B. King, Etta James, Ray Charles, Jimmi Hendrix and the list goes on
of genuine blues artists who gained popularity in their youth.
Unfortunately, this list has become relatively stagnant in recent years.
Susan Tedeschi and Derrick Trucks of the Tedeschi Trucks Band, John
Mayer, The Black Keys and a few others have contributed to the survival of
American Blues as a relevant music genre. Not to take anything away from
these spectacular musicians, but even these popular artists are not always
considered the most pure of blues artists. They are an apparent
derivative of the classic blues artist. Their music is undoubtedly rooted
in the American Blues of old; but when it comes to the raw, gritty, pure blues
musicianship of those in the aforementioned list; there have been very few
to gain the notoriety of those blues musicians preceding the 90s. Austin
Texas may very well have produced a lifeline for traditional blues in the form
of a young man by the name of Gary Clark,
Jr.
Twenty seven year old Gary Clark, Jr. is a rare commodity in modern
music. Blues has been unable to penetrate the fold of popular music
recently. It has been a genre mostly appreciated by older generations.
Artists like John Mayor and The Black Keys have introduced America’s
youth to remnants of traditional blues with their blues influenced pop music.
They are also of the few popular blues artists under the age of 40 to have
major success in modern music. Susan Tedeschi and Derrick Trucks of the
Tedeschi Trucks Band and artist like Eric Clapton continue making popular
classic blues influenced music but they too commenced their blues careers
preceding the 90s. Gary Clark, Jr., however, is on the verge of being one
of the extremely rare artists of this century to break in to popular music,
under the age of 40, while remaining true to a pure form of blues. His
youthfulness is the surprising factor. I am unaware of anyone of his
likeness to rise to such popularity since at least the 90s.
Gary Clark, Jr. caught my attention with a YouTube video of him
performing If You Love Me Like You Say. The music that I was
hearing had the spirit of Muddy Waters, Freddie King and other classic black
Blues artists. I was amazed by his performance, which was of the truest
Blues form. As I viewed his performances I saw the spirit and energy of
a young Jimmy Hendrix, with his commanding electric guitar riffs. Then I
heard the clever soulful lyrics reminiscent of B.B. King. Gary Clark,
Jr.’s performance of the Blues reminded me that this genre was once popular in
black culture and indeed dominated by African American Musicians at
one point in time. Recently, most of the popular blues artists have
been white musicians. These artists have done a tremendous job in
sustaining the Blues. While this new diversity has been beneficial to the
genre, it is unequivocally shameful that the prominence of blues in
the black musical culture has fallen to near extinction. Gary Clark, Jr.
brings that classic blues form back to the forefront. Gary Clark, Jr.,
born in Austin Texas, has been playing the blues for years as a hometown
celebrity and as a surrogate for traditional blues.
The Texas budding star got his break after a stellar performance at Eric Clapton’s Crossroads Guitar Festival.
At the festival, he performed his Don’t Owe You a Thang. He
also performed with Eric Clapton and Sheryl Crow. He has since received a
major recording deal and has subsequently produced and released his first E.P.
entitled The Bright Lights EP. I have had this four track E.P. on
repeat for days now. I have also enjoyed his many video performances
online. The Transcendent Music Movement and I are extremely excited about
this artist’s potential. We hope to see him become a catalyst for a
greater appreciation of musicianship by the black community and classic blues
throughout the world. His popularity can lead to greater exposure of
classic blues and may lead to more young people playing and appreciating the
Blues again. We wish Gary Clark, Jr. a prosperous future as a true blues
artist and encourage our readers to support him as he continues to make
TRANSCENDENT MUSIC.
Transcendent Music Presents: What We Learned From Experts to
Improve Our Business Plans
http://www.growthink.com/team/dave-lavinsky
In the previously posted blog, we
took a look at the profiles and entrepreneurial theories of two experts in
business plan development and business startups.The two experts were Dave Lavinsky and Tim Berry.Dave Lavinsky’s philosophy is based
on a very fundamental rule:give customers
what they really want.After reading about
him and his business plan theory, I started to question how I could improve my own
business plan.The act of giving the
customer what they really want requires you to first know what the customer really wants.It is hard for me as a startup to accurately
gauge what the customer really wants.I
have found this to be one of the great risks of starting a business.I believe that you can have an idea about
what you think your customers want but never really know with absolute
certainty.Due to this reality, I have accepted
Lavinsky’s theory partially.Most
startups do not have the capital to conduct the market research or financial forecasting
that may be required to more accurately determine what your customers want
prior to launching your business.This
may be the reason why many startups fail in the early stages of their
life.However, I also am of the thought
that customers do not always know exactly what they want prior to it being
presented to them.It takes a balance of
both what the customers want and what you envision that the customers will want.My argument is supported by the likes of Mark Cuban, Steve Jobs and Henry
Ford.It was Ford who said, “If I had asked people what
they wanted, they would have said faster horses.”The suggestions of Dave Lavinsky did not
contribute to a particular part of my business plan but it impacted the plan in
its entirety.Lavinsky indirectly led me
to have more confidence in my business idea. As soon as my doors open, ensuring customer
satisfaction will be a top priority of my business.
The second expert we profiled was Tim
Berry.Berry is a CEO and another
prominent expert in business planning and business plan development.My research on Tim Berry taught me the real
reason for a business plan, as he sees it.Berry’s philosophy say that the role of business plan is not to sway
investors but to actually plan in detail how your business will operate
successfully.In practice, this may not
change much of the content of your business plan, but it will help you focus on
planning how you will operate after the business becomes a reality.This theory helps put in perspective why you
are composing your business plan.Tim
Berry’s business planning philosophy is something that I implemented in the way
I completed my financial statements.It
also enabled me to keep my operations section simple.Though it may be appealing to speak of elaborate
operating systems and business methods in the operations section, for my
personal benefit and business planning the simplicity of the operations section
reflects the simplicity of how we plan to do business.By taking Tim Berry’s advice I was able to
make composing my business plan personal, therefore making it make sense for
me.By implementing Berry’s philosophy,
my business plan will be able to act as a guideline for any employee of my
business to be able to read and understand fully what we do and how we do
it.
There are two sections of a
business plan that I think investors are particular interested in.These sections are the financials and the
management section.Every investor wants
to know how the company is going to make money.From there they are interested in how much money the business is capable
of generating and how much of that will be allocated to pay back investors.Investors want to know if they will receive a
return on their investment, and if so, when and how much.The management section is important to
investors because these are the individuals who will be steering the company
either to success or to failure.These
individuals need to display competence and have a vision for the direction of
the company.Investors want to know that
their investment is being managed by personnel capable of getting them their
return.
Transcendent Music Movement Presents: Experts Views on the
Value of Business Plans
Dave Lavinsky is the president and co-founder of
Growthink. He is a businessman with immense
entrepreneurial experience. His
experience has made him an expert in composing business plans. Another business plan expert is Tim
Berry. Berry is founder and chairman of
Palo Alto Software and has other leadership roles in various companies. He is an author, a business plan consultant
and is a well known resource in the field of business planning and business
plan review. Both of these gentlemen
have strong opinions and sound advice when it comes to constructing a good
business plan. The Transcendent Music
Movement is pleased to present Dave Lavinsky and Tim Berry in our analysis of
expert views on the value of business plans.
Dave Lavinsky
http://www.growthink.com/team/dave-lavinsky
Dave
Lavinsky attended the University of Virginia, where he earned his bachelors
degree. He also received an MBA from
UCLA’s Anderson School of Management. In
addition to founding Growthink, he started
Emerge Juice & Nutrition Systems and Shoutmouth. After his personal entrepreneurial success, Lavinsky
started Growthink to guide entrepreneurs through starting, growing and even closing
businesses successfully. Through
Growthink, he and his team have come up with what they call “The 5 Attribute of Successful
Business Plans.” Of the five
attributes, creating value is one of the most important. Lavinsky says that, successful companies
offer customers products and services that they really want. This is the cornerstone for any successful
business. In the embedded link above,
Lavinsky goes over each of the five attributes in further detail.
Tim Berry is a
phenomenon in the field of business plans.
He has received accolades and is looked to for business plan advice from
some of the most prominent names in business.
He has earned several degrees and is responsible for forming multiple
companies. Palo Alto Software, bplans.com and Borland International are all
companies that exist due to his entrepreneurial success. His knowledge and personal success have also
earned him a key role in judging several high-stake business plan
competitions. He has many products and
tools to help support entrepreneurs with the critical action of planning and
composing a proper business plan. Many
of these products are expensive, but he has a great blog entitled Planning
Startups Stories that offers valuable insight. The blog includes various testimonials and
highlights different segments of entrepreneurship. In an article published on the U.S. Small
Business Administration’s website written by Berry, he talks about what he
considers to be the importance
of a business plan. In this, he
makes the point that the real reason for a business plan is to guide a business
to be successful and to operate better.
This is the true purpose, as opposed to the school of thought that
believes business plans are to convince investors and bankers to loan you
money. Berry believes strongly that the
focus should be on actually planning for the business so that it will fulfill
its purpose. The business plan should be
for the business itself, not for anyone else, according to his theory.
Dave Lavinsky and Tim Berry have a wealth of experience and
knowledge as it pertains to business planning and entrepreneurship. They each have proven methods and
approaches. In the entrepreneurial
efforts of this company and other endeavors, we will take heed to their
credible and sound advice.
The Transcendent Music Movement Presents: Esperanza Spalding
Unique, musically clever, inventive
and other synonymous terms have been used throughout the existence of this
blog. The terms have been used to
describe the various artists that we have showcased. As we continue our search for transcendent
musical artists we have discovered yet another spectacular talent. The Transcendent Music Movement is pleased to
present musician, vocalist, composer and bandleader Esperanza Spalding.
Early Life
There is a
lot to be said about Spalding’s life prior to her professional career. She was born in
Portland, Oregon in a single-family home.
She was raised by her mother and experienced many hardships that spawned
from an economic deprived upbringing.
Many lessons were learned from her humble beginning and much gratitude
for her mother’s hard work was the result.
Her childhood quite possibly contributed to her atypical education
experience, which is something that solicits much surprise. Spalding left high school at the age of 16
with a GED. She attended college at
Portland State University and then Berklee College of Music. At Berklee she had great success, graduated
in three years and became a member of the faculty at the age of 20 as an
instructor. Her musical talents began to
pave a path for her that she probably never imagined.
The Music
After
viewing an episode of Mr. Rodger’s Neighborhood an interest in music was
sparked in four-year-old Spalding. Spalding is quoted
saying, “it was definitely the thing that hipped me to the whole idea of music
as a creative pursuit.” As a young
child she became a member of the Chamber Music Society of Organ. This was a community orchestra that she
became a member of after teaching herself to play the violin. Later she was exposed to the bass, the
instrument that she fell in love with and soon mastered. Esperanza Spalding found herself performing
with various bands playing music from classical to hip-hop. She travelled and performed with
well-established artists furthering her name on the professional circuit. In 2008 she released her first solo recorded
album titled Esperanza. The album had tremendous success and from
there she only moved on to higher heights.
Spalding’s
first album earned her “the best selling album by a new jazz artist
internationally in 2008. Other accolades
ensued. She also was invited, as a guess
to perform on multiple well know television shows. This exposure and the success of her first
album positioned her perfectly for the release of her second album. Spalding’s
second album, Chamber
Music Society, earned her a host of awards to include a Grammy. She earned the award for Best New Artist over
artist including Justin Bieber and Lady Gaga.
Amidst touring all over the world she recently completed a new album. The album was released in March of 2012. This album is spectacular and it reveals her
growth and musical progression. The
TRANSCENDENT MUSIC MOVEMENT endorses this truly TRANSCENDENT artist and
recommend her album Radio
Music Society to all of our readers.
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