Wow, where do I even start to begin writing this one…

As you all know by now (whether you are a music fan or not), Isaac Hayes passed away this past Sunday, August 10, 2008. Because I was off the grid due to computer problems and also busy with a family function that had me out of town most of the weekend I didn’t even hear about it until I checked in with the Four Bothers Beats blog early Monday morning. To say that I was extremely saddened and bummed out by this news would barely describe how I felt (and still feel to tell the truth) at that moment.

Ike (as he liked to be called) and his music is so much a part of the foundation of the “soundtrack of my life” that if you took it away the “house of music” that I have lived in all these years would come crumbling down in a matter of minutes. My mom and I had to laugh the other day when I was speaking to her about Ike’s passing when she reminded me how tired she got of hearing “Theme From Shaft” as I was getting ready to go to school back when the soundtrack album and movie first came out. I loved that soundtrack. I think I played it everyday for about a month or more! Ha! No wonder she got sick of hearing it. {smile}

Ahhhh, I could go on and on and on writing and reminiscing about Isaac Hayes.

HOWEVER… like we do here at Rhythms In Black Satin in times like these, let’s not let the sadness overtake us but rather celebrate the life and legacy of the man and his music. And be thankful that because of the vast catalog of musical goodness Isaac has left us with, that he will never be truly gone.

Rest In Peace, Isaac Lee Hayes, Jr. OBTW, give James (Brown) a high five for all of us down here when you see him.

…

Popularity: 9% [?]

{sigh} Why me? Why now?

Anyway, the title says it all. Just as I was about to upload the newest RIBS for this week yesterday (a real nice one BTW, featuring Sade, Lionel Richie (solo songs) and Luther Vandross) my boot drive decided to go south on me. I can’t even begin to tell you how “happy” THAT made me feel.

So… I’m sorry for the delay, but I’ll be trying to get the mix posted sometime this weekend. Keep checkin’ back please.

Popularity: 13% [?]

Update (08/01/08): The download file has now been fixed and reuploaded. If you grabbed a copy of the .MP3 file Thurs or Fri (with the bad version of “LITR”) you can now download a good copy of the file. Sorry for any inconvenience.
(TG’s Notes: Just found out that one of the cuts on the mix and download file, “Laughter In The Rain” by Earl Klugh, is rather crappy. Working on replacing it with a better copy later today. Just an FYI)

Ready to chill out a bit? I’ve got some nice “smooth jazz” in the mix for ya today.

One of the things I love most about the summertime, in addition to the hot weather, cookouts and parties, is cooling out and relaxing on a beautiful, warm summer’s evening. And on a night like that nothing makes the experience more enjoyable than having some nice, mellow jazz playing in the background.

That’s the image I had in mind when creating this week’s mix: sunset on a warm summer eve, some good company and an appropriate libation or two (Johnny Walker Black would go particularly well, IMHO!)

So, today let’s kick back and chill, “smooth jazz” style with…

1. Najee
2. Earl Klugh
3. George Howard

Popularity: 21% [?]

{sigh} Sometimes you just so busy that the hours in the day just rush by and you have NO IDEA where the time went. How in the hell DID I get so busy these past few weeks anyway?

Well, before anything else happens that chews up the rest of the few hours left in this day, let me get this mix up and posted…

One of the great things about having this blog and making mixes are the many, many other people I’ve had the pleasure to “meet” that also share a passion for this music. One such person is the author of this week’s guest mix here on RIBS. His handle is “Blackmon” and he very generously put together and sent me a nice set of Soul/R&B/Jazz music called Mix In Return after checking out one of the RIBS mixes a few weeks ago. I enjoyed it so much that I just had to ask him if I could post it here to share with the entire RIBS family. Here’s what he has to say about it:

Hi Folks!
I stumbled upon this famous spot just a few weeks ago and the more I went back in the RIBS history, the more I dug T’s awesome compilations. {TG’s Comment: amazing the compliments you can get by passing a few dollars under the table, eh? LOL! j/k}

Somehow I was reminded to the days when tapes were the only way to share music with friends and related soundheads and thought the best way to appreciate the great job, T is doing here, was by mixing a few of my favs. So that’s how these tracks got together… I didn’t know he would publish it here (probably to get a week off-duty {smile}); but now all I can do is hope y’all dig it as much as we do.

Peace,
blackmon

Hmmmm, I wonder how he knew about that “week off” plan? {BIG smile} Anyway, a generous fellow music lover is always a welcome addition to the “Friend” column in my book.

One of the things I enjoy the most about this mix is that even though I’m familiar with most of the artists in the playlist (except 100% Pure Poison and Chocolate Milk; love that C.M. cut though!), many of the songs are ones by these artists that I had never heard before or had not heard in quite some time. That “Branded” cut by Isaac Hayes especially. As familiar as I am with Isaac’s catalog that one made me open my eyes and try to figure out how I’d overlooked it. Additionally, I thought the Wolfman Jack drops (for those of you old enough to remember him!) was a nice touch also.

So… on today’s menu is Blackmon’s “Mix-In-Return”!

I’ll just echo what he said earlier and, “Hope you all enjoy it as much as we did!”

…

Popularity: 34% [?]