Contemporary R&B Jams

Aaliyah's At Your Best, Are You that Somebody, Try Again, Back and Forth, One in a Million, I Care 4 U

Akon's Don't Matter

Alicia Keys: If I Aint Got You, A Woman's Worth, Girlfriend, Fallin'

Amerie: 1 Thing

Amy Winehouse: You Know I'm No Good, Tears Dry on Their Own

Bilal: Fast Lane, All That I Am, Soul Sista, Love Poems

Chrisette Michele: Let's Rock

Common: The Light

D'Angelo: Brown Sugar, Smooth, Cruisin', Lady, Devil's Pie, Untitled (How Does It Feel), Playa Playa

Solange Knowles: Stillness Is the Move

Erykah Badu: On & On, Next Lifetime, Didn't Cha Know, My Life, Bag Lady, Green Eyes, Soldier, Back in the Day (Puff)

Beyonce: Crazy in Love, Put a Ring On It, Irreplaceable

The Fugees: Killing Me Softly With His Song

Georgia Anne Muldrow: Roses

Janelle Monae: Locked Inside, Tightrope, Smile, Cold War, Neon Valley Street

Jill Scott: It's Love, A Long Walk, Brother, One is the Magic Number, Hate On Me, Golden, Cross My Mind, Bedda at Home, Love Rain

John Legend: Ordinary People

Macy Gray: I Try

Lauryn Hill: Doo Wop, To Zion, Ex-Factor

Justin Timberlake: Senorita

Mos Def: Umi Says

Michael Jackson: Remember the Time

Outkast: Hey Ya

R. Kelly: Ignition, Step in the Name of Love

Raphael Saadiq: Let's Take a Walk

The Roots: What They Do, You Got Me, Complexity, The Seed 2.0

The original The Seed

TLC: Creep, Waterfalls, Diggin On You, No Scrubs, If I Was Your Girlfriend

The Weeknd: What You Need

Wyclef Jean: 911

Mary J. Blige: Family Affair, All Night Long

The Roots: Silent Treatment, Radio Daze

John Legend & The Roots

Usher: Yeah

Onra: High Hopes

Maxwell: Till The Cops Come Knockin'

TLC: Over Me

Mystikal: Shake Ya Ass

Erykah Badu: Booty

Alicia Keys: No One, Empire State of Mind

Jazmine Sullivan

Rihanna: Pon de Replay, SOS, Umbrella

Back to Life

Steve Spacek: Dollar

Jill Scott: La Boom Vent Suite

Res: Golden Boyz, They Say Vision

Forever Young, Gifted, and Black: My Favorite Nina Simone Songs

Baby Just Cares for Me

Mood Indigo

Love Me or Leave Me

I Loves You Porgy

Plain Gold Ring

You'll Never Walk Alone

Little Girl Blue

House of the Rising Son

Feeling Good

Aint Got No...I Got Life

I Put a Spell On You

Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood

I Wish I Knew How It Would Feel To Be Free

I Want a Little Sugar in My Bowl

Do I Move You

To Be Young, Gifted, and Black

Nobody's Fault But Mine

Sinnerman

Zungo

He's Too Good to Me
http://grooveshark.com/s/He+Was+Too+Good+To+Me+live+At+The+Village+Gate+/2NR3Zw?src=5

African Mailman

Black Is the Color of My True Love's Hair

Wild Is the Wind

He's Got the Whole World in His Hands

Strange Fruit

Be My Husband

Pirate Jenny

Four Women

Mississippi Goddamn

See-Line Woman

Bye Bye Blackbird

Children Go Where I Send You
http://grooveshark.com/s/Children+Go+Where+I+Send+You+live+At+The+Village+Gate+/2NR3CH?src=5

Just in Time
http://grooveshark.com/s/Just+In+Time+live+At+The+Village+Gate+/2NR52I?src=5

Go Limp

Revolution

Old Jim Crow

Don't Smoke in Bed

John Coltrane's Ogunde

Loosely based on the Afro-Brazilian Candomble song, Ogunde Arere, one can see the influence of Babatunde Olatunji on Coltrane was larger than one thought. Though the recording that probably inspired John Coltrane's recording of the this sacred song for his Expression album is a Brazilian opera singer's rendition of it in the 1940s, Coltrane had Olatunji (himself a Yoruba, the culture that exported the worship of the orisha/lwa Ogou/Ogun/Ogunde in Brazil, Haiti, Trinidad, and Cuba. Olatunji could've provided Coltrane with the history and sacredness of this ancient Yoruba religious chant that has survived centuries of slavery and creolization to surface in Haiti, Cuba, and Brazil despite the huge diversity in the slaves that arrived to each of the aforementioned nations.

We already know that Olatunji played a significant role in Coltrane's discovery and use of African, Asian, and Afro-Latin music within his own compositions due to the titles of some of Coltrane's 1960s work, such as Africa/Brass, and through the friendship that existed between the two men. It is known that Olatunji, who was one of the earliest artists to record 'authentic' world music in the United States (his Drums of Passion LP was recorded in 1959, I believe) and was a percussionist and singer who willingly shared his music with jazz musicians and befriended African-Americans in Harlem, where he started an African Cultural Center for African-American youth to learn something about African cultures. Indeed, Coltrane's final live concert was at Olatunji's African Cultural Center in Harlem, where Coltrane played a 28-minute version of Ogunde that tests the listeners ability to withstand dissonance (free jazz is often atonal, and Pharaoh Sanders and the other musicians on the stand take lengthy solos). Thus, is it a coincidence that Coltrane would perform an Afro-Brazilian religious song of Nigerian origin at a Nigerian of Yoruba descent's community center? Obviously Olatunji had encouraged Coltrane's interest in African-derived music and through their long friendship, probably provided the African music that inspired Africa/Brass and other 'spiritual' works of Coltrane, such as A Love Supreme. By the way, Olatunji was also a friend of Nina Simone, to whom he introduced the Yoruba song, Zungo. Nina Simone would perform in live at a show at The Village Gate in New York City in the early 1960s. This website does a great job explaining the origin of Ogunde and its connection to Coltrane's spiritual awakening that saved him from a heroin overdose:
http://www.wumingfoundation.com/english/wumingblog/?p=1293

Nina Simone, Zungo

Babatunde Olatunji, Zungo

Earliest recording of Ogunde, featuring a Brazilian opera singer accompanied by piano, arranged by a Brazilian classical composer. Bidu Sayao, the singer, shows off her classical-training, which doesn't really match this dark, African song of the Brazilian slaves and their descendants. However, it is of great import for showing how it influenced John Coltrane's 2 recordings of Ogunde.

Ogun, or Ogou, is also widely venerated in Haiti, as well as Nigeria, Benin, and Brazil. Here is a song for Ogou, the lwa/orisha of war and iron, that I believe bears a resemblance to the Brazilian rendition above.

Os Tincoas, a Brazilian group, also performed Ogunde. As a Brazilian pop group, their rendition is not exactly authentic Candomble music, but interesting nonetheless.

Here are some other Ogun songs which likely share the same origin as Yoruba chants to the orisha dating back several centuries. They are chants which feature drumming and nothing else.

http://grooveshark.com/#/s/Song+For+Ogun/2OmHPw?src=5 A Song for Ogou chant from the Library of Congress Recordings
http://grooveshark.com/#/s/Track+02+Ogun/1OCbaO?src=5 Iroko's performance of Ogun

John Coltrane's recording of Ogunde for his posthumous studio album, Expression, is short (only a little over 3 minutes) but retains the ominous atmosphere of the Brazilian recording from the opera singer and her classical arrangement. It almost sounds "Eastern" despite the obvious African origin.

John Coltrane played Ogunde again in an epic 28 minute version for his final live album. Have fun, despite the inferior recording material used at the show, which makes it difficult to make out the other percussion added to highlight the African feeling of Ogunde.

http://grooveshark.com/s/Ogunde/3sbDDS?src=5 grooveshark link to the song in its entirety

The Best of Marvin Gaye

Here are some of my favorite Marvin Gaye songs. I love that man. R.I.P. brother.

Stubborn Kind of Fellow

Hitch Hike: this song has Latin elements

Pride and Joy is one of my favorite R&B songs from Motown. This gospel stomp features Gaye's majestic vocals over a brilliant backing vocalist group.

Can I Get a Witness

You're a Wonderful One is another gem from Gaye's 1960s Motown output. I believe Diana Ross and the Supremes are backing vocals.

How Sweet It Is To Be Loved By You

I'll Be Doggone

Aint That Peculiar

It Takes Two, a duet between Kim Weston and Gaye

Your Precious Love

I Heard It Through the Grapevine is up there with the Jackson 5's performance of Who's Loving You as the best Motown song. Gaye's vocals, the Funk Brothers (Motown studio band) backing him, and the dark, ominous feel of this song made it distinct from most Motown singles, which were usually 'happy' and 'feel good' music.

What's Goin On is another odd Motown hit. Berry Gordy initially thought it would be a failure...

Mercy Mercy Me

Inner City Blues, second to I Heard It Through the Grapevine as my favorite Marvin Gaye song

You're The Man shows the funky side of Gaye

Trouble Man

Where Are We Going has a great smooth Soul, Latin feel.

Let's Get It On

Got to Give It Up, Gaye at his funkiest

Sexual Healing

I Want You

Right On is a good example of R&B/Latin fusions