An extensive set of dates across the UK and Europe featuring guest vocalists including Bembe Segue, Sandra St Victor and Vanessa Freeman and more...
Aug 8 MdCL feat Sandra St Victor @ Off Corso, Rotterdam Holland Aug 8 MdCL Masterclass Workshop @ Roots & Routes, Rotterdam Holland Aug 13 MdCL feat Bembe Segue @ Sildajazz Festival, Haugesund Norway Aug 14 MdCL feat Bembe Segue @ Sildajazz Festival, Haugesund Norway Aug 16 MdCL feat Bembe Segue @ Stadtmusic Festival, Basel Switzerland Aug 19 MdCL feat Vanessa Freeman @ Clazz, Tallin Estonia Aug 20 MdCL feat Vanessa Freeman @ BlackBook Sessions, A Coruna Spain Aug 22 MdCL feat Bembe Segue @ SondagJazz at MBar Terrace, Helsinki Finland Aug 24 In Session @ Redbull Studios, London UK Aug 25 In Session @ Redbull Studios, London UK Aug 26 In Session @ Redbull Studios, London UK Aug 26 MdCL feat special guests @ Jazz Refreshed/Mau Mau, London UK Aug 27 MdCL DJ Set @ The CLF Art Warehouse, London UK Aug 28 MdCL feat Bembe Segue @ Soulparlor/Redcat, Mainz Germany Aug 29 MdCL feat Bembe Segue @ Badeschiff, Berlin Germany
it's been a whirlwind since the nia andrews show 10 days ago in LA (check the video here if you haven't already - we're mixing down the studio version of this song at the moment!).
first stop was studio with bass player ready freddie washington. freddie is a legend in the true sense. i mentioned to leon ware that i was going to be recording him and leon had nothing but great compliments; i passed that on to freddie when i spoke with him and he said "man, that bodyheat session, when i heard that, i thought it was the best thing i'd ever heard...". yes, that's THAT bodyheat, by The Dude aka Q. freddie's played on records for so many more including patrice rushen, george duke, herbie hancock, etc. he wrote and played on patrice's 'forget me nots' and 'settle for my love' amongst a whole lot more great patrice tunes. the man is a DON. it was a real pleasure to get this opportunity to record him - i'm working on sandra st victor's next album. the whole album (14 tracks) is all demo'd up and we thought it would be great to get live bass on a few cuts. sandra suggested freddie and now, it's a reality. i've had the pleasure of working with some great bass players - pino palladino especially - and freddie's definitely on of those superheroes. all OVER the instrument and the groove :)
the same day i got to see the final cut of the sy smith video for TRUTH. the first single from her new album i'm producing. the single drops on strictly rhythm records on august 30 along with the video and remixes from seiji, bertrand dupart and me. the video was shot here in LA and directed by shawn peterson. headsup!
squeezing in as much as possible before catching an early morning flight to atlanta, i went to check the miguel atwood-ferguson ensemble at california plaza in the city. what a great vibe - free outdoor concert by one of the finest arrangers and musicians i've come across in a long time. he had chris daddy dave on drums, bilal guesting on vocals, and a great band of musicians playing his arrangements to a captive 2,000 capacity audience. events like that make LA all the more wonderful :)
after all that it was straight to ATL for the spread love party. atlanta is one of my favorite cities in the world to play and record - the vibe is always so fresh and welcoming. it's the third time i'd played the venue, 595 north (previously with lady alma and lil john roberts, then bembe segue and lil john roberts) and this time was sy smith on mic, showcasing her new project, and omar phillips from outkast camp on percussion. the vibe was LIVE from the get-go. definitely one of my favorite shows of recent months. thanks to all the ATL fam who came out to party! we previewed the video for TRUTH at a pre-party media event and the next day at moods music store. that was nice to meet and greet new friends and ATL fam.
pretty much every time i'm in ATL i like to hit the studio, so that was the plan for the monday. i spent a couple of hours sunday night prepping 4 demos to take to studio and have omar lace percussion to. once we were there, everything was ON, so i knocked up another 4 and 5 hours later we had 8 new joints ready to go. 3 of them are going to be submitted to a certain DC rapper, we'll see if they're up his alley or not. i have a funny feeling they are tho ;) thanks to solar sound studios in ATL - check them if you need a spot to record there!
after three days and hardly any sleep, i was on the plane back to LA - gotta love the whirlwind trips :) checked out inception my first night back and no doubt at all, one of the most enjoyable movies i've seen in a long time. going to have to check that a second time for sure :)
there's lots more news to share, but that can wait a little. for now, time to pack to head to DC early tomorrow morning for the show with sy smith at liv, and then NYC for two nights of fun n games - saturday DJing at SOBs and then sunday dropping the live jam set at NUBLU with some very special surprise guests...
last night we played at angel's santa monica debuting nia andrews to a full house audience for two shows. we closed the sets with a new joint nia and i created together entitled 'now or never'. studio version forthcoming, but check the vibe from last night's show!
nia andrews - vocals mark de clive-lowe - piano charlie domingo - bass paul legaspi - drums
two of my favorite gigs in NYC were both at NUBLU. the first was with sammy figueroa (miles davis alum) on percussion and bembe segue on mic; the second was tawiah on mic and samuel torres (chick corea band) on percussion. it kind of reminds me a little of the jazz refreshed night in london - the sound is not great but the vibe of the spot is amazing. a little unexpectedly, i'm going to be hitting at NUBLU again for round #3 !
july 31 i'm DJing at SOBs with sy smith featuring on mic, and since i'm going to already be in NYC, i'm going to be hitting august 1 at NUBLU dropping a freesoul sessions style live set with special surprise guests :) spread the word - it's not often enough i get to drop a live set in NYC and this is one you're not gonna want to miss!
$10 on the door, 10pm kick off - tell your friends and spread the word!
before the Europe Tour in August, there's 4 US shows - kicking off featuring with singer songwriter nia andrews for her debut show in LA, then 3 with Sy Smith on mic for DJ set/PA shows and one live show as well... see you along the way!
July 18 - Los Angeles (Nia Andrews Live) July 24 - Atlanta GA (DJ set + Live PA) July 30 - Washington DC (MdCL Live) July 31 - NYC NY (DJ set + Live PA) August 1 - NYC NC (MdCL Live)
Having toured with Grammy winning artists Common and Lauryn Hill, singer/songwriter nia andrews kicks off her solo performance debut at Angel's: an intimate, nostalgic restaurant & piano bar inspired by hangouts of the 1930s and ’40s.
Come hang, have dinner, try a bit of absinthe if you're adventurous, while the singer/songwriter and a rhythm section dive into two jazz-infused sets of original material peppered with a few off-the-beaten path covers, featuring a rare appearance on acoustic piano with artist/producer Mark de Clive-Lowe.
July 24 MdCL presents Sy Smith Spread Love @ 595 North, Atlanta, GA
MdCL DJ set + Sy Smith live PA featuring material from the forthcoming MdCL produced album and the first single TRUTH (dropping on Strictly Rhythm August 30). Omar Phillips also joining on percussion, and sets from resident DJ Kemit.
July 25 Meet & Greet/Listening Session Moods Music, Atlanta, GA
July 30 MdCL presents Sy Smith Liv, Washington DC
MdCL Live featuring Sy Smith on vocals featuring material from the forthcoming Sy Smith project and live improvised dancefloor pressure
July 31 MdCL presents Sy Smith SOBs, NYC MdCL DJ set + Sy Smith live PA featuring material from the forthcoming MdCL produced album and the first single TRUTH (dropping on Strictly Rhythm August 30).
[JUST ADDED] August 1 MdCL LIVE < NYC exclusive Live show Nublu, NYC
Join MdCL and very special guests for a live throwdown at Nublu - the same spot where two legendary MdCL NYC shows have taken place with Bembe Segue, Tawiah, Sammy Figueroa (Miles Davis) and Samuel Torres (Chick Corea)... who knows who's going to be stepping up this time!
about to fly out to holland for the PARKPOP FESTIVAL - one of the biggest festivals in europe, held in the hague. around 350,000 attend each year now. i'm going to be featuring with the one n only SANDRA ST VICTOR performing the joints from her at my spheres EP i produced. we were opening for a rapper you might have heard of... snoop dogg. however the hague city authorities deemed him 'inappropriate' to perform in their city and he got canned. UNBELIEVABLE. anyway.. the show must go on and we're gonna sneak in a few snoop tribute jams into our set to represent. had the MPC bumping out some joints last night in preparation... sensual seduction, let's get blown and of course, gin and juice. gonna be mad fun!
it's a quick hit in n out - landing saturday, rehearsal and show on sunday, and straight back to LA monday.
Jul 18 LA @ Angels Jul 24 ATL @ 595 North Jul 30 DC @ Liv Jul 31 NYC @ SOBs Aug 1 NYC @ Nublu Aug 8 Rotterdam @ Off Corso Aug 13 Norway @ Sildajazz Aug 14 Norway @ Sildajazz Aug 16 Switzerland @ Stadtmusik Aug 20 Spain @ La Corruna Aug 22 Helsinki @ M Bar Terrace
1. MdCL feat Omar + Sheila E - Get Started 2. Sy Smith - Truth 3. Sandra St Victor - At My Spheres 4. Cherie Mathieson - Games We Play (MdCL remix) 5. Rahel - Hope 6. Floating Points - Peoples Potential 7. Lady Alma - Believe 8. replife - Ready Set Go 9. Altered Natives - Believe in Me 10. Franke De JoJo - Turn Off The Lights
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