Nation of Hipness: An Audiophile's Journey

Imagine being at a restaurant and a person bumps into you. Immediately you are in shock. You both hit it off by chance. That's what this song is about. I hope you enjoy this song. Interpreted by Saalik Ziyad and accompanied by Daniel Tabion on piano.

This is from an interview with Daniella Baumeister on Hessischer Rundfunk in Frankfurt, Germany, The interview is in German for the most part except the parts in which Roscoe Mitchell and I are being interviewed. Also in the interview you hear various audio recordings as well. Just one note as well, my views are mine only. I hope you enjoy this interview. 

This is from a performance at the Hyde Park Jazz Festival at the Hyde Park Bank. It is unedited. Since this was a live performance I decided to share all of it. Mistakes and all. It was a great venue at the Hyde Park Bank and we had a great crowd. Special thanks to the Hyde Park Jazz Society, Hyde Park Jazz Festival and all of the staff and volunteers

S.M. S Trio is Saalik Ziyad on vocals, Marlene Rosenberg on bass and Scott Hesse on guitar

The was an interview about the AACM's 50th Anniversary. The AACM (Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians.
The year-long 50th anniversary celebration of the Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians (AACM) heats up on the weekend of April 23-26 with master classes and concerts that promise to demonstrate just how the organization continues to transform the musical landscape. “Together: A Power Stronger Than Itself” is the theme for the 50th Anniversary celebration and concert that reunites 50 of the most cutting edge musicians in contemporary music, including Grammy nominees Steve and Iqua Colson, legendary drummer and jazz studies professor Thurman Barker and multi-instrumentalist and Shinshu Buddhist priest Shaku Joseph Jarman.
“We are a creative music organization rooted in the musical traditions of our people and we embrace all of the evolutions that we've had since the first notes on the planet,” said AACM chairman Khari B. “One of our members, George Lewis, was one of the earliest innovators of electronic music in the 70s that EDM and electronica are doing now. All these things are a nod to AACM. We don't make divisions. We play music. We make art.” Founded in 1965 as a creative response to the disappearance of sustainable musical outlets, AACM has grown into a movement of creative musical freedom and ingenuity that has touched every aspect of popular music, from rock and punk to hip hop. The weekend will showcase the association's global free form music, rooted in African tradition and marked by cutting edge presentation.

The centerpiece of the 50th Anniversary Celebration weekend is the reunion concert on Sunday, April 26 at University of Chicago's Mandel Hall, co-presented by the AACM and the Logan Center for the Arts. This groundbreaking concert will reunite 50 powerful musicians and artists in a spectacular celebration of 50 years of creative output. Among the performers are Nicole Mitchell, Thurman Barker, Joseph Jarman, Renee Baker, Iqua Colson, Steve Colson, Douglas R. Ewart, Mwata Bowden, Khari B, Taalib-Din Ziyad, Saalik Ziyad, Earl Chico Freeman, Maia Sonjia Hubert Harper, Leonard Jones, Edward Kidd Jordan, Rita Warford, Sar Abshalom Ben Shalomo, Rasul Siddik and more.


Please refer to the radio's website for more info on the playlist listed.
Special thanks to DJ Eric Ricks, WNUR and Northwestern University

AACM Official Website
AACM Facebook page
WNUR Radio Station Website

I did an interview with an old friend of mine, John Williams of ArtCry Radio. We talked about various things such as my start in music. My future projects and past projects. We even talked about the Bears and Bulls. The music played on this podcast is available on iTunes. The sings playing were I Fall in Love Too Easily from Twelve Minutes of Love album. Sing a Song of Songs from Classic Duets II, and People Make the World Go Round with Sarah Marie Young also on Classic Duets II. I hope you enjoy this interview. I had a great time.

This was recorded at Northern Illinois University featuring Rich Moore on tenor saxophone, Tom Vaitsas on piano, Joshua Ramos on bass and Nils Higdon on drums. The tunes is normall attributed to Charlie Parker, but it's actually a Miles Davis tune. Lyrics are by Saalik Ziyad

This is from a performance at The House Cafe in Dekalb, Illinois. The crowd was so in to the music, we had a great time. Thought I would share this with you. hope you enjoy!!!!

This is from a live recording at The Velvet Lounge in 2009, A little suite celebrating Black History and New History, the election of President Barack Obama.

The musicians on this recording are Saalik Ziyad, Fred Jackson Jr, Jerome Croswell, Taalib-din Ziyad, Kirk Brown, Makaya McCraven and Tim Seisser

 

Last March, I had the great opportunity to collaborate with one of Chicago's great piano players and composers, Mr. Ken Chaney. This was a concert for the Bebop Brass series with the Jazz Institute of Chicago and the Chicago Park District, Out of that came a couple of compositions that he wrote and that i wrote lyrics to, This recording is from the "Z" Quartet performing at the Elbo Room. Recorded live on December 7, 2011, it features Saalik Ziyad on vocals, Ross Margitza on piano, Nate Brown on bass and Xavier Breaker on drums. I hope you like it.

Here is a recording of Mal Waldron's ballad Soul Eyes. This is such a beautiful ballad I had to write lyrics to it. The musicians on here are Saalik Ziyad on vocals, Nathan Brown on bass, Ross Margitza on piano and Xavier Breaker on drums.