In 1993, superhero Sun Ra left the chaos of planet earth. But the planet is now in desperate need of spiritual healing. As music is the healing force of the universe, Sun Ra is the only one that can save us. That’s why Super-Sonic Jazz founder and astronaut Kees (KC The Funkaholic) went into space, searching the stars for Sun Ra. Every week, space cadet Kees is awaken from his hyper sleep, to bless us with some timeless music at the radioshow ‘Round Midnight at NPO Soul and Jazz. For Super-Sonic Jazz, he’ll share some extra tunes and stories. This week he talks about the Mizell brothers and their signature sound.
This week Kees will be talking about the track Think Twice. “This track has been sampled and reproduced many times. For example by Erykah Badu, or house and club enthusiasts might recognize it from Detroit Experiment or Henrik Swartz’s remix, but perhaps the most famous version is Looking at the Front Door by Main Source.
However, let’s focus on the original by Donald Byrd. Donald Byrd, a trumpeter, started playing in big bands as a teenager, including Lionel Hampton’s. He gained breakthrough success with Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers, primarily playing bop. In the ’70s, he transitioned to jazz-funk fusion as a solo artist. Despite criticism from the jazz purists of the time, the public loved it, and he even made it to the Billboard charts. His band The Blackbyrds also topped the charts with their hit, Rock Creek Park.”
Round Midnight
Every Wednesday from 23:00 – 23:59, Super-Sonic Jazz founder Kees (KC The Funkaholic) broadcasts from his space limo, hurtling through space in search of Sun Ra and musical healing – while sharing timeless tracks. Listen to the NPO Soul & Jazz radio show ‘Round Midnight of 31 January:
