Muphoric Sounds 30- Maylee Todd

Heres a short write up about Maylee Todd's new LP. Go read and listen por favor.
In case you're scratching your head, Im a visual artist yes but I like music and I write about it occasionally.

Jazz Portraits 29-Meshell Ndegeocello (revisited)

This is a print, so if you'd like a copy of this original 11"x17" piece, go here to the store.

I decided to revisit Meshell for fun and because I felt i could improve on the last illustration of her. I know the songs i list in my piece are not all Jazz Songs, but that is the beauty of music. What is Jazz really? What is any musical genre? Sure there are rules, but often people don't even know what they want to see or hear until they experience it, then it changes the rules with out asking permission.

About this piece. I decided to mix up various photos of her and I know it does not look exactly like her, but that wasn't the point. The point was to have fun and just interpret through my lens. Also, I wanted to share her music with any of you music lovers who are not yet familiar with her sound.

I've been a fan of her music for quite some time, if you get a chance, support her by getting one of her many and diverse records. One love!

Short Story 16- The Mail Lady

Positive Wall Affirmation "Grow"

This word started out as something else, then it grew to be this. Grow. Pwa's are back. In case you just tuned in and are wondering what these are about, take a look at some of the previous words.

Muphoric Sounds 29-Talia Taylor

I met Ms Talia Taylor as a teacher and was blown away by her rhyme skills consequently when sitting in the audience of a Real nerds Mixtape party by CocoPelia. I was shocked and pleasantly surprised when i saw her up there rocking, and even further pleased when I heard her on Rocky Rivera's swagger Jackin and the Real Nerds mix. Wrote up a lil sumn on her. Keep an ear out for her.... LINK

Doris

Today, nearly seven years ago my grandma Doris passed away. She was a classy lady with a whole lot of love, a sense of humor, a fighting spirit, and an unbelievable spirit. That spirit lives on today in me and all of her grandchildren.I painted this piece when my son was only two years old and when TYS had its first show in Oakland for All City Sacred. The fact that I had my first date with my lady on this day rings especially beautiful and meant to be.

Bambu + Karman

You know Bam is bringing it as usual, and Karman? Well damn, this youngster got heat!

Muphoric Sounds 28- George Duke

If you know Bay Area hip hop, you know this song has been played in old schools all over the bay since the late 80s. Another IN THE TRUNK piece for you funk lovers on George Duke and "The Dukey Stick" LISTEN

Jazz Portrait 28- Donald Byrd (Trumpet)

I can't believe I have not done a new Jazz Portrait since October. A compilation poster of all the portraits and the typography thus far will be ready soon for your viewing and purchasing enjoyment. In the meantime, this one is available as an 11" x 17" digital print.

 The design stems from blah blah blah. Nada, it was fun to create,punto. And the words are of some of my favorite Donald Byrd songs. Please support his music.

I think the first time I was introduced to Byrd (Rest In Peace) was through Black Moon out of Brooklyn. Like many hip hoppers of the time I was eager to find out where the hell these sounds they were using came from. I found that other groups such as Digable Planets, Gangstarr, Dilla, and more were sampling his work and it opened my mind to his music. I wont do a whole bio but he played traditional and fusion, and he's one of the few Jazz musicians like Ron Carter who played WITH hip hop groups instead of complaining about how they didnt get this or that. Don Was (Blue Note) wrote a nice piece about him. And peep this concert of him performing with The Blackbyrds( I think), a group of young musicians from Morehosue college who he took under his wing.Annnd the Mizell Brothers!

If anyone has connects to his family, let me know. I would love to work with them to work towards his memory. RIP.

Dig this? Check out this one of Bobbi Humphrey

Also, peep this 2009 collab w/Joy Liu and Sake 1

Children's Painting 1-Joaquin

This cute little boy is Joaquin. He's about 7 i think. Hes one of my sons classmates at school and his parents won this painting in an auction last spring. Its taken me forever to finish, but the design and it's contents are mostly his ideas. He writes and draw cool little stories about legos and wanted something related to flying or aeronautics. So, I made him look a bit older and put a space suit on him.
Hopefully this will be the first of many large paintings/and/or mini murals. The portraits have been fun! Especially for the little ones, now if you know someone who wants a small mural or large painting like this for their child's bedroom, a local library, school, daycare, playground, hospital, museum, etc. You get the point.