?uestlove To Teach 'Classic Albums' Course At NYU

Great News! Sign me up! Ahmir '?uestlove' Thompson now known as 'Professor ?uesto' will be joining the NYU staff this Spring to teach a "Classic Albums' course. According to Billboard.biz, The Roots' drummer will be joining Universal Music Enterprises vice president of A&R and Grammy winning reissues producer Harry Weinger to co-teach the course at the Clive Davis Institue for Recorded Music at NYU's Tisch School of the Arts this coming Spring semester.

The two credit class is expected to look at albums including Sly & The Family Stone's Stand!, There's a Riot Goin' On, Aretha Franklin's Lady Soul, Led Zeppelin's IV, Prince's Dirty Mind, Michael Jackson's Off the Wall, and the Beastie Boys' Paul's Boutique among others.

Jason King, associate professor of recorded music and head of history and criticism at the Clive Davis Institute, told Billboard.biz the class will focus on the concept of what it means for something to be called classic or seminal, as well as take a close look at the music, lyrics, production, business aspects -- such as promotion and marketing -- that informed the release and reception of the album, and try to provide a context as to why these albums have stood the test of time.

We wanted to bring [?uestlove] in because we felt he should really be a professor; in a lot of ways he already is an informal, unofficial professor, not just in hip hop but in music in general, King told Billboard.biz. He's one of the smartest people in music, besides being a fantastic musician. We thought [this class] would speak to his strengths.

Click here to keep up with 'Professor ?uesto' on Twitter

Artwerk :: A Young Quincy D. Jones by Nikki Yanofsky

I happened to stumble across this amazing pencil sketch of a young Quincy D. Jones in my twitter timeline this week. I absolutely knew I was going to share it so I added it to my favorites on twitter until I could get this opportunity to post and share.

Not only am I impressed with the sketch of a young Quincy D. Jones, the legendary producer, bandleader, musician and visionary, but I am also impressed by the artistic talent of the young lady that sketched it. The sketch artist happens to be 18 year-old, Canadian born, music prodigy and Jazz singer Nikki Yanofsky. She recently sketched her mentor Quincy D. Jones and like with most of her sketches, she shared it via twitter. I had become familiar with Nikki as a Jazz singer over the years but who knew she had these hidden sketch talents?

Nikki began her professional singing career at age 12 by being the youngest headliner at the 2006 Montreal International Jazz Festival. Since her debut in 2006 Nikki has performed internationally at jazz festivals and major concert venues both solo and alongside such well-known artists as Herbie Hancock, Quincy Jones, Wyclef Jean, Celine Dion, Marvin Hamlisch and The Count Basie Orchestra.

BELOW: Nikki Yanofsky "Airmail Special" with Quincy Jones Montreux Jazz 2011

Follow Nikki Yanofsky on twitter @NikkiYanofsky where she shares more of her beautiful sketches while keeping her fans and the jazz community up to date about her upcoming music.

CHOKLATE :: WIDE OPEN - VIDEO PREMIERE

On October 16th 2012 Seattle-based singer/songwriter CHOKLATE will release her highly anticipated 3rd studio project as an independent artist. Following the release of her 1st single Wide Open CHOKLATE premieres the 1st official video from her upcoming project FLY. The video for Wide Open was directed, shot and edited by ZakiRose Media Affiliates (www.zakirose.com).

Check out the new video below as CHOKLATE takes us back to those unforgettable 80s with a feel good, disco laced, rollerskating jam produced by Vitamin D. We couldn't have asked for better visuals to represent this dancefloor jam. CHOKLATE and her team nailed it! She brings her viewers along for the fun! We always appreciate CHOKLATE for keeping the music fresh and oh so FLY and not to mention having loads of fun while she works! Peep the video, have some fun and enjoy!

Producers on FLY include: Musiq Soulchild, Kuddie Fresh, Marcus D and longtime collaborative partner, Vitamin D and it features collaborations w/ Musiq Soulchild and Phontè Coleman of Foreign Exchange and Little Brother fame.

Wide Open the single from the highly anticipated FLY project is available at iTunes Now!

For More Choklate Info Visit The All New CHOKLATE Website at www.choklateonline.com

Also Follow CHOKLATE on Twitter @Choklate and @ChoklateMusic

Filmwerk :: Jean-Michel Basquiat - The Radiant Child a film by Tamra Davis

Centered on a rare interview that director and friend Tamra Davis shot with Jean-Michel Basquiat over twenty years ago, this definitive documentary chronicles the meteoric rise and fall of the young artist. In the crime-ridden NYC of the 1970s, he covers the city with the graffiti tag SAMO. In 1981 he puts paint on canvas for the first time, and by 1983 he is an artist with "rock star status." He achieves critical and commercial success, though he is constantly confronted by racism from his peers. In 1985 he and Andy Warhol become close friends and painting collaborators, but they part ways and Warhol dies suddenly in 1987. Basquiat's heroin addiction worsens, and he dies of an overdose in 1988 at the age of 27. The artist was 25 years old at the height of his career, and today his canvases sell for more than a million dollars. With compassion and psychological insight, Tamra Davis details the mysteries that surround this charismatic young man, an artist of enormous talent whose fortunes mirrored the rollercoaster quality of the downtown scene he seemed to embody.

Featuring interviews with Julian Schnabel, Larry Gagosian, Bruno Bischofberger, Tony Shafrazi, Fab 5 Freddy, Jeffrey Deitch, Glenn O'Brien, Maripol, Kai Eric, Nicholas Taylor, Fred Hoffmann, Michael Holman, Diego Cortez, Annina Nosei, Suzanne Mallouk, Rene Ricard, Kenny Scharf, among many others.

The Radiant Child (Part 1 of 7)

The Radiant Child (Part 2 of 7)

The Radiant Child (Part 3 of 7)

The Radiant Child (Part 4 of 7)

The Radiant Child (Part 5 of 7)

The Radiant Child (Part 6 of 7)

The Radiant Child (Part 7 of 7)

Filmwerk :: Once Upon A Time In New York: The Birth Of Hip Hop, Disco and Punk [Full Length BBC Documentary]

In the 1970s the Big Apple was rotten to the core, yet out of the grime, grit and low rent space emerged new music unlike anything that had gone before. Once Upon A Time In New York chronicles how the squalid streets of '70s New York gave birth to music that would go on to conquer the world - punk, disco and hip hop.

Inspired by the Velvet Underground, a new wave of 'punk' rock emerged in lower Manhattan including The New York Dolls, The Ramones and the Patti Smith Group. Meanwhile, downtown loft parties held by gay New Yorkers heralded the birth of disco, which would eventually spawn the ultimate club for the privileged few: Studio 54. The swanky mid-town discos were out of bounds to black New York so in the Bronx DJs such as Kool Herc, Grandmaster Flash and Afrika Bambaataa created their own parties, heralding the birth of hip hop.

Film features David Johansen, Patti Smith, John Cale, Richard Hell, Grandmaster Flash, Afrika Bambaataa, Kool Herc, Nile Rodgers, Chuck D, Tommy Ramone, Chris Stein, Fab 5. Freddy, Lenny Kaye, Tina Weymouth, Chris Frantz, Syl Sylvain, Nicky Siano, David Mancuso, DJ AJ, David Depino, Jayne County, Leee Childers, Nelson George, Victor Bokris and Vince Aletti.

Alice Smith is 'SHE' - Her Kickstarter Success

It's been a few years since we've heard from Grammy-nominated singer/songwriter Alice Smith. We were introduced to her debut album, For Lovers, Dreamers and Me, via BBE Records in 2006. Since releasing her debut Alice Smith spent the last few years growing, searching, learning hard lessons and ultimately finding her way in this thing called "The Music Business". Because things are not always what they seem and everything that glitters ain't gold, Alice Smith has finally reached a point in her life where she is able to make her own career decisions and move forward with her plans to release new music, tour and connect with the people who mean the most....her fans.

After making some solid connects and crunching some numbers, Alice figured out a way to "make a dollar out of 15 cents." She decided to turn to Kickstarter to open up about her need for financial assistance and to raise the funds needed. She exceeded both goals! Who better to understand your journey and fund your project than your fans and supporters right?!?!

With all the heartbreak and frustration that is an artistic life, Alice is finally at a very exciting place! 'SHE' is about to get funded on Friday Sep 28. With just 14 days left 'SHE' Kickstarter has exceeded its goal of $15,000.

You still have time to make a contribution. More is always good and will be put to brilliant use. Click here to contribute and to read Alice's very open and honest story about her journey from major to indie. It's a very inspiring journey and we wish Alice and her team so much success with the new album 'SHE' scheduled for release in early 2013. We Can't Wait!

Visit Alice Smith's Official Website

Follow Alice Smith on Twitter

Blue Note Records Launches Innovative New Spotify App

EMI Music’s legendary Blue Note Records has announced the launch today of an innovative new app within the popular online music streaming service Spotify. The Blue Note app provides a rich user experience by creating a space to explore and discover music spanning the entire history of the label from 1939 to present.

The Blue Note app traces the label’s evolution from the early jazz of Sidney Bechet to the trailblazing bebop of Thelonious Monk, from Art Blakey’s quintessential hardbop thru Ornette Coleman’s avant-garde flights, from Jimmy Smith’s grinding organ soul jazz leading to Donald Byrd’s funky R&B fusion and on into today’s modern explorations such as Robert Glasper’s unique blend of jazz with hip hop, and beyond. The app’s design and functionality allow the listener to discover by performer, album, style, instrument or year, providing several easy entry points into the music for jazz novices, as well as the ability for jazz aficionados to dive deep into Blue Note’s unrivaled catalog. The app also incorporates Spotify’s trademark social features such as building playlists and sharing favorite tracks with friends.

Key Features:

TIMELINE – Explore the Blue Note catalog chronologically from the label’s very first recording session with boogie woogie pianists Albert Ammons and Meade Lux Lewis in 1939 to the most recent album, Heritage by African jazz guitarist Lionel Loueke, which was released last month. The app features every Blue Note title available in Spotify.

FILTER – Explore the catalog by musical style, era or even by instrument. The Artists and Blue Note 101 sections offer a filter to help guide the user through the label’s different styles of music: Tradition (Thelonious Monk, Jason Moran), Groove (Lou Donaldson, Robert Glasper) and Voices (Dianne Reeves, Norah Jones).

BLUE BREAK BEATS – Blue Note partnered with the website Who Sampled to take the user on a tour of music that contains samples from the Blue Note catalog, placing the original versions alongside the sampled versions by artists such as Beastie Boys, Chemical Brothers, Common, Madonna, The Roots, A Tribe Called Quest, Usher, and Wu-Tang Clan.

SHOP – Peruse Blue Note merchandise that riffs off of the label’s influential visual style, including t-shirts, sweatshirts, hats, bags, and more.

DOWNLOAD APP FOR FREE