The Otis Jackson, Jr. Appreciation Society (aka MADLIB Sound System)

Coming straight outta Oxnard, Otis Jackson Jr., a.k.a. Madlib is the youngest member of our illustrious league of Appreciation Societies. Hip hop DJ, producer, lyricist, multi-instrumentalist, expert musicologist and crate-digger extraordinaire, Madlib (also known as The Beat Konducta in addition to a wide host of aliases and alter-egos) is arguably America’s most creative and certainly […]

Space is the Place: the Sun Ra Appreciation Society

What is not to appreciate about the inimitable Herman Poole Blount, known forever as his professional persona, Sun Ra? One of the most prolific musicians of the 20th Century (recording over 1000 songs), the self-professed extra-terrestrial from the planet Saturn here on Earth to invite all Earthlings seeking a brighter today and tomorrow to join him […]

‘Beat’ Takeshi Kitano Appreciation Society

Takeshi Kitano: the renaissance man, the mythological beast, the living legend. Simply put, and in all seriousness, one of the greatest and most multifaceted actors, directors, writers and artists of our time.

FELA KUTI IS MY PRESIDENT

If you are unfamiliar with Fela Anikulapo Kuti, suffice to say that he was one of the funkiest and grooviest musicians the world has ever seen who tended to perform live concerts wearing only a speedo and a fur coat surrounded by his 29 wives (who were also his backup singers). A gifted multi-instrumentalist and […]

Roy Keane Appreciation Society

Saint John William Coltrane

John Coltrane, the consummate seeker, innovator, paradigm expander, spiritual quester and musical GIANT, revolutionized and transformed jazz and modern music on his fearless journey into the infinity of inner space. He has been canonized as a saint by the African Orthodox Church and won a posthumous Pulitzer Prize for “masterful improvisation, supreme musicianship and iconic centrality to the history of […]