Indy In-Tune #104: Bashiri Asad Returns

Let this be a lesson to all of my musician friends, and anybody who asks me for an opinion about music. I am mostly-incapable of doing reviews, critiques, or criticisms of music. I wish I could, but in case you haven't noticed by now, I love music and cant for the of me offer a negative opinion about anybody's songs, or say anything disparaging about anybody that puts their heart and soul into a composition -- therefore I wouldn't begin to call anything I write a "review." Now, I am perfectly capable of offering a deconstructive or comparative analysis of your music (have to do something with all those music theory and appreciation courses I took in college), or I can give you a nice promotional write up in the blog (courtesy of five years working for a marketing company), but that's about all the credibility you're going to get from me. I don't pretend to be a critic, or an expert of any kind on this show. I aspire to be nothing more than a geeky fanboy with a microphone and very amateur production values who obsesses over local, independent music. Case in point, my old friend, Bashiri Asad emailed me a couple of weeks ago and asked if I would do a review of his new album (which I had already heard and loved, by the way). Of course I told him I'd write up a nice blog post to promote it, but wouldn't it be much more fun if we got together for drinks, played some tracks, and talked about it for an hour or so? Thankfully, he agreed. You'll probably remember Bashiri from Show #065, when I referred to him as an up-and-coming talent in the local scene. Since then he's cut two albums, broken out regionally, toured the east coast, and played with some big names in the hip hop, soul, and R&B circles ... so for once I was right. While the Heart Spoken project we promoted on that show was more of a hip hop/soul hybrid, his latest album, I am One, is more of the classic crooner meets modern sounds variety. Six simple tracks (plus a bonus tune) do a great job of showcasing the diversity in both his voice and composition, going a long way towards explaining why he has no trouble recruiting some of the best talent in the business to back him up. Whether you're catching him in a jazzier setting with Xenobia Green, in a studio setting doing something a bit more contemporary or electronic, or branching out by incororating a little spoken word or hip hop in his songs, you're sure to hear a treat from this unique talent. Links referenced in the show: Bashiri Asad can be found here: MySpace | Facebook | ReverbNation | Twitter. He was last heard on Show #065 back in 2009 He currently has a residency at the Jazz Kitchen on the last Wednesday of the month, where he and his promotions and managment outfit Backspin Management and Montaj Entertprises host a showcase that has, in the past, featured such artists as Tamika "Love" Jones, Jerami Matlock, Veronique, LaShawn Phoenix, Dexter Kendrick, and others. This show was recorded at the Chatterbox Jazz Club, one of my favorite places to catch live music here in town, and one of seven "happy places" I keep scattered across the planet. This represents the fourth time I've tried to record there, but the first time it's actually happened. Bashiri's first album, I am One, can be purchased from Bandcamp. His latest album, The Space Between, can be purchased here: Bandcamp | iTunes | Amazon. It was produced by Robert Hornberger, Jr., who is most famous for his work with Whitney Coleman. "In the Air" features the vocal talents of Ms. Tasha Jones His live band, Xenobia Green, is a rotating lineup that has at various times included the likes of Brandon Meeks (who also fronts a jazz quartet called Native Son), Richard "Sleepy" Floyd (of Jared Thompson's Premium Blend, Melvyn Rhyne, Bill Lancton, and Finer), Doug Ford, Justin Brewer, Chad Greenwald, Reggie Bishop, Zack Lapidus, and spoken word artist Tony Styxx whose work set an incredible mood and provided a perfect enhancement to Bashiri's set the night we recorded this interview. Bashiri is a member of the Nu Soul Collective. Andrew AK-Soul Keaton of AK Productions handles Bashiri's national booking Bashiri will be Opening for Lalah Hathaway in Lousiville on December 22 at the Jazzy Blue Cafe. Bashiri endorses the distribution services of Dittomusic.com. We allude to his previous work with Pariah da Poetic on the Heart Spoken project and on a musical called "The Birth of Soul" with Joyce Licorish.