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Joe Gatto

I love to write about all kinds of eclectic, funky music from around the world.

About Me

I enjoy digging for, compiling, curating, sharing, and writing about all kinds of eclectic, funky music from around the world because it makes me feel so good when I listen to it I want to turn like-minded music lovers on to the sensational sounds I'm always discovering. I've always had a passion for musical discovery, whether old or new, from Brazil to Brooklyn & across the globe, there is a rich world of music culture to explore. It's all music rooted in the African diaspora — groovy, jazzy, funky, syncopated, soulful sounds, made with heart — joyful music that resonates with your soul. How you define it isn't important — it's that you get to hear it & enjoy it — that you feel it. It's all out there for us to experience. Now it's just a matter of finding it, organizing it, and ideally sharing & enjoying it with other cool people. My intention with Funkish is to provide for you carefully curated sonic pleasure. I'll write articles around a playlist, and talk a bit about each song and artist. You can also expect reviews of new albums — funky, jazzy, genre-bending music that's often too cool to categorize. If you're open minded to lots of different Jazz, then I think you'll dig a lot of the music I highlight in this column because it's mostly instrumental, improvisational, poly-rhythmic, and diverse in where it comes from and who makes it. Sign up to get free playlists of eclectic, funky music from around the world at http://www.funkish.audio/sign-up-for-free-funky-spotify-playlists/. You'll look forward to a musical variety of dope tunes arranged in a way you'll love, to inject joy into your day. You'll also be able to blow away your friends with all the dope new music you can turn them on to. I do the digital digging, researching, and uncovering sonic gems, old & new, representing a variety of funkish genres — music that blends & crosses musical boundaries — so you don't have to spend time searching for awesome new music to listen to. Let me turn you on to dynamic grooves that you may have never heard before...but you'll surely love.

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My Jazz Story

My personal best Jazz story/experience is while on vacation in New York City in July 2014, I got to go with my good friend to the memorial service for great Jazz piano player, Horace Silver. We heard the announcement on New York’s best Jazz radio station WBGO, and decided to go. Mr. Silver’s family, friends, fans, and plenty of Jazz musicians (like Lou Donaldson telling great stories) packed an old Episcopalian church in the Lower East Side, played his music, and eulogized this great man. We walked out feeling full of soul. I’d never felt such a soulful vibe before. I love jazz because it makes me feel great when I listen to it! So, I listen to it a lot. I don’t have words for how to describe the feelings conveyed in Jazz. Music teachers come up with wonderful adjectives, and can turn a phrase to communicate what it’s like to hear the opening notes of “Freddie Freeloader” for example. Me, I just like to listen to it. I like to search for Jazz songs that are new to me, or re-listen to an iconic track with new ears. I want to keep having that groovy feeling I get when I hear Jazz I haven’t heard before, yet immediately grabs my attention and keeps coming with layers of soulful music. The best Jazz show I ever attended was Christian McBride Trio at the Columbus Jazz & Ribs Festival. He is such a gracious showman, and his band grooves hard! My advice to new listeners is to explore the vast catalogs on the iconic labels like Blue Note to get into the Hard Bop players, explore the New Orleans sound, get hip to the current Jazz musicians that make the art form thrive today—and broaden your horizons & enrich your life with the world's most soulful music.