As many of you have read, this month is not only Black History Month, but J Dilla Month, in honor of death on February 10 as well as what would have been his 35th birthday on February 7. (More on that shortly.) To celebrate, Mochilla (the label founded by acclaimed photographers Brian “B+” Cross and Eric Coleman) have released Miguel Atwood-Ferguson and Carlos Niño’s A Suite for Ma Dukes on iTunes. The EP features orchestral translations for a quartet of beloved J Dilla productions: Tribe’s “Find A Way,” Slum Village’s “Fall In Love,” Common’s “Nag Champa” and Dwight Trible and the Life Force Trio’s “Antiquity.” The vinyl version drops in April. All proceeds benefit J Dilla’s mother, Maureen “Ma Dukes” Yancey.
On Sunday, February 22, Niño and Atwood-Ferguson will lead a 40-strong orchestra in a special performance of A Suite for Ma Dukes. The concert, part of the “Timeless: The Composer/Arranger Series” produced by Plug One faves ArtDontSleep, takes place this Saturday, February 22 at California State University-Los Angeles’ Harriet and Charles Luckman Fine Arts Complex. Special sets from DJ House Shoes and J. Rocc round out the program.
Here’s some footage of a jam session featuring some of the orchestra members:
Photo by Grace Oh.
