Bridging the Gap

This week marks 8 freaky years of Bridging the Gap here on Hawaii Public Radio. so as the freshest host on the program I'll be playing some of my favorite tracks since joining the team. Yes, it's a best of show!

In celebration of 8 years of Bridging The Gap, I'm taking a stroll down memory lane and re-visiting some of my best shows during my tenure as one of its hosts. One of my favorite and most popular shows is the tribute to Territorial Airwaves show I did last year when the program turned 40 years old.

Today is the 8 year anniversary of Bridging the Gap, so Paige and Nick are switching days for this week (Paige will sub in for Nick on Wednesday), and it'll be a collective of favorite and notable songs from the last years.

Mellow, longer, mostly couch-locked nuggets of Downtempo, Soul Jazz and new music fill this session of Bridging the Gap.

Celebrating an early 4th of July with music from all the different colors of this country, songs of freedom and songs of struggle.

In a sort of follow up to yesterday's program and in honor of the recently departed (and criminally underrated) soul singer Willie Wright, we'll be taking the time tonight to do a deep dive into the many Eccentric Soul compilations put out by the Numero Group - cataloging deep cuts put out by lesser known recording houses from the South Side of Chicago to inner city Washington D.C. 

Filling the late night airwaves with reflective Soul and paying tribute to singer/songwriter Willie Wright who passed away at 80.

Keeping it low key, mellow, and smooth tonight with some of my favorite indie and soul artists. Perfect music for relaxation and reflection.  

Keeping the musical vibe mellow, dreamy and slightly psychedelic in this session of Bridging the Gap.

Complicated rhythms mix with electronic percussion and tropical feels tonight in this session of Bridging the Gap. With new music from Captain Planet, Khruangbin, and Atropolis and weaving in and out of Semba, Jungle, Boogaloo, and other global soul.

Before there was Elvis, there was Big Mama Thornton. Before there was Jerry Lee Lewis, there was Big Maybelle. And before there was The Sonics, there was Richard Berry and the Pharaohs. For tonight's program, we take a look (and a listen) at the distinctively black origins of Rock 'n' Roll - from the genres that it developed from like gospel and jump blues, to the early and lesser known black pioneers of the uptempo, fast paced sound that we know know as rock music.

Before there was Elvis, there was Big Mama Thornton. Before there was Jerry Lee Lewis, there was Big Maybelle. And before there was The Sonics, there was Richard Berry and the Pharoahs. For tonight's program, we take a look (and a listen) at the distinctively black origins of Rock 'n' Roll - from the genres that it developed from like gospel and jump blues, to the early and lesser known black pioneers of the uptempo, fast paced sound that we know know as rock music.

This is one of those Bridging the Gap sessions where I couldn't settle on a theme. So I'm leaning back on the traditional AAA format and keeping the selection random and eclectic.

Sometimes, the best music is born out of social movements against injustice. Some songs even end up as rally calls or the theme song for the movement it was born of, and for future movements. Tonight we are taking a look at some of the music that born out of recent movements around the world - most of which are on-going movements that are still active today. 

Exploring mostly new music tonight with a focus on the currrent at state of Jazz.  With new music from Ezra Collective, Blundetto, Bibio and more.

Happy Juneteenth to you and yours. This session of Bridging the Gap will celebrate the end of slavery and hope for a brighter future through sound. Expect a mixture of Gospel, Americana, Soul, and a little Hip-Hop.

What's better than soul and jazz? How about soul, jazz and everything inbetween? Tonight we'll be exploring everything from classic Blue Note jazz legends to modern brass ensembles here on Bridging the Gap.

The offical start of Summer is this Saturday, but i'm jumping ahead just a little and stringing together a sunshine filled summertime set for this session of Bridging the Gap.

It's been a little over a year since my trip to Aotearoa, which happened to be the trip I'd been dreaming of my whole life thus far. It was beautiful, enlightening, culturally enriching, and full of dairy that didn't make me sick! 

Tonight's show is volume two of Māori waiata - including a few new songs that have come out within the past year. Nau mai, haere mai, ki te pae.

Keeping the selection mellow and eclectic for this session of Bridging the Gap, with new music from Norah Jones, Cantoma, Black Pumas and more.

Funky grooves mix into complex rhythms for this session of Bridging the Gap.

It would be impossible not to acknowledge the current state of the country in some way, so to channel that musically we'll be playing protest songs of all sort and genre to channel the mood of upheaval that the nation is feeling.

Keeping the late night airwaves nice and eclectic with a blend of Soul, expiremental Indie Rock, and a little Americana.

Most of the music we hear today has deep roots in black culture - music made by black people - and we would be purposefully ignorant not to recognize and pay tribute to that fact. This show is definitely not finite, and could easily go on for days if not months, but it does allow me to use the two hours I have to highlight black voices both old and new.

Keeping the late night airwaves mellow and cool this evening with a blend of Downtempo, Soul, and Jazz.

This session of Bridging the Gap is random (really random), anchored by new music from Run the Jewels and reaching out into Classic Rock, Funk, and Electro Latin Fusion.

Putting black voices and black musical artistry on display tonight all while looking back on some classic selections of soul, funk and jazz.

In radio slang, a "Music Bed" or "Audio Bed" is an instrumental piece of music that's used to cradle the announcer's voice. We use these and NPR uses these to carry your ear over a section, but you normally only hear roughly 15 to 30 seconds of the song. So for this session of Bridging the Gap, I'm playing some of my favorites, and a few you may hear often on HPR in their entirety.

Letting the music speak for itself and keeping most of my anecdotes to myself tonight because it's not about me - it's about amplifying the voices of those who have gone unheard for generations.

For some persepective, check out this episode of Code Swtich titled, "A Decade Of Watching Black People Die".  

With everything going on in the news right now, from COVID to protests, to Trump... I thought it would be nice to take an audio break with a collection of pretty, mellow Folk, World and Soul. I'll try my best not to make it too political.