Ropeadope

Olu Dara comes to the studio in brooklyn with his guitarist. it's cold, rainy, a monday. olu gets in, lights up (the room) with a smoke and a smile, walks into the control booth and asks "so, what are we doing here".  i tell him the vibe of the album, the mood of the song, and he rubs his chin. sets up with guitarist, they talk some music talk, make some notes on a pad, ask me about my kids (samson and charlie) and then bust out "walking through harlem" in one take (9 minutes total) while improvising the story of my boys moving from brooklyn to philly in the first part of the song.   if you click here and scroll down you can hear (or buy) the song (and the album).   more here.  get it now for $5 here.