I’m honored to bring to you an exclusive mix I curated for Made In NYC and The Pratt Center For Community Development. Made In NYC’s mission is “to support a vibrant manufacturing sector in New York City. Local manufacturing encourages entrepreneurship and innovation, creates employment opportunities for New York’s extraordinarily diverse workforce and gives the city much of its character and soul. New York City is home to almost 7,000 small manufacturers employing 65,000 people. They make everything from pianos (Steinway in Queens) and landing gear for spacecraft (Vahl in Brooklyn) to food, fashion, film and furnishings which are the largest sectors within manufacturing. What this incredibly diverse community has in common is a commitment to producing high-quality, high-value products, often customized to meet the needs of particular consumers.”

Consumer can use Made in NYC to:
-Shop directly from local manufacturers
-Find the latest in food, fashion, furnishings and other products from emerging designers
-Reduce carbon emissions and promote sustainable development by buying local
-Create jobs in your community.

Manufacturers can use Made In NYC to:
-Expand their markets and reach more consumers
-Find local suppliers and contractors
-Extend into new supply chains
-Use the Made In NYC logo to educate consumers about their products. 

This is an important part of New York City Commerce and it was a pleasure to be able to be a part of it. The mix you have before you is an eclectic mix of New York City musicians, producers, and artists.  I tried to stay as close to artists who were born, raised or lived in New York City during their career.  There are a few artists that I dubbed honorary New Yorkers for obvious reasons; the music was that good or is synonymous with one of the five boroughs.  In two hours, I wanted to give a broad overview of what I believe are great NYC artists and the music they make.  This blend of Funk, Soul, Jazz, Latin, and Hip Hop has artists you may know, and a good share that you may not.  The important part of it is that they are New Yorkers in one way or another. It was done all live and in one take and showcases some of the artists in NYC from the 1950’s right up to the present day.  It’s not every artist, but a cross section of musicians that I feel are important to the beautiful City of New York. I want to thank The Pratt Center for Community Development and Made In NYC for giving me the opportunity to curate such a unique project, and am proud to call New York City my home.  

Made In NYC: The Music
Curated and Mixed by Flea Market Funk

Gil Scott-Heron – New York City
Menehan Street Band – Make The Road By Walking
Sugarman 3 – Solid Funk
Roy Ayers – We Live In Brooklyn
Arturo O’Farrill & The Latin Jazz Orchestra – Caravan
DJ Nu Mark feat. Charles Bradley – Don’t Play Around
The Village Callers – Hector
Grand Wizard Theodore – Subway Theme
Antibalas – Beaten Metal
Melvin Sparks – Get Ya Some
Gregory Porter – 1960 What?
TNT Band – The Meditation
Lee Moses – Reach Out
Weldon Irvine – Do Something For Yourself

Beastie Boys – Open Letter To NYC
Galt MacDermot – Ripped Open
Ronnie Foster – Summer Song (Diamond D Remix)
Willie Colon & Hector LaVoe – Ghan’e
Lee Fields & The Expressions – Money I$ King
Cross Bronx Expressway – Help Your Brother
Joe Bataan – Latin Strut
Ray Barretto – Soul Drummer
Randy Weston – In Memory Of
Sharon Jones & The Dap Kings – My Man Is A Mean Man (DJ Spinna Remix)
Billie Holiday – Glad To Be Unhappy (DJ Logic Remix)
CSC Funk Band – Funk Shoppe

Here’s some info about each artist:

1. Gil Scott-Heron’s spoken work and music efforts are well known throughout music history to be thought provoking and revolutionary. This track, “New York City” is taken from 1976’s It’s Your World with Brian Jackson. This song was recorded at Electric Lady Studios in NYC.

2. Menehan Street Band are a Brooklyn, NY based band featuring members of The Budos Band, The Dap Kings, Antibalas, and El Michels Affair. Named after the street their studio is located on in Bushwick, Brooklyn, their Funk and Soul sound has been sampled by Jay Z, 50 Cent and Kid Cuti.

3. Sugarman 3 were one of the first Funk and Soul revival bands that played in NYC during the 90’s. Headed by saxophone player Neal Sugarman, their label, Desco Records set the bar for future NYC based Funk and Soul labels such as Daptone, Truth Soul, Electric Cowbell and others.

4. Roy Ayers was not born in NYC, however he is an honorary New York musician, as his “We Live In Brooklyn” has been a theme for Brooklynites since it was released. His collaborator on this record, pianist Harry Whittaker, was a staple on the Downtown Jazz scene here in the City.

5. Pianist Arturo O’Farrill is the son of band leader Chico O’Farrill and has played with the who’s who of Jazz: Dizzie Gillespie, Lester Bowie, Wynton Marsalis and others. His Latin Jazz Orchestra has won a Grammy and O”Farrill has taught Jazz as a professor at several colleges.

6. Charles Bradley, a Brooklyn native, was discovered by Daptone Record head honcho Gabe Roth while he was performing as a James Brown impersonator called “Black Velvet”. Bradley has since released two records on Daptone under his own name and has led the charge in a revival of Funk and Soul music. Here he collaborates with DJ Nu-Mark and Aloe Blacc.

7. The Village Callers are an East LA Chicano Soul band. This record was produced by NYC native Hector Rivera, who was also an accomplished pianist, composer and arranger.

8. Grand Wizard Theodore, credited as the inventor of scratching records, contributed this track to the classic 1983 B Boy/ Graffiti classic Wild Style.

9. Antibalas are a Brooklyn based Afrobeat band. Taking a cue from Fela Kuti as much as the Harlem River Drive Orchestra of Eddie Palmieri, the band’s fusion of both styles keeps audiences dancing while simultaneously carrying the torch of African and Latin rhythms to the future.

10. Melvin Sparks was a Jazz and Blues guitar player who recorded for Prestige, Blue Note Records and others. As a sideman to legends like Charles Earland, Brother Jack McDuff, and Lou Donaldson as well as a plethora of other musicians, Sparks is known for some funky sides. This is from one of his Westbound Records sides in 1975.

11. A West Coast musician that now resides in Bed-Stuy Brooklyn, Gregory Porter’s two releases on Blue Note Records feel the spirit of Donny Hathaway and combine a soulful vibe that Stevie Wonder and and many Soul Jazz keyboardists would be proud of. Although this song is of Detroit, NYC echoed a revolution that was one in the same in that time period.

12. The TNT Band were a Boogaloo / Latin Soul band from New York City. They recorded on Coutique Records from 1968 until 1970 and released this heavy Latin Soul 45 called “The Meditation.

13. Lee Moses was an Atlanta, GA transplant and a session guitarist in NYC during the 1960s. His record, Time and Place is a must have Soul record and sought after by many collectors. This cover of The Four Tops is another great example of this talented musician’s contribution to NYC music.

14. Weldon Irvine, bandleader of the great Nina Simone, wrote over 500 songs, including
Simone’s “Young Gifted and Black”. His releases are coveted among beat makers and record collectors, and tragically committed suicide in 2002.

15. The Beastie Boys are one of the most influential Hip Hop acts to ever perform. Native New Yorkers, they introduced Jazz, Funk, and Soul records to a whole new audience by sampling these obscure artists through their music. The influence throughout their entire career can not be denied. The three are the epitome of New York musicians, preserving its music history past, present, and future.

16. Galt Mac Dermot, a Canadian transplant relocated to NYC in 1964. He wrote the music for the Broadway musical Hair, and his catalog of Soundtrack, Jazz, and Funk records have been sampled by MF Doom, DJ Premier and others. Mac Dermot’s records have cult status, and his diverse offerings are in demand.

17. Diamond D is a Bronx born Hip Hop producer known as a member of D.I.T.C aka Diggin’ In The Crates. He is well known for digging deep and crafting beats sampled from records of a broad range: From Three Dog Night to Jack Bruce to this Ronnie Foster remix from Blue Note’s The New Groove Volume 1.

18. Willie Colon & Hector LaVoe offer up an African children’s song off of Colon’s 1970 La Gran Fuga record. This record was a bit different than normal NYC Salsa records, but the two kept it funky all the same.

19. Lee Fields & The Expressions are definitive Funk and Soul music out of Brooklyn. Little JB (that’s James Brown to you) has been wooing audiences with his energetic and heartfelt performances for decades. The Expressions are the new JB’s (or LF’s if you will). They know how to hit it and don’t show any signs to quit it.

20. Cross Bronx Expressway are band out of NYC that released a hard to get funky Disco on Zell’s Records in the 70’s. The two sider gave us “Cross Bronx Expressway” and the B Side “Help Your Brother” which is on this mix.

21. Joe Bataan is undeniably The King of Latin Soul. An East Harlem Native, Bataan’s cover of the Impressions “Gypsy Woman” on the celebrated Fania label put him on the map. Bataan is a legend in the Boogaloo genre, and his credits include label owner, musician, as well as a producer.

22. Ray Barretto, a percussionist and Spanish Harlem native was a major contributor to the Latin genre during his 40 year career. An in demand player starting with Charlie Parker in the late 40’s, Barretto’s played, recorded, and made great music well into the 1990s.

23. Randy Weston was a New York City pianist from Brooklyn, NY. Trained in classical piano, Weston’s later 60’s music contained a lot of African elements and rhythms, and his Jazz opened ears to the incorporation of Africa to the present day. He remains one of the most celebrated piano players of our time today.

24. Sharon Jones & The Dap Kings are known world wide for their funky sound. The backing band behind the late Amy Winehouse’s Back to Black record, the Dap Kings lend their main sound to the fabulous and enigmatic singer Sharon Jones. She has been at the forefront of the 60’s Funk and Soul sound that the Daptone label is known for (also out of Brooklyn), and keeps in the tradition of fine female Soul singers such as
Aretha Franklin, Irma Thomas, and Lyn Collins.

25. Billie Holiday’s NYC exploits are well known, and Bronx born producer and disc jockey DJ Logic remixes Lady Day and her excellent side “Glad To Be Unhappy”.

26. The CSC Funk Band are a melting pot of talented musicians that cite Sun Ra and Funkadelic as influences. As part of the Electric Cowbell Records stable out of Brooklyn, the band contains members who have worked with Anthony Braxton, Bad Manners, and GWAR among others.

Listen to the mix from my mixcloud page.

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