For three days, this house on the Northern California coast served as Gemini Soul’s recording studio for the new CD,
Dark Skin Babies : The Movement (to be released Jan. 20, 2009). The house is part of the Sea Ranch colony 100 miles north of San Francisco, known for its environmentally sensitive planning and architecture where homes harmonize with the natural setting of coastal bluffs, meadows and forests of pine and redwood. Deer passed through the meadow in front of the house, munching grass. Percussionist Waahid spotted a white harbor seal on one of his morning walks. We experienced all four seasons during our stay, arriving during an unseasonable heat wave that gave way to dense fog, then wintry overcast and, finally, a brief spring-like rain that cleared to blue skies.
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Tags: Gemini Soul by Jon O
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Barack Obama’s inauguration ceremony was graced with two sensitive musical performances. First, Aretha Franklin delivered a powerful, rousing version of “My Country, ‘Tis of Thee” (aka “America”). In 1831, Samuel F. Smith set new words to the tune of the British national anthem “God Save the King/Queen,” and the song served as a de facto national anthem for the U.S. for much of the 19th century. Aretha’s rendition transformed the rather tepid lyrics into something profound, proving that she still deserves the title Queen of Soul (take THAT, “Hey, Nineteen”!). [Read more →]
In November, Gemini Soul spent three days at Sea Ranch on the Northern California coast recording the new double CD Dark Skin Babies : The Movement (to be released January 20, 2009). We set up our equipment in the second story living room with windows looking out at a meadow and the Pacific Ocean — the ideal creative environment. The songs were all improvised based on themes and patterns composed by bass player Ajamu Akinyele. 
The band is setting up for a rehearsal when Ajamu is shocked plugging in an amp. He awakes to find he has been transported back to the funky 1970s with bell bottoms, platforms, afros, and Soul Train lines. This second music video by jazz/funk fusion group Gemini Soul is an affectionate spoof of that dance-crazed decade. 
