Needle Drop Record

Nina Simone once said, “Jazz is not just music, it's a way of life, it's a way of being, a way of thinking.” And more than one person has said the same about hip-hop which is surely one of the primary reasons they go so well together.

Eddie Palmieri once said, “There are a lot of young musicians out there performing what they think is Latin jazz but instead is jazz Latin. And there's a difference... My mission is to keep [Latin jazz] alive.”

Miriam Makeba once said, "African music, though very old, is always being rediscovered in the West." This week's Needle Drop Record by Fatoumata Diawara certainly fits that bill for me. And I'm guessing it will for you, too.

Tina Turner once said, “Sometimes you have to let everything go - purge yourself. If you are unhappy with anything - whatever is bringing you down - get rid of it. Because you will find that when you are free, your true creativity, your true self comes out.”

Fannie Lou Hamer once said, "Sometimes it seems like to tell the truth today is to run the risk of being killed. But if I fall, I'll fall five feet four inches forward in the fight for freedom. I'm not backing off."

John Lennon once said, “Music is everybody's possession. It's only publishers who think that people own it.” It's good he thought that, considering how many albums have built on his sound over the decades, including this week's Needle Drop Record.

Author Oliver Cadam once said, “To would-be writers, don't worry about imagination; real-life and human nature will provide you with more shocks and surprises than you could ever conjure in your head. Just look around and observe.”

Ziggy Marley once said, “Reggae has a philosophy, you know? ... It was my dad’s idea that music is supposed to be more than simply about entertainment and making a living, but about being of service as an integral part of the consciousness of the world.”