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Grandmaster Flash on the Secret of his Success

As a kid growing up in the Bronx, Joseph Saddler was fascinated by his father’s record albums and turntables. As Grandmaster Flash, he used that fascination to pioneer hip hop DJing, cutting and sound mixing. First, hip hop historian Jeff Chang talks about the legendary DJ's influence. The, the Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Fame inductee himself takes us insidet he guts of a turntable and talks about his new memoir, The Adventures of Grandmaster Flash: My Life, My Beats.

Grandmaster Flash will appear tonight at 7 p.m. at Barnes & Noble-Bay Plaza, 290 Baychester Avenue in the Bronx, and tomorrow at 7 at Book Revue in Huntington, N.Y.

Our Blog: John Schaefer explains why Grandmaster Flash was the soundtrack of New York in the '70s.

"The Adventures of Grandmaster Flash: My Life, My Beats" on Amazon.com
Grandmaster Flash website

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CD Picks of the Week

Douglas J Cuomo: Arjuna’s Dilemma

The hit movie so far this year is Sex and The City, and the score includes a number of references to the familiar theme from the TV series. That theme is probably Douglas Cuomo’s most famous work. But Cuomo’s new CD is a far cry from the world of high fashion and champagne cocktails. Arjuna’s Dilemma is a chamber opera, inspired by the Hindu scripture, the Bhagavad Gita. And so it uses both Western and Indian classical elements, mixed with jazz and Gregorian-style chant, to create a tale of conflict between duty and conscience. A theme that, unfortunately, never seems to go out of fashion. – picked by John Schaefer

Soul Science – Justin Adams and Juldeh Camara (World Village)

Rock’n’roll pioneer Bo Diddley died last week, but the beat he created lives on. The latest musicians to re-invigorate it are British guitarist and producer Justin Adams and Gambian fiddle player Juldeh Camara. Adams is often referred to as the English Ry Cooder for his explorations with world music. And Camara is a virtuoso of the ritti, a one-stringed fiddle. With two amazing musicians and a Bo Diddley beat, what can go wrong? The album is called Soul Science. – Picked by Gisele Regatao

Olivier Messiaen: 1908-1992 Olivier Messiaen, Pierre Boulez, Ensemble Intercontemporain, Reinbert de Leeuw, Asko Ensemble, Maarten Bon, Slagwerkgroep Den Haag, Schönberg Ensemble, Groof Omroepkoor et Radio Symfonie Orkest Hiversum, Koor van de brt Bruxelles (Naïve)

Which 20th century composer has been an influence on The Simpsons creator Matt Groening, Radiohead guitarist Jonny Greenwood, and architect Daniel Libeskind? It was French composer Olivier Messiaen. Messiaen died in 1992 and this year, he would have celebrated his 100th birthday. In commemoration, a new 6-CD box set has been released featuring a number of landmark performances. Included in the set is "Des canyons aux etoiles," (From the Canyons to the Stars) a piece that marked the bicentennial of the U.S. in 1976, and which portrays the canyons of Utah, complete with birdsongs, thunderstorms, and a kaleidoscope of colors. – picked by Brian Wise

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Mason Jennings

Mason Jennings was among the two dozen artists tapped to provide the voice of Bob Dylan for director Todd Haynes' rock biopic, "I’m Not There." (Christian Bale lip-synched his versions of "The Lonesome Death of Hattie Carroll" and "The Times They Are a Changin'.) His trademark folk rave-ups – and a few spiritual journies – dominate the tracks on the new "In the Ever" album, released by songwriter, label honcho, and Jennings' upcoming tourmate, Jack Johnson.

Mason Jennings performs tonight at Living Room at 9pm.

Mason Jennings on MySpace
Video: "Fighter Girl"

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