Gretchen Parlato - In A Dream
This is the surprise of the package. Another from New York. Quite recent, six years ago. I discovered her around the time I also discovered Avishai [Cohen] and she has worked with Lionel Loueke too. It is like, if you go to Oxford, you have an alumni of Oxford, you have your seniors that you used to look up to, then later on you catch up by graduating and they are already doing their own thing and you have risen too, for your paths to cross. "Ah, you went to?" And then you feature on their album. I'm just guessing. Because the synergy on the projects they did together was cool. I just love the caressing voice. Very nice.

In my formative years, once I moved in with Fela, there was music 24 hours [a day]. He had a DJ on rotation 24 hours in his house. So there was always music going on. And there was everything from jazz, to funk, to soul, to traditional music and everything. So for me, going to bed, this would be in the back. I love that voice taking me to those kind of places where I can sleep and be. It would be a restful sleep.

Listening to these kind of writings and directions also helps me to expand my horizons as a writer. I don't write ballads, I don't write books. Most of my albums are Afrobeat, I have never written a ballad as such. But you know what? I'm going to write a ballad. I've been inspired by Gretchen Parlato to write a ballad, along the lines of one of her tracks. And then when it gets to the improvisational part, I love it.

The whole album for me was a delight and if you are in a melancholy, sentimental, loving mood, with your special one, hanging out, wine, light, dinner, romantic atmosphere kind of thing, very likely [this album playing] in the background, creates a nice atmosphere. Longing together in the aftermath of… a night of ecstasy. That in the background, could be just the right touch!

Woah, thank you Gretchen Parlato! I love that album, man. Can you imagine waking up on a Sunday and this is on in the background, it's like, "I don't want to get up darling. Do you want to get up?" "No, let's chill." "Okay, come back to bed then." "Okay, let me just get us a latte, a skinny latte. We'll have that in bed, yeah?" "Okay, yeah, go and do that!"

So, that's my Baker's Dozen! What do you think?