The Barsh Report April 2016

Upcoming performances:

Wednesday, May 11th, 2016 8:00 PM
Jesse Palter and Sam Barsh
The Jazz Showcase
806 S. Plymouth Ct, Chicago, IL 60605
Chicago, IL

Friday, May 13th, 2016 7:00 PM
Palter Ego
Brushes With Cancer 2016
Revel Fulton Market
Chicago, IL
http://brusheswithcancerchicago2016.splashthat.com/

Friday, June 17th, 2016 8:00 PM
Genr8r / Katalyst Double Bill
Center for the Arts Eagle Rock
Los Angeles, CA

Friday and Saturday, June 24th-25th, 2016 7:00 PM
Sam Barsh Band
The Roxy Hotel
New York, NY
featuring Jaimeo Brown, Jermaine Holmes (from D’angelo and the Vanguard) and other special guests

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Hola everybody, I admit it’s been a minute
Been stalling on this Barsh Report; now I can say I did it!
Not a huge accomplishment, but another one for the books
And the Barsh Report fiends can stop giving me dirty looks  (o;

Not sure where to begin, since I have a bunch of months to cover
Like familiarizing yourself again with a just-off-world-tour lover
I’ll guess I’ll start with the most recent news, then proceed to backtrack
Like a candidate on the debate stage podium (man these fools are wack)

My work made it back to the GRAMMYs this year, with 1 win out of 2 nominations
Kendrick Lamar’s “To Pimp a Butterfly” won Best Rap Album, but lost Album of the Year (amidst mild frustration)
Still this leaves me with zero complaining to do, I’m definitely proud and happy
To have made an album that got widespread attention without being corny or sappy

I’ve written songs on a number of other releases, ranging from ratchet to soulful to smart
The last 4 of which reached the top-5 on the Billboard R&B and Hip-Hop Charts

Anderson .Paak’s “Malibu” is a personal fave of mine
The 2 songs I co-wrote are “Heart Don’t Stand a Chance” and “Your Prime”
BJ the Chicago Kid’s “In My Mind” is diverse and fun
Logic’s “The Incredible True Story” debuted at #1

Ty Dolla $ign’s “Free T.C.” proves he’s anything but prude
And both Raury’s “All We Need” and Shana Halligan’s “Back To Me” evoke an intriguing mood
To help your pain of having no new music be assuaged
You can check these out and more on my website discog page:

http://sambarsh.com/Discography.html

On the jazz tip, I’m still keeping it real and going HAM
Some recent highlights included: Fully Altered’s NAMM Week Jam
A Chicago Xmas blowout show with Maurice Brown
And gigs with Miguel Atwood-Ferguson, Zach Brock and Genr8r here in town

Kurt Rosenwinkel, Kyle Crane and I performed a special trio show
At my favorite spot in Silverlake, the name’s the Thirsty Crow
The double-bill with my trio Brandon Coleman’s band was off the chains
As was Kamasi Washington’s “65-92: The Rhythm Changes but the Struggle Remains”

Plus Vegas back in January with the Motherless Sons
Dan Delacruz, Ian Neville and Max McVeedy provided funk in tons

Things to look forward to include Sid Sriram’s debut EP
The music’s sounding great and we filmed a video recently
Sonreal, a Juno-nominated rapper who Canadians should know
Is set to release his new album stateside; they both have the chance to blow

(as in “up”, not “job,” just thought I’d clarify
because I’m not known for the cleanest mouth, I cannot lie)

OK OK OK I think I’ve gotten up to date
I’ve gotta get back to the grind, it’s starting to get late

Love,
Barsh

The Barsh Report, Summer 2015

Upcoming performances:

Sunday, June 28th, 2015 7:00 PM Sarah Reich's Tap Music Project Miles Playhouse Santa Monica, CA featuring Sarah Reich, Lee How, Danny Janklow, Aaron McLendon, and Jonathan Richards Tuesday, June 30th, 2015 8:00 PM Dontae Winslow and Winslow Dynasty Montreal Jazz Festival Montreal, Quebec Canada featuring Dontae Winslow, Mashica Winslow, Jedi Winslow, Miles Mosley and Gene Coye Wednesday, July 8th, 2015 8:00 PM Kyle Crane Birthday Celebration The Springs Los Angeles, CA featuring James McAlister, Daniel Lanois, Nathan Willett from Cold War Kids. Sam Barsh, Jim Wilson and Jose Perez Wednesday, July 22nd, 2015 8:00 PM Brenna Whitaker Capitol Records Showcase Los Angeles, CA Saturday, July 25th, 2015 8:00 PM Kamasi Washington Los Angeles, CA Wednesday, July 29th, 2015 8:00 PM Brenna Whitaker Gibson Showroom New York, NY

The Barsh Report, Summer 2015

Hello everyone, the summer’s now upon us!
Time to hike, sunbathe and swim (just please not in Gowanus)
I bought a new pair of shorts, and some short sleeve collared shirts
Though I’m still rocking hoodies and jeans most days (studio AC is so cold it hurts)

The first 6 months of the year have been a beautiful ride
Some successes and some setbacks, but I take it all in stride

In February, my work garnered 2 Grammy Awards and another nomination
Kendrick Lamar’s “I” was chosen as the Best Rap Song and Best Rap Performance by the Grammy voting nation
In addition, we received a Best R&B album nomination for Aloe Blacc’s “Lift Your Spirit”
For anyone who hasn’t listened yet, I encourage you all to hear it

Kendrick’s full length album “To Pimp a Butterfly” was finally released
I think its an incredible body of work, to say the least
I co-wrote and played on the song “Institutionalized” which features Snoop Dogg, Anna Wise and Bilal
I’m very proud of the track, the lineup alone says it all

As those in the writing/production world know, its a field of both quality and quantity
These records that got released surely mean a lot to me
But they represent so many other songs and ideas that didn’t make it, which at times can feel lame
A lot of my best work will never see the light of day, but its all part of the game

Other exciting happenings from a couple months ago:

I did an interview for the website Musicians Corner, where I discuss the different phases of my career
Shout to Maria Asplund for making it happen, you can read it here:

http://www.musicians-corner.net/Sam-Barsh---As-a-lead-artist-I-would-have-to-commit-to-a-lifetime-of-touring/

Miguel Atwood-Ferguson’s live DVD taping at the Blue Whale was a truly inspiring show
If you haven’t checked him out yet, he’s an incredible violist/orchestator/composer whose career is primed to blow
The lineup featured some of my favorite players in LA, and anywhere, for real
Jamire Williams, Kamasi Washington, Dennis Hamm, Gabe Noel, Carlos Nino, Jeff Parker, Marcel Camargo, Josh Johnson, Dwight Trible and Jonathan Pinson; these cats can really deal

I played on a few tracks for Danny Janklow’s upcoming album, including one of my songs “The Roastmaster”
Danny’s a great saxophonist whose career is on the rise, and I hope it only grows faster
The album features Ben Williams, John Beasley, Jesse Palter, Jon Pinson, Ben Shepherd, Michael Mayo, Nick Mancini and Eric Reed
He is funding the album thru indiegogo, so you can help him grow his creative seed: https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/danny-janklow-s-elevation-album

In May, on my birthday, I got to film a live video with new Capitol Records hip-hop artist SonReal
I’ve been writing and producing for his upcoming album, along with Rahki, Sid Sriram and DJ Khalil
Myself, Rahki and Ben Williams were part of the live band
Can’t wait to see the results, cuz the filming went better than planned

I hope everyone has a wonderful summer and fall
Saying goodbye for now, wishing prosperity and good health to all

Love,
Barsh

The Barsh Report January 2015

The Barsh Report January 2015
Upcoming Performances

Tuesday, January 27th, 2015 7:00 PM
Kyle Crane / Sam Barsh Duo
Salt's Cure
7494 Santa Monica Blvd.
West Hollywood, CA
Friday, February 27th, 2015 8:00 PM
Zach Brock Trio
Port Richmond Jazz
Port Richmond, CA
http://prjazz.org/
Saturday, February 28th, 2015 7:00 PM
Zach Brock, Sam Barsh, Mark Ferber, Danny Janklow
Squashed Grapes
2351 E Main St.
Ventura, CA
Tuesday, March 3rd, 2015 9:00 PM
Zach Brock, Sam Barsh, Mark Ferber
Blue Whale
123 Astronaut E S Onizuka Street
Los Angeles, CA
http://bluewhalemusic.com/



The Barsh Report Jan 2015 - Grammys, Soul Train Awards, Fall Recap


Welcome to 2015! (not that I'm the gatekeeper)
It's starting off fun and challenging, like an old-school game of minesweeper
I havent done a Report since August, I guess I dropped the ball
So I'll give a rhyming recap of what happened this fall

First on the docket, an exciting proclamation
My work in 2014 resulted in 3 Grammy nominations:

Best R&B album for Aloe Blacc's "Lift Your Spirit"
Best Rap Solo Performance and Best Rap Song for Kendrick Lamar's "I"

"Lift Your Spirit" was a true team collaboration
Helmed by DJ Khalil, one of the hottest in the nation
Shout to the other people who made the record what it is:
Dan Seeff, Danny Keyz, Chin Injeti, Jason Schweizer and others, some of the best in the biz

Kendrick Lamar's "I" was also an effort in the round
Five musicians in the studio for days re-creating the Isley Brothers sound
On the Rakhi-produced track, the old school vibe was ample
So much so that we fooled the press into thinking it was actually a sample

Rahki talks about the process here:  http://www.thefader.com/2014/10/16/beat-construction-rahki


These are the first Grammy Nominations of my career, in fact
Its very cool to be a part of some music that's made an impact

In addition to the Grammy's, something not to be ignored
I and the other writers of "The Man" were nominated for the Ashford and Simpson Songwriter's Award
At the 2014 Soul Train Awards.  And though we never made it to the podium
I was happy just to be nominated, not salty like sodium

Coming up next month, I'm reunited with an old collaborator
The man I did my first proper tour with, and now it's 12 years later
Lo and behold his career has blossomed, he's become a formidable force
As a jazz violinist throughout the world, I'm speaking of Zach Brock, of course

We'll be doing at least three shows in California, and possibly a fourth
We're looking to add one on February 26th (anyone with ideas? please send them forth)
Like a trio of figs, we have three sweet-ass gigs, in San Fran, Ventura and Los Angeles
We hope the tour's fate turns out to be great, unlike Godfather 2 Frank Pentangeli's

Wishing everybody a good start to the new year
Hit the ground running, stay positive, and don't succumb to fear.

Love, Barsh