The centerpiece of drummer L.A. Buckner‘s musical universe is North Minneapolis, aka “over North.” It only makes sense; Buckner is quick to describe his music as “very Black” and the Northside of Minneapolis is the beating heart of the Black community in Minnesota. Buckner himself is a fixture over North, both on the bandstand and as a family man raising his children in the same neighborhood where he grew up.
The Northside has been at the epicenter of almost every musical innovation in the Twin Cities. It was a jazz music hotbed, the genesis of the Minneapolis Sound with Jellybean Johnson, Terry Lewis and Prince and Travitron, Truth Maze and others as the first to bring hip-hop to the Twin Cities. Chances are, if something from Minnesota is filling concert halls around the world, it was grown over North. Buckner pays tribute to his side of town across the album NORFSIDE and with a hyper focus on the song “Norfside.” The album features four versions of “Norfside”: the anthemic and prideful take featuring ace lyricist and fellow Buckner family member Maya Marchelle; the loving, detailed portrait of the neighborhood from legend Muja Messiah; L’Chaim OG’s detailed navigation of the terrain that would make Google Maps jealous; and the instrumental version from Buckner and BiG HOMiE. All four versions are worth multiple spins, but today we put our focus on the instrumental version.
When L.A. Buckner introduces the song at concerts he explains that the arrangement of “Norfside” conveys the story of the Northside. The song starts off beautiful and picturesque, with joy bursting in every measure. L.A. then cautions that the B section will get a little funky, as the Northside itself is wont to do. At that point, Buckner will assure the audience that he and the band have it under control, and indeed they do. This portrait of the epicenter of Minnesota’s musical heartbeat oozes with soul, spirit and the pride of a neighborhood so often overlooked or denigrated from the outside but loved in full measure by the people who call it home. Throw “Norfside” on in your car today and pretend it’s already roll-down-your-window weather; the groove is so warm it practically is.
Hot New Local Singles highlights new, local songs. Minnesota has a lot of great jazz, funk, soul, and jazz- adjacent music, and Jazz88 is highlighting what is fresh.
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