Dwele with the Suite for Ma Dukes Orchestra – “Angel”

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On March 30, Mochilla will release a DVD box set of three incredible performances set in Los Angeles: Suite for Ma Dukes, Mulatu Astatke and Arthur Verocai at the Harriet and Charles Luckman Fine Arts Complex. These three performances took place during last February and March and boasted rare appearances by American and foreign artists.

The first in the series features Ethiopian jazz legend Mulatu Astatke, perhaps most famous in the U.S. for comprising the soundtrack to Jim Jarmusch’s Broken Flowers. Astatke and his band–featuring Miguel Atwood-Ferguson, Bennie Maupin, Azar Lawrence and Phil Ranelin–performed both classic and new material, an event that prefaced Astatke’s tour with the Heliocentrics.

Timeless 2 celebrated the life and music of James “Dilla” Yancey with Miguel Atwood-Ferguson, a 60-piece orchestra and several of Dilla’s long-time friends and collaborators, including Bilal, Dwele and Talib Kweli. Grammy-winning producer Bob Power mixed and mastered the live recordings which honored the late J Dilla with orchestral renditions of his famous songs. Part of the proceeds will go toward Maureen “Ma Dukes” Yancey and the Dilla Estate, who are responsible for maintaining the legacy of the artist’s work.

The last part in the series featured the legendary Brazilian composer Arthur Verocai, whose self-titled 1972 record was released during the height of dictatorship in his country. Over the past few decades, hip-hop producers and DJs have sampled Verocai’s work, which is soulful and layered, and for the first time ever, Verocai performed his record to an enraptured crowd in Los Angeles.

Mochilla will release the box set in a limited and numbered edition of 4,000 copies featuring liner notes, poster, downloadable songs, slideshows and extra features.

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Pre-order now at http://mochilla.com/timeless