Your Game: Live at the 9:30 Club Washington, D.C.

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About Your Game: Live At The 9:30 Club

Perhaps no musician more defines a city and a sound than Chuck Brown does Washington, D.C. and go-go. At the age of 67, the godfather of go-go has entertained three generations and still plays to thousands of fans at least three times a week in the D.C./Maryland/Virginia triangle. Go-go is the same age as hip-hop, and shares all of its urban bombast, but it's a live-band thing, and a community thing too. When disco DJs threatened to displace cabaret bands in the '70s, Chuck invented the kinetic, syncopated go-go backbeat and put together continuous funkified sets of originals and covers linked by generous crowd shout-outs and sizzling percussive breakdowns. This recent set, featuring appearances by Trouble Funk and Rare Essence luminaries, has it all: Chuck's exquisite baritone, brilliant musicianship, go-gofied hip-hop, blues and jazz, and breakbeats you can fit a trailer into. If you don't know anything about go-go or Chuck, Your Game...Live At The 9:30 Club might the best introduction you're ever likely to hear. It's definitely one of the best records of 2001. Special bonus: the multimedia enhancements include two videos that put you right in the middle of all the go-go action. --Jeff Chang