Talib Kweli came out as a special guest at a Lettuce show at Terminal 5 in NYC a couple years ago, and we have the audio of the BKMC rockin Move Somethin, The Blast and Get By with the band.  You can also check out the full set over at Archive.org.   Hit the jump for the stream/download.

Lettuce (ft. Talib Kweli) – “Move Somethin” @ Terminal 5, NYC 10-2-10

Lettuce (ft. Talib Kweli) – “The Blast” @ Terminal 5, NYC 10-2-10

Lettuce (ft. Talib Kweli) – “Get By” @ Terminal 5, NYC 10-2-10

To commemorate our 3 year anniversary since we launched, we’re proud to present our first mixtape compilation, The Vaults Vol. 1.  This compilation features exclusive, previously unreleased recordings from The Roots, Mos Def, Lupe Fiasco, Q-Tip, Robert Glasper, Talib Kweli, Phonte, Shad, Pharoahe Monch, Kano, Tanya Morgan and Joe Budden.  Tracklist and download instructions after the jump.

1. Intro
2. Shad – I Dont Like To
3. Kano – Upside (ft. Michele Breeze)
4. Lupe Fiasco – Scream
5. Joe Budden (ft. The Roots) – Hottest In The Hood
6. Pharoahe Monch – Let’s Go
7. Q-Tip – Verses From The Abstract
8. Reflection Eternal – Love Language
9. The Roots – Now Or Never
10. Phonte & Robert Glasper Experiment – Lovin’ It
11. Tanya Morgan – We’re Fly
12. Mos Def – Umi Says > Casa Bey

Download:  To download The Vaults, Vol. 1, all you need to do is Like All The Way Live on Facebook, then click the “Only Likers” tab to reveal the download link.  Check us out on Facebook by clicking here  http://on.fb.me/ATWL, or on the sidebar of this page.

Last summer, Black Moon performed Enta Da Stage in its entirety at Southpaw in Brooklyn backed by a full live band.  The event was part of the Red Bull Music Academy’s World Tour and it was streamed online for everyone around the world to enjoy.  Here is the soundboard audio rip of the top notch set.

Download:  Link  |  Alt Link  |  Alt Link  |  Alt Link  |  Alt Link

Earlier this month, Idle Warship performed at SOB’s in NYC.  Two notable highlights from the set was an extended rendition of The Blast, backed by the live band, as well as Bun B coming out to rock Strangers.  Here is audio of both songs, as well as a video of the full concert.

Talib Kweli (ft. Bun B) – “Strangers” @ SOB’s, NYC 1-4-12

Talib Kweli (ft. Res) – “The Blast” @ SOB’s, NYC 1-4-12

Big thanks to our friends over at Funk It who just posted a pro-shot video of The Roots’ entire performance from last year’s Lowlands Festival.  The show took place in August on a brief European tour right after bassist Owen Biddle left the group.  Mark Kelley hadn’t become a member of The Roots yet, but Tuba Gooding Jr. stepped up the low nicely, filling in with his sousaphone.  Full video from the European TV broadcast can be streamed below, and you can download the audio as well.

Intro > How I Got Over > Here I Come > Mellow My Man:

Mellow My Man (continued) > Drums > Mellow My Man > Jusufckwithis > Fantastic > You Got Me Intro:

You Got Me > Sweet Child O’ Mine > Bad To The Bone > You Got Me > Immigrant Song / Monster:

Immigrant Song / Monster (continued) > Get Busy > Jungle Boogie > The Next Movement > The Seed:

The Bottle > Move On Up > Men @ Work:

AUDIO DOWNLOAD:  Link / Alternate Link

To this day, I still attest that the jam sessions The Roots held for 32 weeks at Highline Ballroom in NYC were the best string of concerts the band has done in their entire career.  For further proof, here’s our exclusive audio recording of The Roots jammin and tearing through incredible renditions of Table of Contents and 75 Bars, with some help from Vernon Reid (from Living Colour), Truck North and Yoshi Takemasa (from Antibalas).  We’ve also embedded some great footage below of the performance courtest of Okayplayer and Noisemaker Media.

The Roots (ft. Vernon Reid, Truck North, Yoshi of Antibalas) – “Table of Contents > Jam > 75 Bars” @ Highline Ballroom 4-1-09

Marc Cary, an emerging jazz pianist out of NYC, launched his vision of hip-hop at Harlem Stage’s Gatehouse as he directed a dedicated core of musicians joined by some talented emcees.  The highlight of the night hands down went to Phonte, who handled the mic with ease doing a rendition of If You Dont Love Me with the band, with some sick freestyles and solos added in.  Check out the band lineup and exclusive recording below.

Marc Cary’s Hip Hop Experiment
Marc Cary – Keys and MD
Phonte – Guest Vocals
Louis Cato – Drums
Earl Travis – Bass
Ray Angry – Keyboards
Igmar Thomas – Trumpet
James Casey – Tenor sax
Chelsea Baratz – Alto sax
Corey King – Trombone
Nir Felder – Guitar
Yarbrough Laws – Flute and Percussion

Marc Cary’s Hip Hop Experiment (ft. Phonte) – “If You Dont Love Me” + Freestyles @ Harlem Stage, NYC

K-Murdock of Panacea let loose an amazing gift for the holidays this week, a recording of a live performance Panacea did after the release The Scenic Route.  The 90 minute performance was recorded in front of small, intimate audience in XM Satellite Radio’s Live performance studio for K-Murdock’s show, Subsoniq.  The incredible set features songs from both Panacea as well as R.P.M. (the larger group that Panacea is a part of for those who dont know).  This set has Patrick Fritz on guitar, Adam Hopkins on bass, Jon Laine on drums, Aaron Gause on keys/trumpet, K-Murdock on the MPC and Raw Poetic handling the mic.  Trust me, you don’t want to miss this one, and also check out some more live Panacea we previously posted here.

You can stream or download the show from the widget above, or you can download our tracked version here:
Link, Alternate Link or Alternate Link 2.

Setlist:

1. The Scenic Route
2. Work Of Art
3. Ecosphere
4. There U R
5. Less Is More
6. Place On Earth
7. Bubble
8. Pops Said
9. Sliders
10. Sleepwalkers
11. Poetry Bum
12. Starlitte
13. Pulse
14. Classic
15. Poetron

As we head into the final days of 2011, its time to reflect back on the musical releases this year and examine the best music from the past 12 months.  Compiling this list was no easy task as it was a year stacked with quality releases.  As with last year, since the focus of this site is always live music and we’re discussing studio albums, we’re providing a new live song from each artist who made the list.

 1.   THE ROOTS – UNDUN
Its not often when you can find a band who has been around for over 25 years and is 13 albums deep in the game (actually now 14 thanks to Betty Wright).  Its even more obscure when that 13th album is among the best in their catalog, but hey, they dont call them The Legendary for nothing.  Undun marks The Roots first concept album, showcasing the life and struggles of Redford Stephens, a fictional character inspired by the troubled youths of Philadelphia in the 1990s.  Don’t let the album’s brief length fool you, as every note and lyric are poignant and relevant to the narrative.  While The Roots’ can be seen in their playful, lighter side on Late Night With Jimmy Fallon nightly, the album is a stark contrast- a powerful reinforcement that The Roots are masters of their craft.

iTunes | Amazon

The Roots – “Make My (ft. Dice Raw)” (Live in NYC)

2.   M.ANIFEST – IMMIGRANT CHRONICLES: COMING TO AMERICA
M.anifest brings a unique sound to hip-hop, heavily rooted in his Ghana heritage, with live instrumentation and a distinct African vibe.  Immigrant Chronicles effortlessly transports the listener to the streets of Accra- and its journey you will want to take repeatedly as he delivers sharp rhymes over lush beats with ease.  This album is not to be missed.

iTunes | Amazon

M.anifest – “Spell Check” (Live)

3.   RECESS – RECESS
Recess is a Brooklyn-based collective, consisting of Sene and the band, The Clubhouse.  I had always been a fan of Sene, but when Recess formed, his music was elevated to whole new level.  I had the privilege of seeing Recess perform twice this year, and each time was blown away by how tight they sound as a group.  They aren’t necessarily a household name yet, but you would be hard pressed to find a better live band to see and their debut album deserves to be heard.  With features from Fresh Daily, Don Will (of Tanya Morgan) and Blu, any true fan of hip-hop would be missing out by passing this over.

iTunes | Bandcamp

Recess – “The Gentlemen” (Live in NYC)

4.   BLITZ THE AMBASSADOR – NATIVE SUN
As you probably already know, we’re huge supporters of Blitz as he topped our Best of 2009 list.  As the follow up to the acclaimed Stereotype, Native Sun takes his vision even further, combining boom bap hip-hop and an incredible horns section with his native Ghanian culture and music.  The album is a tribute to his homeland, and you’ll often find him rapping in his native language, Twi, and even singing on a few cuts as well.  Equally as impressive as the album is the accompanying short film of the same title, which was filmed on location in Ghana.  Its inspiring film-making and the visuals further absorb the listener into the music (take notes Kanye, this is how you make a music film).

iTunes | Amazon

Blitz The Ambassador – Best I Can (Live in NYC)

5.   CUNNINLYNGUISTS – ONEIROLOGY
As one of the most consistent groups in hip-hop, Oneirology was almost a shoe-in to make our list before it even was released.  Kno kicked it up a notch on this album creating some of his best beats to date and Deacon and Natti shine as usual.  The albums is dark and moody, with hints of psychedelic undertones woven into the beats.  Its not a very radio friendly album- and I say that in a good way.

iTunes | Amazon

Cunninlynguists – “Nothing To Give” (Live in NYC)

6.   CHRIS FAUST – FAUST
The artist formerly known as Print is reborn as Chris Faust, and with the name change comes a different approach to his music.  The album contains no samples and is purely derived from organic beat making, with live instrumentation and a rich melodic sound, largely from the exceptional producer Ibe.  FAUST is based on the play Dr. Faustus and is brought to life with witty wordplay and inspiring beats.

iTunes | Amazon

Chris Faust – “Maybe Now Begins (ft. Sunny Jones)” (Live in Brooklyn)

7.   KENDRICK LAMAR – SECTION.80
2011 was a huge year for Kendrick as he rose to fame in the hip-hop scene, with a feature on Drake’s Take Care and the release of Section.80.  He was even crowned “New Prince of the West Coast” by Snoop Dogg, Dr. Dre and Game while onstage together at a concert this past summer.  Section.80 truly outshines his previous releases as he honed his great storytelling skills (see Keisha’s Song) and was blessed with top notch production.

iTunes | Amazon

Kendrick Lamar – “Lookout For Detox” (Live)

8.   THE BLACK KEYS – EL CAMINO
The Black Keys have yet to release a subpar album, and their latest offering, El Camino, is no exception.  While they have traded in their minimal drums-and-guitar set up for a fuller sound, the quality hasn’t suffered as their infectious tunes continue to effortlessly blend blues, rock and pop.  They deserve to be on this list alone just for the hilarious video for Lonely Boy.

iTunes | Amazon

The Black Keys – “Lonely Boy” (Live @ The VGAs)

9.   PHARAOHE MONCH – W.A.R.
My only complaint about Pharoahe Monch is that it takes him too long to release albums.  However, when he does release music, its guaranteed to have rewind-worthy lyrics and head-nodding production.   W.A.R. marked his first release since signing to Duck Down Records and was a return to a boom-bap hip-hop sound, fitting right in with his Duck Down family.  The short film for Clap, starring Gbenga Akinnagbe (from The Wire) is definitely worth checking out as well as it brings the message of the song to fruition with sharp visuals.
iTunes | Amazon

Pharoahe Monch – Clap (Live in NYC)

10.   SCIENZE – WHEN SKIES FALL
Scienze has been grinding on the New York hip-hop scene for some time and finally began receiving some long overdue recognition in 2011.  When Skies Fall is his strongest releaset yet and is an homage to the roots of hip-hop, back when it was just about great beats and rhymes.  Its consistent, soulful production is reminiscent of J Dilla and it features guest verses from Asher Roth and Chris Faust, among others.

iTunes | Amazon

Scienze – “Driver’s Ed” (Live in Brooklyn)

HONORABLE MENTION:

• Phonte – Charity Starts At Home
• Common – The Dreamer, The Believer
• Funky DL – BlackCurrentJazz 2
• Kanye West & Jay-Z – Watch The Throne
• Friendly Fires – Pala

TOP 10 MIXTAPES / FREE RELEASES:

1. Asher Roth – Pabst & Jazz
2. Big K.R.I.T. – Return To 4eva
3. Lupe Fiasco – Friend of The People
4. Kris Kasanova – War Paint
5. Fresh Daily – The Quiet Life
6. Danny Brown – XXX
7. Elzhi – Elmatic
8. Money Making Jam Boyz – The Prestige
9. G-Do & Xception – Felatastic (A Tribue to Fela Kuti)
10. Logic – Young Sinatra

To commemorate the launch of Quest Loves Eats (yes, Questlove has a catering company), the mighty afro took over both the Blue Note stage and kitchen for a night of good eats and good music.  The set featured collabs with Black Thought, Brass Heaven among others, but the highlight of the night was Bobby McFerrin and Rahzel sharing the stage together, with Questo backing on drums.  The jam was pretty insane, and you can witness for yourself after the jump.

Questlove + Bobby McFerrin + Rahzel – Jam (Live @ Blue Note, NYC 12-5-11)
Questlove + Bobby McFerrin – Jam (Live @ Blue Note, NYC 12-5-11)