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