mark lafaro

@whatisraregroove

writer & vinyl dj

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mark lafaro@whatisraregroove· Apr 3

Name your fav album cover

The album cover for Tokyo Sniper by Ryusenkei - a young Japanese woman with her hands on her hips in athletic wear stopped on an empty road

mark lafaro@whatisraregroove· Nov 8

Sessa’s new album Pequena Vertigem de Amor is another winner - improving on their 2022 record Estrela Acesa was a tall order, and they somehow managed to pull it off. For folks who like the chill side of MPB and Verocai-esque arrangements, you will love this record #musicsky #vinylsky #mpb

A vinyl copy of Sessa’s new album Pequena Vertigem de Amor

mark lafaro@whatisraregroove· Oct 25

his crusade against Dippin Dots lives rent-free in my head. what a bizarre little man…

Screen shots of Twitter posts from Sean Spicer:

“Dippin dots is NOT the ice cream of the future”

“I have said this before but Dippin Dots are notthe ice cream of the future”

“If Dippin Dots was truly the ice cream of the future they would not have run out of vanilla cc @Nationals”

mark lafaro@whatisraregroove· Oct 19

this movie is a fucking blast some of the worst (best) dubbing i’ve ever experienced, but the fight choreography is LEGIT and features an unironically terrific performance by Billy Chong. Hua Shan’s an underrated director, and makes some interesting cinematographic choices throughout ##vhs

A VHS copy of Sun Dragon starring Carl Scott with a $3 price tag against a backdrop of VHS tapes

mark lafaro@whatisraregroove· Oct 14

what a masterpiece “songs in the key of life” level of musical perfection

mark lafaro@whatisraregroove· Oct 14

devastated. so glad i got to be alive while this man was making music

a black and white picture of D’Angelo with smoke billowing in the background

mark lafaro@whatisraregroove· Oct 14

this picture was a long time in the making, props to Selva Discos for helping me complete the set this past weekend. if you’re unfamiliar, all three albums are brilliant, some of the finest music to ever come out of Bahia and some of the most beautiful, haunting harmonies ever recorded

mark lafaro@whatisraregroove· Oct 12

*finally*

A picture of the hardcover edition of Pynchon’s Shadow Ticket held up in front of a bookstore

mark lafaro@whatisraregroove· Sep 29

in my head they all sound like this guy

mark lafaro@whatisraregroove· Sep 19

but THE find was this Japanese OG poster! it’s like i was a magnet for Ogami Ittō ephemera

A movie poster for Lone Wolf and Cub: Sword of Vengeance depicting Ogami Ittō cradling Daigoro

mark lafaro@whatisraregroove· Sep 19

legendary run of in-the-wild finds while i was between apartments #vhs #dvd #physicalmediaisking

VHS copies of Ghost Dog (The Way of the Samurai), Lone Wolf and Cub: Sword of Vengeance, and David Lynch/Julee Cruise/Angelo Badalamenti’s Industrial Symphony No. 1

DVD copies of Shogun Assassin 1&2, Shaolin Rescuers, and Five Deadly Venoms

mark lafaro@whatisraregroove· Aug 19

one of the biggest Jazz “what ifs” of all time

Evans said that LaFaro had been "one of the most, if not the most outstanding talents in jazz." Legendary bassist Ray Brown added,
"This was one of the most talented youngsters I've seen come up in a long time. For his age, he really had it covered. ... It's a shame, really a shame. It's going to set the instrument back ten years." Motian noted, "We were supposed to make a record date with Miles [Davis]: the trio, Bill, myself and Scott... We were talking to Miles about it, it was all set up, and then Scott got killed and the whole thing got forgotten."

mark lafaro@whatisraregroove· Aug 15

Kirk Van Houten’s “Can I Borrow A Feeling” on cassette (with the tape mangled) shown in a still from The Simpsons

mark lafaro@whatisraregroove· Aug 7

what a joy revisiting a few of his albums tonight. it’s tough to overstate what an innovative composer Eddie Palmieri was. #music #jazzsky #vinyl #raregroove open.spotify.com/album/4fIT7F...

A vinyl copy of Eddie Palmieri’s Vamanos Pa’l Monte

mark lafaro@whatisraregroove· Aug 7

Idle Hands had been a cigarette/bathroom break fixture of my DJ sets for yeaaarrrrrs

the inner sleeve of Harlem River Drive with the words “Idle Fuckin’ Hands! 85 BPM” written on it

mark lafaro@whatisraregroove· Aug 7

RIP to the great Eddie Palmieri treat yourself to this record tonight if you’re unfamiliar, one of the best albums of the 70s, any genre, IMO. socially conscious with insanely infectious grooves #music #vinyl #jazzsky #raregroove open.spotify.com/album/5xS4yA...

A vinyl copy of Eddie Palmieri’s Harlem River Drive

mark lafaro@whatisraregroove· Aug 3

been posting a song a day over on my IG, playlist below if you want to check it out. 14+ hours of music and 214 unique artists, mostly rare groove/funk/soul/jazz/leftfield/disco. open.spotify.com/playlist/1av...

mark lafaro@whatisraregroove· Jul 20

went down a bossa jazz rabbithole tonight, ending here. doesn’t necessarily go for huge dollars (especially compared to a lot of similar-sounding records from 65-66) but IMO it’s an absolute masterpiece. love that the original 65 pressing was only on this translucent pink vinyl, such an odd quirk