JJ Cale - Closer To You
“Of all the players I ever heard, it's gotta be Hendrix and JJ Cale who are the best electric guitar players... musically, he's actually more than my peer, because he's got that thing. I don't know what it is.” - Neil Young
There's really too much to discuss when we're talking about JJ Cale. You could start with his immeasurable contribution to the rock n roll song book (After Midnight, They Call Me the Breeze, Cocaine, etc...), or you could look at the number of musicians who cite him as influential (see Neil Young's take above). You might just notice how cool he was. Our thing with JJ might be the way that, even though he flew well below the radar of radio and the masses, his music has remained astonishingly vital, singular and resonant. For nearly 40 years he quietly released album after album of some of the most idiosyncratic recordings you'll ever hear. Closer to You is what you might call a "late career masterpiece". It is flush with the hallmarks of JJ's sound: easy (nearly lazy) guitar playing, a bedroom-like intimacy and the most uncanny sonic experimentation. His music sounds like it was made just for you to hear. Orenda and I can trace our romantic roots to late nights in Brooklyn listening to JJ’s music— we named our restaurant after him. We hope you’ll fall in love (with someone and maybe JJ Cale’s music) too! - Peter Hale (guest curator)
Reina Huaman Silva - Amazonas, Peru
Reina Huaman Silva is a member of the Café Amoju cooperative in Northern Peru. The cooperative is relatively new, established in 2016, and provides services such as technical assistance, training, certifications, and financing to the more than 300 producer members. Reina produces Caturra and Catuai on her 2.5 ha farm, located at 1800-2000 masl in the department of Amazonas. We are so excited to offer her coffee-- the cup is so vivid and juicy, with mouthwatering cherry candy, sweet hibiscus-like florals, and a lingering vanilla and caramel finish.
