Saturday, January 5, 2013
Goodbye Pork Pie Hat - Charles Mingus
Charles Mingus Jr. (April 22, 1922 – January 5, 1979) was a highly-influential American jazz double bassist, composer and bandleader. Mingus's compositions retained the hot and soulful feel of hard bop and drew heavily from black gospel music while sometimes drawing on elements of Third Stream, free jazz, and classical music. Yet Mingus avoided categorization, forging his own brand of music that fused tradition with unique and unexplored realms of jazz. He once cited Duke Ellington and church as his main influences. Mingus focused on collective improvisation, similar to the old New Orleans jazz parades, paying particular attention to how each band member interacted with the group as a whole. In creating his bands, Mingus looked not only at the skills of the available musicians, but also their personalities. Many musicians passed through his bands and later went on to impressive careers. He recruited talented and sometimes little-known artists whom he assembled into unconventional and revealing configurations. As a performer, Mingus was a pioneer in double bass technique, widely recognized as one of the instrument's most proficient players. Nearly as well known as his ambitious music was Mingus' often fearsome temperament, which earned him the nickname "The Angry Man of Jazz". His refusal to compromise his musical integrity led to many on-stage eruptions, exhortations to musicians, and dismissals.Because of his brilliant writing for mid-size ensembles, and his catering to and emphasizing the strengths of the musicians in his groups, Mingus is often considered the heir of Duke Ellington, for whom he expressed great admiration. Indeed, Dizzy Gillespie had once claimed Mingus reminded him "of a young Duke", citing their shared "organizational genius". Mingus' music was once believed to be too difficult to play without Mingus' leadership. However, many musicians play Mingus compositions today, from the repertory bands Mingus Big Band, Mingus Dynasty, and Mingus Orchestra, to the high school students who play the charts and compete in the Charles Mingus High School Competition. Gunther Schuller has suggested that Mingus should be ranked among the most important American composers, jazz or otherwise. In 1988, a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts made possible the cataloging of Mingus compositions, which were then donated to the Music Division of the New York Public Library for public use. In 1993, The Library of Congress acquired Mingus's collected papers—including scores, sound recordings, correspondence and photos—in what they described as "the most important acquisition of a manuscript collection relating to jazz in the Library's history". Charles Mingus was born in Nogales, Arizona. He was raised largely in the Watts area of Los Angeles, California. His mother's paternal heritage was Chinese and English, while historical records indicate that his father was the illegitimate offspring of a black farmhand and his Swedish employer's white granddaughter. In Mingus' autobiography Beneath the Underdog he recounts a story told to him by his father, Charles Mingus Sr., according to which his white grandmother was actually a first cousin of Abraham Lincoln. Charles Mingus Sr. claims to have been raised by his mother and her husband as a white person until he was fourteen, when his mother revealed to her family that the child's true father was a black slave, after which he had to run away from his family and live on his own. The autobiography doesn't confirm whether Charles Mingus Sr. or Mingus himself believed this story to be true, or whether it was meant to be merely an embellished version of the Mingus family's lineage. His mother allowed only church-related music in their home, but Mingus developed an early love for other music, especially Duke Ellington. He studied trombone, and later cello, although he was unable to follow the cello professionally because, at the time, it was nearly impossible for a black musician to make a career of classical music, and the cello was not yet accepted as a jazz instrument. Despite this, Mingus was still attached to the cello; as he studied bass with Red Callender in the late 1930s, Callender would even comment that the cello was still Mingus's main instrument. In Beneath the Underdog, Mingus states that he did not actually start learning bass until Buddy Collette accepted him into his swing band under the stipulation that he be the band's bass player. Due to a poor education (much of which was because his early teachers did not think much could come of a black student), Mingus could not read musical notation as a young musician. This had a serious impact on his early musical experiences: since he could not read music, he felt ostracized from the classical music world rather than accepted, and eventually turned from a symphonic path entirely. These early experiences were also reflected in his music, which often focused on racism, discrimination and justice. Much of the cello technique he learned was applicable to double bass when he took up the instrument in high school. He studied for five years with H. Rheinshagen, principal bassist of the New York Philharmonic, and compositional techniques with Lloyd Reese. Throughout much of his career, he played a bass made in 1927 by the German maker Ernst Heinrich Roth. Beginning in his teen years, Mingus was writing quite advanced pieces; many are similar to Third Stream because they incorporate elements of classical music. A number of them were recorded in 1960 with conductor Gunther Schuller, and released as Pre-Bird, referring to Charlie "Bird" Parker; Mingus was one of many musicians whose perspectives on music were altered by Parker into "pre- and post-Bird" eras. Mingus gained a reputation as a bass prodigy. His first major professional job was playing with former Ellington clarinetist Barney Bigard. He toured with Louis Armstrong in 1943, and by early 1945 was recording in Los Angeles in a band led by Russell Jacquet and which also included Teddy Edwards, Maurice Simon, Bill Davis and Chico Hamilton, and in May that year, in Hollywood, again with Teddy Edwards, in a band led by Howard McGhee. He then played with Lionel Hampton's band in the late 1940s; Hampton performed and recorded several of Mingus's pieces. A popular trio of Mingus, Red Norvo and Tal Farlow in 1950 and 1951 received considerable acclaim, but Mingus' mixed origin caused problems with club owners and he left the group. Mingus was briefly a member of Ellington's band in 1953, as a substitute for bassist Wendell Marshall. Mingus's notorious temper led to him being one of the few musicians personally fired by Ellington (Bubber Miley and drummer Bobby Durham are among the others), after an on-stage fight between Mingus and Juan Tizol. Also in the early 1950s, before attaining commercial recognition as a bandleader, Mingus played gigs with Charlie Parker, whose compositions and improvisations greatly inspired and influenced him. Mingus considered Parker the greatest genius and innovator in jazz history, but he had a love-hate relationship with Parker's legacy. Mingus blamed the Parker mythology for a derivative crop of pretenders to Parker's throne. He was also conflicted and sometimes disgusted by Parker's self-destructive habits and the romanticized lure of drug addiction they offered to other jazz musicians. In response to the many sax players who imitated Parker, Mingus titled a song, "If Charlie Parker were a Gunslinger, There'd be a Whole Lot of Dead Copycats" (released on Mingus Dynasty as "Gunslinging Bird"). By the mid-1970s, Mingus was suffering from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. His once formidable bass technique suffered, until he could no longer play the instrument. He continued composing, however, and supervised a number of recordings before his death. Eminent music journalist Stephen Davis sympathetically snapshot Mingus's final years in a rare piece titled "Ten Takes on Charles Mingus" published in Zero: Contemporary Buddhist Life and Thought, Vol. 3 (Autumn, 1979). Mingus did not complete his final project of an album named after him with singer Joni Mitchell, which included lyrics added by Mitchell to Mingus compositions, including "Goodbye Pork Pie Hat", among Mitchell originals and short, spoken word duets and home recordings of Mitchell and Mingus. The album featured the talents of Wayne Shorter, Herbie Hancock, and another influential bassist and composer, Jaco Pastorius. Mingus died aged 56 in Cuernavaca, Mexico, where he had traveled for treatment and convalescence. His ashes were scattered in the Ganges River. If you support live Blues acts, up and coming Blues talents and want to learn more about Blues news and Fathers of the Blues, - ”LIKE” ---Bman’s Blues Report--- Facebook Page! I’m looking for great talent and trying to grow the audience for your favorite band!
Loomis Concert Is A Blast!! Rhythm Room Phoenix January 5, 2013
What gets a true pro football fanatic away from his big screen TV when the NFL Playoffs are on... almost nothing! Well, tonight Hamilton Loomis Band made their debut in Phoenix and I chose his concert set and put the DVR on record to catch the football game. I have been wanting to see this guy for a long time. (Long time friend and sometime contributor Stilladog from Westminster MD. turned me on to Loomis a number of years back but our paths had never crossed.) Excellent decision!!! The Hamilton Loomis Band may put on one of the best shows on the road today. Native Texan Hamilton Loomis is not only a great song writer but an exceptional performer. This is my first opportunity to see Loomis live and in person and I can tell you every single person at the Rhythm Room in Phoenix, Arizona tonight was blown away by the show. Loomis is literally a one man blues funk machine with an incredible voice, terrific guitar skills and a super harmonica sound but he is full of energy and his enthusiasm is contagious. Not enough to have a terrific performer leading the band but Loomis surrounds himself with three musicians who would be standouts in any band. Sax player Fabian Hernandez was absolutely incredible tonight sounding more like a band leader than a backing player. He had beautiful tone and massive chops. He also fills in on keys and backing vocals. New to the band is Armando Aussenac on drums (and vocals) and he is first rate with impeccable taste for texture. Kent Beatty holds down the bass slot (and vocals) playing lead lines under the band while keeping the bottom tight and funky. Each of the players would be a standout in any band but together this is an incredibly talented foursome. One thing that a musician notices about a band like this is each members strengths. These guys are just plain great! Each member shines while playing as a group. Playing a solo for any of these guys is icing to highlight their individual talents but they shine individually as a part of the show. I don't take written notes at a concert so I can't tell you the set list but I can tell you that the band opened with a great funky instrumental with lots of sax. The nearly 2 hour concert included songs from throughout Loomis' career such as What It Is and No No No and at least 4 or more songs from a soon to be released CD (March 2013). A few of these tracks had a bit of a rockier feel than what I am accustomed to from Loomis in his funky style and also including tracks with a soul/R&B flavor really highlighting Loomis' great voice. One of the highlights of the show was Loomis in his trademark white boots walking from chair to chair (people were clearing a path of seats) and eventually onto the bar playing guitar on Johnny Guitar Waston's Bow Wow. This track was morphed into a "rock and roll" track but back to the funky blues when Loomis concluded on the stage. I've been at a lot of concerts where the crowd was hoping that the band would continue but this crowd really wanted more! I mean it was over in an instant! A sign of a truly great show. i spoke briefly with Loomis after the show and he is not only a great performer but a genuinely nice guy. Ask me why he doesn't come to your town. My guess is because there are very few bands that are willing to go on after him! I've seen one of those concerts before and for the big name headliner...it wasn't pretty. The Hamilton Loomis Band put on a truly terrific show and if he is near your town and you miss it... YOU HAVE MISSED THE BOAT!!!!
If you support live Blues acts, up and coming Blues talents and want to learn more about Blues news and Fathers of the Blues, - ”LIKE” ---Bman’s Blues Report--- Facebook Page! I’m looking for great talent and trying to grow the audience for your favorite band!
If you support live Blues acts, up and coming Blues talents and want to learn more about Blues news and Fathers of the Blues, - ”LIKE” ---Bman’s Blues Report--- Facebook Page! I’m looking for great talent and trying to grow the audience for your favorite band!
Labels:
Arizona,
Hamilton Loomis,
Phoenix,
Rhythm Room,
Texas
SHADY GRADY THOMAS - THE ORIGINAL PARLIAMENT FUNKADELIC
Grady Thomas (born January 5, 1941 in Newark, New Jersey, United States) is a former member of the bands Parliament and Funkadelic. He is a member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, inducted in 1997 with fifteen other members of Parliament-Funkadelic. Thomas lives in Stone Mountain, Georgia. Thomas started out in the late 1950s as one of The Parliaments, a doo wop barbershop quintet led by George Clinton. In 1977, Thomas (along with other original Parliaments Fuzzy Haskins and Calvin Simon), left Parliament-Funkadelic after financial and management disputes with Clinton, The trio formed a new funk band and released an album called Connections and Disconnections in 1981, using the name Funkadelic. Other names used in the years to follow would include "Original P". If you support live Blues acts, up and coming Blues talents and want to learn more about Blues news and Fathers of the Blues, - ”LIKE” ---Bman’s Blues Report--- Facebook Page! I’m looking for great talent and trying to grow the audience for your favorite band!
Tabby Thomas
Tabby Thomas (born Ernest Joseph Thomas, January 5, 1929, Baton Rouge, Louisiana, United States) also known as Rockin' Tabby Thomas is an American Chicago blues musician. He sings and plays the piano and guitar, and specializes in a substyle of blues indigenous to southern Louisiana called swamp blues. Thomas is one of the best known blues musicians in Baton Rouge, and had, since the late 1970s, operated his own blues club there, Tabby's Blues Box and Heritage Hall, until its closure in November 2004. Among his seven children is the noted blues musician Chris Thomas King. Thomas had a stroke in 2004, which affected his playing but not his singing. Currently, on Saturday afternoons he hosts the radio show Tabby's Blues Box on Baton Rouge stations WBRH-FM and KBRH-AM, which originate from the media center of Baton Rouge Magnet High School. If you support live Blues acts, up and coming Blues talents and want to learn more about Blues news and Fathers of the Blues, - ”LIKE” ---Bman’s Blues Report--- Facebook Page! I’m looking for great talent and trying to grow the audience for your favorite band!
You'll Never Be Sorry - Gerald Sims
Guitarist/songwriter/producer/singer/arranger/director Gerald Sims is a key figure in Chicago soul history, singing lead on and writing the Daylighters' "Cool Breeze" and "Oh What a Way to Be Loved," Gene Chandler's "Here Come the Tears," and co-writing with producer Carl Davis Mary Wells' post-Motown hit "Dear Lover" (number six R&B in early 1966) and Jackie Wilson's "Since You Showed Me How to Be Happy" (Sims/Gary Jackson/Floyd Smith). Sims was a member Chess Records vocal group the Radiants who scored hits with "Voice of Choice" (Sims/Maurice McAlister) and "It Aint No Big Thing." Sims' talents are on display on various sides on the Okeh, Columbia, Chess, and Brunswick (the Artistics' "I'm Gonna Miss You") labels. Born January 5, 1940, in Chicago, IL, Sims grew up in Kalamazoo, MI. The self-taught guitarist returned to Chicago in 1959. WGES radio DJ George "G.G." Graves introduced Sims to the Daylighters that same year. Some of the sides he recorded with the group are the Dot Records-distributed single "Oh What a Way to Be Loved" b/w "Why You Do Me Wrong" (1961), "Cool Breeze" (fall 1962), "Why Did You Have to Go" b/w "Please Come Back" with singer Betty Everett ("It's in His Kiss (The Shoop Shoop Song)") on CJ Records, and various tracks with producer Don Talty (Phil Upchurch Combo's "You Can't Sit Down," Jan Bradley's "Mama Didn't Lie"). Another Daylighters single, "Cool Breeze," with an arrangement by Johnny Pate (Curtis Mayfield and the Impressions), was a local and regional hit, gaining some airplay on pop stations. Sims left the group and began recording as a solo artist with OKeh Records. Instead of getting a deal with the OKeh subsidiary, Sims was signed to the mother label, Columbia Records. "Cool Breeze" b/w "There Must Be an Answer Somewhere" was reissued as the first Gerald Sims single. In the '70s, Sims worked for Jerry and Billy Butler's Fountain Productions. During the early '80s, Sims purchased the Chess Records recording studios, which still housed one of the classic label's cutting lathes which was used to make the pressing masters. The location was briefly the base for his record label. In the late '80s, early '90s,Sims retired to Florida. Gerald Sims' work can be found on The Greatest Hits of Jackie Wilson, Chess Blues Classics:1957-1967, Essential Blues,Vol. 3, Greatest Hits,Vol. 1 by Bobby "Blue" Bland, Chess Blues, Very Best of Jerry Butler, One More Time:The Chess Years by Billy Stewart, Iceman:The Mercury Years by Jerry Butler, Beg Scream & Shout: The Big Ol' Box of '60s Soul, The Ultimate Collection by Mary Wells, The Best of Walter Jackson:Welcome Home ,The Okeh Years: Greatest Hits, Chess 50th Anniversary Collection by Little Milton, Chess Soul: A Decade of Chicago's Finest, Whispers/Higher & Higher by Jackie Wilson, That Did It!: The Duke Recordings 3 by Bobby "Blue" Bland, Love Makes a Woman/Seven Days of Night by Barbara Acklin, Dear Lover-The Atco Sessions by Mary Wells, and Everybody Loves a Good Time: The Best of Major Lance. by Ed Hogan If you support live Blues acts, up and coming Blues talents and want to learn more about Blues news and Fathers of the Blues, - ”LIKE” ---Bman’s Blues Report--- Facebook Page! I’m looking for great talent and trying to grow the audience for your favorite band!
Cold chills - Larry Garner
Larry Garner (born July 8, 1952, New Orleans, Louisiana) is an American Louisiana blues musician best known for his 1994 album Too Blues. Garner grew up in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, with his first inspiration being the guitar-playing preacher Reverend Utah Smith. Garner made acquaintance with local musicians such as Lonesome Sundown, Silas Hogan, Guitar Kelley and Tabby Thomas. His musical influences include Hogan, Clarence Edwards, Jimi Hendrix, and Henry Gray. He was taught to play guitar by his uncle and two other elders. Garner completed military service in Korea and returned to Baton Rouge, working part-time in music and full-time at a Dow Chemical plant. Garner won the International Blues Challenge in 1988, and his first two albums, Double Dues and Too Blues, were released by the British JSP label. The latter album's title was an in reply to a label executive who judged Garner's original demo to be "too blues". Thomas' nightclub, Tabby's Blues Box, provided Garner with a playing base in the 1980s and gave him the subject matter for the strongest song on Double Dues, "No Free Rides". You Need to Live a Little (1996) was followed by Standing Room Only (1998), Baton Rouge (1999) and 2000's Once Upon the Blues. Baton Rouge''s 1999 track, "Go To Baton Rouge," offered a tourist's guide to Louisiana music spots. In 2008, Garner was treated for a serious illness that was the inspiration for his 2008 album, Here Today Gone Tomorrow If you support live Blues acts, up and coming Blues talents and want to learn more about Blues news and Fathers of the Blues, - ”LIKE” ---Bman’s Blues Report--- Facebook Page! I’m looking for great talent and trying to grow the audience for your favorite band!
Where Is My Good Man At - Jo-Ann Kelly
Jo Ann Kelly (5 January 1944 — 21 October 1990) was an English blues singer and guitarist. "To many American performers", an obituarist wrote, "Jo Ann Kelly was the only British singer to earn their respect for her development of what they would be justified in thinking as 'their' genre" Kelly was born in Streatham, South London, and with her brother, Dave Kelly, became blues fans in their teens. Kelly had a voice far bigger than her slight frame would suggest; with a rich, deep, tonal quality that could easily have come from Dinah Washington or Sister Rosetta Tharpe.[citation needed] After establishing a musical partnership with the British blues musician Tony McPhee, Kelly appeared on two McPhee compiled albums for Liberty Records, Me and the Devil (1968) and I Asked for Water, She Gave Me Gasoline (1969). She also appeared on two John Dummer Band albums John Dummer Blues Band (1969) and Oobleedoobleejubilee (1973), At the end of the 1960s, with an album on a major record label in the United States, it seemed that she might be spirited away there and moulded into another Janis Joplin. Both Johnny Winter and Canned Heat tried to recruit Kelly into their ranks. However, her allegiance was to the United Kingdom and the nightclub scene, although, the 1970s and 1980s would fail to support her financially and so she took to the European circuit, latterly with the guitarist Pete Emery or in bands. Indeed, in the early 1980s, she was a member of the Terry Smith Blues Band. In 1988, Kelly began to suffer from headaches. In 1989 she had an operation to remove a malignant brain tumour. She died in October 1990, at the age of 46. The latest Kelly compilation album, Blues and Gospel, is available on Blues Matters! Records. If you support live Blues acts, up and coming Blues talents and want to learn more about Blues news and Fathers of the Blues, - ”LIKE” ---Bman’s Blues Report--- Facebook Page! I’m looking for great talent and trying to grow the audience for your favorite band!
Libba Cotten Documentary -
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Labels:
Alan Gragg,
Bryan Weyers,
Elizabeth Cotten,
Libba Cotten
Lost Mind - Johnny Adams with George Porter Jr.
Laten John Adams (January 5, 1932 – September 14, 1998), known as Johnny Adams, was an American blues, jazz and gospel singer, known as "The Tan Canary" for the multi-octave range of his singing voice, his swooping vocal mannerisms and falsetto. His biggest hits were his versions of "Release Me" and "Reconsider Me" in the late 1960s. He was born in New Orleans, Louisiana, the oldest of 10 children, and became a professional musician on leaving school. He began his career singing gospel with the Soul Revivers and Bessie Griffin's Consolators, but crossed over to secular music in 1959. His neighbor, songwriter Dorothy LaBostrie, supposedly persuaded him to start performing secular music after hearing him sing in the bathtub, and he recorded LaBostrie's ballad "I Won't Cry" for Joe Ruffino's local Ric label. Produced by teenager Mac Rebennack (later known as Dr. John), the record became a local hit, and he recorded several more singles for the label over the next three years, mostly produced either by Rebennack or Eddie Bo. His first national hit came in 1962, when "A Losing Battle", written by Rebennack, reached #27 on the Billboard R&B chart . After Ruffino's death in 1963, Adams left Ric and recorded for a succession of labels, including Eddie Bo's Gone Records, the Los Angeles-based Modern Records, and Wardell Quezergue's Watch label. However, his records had limited success until he signed with Shelby Singleton's Nashville-based SSS International Records in 1968. A reissue of his recording of "Release Me", originally released on Watch, reached #34 on the R&B chart and #82 on the pop chart. Its follow-up, "Reconsider Me", a country song produced by Singleton, became his biggest hit, reaching #8 on the R&B chart and #28 on the pop chart in 1969. Two more singles, "I Can't Be All Bad" and "I Won't Cry" (a reissue of the Ric recording) were lesser hits later the same year, and the label released an album, Heart and Soul. However, he left SSS International in 1971, and recorded unsuccessfully for several labels, including Atlantic and Ariola, over the next few years. At the same time, he began performing regularly at Dorothy's Medallion Lounge in New Orleans as well as touring nightclubs in the south. In 1983, he signed with Rounder Records, and began recording a series of nine critically acclaimed albums with producer Scott Billington. Beginning with From the Heart in 1984, the records encompassed a wide range of jazz, blues and R&B styles while highlighting Adams' voice. The albums included tributes to songwriters Percy Mayfield and Doc Pomus, as well as the jazz-influenced Good Morning Heartache which included the work of composers like George Gershwin and Harold Arlen. The albums, which also included Room With A View Of The Blues (1988), Walking On A Tightrope (1989), and The Real Me (1991), brought him a number of awards, including a W.C. Handy Award. He also toured internationally, including frequent trips to Europe, and worked and recorded with such musicians as Aaron Neville, Harry Connick Jr., Lonnie Smith, and Dr. John. He died in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, in 1998 after a long battle with prostate cancer. If you support live Blues acts, up and coming Blues talents and want to learn more about Blues news and Fathers of the Blues, - ”LIKE” ---Bman’s Blues Report--- Facebook Page! I’m looking for great talent and trying to grow the audience for your favorite band!
Labels:
George Porter Jr.,
Johnny Adams,
Louisiana,
New Orleans
Friday, January 4, 2013
Too Good - Laurence Jones Band
Laurence Jones and his Band play a blend of Blues and Rock with a groovy and catchy modern edge. Laurence released his first professional album “Thunder In The Sky” in June 2012. Laurence has been featured on, BBC Radio 2, had reviews in Classic Rock Magazine, The Blues Magazine, Blues Matters, Get ready to rock and has even featured on Reverb T.V series where he played 3 live songs. Get ready to Rock Magazine gave the album a 5/5***** rating “Laurence Jones is a wise musical head on young shoulders and ‘Thunder in the Sky’ is an excellent start to a very promising career and worth five stars”. Classic Rock magazine quoted Laurence as "Blues Rocks youngest Talent" and was featured on the "Blues Fury C.D along with Joe Bonamassa, Kenny Wayne Shepherd, Popa Chubby and many more. Laurence began playing the classical guitar at the age of 8 and has gone on to achieve grade 8 distinction. In 2006 he started to play the electric guitar and was influenced by Jimi Hendrix, Eric Clapton, Tony Mcphee, B.B King, Gary More and Albert Collins. Laurence and the band have done over 150 gigs already this year and have even played in Holland at the Blues Express Festival. They have taken the Blues scene in the U.K by surprise. There is a big buzz about this young man “Laurence Jones is head boy of the new blues breed” quoted Classic Rock Mag. If you support live Blues acts, up and coming Blues talents and want to learn more about Blues news and Fathers of the Blues, - ”LIKE” ---Bman’s Blues Report--- Facebook Page! I’m looking for great talent and trying to grow the audience for your favorite band!
I WONDER - LEO WRIGHT & THE EL-JAYS
Leo Wright (December 14, 1933 in Wichita Falls, Texas - January 4, 1991 in Vienna) was an American jazz musician who played alto saxophone, flute and clarinet. He played with Charles Mingus, Kenny Burrell, Johnny Coles, Blue Mitchell and Dizzy Gillespie in the late 1950s, early 1960s and in the late 1970s. If you support live Blues acts, up and coming Blues talents and want to learn more about Blues news and Fathers of the Blues, - ”LIKE” ---Bman’s Blues Report--- Facebook Page! I’m looking for great talent and trying to grow the audience for your favorite band!
CRAZY BLUES - Teddy Grace
Teddy Grace (June 26, 1905, Arcadia, Louisiana – January 4, 1992, La Mirada, California) was an American female jazz singer. Grace first sang professionally in 1931. She sang on radio in the American South and worked with the bands of Al Katz (1933), Tommy Christian (1934), and Mal Hallett (1934-37). From 1937 to 1940 she recorded for Decca Records, and her sidemen on these recordings included Bobby Hackett, Jack Teagarden, Charlie Shavers, Buster Bailey, Pee Wee Russell, and Bud Freeman. She left the music industry in 1940 and joined the Women's Army Corps a short time later, where she sang at war bond rallies and other political events. She lost her voice as a result of these activities. She was unable to speak for years and was never again able to sing. Twenty two of the thirty sides she recorded for Decca were reissued on CD by Timeless Records in 1996. If you support live Blues acts, up and coming Blues talents and want to learn more about Blues news and Fathers of the Blues, - ”LIKE” ---Bman’s Blues Report--- Facebook Page! I’m looking for great talent and trying to grow the audience for your favorite band!
AFTER HOURS - Eddie Barefield and his Quintette
Eddie Barefield (December 12, 1909, Iowa – January 4, 1991, New York City) was an American jazz saxophonist, clarinetist and arranger most noteworthy for his work with Bennie Moten, Fletcher Henderson, Don Redman, Coleman Hawkins, Sammy Price, Bernie Young, and Ben Webster. Barefield's musical career also included work with ABC and WOR radio as well as appearances in several films. Barefeld died of a heart attack at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York on January 4, 1991 If you support live Blues acts, up and coming Blues talents and want to learn more about Blues news and Fathers of the Blues, - ”LIKE” ---Bman’s Blues Report--- Facebook Page! I’m looking for great talent and trying to grow the audience for your favorite band!
Kiss The City - Matty Powell - New release Review
I just received the newest release, Kiss The City, from Matty Powell. This is far from a blues recording but as you know I have an open mind. Powell has put together a release of 13 original pop/rock tracks that is very soothing. Primarily (but not always) an acoustic recording with keys and solid vocals and sometimes a country twist. Powell creates a dramatic atmosphere reminiscent of some of the great balladeers. The tracks are well written and cleanly performed. The band includes Powell on vocals and acoustic guitar, Alec Fraser on bass, Mike Daley on electric guitar, Ron Tomassen on electric guitar, Michael Fontara on keys, Al Cross on drums and Brian Stiller on background vocals. One track, Insecurities breaks totally out of the mold with a pop rock track. Smoke Rings, my favorite track on the release is a sultry track with cool guitar effects and a light reggae beat. I really like this track. Again, not a blues recording but a high quality recording and one that should reach strong following and airplay. I would definitely recommend this recording for those who like quiet ballads. Powell has a bright career ahead of him.
If you support live Blues acts, up and coming Blues talents and want to learn more about Blues news and Fathers of the Blues, Like ---Bman’s Blues Report--- Facebook Page! I’m looking for great talent and trying to grow the audience for your favorites band! - ”LIKE”
If you support live Blues acts, up and coming Blues talents and want to learn more about Blues news and Fathers of the Blues, Like ---Bman’s Blues Report--- Facebook Page! I’m looking for great talent and trying to grow the audience for your favorites band! - ”LIKE”
Goin Down Slow - Playboy Venson, Walter Horton, Floyd Jones
Playboy Venson born January 4, 1913 in Belzoni, Mississippi was a drummer and harmonica and regular on Maxwell street. Known for playing with Big john Wrencher, he is shown here with Walter Horton and Floyd Jones. If you support live Blues acts, up and coming Blues talents and want to learn more about Blues news and Fathers of the Blues, Like ---Bman’s Blues Report--- Facebook Page! I’m looking for great talent and trying to grow the audience for your favorites band! - ”LIKE”
Labels:
Floyd Jones,
Mississippi,
Playboy Venson,
Walter Horton
Charlie Sayles
Born 4 January 1948, Woburn, Massachusetts, USA. Sayles only became acquainted with the blues when he heard a record by BornBorn King during his US military service in Vietnam, and began to take a serious interest in playing harmonica in 1971. During the 70s he played frequently on the streets in cities across the country, and was put on the bill of several folk festivals. His original blues compositions, featuring raw, amplified harmonica and direct singing, were captured on vinyl in 1976 when he was playing in New York. Sayles began working with a small band around 1980, but he still remains largely an uncompromising street and solo performer. In the 90s he has recorded for the JSP label. If you support live Blues acts, up and coming Blues talents and want to learn more about Blues news and Fathers of the Blues, Like ---Bman’s Blues Report--- Facebook Page! I’m looking for great talent and trying to grow the audience for your favorites band! - ”LIKE”
HAMILTON LOOMIS -- Rhythm Room Jan. 5 PHOENIX AZ
We want to personally invite all of you in the Phoenix area to Hamilton Loomis's debut at the Rhythm Room this Sat. Jan. 5 for the early show! Hamilton and his dynamic band take the stage from 6pm - 7:45pm -- CLICK HERE for a sneak preview! Who: Hamilton Loomis & Band (on tour from TX) When: Sat. Jan. 5 from 6pm - 7:45pm Where: Rhythm Room, 1019 E Indian School Rd, Phoenix AZ Tickets available at the door. We thank you for your support -- see you at the show! SAT JAN 5th Phoenix, AZ RHYTHM ROOM 6pm - 7:45pm 602-265-4842 ALL TOUR DATES ON www.hamiltonloomis.com/schedule.htm Please forward this email to any of your friends/family in these cities!! |
BROTHER DEGE UNVEILS NEW VIDEO FOR "TOO OLD TO DIE YOUNG" - THE SONG FEATURED IN TARANTINO'S "DJANGO UNCHAINED"!
BROTHER DEGE PREMIERES NEW VIDEO FOR HIS TRACK "TOO OLD TO DIE YOUNG" - THE SONG QUENTIN TARANTINO HAND-PICKED FOR HIS NEW FILM "DJANGO UNCHAINED"
Brother Dege ("deej") (aka Dege Legg) is one of the best-kept secrets in the Deep South. A musician, writer and Southern enigma, Dege is the haunted face of 21st century Delta blues. Like the possessed offspring of Faulkner and Son House, he plays slide guitar in the age-old tradition of the blues greats, yet manages to breathe new life into this revered Delta idiom.
The reclusive Louisiana Cajun's song "Too Old To Die Young" was recently selected by Quentin Tarantino to appear in the soundtrack of his new film Django Unchained, which just opened in theaters on Christmas day.
The reclusive Louisiana Cajun's song "Too Old To Die Young" was recently selected by Quentin Tarantino to appear in the soundtrack of his new film Django Unchained, which just opened in theaters on Christmas day.
Tarantino was recently interviewed on SiriusXM Radio’s show Little Steven’s Underground Garage last week where he discussed all of the music track-by-track from Django Unchained. Here’s what he had to say about Brother Dege’s song “Too Old To Die Young”…“I was listening to the radio and this song (“Too Old to Die Young”) came on. And I said, ‘wow… that’s pretty damn good.’ I could see a cool ass action scene going to this. I thought it could be really, really groovy. So I had my music supervisor get me the CD. And frankly, every track on the Brother Dege CD could have been in the movie. It works and has a badass score sound to it. Almost every song [on the album] could be a theme song. It’s like a greatest hits album. But this song 'Too Old to Die Young,' it’s pretty damn badass. And it’s used in the movie in a pretty damn badass way, I’ve got to say.”
The soundtrack for Django Unchained is out now.
"DJANGO UNCHAINED" SOUNDTRACK LISTING:
1. Winged
2. Django (Main Theme) - Luis Bacalov, Rocky Roberts
3. The Braying Mule - Ennio Morricone
4. In That Case, Django, After You...
5. Lo Chiamavano King (His Name Is King) - Luis Bacalov, Edda Dell'orso
6. Freedom - Anthony Hamilton & Elayna Boynton
7. Five-Thousand-Dollar Nigga's And Gummy Mouth Bitches
8. La Corsa (2nd Version) - Luis Bacalov
9. Sneaky Schultz and the Demise of Sharp
10. I Got a Name - Jim Croce
11. I Giorni Dell'ira - Riz Ortolani
12. 100 Black Coffins - Rick Ross
13. Nicaragua - Jerry Goldsmith featuring Pat Metheny
14. Hildi's Hot Box
15. Sister Sara's Theme - Ennio Morricone
16. Ancora Qui - Ennio Morricone and Elsa
17. Unchained (The Payback/Untouchable) - James Brown and 2Pac
18. Who Did That To You? - John Legend
19. Too Old to Die Young - Brother Dege
20. Stephen The Poker Player
21. Un Monumento - Ennio Morricone
22. Six Shots Two Guns
23. Trinity (Titoli) - Annibale E i Cantori Moderni
2. Django (Main Theme) - Luis Bacalov, Rocky Roberts
3. The Braying Mule - Ennio Morricone
4. In That Case, Django, After You...
5. Lo Chiamavano King (His Name Is King) - Luis Bacalov, Edda Dell'orso
6. Freedom - Anthony Hamilton & Elayna Boynton
7. Five-Thousand-Dollar Nigga's And Gummy Mouth Bitches
8. La Corsa (2nd Version) - Luis Bacalov
9. Sneaky Schultz and the Demise of Sharp
10. I Got a Name - Jim Croce
11. I Giorni Dell'ira - Riz Ortolani
12. 100 Black Coffins - Rick Ross
13. Nicaragua - Jerry Goldsmith featuring Pat Metheny
14. Hildi's Hot Box
15. Sister Sara's Theme - Ennio Morricone
16. Ancora Qui - Ennio Morricone and Elsa
17. Unchained (The Payback/Untouchable) - James Brown and 2Pac
18. Who Did That To You? - John Legend
19. Too Old to Die Young - Brother Dege
20. Stephen The Poker Player
21. Un Monumento - Ennio Morricone
22. Six Shots Two Guns
23. Trinity (Titoli) - Annibale E i Cantori Moderni
“Too Old To Die Young” is from Brother Dege’s critically acclaimed album Folk Songs of the American Longhair, which in 10 smoking, original tracks, recharges the cannon of the Delta Blues for the next century. Recorded in a shed in southern Louisiana, the album bursts with barn-burning slide and Dobro drenched tunes that reel, rip and scream like a master class in backwoods songwriting, while taking epic swings into the ambient darkness with Paris, Texas-like passages into the great unknown. It’s haunted, it’s harrowing, and it rocks.
Avoiding traditional DIY, indie career moves and following his own quirky southern sensibilities, Dege is known for playing guerilla shows in gigs in the swamps, open fields, low rent motel rooms and even public bathrooms. In addition, he has supported himself at various times by driving a cab, working in auto shops and, more recently, homeless shelters.
Brother Dege is also putting the finishing touches on his second album How to Kill a Horse (due early in 2013) which promises to push the slide and the traditions of the Delta blues far into the darkness of the millennium.
HERE'S WHAT PEOPLE HAVE BEEN SAYING ABOUT BROTHER DEGE:
“Fans of slide guitar, Southern gothic, or plain old rock & roll attitude need to run, not walk, and check out Brother Dege ASAP. Brother Dege is a case study in how one guy with a steel guitar and minimal accompaniment can out-rock a roomful of electric bombast, given the right songs, the right skills, and the right voice. Brother Dege has‘em all.” – POPMATTERS
“[Four Stars] In lesser hands all this might easily sound contrived, but instead it’s genuinely powerful and compelling stuff. 'The Girl Who Wept Stones' and 'Dead & Gone' might have been ripped from the Son House songbook, though the seven-minute epic 'House of the Dying Sun' is the real keeper.” – UNCUT
“Both ancient and modern, like an indie rock cover of something Lomax may have recorded a hundred years ago.” – BLOGCRITICS
“Brother Dege brings the ghosts of kudzu-covered swamp rats to life in your speakers. Find the darkest spot in your backyard, light some candles and turn it up.” – THE BIG TAKEOVER
“Those willing to step into the Brother Dege abyss will likely reap its rewards.” – OFFBEAT MAGAZINE
FOR MORE INFO ON BROTHER DEGE:
FOR MORE INFO ON THE "DJANGO UNCHAINED" SOUNDTRACK:
Thank you for keepin' the music alive in 2012!
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Sweet Soul Music - Arthur Conley
Arthur Lee Conley (January 4, 1946 – November 17, 2003) was an American soul singer, best known for the 1967 hit "Sweet Soul Music" Conley was born in McIntosh County, Georgia, U.S., and grew up in Atlanta. He first recorded in 1959 as the lead singer of Arthur & the Corvets. With this group, he released three singles in 1963 and 1964 ("Poor Girl", "I Believe", and "Flossie Mae") on the Atlanta based record label, National Recording Company. In 1964, he moved to a new label (Baltimore's Ru-Jac Records) and released "I'm a Lonely Stranger". When Otis Redding heard this, he asked Conley to record a new version, which was released on Redding's own fledgling label Jotis Records, as only its second release. Conley met Redding in 1967. Together they re-wrote the Sam Cooke song "Yeah Man" into "Sweet Soul Music", which, at Redding's insistence, was released on the Atco-distributed label Fame Records, and was recorded at FAME studios in Muscle Shoals, Alabama. It proved to be a massive hit, going to the number two position on the U.S. charts and the Top Ten across much of Europe. "Sweet Soul Music" sold over one million copies, and was awarded a gold disc. After several years of singles in the early 1970s, he relocated to England in 1975, and spent several years in Belgium, settling in Amsterdam, Netherlands in spring 1977. At the beginning of 1980 he had some major performances as Lee Roberts and the Sweaters in the Ganzenhoef, Paradiso, De Melkweg and the Concertgebouw, and was highly successful. At the end of 1980 he moved to the Dutch village of Ruurlo legally changing his name to Lee Roberts (his middle name and his mother's maiden name). He promoted new music via his Art-Con Productions company. Amongst the bands he promoted was the heavy metal band Shockwave from The Hague. A live performance on January 8, 1980, featuring Lee Roberts & the Sweaters, was released as an album entitled Soulin' in 1988. Conley died from intestinal cancer in Ruurlo, Netherlands aged 57 in November 2003. He was buried in Vorden. If you support live Blues acts, up and coming Blues talents and want to learn more about Blues news and Fathers of the Blues, Like ---Bman’s Blues Report--- Facebook Page! I’m looking for great talent and trying to grow the audience for your favorites band! - ”LIKE”
I Hate the Man That Runs This Bar - Evil Filthy Preacher - Eugene Chadbourne
Eugene Chadbourne (born January 4, 1954 in Mount Vernon, New York) is an American improvisor, guitarist and banjoist. Highly eclectic and unconventional, Chadbourne's most formative influence is free jazz. He has also been a reviewer for Allmusic and a contributor to Maximum RocknRoll. Chadbourne started out playing rock and roll guitar, but quickly grew bored with the form's conventions. He then studied other genres, including blues, country, bluegrass, free jazz, and noise—eventually synthesizing all those heterogeneous influences into a unique style of his own. He was also influenced early on by the experimental stylings of Captain Beefheart and the Mothers of Invention. A notable solo album, Songs (Intakt 026: 1993), features politically oriented originals, such as "Knock on the Door" and "Hello Ceausescu", and covers, such as Nick Drake's "Thoughts of Mary Jane", and Floyd Tillman's "This Cold War With You". Chadbourne invented an instrument known as the electric rake, made by attaching an electric guitar pickup to an ordinary lawn rake. He plays a duet of electric rake and classical piano with Bob Wiseman on Wiseman's 1991 Presented By Lake Michigan Soda. Chadbourne has worked with numerous artists including John Zorn, Fred Frith, Derek Bailey, Han Bennink, Carla Bley Band, Paul Lovens, Toshinori Kondo, Kommissar Hjuler und Frau, Camper Van Beethoven, Jello Biafra, Turbonegro, They Might Be Giants, Sun City Girls, Violent Femmes, Aki Takase, Walter Daniels, Kevin Blechdom, Biff Blumfumgagnge, Zu and Jimmy Carl Black. While in Canada in the 1970s, he produced and hosted a radio program on Radio Radio 104.5 Cable FM in Calgary, Alberta. His show was notorious[citation needed] for obscure and remarkable music. Radio Radio is now the last quasi-pirate station in Canada. Chadbourne also fronted Shockabilly (1982–1985) with Mark Kramer (bass/organ) and David Licht (drums), releasing four eclectic albums. Chadbourne has resided in Greensboro, North Carolina since 1981. Chadbourne is referenced in the popular anime series Bleach. In the original Japanese dialogue of episode 35, Sado tells Ichigo Kurosaki that, although he hasn't heard of any of the people Ichigo mentioned in their conversation about "Chad" names (former Mansun guitarist Dominic Chad and Red Hot Chili Peppers' drummer Chad Smith), he has at least heard of Eugene Chadbourne. Ichigo replies, "Who's that?" If you support live Blues acts, up and coming Blues talents and want to learn more about Blues news and Fathers of the Blues, Like ---Bman’s Blues Report--- Facebook Page! I’m looking for great talent and trying to grow the audience for your favorites band! - ”LIKE”
Slip Away - Clarence Carter
Clarence Carter (born January 14, 1936) is an American soul singer and musician. Born in Montgomery, Alabama on January 14, 1936, Carter attended the Alabama School for the Blind in Talladega, Alabama, and Alabama State College in Montgomery, graduating in August 1960 with a Bachelor of Science degree in music. His professional music career began with friend Calvin Scott, signing to the Fairlane Records label to release "I Wanna Dance But I Don't Know How" the following year. After the 1962 release of "I Don't Know (School Girl)," Carter and Scott left Fairlane Records for Duke Records, renaming themselves the CL Boys for their label debut, Hey. In all, the duo cut four Duke singles, none of them generating more than a shrug at radio.. In 1965, they traveled to Rick Hall's FAME Studios in Muscle Shoals to record "Step by Step" and its flip side, "Rooster Knees and Rice." Atlantic Records took notice and released "Step by Step" on its Atco Records subsidiary, but it flopped. Carter continued as a solo act, signing to the Fame Records label for 1967's Tell Daddy. Several more solid singles followed, until Carter released "Slip Away," which hit number 6 on the Pop Charts. "Too Weak to Fight" hit number 13. Several more soul singles followed, like "Snatching It Back," "Making Love (At the Dark End of the Street)", "The Feeling Is Right," "Doing Our Thing" and "Patches." "Patches" (first recorded by Chairmen of the Board) was a UK number 2 and a U.S. number 4 in 1970, and won the Grammy Award for Best R&B Song in 1971. This disc sold over one million copies, and received a gold disc awarded by the R.I.A.A. in September 1970, just two months after its release. Following "Slip Away" and "Too Weak to Fight", it was Carter's third million-seller. That same year Carter married former Fame labelmate Candi Staton (divorced in 1973), with the marriage producing one son, Clarence Carter Jr. With the advent of disco in the mid 1970s, Carter's career suffered, before he found a new audience with songs such as "Strokin'" and "Dr. C.C." in the 1980s and 1990s, which appealed (and still appeal) to a primarily African-American working-class audience that was also interested in contemporary blues and soul artists such as Denise LaSalle, Bobby Rush, Marvin Sease and Sir Charles Jones. "Strokin'" was given further acclaim when it was used in the Eddie Murphy remake of The Nutty Professor. It was most recently used in William Friedkin's film Killer Joe. Carter's soul sound also found an audience within the then-nascent hip-hop community. Most notably, the horn break from Carter's song "Back Door Santa", is sampled in the Run-D.M.C. Christmas song "Christmas in Hollis". If you support live Blues acts, up and coming Blues talents and want to learn more about Blues news and Fathers of the Blues, Like ---Bman’s Blues Report--- Facebook Page! I’m looking for great talent and trying to grow the audience for your favorites band! - ”LIKE”
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