tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-87224952024-03-07T12:29:03.347-06:00Home of the GrooveBased on the premise that the true Home of the Groove, at least on the North American landmass, is the irreplaceable musical and cultural nexus, New Orleans, Louisiana and environs, this audioblog features rare, hard to find, often forgotten, vintage New Orleans-related R&B and funk records with commentary. Some general knowledge of N.O. music is helpful here, but not required to get your groove on. Dan Phillipshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12185793905565005146noreply@blogger.comBlogger564125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8722495.post-51156233578977141062017-02-16T22:35:00.000-06:002017-02-16T22:35:30.443-06:00That New Orleans Touch<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="color: cyan;">Allow me to direct you to the Kickstarter page for a new radio documentary project,</span> <a href="https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/481535343/that-new-orleans-touch" target="_new"><span style="color: #e69138;">"That New Orleans Touch"</span></a><span style="color: cyan;">, to be produced by George Ingmire, a guy who has been in the radio production trenches for many years, turning out great work. George knows his stuff; and his worthy new project promises to be something truly special.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="color: cyan;">As he explains,</span> <i><span style="color: #f9cb9c;">"That New Orleans Touch" is a two-hour radio documentary about 60 years of recordings and the role of talented musicians, producers and arrangers who created the music. From the rock and roll and R&B of the 1950s to the modern era, encompassing funk, modern jazz and brass band music, the Crescent City has been a mecca for music lovers and recording artists alike....</span></i></span><br />
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</span></i><i><span style="color: #f9cb9c;">...Over the past 8 years, I produced over 200 hours of syndicated radio work. However, this is going to be the most challenging project I've ever done, without a doubt, so your support is very important and greatly appreciated.</span> </i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><i><br /></i><span style="color: cyan;">You'll find further details on Kickstarter. Thanks to George for letting me know. I've kicked in and look forward to hearing "That New Orleans Touch" upon completion for some entertaining continuing education.</span></span><br />
<br />Dan Phillipshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12185793905565005146noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8722495.post-17493188174175960492016-02-07T01:02:00.001-06:002021-02-19T00:56:36.323-06:00RIGHT NOW, IT'S CARNIVAL TIME<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif" style="color: #f1c232; font-size: large;">Spent most of this 2016 Carnival season back and forth between here and Memphis...a continuation of the last year. I took lots of trips up there to help out my 90 year old dad, who has been living on his own with memory problems. </span><br />
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</span> <span face=""verdana" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">Finally, we got him moved into assisted living near us down here, just in time for his first Mardi Gras in Louisiana. [2021 update: he passed away in 2018] That explains at least part of the reason for my long absence from the blog [another 2021 update: for many reasons, I have not gotten back to blogging, but who knows....check this space from time to time.]. </span></span><br />
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</span> <span face=""verdana" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #f1c232;">Missed the Krewe du Vieux parade for the first time in many years....So not many photos to share. Saw the Mardi Gras Indian bus parked on St. Claude Avenue during a brief respite in Nola [thanks to Kelly at the </span><a href="http://www.lookoutneworleans.com/" target="_new"><span style="color: #c27ba0;">Lookout Inn</span></a><span style="color: #f1c232;">] a few weeks back to celebrate the 30th birthday of my step-daughter, Marie. The festive flamingo is from our local diner.</span></span></span><br />
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</span> </span><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #f1c232;">On a musical note, you can stream my radio shows from January up to this past Thursday at</span> <a href="http://krvs.org/programs/funkify-your-life" target="_new"><span style="color: #8e7cc3;">KRVS</span></a> <span style="color: #f1c232;">and hear a lot of my Carnival music archives along with an Allen Toussaint birthday special in the mix - and/or listen to shows from further back, too. Also,</span> <a href="http://www.wwoz.org/" target="_new"><span style="color: #8e7cc3;">WWOZ</span></a> <span style="color: #f1c232;">New Orleans has oodles of feel good music of the season going on now through Mardi Gras Day....and the rest of the year, for that matter. </span></span><br />
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</span></span> <span face=""verdana" , sans-serif" style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #f1c232;">Wherever and however you do it to it, hope y'all pass a good time. </span></span>Dan Phillipshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12185793905565005146noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8722495.post-2273840057512451962015-12-26T12:48:00.000-06:002016-01-10T11:08:48.703-06:00TOUSSAINT FAREWELL: GONE TOO SOON<div class="getty embed image" style="background-color: white; color: #a7a7a7; display: inline-block; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue',Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 11px; max-width: 594px; width: 100%;">
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.nola.com/music/index.ssf/2015/11/allen_toussaint_dies.html" target="_new"><span style="color: #e69138;">Allen Toussaint</span></a><span style="color: cyan;">: January 14, 1938 - November 10, 2015.</span></span><br />
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Not only one of the great New Orleans keyboard professors, in the local parlance, but a multiphasic musical master and category transcender for the ages. Long may he jam in the Great Beyond and be remembered by those he left behind.</span><br />
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</span> <span style="color: cyan; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Update (1/10/2016) - Listen to George Ingmire's New Orleans Calling radio documentary, </span><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><a href="http://neworleanscalling.wwoz.org/allen-toussaint-tribute-part-i-say-yes-to-music/" target="_new"><span style="color: #e69138;">Allen Toussaint: Say Yes To Music (Part 1)</span></a></span><span style="color: cyan; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">, produced for WWOZ. Part 2 is coming. As they say in the UK, brilliant!</span><br />
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<span style="color: cyan;">And speaking of the UK, see this short</span> <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mLMI5Oag1nY" target="_new"><span style="color: #e69138;">BBC documentary</span></a><span style="color: cyan;">.</span></span><br />
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For many years, I’ve had the good fortune to be able to regularly offer props to Mr. Toussaint (AT), and play his music on my radio shows - first at WEVL 89.9 FM in Memphis, TN (1988 - 2004), and currently at KRVS 88.7 FM in Lafayette, LA (2014. . . .). Also, since 2004, this blog has allowed me to delve deeper into the details of his endeavors in any number of roles - musician, vocalist, composer, arranger, producer, label-owner.</span><br />
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Due to the prodigious scope of his world-class talents, accomplishments, and influence from the mid-1950s onward in New Orleans and American popular music, AT stands out among other praiseworthy local peers such as Dave Bartholomew, Wardell Quezergue and Eddie Bo. He built his reputation almost solely on a large body of recording studio based work, created and organized over the decades mainly to advance a varied roster of featured artists rather than himself. For the most part, he kept a relatively low public profile, managing to avoid the limelight for much of his lengthy career by recording and performing infrequently on his own. [Regular annual Jazzfest appearances, such as the one pictured above, and other occasional concerts being notable exceptions.]</span><br />
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As a result, until the last decade, AT's most avid admirers were almost exclusively music business insiders, record collectors, researchers and serious fans who followed his trail of credits and treasured his few but impressive releases. That inherent hesitancy to engage in self-promotion and live entertaining did not abate until late in life when Hurricane Katrina and the resulting Federal Flood disrupted his life and forced him from his Crescent City comfort zone. Only then did he seize opportunities that arose and come into his own as a front man, a fine one in fact, and begin to enjoy the rewards of higher name recognition and appreciation of his talents on the world stage.</span><br />
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Such is the cultural richness of New Orleans that even AT's prolific musical abilities certainly never have been the only game in town, which is why Home of the Groove has pursued so many different musical threads over the years; but, as I have said more than once, a blog could easily be devoted entirely to detailing his contributions. I wish there were one, since he deserves way more attention than I could ever have time and energy to pay. As well, it amazes me that such a luminary has yet to be the subject of a thorough, well-researched biography. Sad to say, that should have been done long ago, when AT was still around to participate; but maybe he turned down some offers in his humility. I can't say for certain.</span><br />
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While we await more thorough evaluations of his life and art, let me offer links to a few of the over 30 pieces I’ve done through the years about various of his compositions and recording projects. Some of these postings have links to others that you can follow for more information, if you see fit. I’ve been working on updating them (even correcting typos!) and hope {it springs eternal, ya know} to reactivate select audio links in due time, which I will note here.</span><br />
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Whether you read any of these appreciations or not, I hope you will listen to more of Allen Toussaint’s manifold music. Now that he’s gone, it’s the best way to keep his enriching legacy alive and ensure that the high regard he has rightfully earned continues to spread. </span><br />
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<a href="http://homeofthegroove.blogspot.com/2005/06/when-lee-met-allen.html" target="_new"><span style="color: #e69138;">When Lee Met Allen</span></a></span><br />
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<a href="http://homeofthegroove.blogspot.com/2005/12/winter-of-her-discontent.html" target="_new"><span style="color: #e69138;">Winter Of Her Discontent</span></a></span><br />
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<a href="http://homeofthegroove.blogspot.com/2013/02/toussaint-20-footnotes-follow-ups_24.html" target="_new"><span style="color: #e69138;">Toussaint 2.0</span></a></span><br />
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<a href="http://homeofthegroove.blogspot.com/2011/02/sansu-70s-allen-lee-and-lou.html" target="_new"><span style="color: #e69138;">Sansu 70s</span></a></span><br />
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<a href="http://homeofthegroove.blogspot.com/2010/12/three-bells.html" target="_new"><span style="color: #e69138;">Three Bells</span></a></span><br />
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<a href="http://homeofthegroove.blogspot.com/2011/01/allen-toussiant-defining-success-in.html" target="_new"><span style="color: #e69138;">Defining Success In the 1970s</span></a></span><br />
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<a href="http://homeofthegroove.blogspot.com/2013/01/toussaint-footnotes-follow-ups-part-1.html" target="_new"><span style="color: #e69138;">Toussaint: Footnotes and Follow-ups</span></a></span><br />
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<span style="color: cyan;">Note: Coming up in January on</span> <a href="http://krvs.org/programs/funkify-your-life" target="_new"><span style="color: #e69138;">Funkify Your Life</span></a><span style="color: cyan;">, it being AT's birth month, I'll be playing even more cuts he wrote, arranged, produced, or performed, along with plenty of Carnival related music, as Mardi Gras comes fairly early this year. So tune-in or stream online, if you can.</span></span><br />
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Happy New Year, y'all, with hopes of new posts to come in 2016. . . .</span>Dan Phillipshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12185793905565005146noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8722495.post-10051298960144881082015-03-01T13:15:00.000-06:002015-11-11T23:16:09.542-06:00The Fairchild Enigma Revisited<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: cyan;">I first discussed “Fairchild” as part of my</span> <a href="http://homeofthegroove.blogspot.com/2008/07/willie-west-genuine-soul-survivor.html" target="_new"><span style="color: #e69138;">big feature</span></a> <span style="color: cyan;">on the song’s vocalist, Willie West, back in 2008. Written and produced by Allen Toussaint, the song is the top side of a single that initially came out in 1970 on Josie Records, the New York City-based label that was also releasing the Meters' output at the time</span></span></span><span style="color: cyan;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">. It was Willie's only one for Josie. When I wrote that post, the only vinyl copy of "Fairchild" I had was Rhino’s ostensible reproduction of the original, part of a box set of reissued 45s they put out as an adjunct to their 2006 <i>What It Is! </i>multi-CD compilation of funky soul and rare grooves from the late 1960s into the 1970s; and the circumstances of that re-release wound up creating questions that proved to be hard to answer.</span></span></span><br />
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</span></span> </span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: cyan;">Not long after getting the Rhino sets, I heard the song as it first appeared, via audio from a vintage Josie promo 45, and discovered that it differed significantly from the vinyl and digital reissues. Promotional copies of the single, while not exactly common, do turn up from time to time; and, as I said in my earlier post, Larry Grogan put up the audio from one on his fine</span> <a href="http://funky16corners.com/" target="_new"><span style="color: #e69138;">Funky 16 Corners</span></a> <span style="color: cyan;">blog. It was a white label promo with “fancy” font, vertical Josie lettering in black on the left side. DJ copies were less frequently issued in the stock color scheme, as well. </span></span></span><br />
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</span></span></span> <span style="color: cyan;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I was immediately knocked back by the arrangement of the song, which, unlike the reissues, includes an impressive horn section and much hotter mix , with everything mastered up near the tape saturation point, yielding an edgy, aggressive sound. In fact, the track seemed too imposing to me at first, in contrast to the simpler, subtle feel of the essentially unfinished take heard on the box sets.</span></span></span><br />
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</span></span></span> <span style="color: cyan;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Of course, as I listened, the questions began. Why would there be two divergent versions of the song nearly 40 years apart? And I wondered if the even rarer stock copy, which I had yet to see or hear, would sound like the promo, the reissues, or somewhere in between? </span></span></span><br />
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</span></span></span> <span style="color: cyan;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The difficulty in locating a stock copy made the answer to the second question very slow to come. As time passed, I kept looking for one on sale or auction, or for someone to at least make the audio available. At one point I was assisted by an astute reader and contributor, anna b, who thought she had one tracked down. She found a post by a blogger in the UK who discussed the record and displayed a photo of a stock copy label; but, when she contacted him, he said he had sold it and did not recall if there were horns on the track or not! </span></span></span><br />
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</span></span> </span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: cyan;">Shifting forward a few more years, in 2013 I was contacted by Mr. Fine Wine, a mega-collector as well as esteemed producer and host of</span> <a href="https://wfmu.org/podcast/SV.xml" target="_new"><span style="color: #e69138;">Downtown Soulville</span></a><span style="color: cyan;"> on WFMU in New York City. He let me know that he had heard both promo and stock pressings of “Fairchild” and could confirm their equivalence. So, with that verification, I updated the original post to reflect at least that fact and let the matter slide while pursuing my many other obsessive musical distractions.</span></span></span><br />
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</span></span></span> <span style="color: cyan;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Last year, I spotted the near mint stock copy of the Josie 45 you see below. It was up for auction on the ’bay. Unsure of its authenticity and without much hope of getting it anyway, I let fly with a bid that ended up winning the thing, much to my shock. I figured that, if I was a boot, I would just return it, but was pretty sure there were no known counterfeits floating around. After examining the record, I am satisfied that it is an original pressing (see details below). </span></span></span><br />
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</span></span></span> <span style="color: cyan;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">With that happy accident, I thought I’d continue my return to posting by revisiting the single and discussing what remains unknown about it. I‘ve got audio up from both the Josie stock and Rhino-issued A-sides to let you hear the difference [the B-sides are identical]. So, listen and let the conjecturing begin anew.</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.hipcast.com/export/Pdaae8c420db4102eea778b5cb61e941eZVl/Rn1uY2NyVA.mp3" target="_new"><span style="color: #e69138;">“Fairchild”</span></a> <span style="color: cyan;">(Allen Toussaint)</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: cyan;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Willie West, Josie 1019, 1970</span></span></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhf9aKCn9suK9tf2NABdlzGqFcnq7xP7X3dsj4_AwRV9KjsV8dPJ-OdgPq14m7_dpKvxLADZTnPyUzgVi1oWXg5s6mMHfPWqBCRC0TYRL-hw1yiX1XWehWmg1rN3J0GMJBMX0ZR/s1600/1019B.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhf9aKCn9suK9tf2NABdlzGqFcnq7xP7X3dsj4_AwRV9KjsV8dPJ-OdgPq14m7_dpKvxLADZTnPyUzgVi1oWXg5s6mMHfPWqBCRC0TYRL-hw1yiX1XWehWmg1rN3J0GMJBMX0ZR/s200/1019B.JPG" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.hipcast.com/export/P4634db5b2dc97be8216dfcf50bc47f68ZVl/Rn1uY2NyWw.mp3" target="_new"><span style="color: #e69138;">“I Sleep With the Blues”</span></a> <span style="color: cyan;">(Allen Toussaint)</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: cyan;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></span> <span style="color: cyan;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">First off, my assessment of this record’s bona fides. The vinyl of the pictured stock copy [#1019] appears to be vintage, comparable in manufacture to other stock Josie singles in my archives [notably by the Meters] around this issue number. In the deadwax/runout area of each side, the matrix numbers are incised (by hand, it appears): Joz-672-1- and Joz-673-1-. Then, on the A-side, the letters AIA [very faint] and the much more legible DPS are incised, and on the B-side appear as (DPS) first, then AIA [also very faint]. Following those codes, SELECT SOUND [which should be the pressing facility] is stamped in. Also, there is an R incised about halfway around the record. The dead wax info is consistent with other Josie singles I checked, with minor variations. For example, on the preceding single in the catalog, #1018 (“Chicken Strut”/”Hey! Last Minute” by the Meters), following the incised matrix numbers (Joz 670-1 & 671-1), a faint A3A is incised above the SELECT SOUND stamp, but no DPS appears, and an R is again found about halfway around. Meanwhile, both #1013 and #1021 have only DPS between the matrix number and stamp, plus what are probably initials, LW, after the stamp. On some later Jolsie singles [when they were in their final days], Select Sound is incised rather than stamped, or not shown at all.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: cyan;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></span> <span style="color: cyan;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Likewise, the design, color and fonts on the #1019 label are very consistent with my stock copy of #1018, down to the placement of the information. It also lines up well with other stock #'s of that design. So, it looks like we have a genuine article, and in truly superb condition.</span></span></span><br />
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</span></span></span> <span style="color: cyan;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I’ve got the Rhino reissue single A-side label up again for comparison below. You’ll note that they did not match the label design, using the more common stock logo with a black oval containing lowercase yellow “josie” lettering, all over a multicolored background section. I’m not sure if Rhino did not have an original version to go by, or, simply ignored it. Maybe they did not want to pay for another design, since there are three more standard Josie label reproductions in the set. </span></span></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFmK-b3jKtfK-4zrsiuDF6g8qv3MSGBNTiWkspBeNmrvVvhKK1lyz0KCjVyh_HHbkTTD1SrVpYaASOtQ-LK33Ct5mvNjb_dtlUDeHrGqp_YeSoQJoF4obg4ShdB-Y0lyp7LsSt/s1600/741167R.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFmK-b3jKtfK-4zrsiuDF6g8qv3MSGBNTiWkspBeNmrvVvhKK1lyz0KCjVyh_HHbkTTD1SrVpYaASOtQ-LK33Ct5mvNjb_dtlUDeHrGqp_YeSoQJoF4obg4ShdB-Y0lyp7LsSt/s320/741167R.JPG" /></a><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.hipcast.com/export/Pb55657573c3cda0adc5fa6dea14bf6c0ZVl/Rn1uY2NyVQ.mp3" target="_new"><span style="color: #e69138;">“Fairchild”</span></a></span></span><br />
<span style="color: cyan;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Rhino reissue </span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: cyan;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span> </span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: cyan;">Neither the record information provided with the 45 box or Oliver Wang’s notes to the CD set acknowledge Rhino's use of an alternate take on “Fairchild”. Wang, creator of one of the original and best mp3 blogs,</span> <a href="http://soul-sides.com/" target="_new"><span style="color: #e69138;">Soul Sides</span></a><span style="color: cyan;">, and a music scholar, certainly would have noted the fact, had he known it; but he did later post on Soul Sides about the issue, after he picked up a promo copy of his own, remarking on the discrepancy and linking to my original post about it.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: cyan;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></span> <span style="color: cyan;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">What perplexes me still is why Rhino did not have access to the master tape of the original release. Obviously, someone found a version of the song saved prior to the horns being added and used that for remastering. Either the original was overlooked for some reason, such as being mislabeled, or it was accidentally destroyed at some point. There were only 14 subsequent singles issued on Josie before the label was shut down in 1971 due to the sale of its parent company, Jubilee Records. Things may not have been too stable at the time in their control of the masters. Roulette Records eventually acquired the catalog; and, in the 1980s, Rhino purchased the US rights. Time Warner assimilated Rhino about a decade later. So, in the progression of the Josie masters up the corporate food chain, I’m sure there were ample opportunities to lose track of a few with no one much around to notice.</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="color: cyan;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">[Note: As I mentioned in the update on my original post, Willie West told me that the instrumental version of the song he put his vocal on back in 1969 or 1970 did not have any horns. Recalling that fact makes me think of yet another scenario to explain the two versions of the song. Perhaps Sansu's principals, Toussaint and Sehorn, submitted the song to Josie in its stripped down form, meaning it to be the final master; but Josie balked on releasing it that way, wanting it to be goosed up to grab more attention. Thus Toussaint added the horns and pushed up the volume on the acoustic guitars in a rush to get the revised track up to Josie for release, not mixing it as well as he should have. If that were the case, Josie would have had both versions on hand. Then, somewhere over the next few decades, the master of the released version was lost, leaving only the hornless track to be found and used for the reissues. I really need to ask the producer/arranger himself what he remembers about all this, and will have to see if I can find a way to make that happen. . . .(Alas, I never did. . .and now it's too late.] </span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: cyan;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></span> <span style="color: cyan;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I certainly don’t think Rhino should be unduly faulted for this, one way or the other. It’s laudable that they put their <i>What It Is!</i> box sets together with such high quality. The record business being what it is, they probably didn’t make much on the hard copies - maybe downloads have done better. Anyway, it’s enough that they got a lot of good music back in circulation. Leave the geeks to help gather up the so-called trivia that slipped through the cracks. I just wish more fans could hear the impact of the original release of "Fairchild" with Toussaint’s mighty horn arrangement, which has become for me, after all these years, the definitive go-to version.</span></span></span>Dan Phillipshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12185793905565005146noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8722495.post-6914110990420888292015-02-14T16:02:00.001-06:002015-02-16T00:42:10.132-06:00CARNIVAL SEASONING 2015<br />
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<span style="color: #bf9000;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Mardi Gas comin’ once again, just a few more days to cram in as much celebratin’ as you can stand. . .for as long as you can stand.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #bf9000;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span> </span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="color: #bf9000;">Right now, I’ve got a replay of a tune I</span> <a href="http://homeofthegroove.blogspot.com/2008/01/here-come-da-indians.html" target="_new"><span style="color: #c27ba0;">first posted</span></a> <span style="color: #bf9000;">back in 2008. Read about it there. I’ll just say that it’s an important 45 for the mash-up of Mardi Gras Indian singing and brass band (the Dirty Dozen in this case) playing, something that hadn’t been done on record, as far as I know, before that early 1980s release date - although Eddie Bo produced a 45 of the Bobby Williams Group doing “Boogaloo Mardi Gras” in 1968 that had horns, primarily a trumpet, playing over the groove with some Indian-style chanting - gotta give Eddie and Bobby their due, which I did with </span><a href="http://homeofthegroove.blogspot.com/2009/01/mardi-gras-music-missing-link-bobbys.html" target="_new"><span style="color: #c27ba0;">a feature</span></a> <span style="color: #bf9000;">back in 2009. Also of note, the high end on this record is really too hot. So, for the re-rip, I did some EQ modification and backed that treble hash down a few notches, which helped to bring out the horns some more.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #bf9000;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span> </span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="color: #bf9000;">Included below are photos in no particular order from this year’s Krewe du Vieux and Krewe Delusion parades [with <a href="https://imgur.com/a/6M3vR" target="_new"><span style="color: #c27ba0;">more on imgur</span></a>], plus a couple of shots from my</span> <a href="https://imgur.com/a/jvlei" target="_new"><span style="color: #c27ba0;">Super Sunday 2013</span></a> <span style="color: #bf9000;">adventure to help provide that Indian vibe. . . .</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="color: #bf9000;">Almost forgot: The last of this year's Mardi Gras music shows I did on KRVS over the past three weeks will air again this Tuesday (da big day) at noon US Central time, as we all revel in our various excesses at the close of Carnival season. Listen at <a href="http://krvs.org/" target="_new"><span style="color: #c27ba0;">krvs.org</span></a> either at that time or stream the <a href="http://krvs.org/programs/funkify-your-life" target="_new"><span style="color: #c27ba0;">podcasts</span></a> anytime. </span></span></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimmJCqcFYHkJsZhU7A6kWRmKa9NWQhtRwbXbNn_timm5W0qTiTTkRsIBXhUznhPW9x3NSkblU4-oMciU3Y1ujNkm9JNYcYCYmKFgSVONHXEJZ1HbnhNOyOkMwJkJ6ikuUEI0Rf/s1600/ShotgunJoe45.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimmJCqcFYHkJsZhU7A6kWRmKa9NWQhtRwbXbNn_timm5W0qTiTTkRsIBXhUznhPW9x3NSkblU4-oMciU3Y1ujNkm9JNYcYCYmKFgSVONHXEJZ1HbnhNOyOkMwJkJ6ikuUEI0Rf/s320/ShotgunJoe45.JPG" /></a><br />
</span></span> <span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.hipcast.com/export/P2ef43708aebaa684bacf911a3913374aZVl/Rn1uY2NyUA.mp3" target="_new"><span style="color: #c27ba0;">“Shotgun Joe” Part 1</span></a></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #6aa84f;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Ernest Skipper with Flag & The Boys, Rosemont 8201, ca 1983</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #a64d79;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">H A P P Y</span></span></span><br />
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</span></span> <span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> <span style="color: #bf9000;">M A R D I</span></span></span><br />
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</span></span> <span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> <span style="color: #6aa84f;">G R A S</span></span></span><br />
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</span></span> <span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> <span style="color: #a64d79;">2 0 1 5</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> <span style="color: #bf9000;">Y' A L L</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #a64d79;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Photos by Dan Phillips</span></span></span><br />
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Dan Phillipshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12185793905565005146noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8722495.post-47756782055158755742014-12-28T11:25:00.000-06:002014-12-28T11:42:12.834-06:00. . . .Looking back and foward. . . .<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhG0GY6mCQsIJ7XC-aufz249LzQ2KZhs8Eeec50prgiWhpbTjbOV5e4jz2BAvQfM8eZx8ESlcpl_CP9P-glgVwfKl0xRVhkdLT-OJaJgEid41ekYMjMSKkIjWYHirTP0Vj7VmFI/s1600/HOTG-FYL+Xmas+2014.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhG0GY6mCQsIJ7XC-aufz249LzQ2KZhs8Eeec50prgiWhpbTjbOV5e4jz2BAvQfM8eZx8ESlcpl_CP9P-glgVwfKl0xRVhkdLT-OJaJgEid41ekYMjMSKkIjWYHirTP0Vj7VmFI/s320/HOTG-FYL+Xmas+2014.JPG" /></a><br />
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<span style="color: cyan;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Hey, y'all. I appreciate the inquiries as to my whereabouts. As you can see, since last August I've just been posting annotated playlists of my show on KRVS here, and am way behind on those. I'm enjoying doing weekly radio again, and getting the chance to dig into my archives for tracks to play. [I've found some stuff I forgot I had!] But, it does present, um, time management challenges.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: cyan;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></span> <span style="color: cyan;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Anyway, behind the scenes, I continue seeking out vinyl I don't have and recently tracked down a record I'd been after for a long time. I'm going to do a post on that one in the near future - an update to an earlier piece. Then, I'm fixin' to write-up a big post on a fairly obscure New Orleans artist and songwriter. That will take some time, but hope you'll check back over the next few months. </span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: cyan;"><br />
</span> <span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="color: cyan;">Meanwhile, I'll also be doing some more annotated playlists as time permits. Hope you can catch some of the broadcasts, either live or by streaming <a href="http://krvs.org/programs/funkify-your-life" target="_new"><span style="color: #e69138;">the podcasts</span></a></span>. <span style="color: cyan;">I'll have plenty more rare grooves in the mix for 2015, and Carnival season is right around da corner!!!</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: cyan;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></span> <span style="color: cyan;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Peace.</span></span></span>Dan Phillipshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12185793905565005146noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8722495.post-91429279821673598382014-11-22T09:20:00.000-06:002014-12-28T11:39:53.782-06:00FUNKIFY YOUR LIFE #12 - 10/23/2014<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="color: #f1c232;">The weekly show: Thursdays at 1:00 PM and Fridays at 9:00 PM on KRVS 88.7 FM Lafayette/Lake Charles, and online at</span> <a href="http://krvs.org/" target="_new"><span style="color: #c27ba0;">krvs.org</span></a><span style="color: #f1c232;">. You can hear a</span> <a href="http://krvs.org/post/funkify-your-life-october-23" target="_new"><span style="color: #c27ba0;">podcast of this show</span></a> <span style="color: #f1c232;">and previous episodes on the station’s website under “Programs” anytime (scroll down to "Funkify Your Life" and click title to see the latest playlist and, below that, a list of all earlier shows by date. Click on the title of the show you want to hear and you'll open the podcast player).</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></span> <span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">This was the second of my shows for the station’s successful Fall Fundraiser. I featured vintage funk and rare groove cuts from or connected to the Lafayette/Lake Charles areas, and points in between. Nearly all were sourced from vinyl.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></span> <span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">“Funkify Your Life” [Intro] - The Meters</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></span> <span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="color: #f1c232;">“Keep On Lovin’ Me” (L. A. Zeno-S. Billington-D. Reed) - Dalton Reed - from his Bullseye Blues CD,</span> <a href="http://www.allmusic.com/album/louisiana-soul-man-mw0000072523" target="_new"><span style="color: #c27ba0;">Louisiana Soul Man</span></a><span style="color: #f1c232;">, 1992.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Lafayette's own late, great soul singer, Dalton Reed, never got to record much, but should have had more national attention for his two Bullseye Blues releases. Unfortunately, he died soon after the second one came out. These sessions were done in New Orleans with Lafayette bassist Lee Allen Zeno and Rounder’s Scott Billington co-producing.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></span> <span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">“I Wanna Dance” (G. Graeff-D. Graeff) - Po’Boy - from their 1973 Jin single #274, ca 1973.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">This band from the Lafayette area morphed from Rufus Jagneaux to Po’Boy Rufus and the Sostan Band, and later just Rufus (the LA version rather than the L.A. one), swapping out some members along the way; but the core of the group were the Graeff brothers, bassist and leader Benny and drummer Gary - both sang.They had a couple of singles on Jin, plus an LP, Po’Boy Rufus and the Sostan Band, produced by Benny at the label’s studio in Ville Platte in 1974. Other members on this track included Dana Breaux, guitar and vocal; Leroy Evans, harmonica, percussion, and vocals, and Baco Latour, vocals. Versions of the group still play gigs around here from time to time.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></span> <span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="color: #f1c232;">“Slap It to Me” (B. Babineaux) -</span> <a href="http://www.garagehangover.com/billyjohn/" target="_new"><span style="color: #c27ba0;">Billy John & the Continentals</span></a> <span style="color: #f1c232;">- a Tramp 45 reissue of this side, taken from their original Jin single #214, 1966.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="color: #f1c232;">Also from the Lafayette area, the band was fronted by drummer/vocalist Billy Babineaux and also featured his brother, Bobby, on guitar. They had two singles on Jin and two on the N-Joy label. One of their songs was</span> <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JsJuz1ou1xY" target="_new"><span style="color: #c27ba0;">covered by</span></a> <span style="color: #f1c232;">Robert Plant and his Band of Joy in 2010.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></span> <span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">“I Can’t Lose” (L. Williams) - Phillip Walker - from his original Playboy single #50032, 1973.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="color: #f1c232;">As I said on the show, Phillip Walker is originally from Welsh, LA, just East of Lake Charles, but moved out to the West Coast in the late 1950s to pursue his career in music, after working in Clifton Chenier’s band for a few years. This song also appeared on his Playboy LP,</span> <a href="http://www.allmusic.com/album/bottom-of-the-top-mw0000204350" target="_new"><span style="color: #c27ba0;">Bottom of the Top</span></a><span style="color: #f1c232;">.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></span> <span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">“That’s Right” (W. P. Guidry-C. S. Williams) - Danny James - from his original Goldband single #1176, 1967.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="color: #f1c232;">Originally from Sulphur, LA, near Lake Charles, guitarist Danny James (Sonnier) played in area bands and did session work for Goldband, recording a couple of his own singles for the label, as well. For more background, see</span> <a href="http://homeofthegroove.blogspot.com/2007/07/thats-right-more-danny-james_20.html" target="_new"><span style="color: #c27ba0;">the post</span></a> <span style="color: #f1c232;">I did on those. </span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></span> <span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">“Hell Or High Water” (H. Broussard-E. Shuler) - Katie Webster - from the BGP CD compilation, <a href="http://www.allmusic.com/album/southern-funkin-louisiana-soul-1967-1979-mw0000223499" target="_new"><span style="color: #c27ba0;">Southern Funkin’</span></a>, 2005, originally.on Goldband #1290, 1979.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="color: #f1c232;">I have several of Katie’s Goldband singles, including the one with this funky side, but was unable to locate it in the current disorder of my South Louisiana holdings - another long-term reclamation project on my list. Read Bill Dahl’s</span> <a href="http://www.allmusic.com/artist/katie-webster-mn0000363056/biography" target="_new"><span style="color: #c27ba0;">overview</span></a> <span style="color: #f1c232;">of Katie’s career for more details on this talented session pianist/vocalist and feature artist.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></span> <span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">“Sick and Tired” (Kenner-Bartholomew) - Elton Anderson - from his original Lanor single #509, 1962.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="color: #f1c232;">Elton Anderson was from Lake Charles, while the Lanor label was based in Church Point. See</span> <a href="http://homeofthegroove.blogspot.com/2007/04/another-look-at-elton-anderson.html" target="_new"><span style="color: #c27ba0;">my post</span></a> <span style="color: #f1c232;">on another of his Lanor singles for more information on him and the label, with a discography. Note: this session was recorded at Cosimo’s in New Orleans, likely with Katie Webster on piano.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></span> <span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">“My Babe” (W; Dixon) - Wayne Deville - from his original Drew-Blan single #1012, 1964.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="color: #f1c232;">The late Wayne Deville (Devillier), a great keyboardist and vocalist, was from Morgan City, where Drew-Blan Records was located. In the 1960s, he played a lot in New Orleans on the live scene before heading for the Left Coast later in the decade and getting tangled up in the music bidniz out there. Back in 2005, I</span> <a href="http://homeofthegroove.blogspot.com/2005/04/left-coast-swamp-side.html" target="_new"><span style="color: #c27ba0;">posted</span></a> <span style="color: #f1c232;">on an album he did with Sweet Salvation, a group of mostly expatriate Louisiana musicians, in the early 1970s. A bit later, he also played in Three Dog Night’s band out there, and an offshoot group, S. S. Fools. In his later days, he did some recording with Luther Kent & Trickbag in New Orleans.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></span> <span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">“Rooty Tooty” (L. Prevost) - Lionel Torrence - from his original Zynn single #1023, 1962.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="color: #f1c232;">Lionel Torrance was actually Lionel Prevost, an exceptional R&B sax player, born in Franklin, LA and raised in Port Arthur, TX. Read the great</span> <a href="http://www.saxontheweb.net/Rock_n_Roll/LionelPrevost1.html" target="_new"><span style="color: #c27ba0;">feature</span></a> <span style="color: #f1c232;">on him at Sax on the Web. I wrote about this tune</span> <a href="http://homeofthegroove.blogspot.com/2007/10/louisiana-instrumental-obscurities.html" target="_new"><span style="color: #c27ba0;">here</span></a><span style="color: #f1c232;">, also.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span> </span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="color: #f1c232;">“Superior Funk” (Simon-Guillory-Fontenot-Guillory-Green) - Superior Elevation - from the Funky Delicacies</span> <a href="http://www.discogs.com/Superior-Elevation-Get-It-Dont-Stop/release/1225801" target="_new"><span style="color: #c27ba0;">2006 reissue</span></a> <span style="color: #f1c232;">of their 1982 Black Satin LP, <i>Get It Don’t Stop</i>.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">The Lake Charles area’s answer to Earth, Wind & Fire, Chocolate Milk, and the Bar-Kays, Superior Elevation didn’t seem to last long - as record-makers, anyway. A few weeks back, I played a cut from the Black Satin 45 that preceded this LP. Looks like the same sides on that single had first been released nationally in 1981 by Phil-L.A. of Soul (#386), at the very end of that label’s run. There were also several other singles on Black Satin and Lake City that were spun-off from the album. </span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span> </span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="color: #f1c232;">“Soul Brothers Testify, Part 1” (C. Randle-S.Simien) - Chester Randle’s Soul Senders - from the BGP CD compilation,</span> <span style="color: #f1c232;"><i>Southern Funkin’</i>, 2005 </span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">This raw soul-funk rarity originally was released on Eddie Shuler’s Goldband subsidiary, Anla (#102), 1968. According to Dean Rudland’s helpful notes with the CD, guitarist Chester Randle also played in the band of another Anla artist, Bill Parker. The players on this session were Randle, plus Parker on drums, and Scotty Milford (a/k/a Milford Scott) on piano. This two-parter was the label’s initial release.. A wilder second take of the song was also released on Anla (#115) showing the group as Original Soul Senders.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></span> <span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">“Mama Told Me Not To Come” (Randy Newman) - Bobby King and the Relation - from their original Lunar single #201, early 1970s.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="color: #f1c232;">Real-deal soul singer Bobby King is from Lake Charles, though he moved out to the the Left Coast in the late 60s or early 70s, where he cut this one-off single. He then teamed up with another great soul man, Terry Evans.. In the mid-70s, they began a long association with Ry Cooder on record and stage, and later worked with John Fogerty, Boz Scaggs and Bob Dylan, making</span> <a href="http://www.allmusic.com/album/live-and-let-live!-mw0000652347" target="_new"><span style="color: #c27ba0;">their own albums</span></a><span style="color: #f1c232;">, as well. King has also toured with Bruce Springsteen.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></span> <span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">“Brother Brown” (Camille Bob) - Camille Bob - from his original Soul Unlimited single #102, 1972.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="color: #f1c232;">I played the other side, “2 Weeks, 2 Days, Too Long”, in the first few weeks of the show. As noted on that playlist, I featured this and other Camille Bob tracks</span> <a href="http://homeofthegroove.blogspot.com/2010/06/lil-bob-party-mix-for-big-spill.html" target="_new"><span style="color: #c27ba0;">back in 2010</span></a><span style="color: #f1c232;">, when crude oil was flowing into the Gulf unabated. . . .</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span> </span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="color: #f1c232;">“Cat Scream” (P. Senegal) - Lil Buck and the Top Cats - from the Kent CD compilation,</span> <a href="http://www.allmusic.com/album/lafayette-soul-show-mw0000104373" target="_new"><span style="color: #c27ba0;">Lafayette Soul Show</span></a><span style="color: #f1c232;">, 1993. </span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">The quite rare original single came out on La Louisianne (#8133) in 1969, with another get-down instrumental, “Monkey In A Sack”, on top. Both sides are k-i-l-l-e-r hunks of hard-driving R&B funk.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span> </span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="color: #f1c232;">“MIss Hard To Get” (D. Landry) - Dennis Landry - from his original</span> <a href="http://www.45cat.com/record/nc649662us" target="_new"><span style="color: #c27ba0;">Soul Unlimited single</span></a> <span style="color: #f1c232;">#101, 1972.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Dennis Landry sang with keyboardist Stanley ‘Buckwheat’ Dural’s band, the Hitchhikers, who backed him on this single and another he cut for the label. They also backed Camille Bob on his ultra-funky Soul Unlimited release. Dural later joined Clifton Chenier’s great zydeco band and then struck out on his own in that genre with great success as Buckwheat Zydeco.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span> </span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="color: #f1c232;">“You Gotta Be Motivated” (M. Scott-J. Wilson) - Moody - from his original</span> <a href="http://www.45cat.com/record/nc250056us" target="_new"><span style="color: #c27ba0;">Soul Unlimited single</span></a> <span style="color: #f1c232;">#106, 1975.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Lawrence ‘Moody’ Scott is from Hammond, LA. Prior to making this 45, he recorded a single for Leiber & Stoller's Daisy label in 1964, as Moody and the Deltas. Between 1969 and 1970 he had five more releases over several labels, Kapp, Seventy 7 and Sound Stage 7, with the cuts on the latter two labels being predominantly funk. I’ll be playing some of those along the way. His only other single appeared on Straight Ahead in the early 1980s.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></span> <span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="color: #c27ba0;">* * * * *</span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></span> <span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Hey, I’ve got another rather big feature artist post in the cooker [with yet others on various back burners] and hope to get it served up within the next couple of months, just in case you thought I’d given that up. . . .</span></span></span>Dan Phillipshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12185793905565005146noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8722495.post-32553609036843146732014-11-01T16:36:00.000-05:002014-11-01T16:36:55.047-05:00FUNKIFY YOUR LIFE #11 - 10/16/2014<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="color: #f1c232;">Air dates: Thursday, October 16, 2014, 1:00 PM, and Friday, October 17, 2014, 9:00 PM, on</span> <a href="http://krvs.org/" target="_new"><span style="color: #c27ba0;">KRVS 88.7 FM</span></a> <span style="color: #f1c232;">Lafayette/Lake Charles, and online at the website. You can hear a podcast of</span> <a href="http://krvs.org/post/funkify-your-life-october-16" target="_new"><span style="color: #c27ba0;">this show</span></a> <span style="color: #f1c232;">and previous editions on the website under “Programs” anytime.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></span> <span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Since the KRVS Fall Fundraiser - nine days of intensive on-air fundraising to sustain our station operations - started on the 17th, this was essentially my kick-off for the drive. So I chose some songs about money, giving, taking, help, and winning.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></span> <span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">It’s never too late to support KRVS. There’s a red “Support This Station” button on the station’s home page. Hit it, why don’t cha, before or after you stream a podcast.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></span> <span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">“Funkify Your Life” [Intro] - The Meters</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></span> <span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">“Give It Up” (Allen Toussaint) - Lee Dorsey - from his original Amy single #11057, 1969</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="color: #f1c232;">A great track, with backing by the Meters, As I noted in my HOTG</span> <a href="http://homeofthegroove.blogspot.com/2005/12/lee-gives-as-good-as-he-gets.html" target="_new"><span style="color: #c27ba0;">feature</span></a> <span style="color: #f1c232;">on this one back in 2005, the 45 was not only Lee’s last for the Amy label, where he had the majority of his hits working with Toussaint, it was the last record Amy released before going under. The lack of radio play and chart action for Lee’s later records for the label was due the inability of Amy and its owner, Bell Records, to promote what he put out. Sansu Enterprises soon got Lee a deal with Polydor that resulted in the classic <i>Yes We Can</i> album, but no real resurgence of his career, sad to say.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></span> <span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="color: #f1c232;">“Give It What You Can” (S. Cropper-J. Tarbutton-C. Marsh) - The Meters - from their Warner Bros. LP,</span> <a href="http://www.discogs.com/Meters-New-Directions/release/726432" target="_new"><span style="color: #c27ba0;">New Directions</span></a><span style="color: #f1c232;">, 1977.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="color: #f1c232;">The original version of this song appeared on Sam & Dave’s 1974/75 LP,</span> <a href="http://www.discogs.com/Sam-Dave-Back-At-Cha/release/3282656" target="_new"><span style="color: #c27ba0;">Back At ‘Cha</span></a><span style="color: #f1c232;">, produced by Steve Cropper, mainly at his Trans Maximus Studios on Poplar Avenue, in the Mid-Town section of Memphis, my old stomping grounds. Steve co-wrote the song with two other Memphis musicians, Jimmy Tarbutton and Carl Marsh. Apropos of not much, I used to hang out out at Pop Tunes record shop in Memphis every day after school and most weekends in the mid-1960s, and Jimmy Tarbutton stopped by from time to time to shoot the...breeze. Great guitar player.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></span> <span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="color: #f1c232;">That Sam & Dave album, by the way, had covers of two Toussaint tunes on it, too, that are great. I featured them</span> <a href="http://homeofthegroove.blogspot.com/2007/01/three-more-kinds-of-blinded.html" target="_new"><span style="color: #c27ba0;">here</span></a><span style="color: #f1c232;"> and</span> <a href="http://homeofthegroove.blogspot.com/2007/03/lingering-mystery-of-shoo-rah.html" target="_new"><span style="color: #c27ba0;">here</span></a><span style="color: #f1c232;">, and I’ll get them onto the show in due course. For me, the Meters; cover of “Give It” outshines S&D’s.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></span> <span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">“Lay It On Me, Part 2” (W. Quezergue-C. Simmons-E. Small) - Chuck Simmons - from his F.C.W. single #1001, 1976.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="color: #f1c232;">This was recorded at Sea-Saint with some of the great session regulars on-board. The drumming is just sick. For more details on this 45 and Simmon’s other record-making exploits, mainly with Big Q, check out my</span> <a href="http://homeofthegroove.blogspot.com/2010/12/soulful-tenacity-of-chuck-simmons.html" target="_new"><span style="color: #c27ba0;">feature</span></a> <span style="color: #f1c232;">on him.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></span> <span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">“Hold On Help Is On The Way” (Davis-Tyler-Parker) - G. Davis & R. Tyler - from their original Parlo single #102, 1966.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="color: #f1c232;">Guitarist George Davis and saxophonist Alvin ‘Red’ Tyler, were regular session players in New Orleans and also outstanding jazz musicians. I featured this cut</span> <a href="http://homeofthegroove.blogspot.com/2008/09/goodbye-george-davis.html" target="_new"><span style="color: #c27ba0;">here</span></a> <span style="color: #f1c232;">back in 2008 as a tribute to George’s passing. As I said there, I consider this to be one of the all-time great R&B instrumentals. It was not heard at the time, having been completely eclipsed by Parlo #101, Aaron Neville’s hit, “Tell It Like It Is”, which George arranged, played on, and co-wrote with Lee Diamond. Parlo folded soon thereafter, as it was too small to keep up with the demand for what became Aaron’s signature song.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></span> <span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">“A Dollar Ninety Eight” (Diamond-Davis) - Johnny Moore - from his original Wand single #1165, 1967.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="color: #f1c232;">Another Lee Diamond-George Davis composition. The Johnny Moore named on this rather obscure 45, was and is better known in New Orleans as ‘Deacon John’ Moore, guitarist, vocalist and leader of numerous bands over the years, including the Ivories who have played tons of high school proms, fraternity parties, and weddings. Deacon John’s vocal talent alone should have landed him a lot more recording opportunities back in the day than the few he got. For more on his career, see my</span> <a href="http://homeofthegroove.blogspot.com/2008/07/deacon-john-show-goes-on.html" target="_new"><span style="color: #c27ba0;">2008 feature</span></a><span style="color: #f1c232;">.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></span> <span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">“Every Dog Got His Day” (Johnson-Douglas) - Eddie Bo - from his original Ric single #969, 1960.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="color: #f1c232;">A classic Bo side - years ahead of its time. For more details on it and Bo’s work for the Ric label in New Orleans, see</span> <a href="http://homeofthegroove.blogspot.com/2009/04/in-pursuit-of-bo-consciousness-part-2.html" target="_new"><span style="color: #c27ba0;">Part 2</span></a> <span style="color: #f1c232;">of my series on his career.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></span> <span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="color: #f1c232;">“Take What I Can Get” (C. Yellen-M. Rebennack) - Dr John - from his Blue Note CD,</span> <a href="http://www.allmusic.com/album/creole-moon-mw0000014400" target="_new"><span style="color: #c27ba0;">Creole Moon</span></a><span style="color: #f1c232;">, 2001. </span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Recorded at Dockside Studios in Maurice, LA, this track features Sonny Landreth’s always impressive slide guitar.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></span> <span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">“Save A Little Bit For Me” (M. Galore-D. Ervin-M. Higgins) - Irma Thomas - from her original Canyon single #21, 1969.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="color: #f1c232;">Irma was living in Los Angeles when she was approached by Wally Roker to record for his new Canyon label. This track is from her first single for Canyon, produced by Monk Higgins. When it failed to get any radio action, Roker paired Irma with a new producer who had recently come on-board, Jerry Williams, a/k/a Swamp Dogg. For more on the story of their collaboration, read</span> <a href="http://homeofthegroove.blogspot.com/2013/05/irma-swamp-dogg-canyon-sessions.html" target="_new"><span style="color: #c27ba0;">my post</span></a> <span style="color: #f1c232;">from last year.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></span> <span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">“A Little Bit Of Something” (R. Parker) - Robert Parker - from his original Island single #074, 1976.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="color: #f1c232;">I covered this single in</span> <a href="http://homeofthegroove.blogspot.com/2013/11/tracking-big-q-factor-part-51-new.html" target="_new"><span style="color: #c27ba0;">Part 5.1</span></a> <span style="color: #f1c232;">of my Big Q series just about a year ago.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></span> <span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">“I Want Some Money, Baby” (Bocage-Terry) - Tommy Ridgley - from his original Johen single #9200, 1964.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="color: #f1c232;">Another classic New Orleans R&B collectable, written by Eddie Bo and arranged by Big Q. I discussed it in</span> <a href="http://homeofthegroove.blogspot.com/2009/08/in-pursuit-of-bo-consciousness-part-4.html" target="_new"><span style="color: #c27ba0;">Part 4</span></a> <span style="color: #f1c232;">of my Eddie Bo series.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></span> <span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">“Money Money” (B. MacDonald) - Joy Ride - from their original Chippewa single, 1980.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="color: #f1c232;">This track, written by guitarist Bruce MacDonald, appeared on the only record released by Joy Ride. He and George Porter, Jr. formed the band in 1979; and, while they were popular on the local Uptown club scene in New Orleans, things fell apart after just a couple of years. I</span> <a href="http://homeofthegroove.blogspot.com/2011/03/mardi-gras-hotg-flashes.html" target="_new"><span style="color: #c27ba0;">featured</span></a> <span style="color: #f1c232;">the flip side and some of the backstory in 2011.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></span> <span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="color: #f1c232;">“Little Old Money Maker” (Neville-Nocentelli, Porter-Modeliste) - The Meters - from the Sundazed reissue of their original 1969-1970 Josie album,</span> <a href="http://www.discogs.com/Meters-Look-Ka-Py-Py/master/109362" target="_new"><span style="color: #c27ba0;">Look-Ka Py Py</span></a><span style="color: #f1c232;">, 1999.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></span> <span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="color: #f1c232;">“Somebody’s Always Winning” (L. Hopkins-L. Meyers) - Linda Hopkins - from her RCA album,</span> <a href="http://www.discogs.com/Linda-Hopkins-Linda-Hopkins/release/1930396" target="_new"><span style="color: #c27ba0;">Linda Hopkins</span></a><span style="color: #f1c232;">, 1972.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">One of the great female vocalists from New Orleans, Linda has had a long career, starting in the gospel realm. She left the city around 1950 to pursue music,and, as far as I know, never made any records there. I just recently picked up this LP, recorded in New York City, which contains a number of funky tracks, including this one.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></span> <span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="color: #f1c232;">“You Will Not Lose” (Allen Toussaint) - Allen Toussaint - from his original Reprise album,</span> <a href="http://www.discogs.com/Allen-Toussaint-Southern-Nights/release/5613986" target="_new"><span style="color: #c27ba0;">Southern Nights</span></a><span style="color: #f1c232;">, 1975.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="color: #f1c232;">While certainly not a funk tune, even though all the Meters participated on the track, the syncopated intricacies of this unique hybrid-pop gem are fascinating and enjoyable music-making at its finest, written, arranged, produced and performed by Toussaint on arguably the best album of his career. For more on his albums in the 1970s, see my</span> <a href="http://homeofthegroove.blogspot.com/2011/01/allen-toussiant-defining-success-in.html" target="_new"><span style="color: #c27ba0;">2011 post</span></a><span style="color: #f1c232;">.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></span> <span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">“Take Some Mambo Time” (E. Baytos) - Eddie Baytos & the Nervis Bros - from their CD of the same name, 1990s.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="color: #f1c232;">I only had time for a few minutes of this one, so will get back to it in whole later. I</span> <a href="http://homeofthegroove.blogspot.com/2005/03/gettin-nervis.html" target="_new"><span style="color: #c27ba0;">wrote about</span></a> <span style="color: #f1c232;">this seldom seen CD back pre-Katrina.</span></span></span>Dan Phillipshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12185793905565005146noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8722495.post-44296973484960405682014-10-29T23:24:00.000-05:002014-10-29T23:24:08.732-05:00FUNKIFY YOUR LIFE #10 - 10/9/2014<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="color: #f1c232;">Original air date: Thursday, October 9, 2014, 1:00 PM on KRVS 88.7 FM Lafayette/Lake Charles, and <a href="http://krvs.org/" target="_new"><span style="color: #c27ba0;">online</span></a> at krvs.org<span style="color: #f1c232;">, with a rebroadcast Friday nights at 9:00. You can hear a podcast of </span><a href="http://krvs.org/post/funkify-your-life-october-9" target="_new"><span style="color: #c27ba0;">this show</span> </a> <span style="color: #f1c232;">and all the others I’ve produced so far on the website under “Programs”, anytime. They are archived by date there, down below the most recent playlist.</span><br />
<span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></span> <span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Speaking of which, you’ll also find basic playlists for all FYL shows there on the KRVS site. Meanwhile, these annotated playlists are now running about three weeks behind. Once again, tempus fergeddaboudit! </span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></span> <span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">“Funkify Your Life” [Intro] - The Meters</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></span> <span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">“Making It Better” (W. Querzergue-M. Adams-A. Savoy) - The Barons, Ltd - from their original Chimneyville single #436, 1971.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="color: #f1c232;">For details about the two singles the Barons did for Chimneyville as part of their lengthy association with Wardell ‘Big Q’ Quezergue, see my</span> <a href="http://homeofthegroove.blogspot.com.es/2011/12/tracking-big-q-factor-pt-2-unemployed.html" target="_new"><span style="color: #c27ba0;">2011 post</span></a><span style="color: #f1c232;">.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></span> <span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">“Making Love To Funky Music” (R. Bell-J. Strickland) - Reuben Bell - from his original Alarm single #2118, 1977. </span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">I’ve been cooking up a post for over a year on Big Q’s association with Alarm Records, based in Shreveport, LA, but am trying to snag a few more singles - the harder ones to get, of course. This cut by Reuben Bell, one of the principal artists on the label, is not one of those, but still not all that common. </span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></span> <span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">You can learn as much as I know about Alarm by getting hold of the 2007 soulscape CD,</span></span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.allmusic.com/album/sound-city-soul-brothers-mw0000492671" target="_new"><span style="color: #c27ba0;">Sound City Soul Brothers</span></a><span style="color: #f1c232;">, which collects some of the best sides by Bell, Ted Taylor, and Eddie Giles, and includes great notes by Paul Mooney. From them I learned that Alarm regularly imported the Malaco Studio house musicians and backing singers for their sessions. So they are likely backing Bell on this Big Q produced/arranged track.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></span> <span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">“Woman Don’t Go Astray” (King Floyd) - King Floyd - from his original Chimneyville single #443, 1972.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="color: #f1c232;">I put this single in context in</span> <a href="http://homeofthegroove.blogspot.com/2012/01/tracking-big-q-factor-part-3-more-on.html" target="_new"><span style="color: #c27ba0;">Part 3</span></a> <span style="color: #f1c232;">of my Big Q series.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></span> <span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="color: #f1c232;">“Before I Met You” (Marc Adams) - Marva Wright - from her Sky Ranch CD,</span> <a href="http://www.allmusic.com/album/born-with-the-blues-mw0000180150" target="_new"><span style="color: #c27ba0;">Born With The Blues</span></a><span style="color: #f1c232;">, 1993.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">I wrote about Marva and this album, which I still consider her best, shortly after her death back in 2010. As I mentioned on the show, Sonny Landreth played slide guitar on this cut, and songwriter Marc Adams was on piano, along with an impressive cast of other supporting players, such as Wilbert ‘Junkyard Dog’ Arnold on drums.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span> </span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="color: #f1c232;">“Talkin’ ‘Bout Love” (Marc Adams) - The Adams-Griffin Project .- from their Sound of New Orleans CD,</span> <a href="http://www.allmusic.com/album/choices-mw0000987813" target="_new"><span style="color: #c27ba0;">Choices</span></a><span style="color: #f1c232;">, 1994.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Speaking of Marc Adams, here he is singing and playing piano on another original tune. This one-off album featured the band he put together with trumpeter, Tracy Griffin.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span> </span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="color: #f1c232;">“The Mouse” (Smilin’ Myron) - Smilin’ Myron - from their CD,</span> <a href="http://www.allmusic.com/album/what-about-the-people-mw0000114327" target="_new"><span style="color: #c27ba0;">What About The People</span></a><span style="color: #f1c232;">, 1997.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">An insidiously funky little number from one of the many short-lived New Orleans funk bands of the 1990s.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span> </span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="color: #f1c232;">“99 44/100 Pure Love” (A. Reed) - Al Reed - from his original</span> <a href="http://www.45cat.com/record/nc908868us" target="_new"><span style="color: #c27ba0;">Axe single</span></a> <span style="color: #f1c232;">#103, 1967.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Both sides of this record, arranged by Big Q, are keepers. Reed was more of a songwriter than a performer, though he did make a few 45 between the mid-1950s and mid 1960s. Probably his best known song is “Kiss Tomorrow Goodbye”, originally cut by Danny White for Frisco Records.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></span> <span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">“Satisfied With Your Love” (Joan Parker) - Barbara George - for her original Seven B single #7019, 1968.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="color: #f1c232;">I did a</span> <a href="http://homeofthegroove.blogspot.com/2006/08/barbara-george-remembered.html" target="_new"><span style="color: #c27ba0;">brief tribute</span></a> <span style="color: #f1c232;">to Ms George shortly after her passing in 2006, and included this track, written by Eddie Bo, under one of his many aliases, who also produced and arranged it.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></span> <span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">:Getting The Corners” (Leroy Lewis) - The T.S.U. Tornadoes - from their original Atlantic single #2579, 1968.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="color: #f1c232;">As I said on the air, this Houston funk ‘n’ soul band came up with an original instrumental tune that became “Tighten Up”, when Archie Bell and the Drells recorded their vocals over it. This track sounds a lot like that hit, but never took off. For more on the band, see</span> <a href="http://www.houstonpress.com/2007-12-13/news/the-tsu-toronadoes/3/" target="_new"><span style="color: #c27ba0;">this article</span></a> <span style="color: #f1c232;">from the Houston Press.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span> </span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="color: #f1c232;">“Cocodrie” (Z. Richard) - Zachary Richard - from his Rounder CD,</span> <a href="http://www.allmusic.com/album/mardi-gras-mambo-mw0000202010" target="_new"><span style="color: #c27ba0;">Mardi Gras Mambo</span></a><span style="color: #f1c232;">, 1989.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Some local color from back when Lafayette’s own rootsman, ZR, was gettin’ down funky onstage and in the studio.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span> </span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="color: #f1c232;">‘Easy Days” (C.J. Chenier) - C. J. Chenier - from his Slash CD,</span> <a href="http://www.allmusic.com/album/i-aint-no-playboy-mw0000084464" target="_new"><span style="color: #c27ba0;">I Ain’t No Playboy</span></a><span style="color: #f1c232;">, 1992.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">A rarely heard instrumental cut featuring C. J. (son of Clifton) on flute, backed by his fine band.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">I picked this song and the previous one since Festival Acadiens et Creoles was going on the weekend the show aired and both these guys were there..</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></span> <span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">“Soulful Woman” (J. Hill-M. Rebennack-A. Robinson) - Al Robinson - from his original Pulsar single #2417, 1969.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="color: #f1c232;">For background on Alvin ‘Shine’ Robinson’s collaborations with Mac Rebennack, Jessie Hill and Harold Battiste out on the Left Coast in the late 1960s, see</span> <a href="http://homeofthegroove.blogspot.com/2010/09/further-reflections-on-shine-part-2.html" target="_new"><span style="color: #c27ba0;">my post</span></a> <span style="color: #f1c232;">from 2010.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span> </span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="color: #f1c232;">“Light My Fire” (The Doors) - Tami Lynn - a track recorded in 1969/1970 for Pulsar but not issued until the Ace CD,</span> <a href="http://acerecords.co.uk/more-gumbo-stew" target="_new"><span style="color: #c27ba0;">More Gumbo Stew</span></a><span style="color: #f1c232;">, 1993.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="color: #f1c232;">This compilation from the UK was the second of an authorized three CD series of recordings overseen by Harold Battiste, during the 1960s. He recorded Tami Lynn, who he had worked with when the AFO label was active in New Orleans, backed by the same crew of players who worked on other Pulsar projects, many of them NO expatriates. For some</span> <a href="http://homeofthegroove.blogspot.com/2008/02/tami-lynns-unlikely-hit-had-funky-flip.html" target="_new"><span style="color: #c27ba0;">backstory</span></a> <span style="color: #f1c232;">on Tami, see my 2008 post on one of her later records.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span> </span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="color: #f1c232;">“Bayou Cadillac” (B. Holley-E. McDaniel…...) - Beausoleil - from their Rounder CD,</span> <a href="http://www.allmusic.com/album/bayou-cadillac-mw0000653459" target="_new"><span style="color: #c27ba0;">Bayou Cadillac</span></a><span style="color: #f1c232;">, 1989.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">A true hybrid of rock-blues-R&B-second-line funk-cajun-zydeco that only Michael Doucet and the ultra-fine Beausoleil could pull off so well. They, too, played Festival Acadiens this year.</span></span></span></span></span></span>Dan Phillipshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12185793905565005146noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8722495.post-29282505378423743212014-10-10T21:54:00.000-05:002014-10-10T21:54:40.312-05:00FUNKIFY YOUR LIFE - SHOW #9 - PLAYLIST<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="color: #f1c232;">Air dates: Thursday, October 2, 2014, 1:00 PM, and Friday, October 3, 2014, 9:00 PM, on</span> <a href="http://krvs.org/" target="_new"><span style="color: #c27ba0;">KRVS 88.7 FM</span></a> <span style="color: #f1c232;">Lafayette/Lake Charles, and online at krvs.org. You can hear a podcast of</span> <a href="http://krvs.org/post/funkify-your-life-october-2" target="_new"><span style="color: #c27ba0;">this show</span></a> <span style="color: #f1c232;">and previous shows on the website under “Programs” anytime.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></span> <span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">This was a mostly vinyl episode, with a couple of choice CD cuts. I’m officially a week behind on these annotated playlists. So, from here on out, they will be briefer with links to more info. </span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></span> <span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">“Funkify Your Life” [Intro] - The Meters</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span> </span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="color: #f1c232;">“Move Your Body” (D. Tabb-D. Shezbie-C. Honore) -</span> <a href="http://www.rebirthbrassband.com/" target="_new"><span style="color: #c27ba0;">Rebirth Brass Band</span></a> <span style="color: #f1c232;">- from their Basin Street LP,</span> <a href="https://www.basinstreetrecords.com/shop/rebirth-brass-band-move-your-body-cd/" target="_new"><span style="color: #c27ba0;">Move Your Body</span></a><span style="color: #f1c232;">, 2014.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span> </span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="color: #f1c232;">“Bring It” (Shane Theriot) -</span> <a href="http://shanetheriot.com/" target="_new"><span style="color: #c27ba0;">Shane Theriot</span></a> <span style="color: #f1c232;">- from his Shose CD, <a href="http://www.discogs.com/Shane-Theriot-Dirty-Power/release/3865953" target="_new"><span style="color: #c27ba0;">Dirty Power</span></a>, 2009.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></span> <span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">“Boogie The Blues” (Ray Johnson) - Ray Johnson - from his original Mercury single #7023, 1954.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="color: #f1c232;">My 1/4/2014</span> <a href="http://homeofthegroove.blogspot.com/2014/01/tasty-holiday-leftovers-fess-ray-jcb3.html" target="_new"><span style="color: #c27ba0;">post</span></a> <span style="color: #f1c232;">included this side.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span> </span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="color: #f1c232;">“Still My Little Angel Child” (A. Mondy) - Alma Mondy - from</span> <a href="http://www.allmusic.com/album/mercury-blues-n-rhythm-story-1945-1955-mw0000189506" target="_new"><span style="color: #c27ba0;">Mercury Blues & Rhythm Story</span></a> <span style="color: #f1c232;">CD set, 1996.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Originally recorded for Mercury in New Orleans in 1949, backed by George Miller & his Mid-Driffs. Alma was called ‘The Lollipop Mama’ or ‘Miss Lollipop’.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span> </span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="color: #f1c232;">“Cat Walk” (L. Allen-A. Toussaint) -</span> <a href="http://www.allmusic.com/artist/lee-allen-mn0000142490/biography" target="_new"><span style="color: #c27ba0;">Lee Allen</span></a> <span style="color: #f1c232;">- from his original Ember single #1057.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Toussaint likely arranged this session, too. From the sound of it, James Booker played organ, with Charles ‘Hungry’ Williams on drums. A recording with sonic problems that were on the master tape.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></span> <span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">“Then I’ll Believe” (D. Johnson) - Martha Carter - from her original Ron single #346, 1962.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="color: #f1c232;">This single came up in</span> <a href="http://homeofthegroove.blogspot.com/2009/05/in-pursuit-of-bo-consciousness-part-3.html" target="_new"><span style="color: #c27ba0;">Part 3</span></a> <span style="color: #f1c232;">of my <i>In Pursuit Of Bo Consciousness</i> series.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></span> <span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">“Keep The Fire Burning” (Edwin Bocage) - Skip Easterling - from his original Alon single #9033, 1966.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="color: #f1c232;">For some background on Skip and this single, see</span> <a href="http://homeofthegroove.blogspot.com/2009/11/in-pursuit-of-bo-consciousness-part-7.html" target="_new"><span style="color: #c27ba0;">Part 7</span></a> <span style="color: #f1c232;">of that Bo series.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></span> <span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">“I’ve Got Reasons” (E. Bocage-J. Scramuzza) - Mary Jane Hooper - from her original Power single #105-4051, 1968.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="color: #f1c232;">I</span> <a href="http://homeofthegroove.blogspot.com/2008/12/mary-jane-by-any-other-name.html" target="_new"><span style="color: #c27ba0;">featured</span></a> <span style="color: #f1c232;">Ms Hooper (a/k/a Sena Fetcher) and her Eddie Bo produced tracks from this 45 and another back in 2008.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></span> <span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">“Do What You Wanna Do” (Isaac Bolden) - Tony Owens - from his original Island single #069, 1976.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="color: #f1c232;">A few days after Katrina hit, and the seriousness of the subsequent Federal Flood hadn’t quite sunk in, I did</span> <a href="http://homeofthegroove.blogspot.com/2005/09/discovering-tony-owens.html" target="_new"><span style="color: #c27ba0;">a post</span></a> <span style="color: #f1c232;">on the singer and this tune. I was admittedly late to the Tony Owens bandwagon, but have since gotten more of this recordings and seen him perform live quite a few times, becoming a fan. Still, since much of his output has been on the deeper soul end of the spectrum, I haven’t written much more about his work, but hope to slip in some other tunes on the show.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></span> <span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">“Humpin’ To Please” (James Canes) - Jean Knight - from her original Ola single #1-102, 1977.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="color: #f1c232;">This track was</span> <a href="http://homeofthegroove.blogspot.com/2007/09/pleasingly-humpin-jean-knight.html" target="_new"><span style="color: #c27ba0;">discussed</span></a> <span style="color: #f1c232;">on the blog back in 2007.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></span> <span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">“Don’t Turn Your Back On Me” (Terry Manuel) - Louisiana Purchase - from their original LP, <i>Louisiana Purchase</i>, ca 1982.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="color: #f1c232;">Despite the synthesizers and that slick “aural exciter” sound of the 80s, I dig this track and others on this LP. I</span> <a href="http://homeofthegroove.blogspot.com/2006/07/back-to-louisiana-purchase.html" target="_new"><span style="color: #c27ba0;">wrote about</span></a> <span style="color: #f1c232;">it and this tune in 2007.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span> </span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="color: #f1c232;">“Why You Wanna Do It” (W. Harper-T. Royal) - Willie Harper - from the Charly compilation LP,</span> <a href="http://www.discogs.com/Various-Sehorns-Soul-Farm/release/2622843" target="_new"><span style="color: #c27ba0;">Sehorn’s Soul Farm</span></a><span style="color: #f1c232;">, 1982.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="color: #f1c232;">This album has two Willie Harper tunes, both co-written with guitarist Teddy Royal, that were probably recorded in the early mid-1970s, since Royal did not relocate to New Orleans until 1971, when he was hired on to King Floyd’s road band, the Rhythm Masters. From the sound of the backing musicians and arrangement, I would suspect this was recorded after Sea-Saint Studios opened in 1973, when Wardell Quezergue had returned from Malaco to work there. Early on, Smokey Johnson was drumming on sessions at Sea-Saint: and, in my</span> <a href="http://homeofthegroove.blogspot.com/2005/03/im-guessing-smokey-stole-this-show.html" target="_new"><span style="color: #c27ba0;">2005 post</span></a> <span style="color: #f1c232;">on this tune, I hazarded a guess he played on this tune.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span> </span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="color: #f1c232;">“The Devil Gives Me Everything” (M. West-L. Laudenbach-The High Society Brothers) -</span> <a href="http://homeofthegroove.blogspot.com/2008/07/willie-west-genuine-soul-survivor.html" target="_new"><span style="color: #c27ba0;">Willie West</span></a> <span style="color: #f1c232;">- from his forthcoming</span> <a href="http://www.timmion.com/" target="_new"><span style="color: #c27ba0;">Timmion</span></a> <span style="color: #f1c232;">LP/CD, <i>Lost Soul</i>.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">This track was first released five years back by Timmion, based on Norway, on a 45 issued in Europe, with good results. The new album will come out across the pond first, with later release in the US.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span> </span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="color: #f1c232;">“Country Road” (James Taylor) - Merry Clayton - from her Ode 70 LP,</span> <a href="http://www.discogs.com/Merry-Clayton-Gimme-Shelter/release/1701229" target="_new"><span style="color: #c27ba0;">Gimme Shelter</span></a><span style="color: #f1c232;">, 1970.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="color: #f1c232;">A great, funked-up version of the JT classic from this outstanding vocalist most famous for her background work, but who has always deserved to be up front. Check out this</span> <a href="http://www.rocksoff.org/merry.htm" target="_new"><span style="color: #c27ba0;">detailed summary</span></a> <span style="color: #f1c232;">of her recording career.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span> </span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="color: #f1c232;">“Running Man” (B. Ellman- T. DeCouet-Galactic) - Galactic - from their Capricorn CD,</span> <a href="http://www.allmusic.com/album/late-for-the-future-mw0000606106" target="_new"><span style="color: #c27ba0;">Late For The Future</span></a><span style="color: #f1c232;">, 2000.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Vocal by Theryl DeClouet, who sang with the band for several years.</span></span></span>Dan Phillipshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12185793905565005146noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8722495.post-11029327826973600162014-10-04T11:48:00.002-05:002014-10-04T11:48:51.652-05:00FUNKIFY YOUR LIFE - SHOW #8 - PLAYLIST<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="color: #f1c232;">Air dates: Thursday, September 25, 2014, 1:00 PM, and Friday, September 26, 2014, 9:00 PM, on</span> <a href="http://krvs.org/" target="_new"><span style="color: #c27ba0;">KRVS 88.7 FM</span></a> <span style="color: #f1c232;">Lafayette/Lake Charles, and online at krvs.org. You can hear a podcast of</span> <a href="http://krvs.org/post/funkify-your-life-september-25" target="_new"><span style="color: #c27ba0;">this show</span></a> <span style="color: #f1c232;">and previous shows on the website under “Programs” anytime.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></span> <span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">“Funkify Your Life” [Intro] - The Meters</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span> </span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="color: #f1c232;">“Ride Your Pony” (Naomi Neville) - Betty Harris - from the Charly LP compilation of Betty’s Sansu material,</span> <a href="http://www.discogs.com/Betty-Harris-In-The-Saddle/release/1942947" target="_new"><span style="color: #c27ba0;">In the Saddle</span></a><span style="color: #f1c232;">, 1980.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="color: #f1c232;">My original 45 (Sansu #480), is a bit worse for wear on this side, so I went with this re-issue track. I played the flip side of the single, “Trouble With My Lover”, on show #1. For more thoughts on this tune, which is a Toussaint-written/produced cover that beats Lee Dorsey’s 1965 original, see</span> <a href="http://homeofthegroove.blogspot.com/2010/01/two-more-from-toussaint.html" target="_new"><span style="color: #c27ba0;">my post</span></a> <span style="color: #f1c232;">from 2010. And for some background on how Ms Betty came to record in New Orleans, check</span> <a href="http://homeofthegroove.blogspot.com/2013/02/toussaint-20-footnotes-follow-ups_24.html" target="_new"><span style="color: #c27ba0;">this one</span></a><span style="color: #f1c232;">.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></span> <span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">“Love, I Can’t Seem To Find It” (Larry Williams) - Larry Williams - from his original Venture single #622, 1968.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="color: #f1c232;">For some background on Williams’ music career, his gangster lifestyle, and this single in particular, check out</span> <a href="http://homeofthegroove.blogspot.com/2006/04/one-of-larry-williams-last-ventures.html" target="_new"><span style="color: #c27ba0;">my post</span></a> <span style="color: #f1c232;">from 2006, where I featured the other side, “Shake Your Body Girl”. </span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></span> <span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">“Don’t Stop Now” (Tony Bryce) - Lloyd Price - from his original JAD single #212, 1968.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="color: #f1c232;">I featured this single back in 2006; and</span> <a href="http://homeofthegroove.blogspot.com/2006/04/lloyd-prices-jamaican-connection.html" target="_new"><span style="color: #c27ba0;">the post</span></a> <span style="color: #f1c232;">is chock full of interesting factoids, most of which I’d since forgotten. Glad I wrote it down, and caught back up.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span> </span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="color: #f1c232;">“Chasing Rainbows” (Teddy Royal) -</span> <a href="http://www.allmusic.com/artist/johnny-adams-mn0000242473/biography" target="_new"><span style="color: #c27ba0;">Johnny Adams</span></a> <span style="color: #f1c232;">- from his original Ariola single #7701, 1978.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">This single was featured in the first of my two-part post on the career of Teddy Royal, who got the writing credit on this single, which had its initial release on Hep’ Me. Later, when I did a feature on soul singer Willie West, he told me that he had co-written (uncredited) the song with Royal, contributing the lyrics. Adams only did a handful of true funk songs; and his voice classed up all of ‘em.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span> </span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="color: #f1c232;">“Freddie’s Walking” (Chuck Mangione) -</span> <a href="http://www.sirshambling.com/artists_2012/L/cp_love/" target="_new"><span style="color: #c27ba0;">C. P. Love</span></a> <span style="color: #f1c232;">- from his original Stone single #201, 1973.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">C. P. Love is one of the many fine soul singers who were signed to Elijah Walker’s artist management company in New Orleans, Skyline Productions, and the A&R company he ran with Wardell ‘Big Q’ Quezergue, Pelican Productions, in the late 1960s and early 1970s. That got Love a chance to record at Malaco in Jackson, Ms, when Big Q and Walker worked with the studio; but the one single that resulted did not sell. Walker died around 1973, and Love moved on, recording this one-off single for Stone, a Baton Rouge label, that year. [See <a href="http://homeofthegroove.blogspot.com/2012/06/tracking-big-q-factor-pt-4b-mainly.html" target="_new">my post</a> from the Big Q series, for more on Love’s story.]</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></span> <span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">While his take on the gospel flavored “Freddie’s Walking” (anybody know what this song, written by pop-jazz flugelhorn player Chuck Mangione, is about?) showed off his vocal chops, the record was another commercial non-starter. Love later recorded for Orleans records and recently has joined the band Fo’Reel, about which see below.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span> </span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="color: #f1c232;">“What I Can Do” (M. Domizio-C. P. Love) -</span> <a href="http://www.foreelband.com/#theband" target="_new"><span style="color: #c27ba0;">Fo’Real</span></a> <span style="color: #f1c232;">- from their independently released CD, <i>Heavy Water</i>, 2014.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">An impressive aggregation of veteran players, Fo’Real greatly benefits from the participation of C. P. Love, one of New Orleans’ best unsung vocalists, whose career stretches back to the 1960s. The other members are guitarist and songwriter, Mark Domizio, bassist David Hyde [since replaced by another great, David Barard], and Johnny Neel on keyboards. On this track, Allyn Robinson played drums. Other tracks also feature a fine horn section. I’m sure I’ll get to other tracks as time goes by.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></span> <span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">“New Orleans Twist” (P. King-D. Bartholomew-W. Quezergue) - Blazer Boy - from his original Imperial single #5801, 1961.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">At the time of this recording, producer Dave Bartholomew was nearing the end of his long association with Imperial Records, which started in the late 1940s and brought about the huge success of Fats Domino. Wardell Quezergue was doing a lot of the arrangements for these later Imperial sides. The young Smokey Johnson was likely drumming on this standard issue dance song, featuring the not often recorded George Stevens, dubbed Blazer Boy, on vocal.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></span> <span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">“Olde Wine” (James Black) - Red Tyler - from his original At Last single #1003, 1963.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="color: #f1c232;">The At Last label was a subsidiary of</span> <a href="http://www.offbeat.com/2011/06/01/afo-records-all-for-fifty/" target="_new"><span style="color: #c27ba0;">AFO (All For One) Records</span></a><span style="color: #f1c232;">, started by producer/musician Harold Battiste and a group of like-minded black studio musicians who wanted to get more financial rewards from the records they played on, arranged, and helped make hits. Saxophonist</span> <a href="http://homeofthegroove.blogspot.com/2009/05/respecting-red-tyler.html" target="_new"><span style="color: #c27ba0;"><span style="color: #c27ba0;">Alvin ‘Red’ Tyler</span></span></a><span style="color: #f1c232;">, who played on countless R&B records starting in the late 1940s, was a founding member of AFO and the featured artist on this track, written by drummer/composer,</span> <a href="http://homeofthegroove.blogspot.com/2006/10/who-you-gonna-call.html" target="_new"><span style="color: #c27ba0;">James Black</span></a><span style="color: #f1c232;">. Like the majority of the AFO associates, Black was primarily a jazz musician who played R&B to make a living, making a lot of music history in the process.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span> </span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="color: #f1c232;">“You Ain’t Hittin’ On Nothing” (Naomi Neville) -</span> <a href="http://www.allmusic.com/artist/irma-thomas-mn0000772526/biography" target="_new"><span style="color: #c27ba0;">Irma Thomas</span></a> <span style="color: #f1c232;">- from her original Minit single #666, 1963. </span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Among Irma’s best and most remembered recordings were the tracks she cut for the Minit label in the early 1960s, with Allen Toussaint writing, arranging and producing. This funky, sassy little number ,written by Toussaint under his nom de plume, was the flip side of her classic, “Ruler Of My Heart”, with backing by a stripped down rhythm section headed by Roy Montrell on guitar. He was also one of AFO’s founders, many of whom Toussaint used at the time, such as bassist Chuck Badie and drummer John Boudreaux, who very likely are on this, too.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span> </span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="color: #f1c232;">“Love Slip Up On Ya” (Neville-Nocentelli-Porter-Modeliste) - The Meters - from their original Reprise LP,</span> <a href="http://www.discogs.com/Meters-Fire-On-The-Bayou/release/431945" target="_new"><span style="color: #c27ba0;">Fire On the Bayou</span></a><span style="color: #f1c232;">, 1975.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="color: #f1c232;">I wrote a short</span> <a href="http://homeofthegroove.blogspot.com/2006/12/funk-sway.html" target="_new"><span style="color: #c27ba0;">tribute</span></a> <span style="color: #f1c232;">to this funk-sway groove monster back in 2006.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span> </span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="color: #f1c232;">“Hear The Words, Feel the Feeling” (L. Dozier-M. Jackson) - Margie Joseph - from her original Cotillion LP,</span> <a href="http://www.discogs.com/Margie-Joseph-Hear-The-Words-Feel-The-Feeling/release/1071655" target="_new"><span style="color: #c27ba0;">Hear The Words, Feel the Feeling</span></a><span style="color: #f1c232;">, 1976.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="color: #f1c232;">While I think she did her best records and funkiest tunes with producer/arranger Arif Mardin for Atlantic a bit earlier, this album on Atlantic’s subsidiary, Cotillion, has its moments even though disco tendencies were evident. After all, it was produced by the great Lamont Dozier on out the Left Coast. The distinctive, stylized funk of the title track is far from the New Orleans feel [She recorded next to nothing in her hometown.], but still mighty effective. Read David Nathan's thorough</span> <a href="http://www.soulmusic.com/index.asp?S=3&T=3&ART=1220" target="_new"><span style="color: #c27ba0;">overview</span></a> <span style="color: #f1c232;">of Margie’s career at SoulMusic.com.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></span> <span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">“Mojo Hannah” (A. Williams-C. Paul-B. Paul) - Aaron Neville - from his original Mercury single #73310, 1972.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="color: #f1c232;">I</span> <a href="http://homeofthegroove.blogspot.com/2010/04/dancing-with-irma-and-aaron-for-dee.html" target="_new"><span style="color: #c27ba0;">wrote-up</span></a> <span style="color: #f1c232;">Aaron’s hot take of this tune, backed by the Meters, back in 2010.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></span> <span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">“Junk” (Fantoms) - The Fantoms - from their original Power Funksion single #10002, 1972.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="color: #f1c232;">Covered this single and some of the band’s</span> <a href="http://homeofthegroove.blogspot.com/2007/08/fabulous-fantoms-funksion.html" target="_new"><span style="color: #c27ba0;">backstory</span></a> <span style="color: #f1c232;">in a 2007 post.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></span> <span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">“I Want Somebody (To Show Me The Way Back Home)” [W. Turbinton] - Willie Tee - from his original Atlantic single #2302, 1965.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="color: #f1c232;">Just pre-Katrina, during the first year of HOTG, I</span> <a href="http://homeofthegroove.blogspot.com/2005/05/more-than-one-hit-wonder.html" target="_new"><span style="color: #c27ba0;">discussed</span></a> <span style="color: #f1c232;">this side, one of my absolute faves by Mr. Turbinton.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></span> <span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">“We’ll Figure It Out” (S. Allen-J. Butler- and band) - Shamarr Allen and the Underdawgs - from their POME/Threadhead Records CD, <i>Box Who In?</i>, 2009.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="color: #f1c232;">As the title of the CD implies, it’s hard to box in Shamarr and his band, as their musical adventures range from jazz to funk, hip-hop to hard rock, and tosses in some rap from Dee-1 for good measure. Check Shamarr’s</span> <a href="http://www.shamarrallen.com/bio/" target="_new"><span style="color: #c27ba0;">website</span></a> <span style="color: #f1c232;">for more details.</span></span></span>Dan Phillipshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12185793905565005146noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8722495.post-59307833473905146412014-09-21T13:13:00.000-05:002014-09-21T17:19:04.546-05:00FUNKIFY YOUR LIFE - SHOW #7 - PLAYLIST<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="color: #f1c232;">Air dates: Thursday, September 18, 2014, 1:00 PM, and Friday, September 19, 2014, 9:00 PM, on</span> <a href="http://krvs.org/" target="_new"><span style="color: #c27ba0;">KRVS</span></a> <span style="color: #f1c232;">88.7 FM Lafayette/Lake Charles, and online at krvs.org. You can hear a podcast of</span> <a href="http://krvs.org/post/funkify-your-life-september-18" target="_new"><span style="color: #c27ba0;">this show</span></a> <span style="color: #f1c232;">and previous shows on the website under “Programs” anytime.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span> </span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="color: #f1c232;">As I noted on the show, I had planned to feature all recent releases and reissues - within the past couple of years - this week; but I learned that</span> <a href="https://www.facebook.com/lil.band.o.gold/info" target="_new"><span style="color: #c27ba0;">Lil’ Band o’ Gold</span></a> <span style="color: #f1c232;">would be honoring a fellow band member, local songwriter, keyboardist, and singer,</span> <a href="http://www.davidegan.net/biography.html" href="https://www.blogger.com/null" target="_new"><span style="color: #c27ba0;">David Egan</span></a><span style="color: #f1c232;">, with a tribute to his music at this week’s Downtown Alive concert series here in Lafayette. David, who has written and co-written songs recorded by such artists a Irma Thomas, Etta James, Johnny Adams and Solomon Burke, is recovering from serious illness and surgery and deserves all of our best wishes and positive vibes. </span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></span> <span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">There was a big turnout for the Friday night celebration, which lasted about three hours and had a large cast of guest musicians and vocalists joining LBoG. It was full of memorable moments, with Jon Cleary coming over from New Orleans to sit in for David on piano almost the entire time.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></span> <span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">I added five of David’s songs to the mix this week, as my own tribute to his talents.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></span> <span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">“Funkify Your Life” [Intro] (A. Neville-C, Neville-L. Nocentelli-G. Porter, Jr- J. Modeliste) - The Meters- from the Sudazed CD reissue of New Directions, 2002.</span></span></span><br />
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</span></span></span> <span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">“Call Your Children Home” (David Egan) - David Egan - from his eponymous Rhonda Sue Records CD, 2013.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="color: #f1c232;">Taken from David’s</span> <a href="http://www.allmusic.com/album/david-egan-mw0002553949" target="_new"><span style="color: #c27ba0;">latest album</span></a><span style="color: #f1c232;">, this one definitely has some funk to the groove, courtesy of Mike Sipos on drums and Ron Eoff on bass. Mike’s from New Orleans, where broken-beat drumming is part of the DNA. I remember Ron from his days with the Cate Brothers, when they would grace Memphis a couple of times a year with their Arkansas soul and funk. The guitar players on this track are a mini-Louisiana hall of fame with Bruce MacDonald and Buddy Flett playing rhythm, and Paul ‘Lil’ Buck’ Senegal taking the lead.</span></span></span><br />
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</span></span> </span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="color: #f1c232;">“Everything I Do Gonh Be Funky (Allen Toussaint) - Jon Cleary - from his FHQ CD,</span> <a href=http://www.allmusic.com/album/occapella!-mw0002325696 target="_new"><span style="color: #c27ba0;">Occapella!</span></a><span style="color: #f1c232;">, 2012.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="color: #f1c232;">It seems from the YouTube</span> <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hN1sC4OAUWw" target="_new"><span style="color: #c27ba0;">video</span></a> <span style="color: #f1c232;">about this album of Allen Toussaint songs and the Allmusic credits linked above that Jon played all the instruments on this track and most of the album. I think I said on the show that his band, the Absolute Monster Gentlemen, played on this one; but that was wrong. Only one song, “Let’s Get Low Down”, has other players, James Singleton on bass and Terrence Higgins on drums, from Jon’s trio, the Philthy Phew, whose membership varies.</span></span></span><br />
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</span></span> </span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="color: #f1c232;">“Here It Is” (C. Neville-C, Wooten-M. Zito-Y. Scott) - The Royal Southern Brotherhood - from their Ruf CD,</span> <a href="http://www.allmusic.com/album/heartsoulblood-mw0002662251" target="_new"><span style="color: #c27ba0;">Heatsoulblood</span></a><span style="color: #f1c232;">, 2014.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="color: #f1c232;">The RSB membership - Mike Zito and Devon Allman on guitars and vocals, Charlie Wooton on bass, Cyril Neville on vocals and percussion, and Yonrico Scott on drums - are all established artists who came together to take their collective music exploits to a new place, and have succeeded. Read</span> <a href="http://www.royalsouthernbrotherhood.com/bio/" target="_new"><span style="color: #c27ba0;">backstories</span></a> <span style="color: #f1c232;">at their website. While their debut CD was mostly on the blues- rock side; they have brought some funk into the mix on this new one, as evidence by “Here It Is”, among others.. To me they are becoming a Southern rock band in the best sense of that label,, incorporating their musical influences into an effective hybrid that blurs the lines between rock, blues, R&B, soul, and funk. More power to ‘em.</span></span></span><br />
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</span></span> </span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="color: #f1c232;">“Ooh Yeah” (?) - Flow Tribe - from their CD EP,</span> <a href="http://www.nola.com/radio/index.ssf/2014/09/listen_flow_tribes_new_alligat.html" target="_new"><span style="color: #c27ba0;">Alligator White</span></a><span style="color: #f1c232;">, 2014.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">I heard Flow Tribe in New Orleans a few years back, and found them to be a spunky young funk band. Recently, I was contacted through the blog by their promo people, alerting me to this new EP and their gig here in Lafayette. Since I am now doing the show, they sent along the CD; and I got stuck on “Ooh Yeah”, which is not funk like the other tracks, but a poly-rhythmic</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Carribean/Afro-Cuban change of pace that they pull off very convincingly. I’ll get into some of the other tunes at a later date. </span></span></span><br />
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</span></span> </span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="color: #f1c232;">“Sassy” (Herbert Hardesty) - Herb Hardesty - from the Ace CD,</span> <a href="http://acerecords.co.uk/the-domino-effect-the-wing-federal-recordings-1958-61" target="_new"><span style="color: #c27ba0;">The Domino Effect</span></a><span style="color: #f1c232;">, 2012.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">This well-done CD compilation from the UK, covers all of New Orleans saxophone master Herb Hardesty’s solo recordings. Half of them were released by the Federal label around 1962, and recorded in New York City and Cincinnati with fellow members of Fats Domino’s band backing him, for the most part. The other numbers were recorded at the late great Cosimo’s Studio in New Orleans in 1958 for an album project to be released on Wing, as division of Mercury Records; but it was never issued, until being rediscovered several years ago, “Sassy” is one of those nearly lost Wing tracks. As on the Federal sides, Domino band members backed Herb up. </span></span></span><br />
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</span></span> </span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="color: #f1c232;">I reviewed the CD</span> <a href="http://homeofthegroove.blogspot.com/2012/10/hotg-reviews-rarest-of-ric-ron-herb_28.html" target="_new"><span style="color: #c27ba0;">here</span></a> <span style="color: #f1c232;">when it came out and have featured a</span> <a href="http://homeofthegroove.blogspot.com/2014/07/summertime-syncopations-part-2.html" target="_new"><span style="color: #c27ba0;">Federal recording</span></a> <span style="color: #f1c232;">or two of his, also. Should you wish to know more.</span></span></span><br />
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</span></span> </span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="color: #f1c232;">“Did She Mention My Name” (Mac Rebennack) - from the Ace CD compilation,</span> <a href="http://acerecords.co.uk/cracking-the-cosimo-code-60s-new-orleans-rb-and-soul" target="_new"><span style="color: #c27ba0;">Cracking the Cosimo Code</span></a><span style="color: #f1c232;">, 2014.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">This CD focuses on a some fine examples of the recording legacy of the late Cosimo Matassa, who operated a succession of studios in New Orleans from the late 1940s until around 1970, With its revealing notes and selection of songs Cos helped birth, the CD is a great place to start learning about Cos’ vital role in bringing New Orleans popular music to the public. If you are at all into collecting New Orleans music in any format and knowing about its origins, the Cosimo Code website, which inspired the CD, is the place to go for the arcane details of Cos’ extensive record-making and record-keeping, researched by a team of dedicated and obsessed audio archeologists. </span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></span> <span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">If you just want to hear the simple genius of Cos’ recording technique, feast your ears on “Did She Mention My Name”. It delivers Ronnie Barron’s amazing vocal and Mac Rebennack’s brilliant arrangement from 1964 with pristine clarity and fidelity. Awesome.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span> </span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="color: #f1c232;">“Lover And A Friend” (Edwin Bocage) - Eddie Bo & Inez Cheatham - from a Jazzman reissue 45, part of the 3 record set,</span> <a href="http://www.jazzmanrecords.co.uk/various-artists-the-essential-seven-b-collection" target="_new"><span style="color: #c27ba0;">The Essential Seven B Collection</span></a><span style="color: #f1c232;">, 2012.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Both the 1968 original 45 on the Seven B label (#7017) and the Capitol Records version, which was released nationally soon thereafter, are fairly hard to find in the wild, and expensive when you do. I’ve lost count of the auctions for a copy of this record I’ve been outbid on. So, I’ve made do with the various compilation appearances of “Lover And A Friend” over the years, now including this reissue from Jazzman. A very reasonable facsimile.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></span> <span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Eddie Bo had been doing A&R (producing, songwriting, artist development) and his own releases for Joe Banashak’s Seven B label for a couple of years when he did this tune with Ms Cheatham, a member of the singing group, the Triple Souls. They did background singing on most of the R&B sessions at Cosimo’s, for productions by Bo, Wardell ‘Big Q’ Quezergue, and Allen Toussaint. As far as I know, she never did any solo recording, despite being a quite capable soul singer. Bobby Williams, who called his style of funk drumming “bounce” decades before local hip-hop artists appropriated the term, and his group were the rhythm section. They recorded the cult classic Mardi Gras Indian inspired rave-up, “Boogaloo Mardi Gras”, probably on the same session, appearing under the group’s name on Seven B and Capitol, also. </span></span></span><br />
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</span></span> </span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="color: #f1c232;">"Slingshots And Boomerangs” (David Egan-C. C. Adcock) - David Egan - from his Louisiana Red Hot/Rhonda Sue CD,</span> <a href="http://www.allmusic.com/album/twenty-years-of-trouble-mw0000031228" target="_new"><span style="color: #c27ba0;">Twenty Years of Trouble</span></a><span style="color: #f1c232;">, 2003.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Guitar slinger, songwriter, and artist in his own right C. C. Adcock co-wrote this tune and co-produced the album with David. Clever lyrics, great groove.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></span> <span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">“Fess On Up” (David Egan) - A-Train - from their Sooto 45 (#4503), ca 1985.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">This tune also appeared on their final LP, River of People, from 1985. Miki Honeycutt took the lead vocal with David backing her on this South Louisiana swamp pop shuffle.</span></span></span><br />
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</span></span> </span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="color: #f1c232;">“I Wish You Would” (N. Glaspie-A. Hall-N. Daniels III-I. Neville-I. Neville) - Dumpstaphunk - from their Louisiana Red Hot CD,</span> <a href="http://www.allmusic.com/album/dirty-word-mw0002551135" target="_new"><span style="color: #c27ba0;">Dirty Word</span></a><span style="color: #f1c232;">, 2013</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">A heavy funk outfit who usually don’t have a horn section or player with them, Dumpstaphunk have versatile saxman Sherik and hometown hero Trombone Shorty joining in here to fine effect.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span> </span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="color: #f1c232;">“Be My Lady” (A. Neville-C. Neville-L. Nocentelli-G. Porter, Jr- J. Modeliste) - Trombone Shorty - from his Verve CD,</span> <a href="http://www.allmusic.com/album/say-that-to-say-this-mw0002563616" target="_new"><span style="color: #c27ba0;">Say That To Say This</span></a><span style="color: #f1c232;">, 2013.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Speaking of Trombone Shorty, Troy Andrews, here he is doing an impressive cover of a song originally on the Meters’ final LP, <i>New Directions</i>, and sung by Cyril Neville. It’s notable that he got all of the original Meters to play and sing back-up on the session, which is quite a feat in itself.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span> </span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="color: #f1c232;">“Hallelujah, I’m A Dreamer” (David Egan) - Papa Mali - from his Fog City CD,</span> <a href="http://www.allmusic.com/album/do-your-thing-mw0000568205" target="_new"><span style="color: #c27ba0;">Do Your Thing</span></a><span style="color: #f1c232;">, 2007.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Malcolm ‘Papa Mali’ Welbourne’s decision to take on David Egan’s superbly written tune with just guitar and vocal was the perfect call, allowing the lyrics to shine. As I said on the show, this song is a standout example of why David should be considered one of the great American songwriters.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span> </span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="color: #f1c232;">“Sing It” (David Egan) - Marcia Ball, Tracy Nelson, Irma Thomas - from their Rounder CD,</span> <a href="http://www.allmusic.com/album/sing-it!-mw0000029567" target="_new"><span style="color: #c27ba0;">Sing It!</span></a><span style="color: #f1c232;">, 1998.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">David had three songs on this well-received collaboration by these soul/blues divas, which significantly raised his profile. “Sing It” originally appeared on A-Train’s 1983 album, <i>Live At Humpfree’s</i>; but this version is definitive.</span></span></span><br />
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</span></span></span> <span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></span> <span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Get well soon, Mr. Dave.</span></span></span>Dan Phillipshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12185793905565005146noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8722495.post-43308663124498043932014-09-14T13:06:00.000-05:002014-09-15T17:49:16.143-05:00FUNKIFY YOUR LIFE - SHOW #6 - PLAYLIST<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="color: #f1c232;">Air dates: Thursday, September 11, 2014, 1:00 PM, and Friday, September 12, 2014, 9:00 PM, on</span> <a href="http://krvs.org/" target="_new"><span style="color: #c27ba0;">KRVS 88.7 FM</span></a><span style="color: #f1c232;"> Lafayette/Lake Charles, and online at krvs.org. You can hear</span> <a href="http://krvs.org/post/funkify-your-life-september-11" target="_new"><span style="color: #c27ba0;">a podcast</span></a> <span style="color: #f1c232;">of this show and previous shows on the website under “Programs” anytime.</span></span></span><br />
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</span></span></span> <span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">First off, R.I.P. Cosimo Matassa, who died Thursday, at 88. Since I recorded the show two days earlier, I could not mention it in on-air. I won’t be doing a specific special on Cos for the show or blog, since he was involved in at least 98% of the New Orleans music recorded between the late 1940s and early 1970s. </span></span></span><br />
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</span></span></span> <span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">When considering the real impact Cosimo and his three successive studios had on the city’s musical legacy, you realize that the world-changing popular music of New Orleans, be it R&B, rock ‘n’ roll, soul, funk or jazz might not have have flourished if he had not been there to document it and assist in making available to home turntables, neighborhood jukeboxes, and radio stations far and wide. It literally changed the world, and for the better. He always humbly credited the musicians he recorded for that; but, as the recording engineer (self-taught!!!), Cos was the man who captured the performances on magnetic tape as accurately as he could. In the 1960s, he began mastering and pressing many of those records, too, with the same care and professionalism. The sound he got, under primitive conditions by industry standards, was exceptional. So, every show and post featuring some of those records always has been and always will be a Cosimo special.</span></span></span><br />
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</span></span> </span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="color: #f1c232;">Read Keith Spera’s fine</span> <a href="http://www.nola.com/music/index.ssf/2014/09/cosimo_matassa_new_orleans_rec.html#incart_river" target="_new"><span style="color: #c27ba0;">obituary on Cos</span></a> <span style="color: #f1c232;">at nola.com and see the video there of author/historian Rick Coleman interviewing the man himself. There has long been a link (Secrets of Cosimo’s Studio) in my sidebar under Resources to another</span> <a href="http://www.toddcollinsmusic.com/cosimo-matassa-interview/" target="_new"><span style="color: #c27ba0;">revealing interview</span></a> <span style="color: #f1c232;">with Cos, covering the mainly technical aspects of his recording process. Even if you are not familiar with studio gear, it’s a fascinating glimpse into how he operated. </span></span></span><br />
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</span></span> </span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="color: #f1c232;">Sadly, I also note the recent passing of</span> <a href="http://www.nola.com/music/index.ssf/2014/08/new_orleans_jazz_saxophonist_t.html#incart_story_package" target="_new"><span style="color: #c27ba0;">Tim Green</span></a><span style="color: #f1c232;">, one of New Orleans’ best sax players. He never sought the spotlight, but was highly valued on the scene. I always enjoyed hearing him live and as a contributor to various studio projects over the years.</span></span></span><br />
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</span></span></span> <span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">This week’s show was almost completely sourced from vinyl, with only the lead-off Dr. John cut coming from a CD re-issue, because I cannot locate the LP around here - in the wrong place at the wrong time!</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></span> <span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">“Funkify Your Life” [Intro] (Neville-Neville-Nocentelli-Porter, Jr-Modeliste) - The Meters - from the Sundazed reissue of their Warner Bros album, New Directions, 2000</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span> </span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="color: #f1c232;">"Peace Brother Peace” (Mac Rebennack) - Dr. John - from a MFSL remastered reissue CD containing the original ATCO 1973 LP,</span> <a href="http://www.discogs.com/Dr-John-In-The-Right-Place/release/554882" target="_new"><span style="color: #c27ba0;">In The Right Place</span></a><span style="color: #f1c232;">, 1995.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Still seeking my original LP copy. It’s around here somewhere. The album had the Meters as rhythm section, with Allen Toussaint producing, and contained the now well-known radio hits, “Right Place, Wrong Time” and “Such A Night”. Not a clinker on it. This tune started my “Peace” set this week, meant to help counteract (“doctorate your soul”, as the song says) the dire memories of this date,thirteen years ago. It also served as the theme song for my WEVL show back in Memphis, where my handle was ‘The Spin Doctor’.</span></span></span><br />
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</span></span></span> <span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">“Smoke My Peace Pipe” (Willie Tee) - The Wild Magnolias - from their Polydor single #14242, 1974.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="color: #f1c232;">Written by funkmaster keyboardist, Wilson ‘Wille Tee’ Turbinton, who also arranged the music for the original album,</span> <a href="http://homeofthegroove.blogspot.com/2009/02/three-to-get-ready-for-mardi-gras.html" target="_new"><span style="color: #c27ba0;">The Wild Magnolias</span></a><span style="color: #f1c232;">, this trippy track appeared in its full-length form there. The LP came out on Barclay in Europe and Polydor in the US that same year. Tee also put together the backing band, generically dubbed the New Orleans Project by the producer, with members of his own band, The Gaturs, plus his brother, Earl Turbinton on soprano sax, Snooks Eaglin on guitar, and various of the WM on percussion. </span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></span> <span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">The album was the first of two Philippe Rault produced for Barclay, the result of an historic jam session several years earlier between the Gaturs and WM at a music festival on the Tulane University campus. Quint Davis put on that event, and then produced two obscure singles featuring the Wild Magnolias backed by Tee and various other funk musicians, before Rault came to town. Lead vocals were by Theodore Emile ‘ Bo’ Dollis, Big Chief of the Mild Magnolias, who were (and still are) a part of the rich and once mysterious Mardi Gras Indian tradition in New Orleans. </span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></span> <span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">“Peace Begins Within” (LeFevre, et al) - Bobby Powell - from his original Whit single #6908, 1971.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="color: #f1c232;">This is Bobby Powell’s cover version of the song originally recorded by Christian rocker Mylon LeFevre in 1970 on his</span> <a href="http://www.discogs.com/Mylon-Mylon/release/1167397" target="_new"><span style="color: #c27ba0;">Mylon</span></a> <span style="color: #f1c232;">album that was produced by Allen Toussaint. On this version, the great, ear-catching arrangement was by label-owner Lionel Whitfield. It was probably recorded in Baton Rouge, home of Powell and the label.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></span> <span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">“That’s All A Part Of Lovin’ Him” (Jerry Strickland-Bobby Patterson) - Tommie Young - from her original Soul Power single #114, 1972.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">As I said on the show, Bobby Patterson, soul singer, producer, arranger and writer, discovered the gifted singer, Tommie Young, in Dallas, where she was predominantly doing gospel, and brought her to Shreveport to record for the new Soul Power label he had started with producer/writer Jerry Strickland, who ran Sound City studio. Over the next two years, she sang material, much of it written by Patterson and Strickland, that was released on six singles and one album. Several of the songs charted, but didn’t really sell especially well or get much airplay outside the South. They probably could have done better had she toured to help promote them. With no breakout national hit, Young went back to Dallas and gospel after her run with Soul Power, but did get wider attention in 1978, when she sang on the soundtrack to Cicely Tyson’s movie, <i>A Woman Called Moses</i>.</span></span></span><br />
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</span></span> </span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="color: #f1c232;">For more details, see what the intrepid crew at</span> <a href="http://souldetective2.blogspot.com/2011/03/question-seven-tommy-young-no.html" target="_new"><span style="color: #c27ba0;">Soul Detective</span></a> <span style="color: #f1c232;">had to say about her.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span> </span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="color: #f1c232;">“Walking On A Tightrope” (Percy Mayfield) - Percy Mayfield - from his original Brunswick LP,</span> <a href="http://www.discogs.com/Percy-Mayfield-Walking-On-A-Tightrope/release/1990088" target="_new"><span style="color: #c27ba0;">Walking On A Tightrope</span></a><span style="color: #f1c232;">, 1969.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="color: #f1c232;">Often called “The Poet Of The Blues”, Mayfield started life in Minden, LA, located east of Shreveport, in the northwest part of the state. After high school, he began writing songs and pursued a singing career in Texas, then relocated to Los Angeles by the late 1940s, where he soon made a name for himself and had numerous hits as a featured artist. For more details on this incredibly prolific and talented man, check out</span> <a href="http://home.earthlink.net/~v1tiger/percy.html" target="_new"><span style="color: #c27ba0;">his bio</span></a><span style="color: #f1c232;">. </span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></span> <span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">This particular album of all original material for Brunswick was probably recorded in Chicago, where the label was based. Being 1969, there was a lot of funkiness going in the playing and arrangements.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></span> <span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">“Gotta Be Funky” (Bobby Rush-Calvin Carter) - Bobby Rush - from his original On Top single #2000, 1972.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.allmusic.com/artist/bobby-rush-mn0000074251/biography" target="_new"><span style="color: #c27ba0;">Bobby Rush</span></a><span style="color: #f1c232;">, grew up in Homer, LA, right up the road from Minden, not far from the Arkansas line. When he was a teenager, his family relocated to Arkansas, where he began his performing career; and, by the 1960s, he was active on the Chicago blues scene and started recording, having some success with upbeat boogaloo R&B. By the start of the next decade, his music had moved to the distinctly funky side, and his lyrics and stage act got raunchy. He recorded sporadically and stayed on the road, playing the southern “Chitlin; Circuit” for decades. But it wasn’t until the turn of the century that things took off, as he has recorded a series of well-received CDs, still highly funkified, and won numerous awards from the Blues Foundation. For some more info, see my posts from</span> <a href="http://homeofthegroove.blogspot.com/2006/10/another-way-to-spell-it.html" target="_new"><span style="color: #c27ba0;">2006</span></a> <span style="color: #f1c232;">and</span> <a href="http://homeofthegroove.blogspot.com/2007/08/diggin-two-on-scoobydoo.html" target="_new"><span style="color: #c27ba0;">2007</span></a> <span style="color: #f1c232;">on two of his singles released by the Jewel label. </span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></span> <span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">“Cha Dooky Doo” (M. Vince) - Art Neville - from his original Special single #637, 1958.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Art Neville, oldest of the Neville brothers, one of New Orleans’ most well-known musical families, was a bandleader and solo recording artist long before he formed the Meters in the late 1960s, and brought his siblings together as a supergroup a decade later. At 17, he joined the Hawketts as pianist and singer, and the popular local band recorded the classic “Mardi Gras Mambo”, which came out on Chess Records. They remained active on the local scene; and in 1956, Harold Battiste, who was handling A&R for Specialty Records, offered Art a contract as a solo artist. Meanwhile, he and the Hawketts became the road band for another Specialty artist, Larry Williams. “Cha Dooky Doo” was released in 1958, and sold well, giving Art more exposure; but he was soon drafted and went into the Navy. Although Specialty released another single on him, his inability to tour to promote his records caused the label to cool on him. On his return, he moved on to work with Allen Toussaint at Instant Records in the early 1960s.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span> </span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="color: #f1c232;">Frequently noted on this track is the distorted guitar sound, that was very influential, but not done on purpose. I forget which, but the amp either had a cracked speaker or a loose tube. But that fuzz tone would become increasingly popular in rock music over the years. For more on two of Art’s solo sides from later in the 1960s, see my</span> <a href="http://homeofthegroove.blogspot.com/2007/12/art-neville-and-two-guys-named-bo.html" target="_new"><span style="color: #c27ba0;">2007 post</span></a><span style="color: #f1c232;">.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></span> <span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">“High Cotton” (Lloyd Lambert) - Lloyd Lambert and His Band - from their Specialty single #553, 1955. Lambert was a bassist and bandleader from New Orleans, who was the first in town to use the electric version of the instrument. When Guitar Slim signed with Specialty and started recording, he was backed by Lambert’s band in the studio and on the road. This mid-50s instrumental by the band featured the quirky piano work of Lawrence Cotton and some great growling sax work by Joe Tillman. </span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></span> <span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">“No Buts, No Maybes” (Roy Byrd) - Professor Longhair - from a 1980s reissue single of his original 1957 ebb 45 #101.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="color: #f1c232;">The groove-wear on my ebb copy was just too noisy for good radio listening. So, I used the clean reissue instead - which is also why I kind of misspoke on-air about this set being all Specialty sides. You can hear the original version on</span> <a href="http://homeofthegroove.blogspot.com/2014/01/tasty-holiday-leftovers-fess-ray-jcb3.html" target="_new"><span style="color: #c27ba0;">my post</span></a> <span style="color: #f1c232;">from earlier this year on cool piano tracks by Fess, Ray Johnson, and James Booker.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></span> <span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">“Baby Don’t You Do It” (Holland-Dozier-Holland) - Alvin Robinson - from his original ATCO single #6581, 1968. </span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="color: #f1c232;">Known in musical circles as ‘Shine’, the late singer/guitarist Alvin Robinson remains a severely under-recognized New Orleans artist in the Ray Charles mold, who made some great records few have heard. For more details on this single and his activities in the late 1960s and early 1970s, check my</span> <a href="http://homeofthegroove.blogspot.com/2010/09/further-reflections-on-shine-part-2.html" target="_new"><span style="color: #c27ba0;">2010 post</span></a><span style="color: #f1c232;">. Marvin Gaye did the original version of this tune in 1964.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></span> <span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">“Chained” (F. Wilson) - The Sister and Brothers - from their Calla single #175, 1970.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="color: #f1c232;">This 45, as did the Baton Rouge group’s first on Uni (I played a cut on show #3), featured Geri Richard on lead vocal. Here, she did a song originally recorded by Marvin Gaye for Tamla in 1968. For more details on Richard and this Calla single, see my</span> <a href="http://homeofthegroove.blogspot.com/2008/03/sister-steps-out-at-last.html" target="_new"><span style="color: #c27ba0;">2008 post</span></a><span style="color: #f1c232;">.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></span> <span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">“I Heard It Through The Grapevine” (N. Whitfield-B. Strong) - Ray Johnson - from his original In-Arts single #107, 1968,</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="color: #f1c232;">Another Marvin Gaye-related track, this time recorded by keyboard professor Ray Johnson, who I also featured on show #3. For more backstory on his incendiary instrumental version of the tune, see my</span> <a href="http://homeofthegroove.blogspot.com/2012/09/more-of-professor-rays-funky-ways.html" target="_new"><span style="color: #c27ba0;">2012 post</span></a> <span style="color: #f1c232;">on several of his singles.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></span> <span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">“Jump Into Your Love” (Ernie K-Doe) - Mr. Ernie K-Doe and the Olympia Music Co. - from his Syla single (no number), ca late 1980s.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="color: #f1c232;">Speaking of incendiary. This track knocks you back as soon as the horns blast after the short drum countdown, grabs your backside, and shakes you around like a ragdoll. As I noted in my</span> <a href="http://homeofthegroove.blogspot.com/2008/08/k-does-final-45-revelation.html" target="_new"><span style="color: #c27ba0;">2008 post</span></a> <span style="color: #f1c232;">on this 45, it was his last vinyl release, as far as I can tell; and the fact of the medium employed meant that not all that many people could hear it, except maybe on some old club jukeboxes somewhere, and the turntables of WWOZ and WTUL, where surely it got some non-commercial airplay. Anyway, I can’t improve on what I said about the single there, so read it, if you dare.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></span> <span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">“Who’s Gettin; Your Love” (Willie Hutch) - Etta James - from her original T-Electric LP, Changes, 1980.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="color: #f1c232;">The making of this album, produced/arranged by Allen Toussaint and recorded at Sea-Saint, was a saga that lasted several years on and off, as two different record labels were involved, then uninvolved in the process, before MCA stepped in to complete the sessions and release the LP on T-Electric. I discussed that backstory in a</span> <a href="http://homeofthegroove.blogspot.com/2011/05/importance-of-herman-ernest-part-2.html" target="_new"><span style="color: #c27ba0;">2011 post</span></a><span style="color: #f1c232;"> on the late great drummer, Herman Ernest.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></span> <span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">“Love Grows On Ya” (Ed Volker) - The Radiators - from their Epic LP, <i>Zig-Zaggin’ Through Ghostland</i>, 1989.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="color: #f1c232;">About a decade after the Radiators got their start, they were signed to a major label, Epic, who released three albums on them in the late 1980s.</span> <a href="http://homeofthegroove.blogspot.com/2006/10/dancing-with-ghosts.html" target="_new"><span style="color: #c27ba0;">Zig-Zaggin’</span></a> <span style="color: #f1c232;">was the second. Despite having some impressive material, it has been long overlooked and underheard. Their first for the label, <i>Law Of The Fish</i>, had their radio “hits”; but Epic pretty much stopped promoting them as soon as the initial buzz cooled off. Though definitely a rock band, the Rads were always too eccentric and eclectic in their influences and creative process to fit into any mainstream record company niche. They had a long and successful career doing their own thing on independent labels, their own and others, and, of course tearing it up on stage. They were meant to be experienced live. Hope you were around for some of that before they retired. If not, catch a reunion show - they still do ‘em occasionally.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></span> <span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">“The Point” (Mac Rebennack) - Mac Rebennack - from his original AFO single #309, 1962.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="color: #f1c232;">Mac (a/k/a Dr John, later in the decade and beyond) had not been playing organ long when the recorded this 45 for AFO, with another great tune, “One Naughty Flat”, on the flip. Quick learner ain’t the half of it. I covered this record in my </span><a href="http://homeofthegroove.blogspot.com/2012/07/some-locally-grown-organics.html" target="_new"><span style="color: #c27ba0;">2012 post</span></a> <span style="color: #f1c232;">on organ instrumentals.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span> </span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="color: #f1c232;">“Red Dress” (see notes) - Chosen Few Brass Band - from their original Syla LP,</span> <a href="http://homeofthegroove.blogspot.com/2013/01/choosin-few-blasts-from-past-for.html" target="_new"><span style="color: #c27ba0;">The Chosen Few Brass Band</span></a><span style="color: #f1c232;">, 1985.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">During their brief run, the Chosen Few were led by tuba master Anthony ‘Tuba Fats’ Lacen, who had earlier helped the Dirty Dozen Brass Band get off the ground. This tune is actually an uncredited instrumental version of Tommy Tucker’s 1964 R&B classic, “High Heel Sneakers”, a worthy addition to the brass band repertoire. Since this was a ULL football weekend, it seemed a red dress was appropriate attire for the second line out.</span></span></span><br />
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</span></span></span> <span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></span> <span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">On yeah, and….WHO DAT!!!</span></span></span>Dan Phillipshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12185793905565005146noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8722495.post-73051593744165391432014-09-07T11:42:00.000-05:002014-09-07T14:57:19.139-05:00FUNKIFY YOUR LIFE - SHOW #5 - PLAYLIST<div dir="ltr" id="docs-internal-guid-23204982-513a-66ea-8d3b-f440cb9465f6" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: #f1c232;">Air dates: Thursday, September 4, 2014, 1:00 PM, and Friday, September 5, 2014, 9:00 PM, on KRVS 88.7 FM Lafayette/Lake Charles, and online at krvs.org. You can hear a podcast of</span> <a href="http://krvs.org/post/funkify-your-life-september-4" target="_new"><span style="color: #c27ba0;">this show</span></a> <span style="color: #f1c232;">and previous shows on the website under “Programs” anytime.</span></span></span></span><br />
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Still dealing with repercussions to my back from getting dumped by my chair last week. But, the shows must go on. . . .</span></span></span></span><br />
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">This week’s episode was a mixed bag of vintage and recent releases with ten of the tracks sourced from vinyl.</span></span></span></span></div><span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">“Funkify Your Life” (Intro) - The Meters - from the New Directions re-issue CD on Sundazed, 2000..</span></span></span></span></div><span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">“Here Comes The Meterman” (Nocentelli-Neville-Porter-Modeliste) - The Meters - from their original Josie single #1005, 1969.</span></span></span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">This is the B-side of their second Josie 45. It’s a fine example of the band’s early minimalist funk, lean and mean. Art Neville has said that they were going for the sound of a funky Booker T. & the MGs. Check. Their key to making this happen was the combination of George Porter, Jr. on bass and Zig Modeliste on drums, two one of a kind groove-makers. Take for example Zig’s break-down of broken beats on the fade out, restructured on the fly. The more accessible top side, “Cissy Strut”, wasn’t too shabby either, and got up to #4 on the national R&B chart.</span></span></span></span></div><span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">“It Was September” (C. Green-J. Simon-M. Guillory) - Superior Elevation - from their Black Satin single, #001, 1981.</span></span></span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: #f1c232;">I know very little about the group, but haven’t really done much digging to this point. Since ‘Rockin’ Sidney’ Simien produced this single, probably their first, as well as their rare 1982 Black Satin LP,</span> <a href="http://www.discogs.com/Superior-Elevation-Get-It-Dont-Stop/release/2789896" target="_new"><span style="color: #c27ba0;">Get It, Don’t Stop</span></a><span style="color: #f1c232;">, I’m guessing they hailed from the Lake Charles area where Simien was based. In 2006, Tuff City reissued their album with a few song substitutions. The instrumentation is pretty synth-heavy, not really to my taste; but typical of the time. I’ll try to find something else to play from them one of these days.</span></span></span></span></div><span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">“2 Weeks, 2 Days, Too Long” (Camille Bob) - Camille Bob - from his Soul Unlimited single #102, 1972.</span></span></span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Better known as Lil’ (or Little) Bob, singer, drummer, and bandleader Camille Bob recorded over 15 singles with his band, the Lollipops, mainly during the 1960s, with most released on the La Louisianne label, based in Bob’s hometown, Lafayette, LA. Their biggest hit, “I Got Loaded”, was on the initial 45 for the label, only scored regionally. Lil’ Bob & the Lollipops were in high demand on the regional club and dance circuit throughout the decade, but things had cooled off by the early 1970s when Bob cut two singles under his own name, one for Baton Rouge’s Whit label in 1971, and this Soul Unlimited 45 with “Brother Brown” as the A-side.</span></span></span></span></div><span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: #f1c232;">The backing band on this one was Buckwheat & the Hitchickers, headed by Stanley ‘Buckwheat’ Dural, Jr. For more on Camille Bob, my</span> <a href="http://homeofthegroove.blogspot.com/2010/06/lil-bob-party-mix-for-big-spill.html" target="_new"><span style="color: #c27ba0;">2010 post</span></a> <span style="color: #f1c232;">covering this single and two others has info and links.</span></span></span></span></div><span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">“The Kangaroo” (Charles Sheffield) - Charles Sheffield - from his Excello single #2205, 1961.</span></span></span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">According to R&B historian John Broven, Charles Sheffield was from China, Texas, just West of Beaumont, the city he name checks in this song. Sometimes referred to as ‘Mad Dog’, Sheffield recorded sides for two singles at producer Jay Miller’s studio in Crowley, LA in 1961; and they were leased to Nashville’s Excello label for national distribution, as were many of the great recordings Miller oversaw during the decade. As I noted in my brief post on this track back in 2006 [where you can see a label shot], the syncopated, latin-esque drumming was by Clarence ‘Jockey’ Etienne, with Lazy Lester adding the scraper. Katy Webster was on piano; and Lionel Prevost played sax. Get down and get hump-backed.</span></span></span></span></div><span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">“Hold Me” (Jay Miller) - Carol Fran - from her Excello single #2175, 1960.</span></span></span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Carol, who, as previously mentioned on the show and here, hails from Lafayette, LA, cut this Excello single with Jay Miller, as well. “Hold Me’, an uptempo, latin-inspired dancer was the B-side, with the more down-tempo “One More Chance” on top. In 1957, she had a moderate national hit with “Emmit Lee”, from her first Excello 45 (#2118); but none of her other worthy work with Miller had that much success.</span></span></span></span></div><span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">“Crazy Mambo” (Classie Ballou) - Classie Ballou - from a reissue of his Nasco single #6000, original released in 1957.</span></span></span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: #f1c232;">From Elton, LA, guitarist and bandleader Ballou recorded this B-side tune for Miller as a knock-off of Guitar Gable’s Afro-Cuban feeling “Congo Mambo”, a regional hit from the previous year on Excello, and also a product of Miller’s studio. “Confusion” was the flip. This record was the first issue for Nasco, an offshoot of Excello. For more info on Classie, check out</span> <a href="http://thehoundblog.blogspot.com/2009/12/classie-ballou.html" target="_new"><span style="color: #c27ba0;">this post</span></a> <span style="color: #f1c232;">from the HoundBlog.</span></span></span></span></div><span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">“Inspiration” (John Magnie) - L’ill Queenie & the Percolators - from the Deeva CD, Home, 2007.</span></span></span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Definitely one of the hottest bands in New Orleans from the late 1970s to the early 1980s, fronted by vocalist/songwriter Leigh Harris, a/k/a L’il Queenie, with keyboardist, vocalist and songwriter John Magnie leading the band, which had a changing cast over the years. They had only one record released during their run, a single with the classic “My Darlin’ New Orleans” b/w Magnie’s “Wild Natives”, first issued in 1981 on the Ignant label, then about 1988 on Great Southern.(#119). The Deeva CD, Home, released by Leigh Harris in 2007, compiles those tracks along with ten previously unreleased songs from the band’s repertoire.</span></span></span></span></div><span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: #f1c232;">There are no recording dates for the songs and no personnel shown by song, just a general list of who played in the band over the years. Notables include drummers Ricky Sebastian and Kenny Blevins, guitarists Tommy Malone and the late Emily Remler, plus hornmen Earl Turbinton, Fred Kemp, Charles Joseph, Eric Traub, and Reggie Houston. Magnie and Malone went on to form the Continental Drifters and then the subdudes. Harris continued with a solo career. For more tidbits on LQ&TP, see</span> <a href="http://subdudes.com/percolators.php" target="_new"><span style="color: #c27ba0;">their page</span></a> <span style="color: #f1c232;">on the ‘dudes’ website.</span></span></span></span></div><span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">“Rough Spots” (Earl King) - George Porter, Jr. - from his Rounder :LP, Runnin’ Partner, 1990.</span></span></span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Bass player for the original Meters and all the later permutations and combinations that have used the band’s name. George also has had a long and active career as a session musician and bandleader. This album was his first solo effort; and he surrounded himself with great players, of course. On this particular cut, one of Earl King’s quirky offerings, Bruce MacDonald played guitar. They had formed the short-lived band, Joy Ride, together in the early 1980s. As a matter of fact, the other members of the rhythm section on “Rough Spots”, Kenny Blevins on drums and keyboardist Craig Wroten,. were also vets of Joy Ride. Ward Smith did the tenor sax solo here. </span></span></span></span></div><span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: #f1c232;">“Say Wontcha” (Smith-Castenell-Richards-Richard-Williams-Tio-Dabon-Toval) - Chocolate Milk - from their RCA LP,</span> <a href="http://www.discogs.com/Chocolate-Milk-Milky-Way/release/1110150" target="_new"><span style="color: #c27ba0;">Milky Way</span></a><span style="color: #f1c232;">, 1979.</span></span></span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: #f1c232;">Between 1975 and 1979, New Orleans soul-funk outfit Chocolate Milk put out five albums on RCA, produced by Allen Toussaint. All were tracked at Sea-Saint Studio in New Orleans except <i>Milky Way</i>, which was cut in Los Angeles. Of those, four had respectable showings on the R&B charts. After Milky Way, they split with Toussaint, but continued recording for RCA, making three more LPs through 1982, before disbanding. I have featured several CM tunes over the years here; but for a detailed overview of their output, see T-Mad’s Chocolate Milk</span> <a href="http://chocolatemilk.outofprintsoulandfunk.com/Biography" target="_new"><span style="color: #c27ba0;">site</span></a><span style="color: #f1c232;">.</span></span></span></span></div><span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">“I’m Aware Of What You Want” (M. West-L. Laudenbach-High Society Brothers) - Willie West -</span></span></span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">from his upcoming Timmion LP/CD, Lost Soul, 2014.</span></span></span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">As noted on my show #2 playlist, I did an extensive overview of Willie’s long career here in 2008. He continues to perform and release new material. For the past several years he has been collaborating with a band in Norway, the High Society Brothers, writing and recording songs that have been released as vinyl singles on the Timmion label in that country and Europe. I did the sleeve notes for the first of those. In November, the label will issue their first album of that material and kindly sent me an advance CD with permission to play tracks on the air. </span></span></span></span></div><span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">While the songs are all definitely on the deep soul side, they may at first sound a bit unusual to American ears. The High Society Brothers use standard, old school R&B instrumentation; but their musical changes, song structures, and feels are their own unique interpretation of the soul idiom and can go to some unexpected places. But that just gives Willie a chance to let his still supple voice follow their lead into new territory while still doing some heavy emoting. Interesting Arctic soul. Unsettling, in a good way.</span></span></span></span></div><span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">“Save Love” (T. DeClouet-M. Ward-D. Johnson) - Theryl ‘Houseman’ DeClouet - from his self-released CD, The Truth Iz Out, 2007.</span></span></span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">I’ve heard Theryl perform live at JazzFest several times and with Galactic, and have his earlier</span></span></span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Bullseye CD, <i>The Houseman Cometh</i>, from 2001. So far, I’ve traced his recording career back into the early 1980s, when he sang with HollyGrove, a vocal group that recorded an album in Philadelphia [just found a copy recently]. He also did at least a 12” and 7” single for a label out of Miami later that decade. But, so far, I think this latest CD is his best effort, and funkiest. I’m a fan, so more to come.</span></span></span></span></div><span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: #f1c232;">“Swamp Funk” (Mac Rebennack) - Cyril Neville - from his Ruf CD,</span> <a href="http://www.allmusic.com/album/magic-honey-mw0002565675" target="_new"><span style="color: #c27ba0;">Magic Honey</span></a><span style="color: #f1c232;">, 2013.</span></span></span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Since Katrina and the retirement of the Neville Brothers band, Cyril has come on strong as a solo artist, marketing himself towards the blues side, and also formed a new group, The Royal Southern Brotherhood, with Mike Zito, Devon Allman, Charlie Wooten, and Yonrico Scott, who play what used to be called Southern rock, melding blues soul, funk, and rock.</span></span></span></span></div><span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><i>Magic Honey</i> has a great new Orleans area rhythm section, with ‘Mean’ Willie Green on drums,</span></span></span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Carl Dufrene on bass, keyboardist Norman Ceasar, and guitarist Cranston Clements. Mac ‘Dr John’ Rebennack contributed this song, a clever musical history lesson, and sat in on a very subdued organ. Allen Toussaint played piano.</span></span></span></span></div><span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">:No Substitute” (Eldridge Holmes) - Eldridge Holmes - from his Deesu single #303, 1970.</span></span></span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: #f1c232;">Belying the title, I was running out of time on the show, so I substituted the shorter of two versions of this fine down-tempo soul-funk tune. It first appeared as the full-length (2:55) B-side of Holmes’ Deesu single</span> <a href="http://homeofthegroove.blogspot.com/2008/06/eldridge-holmes-sells-book.html" target="_new"><span style="color: #c27ba0;">#300</span></a><span style="color: #f1c232;">, released earlier the same year, with “The Book” on top. Then, on his next 45 for the label, which featured a cover of Tim Hardin’s hit, “If I Were A Carpenter”, the song was again the B-side, and shortened by 37 seconds for reasons unknown.</span></span></span></span></div><span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Allen Toussaint produced virtually everything Holmes cut during his all too brief recording career. In his day, he was one of New Orleans’ best singers, but never managed to get anything close to a hit, despite some good material. I’ll be playing more from him, including the longer take on this.</span></span></span></span></div><span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: #f1c232;">“Hard To Face the Music” (V. Simpson-N. Ashford) - Idris Muhammad - from his Kudu LP,</span> <a href="http://www.discogs.com/Idris-Muhammad-House-Of-The-Rising-Sun/release/3429650" target="_new"><span style="color: #c27ba0;">House of The Rising Sun</span></a><span style="color: #f1c232;">, 1976</span></span></span></span></div><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: #f1c232;">Another track from the late Idris Muhammad’s legacy, a workout on this Ashford and Simpson tune with a bunch a great New York session cats (see album link above). I featured a</span> <a href="http://homeofthegroove.blogspot.com/2012/02/feel-good-music.html" target="_new"><span style="color: #c27ba0;">different cut</span></a> <span style="color: #f1c232;">from the LP at Mardi Gras time back in 2012.</span></span></span></span></div>Dan Phillipshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12185793905565005146noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8722495.post-3004347872110495212014-08-31T11:53:00.000-05:002014-08-31T11:53:15.197-05:00FUNKIFY YOUR LIFE - SHOW #4 - PLAYLIST<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="color: #f1c232;">Air dates: Thursday, August 28, 2014, 1:00 PM, and Friday, August 29, 2014, 9:00 PM, on KRVS 88.7 FM Lafayette/Lake Charles, and online at krvs.org. You can hear a podcast of</span> <a href="http://krvs.org/post/funkify-your-life-august-28" target="_new"><span style="color: #c27ba0;">this show</span></a></span></span> <span style="color: #f1c232;">and previous shows on the website under “Programs” anytime. Just scroll down to <i>Funkify Your Life</i> and click on the show name to see the dated list. </span><br />
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</span></span></span> <span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Sorry for the delay in getting this up. Had an altercation with my office chair at home - and it won. I leaned back and it just kept going, dumping me on the floor. Messed up my back. Holiday weekend good times. Anyway, I’ll survive - just no sudden moves and got to remember that gravity always wins. </span></span></span><br />
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</span></span></span> <span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Although I didn’t actually mention it on the show this week, the two songs that I started off with remind me in their own ways of Hurricane Katrina, which passed just East of New Orleans on August 29, 2005. The resulting storm surge created levee and floodwall breaches that caused severe flooding and almost completely sank the City That Care Forgot, certainly making a lie of that nickname, forever. I’ve also got some songs Wardell Quezergue produced and arranged back in the 60s and 70s, a side from one of the rare singles made by the recently departed trumpeter, Porgy Jones, plus incredible drumming from a Lafayette native, among other funky grooves.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></span> <span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">“Funkify Your Life” (Intro) - The Meters - from the New Directions re-issue CD on Sundazed, 2000..</span></span></span><br />
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</span></span> </span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="color: #f1c232;">“Unclean Waters” (K. Harris) - Dirty Dozen Brass Band - from their Mammoth CD,</span> <a href="http://www.allmusic.com/album/buck-jump-mw0000666782" target="_new"><span style="color: #c27ba0;">Buck Jump</span></a><span style="color: #f1c232;">, 1999.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Written and recorded long before the Federal Flood, the song's image of unclean waters presaged the devastating aftermath of Katrina, while the gut-grabbing, rump-bumping groove is a force of nature in and of itself. If you missed this adventurous album the first time, definitely check it out. It's one of their best studio efforts, produced by Jon Medeski, who added his B-3 powers to the party.</span></span></span><br />
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</span></span> </span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="color: #f1c232;">“Broke Down the Door/The Treme Song” (John Boutté) - John Boutté - from his independently released CD (funded by the Threadheads),</span> <a href="http://www.allmusic.com/album/good-neighbor-mw0001264267" target="_new"><span style="color: #c27ba0;">Good Neighbor</span></a><span style="color: #f1c232;">, 2008. </span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="color: #f1c232;">If you watched the HBO series,</span> <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1279972/" target="_new"><span style="color: #c27ba0;">Treme</span></a><span style="color: #f1c232;">, you've heard the re-vamped and re-recorded version of this tune that became the theme song, with John again on vocal. The series was set in early post-Katrina New Orleans as residents of the historic Treme district sought to rebuild and restore their homes, businesses, lives and culture, with an emphasis on the city’s unique and diverse music scene, and featuring plenty of the actual musicians. </span></span></span><br />
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</span></span></span> <span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">From a family of gifted singers, John performs regularly at d.b.a. on Frenchmen Street, but his recorded output has been minimal. So <i>Good Neighbor</i> is your best bet, so far.</span></span></span><br />
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</span></span> </span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="color: #f1c232;">“It’s Not What You Say” (M. Adams-A. Savoy-W. Quezergue) - King Floyd - from his Atco LP,</span> <a href="http://www.discogs.com/King-Floyd-Think-About-It/release/1996680" target="_new"><span style="color: #c27ba0;">Think About It</span></a><span style="color: #f1c232;">, 1973.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="color: #f1c232;">This song and the two following were produced and/or arranged by the late Wardell ‘Big Q’ Quezergue at Malaco Studio in Jackson, MS, between 1970 and 1973, when recording venues in New Orleans were limited. He used the house band there and had them follow his arrangements precisely backing numerous vocalists from New Orleans and beyond. Early on, King Floyd’s “Groove Me” and Jean Knight’s “Mr. Big Stuff” were big hits for Big Q’s team; but, although he made many other worthy records with a steady stream of artists, Malaco’s promotion staff had trouble getting them exposure in the national markets. You can read more background on this period in</span> <a href="http://homeofthegroove.blogspot.com.es/2011/12/tracking-big-q-factor-pt-2-unemployed.html" target="_new"><span style="color: #c27ba0;">the second</span></a> <span style="color: #f1c232;">of my ongoing series of posts on Big Q's career.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></span> <span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">“Love School” (E. Small-M. Cottrell) - Denise Keeble - from the original BFW single #1101, 1971.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="color: #f1c232;">As far as I know, Keeble only had two singles, both recorded with Big Q at Malaco, but issued on small side labels he set up with his business partner, Elijah Walker. For more details of Keeble’s work, see</span> <a href="http://homeofthegroove.blogspot.com/2012/04/tracking-big-q-factor-part-4a-more.html" target="_new"><span style="color: #c27ba0;">Part 4a</span></a> <span style="color: #f1c232;">of my Big Q posts.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></span> <span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">“What Can I Do (When My Thrill Is Gone)” (Hal Atkins, Jr.) - C. L. Blast - from the original United single #224, 1970.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Blast (a/k/a Clarence Lewis, Jr) was a fine Southern soul singer originally from Birmingham, AL. He recorded for a number of labels around the country, including Stax, before hooking up with Quezergue for sessions at Malaco, resulting in three singles that should have gotten more notice, but were on micro-labels with no commercial clout. For more on the story, refer to the Part 4a post linked above.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></span> <span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">“Shake Your Tambourine” (B. Marchan) - Bobby Marchan - from the original Cameo single #429, 1966.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="color: #f1c232;">A minor hit and one his best but lesser known solo sides, this tune was recorded in Nashville and leased to the national Cameo label. For background on it and Bobby, former lead singer of Huey ‘Piano’ Smith & the Clowns, see</span> <a href="http://homeofthegroove.blogspot.com/2006/04/bobby-marchan-shakes-it.html" target="_new"><span style="color: #c27ba0;">my post</span></a> <span style="color: #f1c232;">from back in 2006. He had an interesting and varied career, to say the least. As with most pop dance records, the hope was that the song would inspire a new craze and sell tons of product, but that didn’t materialize.</span></span></span><br />
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</span></span> <span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">“Soul Train” (E. King-W.Quezergue) - Curley Moore - from the original Hot Line single #901, 1965.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="color: #f1c232;">No, it’s not that “Soul Train” from the 70s TV show that Questlove has all the episodes of. This is an original New Orleans tune with Curley Moore singing up front, who also was formerly in the Clowns. It’s an unusual little dance number, written by Earl King and produced/arranged by Big Q himself. Hot Line was an offshoot of Nola Records; and for some reason both labels issued the single. The song name checks various dances and cities around the country and has an insinuating little groove; but neither record stayed on the commercial rails. I featured "Soul Train" back in 2007, and there is much more discussion about it in</span> <a href="http://homeofthegroove.blogspot.com/2007/10/curleys-melancholy-soul-train.html" target="_new"><span style="color: #c27ba0;">that post</span></a><span style="color: #f1c232;">.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></span> <span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">“Do The Sissy” (J. Broussard-C. Simmons) - Charley Simmons & The Royal Imperials - from the original PJ single #107, 1968.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">The Sissy was an underground dance in black clubs around the country towards the end of the 1960s and inspired a number of dance records, particularly in New Orleans. Charles ‘Charley’ Simmons was an auto mechanic and singer pulled into the fringes of the music business by his friend and neighbor, Joe Broussard, a talented songwriter. They both would soon be working with Big Q on his production team; but this was one of their early collaborations and Simmons’ first single.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span> </span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="color: #f1c232;">If you’re interested, I did an examination of the Sissy dance record phenomenon in a</span> <a href="http://homeofthegroove.blogspot.com/2011/06/sissy-variations-or-queen-of-funky.html" target="_new"><span style="color: #c27ba0;">2011 post</span></a><span style="color: #f1c232;">, which I later compressed into an article for OffBeat Magazine in New Orleans; but questions remain about the origin and extent of the dance’s popularity.</span></span></span><br />
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</span></span> </span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="color: #f1c232;">“Take Five” (Paul Desmond) - Doug Belote - from his self-released CD,</span> <a href="http://www.allmusic.com/album/magazine-st-mw0002366780" target="_new"><span style="color: #c27ba0;">Magazine Street</span></a><span style="color: #f1c232;">, 2012.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">As I said on the show, Belote is a very accomplished drummer in many styles, but especially well-versed in the ways of funk. He lives in New Orleans, but is originally from Lafayette, LA, and studied in New York with master drummer Ricky Sebastian, who hails from Opelousas, LA. </span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></span> <span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">“Take Five” originally was worked-up in 1959 by the Dave Brubeck Quartet, a group that included the song’s composer, saxophonist Paul Desmond. They recorded it on a single that year, but nothing much happened until it was re-issued in 1961 and soon became a radio hit, a rare feat for a modern jazz record, let alone one in 5/4 time. On Doug’s take of the song, he is joined by Lawrence Sieberth on piano, Calvin Turner on bass, and saxophonist Jeff Coffin, who all play brilliantly; but it is Doug’s drumming that transforms the song into a powerful, funk-infused statement of his heavy talent from start to finish. With a one-hour show, I won’t usually play six minute songs (5:55 actually!); but this was well-worth the exception, being flat-out exceptional.</span></span></span><br />
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</span></span></span> <span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Produced by South Louisiana guitar slinger extraordinaire, Shane Theriot, <i>Magazine Street</i> is a hot sampling of Doug’s many musical strengths and influences. </span></span></span><br />
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</span></span> </span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="color: #f1c232;">“Tell Me The Truth” (M. Barbarin) - New Orleans Rhythm Conspiracy - from their self-released CD,</span> <a href="http://www.allmusic.com/album/dancin-ground-mw0001519313" target="_new"><span style="color: #c27ba0;">Dancin’ Ground</span></a><span style="color: #f1c232;">, 2007.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">I first saw the group live at JazzFest in 2008, then went right over and bought the CD. It has such an impressive lineup of players with long histories in the New Orleans funk and soul scene. On this cut, George Sartin on guitar, Jack Cruz on bass, and Wilbert ‘Junkyard Dog’ Arnold on drums are the pared down rhythm section. Sartin has played with Cyril Neville’s Uptown Allstars, while Cruz and Arnold were longtime members of the Roadmasters, Walter ‘Wolfman’ Washington’s great band. Cruz still plays with Wolfman. Arnold, unfortunately, passed away in December of 2008 after a long illness. Other greats contributed to the CD, like percussionist Uganda Roberts, Ivan Neville sitting in on B-3, and Wolfman himself on guitar. There is a Carnival/Mardi Gras Indian contingent to the band, as well, which makes it great funk album for any season.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span> </span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="color: #f1c232;">Marilyn Barbarin, Arnold’s wife, sings lead here and on two other songs on the CD. As her last name suggests, she is part of a musical family that goes way back into the city’s cultural history; but she is still not all that well-known as a vocalist in or out of the Crescent City, owing to the fact that she never had the opportunity to record extensively or for big labels. She had only four singles released locally between the mid-1960s and the 1980s. None of them did well commercially, but are prized by collectors and go for the big bucks when auctioned. I’ve got a few of those records and will be playing them along the way. For more details on her earlier work, see</span> <a href="http://www.sirshambling.com/artists_2012/B/marilyn_barbarin/index.php" target="_new"><span style="color: #c27ba0;">her page</span></a> <span style="color: #f1c232;">at <i>Sir Shambling’s Deep Soul Heaven</i>.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></span> <span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">“Dap, Part 1” (John Berthelot) - Porgy Jones - from the original Great Southern single #106, 1974.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Big band jazz-funk, produced, arranged and written by the late John Berthelot, who started his Great Southern label around 1971 and kept it going for the next 40 years in New Orleans. Many of the more obscure tracks are available on CD/LP compilations released by Tuff City labels over the years.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span> </span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="color: #f1c232;">In 2009,I featured cuts</span> <a href="http://homeofthegroove.blogspot.com/2009/06/catch-porgy-jones.html" target="_new"><span style="color: #c27ba0;">here</span></a> <span style="color: #f1c232;">from all three of Jones’ known singles, plus what background I could dig up on his long career as a trumpeter. Sorry to say, I never got a chance to talk with him. Porgy passed away just last week at the age of 74. I’ll get to those other records soon.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span> </span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="color: #f1c232;">“All Nights, All Right” (W. D. Parks) - The Neville Brothers - from their original Capitol LP,</span> <a href="http://www.discogs.com/Neville-Brothers-The-Neville-Brothers/release/2017865" target="_new"><span style="color: #c27ba0;">The Neville Brothers</span></a><span style="color: #f1c232;">, 1978.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="color: #f1c232;">The popular band fronted by the four Neville brothers, Aaron, Art, Charles, and Cyril, formed during the dissolution of the Meters in 1977. Art and Cyril, were members of that funky but dysfunctional group, but left after the recording of their final LP, <i>New Directions</i> [see my theme song for the show]. The saga of the Neville Brothers’ early years is a long, involved, but fascinating story that revolves around their association with a group of younger musicians called Blackmale, who became the brothers’ backing band. It’s far too much to get into here, but I did a feature on Blackmale, their leader, Gerald Tillman, the Neville Brothers and other associated groups</span> <a href="http://homeofthegroove.blogspot.com/2013/07/getting-at-professor-shorthairs.html" target="_new"><span style="color: #c27ba0;">here</span></a> <span style="color: #f1c232;">last year, if you are interested.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></span> <span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">This album was tracked at Studio In the Country, in Bogalusa, LA and produced by the legendary Jack Nitzsche. Besides the brothers, only two members of their live band participated on the sessions. The album wasn’t particularly well-received, despite great playing and singing. The material did not adequately reflect the true funky, soulful nature of the band; and Capitol did not know how to market the record, which did not fit easily into any of the commercial radio format boxes. Written by L.A. session guitarist Dean Parks, this tune is the funkiest of the lot.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span> </span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="color: #f1c232;">“Old Records” (Allen Toussaint) - Irma Thomas - from her original Rounder LP,</span> <a href="http://www.discogs.com/Irma-Thomas-The-Way-I-Feel/release/3846882" target="_new"><span style="color: #c27ba0;">The Way I Feel</span></a><span style="color: #f1c232;">, 1988.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">As I alluded to in my comments on the show, back in my other lifetime as the DJ/host of a weekly two-hour New Orleans music show show on WEVL in Memphis for 16 years, I played at least one track by Irma every time. After all, she did not earn the title of Soul Queen of New Orleans by accident, during a career that began in the late 1950s and is still going strong. While she recorded some funky songs along the way, her strong suit has always been R&B and soul, and, of course, her roots were in gospel music. Her resolute and enduring spirit can be felt in her rich, expressive voice which every song it touches and righteously represents the high quality of her city’s musical heritage. </span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></span> <span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Irma made some of her best early recordings doing Toussaint's songs for the Minit label in the early 1960s; and it’s good to hear her gracing one of his later offerings so well. They only get better.</span></span></span>Dan Phillipshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12185793905565005146noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8722495.post-23324993546419642112014-08-23T10:57:00.000-05:002014-08-23T10:57:20.465-05:00FUNKIFY YOUR LIFE - SHOW #3 - PLAYLIST<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="color: #f1c232;">Air dates: Thursday, 8/21/2014, at 1:00 PM Central and Friday, 8/22/2014, at 9:00 PM, on KRVS 88.7 FM Lafayette.. A podcast and playlist for this edition of </span><a href="http://krvs.org/programs/funkify-your-life" target="_new"><span style="color: #c27ba0;">Funkify Your Life</span></a> <span style="color: #f1c232;">and past shows are available from the KRVS website under “Programs” [or just use/bookmark the link!] You’ll find the podcast(s) in the ”Music” section under the current playlist - click on the link with name and date of show, then hit “Listen”.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></span> <span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">This week’s playlist turns out of have been almost totally sourced from vinyl, with the exception of one CD cut. . . and the intro.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></span> <span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">“Funkify Your Life” [Intro] - The Meters - from Sundazed CD re-issue of New Directions, 2000.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></span> <span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">“Yeah You Right” (Shaab-Carter-Zeigler-O’Rourke-Cowart) - The Sister and Brothers - from the original Uni 45 (#55238), 1970.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="color: #f1c232;">Recorded at Deep South Studios in Baton Rouge and produced by Ron Shaab and Cold Gritz. The story of The Sister and Brothers, featuring Geri Richard on lead vocal with instrumental backing by Cold Gritz, is involved and still somewhat murky. You can get more details in my</span> <a href="http://homeofthegroove.blogspot.com/2005/08/yeah-you-right_22.html" target="_new"><span style="color: #c27ba0;">2008 post</span></a> <span style="color: #f1c232;">on this record, which was the group’s second release. There you will find a link to another piece I did on their third single that came out on Calla. I’ve yet to cover their first 45 on Uni, but hope to get to it one of these days, as well as play more cuts on the show.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></span> <span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">“It’s Your Thing” (R. Isley-O. Isley-R. Isley) - Cold Grits - from a re-issue of their Atco 45 (#741671), that was a part of the 2006 limited-edition <i>What It Is</i> vinyl box set. </span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">I ended up using this copy because it is so clean, instead of the original 1970 45 (#6707) shown in error on my station playlist [soon to be revised]. Anyway, the Cold Gritz of the previous track and this Cold Grits are the same band, as their drummer, ‘Tubby’ Zeigler, verified to me. They produced and arranged both sides of the record, which likely was cut at Atlantic Records’ Criteria Studio in Miami. Just prior to that, Cold Grits had come to the attention of one of Atlantic’s esteemed producers, Jerry Wexler, who brought them to Criteria to work as one of the session bands backing various artists making records there. This was their only release as a group</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></span> <span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Other details about them can be found in the post on the Sister and Brothers linked above.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></span> <span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">“The Rubber Band” (Traci Borges) - Eddie Bo and the Soul Finders - from the original Knight 45 (#303-4), 1970.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="color: #f1c232;">Produced and written by Traci Borges, who owned the Knight label and studio in Metairie, LA. Eddie Bo arranged and sang the two-part song. I don’t recall if the Soul Finders were the backing female vocalists or the unidentified musicians. I wrote about this single, one on Bo’s most obscure funk releases, back in my March</span> <a href="http://homeofthegroove.blogspot.com/2014_03_01_archive.html" target="_new"><span style="color: #c27ba0;">Mardi Gras post</span></a> <span style="color: #f1c232;">this year.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></span> <span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">“Adam and Eva” (Herbert Hardesty) - Herb Hardesty - from the original Federal 45 (#12423), 1961/63</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="color: #f1c232;">Lead saxophonist for over 60 years in Fats Domino’s band and on many of his studio recordings, Herb made some great records on his own, backed by some of his fellow band members between the late 1950s and 1963. This track, originally titled “Adam and Eve”, was cut in New York City in 1961, with the jazz pianist Hank Jones sitting in. The single was released twice at the time on two labels out of Philadelphia, but did not prosper. In 1963, Herb signed with Federal Records, which re-issued his NYC recordings and some new material; but none of those got any traction either. For more details see my post from</span> <a href="http://homeofthegroove.blogspot.com/2014/07/summertime-syncopations-part-2.html" target="_new"><span style="color: #c27ba0;">last month</span></a> <span style="color: #f1c232;">featuring this track.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span> </span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="color: #f1c232;">“For You My Love” (Paul Gayten) - Paul Gayten - from the Chess/MCA LP,</span> <a href="http://www.discogs.com/Paul-Gayten-Chess-King-Of-New-Orleans/release/3362301" target="_new"><span style="color: #c27ba0;">Chess King of New Orleans</span></a><span style="color: #f1c232;">, 1989. </span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Recorded in New Orleans for Chess Records, when Gayten was their A&R man in the city, this track from 1957 was not issued at the time, and first saw the light of day on this compilation of some of Gayten’s own recordings from the mid to late 1950s (also on CD and mp3s with extra cuts). Players included some of the N.O.’s best: Earl Palmer on drums, Frank Fields, bass, Gayten on piano, Edgar Blanchard, guitar, plus Lee Allen on tenor sax and ‘Red’ Tyler on baritone. </span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></span> <span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Palmer gave the tune a great New Orleans bounce groove with a hint of Latin flavor. Larry Darnell originally recorded the song with an R&B/swing groove for Regal Records and had a #1 R&B hit with it in 1949.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></span> <span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">“Come On, Part 1” (Earl King) - Earl King - from the original Imperial 45 (#5713), 1960. </span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Dave Bartholomew, who produced and wrote or co-wrote so many hits for Fats Domino and others, was the long-time A&R man for Imperial Records in New Orleans and signed King in 1960 after he had left Ace Records. King’s two-part “Come On” was the first of his five singles for Imperial, plus one on the affiliated Post imprint, over the next two years. He had recorded a version of this tune for the Ace label earlier, but it was not issued until King’s Imperial single started getting airplay at home.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></span> <span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">While King’s Imperial recordings are considered classics today, the singles were not particularly successful at the time, because the label did not promote them. I’m pretty sure Wardell Quezergue arranged most of the tracks King recorded for Imperial. On this one, James Rivers played tenor sax, and ‘Kid’ Jordan baritone, with King on guitar, plus bassist George Davis, and Bob French’s casually funky drumming. As I said on the show, Jimi Hendrix did an amped-up cover of “Come On” in 1968 on his <i>Electric Ladyland</i> LP, which gave the song new prominence that inspired other covers over the years.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span> </span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="color: #f1c232;">“Her Mind Is Gone” (Roy Byrd) - Professor Longhair - from the Atlantic double LP,</span> <a href="http://www.discogs.com/Professor-Longhair-The-Last-Mardi-Gras/release/1689052" target="_new"><span style="color: #c27ba0;">The Last Mardi Gras</span></a><span style="color: #f1c232;">, 1982. See my 2010</span> <a href="http://homeofthegroove.blogspot.com/2010/02/mardi-gras-indian-variations.html" target="_new"><span style="color: #c27ba0;">Mardi Gras post</span></a> <span style="color: #f1c232;">on this live album, recorded at Tipitina’s in New Orleans in 1978, for the backstory with a link to an earlier post on this specific track. Great performance, great recording - could have been an utter disaster for so many reasons, but fortune smiled.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></span> <span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">“S.A.M.” (Sam Bros) - Sam Bros. 5 - from their eponymous Arhoolie LP, 1979.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="color: #f1c232;">See my July post on this tune in</span> <a href="http://homeofthegroove.blogspot.com/2014/07/summertime-syncopations-part-1.html" target="_new"><span style="color: #c27ba0;">Part 1</span></a> <span style="color: #f1c232;">of my Summertime Syncopations series.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></span> <span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">“Straight Shot” (Johnny Ray Allen-Tommy Malone) - the subdudes - from their Lucky CD, 1991.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="color: #f1c232;">As I said on the show, I picked this tune particularly because co-writer and bassist, Johnny Ray Allen, passed away recently. I first heard of the subdudes when they were runners-up in the Musician Magazine Best Unsigned Band contest in the late 1980s. I knew of Magnie and Malone from previous New Orleans bands they were in, L’il Queenie and the Percolators and the Continental Drifters. Guitarist Malone, percussionist Steve Amadee, and bassist Allen were all from Edgard, LA. Magnie, the keyboardist was from Colorado, but had been working in New Orleans for quite some time. The four moved to Colorado for a few years while getting the band going, signed with EastWest, a division of Atlantic, in 1989 and release of their first CD, the subdudes. Lucky was their second, and last for the label. For more on the band’s history and musical connections, check out their informative</span> <a href="http://subdudes.com/bio.php" target="_new"><span style="color: #c27ba0;">website</span></a><span style="color: #f1c232;">.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></span> <span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">This tune shows more of the rock side of the ‘dudes, with definitely a funk feel to the groove. Nice horn work by Joe Cabral (The Iguanas), too.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></span> <span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">“I Need You” (F. Beverly) - Stooges Brass Band - from their recent (undated) LP, <i>Street Music</i>, on the Sinking City label.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">The first of many brass band cuts I plan to air on the show as it goes along. I picked this track because it’s fresh on vinyl and was written by funky soul showman Frankie Beverly, who with the San Francisco-based band Maze have been perennial favorites in New Orleans live and on record since the 1970s.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></span> <span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">“I Can Fix That For You” (W. James-D. Garyson) - Dori Grayson - from original Murco 45 (#1045), 1968.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Starting in 1967, Shreveport soul chanteuse Dori Grayson, cut three singles for Heads Up Productions, run by Dee Marais there. Two appeared on Murco (#s 1038 & 1045), and the other was on Peermont (#1056) in 1970. Both were local labels. Grayson had an appealing voice and stuck mainly to the more pop side of soul; but her records didn’t find a big enough audience to take her beyond the Shreveport scene.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></span> <span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">“Doin’ Sumpin’” (Naomi Neville) - Al Fayard - from the original Alon 45 (#9020), 1964,</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="color: #f1c232;">Allen Toussaint arranged, wrote the tune (under his pen-name), and played piano on it. As I said on-air, the backing band was the Stokes, formed by Toussaint while he was in the service in Texas. With Fayard, their drummer, they recorded a string of mainly instrumental records written by Toussaint for the Alon label in New Orleans, released between 1964 and 1965; but they had only modest local appeal. One of the tunes, “Whipped Cream”, was covered by Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass in California and became a national hit in 1965. See</span> <a href="http://homeofthegroove.blogspot.com/2010/11/good-stuff-beyond-fluff-toussaint.html" target="_new"><span style="color: #c27ba0;">my post</span></a> <span style="color: #f1c232;">on both of Fayard's Alon singles for more of the story.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></span> <span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">“Soul City” (Ray Johnson) - Ray Johnson - from the original Infinity 45 (#024B), 1964.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="color: #f1c232;">As I noted on the show, Ray, who passed away last year, was the brother of the great saxophonist Plas Johnson, who for decades was a first-call session musician in L.A., CA, as well as a respected jazz player. Both of them relocated to the West Coast from New Orleans in the early 1950s. For more information on Ray, check my</span> <a href="http://homeofthegroove.blogspot.com/2012/07/some-locally-grown-organics.html" target="_new"><span style="color: #c27ba0;">2012 post</span></a> <span style="color: #f1c232;">on this song plus some other groovy organ tunes.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></span> <span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">He was definitely working out on some proto-funk here, backed by some uncredited California session cats.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span> </span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="color: #f1c232;">“Whatever” (Leon Ware) - Merry Clayton - from her Ode LP,</span> <a href="http://www.discogs.com/Merry-Clayton-Merry-Clayton/release/1350761" target="_new"><span style="color: #c27ba0;">Merry Clayton</span></a><span style="color: #f1c232;">, 1971.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="color: #f1c232;">While highly prized as a backing vocalist since the 1960s, probably best known for her work on the Rolling Stones’ “Gimme Shelter”, Merry has done her best to get established as a solo artist over the years, but with only limited success. She was one of the featured singers in the award-winning 2013 documentary, </span><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2396566/" target="_new"><span style="color: #c27ba0;">20 Feet From Stardom</span></a> <span style="color: #f1c232;">- highly recommended; and I did a</span> <a href="http://homeofthegroove.blogspot.com/2008/12/keeping-eye-on-merry-clayton.html" target="_new"><span style="color: #c27ba0;">brief overview</span></a> <span style="color: #f1c232;">of her career here back in 2008. Her albums are all well worth hearing.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span> </span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="color: #f1c232;">“Who’s Gonna Help Brother Get Further” (Allen Toussaint) - Lee Dorsey - from his Polydor LP,</span> <a href="http://www.discogs.com/Lee-Dorsey-Yes-We-Can/release/1410990" target="_new"><span style="color: #c27ba0;">Yes We Can</span></a><span style="color: #f1c232;">, 1970.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="color: #f1c232;">As noted, this album was produced and arranged by Toussaint, who also wrote most of the material. The Meters were the rhythm section of record on this track, and almost all the others, with Gary Brown doing the sax work. I wrote about the album and song</span> <a href="http://homeofthegroove.blogspot.com/2011/02/sansu-70s-allen-lee-and-lou.html" target="_new"><span style="color: #c27ba0;">here</span></a> <span style="color: #f1c232;">back in 2011.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></span> <span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">“Sneakin’ Sally Through The Alley” (Allen Toussaint) - Robert Palmer - from the Island LP, <i>Sneakin’ Sally Through The Alley</i>, 1974.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Producer Steve Smith, who formerly worked at Muscle Shoals Sound, brought Robert Palmer from the UK to record his first solo album in New York City with veteran Atlantic Records session players, and in New Orleans at the newly built Sea-Saint Studios, hiring the Meters as the backing band. Smith also called in Lowell George, leader of Little Feat, to play his sublime slide guitar on all the sessions.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span> </span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="color: #f1c232;">The Sea-Saint tracks all cooked; but the killer was this tight, multi-layered, and intense reinterpreting of the song first recorded by Lee Dorsey on that <i>Yes We Can</i> LP. For more details on Palmer’s album and the New Orleans connections, check out</span> <a href="http://homeofthegroove.blogspot.com/2014/06/a-sea-saint-island-addendum-sneakin.html" target="_new"><span style="color: #c27ba0;">the post</span></a> <span style="color: #f1c232;">I did on it this past June.</span></span></span>Dan Phillipshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12185793905565005146noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8722495.post-20208933701456364562014-08-16T16:33:00.002-05:002014-08-16T16:33:26.167-05:00FUNKIFY YOUR LIFE - SHOW #2 - PLAYLIST<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="color: #f1c232;">Air dates were Thursday, 8/14/2014, at 1:00 PM Central and Friday, 8/15/2014, at 9:00 PM, on KRVS 88.7 FM Lafayette. A new show airs weekly at those times. A podcast and playlist are available from the</span> <a href="http://krvs.org/" target="_new"><span style="color: #c27ba0;">KRVS website</span></a> <span style="color: #f1c232;">under “Programs” - scroll down the list to <i>Funkify Your Life</i> and click on the show name to see the playlist(s). You’ll find the podcast(s) in the ”Music” section under the playlists - click on the link with name and date of show, then hit “Listen”.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></span> <span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">This time out, I featured three songs with the late Idris Muhammad on drums, various tunes by recent inductees into the South Louisiana Music Hall of Fame, and some other choice tracks</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></span> <span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">“Funkify Your Life” [Intro] - The Meters - from Sundazed CD re-issue of New Directions, 2000.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span> </span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="color: #f1c232;">“Express Yourself” (Charles Wright) -</span> <a href="http://www.waxpoetics.com/blog/news/legendary-funky-drummer-idris-muhammad-74-died" target="_new"><span style="color: #c27ba0;">Idris Muhammad</span></a><span style="color: #f1c232;"> - from Prestige CD, <i>Legends of Acid Jazz: Idris Muhammad</i>, 1996. </span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">This track originally appeared on his 1971 Prestige LP, <i>Black Rhythm Revolution</i>. Muhammad passed away on July 29 at the age of 74. One of New Orleans’ greatest drummers, he started out life there as Leo Morris, and early on was drumming on the streets with brass bands. As a teenager, he played and recorded with Art Neville's R&B band, the Hawketts, then joined Larry Williams band playing R&B rock ‘n’ roll, then moved out into the world, playing with various national R&B and soul artists, before going to New York later in the 1960s and breaking into the world of jazz. He soon became a sought-after accompanist, and one of the innovators of the acid-jazz movement near the end of the decade, working as both a player and leader, fusing funk rhythms with jazz. He never lost his natural-born foundation in the music of his hometown.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span> <span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">“Door Poppin’” (C. Fran - C. Hollimon) - Carol Fran & Clarence Hollimon - from their Black Top CD, <i>See There!</i>, 1994. </span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">From Lafayette, LA, Carol is was inducted into the South Louisiana Music Hall of Fame (SLMHF) at recent ceremonies in Houma, LA that I got to attend. In her early 80s now, she has been predominantly a blues and R&B vocalist and pianist since the 1950s. This track is from the second of two CDs she made for Black Top Records of New Orleans with her husband, the well-respected blues guitarist, Clarence Hollimon. Other great players on this album were Herman Ernest on drums, Lafayette bassist Lee Allen Zeno, Sammy Berfect on keyboards, and lead saxophonist ‘Kaz’ Kazanoff with the Kamikaze Horns. There is a side of hers from from a 1960s single later in the show.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></span> <span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">“I’m Ready Now” (Ron Levy) - James ‘Thunderbird’ Davis - from the Black Top CD, <i>Checkout Time</i>, 1989. </span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Another SLMHF inductee, blues vocalist Davis was originally from Alabama, and found his way to Thibodaux, LA in the early 1950s, living at Hosea Hill’s Sugar Bowl club and working there with the house band. While there, he partnered and toured with the legendary Guitar Slim, a/k/a Eddie Jones,who was backed by Lloyd Lambert’s band. After Slim’s death, Davis recorded a handful ofl singles for Duke Records in Houston from the late 1950s to around 1965. This Black Top album served as a fine comeback for him late in life, with assistance from Texas guitarists Clarence Hollimon, also a veteran of many Duke sessions, and Anson Funderburgh. Lloyd Lambert played bass, David Lee, drums, with producer Ron Levy on keys, and Kazanoff on sax, among other fine horn players.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></span> <span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">“Tell Me that You Love Me” (M. West - D. Thomas) - Willie West - from the Uptown Rulers CD, <i>From West With Love</i>, 1999. </span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="color: #f1c232;">A consummate soul vocalist, Willie also was inducted into the SLMHF this year. He started out in Raceland, LA, singing with his band, the Sharks in the 1950s, as a teenager. He did three singles around 1960 for the Rustone label in Houma, then moved to New Orleans where his long performing and recording career continued until 2006, when he relocated to St. Cloud, MN. In 2008, I did a</span> <a href="http://homeofthegroove.blogspot.com/2008/07/willie-west-genuine-soul-survivor.html" target="_new"><span style="color: #c27ba0;">feature</span></a><span style="color: #f1c232;"> on his musical journey which you can consult for more details. He is still recording and performing, both in the US and Europe. Two of his earlier recordings are featured later in the show. I’m pretty sure the late, great Wilbert ‘Junkyard Dog’ Arnold played drums on this one.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></span> <span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">“Wa-Wa Guitar Man, Part 1” (S. Jones-B. Lacour-D. Douglas) - David Douglas - from the original Hep’ Me 45 (#1), 1971. </span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Yet another SLMHF inductee, Douglas is also from the Houma area and a cousin of Willie West. The two-part single is his only known recording as a featured artist. Starting in the early 1970s, he joined Fats Domino’s touring band as guitarist and later switched to bass, staying until Fats stopped performing earlier this century. For more on this track see my <a href="http://homeofthegroove.blogspot.com/2014/07/summertime-syncopations-part-1.html" target="_new"><span style="color: #c27ba0;">earlier post</span></a>.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></span> <span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">“Git It” (Sam Henry, Jr) - Sam & The Soul Machine - from the Funky Delicacies CD, Po’k Beans & Rice, 2002. </span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="color: #f1c232;">Sam, who died a few years back, had a long musical career in New Orleans as a pianist, composer, arranger, bandleader and educator. In the late 1960s, he combined his trio with Aaron, Neville, Cyril Neville and saxophonist Gary Brown to form the Soul Machine, which became a very popular soul/funk cover band. In 1969, Sam and members of his band, plus drummer Zig Modeliste of the Meters, recorded an album’s worth of original instrumental funk in New Orleans that was not released until Funky Delicacies put it out on CD with some other Soul Machine-related tracks, over 30 years later. Back then, Sam was shooting for the hit-making sound and grooves of the Meters, and definitely succeeded in that regard. For more on his band and their close relations with the Meters, again see my</span> <a href="http://homeofthegroove.blogspot.com/2014/07/summertime-syncopations-part-1.html" target="_new"><span style="color: #c27ba0;">earlier post</span></a><span style="color: #f1c232;">.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></span> <span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">“Said To Myself” (M. West) - Willie West - from the original Warner Bros 45 (#8087), 1975. </span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Between 1965 and 1975, Willie recorded exclusively but sporadically for Allen Toussaint and Marshall Sehorn’s Tou-Sea Productions, which became Sansu Enterprises around 1970. He had singles released on their Deesu label, as well as one on Josie which had backing by the Meters, who also recorded for the label; but none had commercial success. Produced at Sea-Saint Studios, this fine WB 45 was his last for the Sansu team, and probably had at least some of the Meters on it, but did not get pushed to radio by the corporate overlords. So, it went pretty much unheard by the general public.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></span> <span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">“Chocolate Cherry” (Anthony Dorsey) - Joe Tex Band - from <i>Instrumental Explosion</i>, BGP/Ace Records, 2004. </span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">This cut is on a UK CD compilation in my archives. I’ve got the original Dial 45 on order, but couldn’t wait until it got here. At the SLMHF ceremony, I talked with inductee Tony Dorsey a bit about this single, as he wrote and arranged both sides. From the Houma area, he played trombone and did horn arrangements for Joe Tex’s road band in the mid-1960s and confirmed that they all played on the session for this single. Most of Joe’s other Dial recordings had a mix of Nashville studio musicians and band members. Tony went on to work with Percy Sledge, among other soul acts, and toured with Paul McCartney and Wings in the 1970s. Another long-time member of Tex’s band was guitarist Lee ‘Leroy’ Hadley, Sr, who was also inducted this year. Hadley’s brother, Clarence, played bass at the time of this recording, as well. Bandleader Clyde Williams played drums; and the legendary Houston tenor saxman, Grady Gaines, was in the band then, too.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></span> <span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">“We Got Something Good” (Maurice Dollison) - Irma Thomas - from the original Chess 45 (#2036), 1968. </span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">In 1967, Irma was promisingly signed to Chess records and sent to Muscle Shoals to record at Rick Hall’s Fame Studio with its killer studio band, the Swampers. The label also was sending the likes of Etta James and Laura Lee down there, looking for hits. Although Irma cut a good number of tracks, all impressive, Chess only saw fit to release three singles between 1967 and 1968. None of them got very far except the A-side of of her final single for them, “Good To Me”, an Otis Redding tune, which briefly got into the charts. I’m featuring the B-side, which also could have clicked. Unfortunately, Chess wanted to assign Irma to Phil Walden’s Macon, GA booking agency, but she refused to deal with Walden because he kept too much of the money. Thus, she missed out on the exposure of touring with some big name artists Walden represented. As a result Chess didn’t promote her records well and soon dropped her. Dat’s showbiz.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></span> <span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">“Hurry Back To Me” (Allen Toussaint) - Diamond Joe - from the original Sansu 45 (#460), 1966. </span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">I did a <a href="http://homeofthegroove.blogspot.com/2010/10/more-goodbyes-diamond-joe-solomon-burke.html" target="_new"><span style="color: #c27ba0;">post</span></a> on Diamond Joe (Maryland), from Mechanicville, LA, near Houma, on the sad occasion of his death back in 2010. In researching the scant information available on him back then, I asked Willie West if he knew him; and, as you can read there, he and Diamond Joe were close friends. Joe, too, was honored by the SLMHF this year. An interesting tie-in to this week’s show is that early-on Joe played bass in the house band at Hosea Hill’s Sugar Bowl, which was fronted by ‘Thunderbird’ Davis. </span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></span> <span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">“Willie Knows How” (M. West) - Willie West - from the original Rustone 45 (#1406), 1961.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">One more this week from Mr. Willie. This cut was on the last of his three Rustone singles. The label was based in Houma, and, being small and not well-funded, lacked the ability to properly promote its productions and get much radio play. Soon thereafter, Willie moved to New Orleans, frequently performing live, and recorded a few singles for Frisco Records there, before hooking up with Toussaint.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span> </span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="color: #f1c232;">Willie has a current CD out,</span> <a href="http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/williewest12" target="_new"><span style="color: #c27ba0;">Can’t Help Myself</span></a> <span style="color: #f1c232;">on CDS Records (I’ll get to some of that on later shows), and has been recording vinyl singles released by </span><a href="http://www.timmion.com/" target="_new"><span style="color: #c27ba0;">Timmion Records</span></a> <span style="color: #f1c232;">in Finland since 2009. They are preparing to release a new LP, <i>Lost Soul</i>, on him; and Willie will tour there in September, with hopes of a longer European tour later. Cuts from those will pop up in weeks and months to come, too.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></span> <span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">“Oh Baby” (Larry Williams) - Larry Williams - from the Specialty CD <i>Larry Williams: Bad Boy</i>, 1989. </span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">As I said on the show, the majority of Williams’ material for Specialty was recorded in Los Angeles, where the label was based, but still had great New Orleans session musicians on it, who had relocated out there. From 1957, “Oh Baby” was one of a few tracks he cut back home at Cosimo Matassa’s J&M Studio; but I don’t think this take was released at the time. The track is notable on this show because the young Leo Morris (a/k/a Idris Muhammad), who was the drummer in Larry’s live band, played on the session. Other musicians on the date were Lee Allen and ‘Kid’ Jordan on saxes, and Frank Fields on bass. Either Art Neville or Williams played piano. Larry also recorded another song called “Oh Baby” for Chess Records later, but it is not the same.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></span> <span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">“I’m Gonna Try” (Johnny Williams) - Carol Fran - from the original Port 45 (#3000), 1965. </span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Carol recorded four worthy singles for the Port label, based in New York City in the mid-1960s. This cut was the B-side of the first of those, which had “Crying In The Chapel” on top. I have a CD compilation with all those tracks plus good notes, but can’t locate it at the moment. So, I will just assume that she cut the Port sides in NYC, although the horn arrangement in particular on this one reminds me of a Toussaint production.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></span> <span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">“Cat Music” (Dave Bartholomew) - Dave Bartholomew - from a Mambo/Jukebox Jam re-issue 45 (#1026). </span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">This cut originally appeared on Imperial #5308 in 1954. I chose it at the last minute, because I needed a short song to fill in near the end of the show; and I’ve always dug the tune, which has ‘Tenoo’ Coleman on drums plus a bongo player, adding a Latin lilt to the jazzy groove. Dave’s hipster lyrics ice the cupcake. </span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></span> <span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">“Cold Bear” (Turbinton-Charles-Charles-Clark-Pania) - The Gaturs - from the original Gatur 45 (#508), 1970. </span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">This single was re-issued nationally by Atco Records about a year later, but failed to make the charts. With the Meters’ hitmaking instrumental funk going on, groups like the Gaturs and Sam & The Soul Machine were jumping on the bandwagon, but putting their own slants on the format. </span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #f1c232;"><br />
</span> <span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">The leader of the Gaturs was keyboardist and vocalist Wilson ‘Willie Tee’ Turbinton, who had been recording as a soul vocalist since the early 1960s. He had a hit in 1965 with “Teasin’ You” on Atlantic, which had first appeared on the local Nola label. After that he formed Willie Tee and the Souls with his brother, Earl, on sax, George French on bass, and David Lee on drums, a soul/funk band with jazz leanings who had a regular, popular gig at the Ivanhoe club on Bourbon Street. Through a friendship with Cannonball Adderley, who frequently came to New Orleans, Tee got a solo deal with Capitol Records, resulting in one pop-ish album, <i>Man That I Am</i>, which was not well-received. Regrouping, he formed the Gaturs, named after the record label, Gatur, he had started with his cousin, Ulis Gaines (Ga+Tur). </span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #f1c232;"><br />
</span> <span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">A chance booking at a local festival with the Wild Magnolias resulted in a recording collaboration that fused funk and Mardi Gras Indian music on several singles and two ground-breaking LPs for the French Barclays label. In 1976, Willie recorded the impressive album, <i>Anticipation</i>, which failed to get any attention for the multi-talented artist, who passed away in 2007.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></span> <span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">“Keep On Pushing” (Curtis Mayfield) - The Impressions - from the MCA CD, <i>Curtis Mayfield & the Impressions: The Anthology 1961 - 1977</i>, 1992. </span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">As I said on the show, I picked this song, recorded far from New Orleans, because Idris Muhammad, then still known as Leo Morris, played on the session. The track was cut in Chicago by the ever-impressive, hit-making group, The Impressions, with Curtis Mayfield on guitar and lead vocal, who also wrote, arranged, and produced the material. Morris/Muhammad played on a number of their recordings at the time. Besides the beauty and inspiration of the song itself, I like how Morris handled the ¾ time, managing to subtly break-up the beats a bit to give the groove a rhythmic push.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></span> <span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">See the comments section on my KRVS playlist page for the show’s new email address. Feel free to contact me on matters concerning the show there or here.</span></span></span>Dan Phillipshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12185793905565005146noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8722495.post-63578472594348634452014-08-08T20:02:00.000-05:002014-08-16T15:59:59.280-05:00FUNKIFY YOUR LIFE - SHOW #1 - PLAYLIST <span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="color: #f1c232;">Air dates, Thursday, 8/7/2014, at 1:00 PM Central and Friday, 8/8/2014 at 9:00 PM, on KRVS 88.7 FM Lafayette, LA. A podcast and playlist are also available from the</span> <a href="http://krvs.org/" target="_new"><span style="color: #c27ba0;">KRVS website</span></a></span></span><span style="color: #c27ba0;"> </span><span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: small;">under “Programs”, just scroll down the list to my show.</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span> </span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="color: #f1c232;">“Funkify Your Life” (A. Neville-C.Neville-L.Nocentelli-J. Modeliste-G. Porter, Jr) - The Meters - from Sundazed CD re-issue of</span> <a href="http://www.discogs.com/Meters-New-Directions/release/3480065" target="_new"><span style="color: #c27ba0;">New Directions</span></a><span style="color: #f1c232;">, 2000. </span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Warner Bros originally released the album in 1977. Zigaboo Modeliste on lead vocal here. Recorded in San Francisco, it was their final LP for WB and as a band. Art Neville and brother, Cyril, left shortly after it came out. The remaining threesome recruited various keyboard players plus Willie West to help out on vocals; but they only lasted another year.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></span> <span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">“Steppin’ Out” (Traci Borges) - Lionel Robinson - from original Knight 45 #3051A, 1971.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Produced by Traci Borges and recorded at his Knight Studio, Metairie, LA. Robinson did four singles for Knight in the early 1970s and deserved attention for this vocal talent, but got little more than a bit of local airplay.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></span> <span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">“Action Speaks Louder Than Words” (Charles Brimmer-Louis Jones) - Lonnie Jones - from original Jenmark 45 #103A, 1972. </span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Produced and arranged by a fine soulman in his own right, Charles Brimmer. Jones (a/k/a Louis Jones), recorded just two singles, both on Jenmark.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span> </span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="color: #f1c232;">“Action Time” (E. Batts-J. Ellison) - Labelle - from original Epic LP,</span> <a href="http://www.discogs.com/LaBelle-Phoenix/release/5665452" target="_new"><span style="color: #c27ba0;">Phoenix</span></a><span style="color: #f1c232;">, 1975.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="color: #f1c232;">Produced and arranged by Allen Toussaint and recorded at Sea-Saint Studios with some great local players, including Herman Ernest on drums. This overlooked LP was their follow-up to</span> <a href="http://www.discogs.com/LaBelle-Nightbirds/release/5085220" target="_new"><span style="color: #c27ba0;">Nightbrids</span></a><span style="color: #f1c232;">, which had the big hit, “Lady Marmalade”. Sadly, no hits came out of this equally fine effort.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></span> <span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">“Summertime” (Gershwin-Heyward) - Gatemouth Brown - from original Cue 45 #1050, 1964.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="color: #f1c232;"> Produced by Jimmy Duncan for the tiny Cue label and probably recorded in Houston, TX. This is one of Gate’s rarest 45s, and surely the most unusual. Dig the very syncopated drumming, making it sound like a New Orleans record. His percussive, reverb-drenched, guitar-generated sound effects could have given a young Jimi Hendrix food for thought, had he or anybody else actually heard this obscure record. I featured this cut</span> <a href="http://homeofthegroove.blogspot.com/2014/07/summertime-syncopations-part-1.html" target="_new"><span style="color: #c27ba0;">here</span></a> <span style="color: #f1c232;">back in July.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span> </span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="color: #f1c232;">“Blues Cha Cha” (E. Blanchard) - Edgar Blanchard and the Gondoliers - new 45 #1004 from the 2012 Rounder vinyl box set,</span> <a href="http://www.discogs.com/Various-From-The-Vaults-Of-Ric-Ron-Records/release/3549495" target="_new"><span style="color: #c27ba0;">From the Vaults of Ric & Ron Records</span></a><span style="color: #bf9000;">.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Originally recorded in 1959 for the Ric label, but unissued at the time. Rounder first re-issued this on the <i>Troubles Troubles</i> CD in 1988.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></span> <span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">“Gotta Have More” (D. Johnson - E. Bocage - T. Terry) - Eddie Bo with the Barons - original Blue Jay 45 #154, 1964.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Produced, arranged and co-written by Eddie Bo for his own short-lived label. Maybe Smokey Johnson on the drums. This shows the high quality work Eddie was capable of.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></span> <span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">“Bon Ton Roule” (Clarence Garlow) - Ronnie Barron - from Takoma LP Bon Ton Roulette, 1985. </span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Recorded in L.A., CA. The New Orleans connections were, of course, Ronnie on piano and vocal, and the horn section, three tenor sax heavy hitters, Lee Allen, Plas Johnson, and Jerry Jumonville, with Jumonville also playing baritone. I included this cut in my Mardi Gras post this year.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></span> <span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">“Giving On Into Love” (D. Reed - A. Wright) - Dalton Reed & the Musical Journey Band - from original Sweet Daddy 45 #100, 1985. </span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">From Lafayette, LA, Reed was an excellent soul singer who performed live for most of his musical career, while keeping-up his day job as a welder. I think this was his first commercial recording, self-produced and issued on his own label when he already was in his mid-30s. In the early 1990s, Scott Billington signed him to Rounder’s Bullseye Blues label and he made two well-received CDs, but died while on tour soon thereafter. [Forgot to back announce this one on the show.]</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></span> <span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">“Best Of Love Turned Blue” (David Egan) - A-Train - from their Sooto LP, <i>Live at Humpfrees</i>, 1983. </span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Recorded at a music club in their home-base of Shreveport, LA. The band was put together by guitarist Buddy Flett, his bassist brother, Bruce, and saxophonist John Howe. The great Miki Honeycutt sang lead here with the song’s gifted writer, David Egan, on keyboard and backing vocal. New Orleans-raised drummer, Paul Griffith, brought in-the-pocket funk.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #bf9000;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span> </span><span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">“Tropical” (Louis Villery) - African Music Machine - from Soul Power EP, <i>Black Water Gold</i>, 1972. </span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="color: #f1c232;">Villery, a native of Tunisia who had played bass in Bobby Bland’s road band, was working as a studio musician at Sound City, a studio in Shreveport, when he put the group together with local players and cut four well-crafted funk singles in 1972-1974 for the new Soul Power label, none of which were commercial winners. The cut I played came from a later vinyl Soul Power EP compilation of the single sides, for its better quality audio. I featured the cut</span> <a href="http://homeofthegroove.blogspot.com/2014/07/summertime-syncopations-part-1.html" target="_new"><span style="color: #c27ba0;">here</span></a> <span style="color: #f1c232;">on that same July post.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></span> <span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">“Moonburn” (Jon Cleary) - form the Point Bank CD <i>Moonburn</i>, 1999. </span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">From the UK, Jon moved to New Orleans in the 1970s and absorbed the city’s funky musical heritage. He is a soulful vocalist and mainly plays keyboards, but is also a fine guitarist. That’s him of most of the instruments on the track, backed by Jellybean Alexander on drums and Bill Summers on percussion. Ernie K-Doe does some of his patented vocal randomness in the background.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></span> <span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">“Trouble With My Lover” (Allen Toussaint) - Betty Harris - from original Sansu 45 #480, 1968. </span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="color: #f1c232;">This is the flip side of her smokin’ version of “Ride Your Pony”, on her final Sansu single. She signed with the label, run by Allen Toussaint and Marshall Sehorn, in 1965 and cut some great records, only a few of which were even minor hits. Starting in 1968, the studio band was the Meters. For more on Betty's career, see</span> <a href="http://www.sirshambling.com/articles/betty_harris/" target="_new"><span style="color: #c27ba0;">Sir Shambling's Deep Soul Heaven</span></a><span style="color: #f1c232;">.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></span> <span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">“Do Something For Yourself” (B. Powell - L. Whitfield) - Bobby Powell - from Whit 45 # 715, 1966. </span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">One of the South’s finest soul (and gospel) vocalists, the woefully under-appreciated Powell hails from Baton Rouge, where Whit Records was based. In the early days of the label, recording sessions were done at Cosimo’s Studio in New Orleans, including this one, I’m pretty sure. [Another one I neglected to identify on-air.]</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></span> <span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">“Steal Away” (J. Hughes) - Walter ‘Wolfman’ Washington - from his Rounder LP, Out Of the Dark, 1988. </span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">A Muscle Shoals classic soul tune originally done by Jimmy Hughes, funkfied New Orleans-style by the Wolfman and his band, the Roadmasters, with Jon Cleary sitting in on piano.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span> </span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="color: #bf9000;"><span style="color: #f1c232;">“Vieux Carre” (T. Andrews - J. Peebles) - Trombone Shorty - from the Verve CD,</span> </span><a href="http://www.discogs.com/Trombone-Shorty-Say-That-To-Say-This/release/5609698" target="_new"><span style="color: #c27ba0;">Say That To This</span></a><span style="color: #f1c232;">, 2013. </span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Nicely understated funk from Troy ‘Trombone Shorty’ Andrews and his fine band, on most cuts. The Meters sit in on another number. He co-produced the album with Raphael Saadiq.</span></span></span>Dan Phillipshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12185793905565005146noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8722495.post-63843811946836412492014-08-04T17:36:00.000-05:002014-08-09T10:55:07.591-05:00BACK TO THE AIRWAVES<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="color: #bf9000;">Big news.</span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #bf9000;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="color: #bf9000;">Starting this Thursday, August 7, I will be producing and hosting a weekly show on</span> <a href="http://krvs.org/" target="_new"><span style="color: red;">KRVS 88.7 FM</span></a></span> <span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">here in Lafayette.<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"> I'm calling it <i>Funkify Your Life</i> and will feature the funkier sides of R&B, soul, and jazz from New Orleans, elsewhere in Louisiana, and around the Gulf Coast - vintage and contemporary groove music sourced from my vinyl and digital archives. So, of course, the audio content of da blog will be appearing over time, in no particular order. . . . much like the former HOTG webcast, but now in one hour segments with a bit of vocal commentary.</span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #bf9000;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></span></span> <span style="color: #bf9000;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">My time slot on Thursdays is 1:00 - 2:00 PM Central US time, with a rebroadcast Friday nights at 9:00 PM. KRVS programming is available for streaming on their website; and they also offer playlist and podcast archives of local shows, such as mine, there - just hit the "Programs" link and scroll down to my show. So, you can hear <i>FYL</i> in real time or anytime, and most anywhere. </span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #bf9000;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></span></span> <span style="color: #bf9000;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">I am honored to have been approved to be a small part of the impressive on KRVS operation, and look forward to airing the many choice cuts from my collection to a mostly new and potentially larger audience.</span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #bf9000;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></span></span> <span style="color: #bf9000;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">By the way, I plan to also post my weekly playlists here, along with some relevant links. So, keep a lookout and tune-in to <i>Funkify Your Life</i>!</span></span></span></span><br />
<br />Dan Phillipshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12185793905565005146noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8722495.post-14672266448727220122014-07-28T20:19:00.000-05:002014-07-28T23:37:16.767-05:00SUMMERTIME SYNCOPATIONS, Part 2<br />
<span style="color: cyan;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">The randomness continues with three more unrelated tracks, plus, two that might have someone in common. Each features a saxophone as lead instrument. . . and poly-rhythms, of course. The first two tunes in particular display a Latin music influence that fits naturally into the funky rhythmic underpinnings of New Orleans jazz and R&B that go way back through the Caribbean into Spain, the Middle East, and Africa.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: cyan;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></span> <span style="color: cyan;"><b><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">“Reo” On Tulane</span></span></b></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgn38YgP9BvSp6OHOKaUTqzXNazbv2zttit1Nh6BDD0cc7ki9IZ4HzqS4zhVNCbkkKtAvdGynWabOYFkyDjvGFZ0VeNDrdyjXE9IHtZlpBWOc8J1jb5XfIFXt32D7RFkVlrTfWV/s1600/reo.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgn38YgP9BvSp6OHOKaUTqzXNazbv2zttit1Nh6BDD0cc7ki9IZ4HzqS4zhVNCbkkKtAvdGynWabOYFkyDjvGFZ0VeNDrdyjXE9IHtZlpBWOc8J1jb5XfIFXt32D7RFkVlrTfWV/s320/reo.JPG" /></a><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.hipcast.com/export/Paa96b69f102900ff9302e85514240d44ZVl/Rn1uY2NzVQ.mp3" target="_new"><span style="color: #f6b26b;">“Reo”</span></a></span> <span style="color: cyan;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">(B. Tate)</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: cyan;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Earnest Holland and His Orchestra, Tulane 102, 1960</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: cyan;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></span> <span style="color: cyan;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Information on saxophonist and bandleader Earnest Holland is scant. I have found just a a few tidbits on his musical career other than his credit on this single, which appears to have been his second release, and quite possibly his last. When, starting in 1954, Sugarboy Crawford held down a two year gig at the Carousel Club in West Baton Rouge, LA, Holland was a member of his band, the Cane Cutters. As Crawford told Jeff Hannusch in <i>I Hear You Knockin’</i>, his entire group relocated to the town for that stint. In Bruce Bastin’s liner notes to a 1984 Flyright LP compilation of mostly unissued material recorded for producer J. D. 'Jay' Miller in Crowley, LA, rather misleadingly titled <i>Going to New Orleans</i>, I found the assertion that Holland came from Baton Rouge; but, since Bastin's subject was alternate takes of songs on Holland’s 1956 first single, I’m not sure if that means he had lived there for a while, or was actually raised in the area.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: cyan;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></span> <span style="color: cyan;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">That record, “Give It Up (or tell where its at)”/”If I Had My Life To Live Over”, was cut by the saxman and his band at Miller’s studio. It was released on Excello 2089 under the name of Vince Monroe with Ernie Holland and his Orchestra. Monroe [actual name: Monroe Vincent] was the group’s singer, who, Bastin noted, was working out of New Orleans at the time, which ought to place Holland there too. I also found a credit for Holland playing tenor sax on a 1962 Danny White session at Cosimo’s for Frisco Records. So, one way or another, he had a presence on the local music scene.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: cyan;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></span> <span style="color: cyan;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">The writer of “Reo”, Billy Tate, also played in Sugarboy’s band during their run at the Carousel, and later started the small Tulane label in New Orleans, when a lot of small, independent, local record companies were trying to get in on the action. A blind New Orleans guitarist and bassist (who also played accordion, according to Mac Rebennack in <i>Under A Hoodoo Moon</i>), Tate had been in the house bands at Club Tijuana and the Dew Drop Inn during the 1950s, as Earl King recalled to John Broven in <i>Rhythm & Blues In New Orleans</i>, and to Hannusch. He also did session work going back to the late 1940s, and recorded at least three singles of his own, with “Single Life”/”You Told Me” on Imperial 5337 from 1955 being the most well-known.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: cyan;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span> </span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="color: cyan;">Tireless collectors and researchers, Peter Hoogers and ana-b, note in the</span> <a href="http://cosimocode.com/forum/" target="_new"><span style="color: #f6b26b;">Cosimo Code Forum</span></a></span> <span style="color: cyan;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">that Tulane 102 was probably the label’s initial release of its five known singles. Peter found a 1960 <i>Billboard</i> review of the 45, and thus dates it by that. No doubt the session was recorded at Cosimo’s studio in New Orleans, but just prior to his use of the unique numbering system he developed to keep track of his studio clients and their releases, known these days as the Cosimo Code. Both sides of the single were instrumentals, with “Salt And Pepper” on top, a fairly standard, mid-tempo R&B outing in the same mold as Bill Doggett’s earlier hit, “Honky Tonk”. But “Reo” was a different matter, having a much more complex rhythmic approach.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: cyan;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></span> <span style="color: cyan;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">The tune’s main draw, a highly percussive, danceable groove, was generated by an unknown drummer who stuck to the tom-toms and kick, joined by other percussionists, one playing bongos or congas, plus someone hitting a clave beat on a bottle. As for the song title, I’m not sure if Tate was going for Rio and misspelled it, but the rhythm does have somewhat of a samba feel to it. The melody line played by Holland’s tenor sax, voiced mostly in its lower register, is almost childlike in its simplicity. Clearly, the record was geared for the pop market; but got lost in the deluge of great material coming out in the city at the time, and quickly went under.</span></span></span><br />
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</span></span> <span style="color: cyan;"><b><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">“Adam and Eva” By Way Of NYC</span></span></b></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyM4Ty6Ze-8LpO4mWKgmHp6PBLxz2XqtX9fmacj_8nTFZEojmzvxQzbur6d2lSvTTtCC3w15rZyN9iPHHdv-9C5qJBMLI54u17kJsN2myNGcYcText4qAnZGZqLY5P-BaKHqiM/s1600/adam+eva.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyM4Ty6Ze-8LpO4mWKgmHp6PBLxz2XqtX9fmacj_8nTFZEojmzvxQzbur6d2lSvTTtCC3w15rZyN9iPHHdv-9C5qJBMLI54u17kJsN2myNGcYcText4qAnZGZqLY5P-BaKHqiM/s320/adam+eva.JPG" /></a><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.hipcast.com/export/P0434ad1b009301963ba96fee0378eddbZVl/Rn1uY2NzVg.mp3" target="_new"><span style="color: #f6b26b;">“Adam And Eva”</span></a> <span style="color: cyan;">(Reichner-Hardesty)</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: cyan;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Herb Hardesty, Federal 12423, 1961</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: cyan;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span> </span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="color: cyan;">Herbert Hardesty, a consummate R&B saxophonist, was a dominant instrumental fixture in Fats Domino’s band from the late 1940s until Fats stopped performing a few years ago; but Herb also made some remarkable, mainly instrumental recordings of his own between 1958 and 1961. Many of these had never seen the light of day until 2012, when the Ace label in the UK, released <i>The Domino Effect</i>, a CD compilation of almost all of them, which I reviewed</span> <a href="http://homeofthegroove.blogspot.com/2012/10/hotg-reviews-rarest-of-ric-ron-herb_28.html" target="_new"><span style="color: #f6b26b;">here</span></a><span style="color: cyan;">. Integral to that project were the efforts of my friend, George Korval, who not only advocated for wider recognition of Hardesty’s talent and contributions, but uncovered a trove of his material recorded in the late 1950s but never issued. That important find became a major part of the Ace compilation. George also wrote an invaluable set of notes for the CD and gathered together some of Herb’s rare photos for the highly recommended package.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: cyan;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span> </span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="color: cyan;">The track at hand was part of a 1959 four song session Herb was invited to do in New York City along with several fellow members of Fats’ band and the esteemed jazz pianist,</span> <a href="http://www.officialhankjones.com/" target="_new"><span style="color: #f6b26b;">Hank Jones</span></a><span style="color: cyan;">. Herb wrote the all-instrumental numbers, “Beatin’ and Blowin’”, “69 Mother’s Place”, “Perdido Street”, and “Adam and Eve” (the title was later amended). As George details in his notes, Herb did not know who set the sessions up; but, after they were done, the first two songs appeared on a one-off 45 for the Paoli label (#1001) out of Philadelphia, naming the band Herb Hardesty and the Rhythm Rollers and giving co-writing credit to someone unknown to him named Reichner. Within a few months, the same two songs re-appeared on a Mutual single (again #1001), also from Philly; but neither had any success and quickly vanished.<br />
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Enter Syd Nathan of King Records, who in 1960 heard Fats’ band live and signed Herb as a solo recording artist. Before making any new product, Nathan purchased the New York session masters and released them in 1961 on his Federal subsidiary under Herb’s name. “Beatin’ and Blowin’”/’69 Mother’s Place” came out first (#12410) followed by “Perdido Street”/”Adam and Eva” (when the title changed). Korval goes into much more detail in his notes, but this is the short(er) version of how this tune and Hardesty’s other handful of releases came to appear on Federal.<br />
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Aside from the token “Tequila”-like intro section, I dig the Latin groove on this one, masterfully undertaken by Cornelius ‘Tenoo’ Coleman, Fats’ longtime touring drummer. It’s great to hear him on these sessions, as well as others found of the CD, playing in settings where we can hear more of his versatility and expertise. In particular, his facility with improvising beats and counter rhythms makes apparent why he is considered one of the early funk innovators, cited by such notables as ‘Jabo’ Starks, one of James Brown’s early drummers.<br />
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Accompanying Herb’s tenor sax was Clarence Ford on the baritone, also a veteran of the Domino road band, along with Jimmy Davis on acoustic bass. Guitarist and bandmate Roy Montrell was also on some of the NYC sessions, but not this particular track, it seems. Meanwhile, Hank Jones maintained a low-key sideman’s role on the tune; but his rich piano comping proved to be tasteful and rhythmically engaging.<br />
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Neither Herb’s first two singles on Federal nor another pair, comprised of sides he cut in Cincinnati during 1961, again with members of Fats’ band, did well commercially, and marked the end of his brief solo recording career. Back in 2005, I wrote about one of those later 45s (#12460), notable for a side featuring guitarist Walter ‘Papoose’ Nelson’s vocal. In fact, the other single (#12444) had Nelson singing on one track, too, and may be the rarest of them all. Another good reason to pick up the CD.<br />
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<b>Eddie And Eddie’s Seven B Collaboration</b></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGmo5O83W4HMKiSAY8EJe9AEwMMPupKpz5F5livcIoS-AnGKpOiZ7DsUAs7jf8C7q1mJZoWGktLviaX3inPFwFcjpqud0-RS4oA17uYL5lnRmweKgT2dkHMfV46X-e3Scxwrx-/s1600/somethingwithin.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGmo5O83W4HMKiSAY8EJe9AEwMMPupKpz5F5livcIoS-AnGKpOiZ7DsUAs7jf8C7q1mJZoWGktLviaX3inPFwFcjpqud0-RS4oA17uYL5lnRmweKgT2dkHMfV46X-e3Scxwrx-/s320/somethingwithin.JPG" /></a><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.hipcast.com/export/P8b3e186efd641c7947e5fcc9c9d27c8cZVl/Rn1uY2NzVA.mp3" target="_new"><span style="color: #f6b26b;">“Something Within Me”</span></a> <span style="color: cyan;">(E. Langlois - E. Bocage)</span></span></span><span style="color: cyan;"><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Eddie Lang, Seven B 7006, 1966</span></span><br />
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</span></span> <span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">New Orleans singer and guitarist Eddie Langlois performed and recorded as Eddie Lang from the mid-1950s into the 1970s and should not be confused with the pioneering, Italian-American jazz guitarist, Salvatore Massaro, from Philadelphia, who used the same stage name during the 1920s and 1930s. Most of the background information I have about the later Lang’s recording career comes from Jeff Hannusch’s notes to the 1988 Rounder CD compilation of blues artifacts from the Ric & Ron label archives, <i>Troubles, Troubles</i>; but Sir Shambling’s Deep Soul Heaven has a short <a href="http://www.sirshambling.com/artists_2012/L/eddie_lang/index.php" target="_new"><span style="color: #f6b26b;">work-up</span></a> on him, too, plus audio of some of his other tracks. A few more of his tunes can be currently found on YouTube.</span></span><br />
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</span></span> <span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">According to Hannusch, Lang was a member of Jessie Hill’s seminal band, the House Rockers, while still a teenager. When they split up, he formed a blues band with another Eddie (Jones), who was new in town and called himself Guitar Slim. The two cut individual singles for the Bullet label in Nashville, but only Slim’s got noticed. Then in 1953, Guitar Slim began recording in New Orleans for Specialty Records, and his career took off. Specialty put him with the Lloyd Lambert band for studio and for road work. So, Lang moved on to a solo career.</span></span><br />
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</span></span> <span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">In 1956, he recorded a session in New Orleans for the RPM label out of Los Angeles, resulting in two decent singles, neither of which scored commercially. One side was a blues tune, while the rest were typical New Orleans R&B of period. Two years later, Johnny Vincent of Ace Records heard Lang at the famed Dew Drop Inn and signed him up for a recording session backed by Mac Rebennack’s band. Two of those tracks were slow, bluesy numbers, and the others were rockers, including the misleadingly named rave-up, “Easy Rockin’”. For some reason, Vincent let Joe Ruffino, who was just starting up two new labels, Ric and Ron, release Lang’s material on two Ron singles in 1958 and 1959. The first (#320), with “Easy Rockin’” on it, did well locally; but the second (#324) lacked similar impact. He didn’t record again until meeting up with the next Eddie in this tale some eight years later.</span></span><br />
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</span></span> <span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">The smokin’ cut featured here is the B-side on the first of two 45s Lang made for Joe Banashak’s Seven B label. Eddie Bo was recording for the label at the time and also doing production, arranging, and songwriting for other artists. Over the course of just a couple of years, Bo made half a dozen fine singles of his own for the label and oversaw many memorable sessions for others.</span></span><br />
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</span></span> <span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">The arrangement on “Something Within Me” was outstanding, though it seems to be a stylistic throwback to the big horn-driven R&B sound inspired by one of Bo’s early influences, Ray Charles. The pulsating power of the groove came from the stutter-step drumming, not quite funk, but driving the beat with syncopated counterpunching that the bass locked into and was picked up by the chugging horns charts. The influential drummer, James Black, would be a good candidate for this kind of playing and was doing other sessions for Bo at the time, including Skip Easterling’s “Keep The Fire Burning”, on Alon that same year. His groove on that track is similar to this one; so, I’ll vote for Black.</span></span><br />
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</span></span> <span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">.As for the soloists, James Rivers, a Bo regular in those days, likely took care of the sax attack, with Lang picking guitar at the end. Also dig his flat-out singing style on this tune, letting it rip in gonzo mode at the top of this range. While no Ray Charles, Lang had a gospel-like fervor that took him to the right place, rendering a vocal performance worthy of the song’s high spirit.</span></span><br />
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</span></span> <span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">While not featured here, the less tightly packed, midtempo topside, “The Love I Have For You”, gave Lang’s soulful side a chance to shine; and he played plenty of stinging guitar licks throughout to keep things stirred up. It is well worth seeking out. All in all, this great, under-appreciated 45 showcases the strengths of both Eddie’s, but somehow, like much of Bo’s other Seven B output, didn’t get noticed.</span></span><br />
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</span></span> <span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">After his two for Seven B, Lang’s next opportunity to record didn’t come until 1973, when he cut pretty much straight blues on two singles for Senator Jones’ Superdome label. He had a substantial regional hit with the initial two-part release, “Food Stamp Blues”, when the more prominent Jewel Records in Shreveport re-issued it, giving it an outlet to more markets. Several years later, Lang suffered a stroke which ended his performing and recording career.</span></span><br />
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</span></span> <b><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">The Still Mysterious “Soul Machine”</span></span></b></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAunFTBVxShXPyL_6JHoR7Eqy2U0aK2c3BwTsCn5lDRJqgh7_6WqCpzJerD72Ka-gSq6a3pumRMCN4oBhf0BWB5f5eYMTlzjRE_QKgqtOL4n9TgxzMgWnx8yTOV71GA2xtUN3m/s1600/soulmachine.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAunFTBVxShXPyL_6JHoR7Eqy2U0aK2c3BwTsCn5lDRJqgh7_6WqCpzJerD72Ka-gSq6a3pumRMCN4oBhf0BWB5f5eYMTlzjRE_QKgqtOL4n9TgxzMgWnx8yTOV71GA2xtUN3m/s320/soulmachine.JPG" /></a><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.hipcast.com/export/P0ac74701c2fccd2cf42fd23e1739735fZVl/Rn1uY2NzWw.mp3" target="_new"><span style="color: #f6b26b;">“Soul Machine”</span></a></span></span><br />
<span style="color: cyan;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">The Meters, from a bootleg Josie 45 (#2507), early 2000s </span></span><br />
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</span></span> <span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Of all the tracks that the Meters recorded in New Orleans from 1968 - 1971 while Josie Records was releasing their material to a national audience, “Soul Machine” stands out because of the saxophone soloing over the groove. Their signature instrumental configuration on any other session in those days was a lean, mean four-piece: organ, guitar, bass and drums. What caused this lone exception? And who was that sax player?</span></span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhS8Sj6eJDf1z6b9lWCf0UxW8aXElXr6yrBfcV5nwAaE1-BsWiAJRRFaMmQbwQNHiQFn2xkfN4mJXLiWTy9lxJTdonYnCPOvVP5x_hu3Tex42Y1HY-CKYlzvOPGflIfi4TZm2vg/s1600/metersad.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhS8Sj6eJDf1z6b9lWCf0UxW8aXElXr6yrBfcV5nwAaE1-BsWiAJRRFaMmQbwQNHiQFn2xkfN4mJXLiWTy9lxJTdonYnCPOvVP5x_hu3Tex42Y1HY-CKYlzvOPGflIfi4TZm2vg/s200/metersad.JPG" /></a></span></span></div><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="color: cyan;">Contrary to appearances, Josie never released “Soul Machine” on a Meters single or album. The record pictured, which has “Here Comes the Meterman” [the actual flip of “Cissy Strut”] on the other side, is an early 21st Century fabrication (from the UK, I think) that I bought on purpose, just to have the song on vinyl. The audio was probably surreptitiously sourced from the 1999 authorized re-issue CD series that Sundazed did on the Meters’ catalog, where “Soul Machine” appeared as one of two bonus tracks on</span> <a href="http://www.discogs.com/Meters-The-Meters/release/2469758" target="_new"><span style="color: #f6b26b;">The Meters</span></a><span style="color: cyan;">, reproducing the band’s first Josie LP. The song also showed up on Sundazed’s 2002 <i>Zony Mash</i> CD of mainly non-LP cuts from the Josie era. The song’s inclusion on The Meters CD suggests that the band likely cut it that same year, 1969.</span></span></span><span style="color: cyan;"><br />
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</span></span> </span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="color: cyan;">I first encountered the moody “Soul Machine” on that re-issue. A few years later, 2002 to be exact, Funky Delicacies/Tuff City released a CD containing a previously unissued album (plus some other tracks),</span> <a href="http://www.allmusic.com/album/pok-bones-and-rice-mw0000259634" target="_new"><span style="color: #f6b26b;">Po’k Bones & Rice</span></a><span style="color: cyan;">, by Sam & The Soul Machine, which I bought in a heartbeat.The sessions had also been recorded in 1969 at Cosimo’s Jazz City Studio; and one brief track on the CD set off a mystery that inspired a lengthy blog post back in 2006, and still has not been totally resolved. I decided to revisit the Meters’ song because the one I have chosen to follow it made me wonder again about who the saxman might have been.</span></span></span><span style="color: cyan;"><br />
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</span></span> <span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">I knew about Sam & The Soul Machine primarily through the Neville Brothers’ autobiography, <i>The Brothers Neville</i>, which revealed that the origins of the Meters and S&TSM were intimately entwined. In 1967 Art Neville had come back to New Orleans after leading the backing band on the road for his brother, Aaron, who toured extensively off his Parlo hit, “Tell It Like It Is”. Art was ready to start a group of his own, and enlisted the then unsigned Aaron [Parlo had gone out of business] and youngest brother, Cyril, to be a part of it, along with a hot young sax player, Gary Brown. The rhythm section was in flux for a while; then. Art found three young cats, Leo Nocentelli, George Porter, Jr. and Joseph ‘Zigaboo’ Modeliste, who had the funky chemistry he had been looking for. The group, Art Neville & The Neville Sounds, quickly got popular on the local club scene, with the three brothers fronting the band on vocals; but, when Art was offered a regular and good paying gig at a French Quarter bar that only had room for a foursome, he decided to take it and cut Aaron, Cyril, and Gary Brown loose. </span></span><br />
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</span></span> <span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Meanwhile, bandleader and keyboard master Sam Henry, Jr. had a popular trio going, but jumped at the chance to expand when approached by the two brothers and Brown. They combined into a new band, the Soul Machine, which soon became popular around town playing mainly cover material. Subsequently, Art and his combo, were hired in 1968 to be the studio band for Tou-Sea Productions (later to be called Sansu Enterprises), owned by Allen Toussaint and Marshall Sehorn. Besides laying down backing tracks for Tou-Sea artists, the group soon became recording artists themselves, when Toussaint began taping their improvised instrumental studio jams. Sehorn got the tracks placed with Josie Records in New York; the band rebranded as the Meters; and their tight, minimalist funk singles soon became national hits.</span></span><br />
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</span></span> <span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Inspired by the Meters’ success, Sam Henry cut an album’s worth of his own funky instrumental tracks with members of his band [he planned to do another project using Cyril and Aaron later], along with two hired drummers, Joe Gunn and Zigaboo. One of the tracks Zig played on was called “Gospel Bird”, which, for reasons unknown, is not complete on the Funky Delicacies CD. When I heard it, there was enough (about half the tune) to recognize that is was a slightly faster rendition of the song I knew as “Soul Machine”, with a quite similar arrangement. I was both confused and intrigued by these two versions with separate titles done by two different bands, who were more than just contemporaries; but I didn’t do any real research on what might have gone on until after I started the blog. I was prodded into action by an alert reader, John, who had recently discovered the tunes himself and emailed to ask what I knew about them.</span></span><br />
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</span></span> </span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="color: cyan;">His questions and mine engendered my</span> <a href="http://homeofthegroove.blogspot.com/2006/08/gospel-bird-vs-soul-machine-updated.html" target="_new"><span style="color: #f6b26b;">2006 post</span></a><span style="color: cyan;">, “Gospel Bird Vs Soul Machine”, in which I reproduced our correspondence and speculated on the origins of the two tracks,. You can read all the details there [I’ve got to fix all those typos!]; but I will say that my thoughts were speculative at best until I contacted Gary Brown, and then heard from Sam Henry. Gary did not recall the Meters’ song or session, and, after listening to it, insisted that he was not the sax player and didn’t know who was. Sam verified that he indeed did write the tune, but added that he didn’t even know the Meters had recorded it until Art Neville mentioned it to him some 30 years later. [I had to break it to Sam that the Meters were given the writers’ credit for “Soul Machine” on the Sundazed CDs.] He also had no clue why the tape that he gave to Tuff City only had about half of “Gospel Bird” on it. So, some of the mystery was resolved, but some has lingered.</span></span></span><span style="color: cyan;"><br />
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</span></span> <span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">After considering the provenance of the song again recently, here’s what I’m fairly certain about. The Meters got the song via Zigaboo, who played on most of the S&TSM album sessions. Zig must have let them hear the tape, because their arrangement is so close to Sam’s. As far as I can tell from the portion of “Gospel Bird” heard on <i>Po’k Bones & Rice</i>, the Meters essentially lifted the whole thing, just slowing it down a bit. But, hey, Sam obviously intended it to sound much like a Meters song in the first place! Maybe the extreme similarity of the tracks was why the Tou-Sea/Sansu team never had it released, or was it that Sehorn did not have the publishing rights and would not have gotten revenue out of it?</span></span><br />
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</span></span> <span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">As for the main question remaining: who played sax on “Soul Machine”? I think the next track provides at least a promising possibility.</span></span><br />
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</span></span> <b><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Alvin Thomas Up Front</span></span></b></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWipugMNAIV7zZk4x-4NNANSRRToOgwAyM1VZlV0T3YFqAbj5Pv_lLpaib1Kyq1Iw73Mq7YMKDn2hGxdhfhDrJIC9myEhml-20R1mO8NqLECs8l4ZAtzilFgX29vGeAxMCTpzA/s1600/saxosoul.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWipugMNAIV7zZk4x-4NNANSRRToOgwAyM1VZlV0T3YFqAbj5Pv_lLpaib1Kyq1Iw73Mq7YMKDn2hGxdhfhDrJIC9myEhml-20R1mO8NqLECs8l4ZAtzilFgX29vGeAxMCTpzA/s320/saxosoul.JPG" /></a><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.hipcast.com/export/Pe5d4a4fa25082e795adee9679af7fcecZVl/Rn1uY2NzWg.mp3" target="_new"><span style="color: #f6b26b;">“Sax-O-Soul”</span></a> <span style="color: cyan;">(John Berthelot)</span></span></span><span style="color: cyan;"><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Alvin Thomas. Great Southern 102B, 1972</span></span><br />
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</span></span> </span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="color: cyan;">In 1972, when tenor saxman Alvin Thomas recorded this hot instrumental single for John Berthelot’s Great Southern label, both he and Gary Brown played in the horn section on Allen Toussaint’s</span> <a href="http://www.discogs.com/Allen-Toussaint-Life-Love-And-Faith/release/1574744" target="_new"><span style="color: #f6b26b;">Life, Love and Faith</span></a> <span style="color: cyan;">LP, also cut at Jazz City Studio. Each also continued working for Toussaint as session musicians after Sea-Saint Studios opened the next year.</span></span></span><span style="color: cyan;"><br />
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</span></span> <span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Of course, it would have been ideal if Brown had played on both “Gospel Bird” and “Soul Machine”, since the takes sound so close to each other. Ben Sandmel’s notes to the CD re-issue of Lee Dorsey’s 1970 <i>Yes We Can</i> album material put Brown in the studio playing a solo on one of the tracks. So, he was in Sansu’s employ at least that early. But, as he denied doing the Meters session in question, I have thought over the years about other possibilities, maybe James Rivers or even ‘Red’ Tyler; but Rivers, it seems, did not do regular session work for Toussaint/Sehorn productions, not that he couldn’t have been called in. Tyler did tons of session work in New Orleans over the decades for everybody, but often was used more for his baritone sax skills, though he was a classic R&B and jazz tenor player as well.</span></span><br />
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</span></span> </span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="color: cyan;">When I decided to feature “Sax-O-Soul” on this post and started researching Thomas further, I got the feeling that he should definitely be in the running for “Soul Machine”. Unfortunately, I haven’t found out much about his resume prior to 1972. New Orleans studio musician credits are spotty at best for the 1960s. I only know that he was more or less a contemporary of the great saxophonist, Edward ‘Kid’ Jordan, and played with him later in the 1970s in the Improvisational Arts Quintet, a free-jazz ensemble in New Orleans. Just before the group did their first recording, Thomas died in 1977. Their album, <i>No Compromise!</i>, finally released in 1983, was dedicated to him. [</span>Check out this YouTube video of the <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ko9ZBkKnrBo" target="_new"><span style="color: #f6b26b;">IAQ in 1976</span></a> with Thomas playing tenor sax. His solo starts around 7 minutes in.<span style="color: cyan;">]</span></span></span><span style="color: cyan;"><br />
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</span></span> <span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Anyway, Thomas was old enough to very well have been playing Tou-Sea/Sanus sessions in the late 1960s and even before. Maybe someday, I’ll stumble across something more definite. Right now, he’s just my latest hunch for sax on the “Soul Machine” session. </span></span><br />
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</span></span> <span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">On to the record at hand. which was only the second issue for Great Southern. The talented Berthelot was working out of Jazz City during this period, getting this feet wet in producing, arranging and running a record label. He wrote both sides of the single and engaged Thomas to play them. The A-side, “The Hesitation”, featured his dexterous flute-work; while this one shows off Thomas’ substantial sax chops. His musical fluency as a soloist leaves no doubt why Toussaint would have wanted him onboard.</span></span><br />
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</span></span> </span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="color: cyan;">The names of the other musicians on the record remain unknown. I was fortunate to have been contacted by John Berthelot late in 2010 after he had seen my post on his label’s third single, “Dap”, a killer two-part instrumental written by him and featuring the great trumpet player, Porgy Jones. I interviewed John on the phone several times about his general background in music and planned to do more on the details of individual projects. Sadly, he</span> <a href="http://www.offbeat.com/2011/04/01/obituary-john-berthelot-1942-2011/" target="_new"><span style="color: #f6b26b;">passed away</span></a> <span style="color: cyan;">early in 2011, before we could get any farther.</span></span></span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjr4SMgf5obwqpoXFNwtfolc2PnYZQ6eX-39srOzq8ovqTtxhVcKC7vuJjoM5X4VLAB3CkorItrkEr9tGHoTj1ksvfHGR9C_fsFk9_Ez9ISYz7w_5wKRVVOuMqcBst8cemYUTd2/s1600/streetcar.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjr4SMgf5obwqpoXFNwtfolc2PnYZQ6eX-39srOzq8ovqTtxhVcKC7vuJjoM5X4VLAB3CkorItrkEr9tGHoTj1ksvfHGR9C_fsFk9_Ez9ISYz7w_5wKRVVOuMqcBst8cemYUTd2/s200/streetcar.JPG" /></a></span></span></div><span style="color: cyan;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Around 1978, John re-issued this single with new song titles, “The Roach”/”The Streetcar”, adding an actual streetcar bell to the latter track. but neither the original or the re-vamp fared well commercially. The tracks have appeared on two Tuff City compilations, <i>Jazzy Funky New Orleans</i> (1999, Funky Delicacies) and <i>John Berthelot, the Maestro of New Orleans Music: A Retrospective</i> (2010, Great Southern Records).</span></span><br />
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</span></span> <span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Guess that’ll get it for now. As always, your comments are welcome, especially if you can shed any further light on “Soul Machine”. I’ll be back with some more hot fun in the summertime in a few weeks, give or take. . . .</span></span></span></span></span>Dan Phillipshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12185793905565005146noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8722495.post-51216610715367315882014-07-01T19:03:00.000-05:002014-07-12T14:51:52.843-05:00SUMMERTIME SYNCOPATIONS, Part 1<span style="color: cyan;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">No big theme this time. School’s out. Summer’s in. So, whether ensconced in air-conditioned confines escaping the steamy, tropical heat, or out late at night seeking a cool breeze off the bayou that might sneak through the foliage, ‘tis yet another season to get loose and groove.</span></span></span><br />
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</span></span></span> <span style="color: cyan;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">For the next month or so, I’ll be featuring some random. mostly instrumental tracks. Nearly all have some creative syncopation working and are fairly rare, or at least rarely heard. As usual, I’ve got commentary on each, but nothing too deep or heavy; and, of course, you have the option to blissfully ignore all that and just move to the grooves. No final exams or even pop quizzes ever, here at the HOTG Conservatory of Funk.</span></span></span><br />
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</span></span></span> <span style="color: cyan;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Let’s kick it with the track that inspired this whole little series. </span></span></span><br />
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</span></span></span> <span style="color: cyan;"><b><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Gatemouth’s Funky Before Its Time "Summertime"</span></span></b></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjc5RWCujCqU_jiI3GiMHzg69IbVwP9piI8Q1N29ZFY3n4i2iXyndbrvuSzw_Hd9ZElq69WvRUGAszVrGEaASIn8idM5eQgnmjT9GfCKb6lSCLy1t5HtTnrQwF1qeuo7vLXTH2k/s1600/summertime-gb.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjc5RWCujCqU_jiI3GiMHzg69IbVwP9piI8Q1N29ZFY3n4i2iXyndbrvuSzw_Hd9ZElq69WvRUGAszVrGEaASIn8idM5eQgnmjT9GfCKb6lSCLy1t5HtTnrQwF1qeuo7vLXTH2k/s320/summertime-gb.JPG" /></a><br />
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</span></span> <span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.hipcast.com/export/P636f751671226f2983ee42a67885eaaeZVl/Rn1uY2NzUw.mp3" target="_new"><span style="color: #e69138;">“Summertime”</span></a></span> <span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="color: cyan;">(Gershwin-Heyward)</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: cyan;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Gatemouth Brown, Cue 1050, 1964</span></span></span><br />
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</span></span> </span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="color: cyan;">I first heard this stunner by</span> <a href="http://www.allmusic.com/artist/clarence-gatemouth-brown-mn0000129547/biography" target="_new"><span style="color: #e69138;">Clarence ‘Gatemouth’ Brown</span></a></span> <span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="color: cyan;">about a year ago and had to have a copy of my own, which took a while to track down. It’s not really a certifiable New Orleans record; but seems to be Gulf Coast material from the next major seaport West. Still, the horn-heavy instrumentation and intense poly-rhythms sure make me think that, if it wasn’t recorded in the Home of the Groove, it was certainly influenced by it. </span></span></span><br />
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</span></span></span> <span style="color: cyan;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">In particular, the incredible broken-beat drumming reminds me of the proto-funk Smokey Johnson was putting down in sessions at Cosimo’s back then. As a matter of fact, he just happened to record his classic percussive instrumental, “It Ain’t My Fault”, with Wardell Quezergue for Nola Record that same year.</span></span></span><br />
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</span></span></span> <span style="color: cyan;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">A multi-instrumentalist, Gate started his professional music career on the drums in the late 1940s, before switching to guitar one fateful night in 1947 when he took over for the ailing T-Bone Walker at a Houston club. His high-octane playing brought the house down; and, as a result, he soon became the first artist signed to Don Robey’s Peacock label. He may not have been the most precise picker working the fretboard; but his playing and arranging were strongly rhythmic, with a drummer's sense of beat manipulation.</span></span></span><br />
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</span></span></span> <span style="color: cyan;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">In this case, the liberties Gate took with the standard, “Summertime”, made the tune almost all about the groove, an approach that presaged the funk movement to come a few years farther on. But there was even more innovation going on. Listen to the breakdown after the sax solo, where, to augment the Smokey-esque, heavily syncopated drum patterns, he turned his guitar into both a percussive instrument and sound-effects generator, as his reverb-drenched slurs and slides up and down the muted strings induced some freaky, Hendrix-like atmospherics that would have been tagged as psychedelic had they come later in the decade. It’s hard to believe this track is from 1964.</span></span></span><br />
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</span></span></span> <span style="color: cyan;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Not a lot of people could have heard this low-profile record. The small Cue label, based in Houston, operated for a few years in the late 1950s, releasing probably less than a dozen singles, before it dropped out of sight, and then briefly resumed operation around 1963-64 and issued a few more, including Gate’s lone contribution. Most likely, his Cue tracks were cut at a Houston studio.</span></span></span><br />
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</span></span></span> <span style="color: cyan;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">At the time, Gate had been disengaged from Peacock since 1960 and wasn’t doing much recording, as far a I can tell. One wonders what he and Cue’s A&R man, Jimmy Duncan, thought would happen commercially with such a way out of left field take on a Gershwin tune. The odds were long for any kind of pay-off. But, no matter. Whatever the mysterious motivation might have been, instant obscurity was the destiny of this outre novelty cover-tune; but I’m certainly glad they put it out and pressed up enough copies that a few made it through 50 years of neglect into the next century where an aging groover, a relic of the 60s himself, could find one and offer it and the gonzo guitarist some props.</span></span></span><br />
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</span></span></span> <span style="color: cyan;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">I had the pleasure of seeing Gate play live several times in the 1990s, and interviewed him twice on my old WEVL radio show. He was a great talker with a quick wit and wealth of wisdom. Wish I would have known about this record then and asked about it. I’m sure he would have had a good story to tell.</span></span></span><br />
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</span></span></span> <span style="color: cyan;"><b><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">A Wa-Wa Guitar Man</span></span></b></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtVDQvwkdjFWaHlVNyrcn4Z8fleZ8ocRFCwj0ZiY43iyBVz9RpkUzkrvvvFs_UHOwdsFR86JRyMccoPUO7nEhMlwtoWtm663Cb2MO9CigzoZ9q7SubU5IdNPNbpcbJHiIBvOeG/s1600/wa-wa45.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtVDQvwkdjFWaHlVNyrcn4Z8fleZ8ocRFCwj0ZiY43iyBVz9RpkUzkrvvvFs_UHOwdsFR86JRyMccoPUO7nEhMlwtoWtm663Cb2MO9CigzoZ9q7SubU5IdNPNbpcbJHiIBvOeG/s320/wa-wa45.JPG" /></a><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.hipcast.com/export/P9fe46fe47631a3b4801fce288ae85d9eZVl/Rn1uY2NzUg.mp3" target="_new"><span style="color: #e69138;">“Wa-Wa Guitar Man, Part 1”</span></a></span> <span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="color: cyan;">(Senator Jones, Bobby Lacour, David Douglas)</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: cyan;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">David Douglas, “Hep’ Me” #1, 1970</span></span></span><br />
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</span></span></span> <span style="color: cyan;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">David Douglas’ seldom seen or heard two-part “Wa-Wa Guitar Man” has at least two distinctions. It was his only known single, and the first release on Senator Jones’ “Hep’ Me” label (soon to lose the quotation marks, but not the apostrophe - or, as it is known in South Louisiana, the comma on top!). Though Jones had several micro-labels before this, and would have various other imprints off and on during the decade, Hep’ Me would become his mainstay.</span></span></span><br />
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</span></span></span> <span style="color: cyan;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">The traceable part of Douglas’ career in New Orleans music as a guitarist or bass player seems to start with this record. He co-wrote and arranged the tune with another guitarist (and vocalist), Bobby Lacour, who would record some memorable deep soul on Hep’ Me and Great Southern soon thereafter. In her comment on this post, ana-b astutely suggests that Lacour likely sang what passes for lyrics, repeating the title over and over, on the track. Since Douglas was credited as the featured artist, I had just assumed he sang it, as well as playing said wa-wa guitar [Note: For the non-technical, the more commonly spelled “wah-wah” sound is an electronically generated effect applied to a guitar signal, rather than an actual type of guitar]. Listening to other recordings by Lacour from around this time, I'll give her the benefit of the doubt on that, especially since Lacour was also involved in the writing and arrangment.</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="color: cyan;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">The identity of the other players remains a mystery to me; but I’ll venture a guess that the session was recorded at Jazz City Studio on Camp Street, formerly operated by Cosimo Matassa, who by this time was bankrupt, having lost his equipment and master tapes to the IRS. The studio kept running somehow as a bare bones operation with Cosimo’s oversight, but his assistant engineer, Skip Godwin, was the nominal owner. The late John Berthelot, who was starting up the Great Southern label at the time and working out of an office at Jazz City, told me in an interview that Senator Jones also recorded there. </span></span></span><br />
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</span></span> </span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="color: cyan;">[Geek note: Another clue is the 133 prefix of the matrix number on this 45, which was Cosimo’s designation for numerous small client labels he had recorded for over the years (See</span> <a href="http://cosimocode.com/" target="_new"><span style="color: #e69138;">The Cosimo Code</span></a></span><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> <span style="color: cyan;">for more details). Given the date, it is an indication that Jazz City was the recording site.]</span></span></span><br />
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</span></span></span> <span style="color: cyan;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Neither the song itself or the production quality of this single really provided a great showcase for Douglas. The melody was almost non-existent, and the central riff very rudimentary. The playing seems under-rehearsed, and the recording quality sounds much more like a demo than a finished, radio-ready product. Then again, Jones was never known for meticulous standards in the studio, often going for the quickest and cheapest way out. As a result, “Hep’ Me” #1, was no competition for the Meters, whose hip, funky hits at the time were surely the inspiration for this attempt. Consider it more of a conversation piece than some gem in the rough.</span></span></span><br />
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</span></span></span> <span style="color: cyan;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Beyond this obscure footnote in David Douglas’ career, his credits include serving as guitarist on a number of Senator Jones productions later in the 1970s, including sessions for Johnny Adams and Bobby Powell, which would have been done at Sea-Saint. Most notably, Douglas also played bass or guitar in Fats Domino’s road band from early in the decade on into the 1980s (as mentioned in Rick Coleman’s essential biography of Fats, <i>Blue Monday: Fats Domino and the Lost Dawn of Rock ‘N’ Roll).</i></span></span></span><br />
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</span></span></span> <span style="color: cyan;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">In the second part of my <a href="http://homeofthegroove.blogspot.com/2007/02/teddy-royal-story-continued.html" target="_new"><span style="color: #e69138;">2007 feature</span></a></span> <span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">on guitarist Teddy Royal, Teddy related the story of how he joined Fats’ touring ensemble in 1979. Roy Montrell recruited him as the bassist (though Teddy didn’t play bass) for an upcoming European tour on which Douglas was to play guitar. During rehearsals, Douglas had trouble getting a guitar part, and Fats had Teddy try it. When he immediately nailed it, Fats summarily made Teddy the guitarist and put Douglas back on the bass.</span></span></span><br />
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</span></span></span> <span style="color: cyan;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">The most recent credit I have found for Douglas listed him as guitarist on Tommy Ridgley’s 1992 Modern Blues Recordings LP/CD, <i>She Turns Me On</i>. </span></span></span><br />
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</span></span></span> <span style="color: cyan;"><b><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Tropical Funk Via Shreveport</span></span></b></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgtSW5haHSL9PUFlwxpWuRtyIyXzZP_xOUwIpdQQW3O2DH9yY_ZSU1lqG1vQeqLpLh0fq05JsJyQEvg-UGsCt-ZzCnSz4rvFUhCVcDUBRrdCMiDNShI-laDr1Xal3nwZxcsQyA/s1600/tropical-amm.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgtSW5haHSL9PUFlwxpWuRtyIyXzZP_xOUwIpdQQW3O2DH9yY_ZSU1lqG1vQeqLpLh0fq05JsJyQEvg-UGsCt-ZzCnSz4rvFUhCVcDUBRrdCMiDNShI-laDr1Xal3nwZxcsQyA/s320/tropical-amm.JPG" /></a><br />
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</span></span> <span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.hipcast.com/export/Paaf642366cee21f6d3b1a9b07c13b4ffZVl/Rn1uY2NzUQ.mp3" target="_new"><span style="color: #e69138;">“Tropical”</span></a></span> <span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="color: cyan;">(Louis Villery)</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: cyan;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">African Music Machine, Soul Power 111, 1972</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="color: cyan;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgD39BdfcVNQxxBF4lDGF9rEfj1sN0jIsjGfT-rLaPeKCVmoPD_53tBXWOSns7eoy1XP3stBXQZ66kFY4XO2dVcwI8jbqbBFkUF-RgFDlwbEkNWRas_Vd5DgthAEOQ2wooJe-B0/s1600/ammlp.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgD39BdfcVNQxxBF4lDGF9rEfj1sN0jIsjGfT-rLaPeKCVmoPD_53tBXWOSns7eoy1XP3stBXQZ66kFY4XO2dVcwI8jbqbBFkUF-RgFDlwbEkNWRas_Vd5DgthAEOQ2wooJe-B0/s200/ammlp.JPG" /></a></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="color: cyan;">I featured this song almost 10 years back, but it was a cut from an LP that re-issued all eight sides of the four singles African Music Machine released on the Soul Power label between 1972 and 1974. I’ve since tracked down all of those 45s. My</span> <a href="http://homeofthegroove.blogspot.com/2005/11/music-machine-does-its-thing.html" target="_new"><span style="color: #e69138;">post</span></a></span> <span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="color: cyan;">at the time was light on information about the eight-member band, as I had only the LP track information and some brief notes from a 1973 piece on them by David Nathan included on the inside cover. But, fortunately two commenters and notes from a later CD compilation have since filled-in at least some of the gaps.</span></span></span><br />
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</span></span></span> <span style="color: cyan;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Bass player and bandleader Louis Villery was a session musician at Sound City, a recording studio in Shreveport, LA, where the African Music Machine material was cut. As I learned from Paul Mooney’s excellent notes to the 2007 Soulscape CD, <a href="http://www.discogs.com/Ted-Taylor-Reuben-Bell-Eddie-Giles-Sound-City-Soul-Brothers/release/3061767" target="_new"><span style="color: #e69138;">Sound City Soul Brothers</span></a></span>,<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> which featured three artists associated with the successor to Soul Power, Alarm Records [subject of a future post], Sound City was started in 1969 by Jerry Strickland and two partners with the help of a group of investors. By 1971, Strickland was recording a number of regional soul singers and needed a viable outlet to release records by some of those artists. So, he set up the Soul Power label with Stan Lewis, who ran Jewel Records, a successful record distributorship in Shreveport that handled a number of independent labels, including three of its own, Jewel, Paula, and Ronn.</span></span></span><br />
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</span></span></span> <span style="color: cyan;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">During its two years of existence, Soul Power’s main artists were George Perkins (from Baton Rouge), Ms Tommie Young (from Texas), and African Music Machine, who were Shreveport-based. There was also a lone funky soul single (#107) by Shay Holliday, a local female singer [hope to feature that record one of these days]. Villery likely played bass on all the Soul Power singles, which numbered around 14; but, contrary to what David Nathan wrote, none of the other members of African Music Machine were in the studio band, according to Da Clinic, a commenter on my earlier post, and backed-up by Mooney’s CD notes.</span></span></span><br />
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</span></span></span> <span style="color: cyan;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Instead, Villery put together AMM with other musicians from the area,, giving each member an African-Muslim type alias, as listed on the LP; but the true identity of about half of them remains unknown, at least to me, because their actual names weren’t included. My friend Art Edmaiston, a sax player who toured with Villery in Bobby ‘Blue’ Bland’s road band around 2000, said in his comment on my earlier post that the bassist was originally from Tunisia, which explains the African references. Art added that Villery had also been in Bland’s band during the late 1950s and early 1960s. How he came to be in Shreveport, I’m not sure. </span></span></span><br />
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</span></span></span> <span style="color: cyan;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Clearly, though, the man was a musical multi-tasker. Not only did he write the six instrumental tunes and collaborate with lyricists on the other two, he produced and arranged the AMM sessions, as well. His tunes, while well put together and played, were somewhat derivative, evoking other funk artists and bands of the day.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: cyan;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></span> <span style="color: cyan;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">For example, “Tropical” sounds influenced by the JB’s (certainly not a bad thing), and positively cooks from the bottom up. Villery’s offbeat bass patterns are juxtaposed with the broken beat drumming of Louis Acorn (Abdul), Osman’s percolating congas, and Jumbo’s primo guitar scratching. Layered on top are some fine horn chart counterpoints, adding melodic lines with their own rhythmic flavor. Tyrone Dotson (Yuseef) and Ete-Ete were on tenor saxes, with Amal on trumpet.</span></span></span><br />
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</span></span></span> <span style="color: cyan;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Further credits I have seen indicate that Villery also played and recorded with B. B. King in the later 1970s. As also mentioned by Da Clinic, he released an African Music Machine digital album of new material in 2001 on eMusic, which I grabbed back when it was still available. It is a worthy collection of well-arranged and impressively played funk instrumentals with overtones of jazz, African, and Caribbean influences. We can only hope there will be more.</span></span></span><br />
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</span></span></span> <span style="color: cyan;"><b><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Eight Minutes In The Middle Of The Road</span></span></b></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8XzpU-Fo5AZyplbPUV47Ad8MffOMlK5UJkfczzPtC6XXm49mbioSM8CpQT65JiBYe1bo21ItnP066RObYBTzQGhEUYWXpVzlwvCuB12qkpSv1tdrgcaQj157KH2MCo09qw7nm/s1600/firebayoulp.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8XzpU-Fo5AZyplbPUV47Ad8MffOMlK5UJkfczzPtC6XXm49mbioSM8CpQT65JiBYe1bo21ItnP066RObYBTzQGhEUYWXpVzlwvCuB12qkpSv1tdrgcaQj157KH2MCo09qw7nm/s320/firebayoulp.JPG" /></a><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span> <span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.hipcast.com/export/P03857751c237a21f109d3777c0a74e79ZVl/Rn1uY2NzUA.mp3" target="_new"><span style="color: #e69138;">“Middle Of The Road”</span></a></span> <span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="color: cyan;">(The Meters)</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: cyan;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">The Meters, from <i>Fire On the Bayou</i>, Repirse, 1975</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: cyan;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></span> <span style="color: cyan;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Of course we all know, or should know, the Meters as the definitive New Orleans funk outfit. After coming together as Art Neville and the Neville Sounds in the mid-1960s, they served as house band for Allen Toussaint and Marshall Sehorn’s Tou-Sea Productions/Sansu Enterprises starting in 1968. Toussaint soon began recording their unique, funky instrumental jams, and Sehorn placed them with Josie Records in New York which released the tracks on singles and albums under the band’s newly chosen name, the Meters. They had a few well-deserved hits; but Josie went out of business within a few years. Sehorn then got them signed with Warner Brothers/Reprise which released five impressive, influential albums in as many years; but the corporate overlords gave them little promotional push, causing weak commercial results. The association came apart at the seams due to prolonged band in-fighting and lack of financial rewards; and, by 1978, founder Art Neville and his brother, Cyril, left the band, who regrouped, enlisting Willie West as lead singer, but did not last too much longer.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: cyan;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></span> <span style="color: cyan;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Guitarist Leo Nocentelli was never content just to pursue funk and continually pushed the envelope with his rock/fusion proclivities as the decade progressed. But whether or not he longed to be a rock guitar god doesn’t concern me here, because, on this one lengthy track, Leo displayed a whole other side to his talent: a tasteful, masterful jazzman who led the band down a different musical path, at least for 7 minutes and 57 seconds.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: cyan;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span> </span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="color: cyan;">They never cut anything like it before or after they dropped “Middle Of the Road” smack in the midst of their third LP,</span> <a href="http://www.discogs.com/Meters-Fire-On-The-Bayou/release/431945" target="_new"><span style="color: #e69138;">Fire On the Bayou</span></a></span><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="color: cyan;">, a collection of intensely funky songs and some good-natured New Orleans R&B. I love the atmospherics of this tune, the open-ended. languid feeling of a long, humid summer evening, interspersed with flurries of soloing.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: cyan;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></span> <span style="color: cyan;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Though everyone got the feel just right, the stage belonged to Leo on this one; and, while the writing credit was given to the group, I suspect this is essentially his composition. The tone of his guitar was less bright than usual, shifted down to the more sonorous midrange, which served to make his jazzy fretwork more expressive, as he alternated between sliding, melodic Wes Montgomery-like double-string octaves, and inventive, intricate runs.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: cyan;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></span> <span style="color: cyan;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">They certainly held their own on this one-shot sojourn; but despite the song title, it was definitely not middle of the road music. Calling it that must have been an ironic in-joke. Had they played more of such stuff, it probably would not have taken them any closer to mainstream listeners than their usual brand of deep funk did. Anyway, they didn't try to find out.</span></span></span><br />
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</span> <span style="color: cyan;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">The smoother part of the road has its charms; but the riskier route moves over the bumps and breaks closer to the edge, where frames shimmy and bottom-ends shake in surprising and exciting ways - and, being from the New Orleans streets, that’s how they chose to roll.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: cyan;"><br />
</span> <span style="color: cyan;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">But this captivating side excursion is there to be taken and definitely worth the ride. </span></span></span><br />
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</span></span></span> <span style="color: cyan;"><b><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Sons Of Sam Punctuate The Funk</span></span></b></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiit84xB3neB-sTJdbvgIVa6Gdd86cgKFzlZd8WLGq6yQNgnj4s7rLYPH0W_WqDksfJPPlYmm6HV7gf-e-YfUDVrIxGqhFE-GmOld0BieMul3WxOgMmqr6aKKK6XAXGpRPn9ypz/s1600/sambros5lp.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiit84xB3neB-sTJdbvgIVa6Gdd86cgKFzlZd8WLGq6yQNgnj4s7rLYPH0W_WqDksfJPPlYmm6HV7gf-e-YfUDVrIxGqhFE-GmOld0BieMul3WxOgMmqr6aKKK6XAXGpRPn9ypz/s320/sambros5lp.JPG" /></a><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span> <span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.hipcast.com/export/Pdda0349e9e604645e6711a5e1ab67325ZVl/Rn1uY2NzVw.mp3" target="_new"><span style="color: #e69138;">“S.A.M.”</span></a></span> <span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="color: cyan;">(Sam Bros.)</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: cyan;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Sam Bros. 5, from self-titled Arhoolie LP 1081, 1979</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: cyan;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></span> <span style="color: cyan;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">In funk, sometimes a great groove is enough. You don’t even need a lead instrument or complicated vocals. You just jam on it, get down. . .and do a little spelling.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: cyan;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></span> <span style="color: cyan;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">When this album came out, the five teenaged sons of Herbert “Good Rockin’” Sam, an old-school zydeco player, had already been performing as Sam Bros. 5 for about five years. Based in Scott, LA, right outside Lafayette, they played mainly uptempo zydeco in the tradition of the great Clifton Chenier, plus the occasional slammin’ funk groove, as heard here, while gigging around the Gulf Coast region and as far away as California, where Chris Strachwitz recorded them and released their first LP on his legendary Arhoolie label in 1979.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: cyan;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></span> <span style="color: cyan;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Since the high-powered “S.A.M.” was not a part of their regular zydeco repertoire, accordionist Leon Sam switched over to organ on the tune; and the cheesy sound of the keyboard contributed to the song’s garage-like, raw edge. But, to me, the standout player on the track was Carl Sam on guitar, whose relentlessly rhythmic chord comping (which probably owes something to Nile Rodgers) drove the groove, taking everyone else along for the joy ride, and making for a cowbell player’s paradise [look out, Will Ferrell]. It’s no wonder serious funk fans and collectors seek this tune out, which has made the LP harder to find and often expensive these days.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: cyan;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></span> <span style="color: cyan;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">As the Sam Brothers, they recorded another album, <i>Cruisin’</i>, closer to home in 1981 for the Blues Unlimited label out of Crowley, LA. It had another funky, non-zydeco dance groove on it, “J.A.M.”, which also appeared on a 45 (#2026). Many groove-hounds obsess over that tune, too; but I don't think it measures up to “S.A.M.” Their next long player, <i>Zydeco Brotherhood</i>, on which they were Sam Bros. 5 again, did not appear until 1989, issued on the Maison de Soul label. The band broke up in the mid-1990s, probably due to increased competition from the many new zydeco bands on the scene </span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: cyan;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></span> <span style="color: cyan;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Leon Sam then moved to Houston and joined an existing zydeco group as front man, staying with them until early this century. Attempts to revive his family band were not successful; and it appears that none of the brothers are active on the music scene at this point. But their name lives on, spelled out with funky punctuation on this stand-out, anomalous track from their musical youth. </span></span></span><br />
<br />Dan Phillipshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12185793905565005146noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8722495.post-55401877420927390852014-06-01T09:40:00.000-05:002014-06-01T14:41:48.162-05:00A Sea-Saint-Island Addendum: The Sneakin' Sally Sessions<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdjno8c398zLhSeHTIYy-7ErY9FDov9a9TdcOG7KybC7dx05M-zAsHNph8lTVwHmnixP_G18oLyKXxP98mCAzWSqplTf2sG4fhNMy2HoI50RSPdJi7vMwQW0jR5KJGN9NySWEv/s1600/sneakinsallylp.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdjno8c398zLhSeHTIYy-7ErY9FDov9a9TdcOG7KybC7dx05M-zAsHNph8lTVwHmnixP_G18oLyKXxP98mCAzWSqplTf2sG4fhNMy2HoI50RSPdJi7vMwQW0jR5KJGN9NySWEv/s320/sneakinsallylp.JPG" /></a><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: cyan;">While researching the relationship of Sansu Enterprises and Island Records covered in the two prior posts, I realized that an earlier project had kicked off their business dealings. It was</span> <a href="http://www.robertpalmer.com/Biography.html" target="_new"><span style="color: #e69138;">Robert Palmer</span></a><span style="color: cyan;">’s solo debut album, <i>Sneakin’ Sally Through The Alley</i>, which wasn’t a Sansu production, but utilized Sea-Saint Studio and associated musicians for half of the tracks. I’ve had the record in my collection a mighty long time, enjoying it without knowing much about the backstory. </span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: cyan;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></span> <span style="color: cyan;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Over the years, I had heard that the Meters and members of Little Feat were involved in the sessions, with the slide guitar of Lowell George easily recognizable on the tracks. But the back cover of the LP offers no player information or recording location(s), and few other details. So, I remained generally clueless about how it was made until last year, when I was trying to see if Big Q had anything to do with it. </span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: cyan;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span> </span><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: cyan;">Turns out he didn’t, which I learned while googling around on the singer and album title, finding links to relevant pages on the late singer’s official website. In 2007, the producer of his first three Island LPs, Steve Smith, provided many</span> <a href="http://www.robertpalmer.com/sneaking_sally.html" target="_new"><span style="color: #e69138;">definitive details</span></a> <span style="color: cyan;">on how the album came together, revealing that during the course of the recordings three completely different studio bands were involved at two separate studios in New Orleans and New York City, and a later location in London.</span><br />
<br />
</span></span> <span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: cyan;">In an</span> <a href="http://www.robertpalmer.com/Steve_Smith.html" target="_new"><span style="color: #e69138;">interview</span></a> <span style="color: cyan;">supplementing the personnel credits and locations he provided, Smith explained that the production project was his first for Island, whose owner, Chris Blackwell, let him choose an artist to work with. He picked Palmer, who he had gotten to know when their prior bands were signed to the label in the early 1970s. For several years in the late 1960s, Smith had been an engineer and producer at Muscle Shoals Sound, the in-demand Alabama studio owned by the legendary recording rhythm section known as the Swampers. He worked on many high profile records there, before going out on his own. Though Smith was from the US South and Palmer from England, they had in common the deep influences of soul and R&B music.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: cyan;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></span> <span style="color: cyan;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Although he did not say in the interview exactly how the two US recording venues for Palmer’s album were chosen, I'm sure the musicians they wanted to work with had a lot to do with it. Smith identified the sites as New York’s state-of-the-art Mediasound Studios, and Sansu’s Sea-Saint facility. Mediasound was an ideal place to work with the first-call, veteran R&B players recruited for the sessions there: guitarist Cornell Dupree, pianist Richard Tee, with Bernard Purdie on drums, aind Bernard Odom on bass. Meanwhile, Sea-Saint, just getting off the ground in 1974, was well-equipped and had a no less significant and seasoned pool of available talent, including, of course, Allen Toussaint and the Meters (Art Neville, Leo Nocentelli, George Porter, Jr,, and Joseph ‘Zigaboo’ Modeliste), who both Smith and Palmer were already way into. </span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: cyan;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></span> <span style="color: cyan;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">In planning for the project and establishing its musical direction, Smith introduced Palmer to the music of Little Feat, whose sound was [still is] a convergence of roots, rock and funky R&B. The singer was enthused; and, subsequently, Lowell George was invited to participate and played on all the US sessions. With well-chosen locales and music-makers, the principals were assured of great grooves and potent collaborations.</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5Ei3Yw7bdzOOiryRRc-0ZWND26LQKDL8nV5yURuNWq63Cw0xw7NXYEDcvIFME2AZoU1xbXZjLJ0ix0DfmBZ1OBATuh_400pwbvEgBHQZ9lUdYN2OwBUpXOY1LkVusAIJmH37L/s1600/epidemic.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5Ei3Yw7bdzOOiryRRc-0ZWND26LQKDL8nV5yURuNWq63Cw0xw7NXYEDcvIFME2AZoU1xbXZjLJ0ix0DfmBZ1OBATuh_400pwbvEgBHQZ9lUdYN2OwBUpXOY1LkVusAIJmH37L/s200/epidemic.JPG" /></a></span></span></div>
<span style="color: cyan;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Of the album’s eight songs, the four featured here were cut in New Orleans, three more in NYC; and one, “Hey Julia”, was done later in a London rehearsal room, using a mobile studio. Another, “Epidemic”, was likely also recorded at the Mediasound sessions; but only appeared on the B-side of the single version of the title track. </span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: cyan;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: cyan;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Smith also related in the interview that “Sailing Shoes” and “Sneakin’ Sally” had not been chosen ahead of time, but quickly became undeniable after the assembled musicians at Sea-Saint dug into them.</span></span></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1P31G6Z_MFPnnWSTLKJGW-DyoP1uqmucNo8_cQEBXjnd8YiWkiH8d-eCCoGxbe_9Cjl02IzYgob0s8OQbQwkoEOFFH33ZRpgDQTUivaNHLkPp340RKITb7JOzRqQE99edMKR5/s1600/sneakinsallyA.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1P31G6Z_MFPnnWSTLKJGW-DyoP1uqmucNo8_cQEBXjnd8YiWkiH8d-eCCoGxbe_9Cjl02IzYgob0s8OQbQwkoEOFFH33ZRpgDQTUivaNHLkPp340RKITb7JOzRqQE99edMKR5/s320/sneakinsallyA.JPG" /></a><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span> <span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://www.hipcast.com/export/P4d0feb4c0240351c079839cf48b4ea8eZVl/Rn1uY2NwVQ.mp3" target="_new"><span style="color: #e69138;">“Sailing Shoes”</span></a> <span style="color: cyan;">(L. George - F. Martin)</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span> <span style="color: cyan;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Written by Lowell George and Martin Kibbe (using the nom de plume, “Fred Martin”), “Sailing Shoes” first appeared in 1972 - without the “g” - on Little Feat’s second LP, which was named for the song.. There, the band gave the tune a spare, sort of country blues feel; but, in the fecund atmosphere of the City That Care Forgot, George and the locals reconstituted it into pure-D funkiness, to which Palmer and his backing vocalists later added distinct gospel highlights.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span> <span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Smith’s session notes some 30 years farther on confirm that all of the Meters graced this track, as well as the others cut at Sea-Saint. You might have expected drummer Zig Modeliste to apply his patented broken-beat expressions to it; but, instead, he set the pocket with a poppin’ R&B backbeat; and multiple syncopated instrumental parts were layered over it. Unlike Toussaint’s style of micro-managed arrangements, Smith seems to have been more laissez-faire, allowing the musicians to come up with their own grooves and riffs to a great extent. He says that George was primarily responsible for getting this arrangement together with the Meters, which they nailed on the second take.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span> <span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://www.hipcast.com/export/P4f23b95b3f795361e511181cd4dd9bc8ZVl/Rn1uY2NwVA.mp3" target="_new"><span style="color: #e69138;">“Sneakin’ Sally Through The Alley”</span></a> <span style="color: cyan;">(A. Toussaint)</span></span></span><br />
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</span></span> <span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: cyan;">Here, the Meters revisited and helped to significantly revise the original version of the song they had tracked for Lee Dorsey’s 1970 LP,</span> <a href="http://homeofthegroove.blogspot.com/2011/02/sansu-70s-allen-lee-and-lou.html" target="_new"><span style="color: #e69138;">Yes We Can</span></a><span style="color: cyan;">, produced by Toussaint. The laid-back funk he crafted for that take recalled the spirit of his mid-1960s work with Dorsey on songs like “Working In The Coal Mine”. But Smith oversaw a new interpretation of Toussaint’s tune, in which the band, subtly at first, intensified the rhythmic interplay of their parts; with more layers mixed in as the tune progressed, until the track positively writhed with pulsations, pushing Palmer’s performance to paroxysms of soulful amplitude.</span></span></span><span style="color: cyan;"><br />
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</span></span> <span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Again, Zig’s drum groove emphasized the backbeat, while the uncredited conga player (‘Uganda’ Roberts or ‘Afro’ Williams?) added percolating counterpoint reinforced by the other instruments. Truly, though, the driving force on this track is Porter’s bass work, creating a powerful, eminently danceable pocket while simultaneously tightening the tolerances with the intricate off-beat</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">riff he played every fourth bar, except for the bridge, doubled by Nocentelli’s guitar. I don’t know who came up with it, but that tricky lick totally turned up the heat and cooked. It makes the song for me.</span></span><br />
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</span></span> <span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">By the way, kudos to Steve York for his inventive harmonica solo, likely overdubbed back in the UK. He managed to hold his own admirably amidst the rhythmic onslaught. I would have bet a hundred bucks back then that a harmonica solo could never have worked - glad I didn’t.</span></span></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuNYVhFWmQAXqLCUM1aHzZKEH87Ycl81IZv_LOsUxrbnnEAepStkhnoCv8s1L_sZdpARJQ4zAp_HIlciHaOxA3RmdLPbdJJmF3UIEM0ycRqj7mdxADAXTT7No7rppZL8FFgHh_/s1600/sneakinsallyB.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuNYVhFWmQAXqLCUM1aHzZKEH87Ycl81IZv_LOsUxrbnnEAepStkhnoCv8s1L_sZdpARJQ4zAp_HIlciHaOxA3RmdLPbdJJmF3UIEM0ycRqj7mdxADAXTT7No7rppZL8FFgHh_/s320/sneakinsallyB.JPG" /></a><br />
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</span></span> <span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://www.hipcast.com/export/P2e6d97d920cb088b3af075b02f84da90ZVl/Rn1uY2NwWw.mp3" target="_new"><span style="color: #e69138;">“How Much Fun”</span></a> <span style="color: cyan;">(R. Palmer)</span></span></span><br />
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</span></span> <span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: cyan;">The singer wrote five of the songs on the album, including this, the only one recorded in New Orleans. Not quite in the same league as the Toussaint and George covers, it still worked as a sly little musical come-on that fit well with the band’s hometown, push-pull funk arrangement, complete with Neville’s insistent piano riff lifted from the intro to “Hey Pocky A-Way” on the Meters’</span> <a href="http://www.discogs.com/Meters-Rejuvenation/release/431938" target="_new"><span style="color: #e69138;">Rejuvenation</span></a> <span style="color: cyan;">LP, recorded around the same time. As a matter of fact, Lowell George made an uncredited appearance on that album, adding insinuating slide guitar licks to “Just Kissed My Baby”.</span></span></span><br />
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</span></span> <span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://www.hipcast.com/export/P2f05ea3e3304b8e1e6fa14ed0e3f801bZVl/Rn1uY2NwWg.mp3" target="_new"><span style="color: #e69138;">“From A Whisper To A Scream”</span></a> <span style="color: cyan;">(A. Toussaint)</span></span></span><br />
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</span></span> <span style="color: cyan;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Certainly one of Toussaint’s classics, the song first appeared on his own 1970 LP, Toussaint, released by the very short-lived Tiffany label, but soon picked up and re-issued by Scepter. He had been brought out to Los Angeles to record the album and was backed by a number of New Orleans expatriate musicians there. His take was masterful; but the finished package flopped commercially, so few heard that version.</span></span><br />
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</span></span> </span><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: cyan;">The next year, Esther Phillips recorded a soulful, dramatic cover as the title track for her</span> <a href="http://www.discogs.com/Esther-Phillips-From-A-Whisper-To-A-Scream/release/368973" target="_new"><span style="color: #e69138;">1972 Kudu LP</span></a><span style="color: cyan;">, giving the tune far more prominence. Three of the players on Palmer’s New York sessions (Purdie, Tee, and Dupree) had played on Phillips’ album; but Smith chose to record the song in the New Orleans realm of its writer. </span></span></span><span style="color: cyan;"><br />
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</span></span> <span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Elsewhere in his interview, the producer acknowledged that Toussaint was in the control room for most of the album sessions, but mainly stayed in the background, as befitting a true gentleman. At Smith’s request, he personally familiarized the band with the changes of this song; and, from the sound of the acoustic piano on the finished track, I get the feeling that Toussaint got in on the recording, too (though Smith failed to mention it), with Neville on organ.</span></span><br />
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</span></span> <span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">While not of Esther Phillips calibre, Palmer did a fine job with his own interpretation. It was a gutsy move to take it on. Pretty much following Toussaint’s basic outline, the musical track took on the feel of a hybrid soul-rock anthem. George’s tasteful, expressive slide work is a highlight here, even sounding like a pedal steel at times, to add yet another rootsy influence.</span></span><br />
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</span></span> <span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Considering the New Orleans portion of this album project among his career highlights (he dug the food, too!), Smith has said he was disappointed when the record did not break Palmer in the US - a failure he blamed on Island’s distributor, Capitol Records, for doing a poor job on promotion. The age-old buzzkill. The LP did much better in England at the time, making Palmer a performer to be reckoned with there, although he wouldn’t have a US pop hit until late in the decade. Of course, in the mid-1980s his career reached escape velocity when the stylized rock-models video for “Addicted To Love” got him maximum exposure on MTV. Sales of <i>Riptide</i>, the album it came from, went double platinum.</span></span><br />
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</span></span> <span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Following <i>Sneakin’ Sally</i>, Smith produced Palmer’s next two albums for Island. On <i>Pressure Drop</i> in 1975, Little Feat served as the main session band, and also did a cut or two on <i>Some People Can Do What They Like</i> from 1976.<i> Pressure Drop</i> had another Toussaint cover on it, “Riverboat”. originally done by Dorsey. Keeping that flame alive, Palmer then did Toussaint’s “Night People”, from Dorsey’s album of the same name, on his self-produced <i>Double Fun</i> LP in 1978. Later, he also put a rather abstract version of Earl King’s “Trick Bag” on <i>Riptide</i>, in a much higher profile nod to New Orleans proto-funk, which I’m sure paid for Earl’s coffee and doughnuts for the rest of his life.</span></span><br />
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</span></span> </span><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: cyan;">Just last year, the US re-issue label,</span> <a href="http://www.culturefactoryusa.com/our-catalog/pop-rock" target="_new"><span style="color: #e69138;">Culture Factory</span></a>,<span style="color: cyan;"> released a remastered and expanded CD version of <i>Sneakin’ Sally</i>, as well as a number Palmer’s other releases. As always, if you can’t get vinyl, at least go for high resolution digital copies of this material, play ‘em through decent full-range speakers or headphones, and deeply explore those Crescent City connections. Good groovin’, y'all.</span></span></span></span></span>Dan Phillipshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12185793905565005146noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8722495.post-38446872448623473332014-04-20T23:23:00.000-05:002014-04-20T23:48:57.082-05:00Tracking The Big Q Factor, Pt 5.2: More Sansu/Sea-Saint Sessions<span style="color: cyan;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">It’s time to get back to the Big Q thread. </span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: cyan;">My prior entry last November</span> (<a href="http://homeofthegroove.blogspot.com/2013/11/tracking-big-q-factor-part-51-new.html" target="_new"><span style="color: #e69138;">Part 5.1</span></a>) <span style="color: cyan;">in this sporadic series on the career of producer/arranger Wardell Quezergue discussed his transition back to working in New Orleans around 1973, following a two year association with Malaco Studios in Jackson, MS. At the newly opened Sea-Saint recording facility operated by Sansu Enterprises, he was contracted to do arrangements on several projects, including a reunion with singer Robert Parker for sessions that resulted in a series of singles released by Island Records. You can read about ‘em and find links to earlier parts of the series in that post, too.</span></span></span><br />
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</span></span></span> <span style="color: cyan;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">This go-around, I’m featuring Wardell’s work with another New Orleans “name” artist, Ernie K-Doe, who had already been on the Sansu roster for five years, plus several examples of his involvement in the making of albums for outside artists and labels. As you’ll see, these were not high profile jobs by any means, but helped pay the bills along with his similar work for other companies who needed his services. Whatever the circumstances, he always operated with consummate professionalism and imparted a sense of harmonic and rhythmic class to the proceedings.</span></span></span><br />
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</span></span></span> <span style="color: cyan;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><b><span style="font-size: small;">K-Doe’s Sansu Sojourn</span></b></span></span><br />
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</span></span></span> <span style="color: cyan;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Ernie K-Doe signed with Sansu Enterprises in 1970, right after partners Allen Toussaint and Marshall Sehorn changed the company name from Tou-Sea Productions, and several years before Sea-Saint was built. At the time, the principals were going through a general revamp of operations and objectives, having managed to barely survive the Dover Records debacle and its dire ramifications for the local music and recording scene. In those lean times, Sansu lost or let go most of their previous roster of singers and began to turn away from issuing singles on their in-house labels - Tou-Sea, Deesu, and Sansu - in favor of licensing more productions to outside companies with better access to the national market. Even more importantly, as the record industry became increasingly focused on the long-playing album as the main product format, Sehorn set about aligning the company with that business model. </span></span></span><br />
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</span></span></span> <span style="color: cyan;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">At the time, Sansu’s remaining artists were Lee Dorsey, who had not had a significant hit for several years, the remarkable but never commercially successful Eldridge Holmes, Willie Harper (mainly a background singer), and the Meters, whose instrumental funk singles on the New York-based Josie label were hot in the charts. Sehorn had just negotiated a new deal for Dorsey with Polydor, which would result in the Yes We Can album, written and produced by Toussaint, and get the singer briefly back in the charts. Things were looking up; and it seemed a good time for K-Doe to join the team, as the prolific Toussaint had plenty of good material for him to sing.</span></span></span><br />
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</span></span> </span><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: cyan;">Of course, K-Doe and Toussaint already shared a legendary connection, having made pop music history back in 1961, while working for Joe Banashak’s Minit Records. As the label’s one man A&R department, the young Toussaint established his reputation by bringing forth numerous soon to be classic hit records performed by various in-house artists, including K-Doe, whose take on “Mother-In-Law” (written under Toussaint’s nom de plume, Naomi Neville), certainly one of greatest novelty tunes of the era, rose to the top of the R&B and pop charts. He cut more than a dozen fine, less successful singles for the label up until 1963, when Toussaint was drafted and Minit was assimilated by Liberty Records; but that one big hit was to be K-Doe’s professional calling card for the rest of his life. For a fascinating and complete telling of the ultra-flamboyant performer’s story, do yourself a favor and read Ben Sandmel’s beautiful extravaganza of a book,</span><a href="http://www.hnoc.org/publications/books-k-doe.html" target="_new"><span style="color: #e69138;"> Ernie K-Doe: The R&B Emperor of New Orleans</span></a><span style="color: cyan;">.</span></span></span><br />
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</span></span></span> <span style="color: cyan;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Following his run with Minit, K-Doe was picked up by Duke Records, the Houston-based label run by the notorious Don Robey. There were at least nine singles by K-Doe released on Duke between 1964 and 1970; but only two of the songs got into the national charts, both stalling-out shy of the Top 20. Considering that lack of commercial appeal, it is surprising that the label kept K-Doe around so long. Maybe Robey was a fan. In any case, he finally cut his losses and let the singer go as the 1960s came to an end.</span></span></span><br />
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</span></span> </span><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: cyan;">That’s when Sansu brought K-Doe into the fold and put him in the studio (Jazz City, which was being run by engineer Skip Goodwin with the bankrupt Cosimo Matassa as silent partner) to work his vocal magic on a cache of Toussaint songs that had been tracked by the Meters [at least most of them, as their drummer, Zig, may not have participated on all cuts]. Sehorn then took those, along with an EK-D original, plus one by tunesmith Al Reed, and shopped the lot around as an album package for national release. In 1971, Janus Records in New York took it on, issuing the LP, <i>Ernie K. Doe</i> [see my</span> <a href="http://homeofthegroove.blogspot.com/2005/07/ernie-allen-and-some-meters-in-moment.html" target="_new"><span style="color: #e69138;">earlier post</span></a><span style="color: cyan;">]; but, despite the first rate soul-pop songwriting, excellent arrangements and performances throughout, the record was not well-received and quickly wound up in the cut-out bins when the two singles issued from it failed to get significant airplay. </span></span></span><br />
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</span></span></span> <span style="color: cyan;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">In the wake of the album’s failure, K-Doe remained under contract with Sansu but did not get the opportunity to record again for several more years, well after Sea-Saint opened.</span></span></span><br />
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</span></span></span> <span style="color: cyan;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><b><span style="font-size: small;">Big Q’s First And Last K-Doe Sessions</span></b></span></span><br />
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</span></span></span> <span style="color: cyan;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">When K-Doe finally did get green-lighted to make some more singles, the sessions were arranged, if not wholly produced, by Wardell Quezergue over the span of a year or so. As far as I know, it was the only time that the two worked together on records in the course of their long careers.</span></span></span><br />
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</span></span></span> <span style="color: cyan;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">The first songs issued, “Let Me Love You”/”So Good”, appeared on a 1975 Island Records single. As previously discussed, the label was also releasing 45s by Robert Parker that Big Q had arranged. Island would also put out a single by Tony Owens that Isaac Bolden produced and arranged, as well as the <i>1976 New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival</i> double album mentioned last time.</span></span></span><br />
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</span></span> </span><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: cyan;">I recently realized while rummaging through my archives that the Sansu/Island relationship was not really about those singles, or even the JazzFest LP set - they were merely incidental. Instead, the companies first crossed paths in 1974 when Island brought Robert Palmer to Sea-Saint to record part of his debut solo LP,</span><a href="http://www.discogs.com/Robert-Palmer-Sneakin-Sally-Through-The-Alley/release/1606406" target="_new"><span style="color: #e69138;"> Sneakin’ Sally Through the Alley</span></a><span style="color: cyan;">, with the Meters. The company then contracted with Sansu to make albums for two funky rock groups on its roster, High Cotton and the James Montgomery Band, under the partners’ direction. Those production deals provided Sehorn with a window of opportunity to place Sansu’s local projects with the label, as well.</span></span></span><br />
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</span></span></span> <span style="color: cyan;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">That brings us back to the first K-Doe/Big Q collaboration.</span></span></span><br />
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</span></span> <span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.hipcast.com/export/Pb344c9904fb837e0f405c51a196948a6ZVl/Rn1uY2NwUA.mp3" target="_new"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #e69138;">“So Good” </span></span></a><span style="color: cyan;"><span style="font-size: small;">(M. Monley)</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: cyan;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Ernie K-Doe, Island 031, 1975</span></span></span><br />
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</span></span> <span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.hipcast.com/export/P0d886b522e29c9ab86b265f24caa8e8cZVl/Rn1uY2NwUg.mp3" target="_new"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #e69138;">“Let Me Love You”</span></span></a> <span style="color: cyan;"><span style="font-size: small;">(M. Monley)</span></span></span><br />
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</span></span></span> <span style="color: cyan;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">I’m reversing the order of the songs because “So Good”, with its pronounced gospel feel was too good to be a B-side. The ever-fervent singer played off the danceable, poppin’, soul groove to good effect, making this the puller of the two, despite some hard to decipher lyrics, and worth replays. </span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSh0lM80l_ErkUx5bGhyphenhyphenxq6GQ3pKQWc_IQTNWSbipPNBp_F6w3CLrB2UPLNBZrXXDTHgr-LI_zVuWM3bc_6Zt6HN8r51u10kXbUYVINq925m9r07_1OaUhhaeBgv4D-U_XSWtC/s1600/letmeloveyou.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSh0lM80l_ErkUx5bGhyphenhyphenxq6GQ3pKQWc_IQTNWSbipPNBp_F6w3CLrB2UPLNBZrXXDTHgr-LI_zVuWM3bc_6Zt6HN8r51u10kXbUYVINq925m9r07_1OaUhhaeBgv4D-U_XSWtC/s200/letmeloveyou.JPG" /></a></span></span></div>
<span style="color: cyan;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Unfortunately, the down-tempo “Let Me Love You” proved to be an ineffective lead-off choice, having a repeated descending progression that made the song kind of one long verse, a floating fragment without much melodic direction. It lacked the structural interplay of a chorus and bridge to plant some hooks into listeners. Not only that, the lyrics, though well-sung, weren’t very engaging, either. </span></span></span><br />
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</span></span></span> <span style="color: cyan;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Beyond the running order problem, there was another factor that probably kept this record off radio playlists. Both tunes were stylistic throwbacks to the previous decade, in spirit and probably in fact. M(arie) Monley, credited as writer, had been so designated on quite a few of K-Doe’s Duke sides, too. As Sandmel discovered, she was one of the singer’s girlfriends in the 1960s, leading the biographer to believe (as do I) that the songs attributed to her were actually the singer’s own compositions, probably a ruse to dodge the taxman should the record have hit and made money. To my thinking, Monley’s credits on the Island sides confirm they were left-overs from his days with Duke and well past their pop freshness date.</span></span></span><br />
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</span></span></span> <span style="color: cyan;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Wardell took the tunes at face value, keeping the arrangements simple and straightforward, with no attempt to update the sound. Considering how little he had to work with on the A-side, we’re left to wonder who thought this was a good choice for a national release in the first place. When it inevitably tanked, Island opted-out of another try. </span></span></span><br />
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</span></span></span> <span style="color: cyan;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Within a year, though, Sansu issued two more K-Doe singles on their own reactivated namesake imprint. The new Sansu label would operate from the mid 1970s through the rest of the decade, and seems to have been intended for local consumption 45s. While Wardell’s work was not credited on any of those K-Doe sides, evidently he did do the arrangements. That lack of acknowledgement and the general low profile of the records was most certainly due to the unusual circumstances of how they came to be. As it turns out, one track on each single had been recycled from another Sea-Saint project going on at the time.</span></span></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHC2LtKD1YcLSrcdAfxBNDxChyphenhyphenNakMLqB7HGsBjoHS_XCcci-KBsnUplOkcz7hP7_V3_TZ3xmj4PmASH51RHoeC3Ubv9DtZC6mZd7jZ_VoGq7x0X37TZQ1HwwAW31XCYPWWp3a/s1600/yougottoloveme.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHC2LtKD1YcLSrcdAfxBNDxChyphenhyphenNakMLqB7HGsBjoHS_XCcci-KBsnUplOkcz7hP7_V3_TZ3xmj4PmASH51RHoeC3Ubv9DtZC6mZd7jZ_VoGq7x0X37TZQ1HwwAW31XCYPWWp3a/s320/yougottoloveme.JPG" /></a><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.hipcast.com/export/P11793cfebcc7d13fe7b0ce286778ebf5ZVl/Rn1uY2NwVg.mp3" target="_new"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #e69138;">“You Got To Love Me”</span></span></a> <span style="color: cyan;"><span style="font-size: small;">(Ernie K-Doe)</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: cyan;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Ernie K-Doe, Sansu 1006, 1975</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: cyan;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></span> <span style="color: cyan;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">The mid-tempo A-side, “You Got To Love Me”, was a marked improvement in all respects over “Let Me Love You” on the Island single. The structure of this EK-D original was more developed, having an appealing progression and melody line, not to mention a nice rhythmic swing to it. Most outstanding musically, though, is the big league horn arrangement Big Q graced the track with - simultaneously tasteful and adventurous. Just listen to the intricate turnaround phrase the horns negotiate between the intro and verse, and choruses and verses. Im-friggin’-peccable.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: cyan;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></span> <span style="color: cyan;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Of course, leave it to K-Doe to turn the proceedings into another novelty song by incorporating the titles of popular daytime TV soap operas into his lyrics. Sandmel notes that the singer watched the soaps regularly - so that’s where he got the idea; but it really was a clever, quirky twist to add them to a love song, as many of his female audience, and even some of the men, no doubt, could relate. The fact that he also peppered the track with self-references, his patented giggles, and other ad-lbs, probably limited the potential appeal to his local fan-base, but certainly left no question about who did it.</span></span></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEip73_IShMgk_jDIC0HBpNcPszCSFmlkwCgzGKMXexmPCVlcftuVxiD3OSD0hY65ohUniXAoN7Ws-_n7E5HVqgzsDtCObskli_beLZgpUzXCCMGb2vn_sqOKLwLmdT8N9Ki8jqu/s1600/stoopdown.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEip73_IShMgk_jDIC0HBpNcPszCSFmlkwCgzGKMXexmPCVlcftuVxiD3OSD0hY65ohUniXAoN7Ws-_n7E5HVqgzsDtCObskli_beLZgpUzXCCMGb2vn_sqOKLwLmdT8N9Ki8jqu/s320/stoopdown.JPG" /></a><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.hipcast.com/export/P76261c829b1b79df517be7e09f43ff19ZVl/Rn1uY2NwVw.mp3" target="_new"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #e69138;">“Stoop Down”</span></span></a> <span style="color: cyan;"><span style="font-size: small;">(Marshall Sehorn)</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: cyan;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></span> <span style="color: cyan;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">On the flipside was a decidedly different, a spicy variation on the highly suggestive blues song, “Stoop Down Baby”, made popular by Chick Willis in 1972, which had origins (a/k/a “Drop Down Mama”) going back at least to pre-WWII blues performers. Wardell’s arrangement transformed the tune into an effective, uptown funk strut with multi-layered poly-rhythmic counterpoint highly similar to a song on the next single, as well.</span></span></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKeJhMNtPwveSKj-XHBv0EBXqZB3dA65Qnk_rrnVqFX5DnKA985Zl2LwqyrDLtGdInvIf9DbAkRrf6WAue467hkbajdVO0HHP1jIsubcnjoNo_T9kU66OmMeqXz2MHiniKvbtt/s1600/hotchamama.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKeJhMNtPwveSKj-XHBv0EBXqZB3dA65Qnk_rrnVqFX5DnKA985Zl2LwqyrDLtGdInvIf9DbAkRrf6WAue467hkbajdVO0HHP1jIsubcnjoNo_T9kU66OmMeqXz2MHiniKvbtt/s320/hotchamama.JPG" /></a><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.hipcast.com/export/P2bf7c7d84216af36248062c273881de0ZVl/Rn1uY2NxWw.mp3" target="_new"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #e69138;">“Hotcha Mama” </span></span></a><span style="color: cyan;"> <span style="font-size: small;">(Paul Lenart-Larry Levine)</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: cyan;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Ernie K-Doe, Sansu 1016, 1976</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: cyan;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></span> <span style="color: cyan;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">While looking up information on the writers of the equally funky “Hotcha Mama”, which was obviously in the same groove as “Stoop Down”, I suddenly realized that both songs appeared on the eponymous James Montgomery Band LP Island recorded at Sea-Saint during this period. I had not listened to it for years; and, when I pulled it out and played the tracks, I was shocked into laughter to hear that the music tracks for both were the same ones on K-Doe’s Sansu singles! The singers were different, of course, and the mixes varied a bit; but the playing was identical. </span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: cyan;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></span> <span style="color: cyan;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">On the JMB album, both Toussaint and Sehorn were credited with production for Sansu Enterprises, and Wardell shown as arranger. For whatever reason [cheapness comes to mind], someone at Sansu {Sehorn, most likely] “borrowed” the two JMB tracks and replaced Montgomery’s vocal with K-Doe’s. I doubt that Island or the band, whose lead guitarist, Paul Lenart, co-wrote “Hotcha Mama”, were consulted. As part of the album deal with Island, Marsaint Music, the producers’ publishing company, shared rights to the music, which I guess was their general excuse to re-use the tracks; but a more honest approach would have been to re-record the songs entirely. In a further feat of misappropriation, Sehorn also implausibly took the writer’s credit for “Stoop Down” on both the JMB LP and K-Doe’s single. The lack of commercial impact for either K-Doe record resulted in no one outside the studio noticing the subterfuge, maybe until right now. </span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: cyan;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></span> <span style="color: cyan;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Anyway, back to the song at hand with K-Doe again secretly backed by the James Montgomery Band on one of their originals [see below]. Only the horn section, who Big Q gave somewhat more challenging charts than on “Stoop Down”, were Sansu session regulars. As you might expect, I prefer K-Doe’s takes on the appropriated JMB tracks. His supple, playful, and eminently expressive singing style combined with Wardell’s arrangements to give these standard-issue funk grooves (Sandmel deems them “generic”) the necessary personality to keep us involved.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: cyan;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></span> <span style="color: cyan;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">The B-side had K-Doe doing the incongruous “(I Can’t Believe) She Gave It All To Me”, a Conway Twitty ballad that benefited from Big Q’s artful arranging (again, uncredited), with backing by the Sansu session staff, augmented by a string section. In the spirit of Ray Charles’ famously soulful renditions of country songs, K-Doe’s performance affirmed that he was well-suited for such interpretation.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: cyan;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></span> <span style="color: cyan;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Like his Island outing, these two singles got no more than minor local action thanks to scant promotion, and turned out to be his final releases during a tenure with Sansu Enterprises that, surprisingly, continued until 1980, according to Sandmel. The reasons the principals at Sansu, who did not include Big Q, kept K-Doe on the hook so long, considering the spotty output and poor sales, remain unclear. But it seems no less than a disservice to the artist, who received no boost whatsoever to his public profile from the association. Lacking sufficient new material of his own to record and with nothing written by Toussaint made available for his use after the initial LP, K-Doe was marginalized by Sansu, either by design or indifference.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: cyan;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></span> <span style="color: cyan;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">As a result, he was unable to get regular bookings, sending his career and personal life into an extended downward spiral. It took until the late 1980s for K-Doe to record again and begin to get his life and performing mojo back together.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: cyan;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></span> <span style="color: cyan;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><b><span style="font-size: small;">Some Other Big Q Assignments</span></b></span></span><br />
<span style="color: cyan;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span> </span><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: cyan;">As noted earlier, beyond the less than lucrative singles market, Sansu’s bread and butter during the 1970s at Sea-Saint was contracting with various mainstream labels to record their artists there and, if possible, have Toussaint produce the albums, or parts thereof. The famous, obscure, and all shades in-between made LPs at the studio as a result. Probably the most notable of those sessions involved LaBelle’s</span> <a href="http://homeofthegroove.blogspot.com/2011/04/importance-of-herman-ernest-part-1.html" target="_new"><span style="color: #e69138;">Nightbirds</span></a> <span style="color: cyan;">LP for Epic, which generated a monster hit with the Toussaint's treatment of “Lady Marmalade”. As time went on, there was more work than Toussaint could handle, especially on the arranging front, so Wardell would be called upon to ply his talents on various projects, as needed.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: cyan;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></span> <span style="color: cyan;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">To round out this episode, here are a few examples ranging from the mid-1970s into the 1980s.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: cyan;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></span> <span style="color: cyan;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><i><b><span style="font-size: small;">High Energy</span></b></i></span></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTpKqodiJTa1c2pGXMs-xpZb6dicELzScdWwAGSHYglEMFUsRhdhaXkjM38nXYQRZX_UTlbC8E5jcO-YoQG_hK8xAohf1WIw-rVewQKgCS71BbnEOWVKvvEVS84zRARmI8JLUQ/s1600/highenergylp.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTpKqodiJTa1c2pGXMs-xpZb6dicELzScdWwAGSHYglEMFUsRhdhaXkjM38nXYQRZX_UTlbC8E5jcO-YoQG_hK8xAohf1WIw-rVewQKgCS71BbnEOWVKvvEVS84zRARmI8JLUQ/s320/highenergylp.JPG" /></a><br />
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<span style="color: cyan;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">In 1975, a seasoned and already legendary blues outfit, the James Cotton Band, made this LP at Sea-Saint for the Buddah label. Production credit was shared by Toussaint and Sehorn, with Big Q handling the arrangements.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: cyan;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></span> <span style="color: cyan;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">For New Orleans music fans, the album is notable for several reasons. Toussaint contributed two songs to the sessions, the bouncy “Hot ‘n Cold” and easy-going “Hard Time Blues”. Also chosen for Louisiana flavor were Bobby Charles’ “Keep Cooking Mama” and Bobby Rush’s funky get-down, “ Chicken Heads”. Wardell and Isaac Bolden also wrote two of the tracks, “Weather Report (The Weather Man Said)” and “James’ Theme”. Besides Cotton’s fine group, other session players included not only the house horn section, but several frequent contributors: Toussaint, James Booker and Big Q on keyboards, plus guitarists Steve Hughes and Teddy Royal.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: cyan;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span> </span><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: cyan;">I featured “Hard Time Blues” along with an overview of <i>High Energy</i> on</span> <a href="http://homeofthegroove.blogspot.com/2006/04/james-cotton-band-gets-treatment.html" target="_new"><span style="color: #e69138;">a post</span></a> <span style="color: cyan;">back in 2006. So, I won’t go into much detail about it here except to point out, as I did then, that the album’s title is misleading at best, since the material and grooves never rise above mid-tempo, having a mainly laid-back, in-the-pocket funk vibe. While cool, the general lack of dynamics certainly didn’t represent what Cotton and his powerhouse band could do so well, blow some take-no-prisoners blues. </span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: cyan;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></span> <span style="color: cyan;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">I’m sure everyone involved in the project from the record company on down shared some blame for that design flaw; but let’s hear some of what Big Q did with the material he was given. </span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span> <span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.hipcast.com/export/P60ef840fda0a3f9da25babae33fe7d38ZVl/Rn1uY2NxVA.mp3" target="_new"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #e69138;">“Hot And Cold”</span></span></a><span style="font-size: small;"> <span style="color: cyan;">(Allen Toussaint)</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: cyan;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></span> <span style="color: cyan;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Definitely the least laid back track of the lot, “Hot And Cold” sticks out for that catchy bounce it talks about, being neither a blues nor a funk groove, but one of Toussaint’s prototypical pop tunes. Its intricate construction of interlocking rhythmic parts, perfectly represented by Wardell’s arrangement, and the cheery, sing-along melody deserved a shot at radio play, even delivered by a gravel-voiced bluesman.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: cyan;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></span> <span style="color: cyan;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">As fate would have it, Robert Parker recorded this song around the same time, as part of his Island sessions, but the track was not released until a 1980s compilation. It was certainly more in his pop wheelhouse; but James ‘Superharp’ Cotton got the release. Go figure.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: cyan;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></span> <span style="color: cyan;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Note: There are two pianos on the track. I think Toussaint is playing, rather sparingly, the acoustic, while Booker vamped it up on the electric. Also, that’s Lon Price on tenor sax solo.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span> <span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.hipcast.com/export/Pdafd16d12577e91a241e3a626e90f3e1ZVl/Rn1uY2NwUw.mp3" target="_new"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #e69138;">“I Got A Feelin”</span></span></a> <span style="color: cyan;"><span style="font-size: small;">(James Cotton)</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: cyan;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></span> <span style="color: cyan;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">I chose this cut both because it has Cotton’s harmonica playing on it, and Big Q’s horn arrangement is a stand-out. As an added bonus, you can hear in the background Booker percolating on the keyboard. Once again, Price served up a fine solo of his own, too.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: cyan;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></span> <span style="color: cyan;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">The funk pocket on this Cotton original is more or less where the rest of the album sits, all well and good. But certainly not high energy.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: cyan;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></span> <span style="color: cyan;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Not long thereafter, another blues-based band rolled in to record, the one mentioned earlier that Ernie K-Doe got unwittingly tangled up with. As did Cotton’s group, they set aside at least some of the spontaneity and dynamics of their live performance style for a more controlled, calculated approach.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: cyan;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></span> <span style="color: cyan;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><i><b><span style="font-size: small;">James Montgomery Band</span></b></i></span></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNFQGjRVrFm2pvd12W_56IQ6zUnYb9N_u4zEIrXPq6TMqkvzHusWOTWcWdbjQyDmDnbkOt3HmupDD1aYrtubp8SVC_HqogKywhu4ekYN4IG5NIDGu6IAZv3I7HO2psgFK4bMg8/s1600/jmblp.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNFQGjRVrFm2pvd12W_56IQ6zUnYb9N_u4zEIrXPq6TMqkvzHusWOTWcWdbjQyDmDnbkOt3HmupDD1aYrtubp8SVC_HqogKywhu4ekYN4IG5NIDGu6IAZv3I7HO2psgFK4bMg8/s320/jmblp.JPG" /></a><br />
</span></span> <span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"> </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.hipcast.com/export/Pc21bf8bfb7b892d316065f0093c7d1d0ZVl/Rn1uY2NxWg.mp3" target="_new"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #e69138;">“Hotcha Mama”</span></span></a> <span style="color: cyan;"><span style="font-size: small;">(Paul Lenart-Larry Levine)</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span> <span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.hipcast.com/export/P0b1581653348a98e836a5f12ee6cfcd0ZVl/Rn1uY2NxVQ.mp3" target="_new"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #e69138;">“Foot Floppin’”</span></span></a> <span style="color: cyan;"><span style="font-size: small;">(James Montgomery/David Woodford)</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span> <span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: cyan;">James Montgomery, a Detroit native, formed his funky, rockin’ blues and R&B band in 1970 while attending college in Boston. After becoming one of the most in-demand groups in the Northeast, they signed with Capricorn Records in 1973, making two decent, but not strong-selling LPs before switching to Island, who brought them to Sea-Saint to record with Toussaint in charge, hoping, I’m sure, for some commercial magic to happen on this</span> <a href="http://www.discogs.com/James-Montgomery-Band-The-James-Montgomery-Band/release/2889163" target="_new"><span style="color: #e69138;">eponymous album</span></a><span style="color: cyan;">. Apropos of where they were at, the proceedings kept to funk, soul and R&B feels; and, with Big Q arranging, they cut a mix of original material and cover tunes, including two New Orleans classics, Huey ‘Piano’ Smith and the Clowns’ “Don’t You Just Know It” and Willie Tee’s “Teasin’ You”, the latter, of course, first produced by Wardell.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: cyan;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></span> <span style="color: cyan;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">At the risk of redundancy, I’ve got their version of “Hotcha Mama” up to demonstrate that it was the instrumental source of K-Doe’s take, and why I considered his vocal romp superior to Montgomery’s decent but rather lackluster vocal take.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: cyan;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></span> <span style="color: cyan;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">The other track, “Foot Floppin’, written by Montgomery and his sax player, who takes the solo, stepped directly into the hip territory of the Average White Band, who were scoring mainstream hits at the time. As hooky and tightly coiled as it is instrumentally, the lyrics were perfunctory, making the final result no new “Barefootin’” by any means, despite Big Q’s seamlessly supportive horn arrangement.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: cyan;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></span> <span style="color: cyan;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Overall, the band and Sansu team put together some fine goovin’ and ensemble playing; but the album lacked any really stand-out moments. Again, like the James Cotton's outfit, the JMB were (and are, they still perform and record to this day), a unit best heard in their on-stage habitat. An outstanding record for them would have had to capture at least some of that edge and excitement; but, it didn’t quite happen that way at Sea-Saint.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: cyan;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></span> <span style="color: cyan;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><i><b><span style="font-size: small;">Ice On Fire</span></b></i></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvMenRAtyT_nWNQg2F_ZsC3dWm5xGkAu_7a-rjwSJsQpmO8895Rkm4Rxyy-gpATWwRhNdEo2V-Jb6sPHzbACPNTYDG2JfSodQ-GlmuaPelc3mi8jyrfYl6fTZt5zZwox5c2DS7/s1600/iceonfirelp.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvMenRAtyT_nWNQg2F_ZsC3dWm5xGkAu_7a-rjwSJsQpmO8895Rkm4Rxyy-gpATWwRhNdEo2V-Jb6sPHzbACPNTYDG2JfSodQ-GlmuaPelc3mi8jyrfYl6fTZt5zZwox5c2DS7/s320/iceonfirelp.JPG" /></a><br />
</span></span> <span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"> </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: cyan;">This album by the Jamaican reggae vocal trio, the Mighty Diamonds, was tracked at Sea-Saint in 1977 for Virgin Records. Again,Toussaint and Sehorn received the production credit, while Wardell was the arranger of record; but, this time around, the studio’s staff musicians provided all the backing. I wrote an</span> <a href="http://homeofthegroove.blogspot.com/2010/01/under-toussaint-covers.html" target="_new"><span style="color: #e69138;">overview</span></a> <span style="color: cyan;">of the LP for a post back in 2010; so check it out, as I won’t rehash all the details here. </span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span> <span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.hipcast.com/export/P0a4c5809b67deca4da8a84d67dd916e8ZVl/Rn1uY2NxVg.mp3" target="_new"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #e69138;">“Coming Through”</span></span></a> <span style="color: cyan;"><span style="font-size: small;">(F. Simpson - L. Ferguson)</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: cyan;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></span> <span style="color: cyan;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">The work of Big Q and the band on this tune, an MD original, pretty much sums up the modus operandi on the record as a whole. As usual, his arrangements were tight and contained subtly effective interior rhythmic counterpoints; but, while the playing was professional studio grade, the reggae was a pop approximation. The sound and grooves were safe and similar, lacking that certain something that could inspire the Mighty Diamonds to shine. </span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: cyan;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></span> <span style="color: cyan;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">The group had a prior string of hits at home and in England; but, bringing them in to record with the Sansu team, Virgin had hopes, it seems, of both breaking the trio in the US market and appealing to their fans; but that proved to be a naive miscalculation. The album was a commercial dud. Reggae music is such a vibe experience for seriously attuned fans that having “outsiders”, even great New Orleans players, do some hybrid interpretation of the genre proved unsatisfying to the group’s devotees, who refused to buy the record; and it failed to attract significant new audience, either, even among followers of New Orleans music. </span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: cyan;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span> </span><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: cyan;">Summing up the LP over 30 years later in an interview with</span> <a href="http://www.reggaeville.com/nc/artist-details/artist/mighty-diamonds/news/interview-with-bunny-simpson-the-mighty-diamonds/ac/news/update/1.html" target="_new"><span style="color: #e69138;">Reggaeville</span></a><span style="color: cyan;">, the Mighty Diamonds’ Fitzroy ‘Bunny’ Simpson, called it “a destruction” for its lack of true reggae rhythms and spirit, but acknowledged the recording team’s good intentions. He laid the blame with Virgin executives who inexplicably failed to bring along at least the killer rhythm section (Sly and Robbie) who played such an integral part on the trio’s previous hits.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: cyan;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></span> <span style="color: cyan;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><i><b><span style="font-size: small;">Hold On To Your Dream</span></b></i></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLSG__py4BO6jU4EOuYHU8n9MAHZRfoRqtaMk2UatUJ0Jm9p9tAjz2aXZ0vEExchnoisOfTM7u6JiYd3KLogPEwAECdzk7Fvrut9Jh_IQGM84hk3LU0LzpXMPdxjyERfjykscA/s1600/holdonlp.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLSG__py4BO6jU4EOuYHU8n9MAHZRfoRqtaMk2UatUJ0Jm9p9tAjz2aXZ0vEExchnoisOfTM7u6JiYd3KLogPEwAECdzk7Fvrut9Jh_IQGM84hk3LU0LzpXMPdxjyERfjykscA/s320/holdonlp.JPG" /></a><br />
<br />
</span></span> <span style="color: cyan;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Actually, this final example of Wardell’s arranging jobs for outside artists, a track from the Staple Singers’ 1981 LP for 20th Century Fox, was not a Sansu production, though cut at Sea-Saint with local players, not that it showed all that much. The Staples produced the album with Englishman John Abbey; and I’m sure they wanted the esteemed Big Q especially for his skills working with strings and horns, since a number of the tracks were big, lush productions.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: cyan;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span> </span><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: cyan;">I’ve covered this record previously; and you can delve into more detail on</span> <a href="http://homeofthegroove.blogspot.com/2007/05/staple-singers-get-joyride.html" target="_new"><span style="color: #e69138;">that post</span></a><span style="color: cyan;">. But I will point out again something out of the ordinary about the basic rhythm section: Sam Henry, Jr. on keyboards, George Porter, Jr. (and possibly David Barrard) on bass, guitarists Bruce MacDonald and Teddy Royal, along with Bernard Johnson on drums, and Ken Williams, percussion. Most of them were session regulars at Sea-Saint, with Johnson just coming on board; but MacDonald (a/k/a “Weasel” back then) was not. What got him into these sessions was the fact that he was a member of Porter’s popular band at the time, Joyride, which also included Henry, who was a long-time Big Q collaborator.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span> <span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.hipcast.com/export/P3b0eac9a5070d5d8f92ccc99f52f82a2ZVl/Rn1uY2NwUQ.mp3" target="_new"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #e69138;">“Love Came Knocking”</span></span></a> <span style="color: cyan;"><span style="font-size: small;">(George Jackson)</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: cyan;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></span> <span style="color: cyan;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Penned by the great R&B, soul and rock songwriter, George Jackson, this was one of three stripped-down, funky numbers on the record, including another of his, “Stupid Louie”. I featured the third, “Show Off the Real You”, on that previous post. </span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: cyan;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></span> <span style="color: cyan;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Here, Johnson played a fairly straightforward funk strut groove reinforced by Porter’s pulsating bass lines, while Henry comped basic electric piano chords, MacDonald interjected snarky-toned guitar fills here and there, and the horns, also used sparingly, popped in and out for rhythmic emphasis. The lean, open arrangement perfectly suited this simple song and allowed Mavis Staples, backed by her sisters, to get the maximum effect from her rather low-key, smokey lead vocal.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: cyan;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></span> <span style="color: cyan;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Neither <i>Hold On to Your Dream</i> nor the single featuring the title song charted; and the album was quickly forgotten, along with most of the records they made after leaving the Curtom label in the mid-1970s, including three for Warner Bros and a later one for Private. But their rich legacy of gospel, soul and funk music going back to the 1950s have ensured their place in the annals of great American vocal groups. Not only that, Mavis Staples remains an astonishing soul interpreter.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: cyan;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></span> <span style="color: cyan;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">The fact that most of the outside projects recorded and produced by Sansu were not commercial winners meant that, by the early 1980s, the team had lost much of the appeal it had to recording companies; and that side of their business subsided. Without some big hits coming out, a studio and producer lose their cachet over time; and even at their “Lady Marmalade” height, Toussaint and Sea-Saint did not get in the really big industry accounts, with the exception of Paul McCartney and Wings’ LP for Capitol,<i> Venus and Mars,</i> recorded at the studio with a little help from Toussaint and a few other local players.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: cyan;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></span> <span style="color: cyan;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">As for Wardell, his work for Sansu was not all he was up to in the 1970s. As I have noted, he regularly worked for Senator Jones’ group of labels and had his own private production projects from time to time. Not only that, for a few years mid-decade he regularly travelled to Shreveport, LA to do production and arranging for a soul label, Alarm. My next installment on Big Q will cover some of those Alarm singles by artists such as Ted Taylor and Reuben Bell.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: cyan;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></span> <span style="color: cyan;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Until then, I’ll be covering more artists and grooves from the HOTG archives, so check back. . . .</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: cyan;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></span> <span style="color: cyan;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">I’ll leave you with a re-quote from Danny Jones, who co-engineered the Staple Singers album at Sea-Saint, on what working with Big Q was like. It’s taken from my 2007 post about the LP:</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span> <span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><i><span style="font-size: small;">Wardell.....what can I say? One of the nicest, easy going producer/arrangers I've ever worked with. Absolutely knew what he was going after and knew how to convey it to everyone. He was always in command, but ruled with a calm politeness. Wardell was always a gentleman, a very talented gentleman. Everyone had a great deal of respect for him. I knew if I was booked on a session with Wardell it would be good session, because it always was! Wardell is one of the reasons I still miss New Orleans!</span></i></span>Dan Phillipshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12185793905565005146noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8722495.post-74417326637580239742014-03-03T19:19:00.000-06:002014-03-31T00:31:37.875-05:00Carnival Seasoning 2014, Part 2 ...and<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="color: lime;">With Mardi Gras Day fast approaching, allow me to add some last minute tunes to your dance card. The HOTG Radio webcast is on what we hope to be a temporary hiatus, as reported earlier. So, the offerings on this post and Part 1 [scroll down], will have to suffice for my holiday selections this year; but, once again, let me remind you to lock in to WWOZ’s 24/7</span> <a href="http://www.wwoz.org/programs/streams" target="_new"><span style="color: #f1c232;">webcast</span></a> <span style="color: lime;">direct from the source, the City That Care Forgot, to help fulfill your partying needs. </span></span></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDKMQAKXSRK-rF2BeVpPro2a6qCn-7ztwwlRyYOe6uvSRnnOHu8b_4oI-3QUSHpBGhqJEpoVMA8OYwy4UqYSJsNAonNm8EolaymWypXZpqHb6EjMcYuQ5IyMlYc9e07JKXLI_f/s1600/chosenfewLP-001.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDKMQAKXSRK-rF2BeVpPro2a6qCn-7ztwwlRyYOe6uvSRnnOHu8b_4oI-3QUSHpBGhqJEpoVMA8OYwy4UqYSJsNAonNm8EolaymWypXZpqHb6EjMcYuQ5IyMlYc9e07JKXLI_f/s320/chosenfewLP-001.JPG" /></a><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span> <a href="http://www.hipcast.com/export/P8b6d2484410e48717ccd52e1c27c9179ZVl/Rn1uY2NxUg.mp3" target="_new"><span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">“Red Dress”</span></span></span></a><br />
<span style="color: #d5a6bd;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Chosen Few Brass Band, Syla AL-349, 1985/86</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span> <span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="color: lime;">I featured the mighty fine “Mardi Gras Iko/Food Stamp Blues” from this rare LP last year. You can read more about the members and origins of this influential, but relatively short-lived brass ensemble on</span> <a href="http://homeofthegroove.blogspot.com/2013/01/choosin-few-blasts-from-past-for.html" target="_new"><span style="color: #f1c232;">that post</span></a><span style="color: lime;">.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: lime;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></span> <span style="color: lime;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">I’ll just note that, although the title of this tune is shown as “Red Dress”, it is no doubt a juiced-up instrumental rendering of Tommy Tucker’s 1964 R&B hit on Checker Records, “Hi-Heel Sneakers”. The Chosen Few’s chosen title is derived from the first line of the original, “Put on your red dress, baby, ‘cause we’re goin’ out tonight.”</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: lime;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></span> <span style="color: lime;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Whether or not your footwear is that snazzy, this rendition should make for some high stepping second-lining, whether curbside on the city streets as the parades pass by, or anywhere else on the planet you may find yourself.</span></span></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcE-ymf_Q-8GE6qGofnU5lRhyphenhyphenHR4_29XQQJFQQvp3dz4l2r5ElTrAvY_u9nJ_YT8Mder6dqNeastmMEvefD_HW14qwDc6vTUxf9rqBxdhgh1inVsjKcIy2nb_HAmt-YC3uXpfz/s1600/newsuit.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcE-ymf_Q-8GE6qGofnU5lRhyphenhyphenHR4_29XQQJFQQvp3dz4l2r5ElTrAvY_u9nJ_YT8Mder6dqNeastmMEvefD_HW14qwDc6vTUxf9rqBxdhgh1inVsjKcIy2nb_HAmt-YC3uXpfz/s320/newsuit.JPG" /></a><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span> <span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.hipcast.com/export/P7036149bbae6cb328e000c618386816bZVl/Rn1uY2N2Ww.mp3" target="_new"><span style="color: #f1c232;">“New Suit”</span></a> <span style="color: #d5a6bd;">(Wilson Turbinton)</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #d5a6bd;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Wild Magnolias, Treehouse Records 801A, 1975</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span> <span style="color: lime;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">As promised, here’s the top side of the single featured in Part 1, released in New Orleans for fans of the local Mardi Gras Indian, and Willie Tee’s funk, of course. The tunes would have been heard primarily on neighborhood jukeboxes and home turntables, as I doubt there was much commercial radio airplay, even in New Orleans. Then again, Tulane University’s non-commercial station, WTUL, was broadcasting at least to the campus neighborhood by that point (WWOZ wouldn’t fire up until 1980), so there is a good chance they got down on this record, too.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: lime;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></span> <span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="color: lime;">Written by Wilson Turbinton, a/k/a Willie Tee, who served as bandleader, writer/co-writer, and arranger for the Wild Magnolias’ recording projects, “New Suit” refers to the magnificent costume decorated with feathers, rhinestones, and beads in unique configurations that each member of the Indian gangs makes annually to wear for their runs on Mardi Gras day, as well as around St. Joseph’s Day a few weeks later. They are intricate, painstaking works of art that involve easily hundreds of hours each, all for the goal of having the most impressive displays of all, and acknowledgement of being “prettiest”. For more about the tradition,</span> <a href="http://www.knowla.org/entry/827/" target="_new"><span style="color: #f1c232;">read here</span></a><span style="color: lime;">.</span></span></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSnGXymc87qxAXUEJhdABeHqiaSdf_zWdclJGvfqU9rM68TkOdJXK0XvUxWQTqM2G5jXb_FT8goA6AIFPBhgkJpggxONLCukutg2UtAaxRa4EJZGgE4qa5n7T2b0XQbCE1cUmQ/s1600/rubberband.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSnGXymc87qxAXUEJhdABeHqiaSdf_zWdclJGvfqU9rM68TkOdJXK0XvUxWQTqM2G5jXb_FT8goA6AIFPBhgkJpggxONLCukutg2UtAaxRa4EJZGgE4qa5n7T2b0XQbCE1cUmQ/s320/rubberband.JPG" /></a><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span> <span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.hipcast.com/export/P2ddae4730ccce1c6618290183044ed61ZVl/Rn1uY2NxUA.mp3" target="_new"><span style="color: #f1c232;">“The Rubber Band”</span></a> <span style="color: #d5a6bd;">(Traci Borges)</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #d5a6bd;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Eddie Bo & the Soulfinders, Knight 303-3, 1970-ish</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span> <span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.hipcast.com/export/Peca4e9e86c9f1fec140bfd3415699eaeZVl/Rn1uY2NxVw.mp3" target="_new"><span style="color: #f1c232;">“Rubber Band, part 2”</span></a> <span style="color: #d5a6bd;">[303-4]</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span> <span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="color: lime;">[Revised 3/31/2014] </span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="color: lime;">I wanted to get in a funky dance record, something that’s not heard too much. So what better than this hard to find, two-part Eddie Bo single from around/about the early 1970s. I assume that The Rubber Band was a dance going around New Orleans at the time, since the Meters did</span> <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wrkNWlMUfSU" target="_new"><span style="color: #f1c232;">“Stretch Your Rubber Band”</span></a> <span style="color: lime;">for Josie (#1026), which states “People all over the land, there’s a new dance called The Rubber Band....”. They had a brief national hit with it, just breaking into the top 50 on the R&B chart for several weeks early in 1971; and I’m sure the song was even more popular at home. </span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: lime;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></span> <span style="color: lime;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Conceivably, Bo’s recording of “The Rubber Band”, was a created in an attempt to catch the Meter’s wave and/or the dance’s fleeting appeal, and cash in; but the scarcity of this 45 and lack of information about it suggest that was not the case. Traci Borges, owner and operator of Knight Records and Knight Recording Studio in suburban Metairie, LA just west of NOLA, where the song was cut, was credited as writer and producer. Bo no doubt arranged the session, though, as it has plenty of the musical quirks and high funk factor his fans revere him for.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: lime;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></span> <span style="color: lime;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Though I don’t know who comprised the Soulfinders, their captured poly-rhythmic synergy is priceless. The track sounds like the Meters and some of James Brown’s band took magic mushrooms and jammed together with a harmonica playing hippie who wandered in. It all worked out surprisingly well, with the loose-but-tight, broken-up drumming gainfully guiding the groove. Since Bo had recorded several of his productions for the Scram label, including “Hook & Sling”, at Knight a year of two earlier, he may have used some of the same players, including master beat generator, James Black, in particular. </span></span></span><br />
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</span></span></span> <span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="color: lime;">Though “[The] Rubber Band” did not directly address the dance itself, Bo would revisit the theme again as a title for one of his own productions,</span> <a href="http://homeofthegroove.blogspot.com/2007/04/stretching-it.html" target="_new"><span style="color: #f1c232;">“Shelly’s Rubber Band”</span></a><span style="color: lime;">, that came out in 1971 on the House Of The Fox label, attributed to Curley Moore (and the Kool Ones).<br />
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[Note: Bob McGrath's second editon (2006) of <i>The R&B Indies</i> lists another Bo single with the Soullfinders on Knight, “Sweeter Than Mine” / “Afro Bush”, also numbered 303; but, that discography seems to be the only mention of it. Since reading that, I have found no hard evidence of the record's existence. So, I asked Bob about it. He does not recall where the information might have come from and now considers it an error. Even the experts can make a mistake from time to time, let alone us rank amateurs.<br />
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On a related tangent, after bringing up that alleged other Bo 45 on Knight in the earlier version of this post, my friend and consultant, Jon Tyler of the <a href="http://nevilletracks.wordpress.com/" target="_new"><span style="color: #f1c232;">NevilleTracks blog</span></a>, wrote in the comments that he had found evidence of a New Orleans single with the same song titles, but by another group, E. Gaunichaux & the Skeptics! It appears to have been a one-off possibly releasd on the band's own imprint, E.M.G. Mollatic Records. A <a href="http://www.discogs.com/E-Gaunichaux-Skeptics-Afro-Bush-Sweeter-Than-Mine/release/2940354" target="_new"><span style="color: #f1c232;">label shot</span></a> of it at Discogs shows that it was cut at Rosemont Studio in N.O and produced by one E. Lepage. Jon has a Youtube link for the audio of the A-side, "Afro Bush", in his comment. Listen for yourself; but it sounds pretty much like a young garage band to me. As unusual as the nomenclature may be on that record, I see no connection to Eddie Bo in any of it. I don't know how those titles got transposed to the <i>Indies</i> under Bo's name, though. If any of E. Gaunichaux & the Skeptics are out there, please report in and enlighten us.....]</span></span></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOj5jKKdaM9hm_kxOdaq2OAE1y8xHfXwXqSoyLxQNpiHBB6CC-wquHBfrrrgt8jFiizm8Mrd9vhUufM_ir5HBkMS34FI1uYzUrMM3eLV8E4R8VZ9aXdAxAF0KllbeTC5-syqD0/s1600/bontonLP-rb.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOj5jKKdaM9hm_kxOdaq2OAE1y8xHfXwXqSoyLxQNpiHBB6CC-wquHBfrrrgt8jFiizm8Mrd9vhUufM_ir5HBkMS34FI1uYzUrMM3eLV8E4R8VZ9aXdAxAF0KllbeTC5-syqD0/s320/bontonLP-rb.JPG" /></a><br />
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</span></span> <span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.hipcast.com/export/P531aa867c33cc360d1d017f0b67b0ee7ZVl/Rn1uY2NxUQ.mp3" target="_new"><span style="color: #f1c232;">“Bon Ton Roule”</span></a> <span style="color: #d5a6bd;">(C. Garlow)</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #d5a6bd;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Ronnie Barron, from <i>Bon Ton Roulette</i>, Takoma ST-72819, 1985</span></span></span><br />
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</span></span> <span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="color: lime;">Finally, as Mardi Gras day is just hours away, here’s a South Louisiana R&B classic covered by Ronnie Barron on a great LP that came out almost 30 years ago. For details on Ronnie’s impressive, but mostly unheralded career in music, see</span> <a href="http://homeofthegroove.blogspot.com/2005/05/reverend-ether.html" target="_new"><span style="color: #f1c232;">my post</span></a> <span style="color: lime;">on him from 2005 [I really need to get back to him with a big post - it’s been too long.] </span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: lime;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></span> <span style="color: lime;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Clarence Garlow recorded his original tune, “Bon Ton Roula”, which had an irresistible rhumba-esque groove and some cryptic turns of phrase, in 1949 for the Macy’s label in Houston, Texas. Released in 1950, it was a Top Ten hit on the R&B charts, and has been covered numerous times over the years. Of course, the title is a variant of the oft repeated phrase in South Louisiana French, “Laissez le bons temps rouler”, “Let the good times roll”, that sums up the party-down spirit of Mardi Gras and the region’s perpetually festive social life in general.</span></span></span><br />
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</span></span></span> <span style="color: lime;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Ronnie’s version of the tune is bad-ass, singing in his lower register and rolling the piano keys backed up by some equally fine players: Harry Ravain, drums; Larry Taylor, bass; Al Johnson, rhythm guitar; with Lee Allen and Plas Johnson on tenor sax, and Jerry Jumonville on baritone sax. It should make a worthy addition to your Under The influence of Carnival playlist. Enjoy.....and</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #d5a6bd;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">H A P P Y</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> <span style="color: #f1c232;">M A R D I</span> </span></span><br />
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</span></span> <span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> <span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="color: lime;">G R A S</span> </span></span></span><br />
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</span></span> <span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"> <span style="color: #d5a6bd;">2 0 1 4</span></span></span></span><br />
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</span></span> <span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> <span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">Y' A L L</span></span></span></span><br />
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</span></span> <span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> <span style="color: lime;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">! ! !</span></span></span></span><br />
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</span></span> <span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Photos by Dan Phillips, from 2014 <span style="color: #d5a6bd;">Krewe du Vieux</span> and <span style="color: #f1c232;">Krewe Delusion</span> parades, plus 2013 <span style="color: lime;">Super Sunday</span>.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="color: lime;">To see more parade shots, click </span><a href="http://imgur.com/a/9RPGa#0" target="_new"><span style="color: #f1c232;">here</span></a></span><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span>Dan Phillipshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12185793905565005146noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8722495.post-53672093669322021962014-02-22T15:25:00.003-06:002014-02-25T23:12:38.137-06:00Listen Up And Soon…….HOTG Radio Is Going Away<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: cyan;">The separate but affiliated webcast known more or less as Home of the Groove Internet Radio has been streaming music from my archives for going on 7 years via LoudCity, a service provider who made the “station” available to online listeners and paid licensing fees/royalties for the music to the proper authorities. Recently, LoudCity, which has assisted many small webcasters since early this century, announced that it would cease operations by the end of February, if not before. So, while the stream is still up today, in a matter of hours or days, it will be gone. Catch it while you can. I can’t say for sure at this point if it will be back.</span></span></span><br />
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</span></span></span> <span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: cyan;">While certainly affiliated with this blog, the webcast was originally set up by an old friend of mine out West as an experiment. When he told me what he was doing and asked what I thought about using the audio tracks from my blog posts as the core programming, I immediately signed on to the project. From jump, my cohort, Larry, has administered the streaming technicalities, and instigated the accompanying hotg.org website to display the full blog posts or photos associated with the songs as they go by. I’ve simply provided the musical content for the stream, continually updating the playlist with recently featured blog numbers, plus other choice tidbits out of my vinyl and digital collections. We amassed nearly 40 hours of content over the years.</span></span></span><br />
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</span></span></span> <span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: cyan;">At least in the short term, there is no Plan B<span style="color: #ead1dc;">*</span> for HOTG Radio. Unfortunately, Larry is currently in the midst of a serious health crisis. His recovery is top priority right now. So, let’s just say the webcast is going on hiatus and hope we can find a way to get it back online once he is up to it. I’ll let y’all know of any status change, since, knocking wood, this blog will go on in its usual unpredictable fits and starts.</span></span></span><br />
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</span></span></span> <span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: cyan;">I want to thank everyone who has supported the station over the years with donations and other encouragement. Wish we could have made it through Mardi Gras, again. But, hey, if you don’t already do so, connect with WWOZ’s</span> <a href="http://www.wwoz.org/programs/streams" target="_new"><span style="color: #e69138;">online broadcasts</span></a> <span style="color: cyan;">from New Orleans. You can also find some choice obscurities from these parts (a few I which I don’t even have) on Mr. Fine Wine’s great weekly WFMU show,</span> <a href="http://wfmu.org/playlists/SV" target="_new"><span style="color: #e69138;">Downtown Soulville</span></a><span style="color: cyan;">, and archives. Of course, there are other great New Orleans-related broadcasts going on around the web as well. Search away</span></span></span><br />
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</span></span></span> <span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: cyan;">Be of good cheer and hang in, I’ve got more Mardi Gras-inspired tunage coming soon to this location.</span></span></span><br />
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</span></span></span> <span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: cyan;"><span style="color: #ead1dc;">*</span>If you have any suggestions for a viable webcasting option, email me at the address on the sidebar, or leave a comment.</span></span></span>Dan Phillipshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12185793905565005146noreply@blogger.com4