The "Jazz Police" had a field day with the 1969 Newport Jazz Festival,
which marked George Wein's concession to the burgeoning rock
market. While the usual names like Dave Brubeck, Art Blakey, Lee Morgan, Phil Woods, Charles Mingus, and Anita O'Day were on hand to represent the jazz contingent. A whole host of arena rock bands were booked for the annual summer bash in Rhode Island.
In its coverage that year, Down Beat Magazine ran the cover line: "Big Crowds, Bad Vibes." In n his report on the festival, respected jazz writer Ira Gitler referred to the whole affair as "The Newport Jive Festival." As he wrote: "George Wein started out as a jazz person, but now seems to have become a festival producer rather than a jazz producer." Gitler dismissed acts like Frank Zappa's Mothers of Invention as a, "a contemporary vaudeville show" and Led Zeppelin as "a lead balloon" as well as John Mayall, Ten Years After, Jethro Tull, Jeff Beck and Sly Stone. Gitler's colleague Dan Morgenstern also had little use for the rock acts, though he was considerably kinder to James Brown. As he wrote: "This was the most professional presentation of the festival, running smoothly from start to finish."
In its coverage that year, Down Beat Magazine ran the cover line: "Big Crowds, Bad Vibes." In n his report on the festival, respected jazz writer Ira Gitler referred to the whole affair as "The Newport Jive Festival." As he wrote: "George Wein started out as a jazz person, but now seems to have become a festival producer rather than a jazz producer." Gitler dismissed acts like Frank Zappa's Mothers of Invention as a, "a contemporary vaudeville show" and Led Zeppelin as "a lead balloon" as well as John Mayall, Ten Years After, Jethro Tull, Jeff Beck and Sly Stone. Gitler's colleague Dan Morgenstern also had little use for the rock acts, though he was considerably kinder to James Brown. As he wrote: "This was the most professional presentation of the festival, running smoothly from start to finish."
In 1969, "The James Brown Show", was a complete package, with
opening act The Dee Felice piano trio (James produced their 1969 album, 'In Heat'), and James close friend, comedian Nipsey Russell warming up the crowd.
I've always loved James' "cape routine". James falls to his knees in mock exhaustion before being covered with a cape and slowly led off-stage by Bobby Byrd, only to throw off the cape and dash back to the microphone to deliver another round of bone-chilling screams. This bit is repeated a few times before James finally relents and shuffles into the wings like a championship boxer after a particularly trying fight.
Though both Down Beat and Rolling Stone proclaimed Wein's rock experiment at the 1969 Newport Jazz Festival a "disaster," James Brown's appearance there was an unequivocal triumph.
Maceo Parker on tenor sax and alto sax
"Pee Wee" Ellis on tenor sax and alto sax
Fred Wesley on trombone
St. Clair Pinckney on baritone sax
Richard "Kush" Griffith on trumpet
Joe Davis on trumpet
Jimmy Nolen on guitar
Alphonso "Country" Kellum on guitar
Bobby Byrd on organ and the onstage announcer
Charles Sherrell on bass
Clyde Stubblefield on drums
For the freeload, who are some of your favorite performers who put on an energetic show?
All killer, no filler! Jerry Lee!
ReplyDeleteGibby Haynes, the best feel-good shows of the 80s. Raw energy and pure fun.
ReplyDeleteI had seen the TAMI Show when it came out in theatres, and in my teenage years seen JB LPs in the "record section" of a stationery store in the small town I lived in, but it wasn't until the 70s when my curiosity led me to the Cave niteclub in Vancouver BC to see for myself. Whew!!
ReplyDeleteOh man, saw Fred Wesley in Madrid about 9 mos ago. He obviously has slowed, a little, but the guy still has it. An artist that really puts on a high energy show, but never quite gets his due, is James Hunter. Closest I've seen anyone come to looking like Ernie K-Doe in terms of stage persona.
ReplyDeleteJames Hunter, eh? saw him a couple of times in England, once when he was Howlin' Wilf & The Vee-Jays and he wasn't particularly dynamic then. He's evidently improved with age and geography.
DeleteAs for the other, I'll have to say Little Richard, 1962.
David Byrne's American Utopian show was amazing. All band members played and sang and danced all around the entire stage area because they were wireless. Really great. Another tour that he had in 2008/2009 had a lot of choreography, very energetic. Also Talking Heads the Stop Making Sense concerts were also very energetic. Thanks Babs
ReplyDeleteToots Hibbert always delivered super-energetic shows as did drummer Clyde Stubblefield backing James Brown. His "Funky Drummer" beats are the most sampled ever. And later, after being fired along with the rest of the The Flames in the midst of a USO tour for getting ripped on Vietnamese weed, Clyde ultimately gravitated back to his adopted hometown of Madison, Wisconsin during the 1980s where he held down the drum throne in a number of unheralded soul bands including Tina and the Tigers. Even playing ignominious gigs at bowling alleys and the like, Clyde never let up playing hard edged beats that were relentlessly funky. He'd also be featured on a handful of songs like "Mustang Sally" singing in the manner of Wilson Pickett. Traveling with the Tigers around the midwest I got to know Clyde and he was as sweet as his music was potent. At the spoons we ate at on the road, I noticed Clyde would always anoint his meals with a lot of salt. Later that night, on the bandstand, his jet black shirt would slowly morph into a silvery grey as the sweat his body exuded dried on the fabric.
ReplyDeletePete Townshend and Keith Moon are the first to come to mind. I just wish I'd seen them live in the mid 60's. The rest are not bands you'll see mentioned much on this blog but Madness and Showaddywaddy put on fine stage shows with the dancing almost as important as the music and Ray Dorset of Mungo Jerry could bop with the best of them.
ReplyDeleteAs a teen, I saw Jackie Wilson, who was an amazing performer.
ReplyDeleteIn the late 70s, I saw Sammy Davis Jr, in Las Vegas. He sang, danced, did stand-up comedy, did impressions of fellow celebrities, played the drums, piano, vibes, and trumpet. And if that wasn't enough, he brought out boxer George Foreman, who he skipped rope with while The Count Basie Orchestra played.
Then there's Mick Jagger, who at 81 can still put on quite the show.
I remember seeing Logins & Messina in their day. Logins danced the whole gig. Kinda like Jethro Tull...It wore me out watching. The music was good, but I wasn't on the same drugs, apparently.
ReplyDeleteHa! I didn't expect to see Kenny Loggins here! Awesome...
DeleteProbably my earliest recollection of TV watching is James Brown and his cape routine on the Ed Sullivan show. (We could only watch TV on weekends and Mom controlled the channel-changing butter knife.) At that age I had no musical appreciation for the performance I was watching but was I was stunned by the spectacle of the man having a complete emotional collapse on stage. I was seriously worried for him and assumed he would be taken to a hospital after giving everything he had to the audience. Love Power Peace
ReplyDeleteOne of the first concerts I attended was Accadacca sometime in the 70's (memories a bit hazy exactly when) but the energy......
ReplyDeleteProbably why I've got tinnitus!
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ReplyDeleteI'd say Mr. Bruce Springsteen, who at age 63 seemed more sprightly than most of its younger audience, and that for the usual 3 hours+
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ReplyDeletehttps://workupload.com/file/cHMuWh2TbxC
Saw plenty of energetic punk shows in the LA area in the early 80s but Nomeansno in the late 80s was an unstoppable force of nature.
ReplyDeleteRodney Crowell at a small "opera house" in a local small town was astounding and indefatigable. Richard Thompson in a smaller barn, in my small town, was astonishing (on several occasions in different years, too). On a giant stage, probably the most energetic was Peter Gabriel at the Greek Theater in Berkeley, on his "Shock the Monkey" tour.
ReplyDeleteD in California
This one kicks ass, a mix of Conan the barbarian and Rick Wakeman.
ReplyDeleteThe "dungeon synth" scene is in flames
Bat
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qy73L0R7tF4
thanks
ReplyDeleteAngus !
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