Rest In Peace Eddie Palmieri

 

This is my favorite Eddie Palmieri album

Unfinished, maybe; a masterpiece, unquestionably.

Link
https://workupload.com/file/5543sBqcaYh

Blues at Newport

Well, another summer, another Newport Jazz festival.

Getting to Newport was an adventure unto itself.  As many of you know, I spend July and August in Southampton, Long Island.  Last Tuesday, a few friends who were accompanying me to the festival came out to Southampton.  On Thursday, we headed to Orient Point, to take the Cross Sound Ferry over to New London, Connecticut.  While we were waiting to drive on to the ferry, a car rammed into the back of my parked Land Rover (scared the living crap out of us).  We were all OK, and there was no damage, but the Honda had all kinds of front end damage, and was unable to continue onto the ferry.  Speaking of having the crap scared out of us, halfway to New London, the ferry lost power, and for five minutes (which seemed like an eternity), we drifted sideways in the Long Island sound until we regained power.

The rest of the weekend was a lot of fun, with great music and food.

Today's freeload is also Newport themed.

The Newport Folk Festival is an annual American folk-oriented music festival in Newport, Rhode Island, which began in 1959 as a counterpart to the Newport Jazz Festival.  The festival was founded by music promoter and Jazz Festival founder George Wein, music manager Albert Grossman, and folk singers Pete Seeger, Theodore Bikel, and Oscar Brand.  It was one of the first modern music festivals in America and remains a focal point in folk music.

The Newport Folk Festival played a significant role in the so-called Blues "revival" of the 1960s, with performances by rediscovered blues icons.

In 1959 Newport Folk Festival co-founder and Producer George Wein rented an off-site house for the weekend as a way to corral the various musicians that he’d brought up from around the country – most notably the deep South.  Many of the Blues musicians had never been to the Northeast before, and George Wein wanted to make sure they didn’t get into too much trouble downtown.  George wrote about this in his memoir 'Myself Among Others'.

"Joyce [George's wife - Ed] had found this house and furnished it with beds from Vernon Court.  The resulting residence, which we dubbed ‘The Blues House,’ was something to behold.  These timeless blues legends were having a ball.  It seemed that the house was full of song at all hours; Informal jam sessions would start in the afternoon and persist until the evening.  Some of these artists hadn’t seen each other in years; Others had never previously met. Having them all together under one roof was a joyous arrangement."

Mississippi John Hurt and Elizabeth Cotten at The Blues House

On The Blues House porch: (left to right)
Reverend Robert Wilkins, Gaither Carlton, Skip James, Arnold Watson, Mississippi John Hurt, Yank Rachell, Sleepy John Estes, Hammie Nixon, and Doc Watson

Today's freeload is a three CD set:
 

'Newport Folk Festival: Best of the Blues 1959 - 68' is one of my favorite live blues recordings, and in my opinion, belongs in every blues collection.

For the freeload, who is your favorite Pre-War Blues artist, who was rediscovered in the late 50s/early 60s.

Announcement

I'm going up to Newport, so this will be my last post until Tuesday, August 5th or Wednesday, the 6th.

It’s not the best lineup I’ve ever seen, but it’s always a fun time.

In the meantime, here's some music from a gentleman, I've seen several times over the years at Newport.

Link 1
https://workupload.com/file/vQYJcKL8Xzy

Link 2
https://workupload.com/file/KLyprusRt9W

T-Bone Walker - 'T-Bone Blues'

 

T-Bone Walker began recording in the late 1920s and was one of the first artists to use an electric guitar in the late 1930s.

He's had his guitar licks and stage moves "borrowed" by countless musicians.  Whenever you see Blues and Rock musicians playing a guitar behind their backs, between their legs, or playing with a pick in their mouths: T-Bone Walker did it first, and in the late 1940s.  

B.B. King cites T-Bone as a major influence, particularly on his electric guitar playing.  He even stated that when he first heard Walker, he thought: "Jesus himself had come back to earth playing an electric guitar."

Chuck Berry totally lifted T-Bone's guitar solo on "Strollin' With Bones" for his own "Johnny B. Goode". 

T-Bone's influence is enormous and widespread on numerous musicians across various genres.

'T-Bone Blues' was recorded by legendary record producers Ahmet Ertegun and Nesuhi Ertegun in April 1955 (in Chicago) and two December sessions in 1956 and 1957 (in Los Angeles).

Musicians on this album include, Junior Wells on harmonica, Jimmy Rogers on guitar, Willie Dixon on bass, and Francis Clay (of Muddy Waters and James Cotton fame) on drums, plus many others.

Unlike the rawer Chicago blues, this is a more laid back West Coast Blues vibe, with elements of jazz and swing.

The freeload is a 24-bit/96kHz vinyl (180 gram) rip of a 2011 release on the Friday Music label.  It was remastered by Joe Reagoso (the founder of Friday Music) from the original Atlantic Records monophonic tapes.  This is my favorite version of 'T-Bone Blues', and long out of print.

For the freeload, who are some of your favorite artists or bands who also possess exceptional showmanship?

Gene Ammons - 'Boss Tenor'

Eugene "Jug" Ammons, also known as "The Boss" (decades before Mr. Springsteen), was a jazz tenor saxophonist.  His accessible style, deeply rooted in soul, R&B, and characterized by his powerful sound and blues-infused, soulful improvisations, made him a prominent figure on the jazz scene.  Gene was the son of the renowned boogie-woogie pianist Albert Ammons, whom I will feature in a future post.

Gene infused his playing with influences from Lester Young and Ben Webster.  These artists had significantly elevated the expressiveness of the tenor saxophone.  Gene, alongside Dexter Gordon and Sonny Stitt, seamlessly integrated their innovations with the emerging vernacular of bebop.  The musical complexity and rhythmic variety of Charlie Parker are evident in Gene's playing.  While proficient in the technical aspects of bebop, particularly its fondness for harmonic modifications, Gene, unlike Lester Young, Ben Webster, or Charlie Parker, maintained a strong connection with the commercial blues and R&B of the day. 

Stanley Turrentine, Houston Person and Archie Shepp were all influenced by Gene's style, and wide range of textures on the saxophone.

The "Soul Jazz" movement of the mid-1950s, which frequently employed the combination of tenor saxophone and Hammond B3 electric organ, recognized him as a founding member.

Gene had little interest in playing the modal jazz of John Coltrane, Joe Henderson, or Wayne Shorter that was simultaneously gaining prominence.

During the 1950s, Gene recorded primarily jam session albums for Prestige Records.  In June 1960, the label’s founder and producer, Bob Weinstock, decided to record him on a more relaxed LP with just a rhythm section accompanying him. This resulted in one of Gene’s most acclaimed albums: 'Boss Tenor'.

The name of the album says it all

'Boss Tenor' was recorded on June 16, 1960, at Rudy Van Gelder's Studio in Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey (where else?), and released the same year on the Prestige label.

Along with Gene's tenor sax, this album has a great cast of players: Tommy Flanagan on piano, Doug Watkins on double bass, Art Taylor on drums and Ray Barretto on congas.  Gene and company breeze through seven selections, two of them Gene Ammons originals, "Hittin' the Jug" and "Blue Ammons".  Gene's cover of "Canadian Sunset" was a jazz hit on urban jukeboxes.

The overall feel of the album is very easygoing and very much focused on Gene's tenor with its "bossy sound" on ballads, blues, and uptempo tunes.  Gene's tone completely fills the space, as he confidently zigzags around a song, laying down long fluid lines of improvisation.

This is a classic, amongst classics.

The freeload is a 1997 20 Bit remastered reissue on the JVC label, from their XRCD (Extended Resolution Compact Disc) series.

For the freeload, what's your favorite nickname, given to a musician?

Babs' Bootleg Bonanza #7

Today's Bootleg Bonanza is two shows from King Crimson, and an acoustic show from Jerry Garcia.  All three have excellent sonics.

King Crimson
The Egg, Albany, NY 

September 10th, 2014

This was King Crimson’s first live public show since 2008.

Setlist

Threshold Soundscape and Intro

Larks' Tongues In Aspic, Part I
Pictures of a City
A Scarcity of Miracles
The ConstruKction of Light
One More Red Nightmare
Interlude
The Hell Hounds of Krim
Red
The Letters
VROOOM
Coda: Marine 475
Banshee Legs Bell Hassle
The Sailor's Tale
The Light of Day
The Talking Drum 
Larks' Tongues In Aspic, Part II
Starless

Improv Hoodoo
21st Century Schizoid Man

King Crimson
Verizon Hall, Philadelphia, PA
12 Sep 2014

Setlist
Threshold Soundscape And Intro
Larks' Tongues In Aspic Part I
Pictures Of A City
A Scarcity Of Miracle 
The ConstruKction Of Light
One More Red Nightmare
Interlude
Red
The Letters
Level Five
Banshee Legs Bell Hassle
The Sailor's Tale
The Light Of Day
The Talking Drum
Larks' Tongues In Aspic Part II
Starless
The Hell Hounds Of Krim
21st Century Schizoid Man

Musicians on both shows
Robert Fripp - Guitar, Keyboards
Jakko Jakszyk - Guitar, Vocals
Mel Collins - Saxes, Flute
Tony Levin - Basses, Stick, Backing Vocals
Pat Mastelotto - Acoustic And Electronic Percussion
Gavin Harrison - Acoustic And Electronic Percussion
Bill Rieflin - Acoustic And Electronic Percussion, Keyboards

Jerry Garcia with John Kahn on bass
Lonesome Prison Blues
Oregon State Penitentiary
May 5th 1982

This show was broadcast on KBZY-FM 

Setlist

Deep Elem Blues
Friend Of The Devil
Jack-A-Roe
Oh Babe It Ain't No Lie
It Takes A Lot To Laugh It Takes A Train To Cry
Run For The Roses
Ripple
I've Been All Around This World
Valerie
Dire Wolf

Reuben And Cherise


For the freeload, tell us what you've listening to over the past few days.

Rest In Peace

 

The George Mitchell Collection

George Mitchell (above) made numerous field recordings of Southern blues musicians and other traditional artists from 1962 to the early 1980s.  George is also a world-class photographer, and has authored nine books.

The George Mitchell Collection is a 7CD set.  The first 6 CDs compiles the first 45 volumes that were originally released on 7 inch vinyl on Fat Possum Records', plus a bonus CD.

For those unfamiliar with George Mitchell, he was a young blues fan in the 1960s who set out to follow in the footsteps of John and Alan Lomax, Sam Charters and a few others who had gone out to make field recordings of musicians.   In 1967, Mitchell took the cheapest tape recorder he could find, a Wollensack ($168 with a microphone) and sought out blues musicians willing to record for him.

The results were very cool.  He recorded some known names like Will Shade (who had led the Memphis Jug Band in the 1920s and 30s), Buddy Moss, Houston Stackhouse, Furry Lewis, Mississippi Fred McDowell, Robert Nighthawk (George made the last known recordings of Robert Nighthawk), Big Joe Williams, Sleepy John Estes, and Joe Callicott. 

George also discovered some then unknown musicians who became well known in blues circles.  George considered his best discoveries to be Cecil Barfield in Plains, Georgia in 1976 and R.L. Burnside in Holly Springs, Mississippi.  But there were other unknown musicians George discovered and recorded, including Othar Turner, Napolian Strickland and Jesse Mae Hemphill, who now all have commemorative markers on the Mississippi Blues Trail but were unknown before George Mitchell first recorded them in 1967.

Given that George used inexpensive recording gear, the sound on these tracks is surprisingly good.

CD1 - Volumes 1 through 7

CD2 - Volumes 8 through 14

CD3 - Volumes 15 through 22

CD4 - Volumes 23 through 29

The Robert Johnson on tracks 15 through 19 is not the legendary Robert Johnson who died in 1938.  This Robert Johnson was born in 1916 in Crowley, Louisiana, and recorded with his family by George Mitchell in their home just south of Cleveland, Mississippi.  There's a chapter about this Robert Johnson in George Mitchell's 1971 book 'Blow My Blues Away', which I highly recommend to blues fans.

As an aside: There was a Robert Johnson in my high school homeroom, he was not happy when I told him of the blues musician Robert Johnson, and offered to play 'King Of The Delta Blues Singers' for him. [whatevs - Ed]

CD5 - Volumes 30 through 38

CD6 - Volumes 39 through 45

CD 7 - Bonus Disc

For the freeload, tell us about favorite albums you bought, just because you liked the cover/album art.

John Coltrane - 'Blue World'

 

In 1964, filmmaker Gilles Groulx and the National Film Board of Canada asked John Coltrane to record the soundtrack for a French-language film titled "Le chat dans le sac" ("The Cat in the Bag").

Gilles Groulx was a jazz lover and wanted Trane's music as the film score.  After talking, Trane and Gilles, decided that instead of original compositions, Trane would record slightly different versions of older recordings.

On June 24, 1964, Trane and his legendary classic quartet, with McCoy Tyner on piano, Jimmy Garrison on bass, and Elvin Jones on drums entered Rudy Van Gelder's studio and recorded five previously-recorded Coltrane originals.

Trane and his quartet recorded thirty-seven minutes of music, with versions that differ (often significantly) from previously issued ones.  Gilles Groulx used only 10 minutes of Coltrane’s music for 'Le chat dans le sac', but in prominent places, with an obvious touch of pride.  The film became an early touchstone for Québec cinema.

Tracklist:
01. Naima (Take 1)
02. Village Blues (Take 2)
03. Blue World
04. Village Blues (Take 1)
05. Village Blues (Take 3)
06. Like Sonny
07. Traneing In
08. Naima (Take 2)

'Blue World' was released in September 2019.  It was remastered from the original 1/4" analog mono tapes by Kevin Reeves.  The Sonics have a warm, alive, and round sound with well-defined individual instruments.

The freeload has 24-bit/192kHz audio.

For the freeload, if you could make a film, who would you want (dead or alive) to score, and perform the soundtrack?

Amy Winehouse - 'The Collection'

Amy Winehouse was the embattled darling of neo-soul/pop.  The year 2003 feels like yesterday, when a friend turned me on to the tattooed, raven-haired soul singer, via the song "Fuck Me Pumps".  Amy reminded me of a cross between Shirley Bassey and Etta James.  A few years later, in 2006, Amy hit it big with the (self-prophesying) hit single "Rehab", from her second album 'Back to Black'. 

Amy's lyrics were unrepentant, and her personal reputation followed suit, with stories upon stories of mental health and drug and alcohol abuse.  I saw Amy perform in May 2007 at the Highline Ballroom in the Meatpacking District here in Manhattan.  Amy played for about an hour, in which she drank an entire bottle (750ml) of Sambuca.

Amy was also a kind soul, who donated her money, music, and time to numerous charities and causes, particularly those concerned with children.

'The Collection', a 5CD set, is not the complete Amy Winehouse, but it is pretty close.

CD1: 'Frank'

CD2: 'Back To Black'

CD3: 'Lioness: Hidden Treasures'

CD4: Live In London 
(Live from Shepherd’s Bush Empire, 2007)

CD5: Remixes

On July 23rd, 2011, Amy Winehouse shed her mortal coil.  
She was only 27 years old…

For the freeload, who's your favorite member of the so called "27 Club"?

John Lee Hooker - 'Don't Turn Me From Your Door' and 'Bedroom Boogie'

'Don't Turn Me From Your Door' was the first John Lee Hooker LP I bought in, back in 1963.  A year earlier, I bought Hook's 45 of "Boom Boom", which along with its flip side "Drug Store Woman", I played to death.

As a teenager, I dealt with bouts of Insomnia, and many nights I listened to a transistor radio that I played under my pillow.  I usually listened to either WWRL “The Big RL” or WLIB, both stations' target audience was African Americans in New York City.  The DJs on both stations were super hip, and spoke in "Jive", which I became fluent in.

One night, a DJ played a John Lee song, and afterward said, "That was 'Talk About Your Baby' from Hook's new platter, 'Don't Turn Me from Your Door'"  For the next week, I saved my lunch money, so I could buy the album.

In 1963, the civil rights era was in full swing, but in my neck of the woods, many records I wanted were not sold in white owned "mom and pop" record stores.  For me, this meant taking a bus from Brooklyn Heights over to "the hood" of Bedford-Stuyvesant (a.k.a. "Bed-Sty") to Lloyd's Records.  

Lloyd called me "Little Miss Beatnik" as at the time I was in full teenage beatnik kitten mode, dressed in all black with a beret, and Ray-Ban Wayfarers knock-offs, I called him "Mister Lloyd".  Lloyd's Records was what used to be called "a spot", meaning he also sold loose joints ("Loosies"), and three dollar bags of weed ("Trey bags").  In 1963, I didn't smoke weed, which back then had a bad reputation (in my high school health class they told us it would drive you incurably insane), but I thought nothing of taking Dexamyl ("Greenies"), which was a mix of amphetamine and barbiturate.  I mean, after all Dexamyl was medicine, and therefore good for you, right?

The day I went to buy 'Don't Turn Me From Your Door', a few doors down from Lloyd's a guy tried to stop me and told me, "If you want to walk down this street, you need to pay a street tax, little girl".  There was another guy sitting on a milk crate who said to him, "You gonna fuck with Lloyd's customers? That shit just ain't healthy, man!"  I just kept walking.

Inside the store Lloyd was spinning Ray Charles, he looked at me smiled, and said "Little Miss Beatnik!… What it is, girl?" "You and those things you do, Mister Lloyd!" was my reply, we slapped each other five, and I told him, "I'm here for the new Hook platter".   Mister Lloyd, a man who knew of what he spoke, told me it wasn't strictly speaking a new album, only six songs were new, and the rest were recorded in 1953 for the De Luxe Records label.

When I got home, I played this record non-stop.  It remains a favorite to this day.

The freeload is a Japanese remastered, limited edition reissue from 2012.

Here's a very cool bootleg with excellent audio from Hook.

'Bedroom Boogie' was broadcast on WXRT, an FM radio station in Chicago.  The Boot also has, three bonus tracks recorded in Switzerland.

This show is outstanding, with a fired up and full of energy Hook, in front of an enthusiastic audience.  Hook and his band are clearly feeding off the energy in the room, and give a blazing performance in return.  It’s obvious from listening that the room is quite small, and it must have been exciting watching a blues legend work his art in such an intimate setting.  You'll wish you were there.

Tracklist:

1. Boom Boom

2. Serves Me Right To Suffer
3. You Know It Ain't Right
4. Hobo Blues
5. One Bourbon One Scotch One Beer
6. Whiskey And Women
7. Crawlin' King Snake
8. Boogie Chillen
9. You Know I Love You
10. Maudie
11. Crazy 'bout You Baby

Bonus Tracks:
12. Boogie Chillen
(Recorded on July 15, 1983, at the Montreux Jazz Festival)
13. I Need Some Money
14. Bundle Up And Go
(Recorded in 1962, in Basel Switzerland for a Swiss radio broadcast) 

For the freeload, what song was your introduction to John Lee Hooker?