Charlie Mingus' nimble fingers

Charles Mingus was a creative genius, a fact boldly obvious from listening to any of his work, sometimes seemingly borne from mere whim, his ensemble held together by his background hollers and hoots, pressing forward like a train into long cuts until it winded down every rail.
Legend has it that Charlie had an erratic temper, but what else can we ask for from this compositional master?  My favorite snippet from his wiki bio:

Guitarist and singer Jackie Paris was a first-hand witness to Mingus's irascibility. Paris recalls his time in the Jazz Workshop: "He chased everybody off the stand except [drummer] Paul Motian and me... The three of us just wailed on the blues for about an hour and a half before he called the other cats back."
 
For an interesting portrait of the man behind the music check out this 1968 documentary (viewable online).  If one thing is clear, Mingus was an emotional guy, and despite his personal struggles and perhaps instability, he expressed it beautifully in his music.

There is a quintessential recording of Mingus'  'I'll Remember April' from his Atlantic label years that I could not find online, so I will leave you with the first song of his that I heard that sent a chill down my spine

 

Early Beatles

Continuing on my prior post's mention of the vast, surreal world of the super-unit that is the Beatles, it is difficult to imagine them before they hit big, mostly because their popularity escalated so rapidly.  There isn't much of a lapse between their success as leatherclad heartthrobs playing shows in Hamburg from 1960-1962 to the masses of hysterical, trance-induced teenage girls that overtook Liverpool and then the world.

Less than 3 years before that Lennon had met McCartney and the "Quarrymen" were playing with sporadic members in the basement of a coffeeshop.  They picked up a 14-year old Harrison the next year, and found a drummer in the kid whose mother operated the venue, Pete Best.

After achieving local stardom in Hamburg first (that's right, Germany), in 1962 the group worked with Tony Sheridan as a "backing band," only appearing on lead vocals for a few songs.  Their acclimating success overshadowed Sheridan and around the same time the group ditched Pete Best in favor of Ringo Starr for still inconclusive reasons.  Both Sheridan and Best had difficulty getting over being one number from winning the lottery and never made much of a noticeable return to music.  Interestingly, Sheridan has continually discredited Best as a drummer, saying he had no rhythm or creativity, but I don't think Best was really ever given much of a chance to warrant the criticism.  I've not verified if he was on drums for this track, but it's a great cover of Dion DiMucci's "Ruby Baby."

 

Beautiful Boy

      It seems like every time musical icons are brought up, or a definitive artist of the 21st century is decided upon, it is John Lennon (or maybe Bob Dylan).  Yet it seems very little is known of his work outside The Beatles, which is really a separate, unique entity.  He is revered as a martyred peace-pushing romantic idealist, with modern transmutations reaching into Apple computer's advertising and the Obama election campaign.  I am not trying to disavow Lennon of his message or be anti-humanitarian for questioning it, but I just think that perhaps we act like we know more about him than we do.  I don't think most people can name another solo Lennon song other than Imagine, but that might not necessarily be bad, because the lack of specificity boils down his persona into one of optimism and progress, which gets most people on board (thus making for an effective campaigning platform).

    I am still trying to dig into Lennon through his music, but I would say that everyone should know this one other song:

      To analyze the gravity of The Beatles is a daunting task, oft attempted, which really requires an examination of their full catalog, all relative to the course of history.  Their music is something that is so generally accepted that it considered treason if you cannot appreciate some part of it.  It is my belief that they are the most important band ever.  It is worth learning about for reasons beyond the music because, whether you like it or not, it really carved a path for the world in many different ways.
      However, just as the whole is more than the sum of its parts, they all began with and developed their own individual musical talent.  Their talent as a group was contagious and expansive, and when they went about their own way they had honed their own skills.  I am still getting around to John Lennon, and believe that what he is remembered for may not be precise, and exaggerated in lieu of this evidence, but basically true.  I will leave that with one more clip which provides a glimpse into the iconoclast (feat. Harrison in studio), which to me exemplifies just a brilliant, beautiful sounding musician if nothing else.

Wor

Django Django are a kind of psychedelic outfit from those UK parts (Scotland).  Their album hasn't dropped here in the West yet, but I expect they will make a splash considering there hasn't been a consistently good psych-rock group to clamor for in the wake of MGMT and more recently, Foster the People.

There are elements of surf-rock, dance beats, and a seemingly uptempo spirit tinged by unease, blanketed with a psychedelic glaze.  The singer sounds as though Simon & Garfunkel had been trained by Ziggy Stardust in space and jammed with the Talking Heads.  In other words, pretty unique.  The self-titled album is like a mashing of Meddle and Smile and is certainly worth listening outside the scope of the trippy visuals.

Stop Breakin' Down

1937! That's a pretty long time ago, and that's when Robert Johnson, musical embarrassment-turned-guitar virtuoso, recorded this tune.  Over 60 years later the White Stripes gave it new life on their earthquake of a debut album (self-titled).

 

The Stripes also did a live version for BBC that is more true to the original bluesy version and worth checking out. 

Robert Johnson was a major force for rock and roll and has a sketchy legacy, not unlike many other blues musicians at the time, and also due to having a greater reputation after he died.  Was he more important than Hendrix?  Maybe, but without a self-sustaining memory/estate, people don't know.  Well, at least the White Stripes know and are willing to share.

Wild Life

Here's a prime Macca masterpiece.  "Wild Life" was the 1971 debut album of Paul McCartney and Wings, a collaboration of Paul, wife and the two Dennys (Linda, drummer Denny Seiwell, and Moody Blues guitarist Denny Laine).  This song (title track) gives off Moody Blues vibes, but maybe I'm imagining that.  It was mastered by Steve Hoffman, and after some strife about not getting "his share" from the label or whatnot, he sold individual copies of the unreleased audiofile versions from his own website until legal pursuit probably tangled it.  DCC Compact Classics were a company that pressed audiophile 24k gold-plated CD and vinyl LPs, back when people cared about the quality of music.

Wish You Were Here- Pink Floyd, Stephane Grappelli

     So, so you think you can tell, when you've heard enough of a song?  Well I encourage you to give this version another spin.  It is an original recording of "Wish You Were Here" from 1976 and it is totally different than the released version.  What makes it particularly amazing is the violin solo improvised by the legendary Stepane Grappelli, who just happened to be recording in the next studio, invited in by the Floyd for an impromptu take.  To give you some background Grappelli played with guitarist Django Reinhardt as far back as the 1930's when jazz music was in it's infancy (more on him to come).

    Unfortunately this is another recording which didn't see the light of day until (as far as I know) the recent release of the Experience box set, some 35 odd years later.  This version is heart-wrenching, but it must not have fit with what Pinky and the Floyd were going for on this album.  The 68-year-old Grappelli had not even heard the song (and probably the band) before, yet his performance is absolutely gripping.  Just another magnificent crossroads of musicians.

Superstar Punani

       Here's a not-too well known Sublime tune, recorded for the their self-titled album released in '96.  This was actually their third and last album, atypical of eponymous album titles, which usually mark a debut. 

       However, it never made it onto this album and wasn't even put out as a single as planned because "Sublime" exceeded expectations and launched the band into infamy.  That album was released two months after lead singer Brad Nowell's death, so that he was never able to see the far-reaching success of the band.  However, the fame they had achieved even up until that point had been affecting Brad, and it is conveyed in this song.  Other than Notorious B.I.G., I can't think of another artist that was only able to see two albums put out but make such a long-standing impact.  Kind of ironic that the song about fame was cut from the album that went 5x Platinum, where every song has radio play.

Davids Byrne is an alien!

Drifting a bit from the blues, but this guy is definitely an original.  Talking Heads:

Death Letter

Here's another song that just doesn't get old for me.

 

White Stripes:

Son House:

Bright Lights

This guy is magic.  Really has a huge mixing of sound and a wide range.  Found out he borrowed the idea behind the lyrics for this song when my Itunes shuffled onto Jimmy Reed's "Bright Lights Big City".  Speaking of Magic, I've recently stumbled into the urethra of blues and have had the virtuoso guitarist/singer Magic Sam on repeat.  Was linked to him after listening to his younger friend and student Magic Slim, who has a more classic Chicago blues sound to him.  The sheer rawness, the natural skill at an instrument still in its infancy for this purpose is astounding- and he could sing his heart out.  Even the other musicians look at each other like they are Marvin Berry listening to Marty McFly play

Who Do You Love

Here's some Bo Diddley originals.  Hit play now and read on
Bo was a pioneer of rock from Mississippi who was an usher in the transition of blues elements to our favorite bands, the Who, the Stones, The Doors, Zeppelin, The Beatles and artists like Hendrix, Elvis, Buddy Holly.  Robert Plant called him a "royal shapeshifter."  Until recently I couldn't tell you what he did because he didn't have many charted singles, but yet his music is everywhere.

It's a classic example of the trampled underdog; he was sheisted by the record companies, never directly recognized but ripped off by everyone, the man even invented a beat!  It shows how actual influence is sometimes untraceable when we just look at the most famous people today.  So if you consider widespread, groundbreaking, but generally unattributed success, then Bo Diddley is one of the most important and successful musicians. Yet his name is most recognizable today as that of Obama's dog (Obama is a blues fan).

"I don't like to copy anybody. Everybody tries to do what I do, update it. I don't have any idols I copy. They copied everything I did, upgraded it, messed it up. It seems nobody can come up with their own thing, they have to put a little bit of Bo Diddley there."

Although not portrayed by Oliver Stone's brutally fictitious account of the band, the Doors' sound and particularly Jim Morrison's vocal style were majorly blues-inspired.  In 1967 they played at The Matrix where at least half of their set were covers.  They just went farther in their own direction and the blues core became less visible.  Below is their version of "Who Do You Love," which sounds like something Jim wrote himself.

Back when classic blues were still being called "jungle music," Bo Diddley was the first African American to appear on the Ed Sullivan show and subsequently banned for not playing the song that they requested him to, instead playing his eponymous hit.  Coincidentally, Morrison infuriated Sullivan 12 years later in similar fashion when he promised and then refused to omit the word "higher" while playing Light My Fire live, and they too were banned.  Only, that performance had already lifted them off them off the ground and they wouldn't need Sullivan again.

And here's Bo himself with "Before You Accuse Me," made famous by Clapton.

I Heard It Through the Grapevine

This song's no stranger to anyone.  It was a landmark in the history of Motown.  Originally recorded by Smokey Robinson and the Miracles, it was the Marvin Gaye version that was reluctantly released that became the most famous, created a star, and spawned his own genre, dubbed 'psychedelic soul'.  This was after it had already become the best-selling Motown song by Gladys Knight and the Pips at basically the same time.  There's a lot more to it, but my goal is not to reiterate the Wikipedia entry and I suggest you check it out yourself if you're particularly interested.
What I love about the song other than the rugged, soulful vocals is that it is upbeat while the lyrics describe a tragic breakdown of a relationship.  Creedence Clearwater Revival revived it in 1970 with this rockin version on Cosmo's Factory, signifying the incorporation of psychedelic soul with southern rock.  The eerieness and winding unease really rings out in the guitar.  Whether you have 3 minutes or 11 minutes this version is worth a listen.  After the radio-cut point, you can hear that CCR was in fact, an amazingly powerful band and not just some hillbilly hit makers.  In fact, the whole Cosmo's Factory album is great.

What'd I Say

This might be the most important song in rock and roll.  Originally improvised by Ray Charles' band at a show in 1958, the song acted as a seed for the most influential groups in transforming rock; the Beatles, the Stones, the Beach Boys, etc.  It's been covered by everyone from Nancy Sinatra to Johnny Cash, but it's origin is definitively Ray Charles, and he closed every concert with it for the rest of his career.

Being too young to know any of this, I was mystified by this version by John Mayall and the Bluesbreakers with Clapton.  It sounded strangely familiar, and then it even rips right into the riff from Daytripper (another monumental song).  So who is the real owner of that riff?  Apparently the unique guitar lick is attributed to Lennon, who came up with the song with Paul while they were working on Rubber Soul in 1965, one year before the release of the Bluesbreakers' album.  Seeing as Day Tripper was not a hit until 1966 though, is it possible that it could have been reached the ears of Eric Clapton, who was already personal friends with the Beatles, and been pilfered before that song was pressed?  Regardless, I love this version and it got me farther into the blues and its intertwining history.  The song, the album, and this band have epic connections to the world of rock.  Stay tuned

Ray's version:

Imagine if Tom Petty did the song "Imagine"

 Danny Michel might be Canada's own Jack Johnson.  Generally mellow and drawing on influence from Paul Simon, he's got some catchy tunes, but I think he's capable of rocking out even more eventually