rhythmadventures

[rhythmadventures]

While I was watching The Jacksons: An American Dream, a miniseries from 1992 produced by Suzanne de Passe and Stan Marguiles based on an autobiography of Katherine Jackson (Michael Jackson's mother), I discovered that Michael's dancing and performance style were strongly inspired by the stagecraft of Jackie Wilson (1934 – 1984), known also as Mr. Excitement.

And it was not just Michael who copied Jackie Wilson, but also, among others, James Brown and Elvis Presley. In his live performances Wilson performed splits, knee-drops, spins, back-flips and one-foot slides across the floor. Just see how similar Wilson’s mini choreographies are to the later hit performances by Jackson and Presley! Here is Jackie Wilson singing Lonely Tear Drops and That's why (I love you so):

PS. In 1984 Michael Jackson paid tribute to Jackie Wilson while receiving the Grammy award. Here is his short speech:

[rhythmadventures]

Lil Hardin Armstrong (1898 – 1971) is a legendary jazz pianist, composer and vocalist. In a blurb for the recently published book about Lil (Born to Swing: Lil Hardin Armstrong's Life in Jazz, published on 2nd January 2018), Mara Rockliff and Michele Wood (illustrator) wrote:

At a time when women's only place in jazz was at the microphone, Lil earned a spot playing piano in Chicago's hottest band.

Indeed, keep this sentence in mind then you see the entry in The Penguin Guide to Jazz written by Richard Cook and Brian Morton. Morton and Cook refer to Lil as the former Mrs Armstrong, as if she were some sort of gold digger and not the person who fostered Louis Armstrong's musical career for many years. Assholes. Anyway, they open the entry with this:

The former Mrs Armstrong was never much of a piano player, which may be why keyboard duties were entrusted to others on most of these sessions. But her vocal talents were more likeable, and on these now-obscure sides she comes on like a precursor of Nellie Lutcher and other, vaguely racy, post-war singers.

Then they go on to desribe the work of men who worked with Lil, giving her only one more sentence in her own encyclopaedic entry. Once again, assholes.

Just so y'all know, this never much of a piano player started learning piano in third grade, obtained a diploma in 1917 and continued playing piano professionally at least until late 1950s, so for well over 40 years. Never much of a piano player also tried, unsuccessfully, to change careers and become a tailor instead of a pianist in the late 1940s but she was too well known for her piano skills to develop another career. She also studied at the New York College of Music and earned a postdoctorate degree there in 1929. Never much of a piano player.

Screw you, Cook and Morton. For the sake of your own entertainment and satisfaction, I encourage all of you to check out Lil yourself and ignore Cook and Morton, because Lil was one hell of a character! Here is one of my favourite songs by her, Let's Get Happy Together from 1938.

[rhythmadventures]

Irving Berlin's lyrics for When That Man is Dead and Gone (1941) were first recorded (as far as I know) by Al Bowlly and Jimmy Mesene (as a backup vocalist) on the 2nd of April 1941 in London. According to Ian Whitcomb, on the 17th of April the same year, so about two weeks after that piece had been recorded, Bowlly was killed by a Luftwaffe parachute mine detonated in front of this apartment at 32 Duke Street, Duke's Court, St James, London.

The lyrics are worth analysing, so I just paste them here:

Satan, Satan thought up a plan, Dressed as a man Walking the earth and since he began The world is hell for you and me. But what a heaven it will be When that man is dead and gone. When that man is dead and gone.

We'll go dancing down the street Kissing everyone we meet When that man is dead and gone.

What a day to wake up on. What a way to greet the dawn. Hap- hap- happy, yes indeed! On the morning when we read That that man is dead and gone.

We've got a date To celebrate The day we catch up with that one man spreading hate.

His account is overdrawn. And his chances are in pawn. Some fine day the news will flash Satan with the small moustache Is asleep beneath the lawn When that man is dead and gone.

The song was also performed by The Glenn Miller Orchestra (you can find it on vol. VI of The Complete Glenn Miller 1940-1941 collection published on vinyl, Bluebird (3) ‎– AXM2-5569)  and one of my favourite jazz singers, Mildred Bailey. Here is her version of the piece, also dated 1941, initially released as a single by Decca (USA, catalog no. 3661, Shellac 10").

[rhythmadventures]

In chapter 8 of Fela’s authorized biography by Carlos Moore[❤] I found a mention of Geraldo Pino (1934 – 2008), one of the founders of modern African pop music, and his band the Heartbeats.

Pino was heavily inspired by James Brown's soul music and made a sweeping career with the Heartbeats, who in the early 1960's became one of highest earning bands in west Africa. According to Graeme Ewens, Pino and the Heartbeats were so popular that they got their own show on the Sierra Leonian television when it was introduced in 1962. Pino was also a major influence behind Fela's Afro-beat!

So this is how Fela described his first impressions when he went to Pino's concert in Ringway Hotel in Accra:

The whole place was jumping. The music carried me away completely. To me, it was really swinging music. I say, ‘Look the drummer, how he plays drums!’ Ohhhhh, I say, ‘Whaaaaat? This is heavy-o!’ I was saying to myself, ‘I need equipment like this, man!’ Oooooooo, I was enjoying the music! Can you understand my situation at that club that night? Needing to find a job myself, but enjoying the music so much that I even forgot I myself was a fucking musician.

[❤] Carlos Moore, Fela: This Bitch of a Life. Omnibus Press (first published in 1982, reedition in 2010).

[rhythmadventures]

'Til The Well Runs Dry

This blog resulted from my idea to explore the music I enjoy dancing to. I will aim at posting here three times a week. Each time I will try to provide you with a new album, a new artist or a new great piece together with a short introduction.

Keep in mind that all I post here, unless the reference says otherwise, is just my opinion. Feel free to write to me and discuss whatever music or dance related issues come to your mind. I will appreciate all new sources of music or musical knowledge, so recommend to me any books or albums to get. I have a preference towards legal sources whenever they are available.

I would like to open this news feed with one of my mood boosters by Wynona Carr (1924 - 1976) from her Jump Jack Jump! album (Specialty ‎– SPCD-7048-2, Reissue 2004).

Note how marvellously the honest and focused message in the lyrics corresponds to husky and energetic contralto vocals!