#Sam Santamaria

[normanblogs]

Sam Santamaria during the Reina Hispanoamericana Press Presentation

Here are photos from the Press Presentation of Reina Hispanoamericana 2023 in Bolivia featuring our #ReinaHispanoamericanaFilipinas Ingrid “Sam” Santamaria Posted @withregram • @rhispanaoficial Fotografías grupales de la Presentación oficial de las 29 Candidatas aspirantes al Reina Hispanoamericana 2022 en el Hotel Radisson. Fotografías de David Condori Watch her and the other candidates in the…

[9cl]

What are your ten favorite albums of all time?

Oooooohhhhhhhh okay this may be hard. i'll list them out of order okay

1. Boards of Canada - Geogaddi

2. Aphex Twin - Drukqs

3. Tim Hecker - Radio Amor

4. JPEGMAFIA - All My Heroes Are Cornballs (the only good thing this dude ever did)

5. Sam Gendel - Fresh Bread

6. Animal Collective - Feels

7. Tek lintowe - The world

8. Sweet Trip - Velocity : Design : Comfort

9. Oneohtrix Point Never - Garden of Delete

10. DJ Paypal - Why

Honorable mentions:

H20$$$SPORTS$$$ - YAYAYI

jalen - tha piña da nina and the santamaria

James Ferraro - SUKI GIRLZ

im so sorry if theyre basic or lame im sorry they all mean each something really personal to me

[projazznet]

Mongo Santamaria – Afro Blue

Mongo Santamaria – congas Bobby Sanabria – drums Sal Santamaria – percussion E.J. Allen – trumpet Sam Furnace – alto saxophone Tony Hinson -tenor saxophone Bob Quaranta – piano Eddie Resto – bass

[israelseen1]

Prof. Sam Lehman-Wilzig: Israel 2023 is Beating Back 1984

Illustration by Leonardo Santamaria Prof. Sam Lehman-Wilzig: Israel 2023 is Beating Back 1984 The protesters’ recent (temporary) “victory” i.e., halting the Judicial Reform legislative process, was accompanied by another sort of success. Israelis are no longer willing to tolerate most examples of Orwellian “Newspeak” i.e., the twisting of words to mean the opposite of what they are supposed to…

[jefferyryanlong]

Infinite Pau Hana - May 8, 2024

Hour 1

Music Is My Sanctuary - Gary Bartz Oscalypso - Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers Brother Yusef - James Moody Plus Eight - James Moody Open the Door - Betty Carter Just My Imagination - Houston Person Cloud Nine - Mongo Santamaria Mind on the Run - Basil Kirchin and John Coleman Miles Away - David Axelrod Come a Little Bit Closer - Willie Bobo Goin' Out of My Head - Willie Bobo Hour 2

Medley: Sun King / Mean Mr. Mustard / Polythene Pam / She Came in Through the Bathroom Window / I Want You / She's So Heavy - Booker T. and the MGs Because / Come Together - George Benson The Meaning of Love - Steve Kuhn Everytime We Say Goodbye - Chet Baker Dream Puppy - The Sweet Enoughs Ferris Wheel - Gabor Szabo Moira- Scott Cossu Myriad3 - Moons

Hour 3

Way Back Home - The Crusaders Roundabout - Don Ellis The Dance Within - Cosmic Debris For Some We Loved - Dorothy Ashby Pra Vose - Seawind Black Sand - Kalapana Las Vegas Tango - Gary Burton Low-Lee-Tah - Larry Coryell The Dude - Donald Byrd You Got to Learn to Let It Go - Sam Waymon

KTUH - 90.1 FM Honolulu, 91.1 FM North Shore, ktuh.org

[fashournalist]

Conquering the Crown: Who Will Be The Next Miss Universe Philippines 2021?

Are you ready, Universe?

Tomorrow, the next Miss Universe Philippines will be crowned in Bohol, and I'd like to share my bets with you (as well as my thoughts on more candidates other than my Top 6. :)

But first, I have to admit I do have a bias for Cavite, Aklan, and Laguna because

1) Cavite is my birthplace and where I spent the first 16 years of my life;

2) Aklan is where my five dear brothers are from;

3) Laguna is where I spent seven eventful years as a UPLB student.

However, these biases aren't the sole reason I'm rooting for these representatives. I believe Victoria Velasquez Vincent, Leren Bautista, and Christelle Abello are really among the best candidates of this year's batch! VVV is actually my top one, followed by Katrina Dimaranan, Maureen Wroblewitz, and Ayn Bernos.

One of the smartest and most eloquent candidates of this batch, Victoria Velasquez Vincent from Cavite has emerged as the Interview Challenge winner, and rightly so. But she caught my attention even before that phase; her Runway Challenge was really impressive as well. As a heritage conservationist and architect, she's committed to solving environmental problems across the globe.

I really wish the winner would be a pure Filipino, but it so happened that VVV impressed me the most. She's half-Irish and half-Filipino, raised in New Zealand.

Now this one's a powerhouse. A pageant veteran, model, actress, and television host, I think (and thousands of others think, too) Katrina Dimaranan from Taguig is the most prepared of them all. She was appointed as USA's Miss Supranational 2018 and finished as 1st Runner Up at the world stage. She was also one of the title holders way back in Binibining Pilipinas 2012.

Kat's charming, authentic personality captivates anyone watching her or listening to her voice. You can see this through the way she nailed the challenges. And though she grew up in the US, she is a pure Filipina.

This woman needs no introduction--Maureen Wroblewitz, the winner of Asia's Next Top Model Season 5. Born in Saudi Arabia, she's a half-Filipina, half-German model and actress who is now representing Pangasinan as she fights for the crown. She has emerged as the Casting Challenge winner, but aside from that, all the results of the other challenges prove how excellent and enthralling she is as a model. Her intelligence can also be seen with every answer she delivers during Q&As.

The most inspiring candidate of all, Ayn Bernos of San Juan, proves that barriers can be broken and stereotypes can be shattered. Proudly standing at 5'3 with morena skin, Ayn represents the majority of Filipino people who are not influenced by foreign blood. I've closely followed her journey from the day she submitted her pageant application, and I'm so happy for her every step of the way. Her millions of followers on TikTok surely feel the same. We feel seen, we feel represented, we feel inspired to also reach for our dreams--no matter how impossible they may seem.

Ayn is a natural Filipina beauty, and she glowed further as she embarked on the road to the crown. Her wit, intelligence, and cheerful personality radiate in every appearance she makes, whether it's an interview or a commercial special by some of MUPH's sponsors.

With enchanting eyes, a driven attitude, and several beauty pageant titles under her belt, Leren Mae Bautista of Laguna is one of the most prepared candidates to represent the nation at the Miss Universe pageant this December.

I started knowing her through the tarpaulins in LB eight years ago. I was still in college, and Leren just won the crown of Miss Los Banos. She conquered the Binibining Laguna title as well. Since then, I knew this classic Filipina beauty and brain would one day captivate the world. Years later, she has placed as a 2nd Runner Up in Miss Globe 2019 and won in other pageants, too. Today, she's aiming for the universe and we all know she's ready.

Armed with an unstoppable grit, this dreamer put her life in the US on pause to once again fight for the crown of Miss Universe. Christelle Abello of Aklan has placed in the top 16 of last year's MUPH, and she has come back stronger this time around. Though she wasn't part of the Top 7 in the Interview Challenge, I think she's one of the most fluent and confident candidates.

Although she was born in America, she embodies the beauty of a real Filipina. I have to mention that I'm not a fan of her evening gown's design, but she still carried it well.

So there, now you know my Top 6! :) They've been my Top 6 for several weeks now, but this doesn't mean I'm not impressed by other candidates.

Michele Angela Okol of Siargao Island nailed the Preliminary Interviews! I haven't watched all the interviews since the KTX pass is just too expensive for me, but I was able to see a few on YouTube. And of them all, Michele's answers were the best. She was certain with her answers. Ingrid "Sam" Santamaria of Paranaque and Chela Grace Falconer of Misamis Oriental are some of the smartest and most fluent candidates as well. Sam placed second in the Interview Challenge.

The Filipina beauty of Janela Cuaton of Albay, Maria Corazon Abalos of Mandaluyong, Mirjan Hipolito of Angeles City, Simone Nadine Bornilla of Marinduque, and Princess Krista Singh of Pasig are some of the most outstanding in their batch. But I think the most outstanding beauty of all, is Jasmine Umali of Manila. She's like a living Mulan, or Barbie. And all these phenomenal women are smart and graceful, too!

Anyhow, if Gianne Asuncion of Cagayan Province wasn't diagnosed with COVID-19, for sure she would make it here and she'd be one of my bets. I hope she comes back next year, same with Maica Cabling Martinez of Nueva Ecija, who didn't make it in this year's Top 30.

You might be wondering why I haven't mentioned Steffi Rose Aberasturi of Cebu Province yet.

Honestly, I can't deny she's gorgeous from head to toe, well-prepared, talented, and confident, but I just cannot stomach supporting someone who supports Rodrigo Duterte. If she wins tomorrow, I will not bash her--I can see why she's one of the frontrunners--but I just cannot see myself rooting for her because of her political stance :( If she was not a DDS though, she would easily be one of my top bets, maybe my top 4 or top 5.

Steffi carries every outfit effortlessly, and her beauty can go from sweet and endearing to regal and fierce. I wish, before the national elections, her eyes would be opened to the atrocities of Duterte's war on drugs. (I also find Bea Luigi Gomez beautiful, but she said during the preliminary interview that the government is doing well. So, I'm afraid she might be a DDS, too. I hope not)

I know, people tell us to separate the pageant from political views, but the thing is, when a DDS gains more influence, they can influence voters to support Duterte, too. That's a real danger our country can no longer afford.

As for Kisses Delavin of Masbate, I'm inspired by her drive to pursue her dreams, not letting bashers stop her. But I just cannot see her wearing the crown, sorry :( I'm not a basher, I acknowledge she is beautiful, sweet, talented, kind, and smart. But I just don't see the fierce, palaban aura that we all need in a Miss Universe candidate. Never thought being baby-faced could be a disadvantage.

But anyway, if Ayn is slaying while breaking barriers and stereotypes, why can't Kisses, right? Kisses did well in every interview she handled. Although, I really didn't like her runway challenge where her hands were stuck on her waist. Good thing her walk improved in the swimsuit competition. Despite getting bashed and doubted, she fights with courage and passion, and that's something we can all learn from--whether we're part of Kissables or not.

Who will win tomorrow? I just can't wait to find out :)

I really wish I have the budget for a KTX pass so I could watch the coronation night in real-time. Sigh. That's 600 pesos! I'd rather spend it on samgyup. HAHA my love for food beats my love for pageants, even when I once dreamt to be Miss Universe myself lol.

How about you, guys? Who are your favorites? Who are your bets? Comment down below :) (wow youtube lang? haha)

Regardless of who wins, let's support her way to the crown. :) Go, proudly raise the Philippine flag, Miss Universe PH 2021!

PS. Photos came from Miss Universe Philippines' page, Philippine Star, and PeoPlaid. And I thank MS Paint because that's where I combined some of the photos haha.

[soulmusicsongs]

Funky Flute in 20 tracks

Funky Flute Grooves is a collection of 20 of the best funky flute grooves.

Burning Spear - S.O.U.L. ‎(What Is It, 1971)

Daddy, Daddy Come Dig Me - Inmates and Ex-Inmates (From The Cold Jaws Of Prison, 1971)

Gimme Some More - The Troubadours Of Barbados (No Balls At All / Gimme Some More, 1973)

Gweee - Richard Fudoli (Gweee Bossa / Nova Jumping Bean, 1968)

Hippo Walk - Mongo Santamaria (Mongo's Way, 1971)

The Hipster - Harold McNair (Indecision / The Hipster, 1968)

Kiki- Björn Jayson Lindh (Cous Cous, 1972)

Let Her Go - Hubert Laws (Flute By-Laws, 1966)

Lost Girl - The Tiaras (Right On / Lost Girl, 1971)

NaNaNa Song - Massada (Dansa (Don't Quit Dancing) / NaNaNa Song, 1978)

Passion Flower - Haruomi Hosono, Shigeru Suzuki & Tatsuro Yamashita (Pacific, 1978)

Psychedelic Blues - Willie Bobo (A New Dimension, 1968)

Plop-Plop Boom - Sam Most (Plop-Plop Boom / Jungle Fantasy, 1970)

Pu Po - Soul Flutes (Trust In Me, 1970)

Red Snow - The Silhouettes (Oh What A Day / Red Snow, 1969)

Relating A Message To You - Cane And Able (Relating A Message To You, 1973)

Shady Blues - Lee Mason And His Orchestra (Music By Lee Mason, 1971)

Sparrow - Inshallah (Calico Jam / Sparrow, 1973)

Sweet Ray - Bubbha Thomas and The Lightmen (Country Fried Chicken, 1975)

The “It” Song - Stone Creations (The “It” Song / Hands On A Golden Key, 1973)

More Soul Music Songs and flute grooves

Funky Flute Grooves in 25 tracks

Funky Flute Grooves

Funky Flute in 20 tracks

[normanblogs]

Reina Ingrid Santamaria is Bolivia-ready!

Our Reina Hispanoamericana Filipinas Ingrid “Sam” Santamaria is ready when Bolivia is! She will be headed to this South American nation in less than two months from now. “to quote a phenomenal author, Maya Angelou: lift up your hearts—each new hour holds new chances for new beginnings ✨ this is your Reina Hispanoamericana Filipinas 2022, signing in. @rhispanaoficial coronation night will be held…

[the1959project]

March 25, 1959

Abbey Lincoln started recording her seminal album Abbey Is Blue with Kenny Dorham, Phil Wright, Les Spann, Sam Jones and Philly Joe Jones in New York. The album is notable for its tonal shift from her prior discography — there are some standards, but the inclusion of compositions by Mongo Santamaria, Langston Hughes and herself anticipated Lincoln’s decision to make her music more explicitly political. 

Here’s a short Jet profile on Lincoln, who also was the issue’s cover. In it, she articulates what seems like some of the impetus behind this album: to sing about the oppression she felt. 

Below are some of the album’s reviews — first, from Variety:

And then from Billboard:

[theillustrationconference]

Making Everything Work: An Interview with Josh Cochran, ICON11′s Stage Chair

Josh Cochran grew up in Taiwan and California. Based in Brooklyn, he works as an illustrator and muralist specializing in bright, dense, and conceptual work. He's received a bunch of awards, including a Grammy nomination for Best Packaging. He loves working on side projects and occasionally exhibits his work in galleries. Josh has a children's book set to be released early next year by Enchanted Lion.

What's your favorite memory from past ICON conferences?

I loved doing the stage at the last ICON in Detroit. It was way crazier and a lot more work than I expected, but I really enjoyed the challenge of figuring out how to make everything work. I got to meet a lot of really great illustrators and students who helped me make everything there in Detroit. It was kind of a dream!

Tell me about your practice!

My practice is somewhat of a mixed bag. I work on a bunch of different kinds of projects: from animation to murals to my current project, which is finishing up a children's book. Sometimes I feel a little scattered, but my interests are quite varied and I think it's really nice for my creativity to be able to work on different kinds of projects. I tend to feel a little restricted when I work on just one kind of project for a long period of time.

What is your studio/office space like?

I work out of a space in an old converted ketchup factory in Crown Heights, Brooklyn. I share this space with some really talented illustrators and designers (Sam Weber, Dan Salmieri, John Custer, and Jim Datz). I've been fortunate to share this space with people I consider some of my closest friends and also be inspired by them on a daily basis. I've always tried to recreate the amazing creative experience I had at school and having a shared studio here in Brooklyn has definitely been a close second to that feeling.

What's your hometown and where do you currently live?

I consider Los Angeles my hometown. However, I've been living in Brooklyn for over ten years and it's starting to feel much more like home. Can I love two places at once??

Who are some of your favorite emerging creatives?

Alexa Lim Haas made one of the most beautiful short animated films I've seen in a long time (Agua Viva). To name a few peeps, I'm really into Molly Snee, Alicia Adamerovich, Ariel Davis, Claire Merchlinsky, Sally Deng, Leo Santamaria, AJ Dungo, Clarissa Liu, Jackson Epstein, Haleigh Mun, Keiko Nabila Yamazaki, and probably a bunch more that I'm forgetting right now! 

[uneasylisteningradio]

Uneasy Listening: Music Formats June 4, 2022

Songs about physical music formats! stream on mixcloud

Bay City Rollers - Saturday Night Todd Rundgren - Intro The Pooh Sticks - On Tape

DJ speaks over Mongo Santamaria - Yeh Yeh

Wild Billy Childish & The Musicians of the British Empire - He's Making a Tape They Might Be Giants - Twisting Kitty Wells - Old Records Neutrals - Missing Records Violet Rivers - Turn the Record Over (I Wanna Dance Slow)

Television Personalities - Part Time Punks Slim Gaillard - Jumpin' At The Record Shop DJ Shadow - Right Thing / GDMFSOB Wire - Go Ahead Glen Campbell - Mason Williams Phonograph Record promo The Fall - New Big Prinz

The Freshies - I Can't Get "Bouncing Babies" By the Teardrop Explodes Robert Johnson - Phonograph Blues (Alternate Take) Miss Kittin - Play Me a Tape Archie Bell & The Drells - I Can't Stop Dancing The Chefs - Records and Tea Grover - The End of Side One

Teenage Gang - Debs On Tape Saul Williams - Coded Language Rudy Ray Moore - Dolphin's Records promo Bow Wow Wow - C·30 C·60 C·90 Go Spoon - Advance Cassette Jacqueline Taïeb - 7 heures du matin

Simple Minds - Reel to Real Garageland - What Will You Do? Paleface - Burn and Rob "Big John" Bradford - Turn the Record Over Dead Kennedys - Your Emotions Young Marble Giants - Wurlitzer Jukebox

Tweeds - I Need That Record The Playmates - While The Record Goes Around Adam Ant - B-Side Baby Bitchschool - Record Shop The High - Box Set Go (Single Version)

Sam Cooke - Having a Party

[sirenrecords]

NEW RELEASES & REISSUES OUT TOMORROW (FRI 5/13) : THE BLACK KEYS, FLORENCE & THE MACHINE, KILLER MIKE, THE ROLLING STONES, ROSALIA, B.T. Express, Bloodywood, The Body & Full Of Hell, Michael Buble, The Chainsmokers, Coral, Desmond Dekker, The Dillinger Escape Plan, Duke Ellington, Forrest Gump Soundtrack, From Autumn To Ashes, John Holt, Larry June, Keb Mo, Langan Frost & Wane, Lyle Lovett, Magic Sam, Delbert McClinton, Mandy Moore, Penrose Showcase 1 (Various Artists), Art Pepper, Reverend Horton Heat (2), Rough Guide To Legends Of The Delta Blues (Various Artists), Roxy Music (2), Otis Rush, Slipknot, State Champs, Tank & The Bangas, Wormwitch, Mongo Santamaria, Alex Chilton, Monophonics, Kevin Morby, Los Golden Boys, Ebiriac All-Stars (Various Artists), Maserati (at Siren Records) https://www.instagram.com/p/CdeeIfxpxSJ/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[crashingwavesinmyworld]

(1) Alex Standall, Alex Nunez, Alan Matthews

(2) Georgia Miller, Grace Cardinal, Gordo

(3) Topanga Lawrence, Toni Topaz, Tiny Bell

(4) Clay Jensen, Chelsea Daniels, Campbell Saunders

(5) Logan Reese, Lucas Friar, Liberty Van Zandt

(6) Marco Del Rossi, Marcus Baker, Matt McGuire

(7) Zoey Brooks, Zoe Rivas, Zane Park

(8) Sweet Pea, Sean Cameron, Susie Rivera

(9) Tessa Campanelli, Tori Santamaria, Tabitha Tate

(10) Jack Hunter, Jack Simpson, Jack Jones

(11) Brian Griffin, Bruce the Moose, Beck Oliver

(12) Dave Turner, Derek Wheeler, Dylan Michalchuk

(13) Kathleen Mead, Katie Matlin, Kate Sanders

(14) Robbie Shapiro, Riley Stavros, Riley Matthews

(15) Hazel Aden, Hermione Lodge, Hiram Lodge

(16) Stewie Griffin, Shay Powers, Sam McGuire

(17) Ellie Nash, Emma Nelson, Eli Goldsworthy

Bonus: Reggie Mantle, Ross Butler's Reggie Mantle, Zach Dempsey

LOL thank you ❤️❤️!

1) Alex Nunez

Alex Standall

Alan Matthews

2) Grace Cardinal

Georgia Miller

Gordo

3) Tiny Bell

Toni Topaz

Topanga Lawrence

4) Campbell Saunders

Clay Jensen

Chelsea Daniels

5) Liberty Van Zandt

Lucas Friar

Logan Reese

6) Marco Del Rossi

Marcus Baker

Matt McGuire

7) Zoe Rivas

Zane Park

Zoey Brooks

8) Sean Cameron

Susie Rivera

Sweet Pea

9) Tabitha Tate

Tori Santamaria

Tessa Campanelli

10) Jack Hunter

Jack Jones

Jack Simpson

11) Brian Griffin

Beck Oliver

Bruce The Moose

12) Dave Turner

Derek Wheeler

Dylan Michalchuk

13) Kate Sanders

Kathleen Mead

Katie Matlin

14) Riley Stavros

Robbie Shapiro

Riley Matthews

15) Hazel Aden

Hermione Lodge

Hiram Lodge

16) Shay Powers

Stewie Griffin

Sam McGuire

17) Ellie Nash

Emma Nelson

Eli Goldsworthy

Bonus: LOL

Zach Dempsey

Reggie Mantle

Ross’s Reggie (I still wonder what it would have been like if he stayed though. I’m so glad they brought him back though for that one episode 😂)

[whileiamdying]

I Got Dem Ol’ Kozmic Blues Again Mama!

Janis Joplin exploded into the 1960’s like a starburst of blinding light.

She was a critical mass, barely contained, and we lost her too soon. Unknown outside of San Francisco before the Monterey International Pop Festival in 1967, by the spring of 1968 the New York Times had declared her “as remarkable a new pop music talent as has surfaced in years,” and she was voted Best Female Vocalist in Jazz & Pop magazine’s annual readers’ poll. By August of the same year, her first album for Columbia Records, Cheap Thrills, went gold.

Janis came to San Francisco in 1966 at the behest of Chet Helms, a friend from her native Texas who was a guiding force in the burgeoning San Francisco music scene. Chet had helped to organize a hand called Big Brother & The Holding Company. They needed a lead vocalist and Chet thought Janis would fill the bill. It was an inspired thought. Janis and Big Brother hit it off. For the next year, they played all around the San Francisco Bay and up and down the California coast. In June 1967, they were offered a spot on the program at the first great rock festival, in Monterey, where Janis’ rendition of Big Mama Thornton’s “Ball and Chain” transfixed the audience and caught the attention of the national press. With that, the fuse was lit. Her skyrocketing lame gained altitude as Big Brother toured the USA. It climbed higher when Cheap Thrills reached the top of Billboard’s Top 100 album chart.

For Janis, this was only the beginning. She wanted to do more. She wanted to do everything.

She wanted to try a different sound, more R&B, more like Motown, Memphis, Mussel Shoals, with horns bucking up her awesome vocal power. She wanted to see how much she could achieve as the only singer in the band, the one who held the spotlight unchallenged. In the same month that saw the release of Cheap Thrills, Janis announced that she would leave Big Brother & The Holding Company when the band’s current bookings had been fulfilled.

Within days of singing with Big Brother for the last time. Janis was rehearsing her new hand. The beginnings were rocky. Trumpet players and drummer came and went. In Big Brother, Janis had been an equal partner. Now she was as the leader of the band, but she didn’t know how to lead, not yet. The band’s first public performance, at Stux-Volt Records Christmas show in Memphis, fell flat. If Janis’ rapid success with Big Brother had seemed charmed, her new enterprise appeared to be still searching for its footing.

So far, the band had no name. Janis threw in her own ideas, to consider them along with the suggestions offered from all sides, trying them on for size. Janis and the Joplinaires? Janis Joplin’s Pleasure Principle? How about just the Squeeze? Nope. If one thing was certain, it was that the name of the act, the name on the posters and marquees, would be Janis Joplin. She wanted to make it on her own, and no matter how rocky the beginnings might be that was what she was determined to do.

After another month of rehearsal in San Francisco, the unnamed hand was ready to hit the road. The trumpet player that stayed was Luis Gasca, a former sideman for Woody Herman and Mongo Santamaria who later played with Ray Charles. Terry Clements, an Englishman transplanted to California, who had played with the (almost) all-woman band Stoneground, settled in on tenor sax, beside Snooky Flowers on baritone. The lead guitar was Sam Andrew, of Big Brother. with Brad Campbell, formerly of the Paupers, on bass. To fill out the sound, Richard Kermode sit at the Hammond organ. replacing the first organ player, who moved to Canada when his draft number came up.

Janis’ manager, Albert Grossman, reversed the strategy he had used to introduce Janis and Big Brother to a national audience the year before. Instead of playing the big cities, “Janis and the new band played Albany and Burlington. Waterville. Maine, and Worcester, Massachusetts. They played Chapel Hill and Durham, Evanston, and Toledo. They played a solid month of dates in the East before heading back to the warmth of a California spring -familiar ground for Janis, but not for many members of the band. A week of gigs from San Francisco to San Diego limbered them up for a hop over the Pole to Stockholm, Sweden, for Janis’ first ever-and only tour of Europe.

And there, in the great cities of the Old World, everything went right. In America, Janis had been criticized for leaving Big Brother. In Europe, the audiences came to hear Janis Joplin for the first time, and they heard her at her best. As strangers suddenly cast loose in foreign lands, the members of the band grew closer both personally and musically. They hit their stride and found a groove as they flew from Stockholm to Amsterdam, and on to Frankfurt, where Americans from nearby military bases mobbed the concert hull and shouted for joy at the sound of American R&B sung by Janis Joplin. From the stage of the fabled Olympia Theater in Paris, and at the Tivoli Gardens in Copenhagen, Janis sang her heart out und the band rocked. At the Royal Albert Hall in London, every last ticket sold, with Beatles and Stones in the audience, Janis had ‘em dancing in the aisles.

Back in the USA, Janis and her boys took a breather, rehearsed some more, and went into the recording studio with their European triumphs fresh in their minds. And it was there that the seven sidemen who had become a band the hard way, on the road, finally found a name. The producer. Gabriel Mekler was noodling at a keyboard one day. Janis began singing, and before they knew it. they had written a song. Janis dubbed it “I Got Dem Ol’ Kozmic Blues Again, Mama, shortened to Kozmic Blues” for the record’s label. When the song’s full title became the title of the album, the bund became the Kozmic Blues Band by default.

1969 was the year of the outdoor rock festival. Kozmic Blues played with Janis at festivals from Atlanta to Dallas, Tanglewood to New Orleans. They played with her at Woodstock, and when the album came out, I Got Dem Ol’ Kozmic Blues Again Mama! reached no. 5 on the album chart.

Janis put the blues in every song she sang. whether it was the hard-driving defiance of “Kozmic Blues,” the insistent urging of “Try (Just a Little Bit Harder)” or the slow-moving lament of “Little Girl Blue.” a Rodgers and Hart classic (hat she gave a whole new dimension, just as she had done for *Summertime” on Cheap Thrills.

The Kozmic Blues Band wasn’t Janis’ first band. or her last. but it was the first one she put together in the search for her own sound, beyond San Francisco acid rock. beyond the blues of Bessie Smith and Huddie “Leadbelly.” Ledbetter that first inspired her to sing. With the horns, the organ, the lead guitar and the rhythm section of the Kozmic Blues Band urging her onward, she brought to the soul. R&B, and gospel-tinged songs on this album the full range and power of her extraordinary voice, which are unmatched her time and remains so in ours.

— John Byrne Cooke; a novelist and screenwriter, from 1967-1970, he was Janis Joplin road manager.