George Jones and Me...

For me, liquor went with country music real naturally, especially inside those Texas honky-tonks. We did what we did and we didn’t care who knew it. It hurt our careers, but we weren’t in the music business primarily for careers. We were in it for the music and because its pace and schedule allowed us to live the way we wanted. It’s easy to get drunk and chase women when you’re working on the road. It isn’t that easy for men who have to come home at a certain time every night.

George Jones

To let In Mind (1965) signed by George

Once, when I had been drunk for several days, Shirley decided she would make it physically impossible for me to buy liquor. I lived about eight miles from Beaumont and the nearest liquor store. She knew I wouldn't walk that far to get booze, so she hid the keys to every car we owned and left. But she forgot about the lawn mower. I can vaguely remember my anger at not being able to find keys to anything that moved and looking longingly out a window at a light that shone over our property. There, gleaming in the glow, was that ten-horsepower rotary engine under a seat. A key glistening in the ignition. I imagine the top speed for that old mower was five miles per hour. It might have taken an hour and a half or more for me to get to the liquor store, but get there I did.

             George Jones

A Taste Of Yesterday’s Wine (1982) signed by George and Merle

I met him at the Blackboard Café in Bakersfield, California, which was the place to go in '61. He was already famous for not showing up or showing up drunk, and he showed up drunk. I was onstage - I think I was singing Marty Robbins' 'Devil Woman' - and he kicked the doors of the office open and said 'Who the fuck is that?' It was one the greatest compliments of my entire life when George Jones said I was his favorite country singer.

             Merle Haggard on George Jones 

When you’re called ‘The Possum’ …there’s no way I can ever live it down. T. Tommy Cutrer was a disc jockey. Everybody loved him. He was one of the old-timers on the all-night shows along with Ralph Emery, and those two got started calling me ‘The Possum.’ I had an album out with a side view of me with a crew cut. I was very young, and my nose looked more turned up, and I’ve got little beady eyes so I guess I did look like a possum! So they both laid into me and called me ‘Possum,’ and it got everywhere.

George Jones

Heartaches & Hangovers (1984 reissue)

 George Jones is simply the greatest country singer who ever lived. Don't take my word, ask Johnny, Frank, Waylon, or James.  

When people ask me who my favorite country singer is, I say, ‘You mean besides George Jones?

                  Johnny Cash

The second best singer in America.

                   Frank Sinatra

If we all could sound like we wanted to, we’d all sound like George Jones.

Waylon Jennings

He sounds like a steel guitar. It's the way he bends notes, the way he comes up to them, the way he crescendos and decrescendos. The dynamic of it is very tight and very controlled - it's like carving with the voice.

                 James Taylor

Salutes Hank Williams (1960) signed by George

Born in the hard scrabble Texas town of Sarasota, George Jones grew up with an abusive, alcoholic father. Many nights when his father came home hammered, he would force young George to sing. It was either singing or beatings. A tough way to hone his song craft, but George became a singer. As he observed in his autobiography I Lived To Tell It All, "The Jones family makeup doesn't sit well with liquor...Daddy was an unusual drinker. He drank to excess but never while working, and he probably was the hardest working man I've ever known." George's hero was Hank Williams, and he started busking on nearby Beaumont streets when he was nine or ten years old. George said, "I couldn't think or eat nothin' unless it was Hank Williams, and I couldn't wait for his next record to come out. He had to be, really, the greatest." 

Twelve year old George busking in Beaumont

George left home at sixteen, worked at KTXJ, a radio station in Jasper, Texas, and then at KRIC in Beaumont. In 1954, He recorded his first single on Jack Starnes and Pappy Dailey's Starday Records, with the prescient title "No Money In This Deal." George explained his less than optimal recording experience:"It was a terrible sound. We recorded in a small living room of a house on a highway near Beaumont. You could hear the trucks. We had to stop a lot of times because it wasn't soundproof, it was just egg crates nailed on the wall and the big old semi trucks would go by and make a lot of noise and we'd have to start over again."

Blue & Lonesome (1964) signed by George

George had his first hit record with "White Lightnin' " in 1959. George was so drunk it took nearly eighty takes to master the hillbilly moonshine ode of two minutes and thirty-six seconds. Buddy Killen, his bass player, was so incensed (and his hands so inflamed) that he threatened to throttle George. The take that producer Don Pierce liked best had a slight imperfection as George slurred "slug." For the next fifty years, George would mimic this slur thousands of times while performing his Number One hit song. And Buddy Killlen fared all right too. He sold his publishing company ATV (country music's largest) to Sony for $30 million in 1989, and started Killen Music Group which published Outkast, among other artists in the 2000s.

Sings A Book Of Memories (1967) signed by George

George had thirteen Number One hits, seventy-eight Top Ten hits, and a brilliant recording career but he was often irresponsible when he was drinking. In 1977, he was scheduled to play The Bottom Line in New York City to a VIP crowd as a showcase for his label, Epic Records. George showed up for a meeting with his producer in the afternoon then promptly disappeared for three weeks. There was no social media or tracking devices in those days, George was gone. Despite his considerable talent, promoters would not book George because they were never sure if he would show up. As a response in 1982, George co-wrote "No Show Jones", with the telling lyrics, "They call me No Show Jones, I'm seldom on, instead of just singin' my songs, my whereabouts are unknown, they call me No Show Jones."

Greatest Hits (1961) signed by George

I met George Jones a couple of times. In the early 1980s, George was in bad shape, the booze and drugs were destroying him and he kept missing shows. As a make up, WAMU, a country radio station in Washington, DC sponsored a signing with "The Possum"  at a nearby restaurant before a Merriweather Post Pavilion show. There was a line of fans waiting, and there was a lot of grousing whether George would show up at 3pm, or would he be somewhere else on a bender. It was a tough call in those days, odds were favoring a bender. Just then, George came sauntering down the hill dressed in his country stage regalia, and took his place behind a counter to meet his fans and sign autographs. His demons were in abeyance that afternoon, and George was a southern gentleman, friendly and courtly.

Hits By George (1967) signed by George

In concert, George's musical performance was stunning, his singing powerful and his phrasing uncommon. It was lifted from one of his heroes, Lefty Frizzell. George admitted, "I got that (phrasing) from Lefty. He always made five syllables out of one damn word." George sang his hits: "White Lightnin' ", "The Window Up Above", "She Thinks I Still Care", "The Race Is On", and "The Grand Tour." The encore, "He Stopped Loving Her Today", is considered the greatest country music song and performance, a song George almost didn't record.  When he finished the recording in 1980, George reportedly said to his producer Billy Sherrill, "Nobody will ever buy that morbid son of a bitch." George was wrong. It won a Grammy and the CMA Song of the Year in 1980 and 1981, and  as he said later, this three minute song salvaged a four decade old career.

I Lived To Tell It All (1996)

George Orwell once said that "autobiography is the most outrageous form of fiction." He clearly had read the George Jones memoir, I Lived To Tell It All (1996), a story of almost complete dissipation, George did so much cocaine and booze that he started to speak in voices. Two distinct voices, "The Old Man"  (patterned after the curmudgeonly actor Walter Brennan) and "The Duck" (as in Donald). The greatest singer in country music was reduced to a babbling fool ravaged by the rapacious and ruthless creditor that is drugs and alcohol. In 1978 and 1979, George "lived" at the Spence Manor Hotel and The Hall Of Fame Motor Lodge in Nashville, both popular havens for visiting tourists. George would play on the street, disheveled and dissolute, almost unrecognizable as the country music superstar he was. As George writes in his book, when he was spotted, a tourist might say, " Look over there, That's George Jones. Nah, their companions often answered. That ain't him. That man hasn't had a bath or shaved or nothin'. Besides why would George Jones be sitting out in the sun by himself playing a guitar and singing? That man is a street singer."  At his nadir, George was hospitalized (again), he weighed one hundred pounds, his motor skills were shot, he could not perform simple arithmetic, and his IQ was tested at 74. A shocking result, his story is a difficult read and a harrowing tale.

Signed by George

George was composed, relaxed and sober as he sat at the table at the Borders Bookstore in 1996. There was a sign "Only Books Will Be Signed, No Memorabilia." So I bought a book and waited in line. As I got closer, I pulled a couple of records out. Just then a Borders employee accosted me. "What are you doing with those? He's not signing any albums, just books" she scolded. "I know, I just want to show him a couple of his old records," I said innocently. Of course, that was a ruse. I sat down next to George and starting handing him the vinyl covers. One after another. The Border Bookstore crossing guard gave me a scowling glare but not George's wife, Nancy. She was very interested and loved the artwork with the garish and colorful 1960s suits and the buzz cuts George was sporting. They both enjoyed the trip down Possum's vinyl memory lane.

George Jones, mostly sober since his marriage to Nancy in 1983, and the greatest country music singer who ever lived.

The Best Of Sacred Music (1971) signed by George

Sings The Songs Of Dallas Frazier (1968) signed by George

Armed and Dangerous

Possum, Nancy and Me…

Elvin Jones and Me...

I don't think you can talk enough about Coltrane and that period we were in, because it was historic. It certainly was one of the most significant things that ever happened to me. Thank God I had that association. I think it gave me such a clear insight into myself and my approach to music...That Coltrane group gave me a whole new universe of possibilities to explore as well as my full capacity as a musician. I think it's a beautiful thing when you can be in a situation where you can use all the knowledge you have and apply that in a context that works. There's no greater feeling.

               Elvin Jones

Coltrane Jazz (1961) signed by Elvin, McCoy Tyner

I guess they always assume I would know what to do. The whole time I was there, no one really told me what to play or how to play it. Like, we played "My Favorite Things" about 10,000 times, but the first time we played it, he didn't tell me it was going to be in three-quarter time, we just started playing. As a matter of fact, John (Coltrane) never gave Jimmy (Garrison) any bass parts. I never saw a sheet of music the whole time I was in that group. I think John had a notebook in which he used a system of dots. It was very small, it looked like an address book. I'd see him with it sometimes and get a glimpse of it every now and then., and it was just full of dots, like braille. I guess that was his music notation code. I don't know where the hell that book is now.

               Elvin Jones

Dear John C. (1965) signed by Elvin, Hank Jones, Richard Davis, Sir Roland Hanna

To experience his whole paradigm-shifting concept of time was just an epiphany. You got the feeling like he was ahead of the beat and behind the beat at the same time. He was the beat. He was wrapped around the beat in a way that was just stunning. He had all that plus his most beautiful range and his ability to coax the sound out of the drums in different ways. Just the way he touched the drums was spiritual. People come along sometimes and just change the entire landscape and the way that other people think of everything. Elvin was one of those people, no doubt. You were not the same after you listened to him.

               drummer Bobby Previte

Today And Tomorrow (1964) signed by Elvin, McCoy Tyner

The greatest contribution jazz has made in music has been to replace the role of the conductor with a member of the ensemble who, instead of waving his arms to keep time and convey mood, is an active member of the musical statement. That person is the drummer.

               Elvin Jones

Midnight Walk (1966) signed by Elvin

Lists. I hate lists. Rolling Stone's Top 500 Rock albums, Top 500 Songs, Top 100 Guitarists, Top 100 Songwriters...the lists go on and on...ad infinitum, ad nauseam. To me, lists are an utter waste of time, as insipid as they are inconclusive. Personal tastes are subjective and always in motion, especially in music. So...here's my Top 5 Jazz Drummers whom I had the great fortune to see and, of course, haunt for their signatures. In no particular order, they are: Art Blakey, Max Roach, Roy Haynes, Billy Higgins and Elvin Jones.

Jazz At The Lyman’s (private recordings-1967) signed by Elvin, Hank Jones, Milt Hinton, Coleman Hawkins, Clark Terry

Elvin Jones was born in Pontiac, Michigan, the youngest of ten and brother to pianist Hank and composer/trumpeter Thad, both fellow jazz legends. Elvin is best known for his stint as the drummer in the John Coltrane Quartet (1960-1966), possibly the most influential jazz band ever. In a three week span in October 1960, Elvin, John, pianist McCoy Tyner and bassist Steve Davis recorded so much material it yielded four classic jazz albums: Coltrane Jazz, Coltrane's Sound, Coltrane Plays The Blues and My Favorite Things. Elvin also participated on the classic recordings, Duke Ellington & John Coltrane (1963), A Love Supreme (1965) and Ascension (1966). Elvin's gentler side was exhibited on John Coltrane and Johnny Hartman, a 1963 recording which featured the inimitable stylings of Johnny Hartman on six beautiful ballads. This marks the only occasion that John Coltrane recorded with a singer. While Elvin is celebrated for his pulsating percussion and ferocity, his exquisite brushwork is revelatory on this recording. Who knew he could play the brushes so beautifully?!

The Real McCoy (1967) signed by Elvin, McCoy Tyner, Ron Carter

After leaving Coltrane in 1966, Elvin became a highly sought after sideman and appeared on hundreds of recordings with fellow jazz stalwarts George Coleman, Frank Foster, Lee Morgan, Art Pepper and Wayne Shorter. He also released more than forty-five albums as a leader and he formed the Elvin Jones Jazz Machine which showcased and nurtured younger musicians. For his part, Elvin was humble about his role as a musician. He once said, "That's what the drummer is supposed to do, keep the time. If you can do something else besides that, fine. But the time is essential and non-negotiable."

Summit Meeting (1976) signed by Elvin, James Moody, Clark Terry

There was never any doubt who the leader was when you went to see the Elvin Jones Jazz Machine. Elvin could be loud and ferocious, his sinewy limbs enveloping his drum kit, or he could be lyrical and melodic, using his brushes on cymbals and snare with delicate masterstrokes to create a rhythm and hushed sound ambience. And there was no shortage of musicians who came to see him to pay homage. As the great James Brown exhorted (in a different context), "Give the drummer some!" Elvin was the original "Funky Drummer" so everyone wanted to give Elvin some, and musicians and fans loved to see him perform.

Elvin! (1961) signed by Elvin, Hank Jones, Frank Foster, Frank Wess

I saw Elvin many times in the 1990s in New York City jazz clubs like the Blue Note, the Jazz Standard and the Village Vanguard. Elvin was kind and generous each time I met him. Once, I told him that I wished he had more recordings with his brothers, Hank and Thad, as I handed him Elvin!, his 1961 debut as a leader, which featured their inestimable talents for the first and only time. "Yes, that was a very special recording. We kept it in the family," he replied. He paused as looked over the John Coltrane records, "That was some great music," he added with his characteristic humility and understatement. But Elvin was not content to rest on his considerable laurels. The gigs I saw in the 1990s were clear evidence. Young Jazz lions like tenor saxophonist Javon Jackson, trumpeter Nicholas Payton, trombonist Delfaeyo Marsalis and John's son, saxophonist Ravi Coltrane were pushed to excellence, following the punishing and propulsive lead of Elvin, their leader and mentor.

Time Capsule (1977) signed by Elvin, Kenny Barron, George Coleman, Frank Foster, Frank Wess

Elvin Jones' influence extends far beyond Jazz and his fellow jazz brethren. Many rock drummers kneel at the altar of Elvin. In the 1960s, Jimi Hendrix quipped that his drummer Mitch Mitchell was "my Elvin Jones" and in the early 1970s, The Allman Brothers' Butch Trucks and Jaimoe Johanson signed up to take drum lessons. Elvin reportedly rebuffed their attempt, telling Jaimoe and Butch, "What do you guys want? I know who you are. What am I supposed to teach you?" Jaimoe said that they ended up talking for a long time instead of a formal lesson and a great friendship blossomed.

The Main Force (1976) signed by Elvin

A long time ago, multi-reed instrumentalist/savant Rahsaan Roland Kirk once spoke about "not bein' afraid when you hear the thunder, 'cause, you know, it's probably Chick Webb and some other drummers playin' up there across the sky."  You know Elvin Jones is sitting in with those other drummers contributing his wondrous, joyful thunder.

Thanks Elvin, for the beats, the brushes, the rhythm and the time. It was always essential and non-negotiable.

Reunited (1982) signed by Elvin, Richard Davis, Pharoah Sanders, McCoy Tyner

Choice Elvin Jones cuts (per BK's request)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1kPXw6YaCEY

"My Favorite Things"  Live in Belgium - 1965

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oZ-968Fw3bA

"Lush Life"   Johnny Hartman and John Coltrane  1963

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YN_cAErPe0o

"Take The Coltrane"  Duke Ellington & John Coltrane  1962

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1HFEmDh1gpY

"Feelin' Good"  Dear John C.  1965

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fth9UUa1Mfw

"A Love Supreme - Acknowledgement"   A Love Supreme  1965

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vHXkK5bBxVc

"You Are Too Beautiful"  Elvin! 1961 with brothers Thad and Hank

Genesis (1971) signed by Elvin

Benny Golson and Me...

I went to see Lionel Hampton in 1945 at the Earle Theater at 11th and Market St. in Philadelphia. It was the first time I had seen a live band. I had started playing piano at age nine and fancied I'd become a concert pianist one day. But during the Hampton concert, the band played an intro and Arnett Cobb stepped out from the reed section to the front of the stage with his tenor sax. A microphone came up out of the floor, and Arnett started playing "Flying Home." At that moment, the piano for me started to lose its appeal. I told Arnett years later in Nice, France, that he was the reason I was playing the tenor sax. Tears welled up in his eyes.

              Benny Golson

Jazz Sahib (1957) signed by Benny, Hank Jones, Phil Woods

John (Coltrane) and I were like blood brothers. I was 16 when I met him — he was 18. And we spent our time in my living room, listening to lots of 78 [rpm] records, trying to figure out what was going on. And we had a beat-up piano in the corner, and I'd play after a fashion, while he played. And he played worse than I did — for me. We really annoyed the neighbors. We were in the front room, and it was summertime ... but we knew we were getting better. My mother would go to the market, and after a few months, we were getting requests. Do they know 'Body and Soul'? Do they know 'Don't Blame Me'? So we knew we were progressing, see?

               Benny Golson

The Other Side (1958) signed by Benny, Curtis Fuller, Barry Harris

After that concert was over, we went backstage, like kids do, and got everybody's autograph. It was an evening concert and Charlie Parker was going over for the first show at a place called the Downbeat. And so, John (Coltrane) and I were walking up Broad Street with him, and John was saying, `Can I carry your horn for you, Mr. Parker?' I'm on the other side saying, `What kind of mouthpiece do you use? What kind of reeds do you use? What strength reed do you use? What is the make of your horn?' This crazy kid stuff, and he was telling it all and I thought I was getting the real lowdown. We got to the club, of course we were too young to go in, and he said, `Kids, keep up the good work,' and he went upstairs. We spent the night just standing out front listening to them play from up on the second floor, and walked home talking about it after it was over. This was exciting stuff to us, you have to believe that.

               Benny Golson seeing Charlie Parker/Dizzy Gillespie with John Coltrane

The Modern Touch (1958) signed by Benny

On his 1960 masterwork Meet The Jazztet, Benny Golson's "Killer Joe" introduces some of the first rap (well before Isaac Hayes, The Sugarhill Gang, etc.), as Benny describes "Killer Joe" as a fly dude in the spoken word intro:

"We'd like you to meet a friend of ours who goes by the name of Killer Joe. Picture a so called hippie or hip cat standing on a corner in a neatly pressed, double breasted form fitting pin striped suit, a pair of pointy toed shoes with bowl white stitches around the soles, a black shirt, a long white tie, a black pencil mustache and, of course, a very wide brim black felt hat. Killer Joe always has a pocket full of loot, but only the kind that jingles, you see, he likes to play the horses. He is most certainly a ladies man. As a matter of fact, he is always going to accept cash contributions from them for any cause, namely his own. The most important thing about Killer Joe that you have to know is that he's very much against manual labor. Killer Joe...."

A bluesy, soulful funk, "Killer Joe" has appeared on over sixty albums by artists as varied as Lionel Hampton, Quincy Jones, Jack McDuff, and Tito Puente. A gifted performer, Benny is a skilled and prolific composer of more than three hundred songs, among them, "Along Came Betty", "Blues March", "I Remember Clifford", "Stablemates", and "Whisper Not" - all well worn and recorded jazz standards.

Groovin’ With Golson (1959) signed by Benny, Ray Bryant, Curtis Fuller

Benny grew up in Philadelphia and some of his school mates and friends were John Coltrane, Jimmy Heath, Ray Bryant, and McCoy Tyner, most Philly born and bred, and (eventual) jazz legends.  After three years of study at Howard University in Washington, DC, Benny left to join the Bull Moose Jackson Big Band, and then he enjoyed stints with Tadd Dameron, Lionel Hampton, Dizzy Gillespie, and Art Blakey where his real education as a musician began. As Benny observed, "After I left Howard, I drove a furniture truck. Jazz is so much better!" For three years, Benny co-led The Jazztet with Art Farmer and released six critically acclaimed albums. To date, Benny's discography has more than forty-five albums as a leader and he has appeared on hundreds more as a saxophonist, writer, and arranger.  

The Curtis Fuller Jazztet (1959) signed by Benny, Curtis Fuller

Another Git Together (1962) signed by Benny, Art Farmer, Harold Mabern

In the early 1960s, Benny moved to Hollywood for a lost decade or more as he wrote scores for the television shows, Mission Impossible, M*A*S*H, Mod Squad, Ironside, and The Partridge Family. Yes, it is hard to believe that a musician as gifted as Benny Golson was writing Partridge Family scores while Shirley Jones, David Cassidy and Danny Bonaduce engaged in their mindless and soulless drivel on screen, but I am sure it helped to pay Benny's bills!

Al De Lory M * A * S* H (1970) signed by Benny

The Hollywood hiatus, however, did exact an artistic toll. As Benny later admitted, "For seven or eight years I didn't play my horn at all. I could have used it as an ornament or put dirt in it and planted flowers. I did not like my sound or my style, what I was playing wasn't reaching my heart, and I didn't know what to do about it. I was studying composition privately, I wanted to do some things I hadn't done before in composition. Once I moved, I put all my energy into that, and the playing fell aside. But the thinking process was working the whole time, and when I finally picked up the horn again in the late '70s, I sounded different, although it took about ten years before I felt comfortable again. I had to get my imagination oiled up."

Back To The City (1986) signed by Benny, Art Farmer, Curtis Fuller

After this sustained absence, Benny returned to the jazz scene with a vengeance. He regrouped The Jazztet with the formidable front line of Art Farmer on trumpet, Curtis Fuller on trombone, and Benny on tenor saxophone, and Erin and I saw them perform at Charlie's Georgetown in 1983/84. Charlie's Georgetown was an elegant supper club in Washington, DC named after local jazz guitar great Charlie Byrd who often performed there. Benny and The Jazztet performed a wonderful set which included "Along Came Betty", "Killer Joe", and "I Remember Clifford", a beautiful, elegiac ballad written as a tribute to Clifford Brown, a trumpet prodigy whose life was cut tragically short at age twenty-five in a car accident. It was an exquisite set, flawlessly executed.

Real Time (1986) signed by Benny, Art Farmer, Curtis Fuller

Many years later, I saw Benny perform several times at the Jazz Standard in New York City. Seeing him in concert was like going to a master class in Jazz. Benny is an expert story teller and craftsman with the mien, manner and erudition of a jazz scholar. Which he is. Benny would introduce each piece with an anecdote of where it was written, who performed it, and, as equally important, the song title. Too often, I have gone to jazz concerts where the artists assume that each member of the audience has attended Julliard or Berklee, performing a rigorous set with nary an explanation or song title offered. It is infuriating. More than once after a show, I have asked an artist in the dressing room which songs they had played. That never happens with Benny, and I always came away smarter for seeing him.

Tune In, Turn On (1967) signed by Benny

Benny was equally kind and generous off stage. He patiently looked through each album as he was signing. He loved Meet The Jazztet, one of McCoy Tyner's first album appearances and he appreciated the classic mid-century design of The Modern Touch (photographed in his apartment) and The Other Side, from the design team of Paul Bacon and Paul Weller. He laughed when he saw the cover of Tune In, Turn On, a song collection of "The Hippest Commercials Of The Sixties" with a phosphorescent, psychedelic television. A throw away collection of Madison Avenue "Mad Men" songs like "Cool Whip", "No Matter What Shape (You're Stomach's In)", and the (then omnipresent) Marlboro cigarette theme, "The Magnificent Seven",  it is a colossal waste of the estimable jazz talents of Art Farmer, Eric Gale, Bernard Purdie, and Richard Tee. "Not my best recording", Benny duly admitted. He was especially kind when he signed the John Coltrane tribute album to my children: Kendall, Brendan and Camryn. Not the easiest names, and I have albums signed by other artists that are indecipherable, but he listened intently to each spelling, and carefully inscribed each name. He also gave me his business card and told me to call him some day and we could hang out and talk jazz. Unfortunately, I never made that call, not wanting to intrude on his privacy. For me, a rare show of restraint.

This Is For You John (1987) signed by Benny, Ron Carter

As Benny so eloquently stated in a recent interview, "Why continue to sound the way I sounded 30 years ago? That's not moving forward. Time should become your confederate. You should lock yourself in tandem with time on its one-way journey, moving ever forward. That's the way creative people should be moving - ever forward into the darkness of the unknown where things are awaiting your discovery. That's the adventure. You can play it safe. Everybody can do what you see in the light. But the real hero is the one that delves into the darkness."

Benny Golson, always moving forward as an artist, arranger, composer, and a really nice guy.

Turning Point (1962) signed by Benny

Blues ette (1959) signed by Benny

The Compositions Of Benny Golson (1962) signed by Benny

Mingus Mingus Mingus Mingus Mingus (1963) signed by Benny, George Coleman, Charles McPherson, Richard Wyands

Stockholm Sojourn (1964) signed by Benny

Choice Benny Golson Cuts (per BK's request)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WZQpxZ9cG-Y

"Killer Joe" - with intro - 1960

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nr7wcGmh12A

"I Remember Clifford" Live - 1958 - with Lee Morgan, Art Blakey

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bCXnH2JhpEk

"I Remember Clifford" Live with Milt Jackson

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cVnVYa_x0AY

"Stablemates" Live - 1989 - with Freddie Hubbard

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cVnVYa_x0AY

"Whisper Not" Live - 1987 - with Freddie Hubbard, Ron Carter

Benny Golson business card, circa 1999

Eight Jazz Classics (1979) signed by Benny

Eddie Palmieri and Me...

The Bronx was great, because at the time, the Bronx was beautiful. I was about five or six years old, moving from 112th Street between Madison and Park. My father and my grandmother, my mother and my grandmother, all formed a luncheonette called El Mambo. I named it. I was in charge of the jukebox. I talked to the jukebox man and told him what I wanted to hear. At 14 or 15, I was a soda jerk, sometimes just a plain old jerk, you know what I mean? Selling cigarettes at three for five cents. The Hydrox, the ones that look like Oreos, they were a penny each. It was a wonderful, wonderful youth that I spent.

               Eddie Palmieri

La Perfecta (1962) signed by Eddie

I never liked jazz, because I didn’t comprehend it. I was just dedicated to the Latin dance music from the big three: Machito, Tito Puente and Tito Rodriguez. Little by little, especially when I made La Perfecta, especially in 1964, (trombonist) Barry Rogers told me, we were playing in the Palladium next to the Birdland, “Eddie, I want you to hear something. He took me on a Sunday to Birdland, (to see) the original John Coltrane Quartet, with Jimmy Garrison, McCoy Tyner, Mr. Coltrane and Elvin Jones. It was empty, the place, unfortunately, but, fortunately for me, I saw one of the greatest shows I ever saw. McCoy Tyner took a solo, and that solo went between 15 to 20 minutes, and it just kept swelling and swelling and swelling, and he became immediately my mentor. I already had Art Tatum, naturally Bill Evans, my favorite when it comes to his form of playing.

               Eddie Palmieri

Viva Palmieri (1961) signed by Eddie

My kid brother, Eddie Palmieri, is a nut. While playing piano with the Tito Rodriguez band, Eddie decided to leave the financial security of one of the most successful Latin bands around and formed his own band. The band business is rough enough, but Eddie made it even rougher for himself by going against the tide, and instead of organizing a Charanga, the popular sound of the day, he organized what I call a "Trombanga", a band featuring trombones and flute. Novel? Yes. A fresh sound? Yes. Commercial possibilities? A very big gamble. His gamble paid off though because his band La Perfecta is one of the busiest working bands in New York City...

               Charlie Palmieri liner notes to Eddie's first album La Perfecta  1962

Echando Pa’Lante (1964) signed by Eddie

You could only record at 2:45 (length of time), so when I signed finally with Roulette, I met the one who made it possible, the gentlemen called Teddy Reig. He was the manager of the Count Basie Band, so they knew about jazz and how long they play and all that. I told him, 'Listen, this number is very popular in the street, in the Palladium, for the last year-and-a-half. It’s called ‘Azucar Pa’ Ti,’ and it’s not going to be no 2:45.' He said, “Eddie, just record it.” It came up to eight minutes, thirty seconds, and it became a classic. It’s in the Library of Congress, an honor.

               Eddie Palmieri on his composition "Azucar Pa' Ti", added to the National Recordings Registry in 2009

Azucar Pa’ Ti (1965) signed by Eddie

Oh, it was received absolutely wonderfully by The Weathermen, and the CIA and FBI came to talk to Morris Levy (Roulette Records owner). The Weathermen were anti-government, and everybody in the group had my record. I couldn’t leave the country, I had to leave the planet. That’s the honest truth. Morris Levy – remember he had a tapestry behind his desk, on which it was written, “Oh Lord, bring me a bastard with talent” – told me, 'Mr. Palmieri, I don’t need the CIA and the FBI to come to see me for something that I didn’t do. Is that clear, Mr. Palmieri?' I said, 'Clear as a bell, boss.'

               Eddie Palmieri on his unlikely fan support for Harlem River Drive (1971)

Harlem River Drive (1971) signed by Eddie

Harlem, New York 1963. photo by Leonard Freed, basis for HRD album cover

Born in Spanish Harlem of Puerto Rican descent and raised in the South Bronx, Eddie Palmieri has won nine Grammys in an acclaimed career spanning more than six decades. Studying classical piano at age eight, Eddie switched to timbales, but gave them up at the prescient suggestion of his mother. He remembered, "Oh, carrying the timbales, I figured I was going to get a hernia. My mother, who wanted me to stay on the piano, bought me a case that weighed more than two or three timbales in the metal case, and every time I would pick it up, she would say, “Eduardo, don’t you see how beautiful your brother (Charlie) looks when he goes to work? He doesn’t have to carry an instrument. When will you learn, Eduardo?” I’m picking up the box of timbales because my uncle is honking the horn. 'Come on, Eddie, let’s go!' And I’m telling her, 'I’m learning, ma. I’m learning.' Two years later, I made a deal with my uncle and he couldn’t refuse it. I went back to the piano. But it was my mother who put us on the piano." Yes, Mrs. Palmieri was a remarkable woman who worked tirelessly as a seamstress and at other jobs to provide for her sons, Charlie and Eddie, who would both play professionally as pianists and band leaders. In tribute many years later, Eddie recognized, "The reason I became a musician was because of my mother, it was solely based on her. She was the stimuli. She worked extremely hard before and after the Depression to make sure we had the best teachers and facilities to practice daily. As for becoming famous, that never crossed my mind. My only interest was to become a student of music, which I am still working on."

Mozambique (1965) signed by Eddie

Charlie Palmieri, nine years older, was a massive influence on Eddie as he readily acknowledged, "I would try to imitate my brother, who was a genius – his attack on the piano. I was aware of percussion, you know, rhythmical patter because I wanted to play timbales. That helped me. Then I just kept studying and studying, and then eventually, I met Mr. Bob Bianco, who took me into the world of harmonic structures of jazz." Eddie would study with Bianco for more than twenty-five years, honing his skills and mastering his craft. Always self deprecating, Eddie would unfailingly defer to his brother Charlie, "He was the pianist, I am the piano player."

El Sonido Nuevo (1966) signed by Eddie

After playing piano with Tito Rodriguez's Orchestra in the 1950s, Eddie formed Conjunto La Perfecta in 1962. With this band, Eddie introduced a novel "Trombanga" approach, replacing trumpets and strings with trombones and flute while playing the popular Charanga rhythms of the day. With this instrumentation, Eddie's band had a distinctive growlier and grittier sound, and the 'bone-centric style was influential to Latin music masters and band leaders Willie Colon and Manny Uquendo in their later recordings. For his part, Eddie offered a simpler reason, "If you didn’t excite the people in the Palladium, the dancers, you were never brought back. There’s your answer. We had to go in there and go right through them like a Mack truck, and we did. La Perfecta, wherever we played, we blew them away. We had no choice. It was a different sound. It was known as the “Sound of the Royal Elephants” in the Catskills."

Champagne (1968) signed by Eddie

As fearsome as the sounds of his collective ensemble was, Eddie's piano was equally formidable. As Eddie explained, "I’m a drummer at heart, I love the percussion. That’s what makes you move, it’s the pulse of life. (Jazz saxophonist Donald Harrison), always tells me, ‘You know Eddie, you solo like a drummer.’ But that’s natural, because no matter how you want to play it, the piano is a percussion instrument, (it is) hammers on strings."

The Sum Of Latin Music (1974) signed by Eddie

I saw Eddie recently at the Blue Note in New York City with his Latin Jazz Sextet, they were promoting Subiduria, his most recent recording. He opened with "Life", a plaintive, rueful ballad written for his wife, who "heard it as she was on her dying bed, and she liked it." The  duet with bassist Luques Curtis was part homage, part elegy and was punctuated by Eddie's anguished cries, which heightened the pathos of this ruminative and emotional piece. Thankfully, a jaunty and celebratory "La Luz Mayor" followed and then, Cal Tjader's "Samba do Suenho", a beautiful groover with a pulsating alto saxophone solo by (current Stephen Colbert band member) Louis Forche. All the while, Eddie applied discordant Monk infused flourishes and Nicky Marrero and Little Johnny Rivero supplied percussive accents on timbales and conga. "Picadillo", a burner from the book of Tito Puente, featured the trap drumming of Craig Haynes who, amid the swirling rhythms and deep percussive beats, was dropping bombs like a MF. Yes, he truly was. 

Vamonos Pa’l Monte (1971) signed by Eddie

Next, came Craig's dad's turn, the irrepressible, unstoppable ninety-two years young jazz drummer extraordinaire Roy Haynes. There aren't many still performing today who have played with Charlie Parker, Charles Mingus, Thelonious Monk, and countless others. Indeed, Roy Haynes may be the last man standing. It is not by coincidence that Roy's band ten years ago was called "The Fountain of Youth", Roy's still got it. Eddie warmly welcomed Roy to the stage, "You know, I'm so nervous that I may grow my hair. This artist means so much to me. You know, when I heard "In Poco Loco" by Bud Powell in 1949, it changed my life. I was three, alright, I was thirteen but it changed my life and Roy Haynes was playing drums. It is a thrill to welcome Roy to the stage to play with me." Roy began the exquisite Palmieri composition "Resemblance" with a gorgeous mallet solo on drums, before Eddie and bassist Luques Curtis joined in and completed an amazing night of music.

Eddie’s Concerto (1976)signed by Eddie

After the show, I went upstairs to the dressing rooms to visit with Eddie and get some vinyl signed. I chatted with Luques Curtis briefly and thanked him for his impeccable bass work, the chemistry and telepathy with Eddie was akin to a Vulcan mind meld. Luques smiled, "Thanks, Eddie is the man. I love playing with him." Luques noticed my vinyl. "Hey, if you're looking for Eddie, he's not here. He's at the restaurant next door. Wherever he plays, whatever town he's in, he's never in his dressing room. Just look for the closest restaurant before and after the show, that's where he is. This is not a well kept secret." I thanked Luques for the inside information and bounded down the stairs to catch my quarry at the Japanese restaurant. Next door.

Superimposition (1970) signed by Eddie

Sure enough, Eddie was holding court in a back booth with assorted family, friends, well wishers and... me. After waiting five or ten minutes, I seized my opportunity when a seat vacated, and I slid in next to him. He saw the albums and he flashed a big grin. I handed him The Sum Of Latin Music. "What's the date?" he said brightly. 'Nah Eddie, don't worry about that,' I said as he inscribed "8.1.17" on the album. ‘Actually, today is 7.31', I told him. Eddie laughed, "That's alright, I'm giving you a nice head start on tomorrow." Next came Superimposition, possibly my favorite EP album. I asked him about some of the curious song titles, "Chocolate Ice Cream"? "Well, who doesn't like chocolate ice cream?" True, how about the significance of "17.1"? "Well, we were smoking reefer, and we just laid down a great track. I looked at my rhythm section and they were nineteen, eighteen and fifteen, all young cats. So we smoked some more reefer, and we divided their ages and came up with 17.1. Of course, we found out later that the right number was 17.3, or whatever, but it was already titled "17.1", so I said, what the hell?!" Reefer or not, it is a great track with a great title. When I showed Eddie Viva Palmieri, a wonderful record by his brother Charlie, Eddie was moved. “You know my brother was everything to me. He’s the reason I’m here with you today. I’m just a piano player, but he was a pianist.” I thanked Eddie again for his kindness and, especially his music.

Eddie Palmieri, as much fun off stage as on, so much more than just a piano player. As he said in a recent interview, "I don't guess I'm going to excite you with my music and my band - I know it." Anyone who has ever seen him, knows this too.

Recorded Live At Sing Sing (1972) signed by Eddie

Recorded Live At Sing Sing Vol. 2 (1972 recordings, 1974 release) signed by Eddie

Eddie Palmieri at the Blue Note, NYC 7.31.17

Special Guest with Eddie Palmieri 7.31.17

”He found the mallets!” Sittin’ in with Roy Haynes 7.31.17

Choice Eddie Palmieri Cuts (per BK's request)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fScAoA6mgVw

"17.1"  Superimposition  1970

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UdJdrSxqo6o

"Chocolate Ice Cream"  Eddie Palmieri and Orchestra  Live

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y4LlF0RH63Y

"Azucar Pa Ti"   Azucar Pa Ti  1965

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yquE9vKQeFE

"Mi Guajira"   La Perfecta   1962

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HVlZr3-_mDY

"Pa' Heule"  Superimposition 1970

Well, just listen to it. It had a great double meaning: 'Give me a taste, a taste / Give me a little piece to sniff.' They were taking that, “Pa’ Huele,” like it would be cocaine. They were taking it every which way. - Eddie Palmieri

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ARCWjHkERwU

"Conmigo"   La Perfecta  1962

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jHfCzfwkAAg

"Picadillo" Eddie & Cal Tjader  El Sonido Nuevo  1966

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WsLjZwxgdac

"Life"   written for Eddie's wife   Sabiduria   2017 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vf0JKB9iXeQ

"Vamonos Pal Monte"  Eddie and Charlie jamming, Ismael Quintana singing

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nEJccV0PSR0  

"Resemblance"    Bamboleate   Eddie & Cal Tjader  1967

Junior Mance and Me...

You know, it really wasn’t a leadership thing. We just got on the stand and they would call a tune and you’d blow.

                     Junior Mance

At The Village Vanguard (1961) signed by Junior

The first time I played with Hawk (Coleman Hawkins) was in Chicago in May 1954... When he played the Bee Hive, he needed a piano player so I was called for the gig. Hawk and I did eight weeks there together. Man, he knew more tunes. I learned more songs playing with him than with anyone else. I’d ask him what key he wanted to play a song in, and Hawk would say, “Wherever you want to put it. Just play the intro and I’ll figure out where we’re at.” When you’ve been playing as long as that guy, things come automatically.

Junior Mance

Jam Session (19(54) signed by Junior, Maynard Ferguson, Clark Terry, Max Roach, Harold Land

I played with Dizzy almost three years – three great years. I learned more in that span of time than I learned from any teacher, and certainly more than I got out of the time I was in college. I lived maybe a 10-minute walk from Dizzy. He had a studio in his basement and he said, “Come on over any time.” We’d go down to his studio and he showed me a lot about comping, a lot about the alternate changes on things. It was like a music lesson. Most of the time it started off with some tune we were doing.

And I learned a lot just from listening to him every night on the gig. The first night in the band, playing with the great Dizzy Gillespie, I was all over the place with notes. And he just eased over to me and calmly said, “You know, the sign of a mature musician is when you learn what not to play; what to leave out.” It took me a while to do.

Junior Mance on Dizzy Gillespie

The Chicago Sound (1957) signed by Junior Mance, Johnny Griffin

I never got involved with that. I had looked at enough of these guys from Chicago who messed up. They were only fooling themselves. Lester Young smoked pot, but he wasn’t outrageous with it… I smoked a joint on one record date early on and played worse than I ever did. I never was in my right mind. I never touched it again. 

Junior Mance on staying clean

Griff & Lock (1960) signed by Johnny Griffin, Junior Mance

I like outside tunes, things you don’t hear often, and just what hits me. I was taught very early to listen to everything. You don’t have to use it all, just listen to it. When I was young, Benny Carter said to me, “When a musician stops listening, he’s in trouble.” And of course, he was right.
Junior Mance, liner notes Truckin’ And Trakin’

The Soul Of Hollywood (1962) front cover

The Soul Of Hollywood (1962) back cover signed by Junior

The year before my mother died, I had my own trio band and we recorded my first album. We were playing at the London House, a very upscale jazz club in Chicago. My working there coincided with her birthday, so my father decided we would give her a surprise party. He told Mama, “I want to see this movie,” and they drove downtown. The London House had a marquee almost like a movie theatre. And she looked up and said, “What?” when she saw my name.

She didn’t say a word. She walked in. I had long-stemmed roses on the table, and it was the first time she’d ever seen me perform in a club. So after the night was over and I’m walking back to the car with her, I said, “Ma, did you like it, did you enjoy it?” She said, “Son, I had a great time, but I still wish you’d been a doctor.” My ego hit the floor. My father whispered in my ear, “Dummy, why didn’t you leave well enough alone?” But he told me in later years, “She was proud of you.” There’s so many times I’ve wished she could have been there – like the one this past weekend at the Kennedy Center. But I don’t regret one instant of my career. There were hard times, but I don’t regret that either.

Junior Mance

Live At The Top (1968) signed by Junior, David “Fathead” Newman

A jazz pianist, composer, and educator, Junior Mance was born in Chicago in 1928. Junior became the house pianist for the Bee Hive lounge in Chicago and served as the accompanist for Charlie Parker, Coleman Hawkins and other great artists when they were passing through. He began his recording career with Gene Ammons in 1947, and later toured with Lester Young, Dizzy Gillespie, and Cannonball Adderley. Junior released his first trio album in 1960 which has since become his preferred music and art form ever since.

Get Ready, Set, Jump! (1964) signed by Junior

A very soulful and blues-based pianist, Junior has an exquisite touch on ballads and standards. He released over fifty albums as a leader, and appeared on over one-hundred as a sideman for such renowned artists as Dizzy Gillespie, Dinah Washington, Joe Williams and Johnny Griffin. Also an educator, Junior taught at The New School in New York City for over twenty years before retiring in 2011. Brad Mehldau, certainly one of the most influential jazz pianists extant, is one of Junior's most celebrated and accomplished students.

Straight Ahead! (1965) signed by Junior

I saw Junior perform many times in some really interesting venues in New York City, including The Blue Note, Birdland and, for many years, Junior appeared with bassist Martin Rivera at the Knickerbocker Bar and Grill near New York University in the heart of Greenwich Village. An old neighborhood steakhouse with Al Hirschfield framed caricatures adorning its walls, The Knickerbocker was the perfect environment to see Junior Mance perform his compelling mix of blues, gospel, soul, and jazz, and Martin Rivera's beautiful, resonant bass was the perfect complement to Junior's virtuoso playing.

I Believe To My Soul (1966);signed by Junior

The last time I saw him, Junior was playing an intimate show at the Kitano Hotel in midtown Manhattan. He played a tremendous set, including the Billy Taylor penned civil rights classic "I Wish I Knew How It Would Feel To Be Free" and Duke Ellington's glorious "The Single Petal Of A Rose." From the gospel burn of "I Wish...." to the lyrical elegance and brilliance of "The Single Petal...", it was a bravura performance.

Harlem Lullaby (1967) signed by Junior

After the show, I spent some time with Junior as he signed some albums. I told him how much I enjoyed his performance. He laughed when he saw The Junior Mance Touch (released in 1973). I told him that I really liked the album. It had a great mix of songs, from Al Green's "Let's Stay Together" to George Harrison's "Something" to Leadbelly's "Midnight Special." Junior said he hated it. He said it was his first album (and last) for Polydor, a label he joined after he had left Atlantic Records. He said he recorded the album with Martin Rivera and turned it in, and the label put strings on it. Suffocating, syrupy, saccharine strings. Junior said he was shocked when he listened to it. After all these years, he was still not happy. I  told him he should reissue the album without the strings. Junior said he had no idea where the tapes were, and he was moving forward, not backward.

The Junior Mance Touch (1973) signed by Junior

Junior was impressed with my records and their quality. "How many do you have?" I told him a lot, probably 7,000 or more. A collector himself, he asked: "Do you ever get calls from collectors? I get calls all the time, people want to buy my collection. I don't even know how they find me." I told him it's because of his ownership, his provenance makes his records more interesting and valuable. That, and I'm sure there are a lot of original issue Blue Note records, the holy grail. "Well, I ain't selling", he replied defiantly. On that, we could both agree.

Junior Mance, a wonderfully gifted jazz pianist, vinyl enthusiast and collector.

With A Lotta Help From My Friends (1970) signed by Junior, Billy Cobham

Holy Mama (1976) signed by Junior

Choice Junior Mance Cuts (per BKs request)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=spHHYXRDwqY
“I Wish I Knew How It Would Feel To Be Free” Live At The Top 1968

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7QzBeFmUkbE
“The Single Petal Of A Rose” with Richard Davis 2007

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lABJDjKtzJQ

“You Are Too Beautiful” Live At The Village Vanguard 1961

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AE9JtUQZgms
“When I Fall In Love” Mance 1998

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ym6uyJL8kVQ

“Georgia On My Mind” live 2002

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h2k92JtTyOE

“That’s All” with David Fathead Newman 1968

https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=junior+mance

“Slow Freight” live with Ray Bryant 1993

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hu54FQWIwkw

“The Shadow Of Your Smile” with Martin Rivera 1983

Truckin’ And Trakin’ (1983) signed by Junior, David “Fathead” Newman

Johnny Cash, June Carter and Me...

I took my guitar one mornin', real early, went down and sat on the steps of the studio until he (Sam Phillips) got there. And he was in a good mood that mornin'. He put me in the front of of a mic and I sang about two hours. He kept sayin', 'What else you got? Let me hear more.' Then, after I sang all these other people's songs, he said, ' Sing somethin' you wrote. I want to hear your stuff.' So I sang him everything I'd written... Then he said, 'Do you know any musicians?' I said, yeah. I'd just met Marshall (Grant) and Luther (Perkins)... so he said, 'Come back with them and we'll put somethin' down, see how it sounds.' I came back with them the next day, and first thing we recorded was "Wide Open Road", a song I'd written in Germany. And then I recorded "Folsom Prison Blues" and then "Hey Porter!" He liked all three of them but he liked "Hey Porter!" best. And he said "We gotta have a love song. A weeper, a cryin' song.' So I went home and wrote "Cry! Cry! Cry!" I came back with the two musicians and put that down soon after. That was February 1955.

               Johnny Cash on his initial recordings with Sam Phillips at Sun Studios

The Fabulous Johnny Cash (1958) signed by Johnny

I knew absolutely nothin' about the record business. I mean, nothin'. I didn't know my record was out, and Sam (Phillips) walked up to me, handed me this big 78 and said, "Why don't you take this down to WMPS and get Bob Neal to play it?' So I went down, got on Bob Neal's noon show, handed him the record. He played "Hey Porter" and he liked it. He said, 'That's good, let's play the other side.' He reached to turn it over, dropped it and broke it. And I thought, Well I did what I set out to do: I sang on the radio. That's it, I thought my career was over. I had no idea there was even another copy. I thought one was all there'd be.

               Johnny Cash

Johnny Cash Sings Hank Williams (1960) signed by Johnny and June

Let me put it to you this way: Whatever you think Johnny Cash was, he was something better. And you would really be pleasantly surprised if you knew him. He’s the real guy.

               Merle Haggard

Ring Of Fire (1963) signed by Johnny

I wrote it backstage at a show with Carl Perkins in Gladewater, Texas. And when I recorded it, I recorded it real slow the first time. Sam (Phillips) played it back and he said, 'I don't like that arrangement. Let's speed it up.' And I wasn't gettin' any sound on my guitar speedin' it up, so I put paper in the strings to get that shufflin' sound, and we picked up the tempo, and he kept sayin', 'Pick up the tempo, let's do it faster next time.' So we did....But I didn't like the record when I heard it on the radio. I hated it. I called Sam from Ocala, Florida - I was on tour when it came out - and I said, That's the worst thing I have ever done. Please don't send out any more copies of "I Walk The Line" that way. I hate it. And he said, 'Well, let's give it a chance and see.' Course, the higher it climbed on the charts, the more I got to like it, and I started doin' it that way on stage.

               Johnny Cash on recording "I Walk The Line"

Original Sun Sound (1964) signed by Johnny

There was a package of myself, Jerry Lee [Lewis], Roy Orbison and Carl Perkins. We were all young and wild and crazy. As crazy as you can get. We discovered amphetamines, or I did, anyway. Jerry thought he was going to Hell for not preaching. He went to seminary and wanted to be a preacher, but he turned to rock and roll. He would tell us all we were going to hell. I said, 'Maybe you're right, Killer. Maybe you're right.'

               Johnny Cash on his early Sun Records days in 1955

Orange Blossom Special (1965) signed by Johnny

I was lucky. I saw Johnny Cash perform more than a dozen times in all sorts of venues. From the eighteen thousand seat Capital Centre in Landover, Maryland as one of The Highwaymen (Willie, Waylon and Kris were the others) to the twelve-hundred person 9:30 Club mosh pit in Washington, DC to President Clinton's Inaugural Ball in 1993 at the Washington Hilton (as an unannounced guest!) to one of his last public appearances with June Carter Cash at the Bottom Line in New York City. Each time, Johnny was a mesmerizing presence, dressed in black, guitar held high, his profundo bass intoning songs that were drawn from the deepest reservoir of the soul. If Johnny Cash was not directly the voice of God, his timbre was certainly the next of kin!

I grew up listening to Johnny Cash. On long car trips, the tinny fidelity and flinty reception of AM/FM radio (circa late 1960s) would yield a variety of Top 40 sounds along highways and interstates. There were no iPods or iPhones to provide personal playlists, we were left to the mercy of radio program directors and DJs.  Occasionally, the unmistakable, clarion call of Johnny Cash would cut through the clutter with "Ring Of Fire", "Folsom Prison Blues", or, even, the Shel Silverstein penned novelty "A Boy Named Sue." No one sounded like Johnny Cash on the radio then, or now. It stirred my interest and I had to listen and learn more.

By now, the legend of Johnny Cash is well known and writ large. Born poor in rural Arkansas, Johnny enlisted in the U.S. Air Force in 1950, served in Germany as a code breaker, returned to the U.S. in 1954 and showed up at Sam Phillips' Sun Studios in Memphis with songs he had written. Out of the gate, Johnny recorded "Hey Porter", "Cry! Cry! Cry!", "Folsom Prison Blues" and "I Walk The Line" and his career was off to the races. He left Sun Records in 1958 and joined Columbia Records and flourished for the next twenty-eight years, winning awards, selling millions of records and becoming Johnny Cash. Then, Columbia Records, in their infinite wisdom, unceremoniously dumped him. Johnny Cash was "too country" and didn't mesh with the "countrypolitan" drivel that Garth Brooks, Vince Gill et al were serving up in the late 1980s (and even today). Johnny's devout and steadfast interpretation of Harlan Howard's "three chords and the truth" had devolved into line dances, gaudy outfits and over-wrought emoting. Johnny Cash's simple rhymes and rhythms were deemed anachronistic and unwelcome.

American Recordings (1994) signed by Johnny

Enter Rick Rubin, maverick record label owner, genius and producer of Beastie Boys, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Metallica, Tom Petty and so many others. They seemed an unusual pair. Rubin's pitch to Johnny was simple: eliminate the strings, the outfits and the ornaments, it will be just you, your guitar and songs. Johnny had always wanted to record an album like this and he even had a working title, Late and Alone. They began collaborating together and their first album, American Recordings, was released in 1994 and featured Rubin's minimalist production on songs by Leonard Cohen, Nick Lowe, Glenn Danzig and Tom Waits. It was startling in its simplicity, a radical transformation that worked. American Recordings won a Grammy for Best Contemporary Folk Album that year, and hipsters were getting hip to how hip Johnny Cash was.

Johnny's next album, Unchained, was a more fleshed out production with Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers providing support and songs culled again from unlikely sources like Beck - "Rowboat", Soundgarden -  "Rusty Cage", Josh Haden - "Spiritual" (with Flea on bass!), and Tom Petty - "Southern Accents." Unchained met with critical and commercial success and it won a Grammy for Best Country Album. To celebrate, Rick placed an ad in Billboard with this caption:

American Recordings and Johnny Cash would like to acknowledge the Nashville music establishment and country radio for your support.

It was accompanied by an iconic photo of Johnny (wearing a prison jumpsuit) flipping off famed photographer Jim Marshall during rehearsals for a San Quentin concert in 1969. It is my favorite corporate marketing piece ever! And it is available on posters, t-shirts and coffee mugs...

Billboard Ad, 1998 - Rick Rubin and Johnny Cash give thanks and praises!

Johnny and Rick would go on to release more than 140 songs over the next decade with the American Recordings imprimatur. Prison songs, pain songs, train songs, sea chanteys, spirituals, show tunes, the entire range of the Great American Songbook. And when Johnny Cash sang a song, he didn't rent it, he owned it. Perhaps his most celebrated cover was Nine Inch Nails' "Hurt", a harrowing song of despair and dissolution by lead singer Trent Reznor. As Trent said when he was initially approached about a Johnny Cash cover, he was "flattered" but 'the idea sounded a bit gimmicky." That changed when he and Zach De La Rocha saw the video. "We were in the studio, getting ready to work and I popped it in. By the end, I was really on the verge of tears...there was just dead silence. There was, like, this moist clearing of our throats and then, "Uh okay, let's get some coffee." Trent added, "I felt like I just lost my girlfriend because that song isn't mine anymore."  Trent wasn't alone, U2's "One", Beck's "Rowboat", Neil Diamond's "Solitary Man", The Eagles' "Desperado" and so many others all suffer the same fate once Johnny Cash sings. They are his songs, they are not theirs. As Tom Petty said about "I Won't Back Down", "When I heard his version, it was like I'd never done it. It dropped my jaw, something about the authority his voice carried. When the Army and C.I.A. people called me and asked me to use it in their training programs, they wanted to use the Johnny Cash version. I guess it sounded more American."

Tennessee Inaugural Ball Program; January 20, 1993 (front cover)

Though I saw him more than a dozen times, I only met Johnny Cash twice. The first time was at President Clinton's Inaugural Ball, January 20, 1993 at the Washington Hilton in Washington, DC. My brother-in-law Matt hooked us up with tickets so Erin and I put on our finest formal evening wear and attended the black tie affair. Several states (but not all) were hosting balls, including Arkansas and Tennessee, the top two destinations. We opted for Tennessee, it had better musicians. I mean, who cares about politics when you can see a dozen fabulous performers?! The Tennessee Ball did not disappoint. The International Ballroom had a big stage where Kathy Mattea, Take Six and Jimmy Buffet performed. An obscure group called the Dixie Chicks opened, wearing horrific, Minnie Pearl inspired, gingham check outfits. This was before Natalie Maines joined the band as lead singer and no one knew who they were. Worse, no one cared.

Erin and I decided to hang out in the Exhibit Hall, a smaller ballroom which was adjacent. A wise choice. As we mingled with assorted black tie politicos and high end donors (of which I am neither), I saw Jerry Jeff Walker performing off to the side. We went over. There was no stage, he could have been busking in the New York City Subway for all the attention he was receiving. Just then a tall man dressed in black (unremarkable for we were all dressed in black!) approached, escorting Emmylou Harris. Emmylou joined Jerry Jeff and sang beautiful harmony on "Little Bird", one of my favorite songs from Jerry Jeff's Viva Terlingua. The man stood nearby and watched about five feet from us. It was Johnny Cash. Yes, Johnny Fucking Cash! The Man In Black! After Emmylou and Jerry Jeff finished, Johnny started to walk away. Sadly, I had no Johnny Cash vinyl, as he wasn't listed as a performer at the show, but I stopped him, shook his hand and had him sign the back of the program. “JohnnyPleaseBigFanSignThankYou", my words ran together in an indistinguishable, staccato burst. Johnny smiled, shook my hand, signed my paper and gave it back to me. "JohnnyPleasePictureBigFanPlease" came my next incoherent blurt. "Sure" came the genial response. Later, the photo was developed and Johnny was the essence of cool detachment. I was not. Sadly, I have not been able to locate this photo. So, if you find a picture of someone in a black tux, wild-eyed and overwrought with emotion standing next to Johnny Cash at the Tennessee Inaugural Ball in 1993, I'd appreciate you sending it back to me...

The rest of the night was one of the great nights of music ever. After Jerry Jeff and Emmylou played, Bob Weir of the Grateful Dead performed with Rob Wasserman, then Bruce Cockburn, Dion, Lou Reed, and Rosanne Cash all played sets. Rosanne, in particular, played a rousing show with her husband John Leventhal on guitar and called her dad on stage to sing "Tennessee Flat Top Box", one of his early hits. That's was a highlight for sure. Around 4am, there were less than a couple dozen hearty, bleary souls when Paul Simon appeared and sang "Bridge Over Troubled Water." It was an incredible night and an auspicious start for....well, it was an incredible night of music.

Tennessee Inaugural Ball Program (back cover) signed by Johnny, Emmylou Harris, Jerry Jeff Walker

The last time I saw Johnny Cash was at the Bottom Line in New York City on July 1, 1999. A superb venue in the East Village, maybe five-hundred seats and home to some fabled performances through the years by Bruce Springsteen, Neil Young and Willy DeVille. Johnny had been quite sick and while he was recording extensively with Rick Rubin, his public appearances were limited. June Carter Cash, daughter of Mother Maybelle and A.P. Carter, the family who invented Country music in rural Virginia in the 1920s, stealing most of their melodies from Celtic airs and Scottish Highland reels, released Press On, her first album in twenty-four years. She was touring and her tour consisted of two shows at the Wiltern Theater in Los Angeles and two shows at the Bottom Line. I met June at a CD signing prior to the show at an HMV record store in Times Square and I brought along some vinyl. She was vivacious and perky, just like her appearances on stage with Johnny all through the years.

Press on (1999) signed by June

That night at the Bottom Line, June appeared with her band, and they played a tight set which focused on her new songs from Press On. One highlight was an Appalachian-infused "Ring Of Fire" which she co-wrote with Merle Kilgore about her early, volatile relationship with Johnny Cash. The mariachi horns of Johnny's iconic arrangement were replaced by fiddles and mandolin, and June even strummed Mother Maybelle's vintage autoharp to create a lustrous hillbilly mood. Half way through the set, June introduced a special guest, Johnny Cash, and he made his unsteady way to center stage from off stage. The crowd gave Johnny and June a thunderous ovation. They performed a duet on "The Far Sides Of Jordan", a heart wrenching gospel with the prescient opening stanza:

I believe my steps are growin' wearier each day

Still, I've got another journey on my mind

Lures of this old world have ceased to make me wanna stay

And my one regret is leavin' you behind

They finished the song and Johnny left the stage. There was barely a dry eye in the house as June continued with her set. After the show, Johnny signed some vinyl. I had learned my lesson, I kept it short and simple: "Please, Johnny" and "Thank You." I have met a lot of musicians through the years, everyone from Frank Sinatra to Jerry Garcia to Dizzy Gillespie to Johnny Rotten, and no one has left me as flustered or flummoxed. After all, he is, was and will always be, Johnny Fucking Cash!

Press On cd (1999) signed by June

The music and legacy Johnny Cash left is astounding, particularly his late career resurgence with Rick Rubin. Rosanne Cash said it best: "It's like Matisse doing the jazz dancers when he was in his 80s....like a whole new level of art and depth and mastery and confidence. Rick came at just the right time, and Dad was just the right age that that could be unlocked in him." Years later, Rick Rubin reflected on their relationship, "He really played a huge role in my life, and of course, we worked a lot together for a long time. It was always fulfilling and I always looked forward to it. I would have to say it affected me more in terms of quality of life than in terms of the way that I work. My life was definitely made better by having him as a friend. He was just a beautiful man."

Thanks for all the beauty in your songs, Johnny. And thanks to Rick Rubin for curating the American Recordings to add to your already nonpareil discography.

Carousel Ballroom, 4/24/68 Johnny with Dan Hicks signed by Dan

It's been a good 30 years... It's been a great spiritual experience sharing my feelings with my audience. And that's what performing is. It's communicating your feelings through lyrics, recitation, or dialogue between songs. I found it to be a great challenge yet a most rewarding thing and probably the most rewarding vocation a person can have...

               Johnny Cash 1984 interview

Choice Johnny Cash Cuts (per BK's request) 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FywSzjRq0e4

"Hurt"   Johnny Cash video, filmed at home in Hendersonville, TN

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CGrR-7_OBpA

"One"   Johnny obliterates U2

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lZBaklS79Wc

"Redemption Song"  Johnny and Joe Strummer sing Ras Bob

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N8i5NLyXZdc

"I Won't Back Down"   Johnny dominates Tom Petty

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yY6pMTPkUL8

"Rowboat"     Johnny destroys Beck

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O5rVmXyZP5s

"Solitary Man"    Johnny dispatches Neil Diamond

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2VmxF6tyJ4U

"Desperado"   Johnny annihilates The Eagles

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4udoRz-m2Dw

"Spiritual"  Johnny exhilirates Josh Haden....Flea on bass!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VPKN33AqBfU

"I'm Free From The Chain Gang Now"  

Johnny goes home

Bonus cuts:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gRlj5vjp3Ko

"Ring Of Fire"  Johnny live 1963

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HnplCRQVLDM

"Ring Of Fire"   June Carter Cash   Press On  1999

The Heath Brothers and Me...

Really Big! (1960) signed by Jimmy and Tootie Heath, Tommy Flanagan, Clark Terry

I had met Jimmy Heath, who - besides being a wonderful saxophonist - understood a lot about musical construction. I joined his group in Philadelphia in 1948. We were very much alike in our feeling, phrasing and a whole lot of other ways. Our musical appetites were the same. We used to practice together, and he would write out some of the things we were interested in. We would take things from records and digest them. In this way, we learned about the techniques being used by writers and arrangers.

                               John Coltrane, Downbeat, 1960

Nice People (1964 recordings) signed by the Heath Brothers, Donald Byrd, Clark Terry, Kenny Burrell,Curtis Fuller, Cedar Walton,

Trane was always high on Jimmy’s playing and so was I. Plus, he was a very hip dude to be with, funny and clean and very intelligent. Jimmy is one of the thoroughbreds.

                                  Miles Davis 

Live At The Village Gate (1963) signed by Jimmy, Tootie, Milt Jackson, Hank Jones, Bob Cranshaw

He’d say, “Hey, come here. Let me show you something on the piano.” The first time I had him at my home in Philadelphia, he showed me things on our piano. He said, “If you want to be an arranger and composer, you have to learn this keyboard.” He showed me harmonies that I still use…very modern voicings on the piano. He’d voice chords differently than anyone else. He was the first to show me the 9th next to the 10th, and how to create note clusters and harmonic devices that I still use today.

Jimmy Heath on the influence of Dizzy Gillespie

Jay Hawk Talk (1965) signed by Jimmy, “thanks for Ears”

He was not a guy who had an entourage like some people. He was an ordinary human being with a world of talent. And he would give his talent to others. He would show you a lot of things. We all learned from Dizzy, and those who passed through Dizzy’s bands all went on to become the giants of the music.

Jimmy Heath on his mentor Dizzy Gillespie

Kenny Dorham Quintet (1954) signed by Jimmy

At that session with Howard McGhee in ’48, I played baritone for a couple of tunes, and that was the first time ever that I’d recorded on baritone. This album with Kenny was one of the very few other times I played baritone on record. He asked me to play it on “Be My Love.” Being 5-foot-3, it’s not too often that I’d be asked to play the baritone saxophone; it was too big for me! I think I did just three sessions with it. Three strikes and I’m out.

Jimmy Heath on playing with Kenny Dorham’s Debut Record

Jazz ‘ n’ Samba (1964) signed by Jimmy, Milt, Tommy Flanagan, Richard Davis

So when I started making my own records for Riverside, I wanted to bring those guys in. Especially Wynton (Kelly), the way he plays those triplets. A friend of mine in Philly said, and I agree, that he plays teardrops in his solos. They’re just dripping down.

Jimmy Heath

Much In Common (1964) signed by Tootie, Milt, Ray Brown, Kenny Burrell, Hank Jones

I arranged one half of that record, and Oliver Nelson arranged the other half. For some reason, Oliver had a whole big band and I only got a tentet. When I found that out, I said, “Oh shit, they cheated me!” And Oliver insisted on using minor seconds in his orchestration all the time, that crunchy harmony, which was a pet peeve with Milt Jackson. Bags had perfect pitch, so the minor seconds rubbed him wrongly. He’d be like, “Are you playing E or F or what?” Later he told me, “Look, Bermuda”—he called me that—“I like your side of the record better than Oliver’s.”

Jimmy Heath on arranging Ray Brown/Milt Jackson

Opus De Funk (1975) signed by Jimmy and Percy Heath, Milt Jackson, Ron Carter, Tommy Flanagan

The first record I bought myself was “C Jam Blues” and “Rain Check” by Duke Ellington. I came home one day and it was under the sofa. I think Tootie (younger brother and phenomenal drummer Al “Tootie” Heath) broke it. Erskine Hawkins: “Swinging on Lenox Avenue,”  “After Hours,” and “Tuxedo Junction,” Glen Miller: “Serenade in Blue,” Bird and Dizzy: “Shaw Enough” and “Groovin’ High,” Sarah Vaughan: “If You Could See Me Now;” John Coltrane: “Naima.” Kenny Dorham was the romantic composer of the bebop era. He wrote four or five beautiful ballads. And Gil Evans: “Porgy & Bess” with Miles, because me and my wife courted on that album, and we’ve been married now for 51 years.

Jimmy Heath on records that changed his life, 2011 interview

Showboat (1960 recordings) signed by Jimmy

There are great family traditions in Jazz. The Marsalis clan from New Orleans is probably the most notable, the Jones boys (Thad, Hank, and Elvin) from Detroit are probably the most talented, but the Heath Brothers (Percy, Jimmy, and Albert "Tootie") from Philadelphia (via North Carolina) are the most unsung and underrated.

In Motion (1979) signed by Jimmy, Tootie, Percy

Percy Heath is the oldest brother, a bass player with The Modern Jazz Quartet for forty years and an accomplished cellist. Percy is tall, 6'3", all sinewy limbs and long fingers as he thumps and thwacks his upright bass, setting an immaculate groove. Jimmy Heath is the middle brother, a tenor saxophonist, flutist, arranger and composer. Jimmy is diminutive, 5'3" but a full force gale when blowing his tenor sax. Albert "Tootie" Heath is the youngest brother, a drummer who has recorded with Nina Simone, Wes Montgomery, and Dexter Gordon. Tootie is thicker, sturdy and strong as he beats complex time and rhythms on his drums, the consummate timekeeper.

Passin’ Thru (1978) signed by Jimmy, Percy, Tootie

Collectively, the Heath brothers have appeared on hundreds and hundreds of jazz recordings. Jimmy alone has appeared on over one-hundred twenty-five records and some of his one-hundred plus compositions have become jazz standards and recorded by Charlie Parker (a latin groove "Fiesta"), Miles Davis ("The Serpent's Tooth"), Chet Baker ("Gingerbread Boy"), and Dexter Gordon ("C.T.A.") to name just a few. During breaks with their various band commitments and tours, the Heath Brothers also recorded together. As brothers. They have released twelve albums and, despite Percy's passing in 2003, Jimmy and Tootie still get together and perform. The Heath Brothers' shows are so much fun, with their talent and good humor readily apparent in all that they do.

The Gap Sealer (1972) signed by Jimmy and Tootie Heath, Kenny Barron, Bob Cranshaw

They have signed lots and lots of albums over the years and they have always been kind and generous. Ever true to his instrument, Percy always drew a bass scroll with tuning pegs underneath his signature. When I showed Tootie the Nice People album, I pointed to some of the signatures. I told him, "‘Look I got brother Percy and brother Jimmy here and brother Kenny (Burrell)...’  "What's your name?" he interrupted. Then he signed it, handed it back to me and smiled, "Look, now we got brother Neil on there too." It may have been my proudest moment. An honorary Heath Brother, if only on a signature on a great album.

The Heath brothers. Nice, easy, affable, and extremely talented brothers.

Jimmy (1972) signed by Jimmy and Tootie Heath, Kenny Barron, Bob Cranshaw

Love And Understanding (1973) signed by Jimmy, Bob Cranshaw

From Vienna With Art (1978) signed by Jimmy, Art Farmer, Jimmy Woode

Brothers & Others (1983) signed by Jimmy, Percy, Tootie , Stanley Cowell

Choice Heath Brothers Cuts (per BKs request)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IhgJ2z-Ro7A&list=PLbgNWYWDRcDAPWZyu4TwtxZAI0oiG_Ghj&index=5

“A Time And A Place” Pulp Fusion 2014

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=46hJOHdabLQ&list=PLK_wZjcZ4-31TOVJEtvb7Mc4ogo8XwIe0&index=5

“A Sound For Sore Ears” Brotherly Love 1982

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mGx9pC67B2M&list=PLK_wZjcZ4-31TOVJEtvb7Mc4ogo8XwIe0&index=3

“Autumn In New York” Endurance 2009

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MkJYWI5K0pg&list=PLK_wZjcZ4-31TOVJEtvb7Mc4ogo8XwIe0&index=8

“This Is What It Is” As We Were Saying 1997

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vcnH-VKepJ0&list=PLK_wZjcZ4-31TOVJEtvb7Mc4ogo8XwIe0&index=21

“Watergate Blues” Marchin’ On 1975

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rJdSRSusHcw

“On Green Dolphin Street” Really Big! 1960

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GOegZMsxJaE

“Invitation” The Gap Sealer 1972

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-9e6PS3pxH0

“All The Things You Are” Nice People 1988 compilation

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-YN-T4X8_Qc

“Gingerbread Boy” On The Trail 1964

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1XRa6WggMRw

“Tenor Madness” live Kongsberg Jazz Festival 1989

Peer Pleasure (1987) signed by Jimmy, Larry Willis

Be Bop (1988) signed by Jimmy, J.J. Johnson, Jon Faddis, Mickey Roker, Milt Jackson, Cedar Walton

Soul Sauce (1965) signed by Jimmy

Black Drops (1970) signed by Jimmy

X and Me...

So when I started playing with Billy and John before we found DJ, they were doing Carl Perkins songs in the garage. And that was kind of unheard of in the late seventies. That music was considered pretty dead. So American roots music was always something that X played. John taught me how to sing by pulling out an acoustic guitar, and we'd sing Hank Williams songs. That's how he was trying to teach me how to sing.

                                         Exene Cervenka

Los Angeles (1980) signed by John Doe, Exene Cervenka, Billy Zoom, DJ Bonebrake

We were trying to recapture the freedom and dangerousness that rock and roll had. Short songs. Fast and loud and wild. But I think what defined it was that freedom. You could do anything you wanted. It wasn't codified into one type of punk rock.

                                          John Doe

Wild Gift (1981) signed by X

Formed in Los Angeles in 1977 by John Doe and Billy Zoom, X is one of the great American punk rock bands. Their roots are rockabilly and hard core country, the music of Hank Williams, Merle Haggard, George Jones, and Johnny Cash, not the country cosmopolitan pap that mostly emanates these days from Nashville. They released seven studio albums from 1980-1993, and their debut Los Angeles (1980) was produced by The Doors' legendary keyboard player Ray Manzarek on a paltry $10,000 budget. X blisters a version of The Doors' "Soul Kitchen" and Ray even plays an organ solo on "The World's A Mess, It's In My Kiss." Ray enjoyed the band so much he produced their first four albums, and they are all great records.

More Fun In The New World (1983) signed by X

I saw X many times over the years and they are an incendiary live act. In 1983, they performed at the Ontario Theater in Washington DC, a converted movie theater, capacity maybe five-hundred seats. X was touring in support of More Fun In The New World and they delivered an explosive and remarkable show. Though critically acclaimed, X never made a lot of money, nor enjoyed wide commercial success, and they broke up as the band members pursued other interests. John Doe has had a solo career and many roles as an actor (including supporting roles in Road House and Boogie Nights - two cultural masterpieces!), and Exene Cervenka has released solo albums, written poetry, and exhibited her collages at galleries in New York and Los Angeles.

Under TheBig Black Sun (1982) front cover

Back cover signed by X

In 1995, X reformed and released a (kind of) acoustic live album Unclogged. I saw them again at the old 9:30 Club, a small venue (maybe three hundred seats) in a run down office building in a seedy part of downtown Washington, DC. This was long before that neighborhood became gentrified, or the 9:30 Club moved to posh, new digs. Tuning up for a song, John Doe asked the crowd, "Does anyone know Johnny Cash? He really needs to sing this song. If you know him, or how to reach him, please see me after the show." The band then launched into a country rock version of "Burning House Of Love" with loping drums that would have made Johnny's long time drummer W.S. Holland proud. It would have been a perfect song for Johnny Cash. If I only knew Johnny Cash. Or Rick Rubin. At the time, Cash and Rubin were recording interesting covers of Beck, Danzig and Tom Waits(and later Nine Inch Nails, Nick Cave, U2, etc.), introducing the wonders and magnificence of Johnny Cash to millennials and hipsters everywhere. You could hear X's undying love of country music underneath their punk rock cacophony. Just like Harlan Howard famously defined country music, punk rock is really three chords and the truth (in three minutes or less).

Ain’t Love Grand (1985) signed by X

A side project, The Knitters' Poor Little Critter On The Road (1985) and The Modern Sounds Of The Knitters (2005) with all members of X including Blaster supreme Dave Alvin, reaffirmed their love of country, and included convincing covers of Albert Brumley's "Rank Stranger" and Merle Haggard's "Silver Wings." It doesn't get any more country or soulful than John Doe's earnest vocals and Exene's ringing harmonies.

The Knitters: Poor Little Critter On The Road (1985) signed by John Doe, Exene Cervenka, DJ Bonebrake, Dave Alvin

back cover signed by Billy Zoom

The other band members are equally talented and interesting.

DJ Bonebrake is an accomplished drummer, sometime vibraphonist, and jazz aficionado. He once told me that his favorite jazz drummers and influences were Max Roach, Art Blakey and Elvin Jones, excellent and discerning choices. DJ also told me of being on a commercial flight with the Modern Jazz Quartet in the 1980s, and everyone was in coach except Milt Jackson. Milt was chilling in first class, as any first rate vibraphonist should.

Billy Zoom is an excellent guitar player, occasional tenor saxophonist, and inveterate electronics tinkerer. The Billy Zoom Music and Custom Shop is a world class specialist in vacuum tube audio equipment. Since 1970, Billy and his shop have designed, built, modified, and repaired thousands of guitar amplifiers and studio recording gear. Billy Zoom is truly a gearhead's gearhead.

See How We Are (1987) signed by John Doe, Exene Cervenka, Tony Gilkyson, Dave Alvin, DJ Bonebrake

When I met John Doe, I asked him if he was a Baltimore Colts fan (he graduated from Antioch College in Baltimore in 1975). He said, "Hell yes." I mentioned that I knew Baltimore Colt and NFL Hall of Famer Art Donovan and went to college with his son, Artie. I told John that we used to hang at Art's Valley Country Club in Baltimore, and drink Schlitz beer. John exclaimed, "Schlitz? You should be drinking Natty Bo! (National Bohemian, another vintage Baltimore brew)." John signed so many records that I gave him a signed Art Donovan football card. A few days later, my friend Artie saw X perform at the Bottom Line in New York City. Artie said he introduced himself to John Doe after the show, and John said he still had his Dad's football card in his back pocket. That's respect and commitment from a Natty Bo lover and erstwhile Baltimorean.

X...the band is greater than the sum of its parts. Thankfully, they "play too hard when I ought to go to sleep."

Unclogged (1995) front cover

Choice X Cuts (per BKs request)

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=r-U6dXK4Mig&list=PL-cHDTXElYhg1Qtuud7VOjl-D1Fb3vumJ&index=8

“The World’s A Mess” Los Angeles 1980

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=MRHa1vUMvEs

“Burning House Of Love” Unclogged

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=k5ikNYY0JgQ&list=PL-cHDTXElYhg1Qtuud7VOjl-D1Fb3vumJ&index=3

“Soul Kitchen” Los Angeles 1980

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=vmbWy-MGTFg

“4th Of July” See How We Are 1987

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=emY12SGdrIM

“White Girl”

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=24qbIQynztY

“See How We Are” live acoustic 1986

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Vjk-JLlGXrM&list=PL_dv_QRa4hIPS0LVi0CrCDvaQuyJCEOor&index=6

“Breathless” Under The Big Black Sun 1982

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Zjwx4lt-hVU&list=PL_dv_QRa4hIPS0LVi0CrCDvaQuyJCEOor&index=4

“Poor Girl”

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=NaBSr-KV47E&list=PL_dv_QRa4hIPS0LVi0CrCDvaQuyJCEOor&index=1

“The New World” More Fun In The New World 1983

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=NOdMYZa3dA4

“Breathless” live on David Letterman

Unclogged back cover signed by John Doe, Exene Cervenka, DJ Bonebrake, Tony Gilkyson

Maynard Ferguson, Danny and Me..

Daniel Joseph Callahan IV (1957-2010)

Happy Thanksgiving! I am thankful for my faith, family and friends, especially those who are no longer with us. At the top of my list is my great friend, Danny Callahan. He was the life of every party, pegged the fun meter, and always turned it up way past eleven. He was a brilliant storyteller and I miss his enthusiasm, counsel, and most of all, his company. The holidays, and most days, shine a little dimmer without DJC IV. This Maynard Ferguson story, and so many others, could not happen without him.

Jam Session (1953) signed by Maynard Ferguson, Harold Land, Junior Mance, Max Roach, Clark Terry

Change is always happening. That's one of the wonderful things about Jazz.

               Maynard Ferguson

Hollywood Party (1954) signed by Maynard

Born in Canada, Maynard Ferguson was a child prodigy on violin, who switched to cornet and trumpet, and was playing on the CBC by the time he was thirteen. Maynard made his bones in the big bands of the day, especially with Charlie Barnett and Stan Kenton. He went solo in 1956 and became best known for playing in an upper register, a high C was nothing for Maynard's powerful playing. Maynard also made the transition from Big Bands to Jazz-Rock Fusion, and had a top 40 hit with "Gonna Fly Now" from the Rocky movie, which became a staple at his live shows thereafter.

A Message From Newport (1958) signed by Maynard, Slide Hampton

Back in the late 1980s, Maynard was playing a week long gig at Blue Alley in Washington, DC. On Sunday night, my friend Danny Callahan called me and told me to get to the club right away. "I've been talking to Maynard about you and all your records. He wants to meet you. And Larry's cousin is his bass player. You gotta come now." I told Danny that I've been hitting it hard all week, and I gotta get up early for work, so I'm out. Danny says, "I'm bringing them back to your house after the show." I hang up. No shot they're coming, I went to bed.

Jazz For Dancing (1959) signed by Maynard, Slide Hampton

Sure enough, 'round midnight, I get a knock on my door. The door opens: there stand Danny, Larry, and Larry's cousin the bass player. ‘Where's Maynard?’ I ask. " You know I worked him as hard as I could,” Danny tells me. I believed him. Danny was as persuasive a salesman as I have ever met. Maynard told Danny, "You know, I like you a lot and you're a lot of fun. But we've been on tour for a long time and this is the last night. As soon as this show ends, I have a car taking me to the airport and I'm going back home to California. So I don't give a fuck about your friend's pissant record collection."

So! Si, M.F. (1962) signed by Maynard, Slide Hampton

Fortunately, Larry's cousin the bass player was more enthusiastic. In those days, my bar was always open and we drank and played records till the wee hours. I remember playing Duke Ellington and Ray Brown's extraordinary "This One's For Blanton", the only duet album Duke ever recorded. It was a tribute to his bassist, Jimmy Blanton who died at age 23 in 1942 from TB. Blanton, hugely influential, was the first jazz bassist to perform bass solos. Ray Brown was the perfect musician to complement Duke's inspired playing. Larry's cousin the bass player was very impressed, and there were many other records we played that night that Larry's cousin the bass player had never heard before.

This One’s For Blanton (1972) signed by Ray Brown

Years later, I saw Maynard at the Blue Note in New York City. He was very kind as he signed a bunch of albums. He had a steady stream of visitors come by to pay homage, former colleagues and great jazz players like Slide Hampton, Jonah Jones, and Jimmy Owens. Maynard was still able to hit all the high notes, and the Rocky theme never sounded so good.

Swinging My Way Through College (1958) signed by Maynard, Slide Hampton, Jonah Jones

I sure wish Maynard showed up to listen to my "pissant records". At least Larry's cousin the bass player got his groove on.

Maynard Ferguson (1971) signed by Maynard

Choice Maynard Ferguson Cuts (per BKs request)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jxvhsr_R15E

“The Fugue” A Message From Newport 1958

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zHd3vzyM1fw

“Gonna Fly Now” Mike Douglas Show 1977

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qMn245qb2s8

“Somewhere” Germany 1969

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f_xD2VQuGUU

“Conquistador” Conquistador 1977

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NSSDjbWHssw

“Theme From Star Trek” Memories Of Maynard 1979

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fC6ykRiQcvA

“MacArthur Park” M. F. Horn 1970

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8uNbqi2hrmc

“Hey Jude” Maynard blows The Beatles!!!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f-rxvX7mVuI

“Carnival” Carnival 1978

Carnival (1978) signed by Maynard

Ray Bryant and Me…

The first music I heard was gospel. My mother was an ordained minister and a self-taught pianist, so I spent a lot of time in church. She gave me my first lessons.

Ray Bryant

Gotta Travel On (1966) signed by Ray

This guy sat down all alone at the piano. I was absolutely astonished by what I heard. It was Art Tatum. From that moment on, I knew exactly what I wanted to do.

               Ray Bryant on his first jazz concert

Alone At Montreux (1972) signed by Ray

Playing solo piano is pretty demanding. You're out there all alone and you’ve got to do it all by yourself, but there's also a certain degree of freedom involved. You can really do anything you want to.
Ray Bryant

All Blues (1978) signed by Ray

At the age of six my mother sent me to the neighborhood piano teacher. She realized that no matter what I wanted to do the best thing would be to acquire a solid musical foundation and that would be through classical training. I've never regretted it.

Ray Bryant

Slow Freight (1966) signed by Ray

Some people say I was I still have traces of classical training in my playing. There's no doubt about it. That's the best way to learn the piano. Go to a teacher and study formally. As I grew older and started hearing jazz, I just naturally gravitated towards it. At the time there weren’t schools available so most things you just had to work out yourself. That came from experience and actual trial and error. I feel like those circumstances make for the formation of real musical identities.
Ray Bryant

Lonesome Traveler (1967) signed by Ray, Clark Terry

Ray Bryant was surrounded by music as a child. His brother Tommy was a noted bass player, brother Len played drums, and sister Vera Eubanks became an organist and pianist specializing in gospel music. Ray's nephews are also prominent musicians: Kevin Eubanks is a guitarist and was the bandleader on Jay Leno's Tonight Show for 15 years, trombonist Robin Eubanks played with Art Blakey and Elvin Jones, and trumpeter/flugelhornist Duane Eubanks won a Grammy as a member of Dave Holland's big band. Clearly, music is a successful enterprise for the gifted Bryant family.

Take A Bryant Step (1967) signed by Ray

In 1953, Ray and his brother Tommy joined the house band at the Blue Note in Philadelphia, and accompanied jazz legends Miles Davis, Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie and Lester Youngwhen they were passing through. Ray developed formidable piano skills: soul drenched blues meets gospel meets boogie woogie, unique skills for most mid-1950s jazz pianists. Throughout his marvelous career, Ray appeared on more than 50 albums as a leader, and on hundreds more as a session player. Ray also played on early recordings for acclaimed singers Betty Carter, Carmen McRae and Aretha Franklin (on the Queen of Soul's second album released in 1961 when she was only 18).

Social Call (1955-56 recordings, released 1980) signed by Ray, Betty Carter

A talented composer of many songs that have become jazz standards, "Cubano Chant", "Little Susie", "Slow Freight" and "Cold Turkey" have been recorded by Count Basie, Art Blakey Dizzy Gillespie, Oscar Peterson and others. Ray also wrote "The Madison Time" which became an unlikely dance hit in 1960. A novelty song, it spawned one of the first line dances in music history. On the jacket of a 45 single, it was introduced as "the swingingest - the zaniest - the most sensational new dance craze." Baltimore DJ Eddie Morrison supplied the calls (the only song I know that has shout outs to Jackie Gleason and Wilt Chamberlin!) while Ray, brother Tommy, and jazz trumpet great Harry "Sweets" Edison lay down an infectious groove. The director John Waters saw the dance as a boy growing up in Baltimore and included it in Hairspray, his camp masterpiece (released in 1988). "The Madison Time" continues to make appearances in the broadway play adaptation of Hairspray whenever it is performed. And Ray's groove grooves on...as it should.

MCMLXX (1971) signed by Ray

I saw Ray perform many times over the years and his music was very inspiring. When I returned home from the hospital when my first child was born in 1997, I was so full of joy from the miracle of birth and life. I wanted to celebrate, and I had a lot of music choices. The first record I listened to was Ray's beautiful rendition of "Lil' Darlin'", a Neal Hefti groove made famous by Count Basie.

Montreux ‘77 (1977) signed by Ray

Backstage at the Kennedy Center when I met Ray several months later, he was with a friend. I told Ray this story. He was moved. He said, "Man, that's beautiful. That's why I play music." Ray motioned to a friend nearby, "Hey, did you hear that? That was really beautiful." His friend nodded yes. Ray then signed the album and personalized it to my daughter Kendall, who was months old at the time. It is a beautiful memory of a beautiful night of music with a beautiful man. This started a listening tradition when my other two children were born, they are all my "Lil Darlins."

Thanks for all the great music, Ray. Especially the music for my "Lil Darlins."

Here’s Ray Bryant (1976) signed by Ray “To Kendall”

Hot Turkey (1975) signed by Ray

Choice Ray Bryant Cuts (per BKs request)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xCsEzFAFXCI

“Lil Darlin’ “ Here’s Ray Bryant 1977

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KRQbImfGA6c

“Little Susie” live in Hamburg, Germany 1986

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QIDrO-V9qY4

“Slow Freight” Slow Freight 1967

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fCjecP1HT-s

“Cubano Chant” Lonesome Traveler 1966

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DcBkoVJ1vOQ

“Madison Time” 1960

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l94iNMcoliA

“Madison Time” Hairspray 1988

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LF0h5tGfegY

“Con Alma” Ray Bryant Trio 1960

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vJleP1d4UqI

“Girl Talk” Here’s Ray Bryant 1976

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ErgKqUz-qD0

“My Blues (Blues #5) Alone With The Blues 1957

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hayZl_3qbiw

“Good Morning Heartache” Here’s Ray Bryant 1976

Best Of Ray Bryant (1980) signed by Ray

Somewhere In Time promo (2000) signed by Ray

Hard Cookin’ (1965) signed by Ray, Frank Foster, Jackie McLean

Joe Ely, The Clash and Me…

Honky Tonk Masquerade had just come out, and we were in London playing the Venue Club when all The Clash.showed up one night. They came backstage and I guess they'd heard me on the radio and knew every song on my record. This was 1978 and coming from Lubbock; we had no idea what was going on in London. They told me they were coming to America and I asked where they wanted to play. 'Laredo, El Paso' -- they were naming off all these gunfighter ballad towns from Marty Robbins songs. 'Well I don't know about that,' I said, 'but we could play Lubbock together.' And they were like, 'Lubbock! All right!' They told their booking agent they didn't care about Houston or Dallas, they wanted to play Laredo, Lubbock, El Paso, and Wichita Falls. Somehow he put it together and we played Houston, San Antonio, Laredo, Lubbock, and Juarez. It was a great Europe-meets-Texas meeting.

Joe Ely on The Clash

Honky Tonk Masquerade (1978) signed by Joe

Playing with The Clash definitely kicked my band up a notch. Growing up in Lubbock, I always hung around with the rock & roll guys, so I came from a rockin' background. We played the Palladium in Hollywood together and Monterey Pop festival -- Bond's in New York. It was a big boost for us, so when they invited us back the following year for the London Calling shows in London, it was a real eye-opener. We were playing their venues with them -- the Electric Ballroom, Hammersmith Odeon -- wild, steamy, crazy shows that were unbelievable.

                                          Joe Ely

Texas Special (45rpm - 1980) signed by Joe

Texas Special back cover (45rpm -1980)

It's important to find new perspectives in songwriting. I’m not interested in making up a song that I could have done when I was eighteen because I'm not thinking the same way. You have to keep widening your scope and never re-create something just because it was successful. I've spent my whole life… looking to make that next different song. To me, that's success.

Joe Ely

Joe Ely (1977) signed by Joe

Born in 1947 in Lubbock, Texas, the birthplace of Buddy Holly, one of the pioneers of rock and roll. Joe Ely formed The Flatlanders with his friends, Jimmie Dale Gilmore and Butch Hancock, and they released one album in 1972, Jimmie Dale And The Flatlanders. Joe recalled their strengths, “Jimmie was like a well of country music. He knew everything about it, and Butch was from the folk world. I was kinda the rock & roll guy, and we almost had a triad. We hit it off and started playing a lot together. That opened up a whole new world I had never known existed.” Although each became better known as solo artists and songwriters, Flatlander interest has remained strong throughout the years, resulting in several reunion tours and some recent studio recordings. As the title of their 1990 release suggests, The Flatlanders were More A Legend Than A Band.

Down On The Drag (1979) signed by Joe

With a compelling mix of honky tonk heartbreakers and scorching rockers, Joe Ely is a magnetic performer. In 1995, I saw him play the Birchmere in Alexandria, Virginia. The old Birchmere was a converted furniture store, a rectangle box with low ceilings, a small stage and an impressive list of bands. Johnny Cash, Merle Haggard, Emmylou Harris, Steve Earle and Dave Alvin were just a few of the performers I saw in this intimate two hundred-fifty seat venue. Joe was touring in support of Letter To Laredo (1995) which was a dramatic change for Joe's roots rock sounds. For this show, he was accompanied by guitarist Teye (Teije Wijnterp), a Dutch flamenco master, and Joe was showcasing new songs "I'm A Thousand Miles From Home,” "Saint Valentine,” “All Just To Get To You" and the Tom Russell penned cockfighting ballad, "Gallo Del Cielo." I guess there aren't many cockfighting ballads around, but "Gallo Del Cielo" is surprisingly listenable, and the deft flamenco flourishes by Teye are a nice touch.

Letter To Laredo (1995) signed by Joe

Before the show, I headed backstage to get some albums signed. I was told Joe was in the van in the parking lot, so I went outside. Attached to a nondescript white Ford Econoline van was a camper. This was not a luxury Airstream or a tricked out tour bus, the camper looked like it had plenty of road miles with dents and dings, and I opened the rickety screen and knocked on the door. Joe answered and invited me in. He had reading glasses on and was sharing a quiet moment before the show. I felt bad about interrupting his solitude. Just not that bad. 

Musta Notta Gotta Lotta (1981) signed by Joe

Joe was happy to sign some albums. As he was signing Live Shots (recorded during his 1979 London tour in support of The Clash), I asked him about about his time on the road with The Clash. "That was a great tour and they were a lot of fun to play with. We had some good times and they are all great guys." I told him how much I enjoyed his cover of "White Line Fever" (released on a Merle Haggard tribute Tulare Dust). "I'd love to play it tonight but I really need Lloyd (Maines, pedal steel player extraordinaire and father of lead Dixie Chick Natalie) to do it justice." Joe was so kind and generous, and then he went on stage and rocked out in his inimitable West Texas roadhouse style. To paraphrase one of Joe's best tunes, we were lucky to be listenin'. Like The Clash sang on Sandanista's "If Music Could Talk", "Well, there ain't no better blend, than Joe Ely and his Texas men."

What’s Shakin’ Tonight (1984 - 12” single) signed by joe

Lord Of The Highway (1987) signed by Joe

Choice Joe Ely Cuts (per BKs request)

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=iiBPXlQ5cF8

“Should I Stay Or Should I Go” Joe sings The Clash!

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=0xOQN_5AgXs

“If You Were A Bluebird” live with Jimmie Dale Gilmore, Butch Hancock 1990

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z1457WDYKrQ

“Not Fade Away” live at Billy Bob’s with Bobby Keys

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=WJuItBzbnXk

“Are You Listening Lucky?” Lord Of The Highway

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mWr3JDcmxVs

“I Fought The Law” Live acoustic

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=dFjvLsUczAA&list=PLyQnHRd_AJAPjw41VcRUWDW3Y19-i0vgV&index=5

“Tonight I Think. I’m Gonna Go Downtown” Honky Tonk Masquerade 1978

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=1Miszhec_tk

“Musta Notta Gotta Lotta” live with David Grissom, Bobby Keys

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=GqR4VF-GIbA

“Where Is My Love” with Linda Ronstadt 1978

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q5RrnXHZirE

“Dallas” Live at Gruene Hall 1986

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZqkJUHSBYHY

“She Never Spoke Spanish To Me”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W2Dp-KH0XYs

“If Music Could Talk” The Clash 1980

Twist in’ In The Wind (1998) signed by Joe

Panhandle Rambler (2015) signed by Joe

Ruth Brown and Me…

She was one of the original divas. I can't really say that I've heard anyone that sounds like Ruth, before or after. She was a combination of sass and innocence, and she was extremely funky. She could really put it right on the beat, and the tone of her voice was just mighty. And she had a great heart. What I loved about her was her combination of vulnerability and resilience and fighting spirit. It was not arrogance, but she was just really not going to lay down and roll over for anyone.

Bonnie Raitt

Rock & Roll (1949-56recordings, released 1957) signed by Ruth

I was trying to do Billie Holiday, because she was the voice to be heard at that time... I could do her better than she could do herself. When I got into New York and I worked in Café Society, she walked in the club one night and I was onstage with a gardenia and everything in my hair. Josh White told me there was this woman in the club and she was Billie Holiday. She upset the table, stood up and walked away while I was onstage. I was insulted or hurt, I didn't know what. When I did get off, I went backstage and she was still there. She looked at me and said, 'Let me tell you something, and you better believe this: You got a great voice, and your star is out there. You can be wonderful, but you have got to know who you are. Every time that you go out on that stage and do what you did just now, they call my name. But nobody will ever know yours.'

Ruth Brown on meeting Billie Holiday

Gospel Time (1962) signed by Ruth “Love Peace Love”

In school, we had music classes, but I ducked them. They were just a little too slow. I didn't want to read no note. I knew I could sing it. I woke up one morning and I could sing.

Ruth Brown

Unfortunately, a lot of entertainers have the wrong disposition. They treat people like, 'Oh, you are so lucky, here I am.' I always take time to talk to people to tell them I appreciate them. What has made it easier for me now at this late age, is I don't remember meeting anyone who said, 'I like Ruth Brown's singing, but I can't stand that bitch, she is evil.'

Ruth Brown

Ray (Charles) called me and said, 'I'm doing this movie. Who do you want to play you?' And I said, 'Halle Berry, you crazy fool!' He said, 'I ain't that blind.'

Ruth Brown on her last conversation with Ray Charles

Ruth Brown’65 (1964) signed by Ruth

Born in Portsmouth, Virginia, Ruth Weston was steeped in the gospel harmonies of the Emanuel A.M.E. church where her father served as the choir director. She also fell under the spell of secular music, the songs and vocals of Ella Fitzgerald, Sarah Vaughan, Dinah Washington and, especially Billie Holiday. Soon, Ruth began clandestine trips across the Elizabeth River in Southern Virginia to perform in night clubs as a teenager. As Ruth recalled, "The club owners would talk to each other...that's how I got my jobs, one person would say, 'This girl is good.' And, of course, I was singing cheap." Secular music - her parents called it "the devil's music" - prevailed over sacred and Ruth ran off and married trumpet player Jimmy Brown when she was only seventeen years old. Or, at least Ruth thought she married Jimmy - he was already married - and while ol' Jimmy didn't hang around for long, the name Ruth Brown stuck.

In 1949, Ruth Brown was signed by Ahmet Ertegun and Herb Abramson, the co-founders of Atlantic Records, a fledgling rhythm and blues label which was only two years old. Ruth's first hit was "So Long" in 1949, and then "Teardrops In Your Eyes" followed in 1950 which stayed Number One on the R&B charts for three months. Ruth put Atlantic Records on the map and in the black, selling over three million records. Sixteen Top 10 and five Number One hits followed in the next six years including "5-10-15 Hours", "Oh, What A Dream", "Mambo Baby" and "Mama, He Treats Your Daughter Mean", and Atlantic Records became known as the "The House That Ruth Built." Atlantic fared very well in the ensuing years, signing Aretha Franklin, Ray Charles, Otis Redding, Led Zeppelin and The Rolling Stones, while selling and earning millions. Ruth Brown, not so much, her fortunes ebbed, and mostly ebbed some more.

The Real Ruth Brown (1972) signed by Ruth

When Ruth left Atlantic in 1960 after an eleven year stint, she was broke, not an uncommon experience for artists of that era. Through the magic of record label accounting, she was $30,00 in arrears as Atlantic accrued all her band, production, recording and travel expenses to her account which she could not pay. Worse, many of her songs were covered by popular white artists of the day with no credit, a common practice known then as "Whitewashing." I mean, does anyone really need to hear Pat Boone sing Little Richard's "Tutti Fruitti" or "Long Tall Sally"?! As Ruth ruefully related, "Well, some people might have thought it was flattering, but for me, it didn't do a damn thing except stop me from getting on the top TV shows. I never got to do The Ed Sullivan Show. Patti Page did, Georgia Gibbs did."

Ruth left the music business in the 1960s and settled on Long Island with her two young sons and husband number three, Bill Blunt, a policeman who did not want her to sing. They were not a good fit and they soon divorced. Ruth admitted, "I could pick a good song, but I sure couldn't pick a man." She raised her two sons and provided for them anyway she could: toiling obscurely as a school bus driver, teacher's assistant, and maid. No task was too menial to provide support for her family. She remembered the hard times, "Ruth the singer disappeared. I did a lot of things to survive. All I wanted was to feed my kids and keep the lights on." As her finances worsened, she reached out to her old friend at Atlantic Records, Ahmet Ertegun. She got a $1,000 check in response, a pittance, "crumbs from a rich man's label...for every Picasso he had hanging on his wall, I had a damp patch on mine", she bitterly recounted.

You Don’t Know Me (1978) signed by Ruth

Her career rebounded when an old friend, comedian Redd Foxx, invited her to appear on his show "Sanford And Son." This led to a role on a short-lived television sitcom Hello Larry, then a role in John Waters cult classic Hairspray as "Motormouth Maybelle" and eventually, a Tony award in 1989 for Best Actress in a Musical for Black And Blue. Perhaps her best achievement (and longest lasting legacy) was successfully suing Atlantic Records for royalties for her extensive back catalog. Ruth wrote in her 1995 memoir, Miss Rhythm, that despite many attempts through the years by various attorneys, she was, "expertly stonewalled by the powers at Atlantic. And always, always there was the constant threat from them: Leave, get lost, drop it, or we'll sue for the recovery of the money you owe." Ever tenacious and uncowed, Ruth found the right attorney in Howell Begle and in 1987, they won a settlement from Atlantic Records for a (paltry!) $20,000 for Ruth, forgiveness of her outstanding "debts", and an additional $1.5 million to establish The Rhythm and Blues Foundation which serves artists in need. Royalty reform was also part of the accord which benefited artists like Solomon Burke, Wilson Pickett and Big Joe Turner, and other labels like Motown, Universal Music and MCA subsequently gave sizable donations to the foundation.

The first time I saw Ruth Brown, she was performing at the Iridium in New York City in 1999 when it was located on 63rd and Broadway, near Lincoln Center. She had a great band including her long time Hammond B3 organist, Bobby Forrester, tenor saxophonist Bill Easley and music director and guitarist extraordinaire Rodney Jones. She was feisty, full of vigor, and prowled the stage like a feral cat as she sang her songs, "5-10-15 Hours", "So Long", and "Mama, He Treats Your Daughter Mean." She was particularly bawdy and bodacious on "If I Can't Sell It, I'll Keep Sitting On It", a raucous, tongue firmly planted somewhere tale of a used furniture salesman peddling wares. Full of sexual innuendo and risqué by 1936 standards when the song was written, it came from the prolific pen of lyricist Andy Razaf ("Ain't Misbehavin' " and "Honeysuckle Rose"). With Ruth's skills, it was a mesmerizing show stopper.

Gospel Time (1962) signed by Ruth “To Kendall Happy. Birthday “

Afterwards, I met with Ruth in her dressing room. She was warm and gracious as she signed the vinyl. I mentioned how much I enjoyed Gospel Time. "Well, that's where it all started for me, in the church. I love those songs," she confided. I mentioned my daughter's second birthday was coming up that weekend. "Oh, that's wonderful. What's her name?" "Kendall", I replied, and she thoughtfully signed it, "To Kendall, Happy Birthday!" The framed album still hangs proudly in Kendall's bedroom, as it has for the past seventeen years, next to some older friends, Bobby Short and Tito Puente, and newer friends, Beirut and Neutral Milk Hotel!

Erin and I saw Ruth again five years later, and though she had suffered a stroke, there was nothing that could stop her indomitable will, spirit and strength. She could no longer cavort around the stage, so she sang from her chair and the rhythm, the blues and her soul radiated. Despite all her travels and travails, there was a singular, positive affirmation in Ruth Brown and her music. Especially when she sang the blues.

The author Robert Louis Stevenson once wrote, "Life is not a matter of holding good cards, but of playing a poor hand well." No one played a hand better than Ruth Brown, rich or poor.

Have A Good Time (1988) signed by Ruth

Choice Ruth Brown Cuts (per BK's request)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HnmbJruEkKw
“Mama, He Treats Your Daughter Mean" Live 1955

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XHe16XFQUpI
“Oh What A Dream" Live at The Apollo

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jhW8QqXX_ck

"Teardrops From My Eyes" Live At The Apollo

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hrmf5pntPXA

“Ain't Nobody's Business" Live with B.B. King 1993

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=17LZnN20eKs
“If I Can't Sell It, I'll Keep Sittin' On It" Live 1990

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fADIumYD4Tw
"Mama, He Treats Your Daughter Mean" Live 1993 with Bonnie Raitt Rock n Roll Hall Of Fame Induction

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-CjyfQtFR2Y
"Please Send Me Someone To Love" Black Is Brown & Brown Is Beautiful 1969

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VA7pKn1WNwo
“Yesterday" Ruth Sings The Beatles Black Is Brown & Brown Is Beautiful 1969

Les Paul and Me...

Ever since I was a freckle-faced, red-headed kid, I just attacked the guitar. I was terribly aggressive about it. There were certain things that, if they intrigued me, whether it was music or electronics, I just went for the throat.

Les Paul

The New Sound (1950 10” vinyl) signed by Les

Right from the start I wanted to get different sounds and I wanted to get different effects. The first thing that hit me was that if I played a note and I played an octave higher than that, playing the two notes together — even three octaves apart — it created big sounds and different sounds, making the whole thing very special because it had never been heard before. It was a new kind of music, and that turned me on…
Les Paul

Jazz At The Philharmonic (1944 recordings) signed by Les

Once Miles Davis asked me, “What’s the secret, Les? People love you.” I said, ‘It’s simple, but it’ll be difficult for you.’ And he says, “Well, tell me, tell me, what should I do?” I said, ‘Play ‘Mockingbird Hill.’ “I don’t play that goddamned thing,” he says to me. I say back, ‘I’m only kidding, Miles. The secret is, I don’t play for myself; I play for the people. I do my best to entertain.’

Les Paul

Les Paul And Trio (1957) signed by Les

Les Paul did not invent the electric guitar, it only seems that he did. Most musicologists credit George Beauchamp with the first design in 1931 and cite Beauchamp's partnership with Paul Barth and Adolph Rickenbacker in 1932 as the first commercial production. Born Lester Polsfuss in Waukesha, Wisconsin, Les Paul was an early achiever. playing guitar as a precocious youngster: " When I got my first guitar my fingers wouldn't go to the sixth string so I took off the big E and played with just five strings. I was only six or seven."

The New Sound Vol. 2 (1951) signed by Les

An inveterate inventor, Les was always exploring ways to make his equipment sound bigger and better. He began his career in 1928 as a guitar player named "Red Hot Red" or "Rhubarb Red" playing mostly hillbilly and country songs. Frustrated by orchestras who drowned out his sound, Les was only fourteen in 1929, when he tore apart his mother's telephone to amplify his guitar. His tinkering didn't stop there, it was just beginning.

The Hitmakers! (1953 - 10” vinyl) signed by Les

Les designed his first solid body electric guitar, dubbed "The Log' after the the 4 x 4 solid piece of pine used in its construction. As Les recalled, "When I developed my first solid-body guitar in 1941, I took it to Gibson and they dismissed it. They called it that “broomstick with the pickups on it.” From 1941 to 1951, I couldn’t convince Gibson to do a damn thing about putting out a Les Paul guitar. Finally, Leo Fender decided to come out with the Fender solid-body line, and immediately Gibson said, “Find the character with the broomstick with the pickups on it!” And so they asked me to design a guitar. I thank Leo for coming out with his Broadcaster, because it woke Gibson up. Gibson was asleep and Fender was not asleep. That’s the way it goes. Fender was the first to market, but I was way, way out front."

Bye Bye Blues (1952) signed by Les

The Gibson Guitar Company finally introduced the Gibson Les Paul in 1952, and it has become the de facto rock star guitar: Duane Allman, Jeff Beck, Chuck Berry, Eric Clapton, Jerry Garcia (before switching to Fender Stratocasters and Doug Irwin Customs), Jimi Hendrix (although better known for his Fender Stratocasters), Jimmy Page, Keith Richards.... even Ras Bob Marley played a Gibson Les Paul. It is probably easier to list those who didn't play or record with a Gibson Les Paul than those who did!

The New Sound (1955 - 12” vinyl) signed by Les

In 1945, Les played on Bing Crosby's radio show and they became friends, recording "It's Been A Long, Long Time", a number one hit. Shortly thereafter, Bing was given a confiscated German tape recorder - the Magnetophon - a spoil of the recently ended World War II by US Army Major Jack Mullin. Bing brought it to the Ampex Corp. to manufacture fifty machines because he wanted to record his radio show rather than record live in a cramped studio. Bing gave Les one of the machines, and of course Les customized it, adding an extra recording head and Les began experimenting with "sound on sound", or overdubbing. Les was one of the first to introduce this multi-tracking technique in 1948 on "Lover" using eight different guitar parts to fill out this track. Later, Ampex outfitted his home with the first eight track studio and many artists and musicians would visit with Les to draw on his vast production and sound knowledge. He would remain a restless and relentless inventor throughout his life.

50 Years Of Jazz Guitar (1974) signed by Les, Kenny Burrell, Jim Hall, Pat Martino

A near fatal automobile accident in 1948 curtailed his playing for eighteen months. Les had his arm set at a ninety degree angle so that he would always be able to cradle and pick his guitar. A little extreme but what dedication! In 1949, Les married Colleen Summers (renamed Mary Ford) and she became his singing and touring partner. Les Paul & Mary Ford became a marquee act and they had more top ten hits in 1951 than The Andrews Sisters, Bing Crosby and Frank Sinatra combined, selling over six million records. As rock and roll emerged in the mid-1950s, Les and Mary's recording career waned and they became less commercially viable. I guess their divorce didn't help either...

The Hit Makers! (1955 - 12” vinyl) signed by Les

The first time I saw Les play, he was appearing at Fat Tuesday's, a now defunct jazz bar on the lower East Side of Manhattan. He played there almost every Monday,night from the club opening in 1984 to its closing in 1996. In search of a new venue, Les took his act uptown to the original Iridium in Lincoln Center and to the newer Iridium on Broadway near Times Square. Les performed there every Monday night until several weeks before his death in 2009, capping an incredible performing career spanning more than eighty years!

Multi-Trackin’ (1968 recordings, 1979 release) signed by Les

In these intimate clubs, it felt like a pilgrimage as fans and musicians came to see him, pay homage and ask for his blessings. Most often, he played with a trio, Lou Pallo on rhythm guitar, Brian Nowinski on upright bass, and they played his hits: "How High The Moon", "It's A Long, Long Time", "in A Mellow Tone", and "Over The Rainbow." Sometimes, a special guest would sit in and perform, and I remember just missing Tony Bennett as he had visited Les the previous Monday.

Lovers’ Luau (1959) signed by Les

Les' chops were still formidable well into his 80s. He would play fleet runs and highlight his dexterous finger picking and fret work. No vocals, just pure instrumental bliss by his trio as they played jazz standards from the Great American Songbook. In between songs, Les would banter with the audience. It was a weird combination of "Angry Old Man" and "Drunk Uncle" mixed in with some hayseed cornpone, as Les' filter was dimmed by the inexorable march of time. Politically correct, he was not...

Warm and Wonderful (1962) signed by Les

After the show, Les would hang in his dressing room and sign autographs. There would be an endless procession of guitar cases brought to the altar of Les. It seemed as though we were in a Gibson Guitar showroom, not a nightclub. Each time I brought him some albums, Les was cheerful, he liked looking at the album covers, but he didn't share any insights. After all, there was another show to do and the Sisyphean task of signing all those guitars and memorabilia lay ahead.

Swingin’ South!! (1963) signed by Les

As he said so prophetically years ago, "When rock came in, people didn't know what to do. Even Sinatra, he didn't know what to do. The music was changing, and it's changing now." Les Paul knew exactly what to do. He went on playing, inventing, recording and multi-tracking. He was always "way, way out front."

Chester & Lester (1977) signed by Les

The one and only inviolate truth is the Gibson Les Paul.
Wherever would we be without Les Paul?

The Les Paul Trio (1947 recordings, 1978 release) signed by Les

Choice Les Paul Cuts (per BK's request)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NkGf1GHAxhE

"How High The Moon" Les and Mary Ford 1951

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vfuvf0qoccw

"It's Been A Long, Long Time" Bing Crosby with Les Paul Trio 1945

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c8jEkQ7FB8g

"Lover" First Sound on Sound - 1948

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u22ZkhEXynA

Les and his god son, Steve Miller, Steve playing a Fender at the Iridium!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KbwKPk5s0q8
Les and Jeff Beck Jamming

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dMOL454T4Gg

"Blues" Live - Les, Nat King Cole, Illinois Jacquet 1944

Pucho, The Latin Soul Brothers and Me...

Nobody would hire a Latin bandleader named Henry Lee Brown, so I became Pucho.
Henry "Pucho" Brown

You had to play three types of music. You had to play jazz, you had to play funk, and you had to play Latin. And to find piano players and bass players that [could] do all three, was very hard in those days. I imagine it's still hard today. So guys really don't have the knowledge of all three. Some have the knowledge of one, some have the knowledge of two, but they don't have all three. So that's what our bands were about.

Henry "Pucho" Brown

My music is Latin, jazz, funk. I guess you could tie the funk in with the boogaloo. At a particular time, I think this was in the sixties, the black people, they had the music in the dance of the boogaloo. The Latins got a hold of the boogaloo, and they called it the Latin boogaloo. So I guess I got tagged with the Latin boogaloo, but cats like Joe Cuba was really responsible for the Latin boogaloo. I would think the Soul Brothers, #1, we were all black. So we understood the music, but we didn't really play authentic Latin music. Our rhythms was basically Latin, and the melodic section was basically jazzy or funk. So that made us a little different. Joe Panama was basically a Latin band. Like I said, he had Latin musicians in the band. My band, we only had one Latin musician and that was a gentlemen who was part of the Joe Panama group. He became a Soul Brother, because I took the band over.

               Henry "Pucho" Brown  

Henry "Pucho" Brown was born in Spanish Harlem in New York City. When he was thirteen, he saw Tito Puente perform at the Apollo Theater, and he was never the same: " When I saw Tito, he just blew me away. I was down front and he opened with 'Mambo Birdland', I'll never forget. And I said to myself, I wanna play those things that he's playing. And that was it: the timbales." After playing with Joe Panama in the 1950s, Pucho became the bandleader of Pucho and The Cha Cha Boys, which became Pucho and The Latin Soul Brothers. They released some terrific Latin boogaloo albums in the 1960s but never got the buzz or acclaim that Mongo Santamaria or Willie Bobo received, despite attracting young talent like Chick Corea, Hubert Laws and Sonny Henry (the guitarist who wrote "Evil Ways", an early hit for Santana). Unfortunately, it was talent that Pucho was unable to retain, as he explained, "They used to raid my band, because I wasn't a big star or nothing like that. They was making more money than I was, so a lot of musicians came out of my band and went to Willie Bobo and Mongo Santamaria.”

From 1974 until 1993, Pucho spent time in exile in the Catskills, playing the cavernous ballroom of The Raleigh, a hallowed family destination and borscht belt favorite. And no, Pucho did not put Baby in the corner! He played other hotels "in the mountains" but he was nonplussed about it because he was happy to perform. When asked about the hotel circuit, Pucho replied, "Everybody enjoyed us. As a matter of fact, I did a wedding reception in New York, that's Bobby Short's house (The Carlyle). The musicians came from downstairs upstairs to listen to my band. The maitre d said that he's been at that hotel for close to 20 years, and he has never seen Bobby Short’s musicians come upstairs to listen to another band. I felt very honored. I was on a job at one of the hotels I was playing, I had my singer, Amanda, singing with me, and Lionel Hampton was appearing on the show that night. He went on to rehearse just before we went on. And after his rehearsal, we start playing. And he was in the wings of the stage and he stayed there for half an hour--didn't move, just listening. So with greats like that, that makes me feel very honored that they listen to my music."

Not only did musicians listen, a new generation sampled Pucho's funky syncopated Latin beats including The Chemical Brothers, Beastie Boys and DJ Spooky introducing Pucho's songs and rhythms to an ever widening circle of enthusiasts. In 2003, Henry "Pucho" Brown was inducted into the International Latin Music Hall Of Fame, the only African-American other than Dizzy Gillespie to achieve this well deserved, prestigious honor.

In 2004, Erin and I saw Pucho and The Latin Soul Brothers at the Iridium in New York City. A small venue with one hundred-fifty seats, Pucho and his ten piece band were a joyful noise and when the rhythms started percolating, it was a wall of sound and sensuous grooves. Trombone, trumpet and saxophone comprised a formidable horn section on the back line, while Pucho and his percussionists were staged upfront, like his hero, Tito Puente. They played infectious and danceable covers, including James Brown’s "Sex Machine", Marvin Gaye’s “Trouble Man", The O’Jays' "For The Love Of Money" as well as traditional Latin songs. It was a combustible, potent brew that got the juke joint jumpin' at the intersection of Funk, Soul, Jazz, and Latin.

After the show, I met Pucho. He was warm and gregarious, a big man with a bigger sound. He was happy to sign albums, CDs, promo pictures etc. He smiled when I handed him Tough!, his first vinyl release in 1966. He remarked how thin and handsome he appeared on the cover. As he signed The Hideout, a 2004 CD release, I mentioned how much I loved his cover of the Tito Puente 1952 classic "El Albaniquito." I told him that I was unsure of the lyrics and I had consulted my good friend, Scobie Hall, a master in all things Latino, on the meaning of "Bobo pweenee" which is recited over and over in the song. Scobie did not know the exact meaning but thought it was a colloquial term of endearment. I asked Pucho to confirm. He looked me right in the eyes, "I have no idea what you're talking about. I have never spoken Spanish in my life." I was dumbfounded. ""Neither do I", I stammered. I guess the great Pucho was more of a Soul than Latin brother. No matter, his grooves sounded great and he has a legacy of poppin' dance jams. In any language.

Pucho and The Latin Soul Brothers, a delicious Latin, Funk, Jazz, Soul stew.

See you on the dance floor!

 Choice Pucho Cuts (per BK's request)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C2Fx_V_lnHU
"El Albaniquito"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gKEgeQdY-44
"Sex Machine"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dKdIxn2IHtA

"Cantaloupe Island" 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KImZsZNvk6Y
"Descarga on Los Palmas"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UNVk2cq3paQ

"Goldfinger"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U8mRpVJ3wSg

"Got Myself A Good Man"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q9IngPskB-0

"Negotiation Limerick File"   Beastie Boys sample "Got Myself A Good Man"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fezpqmpjd5A&list=RDfezpqmpjd5A

"Albaniquito" - Tito Puente (1952)

Benny Carter and Me…

My whole philosophy of presenting Jazz, both in concert and on records, has always been that I believe Jazz to be a give and take proposition between the artists and wherever possible, I've always tried to combine great artists of the same instrument so that they "blew" against each other. I felt in that way you often produced the best kind of Jazz, I've always wanted to get the great alto saxophonists of our time to play against each other, and I finally managed it. I was lucky to get the "Big Three" of the alto saxophone to play on the same date: Charlie Parker, Johnny Hodges, and Benny Carter.

Norman Granz on producing Jam Session #1 in 1952

Jam Session #1 (1952) signed by Benny, Ray Brown, Oscar Peterson

The problem of expressing the contributions that Benny Carter has made to popular music is so tremendous it completely fazes me, so extraordinary a musician is he.

Duke Ellington

Swingin’ The ‘20s (1958) signed by Benny

Everyone should listen to Benny Carter. He's a whole musical education.

Miles Davis

Further Definitions (1961) signed by Benny

You got Duke Ellington, Count Basie, and my man, the Earl of Hines, right? Well, Benny's right up there with all them cats. Everybody that knows who he is calls him 'King.' He is a king!

Louis Armstrong

The King (1976) signed by Benny, Milt Jackson, Tommy Flanagan

A composer, arranger and bandleader, Benny Carter is one of the only musicians who recorded for eight decades. Blessed with this amazing longevity, Benny's career spanned almost the entire Twentieth Century, from swing to bebop to modern, essentially the history of Jazz in popular American music. He played alto saxophone, trumpet and clarinet with equal facility and skill. Benny is also a noted composer of the jazz standards "When Lights Are Low", "Blues In My Heart", "My Kind Of Trouble Is You" and "Only Trust Your Heart."

In the late 1930s, Benny spent time in Europe recording and touring with Coleman Hawkins and Django Reinhardt. and when he returned to New York, he helmed an acclaimed orchestra at Harlem's Savoy Ballroom. His arrangements and charts were so good that Duke Ellington, Benny Goodman, Count Basie and Glenn Miller used them on some of their recordings.

Benny was also a trailblazer. When he moved to Los Angeles in 1943, he began composing music for Stormy Weather, a movie in which he became one of the first African Americans to write music in Hollywood. Other celebrated movies Benny worked on include An American In Paris (1951) and The Snows Of Kilimanjaro (1952). Quincy Jones considered Benny a role model and mentor, especially when Q started to write for movies and television in the 1960s. Benny's blueprint for success was the road map Quincy followed. Without Benny Carter's leadership and innovation, Quincy's scores for In The Heat Of The Night, In Cold Blood and dozens of others would not have happened. Benny also arranged for vocalists Billie Holiday, Ray Charles, Peggy Lee, Lou Rawls, and Sarah Vaughan, and for all his contributions to vocalists and film scores, Benny Carter was awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk Of Fame in 1995.

Wonderland (1976) signed by Benny, Ray Bryant, Harry “Sweets” Edison, Grady Tate

In the mid 1990s, I saw Benny perform at the old Iridium Jazz Club, a basement venue near Lincoln Center in New York City. He was probably eighty-eighty or eighty-nine years young and he sounded great. Though frail and halting off stage, he was robust and vital on stage, especially when blowing his alto saxophone. His sound was rich, full and soulful and he played for about seventy-five minutes, including a swinging "Secret Love", a calypso infected “The Shadow Of Your Smile", and a lilting "When Lights Are Low." His performance and stamina was remarkable and he made it look so effortless as the notes elegantly cascaded from his alto. It seemed that Benny swung harder than his much younger forty-something year old colleagues: pianist Chris Neville, bassist Steve LaSpina, and drummer Sherman Ferguson.

After the show, Benny was happy to sign a bunch of albums. He was suave and urbane. A sly smile creased his face when he saw Jam Session #1, his epic 1952 blowing session with Charlie Parker, Johnny Hodges, Oscar Peterson et al. He said, "I'm going to sign it big so you can really see me." Perhaps Benny sensed that his star had been eclipsed by Parker and Peterson among the Jazz immortals in the ensuing years, but as Norman Granz, his long time producer and friend wrote in The King liner notes,

"Duke Ellington once told me years ago when musicians had an argument about a musical point, they would look for Benny Carter. "Benny would be" as Duke recalled, "standing on the corner and would always settle the matter." He still remains the King."

Yes, Benny Carter is the King, and a musician's musician.

Choice Benny Carter Cuts (per BKs request)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8vCwcKHGGVU

“On Green Dolphin Street” New York Nights 1997

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1QHJy1yUYLY

“Oh Lady Be Good” Norman Granz Jam Session 1953

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=15Xc_OJLDpc

“A Walkin’ Thing” Jazz Giant 1958

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oDI-dWMS8bw

“When Lights Are Low” Benny Carter And His Swing Quartet 1936

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kzW_31YtlY8

“Misty” Live at Princeton with Clark Terry 1990

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RCw5VTkpYhA

“Rosetta” Live at Bern Jazz Festival with Harry Sweets Edison 1983

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ww7nvCgUocU

“Things Ain’t What They Used To Be”. A Gentleman And His Music 1985

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GbFNwrZonT8

“I’m Coming Virginia” with Django Reinhardt 1938

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8B3W29P7lD8

“Just Friends” Benny Carter Meets Oscar Peterson 1986

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FgatnU6AakM

“Honeysuckle Rose” Further Definitions 1961

Stanley Turrentine and Me...

My music has been called rock, be-bop, rhythm and blues, jazz fusion… I just let others decide what my music is. If I hear something and I like it, I’ll play it. I consider myself playing good music.

Stanley Turrentine

Dearly Beloved (1961) signed by Stanley

We lived a couple of houses apart outside Philadelphia, but hardly saw each other because we were both doing our own thing. I saw him one day, and he asked me to make a record date. I just got in my car, took my horn, drove up to the studio and recorded - no rehearsal, no nothing.”

Stanley Turrentine on recording Midnight Special in 1960 with his neighbor Jimmy Smith

Midnight Special (1960) signed by Stanley, Jimmy Smith, Kenny Burrell

The arts were a priority, you had to take some kind of music appreciation class—which they’ve cut out now—and they’d furnish you with instruments. A lot of guys who came up with me, if it hadn’t been for the school system in Pittsburgh, they wouldn’t be playing today.  They wouldn’t have been able to afford a saxophone or trumpet. The schools had all those instrument that you could use. If you played saxophone, you could take the horn home and practice until the end of the semester. The teachers there were excellent. We had all kinds of activities; there were art classes, and bands. My first band was called Four Bees and a Bop. I used to play for proms and basketball games. After the basketball games, they’d assemble in the gym and have a dance. It gave guys a chance to play. Oh, I just wanted to play music. I wasn’t exactly that big on school. Only reason I went to school was for lunch and band.

Stanley Turrentine on growing up in Pittsburgh

Midnight Blue (1963) signed by Stanley, Kenny Burrell, Ray Barretto

“George, did you know when I learned to play the blues?”

’ I said, ‘No.’

“Well, I was in Texas, and I was playing at this bar, you know, and back then you had to walk the bar, that was a kind of a corny tradition. But I was a young stud, and I said, I’m not doing that old time stuff. So somebody said, ‘walk the bar’ and I said, ‘I’m not walking the bar, I’m playing the saxophone,’ and he kept asking and I kept refusing, so later in the night, I went up to him, and he had this gun with a long barrel, and he said, ‘Look, I want you to walk the bar and spill nary a drop of whiskey!'” And Turrentine said he walked the bar, and that’s when he figured out what the blues was really about! He played the blues for real!”

Stanley Turrentine telling pianist George Cables how he learned to play the blues

Blue Hour (1961) signed by Stanley, Gene Harris

Stanley Turrentine, a great American jazz saxophonist and composer, was born in Pittsburgh in 1936, He was surrounded by musicians: his dad was a saxophonist, his mother played piano, and his older brother Tommy played trumpet professionally. At the start of his career, Stanley played with Lowell Fulson (and a young Ray Charles!), then with the great drummer Max Roach in the late 1950s, before leading his own bands in the 1960s for the incomparable Blue Note record label.

Joyride (1965) signed by Stanley

Stanley recorded more than twenty-five records for Blue Note as a leader (more than fifty-five overall), and they are some of the great jazz recordings of all time. Stanley had a big, fat, warm enveloping sound on tenor saxophone. He was brawny and muscular on some songs, tender and heartfelt on ballads, sweet and slow as molasses on soul-drenched blues. Never a strict jazz purist, Stanley was a pioneer in Soul Jazz, and recorded some killer versions of the hit songs of the day: Aretha's "Dr. Feelgood", Diana Ross' "Ain't No Mountain High Enough" and Burt Bacharach's "The Look Of Love" never sounded so fresh and swinging.

Rough‘N’ Tumble (1966) signed by Stanley

In 1960, Stanley married Shirley Scott, a great Hammond B3 jazz organist, moved to Philadelphia, and they recorded eight albums together. Highlights include soulful versions of Dylan's "Blowin' In The Wind', Percy Sledge's "When A Man Loves A Woman" and The Beatles' "Can't Buy Me Love." Shirley also introduced Stanley to the father of the Hammond B3 in jazz, Jimmy Smith, and they recorded Midnight Special (1960), Back At The Chicken Shack (1960), and Prayer Meetin' (1961). These are important, influential and classic Blue Note releases which highlight the mastery of Jimmy Smith's jazz organ chops with Stanley's formidable soul and blues blowing.

Prayer Meeting (1961) signed by Stanley, Jimmy Smith

I saw Stanley many times over the years. He always had a great band with him and his deep, beautiful sound never wavered. He was kind, generous and signed a bunch of albums over the years. The last time I saw Stanley, he was playing a week long gig at the Blue Note jazz club in New York City in September, 2000. I went to the Thursday night show. Stanley was in great form, and as usual, closed his set with "Sugar", a song he wrote and had great success with. We talked a bit.....then I left. He was to play the rest of the weekend. Sadly, he finished his Saturday night show and never showed up for his Sunday performance. He had a stroke in his hotel and died on September 12, 2000.

Stanley Turrentine left a wonderful legacy of songs and performances, and his soul lives on in those wonderful grooves and sounds.

Let It Go (1966) signed by Stanley

Easy Walker (1966) signed by Stanley, McCoy Tyner

Always Something There (1969) signed by Stanley, “Happy Easter”

Flipped (1970) signed by Stanley

Everybody Come On Out (1979) signed by Stanley

Choice Stanley Turrentine Cuts (per BKs request)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oLaIrVB1av4

“Sugar” Sugar 1970

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zybdpkpmiJo

“Walk On By” Rough N Tumble 1966

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6E0avvA9fz0

“Since I Fell For You” Blue Hour with Gene Harris 1961

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jb9LRckV3XU&list=PL654AD15320E9DB0D&index=5

“Someone To Watch Over Me” Comin’ Your Way 1961

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RcOIUECTPtU

“Back At The Chicken Shack” Back At The Chicken Shack 1960

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ATdV00j7ALw

“Ain’t No Mountain High Enough” Return Of The Prodigal Son 1967

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jeGKJdWTxC4&list=PLEyxWPyoryRIwoHGYNGnVIW1PFOnURnXL&index=2

“I Almost Lost My Mind” Prayer Meetin’ 1961

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S0cEVHZpNtQ

“In The Still Of The Night” Soul Shoutin’ with Shirley Scott 1963

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1SRFtEkxUGs

“Come Rain Or Come Shine” Up At Minton’s 1961

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CIontX93pQw

“Blowin’ In The Wind” Common Touch with Shirley Scott 1968

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xa4UECLqR7E

“Feelin’ Good” Rough n Tumble 1966

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b89q0o0SuE8

“Sugar” live 1998

ZT’s Blues (1961 recordings, released 1985) signed by Stanley

Wonderland (1984) signed by Stanley, Ronnie Foster

Fourmost (1991) signed by Stanley, Jimmy Smith, Kenny Burrell, Grady Tate

Off The Top (1986) signed by Stanley, Ron Carter, Jimmy Smith, Grady Tate

Oscar Peterson and Me…

A jazz phrase to me can’t be a jazz phrase without a certain type of blues feeling to it. If someone tries to play the blues, that’s the quickest way of knowing where they’re at jazz-wise, in my book. I have seen so-called prolific players humbled by the simplest of players who could play the blues… I’m not ashamed of the blues. The blues is a definitive part of jazz history and of my playing, and I want it to stay that way. I don’t want it to ever change, because if it does, then it throws me in with the classical end, and that’s not what I’m doing.

Oscar Peterson 1980

This Is Oscar Peterson (10” vinyl 1945) signed by Oscar

Some people try to get very philosophical and cerebral about what they're trying to say with jazz. You don't need any prologues, you just play. If you have something to say of any worth, then people will listen to you.
               Oscar Peterson

Oscar Peterson Quartet (1952) signed by Oscar

The " 'will to perfection' ...seems especially prevalent in jazz musicians. Creating an uninhibited, off-the-cuff musical composition in front of a large audience is a daredevil enterprise. . . . It requires you to collect all your sense, emotions, physical strength and mental power, and focus them totally onto the performance -- utter dedication, every time you play. And if that is scary, it is also uniquely exciting: Once it's bitten you, you never get rid of it.

 Oscar Peterson

The Duke Ellington Songbook (1960) signed by Oscar, Ray Brown, Ed Thigpen

Too many jazz pianists limit themselves to a personal style, a trademark, so to speak. They confine themselves to one type of playing. I believe in using the entire piano as a single instrument capable of expressing every possible musical idea. I have no one style. I play as I feel.

Oscar Peterson

Louis Armstrong Meets Oscar Peterson (1957) signed by Oscar

Oscar Peterson is one of the most celebrated jazz pianists, releasing hundreds of recordings and winning eight Grammys in his storied career. Born in Montreal, Oscar was classically trained, studying the etudes of Debussy and Chopin, until he fell in love with the improvisatory stylings of jazz in general, and Art Tatum in particular. He left school at seventeen (with his parents' blessings) to play professionally with the Johnny Holmes Orchestra in Canada. Initially, he spurned offers from bandleaders Coleman Hawkins and Jimmy Lunceford to join their bands. Instead, Oscar made his US debut in 1949 at Carnegie Hall with Norman Granz' Jazz At The Philharmonic. Oscar caused quite a sensation and the recordings with Charlie Parker, Benny Carter, Coleman Hawkins and many others were subsequently released. Thus began Oscar's more than thirty year collaboration with the impresario and record label owner Norman Granz. 

Jam Session #1 (1952) signed by Oscar, Ray Brown, Benny Carter

Quincy Jones, a close friend and admirer, recalled Oscar's first show, "Back in the day, those 'Jazz at the Philharmonic' shows were like the big stadium shows we have today. In fact, that's what got them started. And one year we heard a rumor that Norman Granz had a piano player that he was getting ready to expose . . . to the audience. Well, the joke from people who had heard him was that Oscar used to drink jet fuel and eat gunpowder every morning, because when he came up, he had everybody listening. He was a genius."

The History Of An Artist (1974) signed by Oscar - no one rocked crushed velour polka dot slacks harder!

The first time I saw Oscar Peterson perform he was at Symphony Hall in Boston in the early 1980s. It was a solo performance and his playing was revelatory: ripping off thunderous runs with either hand, at times lyrical and delicate, at others forceful and resounding. It seemed as though there were four hands playing the keyboard, much like his hero, friend and fellow virtuoso, Art Tatum. Oscar was far too modest to accept the comparison and dismissed the linkage. " I don’t know what being the next Art Tatum means. There never was and never will be another Art Tatum. If I’m an extension of his thinking, fine. But I didn’t set out to be that....Musically speaking, he was and is my musical God, and I feel honored to remain one of his humbly devoted disciples." I saw Oscar perform many times through the years but there was nothing like the fury and purpose of that first solo concert.

Canadiana Suite (1964) signed by Oscar, Ed Thigpen

In 1993, Oscar suffered a debilitating stroke and rigorous therapy over the next two years helped him recover some, but not all of the facility in his potent left hand. All those years of practicing six or more hours per day put Oscar in good stead. For me, it was hard to tell his infirmity when I saw him play post 1995. Oscar said it was actually a blessing, as he learned to not play as many notes. He admitted, "I still can't do some of the things I used to be able to do, but I've learned to do more things with my right hand. And I've also moved in a direction that has always been important to me, toward concentrating on sound, toward making sure that each note counts." As fellow pianist Benny Green wisely observed in 2001, "Oscar can do more with one hand than many pianists can do with two."

Very Tall (1962) signed by Oscar, Milt Jackson

In November 1998, I took a colleague (and musician) from work to see Oscar perform with the Very Tall band at the Blue Note in New York City. Milt Jackson and Oscar had released a 1962 Very Tall recording to critical acclaim and they reconstituted the band thirty six years later to revisit a live recording.  We got to the club early and before the show, I met with Milt, Oscar and Ray Brown as I had many times through the years and secured their signatures. Oscar, as always, was warm and genial. He was a big man, 6'3", well over two hundred fifty pounds, and my hand disappeared in his bear claw. When I returned to our table, Joel admired my cache. He said, "You know, my dad's favorite pianist is Oscar Peterson. I wish I had an album I could get signed for him." I knew Joel's dad was battling cancer at his home in Louisville, Kentucky and I thought this would be a nice gift. "Joel, there's a record store across the street. Let's see if they have any Oscar for sale?" So we left the Blue Note and ran across the street to Bleecker Bob's, a Greenwich Village landmark. 

Swinging Brass (1959) signed by Oscar, Ray Brown, Ed Thigpen

Bleecker Bob's was a dour, musty record store with creaky wooden floors that specialized in imports, bootlegs, and punk rock. It started as Village Oldies in 1967 at 133 Bleecker Streetbefore moving in 1981 to the West 3rd Street location across from the Blue Note. It was particularly notable as the store where guitarist Lenny Kaye worked and Patti Smith hung out in the early 1970s. As Lenny remembered, "She came up to the counter and said, 'Listen, I'm doing a poetry reading at St, Mark's Church in a few weeks. I hear you play a little guitar, and I'd like to shake it up, so why don't you accompany me on a couple of poems?' And from that little acorn, a beautiful towering oak was born." And the course of punk rock was undeniably altered. Bleecker Bob's also had club hours, staying open until 3am on weekends, perfect for some late night browsing after nocturnal carousing. Their jazz selection was modest but adequate, and Joel purchased two Oscar Peterson albums.

Oscar Peterson Trio + One (1964) signed by Oscar, Ray Brown, Ed Thigpen, Clark Terry

We returned to the club and I escorted Joel to the dressing room. The door was closed. Joel was hesitant, "I don't know if I should knock on the door." I looked him straight in his eyes and grabbed his shoulders, "Listen, Joel. You are a salesman and a partner in a Wall Street firm. You have no trouble asking a bank CEO to restructure his balance sheet and portfolio. You want Oscar's signature, go in there and sell it. You can do this." I stepped aside, Joel knocked on the door, he went in and ten minutes later, he emerged with the signed albums and the biggest smile. Ever. It was one of my best trades on Wall Street! 

We Get Requests (1964) signed by Oscar, Ray Brown, Ed Thigpen

The show was recorded and the performances of Milt Jackson, Ray Brown, Oscar Petersonand Karriem Riggins were remarkable. They played Benny Golson's elegiac ode to Clifford Brown, "I Remember Clifford", a jaunty "Nature Boy" from the Nat King Cole songbook featuring Milt Jackson stretching out on vibraphone, and the sublime solo piano on Oscar's "When Summer Comes." The encore was a percussive-fueled "Caravan" from the pen of Duke Ellington, fulfilling Oscar's dictum (from a 1979 interview), "I always try to include some Ellington in every concert that I do. I think it’s almost mandatory." It was a memorable show and I am thankful that the tapes were rolling and a CD was released in 1999 which commemorates the festive and swinging occasion. 

A Jazz Portrait Of Frank Sinatra (1959) signed by Oscar

Near the end of his career, Oscar said, "When I sit down to the piano, I don’t want any scuffling. I want it to be a love affair." 

Beauty, elegance and love radiated in the music of Oscar Peterson and it was shared freely with his fans, especially fathers, mothers, sons and daughters. There was never any scuffling.

This Is Ray Brown (1958) signed by Oscar, Ray Brown

Soul Espanol (1966) signed by Oscar

Reunion Blues (1971) signed by Oscar, Ray Brown, Louis Hayes, Milt Jackson

Choice Oscar Peterson cuts (per BK's request)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tCrrZ1NnCuM 
"Hymn To Freedom"   Oscar Takes Us To Church  1964

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NTJhHn-TuDY 
"C Jam Blues"   Oscar Plays Duke Ellington 1964

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2AfvRGOCvpU 
"Someday My Prince Will Come"   Oscar and Milt  1971

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6fehMmwL138 
"I Remember Clifford"   Oscar, Milt, Ray at The Blue Note 1998

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wECMGQ8eDKM 
"Satisfaction"   Oscar and Milt Play The Rolling Stones  1971

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ALOHcDE4mdk
"Love Ballade"  Oscar 1987

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q2qifGhYBUw
"When Summer Comes"  Oscar Live

Oscar Peterson & Clark Terry (1975) signed by Oscar, Clark Terry

Oscar Peterson & Jon Faddis (1975) signed by Oscar, Jon Faddis

Watch And Josh…Again (1975) signed by Oscar

Talking Heads, David Byrne and Me…

Our weird take on it was a long way round to rediscovering American folk, but coming at it from a fresh angle and in a more herky-jerky way that suits us. That way of making music, with those rhythms and big ensemble of musicians that make up an Afro-funk band, was a way out of the psychological paranoia and personal torment of the stuff I'd been writing - and feeling - the paranoia of New York in the 70s, my age, my personal stuff, fitting in and not fitting in. I felt I had that pretty bad for a while.

               David Byrne on Remain In Light

Remain In Light (1980) signed by David Byrne, Chris Frantz, Tina Weymouth, Jerry Harrison

Talking Heads formed when three of their principals (David Byrne, Chris Frantz and Tina Weymouth) met while they were attending the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD) in the early 1970s. My older brother told me about the band when he saw them open for the Pousette Dart Band in early 1977 in Salem, Massachusetts, an inauspicious and humble start. The Talking Heads were playing songs from their first album ('77) which featured "Psycho Killer", an unlikely radio hit with an equally unappealing subject matter. Fortunately, Talking Heads' career fared considerably better in the ensuing years, and they were inducted into the Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Fame in 2002.

More Songs About Buildings And Food (1978) signed by David Byrne, Chris Frantz, Tina Weymouth, Jerry Harrison

A great live band, I saw Talking Heads perform many times over the years, including two shows at the Orpheum Theater in Boston in 1980, when they were touring in support of Remain In Light, their recent record and a very influential album. The genesis of the album began In London when John Cale and Brian Eno saw the Talking Heads open for The Ramones in May, 1977. After the show, Eno invited Cale and Byrne back to his flat to listen to some records, including Fela Kuti's afro-beat masterpiece, Afrodisiac (1973). Eno remembered, "I was very excited about this music at the time and they were pretty excited too, which was thrilling, because no one in England was at all interested." Three years later, Brian Eno produced Remain In Light which Byrne described as, “Besides not being all that melodic, the music had something to say that at the time seemed new, transcendent, and maybe even revolutionary, at least for funk rock songs." 

For this tour, Talking Heads added some outstanding musicians including Adrian Belew (King Crimson) on guitar, Bernie Worrell (Parliament Funkadelic) on keyboards, Busta 'Cherry' Jones (Parliament Funkadelic) on bass, and Nona Hendryx (Labelle) on backing vocals. To begin the Orpheum shows, the original quartet played a couple of Heads songs, then the band swelled to nine members and their poly-rthymic approach created a pulsating wall of sound. It was rock music that you could dance to, and at the center, was a frenetic David Byrne.

Speaking In Tongues (1983) signed by David Byrne, Chris Frantz, Tina Weymouth, Jerry Harrison

Talking Heads officially broke up in 1991 and David Byrne, their charismatic front man, has forged an interesting solo career. He has released eight albums, while collaborating with Latin stars Celia Cruz and Johnny Pacheco, ballet choreographer Twyla Tharp, avant garde playwright and visionary Robert Wilson, DJ and dance maven Fat Boy Slim, and many others. The breadth and eclecticism reflect Byrne's peripatetic nature, and that doesn't include his art collaborations, from the acclaimed Robert Rauschenberg to the outsider Howard Finster. He is an artistic and music omnivore.

True Stories (1986) signed by David Byrne, Chris Frantz, Tina Weymouth, Jerry Harrison

The last time I saw David Byrne was at the Knitting Factory in downtown New York City in the late 1990s. The Balenscu String Quartet opened for him. This was not your father's string quartet, as the traditional violin, viola, and cello were augmented by a DJ in the balcony dropping massive beats. The sound was startling and fresh. Then, David Byrne came out with his band and played an invigorating mix of his solo work. For the encore, he had the Balenscu Quartet join him in a resounding version of the Talking Heads' "Life During Wartime." Indeed, 'This ain't no party, this ain't no disco, this ain't no foolin' around.' Byrne introduced his final song, with a wry "This is a really old song written by someone else", then launched into a cover of "I Wanna Dance With Somebody." The crowd went nuts and the groove was uplifting and infectious. A young, downtown hipster, bearded and tatted, asked me "Who sings this song?" 'Whitney Houston' was my reply. "He's a mad genius" was hipster's response with a big smile. Only David Byrne could marry Whitney Houston’s pure pablum pop with a Romanian string quartet underneath a percolating, poly-rhythmic dance beat. He's just that good. And talented.

After the show, I met with David and he was very gracious as he signed some albums. An extrovert onstage, I found him shy and withdrawn offstage. I could barely elicit a response and I tried every angle, asking him about his humble start opening for Poussette Dart at Salem State, growing up near Baltimore, the Orpheum big band concerts, collaborations with Brian Eno, etc. I got one word responses with a genial, cautious indifference. I guess there are prices to be paid for being the President of Mensa.
Downtown hipster was right. David Byrne is a mad genius.

Sounds From True Stories (1986) signed by David Byrne

Choice David Byrne Cuts (per BKs request)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K-liFDbtt5w
“I Wanna Dance With Somebody"  Live At The Union Chapel, 2002

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HLiERCiJH6A
"Once In A Lifetime" Talking Heads, Dortmund, GER  1980

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=25E0ACkA6uo
"Take Me To The River"  Talking Heads rock Al Green!  Rome 1980

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZoqLCFd8oNs
"Once In A Lifetime"  Live At The Union Chapel, 2002

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YI617dTYwFk
"Asa Branca"  with Forro In The Dark, Joe's Pub 2006

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qCfC5yVlvj4
"Psycho Killer" with Adrian Belew, 1980

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HldHtBxNK6k
"Naive Melody (This Must Be The Place)"  Talking Heads  Live 1983

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jelUxJiXH_g
"Life During Wartime"  Talking Heads, Dortmund, GER  1980

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kmp8BhW-YMQ
"Cross Eyed And Painless"  Remain In Light  1980

Bonus cut:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V0IuZYu6B_Q
"Eko Ile"  Afrodisiac  Fela Kuti  1973

Illinois Jacquet, Lionel Hampton and Me...

People like to hear songs that they can dance to. Even if they're sitting, they like being made to want to dance and move. By me being a dancer, I know how I'd dance at certain tempos. I was always good at it. Hamp would ask me about tempos in the band. 'Jacquet," he'd say, 'knock off that tempo.' A lot of jazz musicians didn't prefer to play for dancers, which was their loss, really. But good jazz has always had that dance feel.

Illinois Jacquet

Swing’s The Thing (1956) signed by Illinois Jacquet

Jazz music is deeper than people think. It is a spiritual form of art. It's like a Picasso painting. There's no such thing as art going out of style.

Illinois Jacquet

King Jacquet (1947-1950 recordings, 1977 release) signed by Illinois

He was a great balladeer -- I would say one of the greatest. He just never got the credit he deserved.

saxophonist Houston Person

Illinois Jacquet Flies Again (1966) signed by Illinois

The ballad is the most demanding test of jazz performers. Musicians playing ballads require an exceptional ear. The instrumentalist must possess a full, rich tonal quality that comes only after long training. When I play a ballad, I approach it the way a singer would. I read the lyrics over and over and then I try to interpret their meaning through my instrument... the ballad soothes the heart when properly played. It is supposed to induce romance. And there is a great need for peace in our world, and for love.

Illinois Jacquet, liner notes, Bosses Of The Ballad (1964)

Bosses Of The Ballad (1964) signed by Illinois, Benny Golson

Although most people have never heard of him, Jean-Baptiste "Illinois" Jacquet is one of the founding fathers of rhythm and blues and rock and roll. His honking and braying tenor saxophone solo recorded in 1942 as a nineteen year old on Lionel Hampton's "Flying Home" is considered by many musicologists to be the advent of rhythm and blues and a harbinger of rock and roll. Written by Lionel Hampton and Benny Goodman, "Flying Home" became a tour de force at Hampton's concerts and usually concluded with an extended blowing and honking session. Illinois Jacquet, Arnett Cobb, and Dexter Gordon were among those honking and blowing through the years while performing with Hampton's big bands, but Illinois was the first soloist and the most widely copied. As he once said, "We were born with the rhythm and raised on the blues. If you can't play the blues, you're not a jazz musician."

Viberations (1944 recordings) signed by Illinois, Lionel Hampton

Though born in Louisiana, Illinois was raised in Houston, Texas. He became a proponent of the 'Texas Tenor' sound: brawny, muscular, rough-hewn, and drenched in the blues. Not the later avant garde screeching of Albert Ayler or the musings of Ornette Coleman, but the deep, raw, robust sounds of Arnett Cobb, David "Fathead" Newman and King Curtis, all Texans singularly influenced by Illinois Jacquet. After leaving Lionel Hampton in 1943, Illinois joined Cab Calloway, appeared in the movie Stormy Weather, and then joined Count Basie's orchestra where he recorded "The King" and "Mutton Leg", two enduring hits.

Jazz At The Philharmonic (1944 recordings) signed by Les Paul

In 1944, Illinois participated in the first Jazz At The Philharmonic (JATP) concert at the Philharmonic Auditorium in Los Angeles. JATP was the brainchild of jazz impresario Norman Granz, and many tours and concerts followed in the ensuing years (1944-1983) when JATP was (intermittently) active. At the first JATP, Illinois was one of the strongest performers along with Les Paul and Nat King Cole. It is revelatory to listen to "Blues", a ten minute jam where Les Paul and Nat King Cole trade riffs, J.J. Johnson supplies gut bucket bottom swirls on trombone, and Illinois comes over the top with his blazing tenor saxophone. The recording is more than seventy years old and still sounds as fresh and vital as ever. As bassist Keter Betts wisely observed about Illinois, "He was Mr. Excitement. You didn't sit back in your chair, you sat on the edge." JATP sessions evolved into cutting duels through the years between artists as revered as Benny Carter, Charlie Parker, Lester Young, Dizzy Gillespie, and Harry "Sweets" Edison, and many records were released under the imprimatur of Norman Granz who helped to burnish the reputations of these great jazz masters. As the cost of touring with a big band became too prohibitive, Illinois recorded some great sides with smaller quintets in the 1950s and 1960s.

Bottoms Up (1968) signed by Illinois, Barry Harris

A composer of three hundred songs, "Black Velvet", "Bottoms Up", "Port Of Rico" and "Robbins Nest" among his most well known, Illinois was a musician's musician, an arranger and big band leader who also re-introduced the bassoon into Jazz. A difficult woodwind, mostly relegated to the concertos of Bach, Mozart and Vivaldi, Illinois studied privately with Manuel Ziegler of the New York Philharmonic and practiced for nearly five years before performing "Bassoon Blues" on The Message (released in 1963). It was the first Jazz recording to feature a bassoon since Frankie Trumbauer in 1928. Most of Illinois' later recordings featured a bassoon track and one highlight was his soulful and haunting rendition of Thelonious Monk's "Round Midnight" on his 1969 album, The Blues, That's Me! And Illinois is unquestionably the only jazz artist to play at The White House for Presidents Carter, Reagan and Clinton, even performing alongside President Clinton in 1993 on a bluesy rendition of Duke Ellington's classic "C Jam Blues."

The Message (1963) signed by Illinois

Erin and I saw Illinois and his big band several times, including a show at The Tavern On The Green in New York City's Central Park which was a memorable if short lived jazz venue. Built originally in 1870 to house the sheep that grazed in a more bucolic and pastoral 19th century Central Park, The Tavern On The Green was transformed in 1934 under Robert Moses' leadership and became one of the largest and most successful restaurants in the country. It was a sprawling space which sat over 800 patrons in several banquet rooms and it became a cultural film icon when Bud Fox sauntered through the dining room after a clandestine meeting with Gordon Gekko in Wall Street in 1987. The Tavern took one of their spacious rooms and turned it into a jazz supper club and we went to see Illinois in the mid-1990s when he was playing a month long residency.

Lionel Hampton (1961) signed by Illinois, Lionel, Jimmy Owens, Junior Mance, Harry “Sweets” Edison, Al Grey, Joe Williams, Milt Jackson, Billy Taylor, Jimmy Scott, Ernestine Anderson, Milt Hinton, Terrence. Blanchard, Grady Tate

The consummate show man, Illinois possessed infinite talent and an abundance of good cheer. His band was sixteen pieces: piano, drums, bass, five saxophones, four trombones, and four trumpets. It was a wall of sound and wonder. The arrangements were tight, the soloing crisp and adventurous, and the ringmaster was Illinois Jacquet, leading the band through the changes, directing soloists, and stepping up to deliver his warm, impassioned tenor sax solos with reckless enthusiasm. As he said so presciently, "The patterns of big-band music are smooth and classical. It's got to be fresh. The brass section should crackle, like the sound of eggs being dropped into hot grease." And those horns were fresh, cracklin' and greasy!

Birthday Party (1976) signed by Illinois

He was happy to sign albums after each show. As powerful as his sound was on stage, Illinois was diminutive off stage, impish with a forever twinkle in his eyes and nattily attired. He was so full of joy and wonderment and he seemed particularly enamored with Erin, not the first musician, nor the last. At least he didn't ask her to sit in his lap like Les McCann or Solomon Burke! And I still don't know what happened in James Brown's dressing room....

Illinois used to introduce Milt Buckner, the venerable jazz organist and fellow bandmate, at his concerts as "the man who made Lionel Hampton rich - after I made him wealthy." We were the lucky ones to witness Illinois' musicality, joy and artistry, seeing him was a rich and wealthy experience for sure.

Illinois Jacquet, such fresh sounds and how those horns crackle!

The Blues, That’s Me (1969) front cover signed by Buster Williams

Back Cover signed by Illinois

Choice Illinois Jacquet Cuts (per BK's request)

“Blues” Illinois on tenor saxophone, Les Paul on guitar, Nat King Cole on piano, JJ Johnson on trombone

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dMOL454T4Gg

"Flying Home" - Budd Johnson, Dexter Gordon, Illinois Jacquet - in order of tenor sax solos

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xtbzCXbLv6Q&ebc=ANyPxKp37-Uqi9I5dlYoWy4mNC9lsjHLuKhq-WnSLLwybHPpLxKMYKuNn36JvI70K5OMvEy4jixwb6jv0UuaZAO7K9BMo4OAeA
"Round Midnight" - The Blues That's Me!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ixc2BNuTURM

"Take The 'A' Train" - Illinois Jacquet Big Band

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pcbOH9EheZI

"I Wish I Knew How It Would Feel To Be Free" - The King

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V_AGgG-mAv4

"Flying Home"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J4J-Tywm_Jg

Robert Hunter and Me...

Walking down Madrone Canyon in Larkspur in 1969, you said some pretty mind-blowing stuff, how we were creating a universe and I was responsible for the verbal half of it. I said maybe, but it was your way with music and a guitar that was pulling it off. You said "That's for now. This is your time in the shadow, but it won't always be that way. I'm not going to live a long time, it's not in the cards. Then it'll be your turn." I may be alive and kicking, but no pencil pusher is going to inherit the stratosphere that so gladly opened to you. Recalling your statement, though, often helped keep me oriented as my own star murked below the horizon while you streaked across the sky of our generation like a goddamned comet!

Robert Hunter, letter written upon the one year anniversary of Jerry Garcia's death, 1996

Robert Hunter and Me City Winery New York City July 2014

I met Robert Hunter, lyricist nonpareil for the Grateful Dead, during a soundcheck before his show at the City Winery in New York City in July 2014. I had last seen Robert perform many years ago in Boston during college. While his literary and lyrical talents abound, his music and singing is more of an acquired taste. One that I have not yet acquired. What I remember from seeing him then, was Hunter shouting “Promontory Rider” at the top of his coarse lungs. Over and over. Seeing him once was more than enough for me.

The soundcheck last night revealed a kinder, gentler Robert Hunter. He played “Loser”, “Sugaree” and “Touch Of Grey” from the Grateful Dead songbook. While his voice is not melodic, it was not as harsh and his finger picked guitar playing was interesting. After the brief set, I had the chance to visit with him, and I brought a couple albums – Workingman’s Dead and Skull and Roses – which I had the Dead sign more than twenty years ago ( another story for another time).

Skull and Roses (1971) signed by Robert Hunter, Jerry Garcia, Bob Weir, Bill Kreutzman, Phil Lesh

 Robert was quite intrigued when I showed him the signed Workingman’s Dead album. I asked him where the photo was taken. He said he wasn’t sure, but the shabby clothes were supplied by Warner Brothers to reflect a workingman's vibe. I was surprised, I assumed the clothes were their own, as the Dead were never known for their sartorial choices. He said he loved the photo, but he hated the fake smokestacks that were painted on one of the buildings by an artist (see below Mickey Hart’s signature). I hadn’t noticed them before, but Robert was annoyed that Warner Brothers decided to mar an otherwise authentic photo.

Workingman’s Dead (1970) signed by Jerry Garcia, Robert Hunter, Bob Weir, Phil Lesh , Mickey Hart, Bill Kreutzman

 I told Robert that he was an amazing and prolific writer. Who were your influences? “Bob Dylan”, he immediately replied. Yes, I knew he had collaborated with Dylan on "Duquesne Whistle" and the entire Together Through Life album. But what about before Dylan? 'I’m an old english major', I explained, 'TS Eliot? Keats?' “Well,” he replied, “I am very well read. I’d like to say (William Butler) Yeats (the great Irish bard) but that would be untrue, I didn’t start reading Yeats until a couple of decades ago.” He mused, “I have always enjoyed T.S. Eliot. In fact, I’d say “Dark Star” was very much influenced by Eliot.”

Interesting. The Dead’s great LSD magnum opus “Dark Star”  influenced by T.S. Eliot?

A closer look at two excerpts reveals:

Dark Star (1968)

Dark star crashes, pouring its light into ashes

Reason tatters, the forces tear loose from the axis

Searchlight casting, for faults in the clouds of delusion

Shall we go, you and I while we can
Through the transitive nightfalls of diamonds.

The Lovesong of J. Alfred Prufrock (1915)

Let us go then you and I, when the evening is spread against the sky
Like a patient etherised uopn a table.
Let us go, through half deserted streets, the muttering retreats
Of restless nights in one night cheap hotels
And sawdust restaurants with oyster shells.

I’ll take Hunter at his word: there are some similarities. As Oscar Wilde reminds us, “Talent borrows, genius steals.” It was an enlightening visit with Robert Hunter, one of the foremost lyricists in the ever widening Great American Songbook.

Choice Robert Hunter Cuts (per BKs request)

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=WptefFjahMk

“Box Of Rain” Jack o’ Roses 1980

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=LSI_s4iwqY8

”Mountains Of The Moon” live at City Winery, NYC 7.21.14

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DLAd1HHzJzM&list=RDDLAd1HHzJzM&start_radio=1

”Promontory Rider” live with Jerry Garcia Band, Capitol Theater, 3.01.80

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0z6eZ4LFFkw

”Ripple” live at Ryman Auditorium, 2013 Americana Awards

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=tA--gq6iI94

”Brown Eyed Women” Newport Folk Festival 7.24.14

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=KLUTbnGwGt
”Reuben And Cherise” live 1980

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=vDUnIb7-9fI

”Stella Blue” live at City Winery NYC 7.23.14

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=xiCpRAiIIH4

”Promontory Rider” Alligator Moon 1978

Bonus Round:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zhL03mLfu2I

”Dark Star” Live Dead 1969

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=3oaodK8zdtI&list=RD3oaodK8zdtI&start_radio=1

”Sugar Magnolia” Grateful Dead with Duane Allman Fillmore East 4.26.71

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=5EoQ3GkH4Zc

”Uncle John’s Band” Grateful Dead 10.31.80 Radio City Music Hall

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=bpIs3d1N_6o

Ripple” Grateful Dead Fillmore East, NYC April 1971

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=WgPV9DFkQFs

”It Hurts Me Too” Grateful Dead with Duane Allman Fillmore East 4.26.71