Category Archives: music

Nobody follows James Brown

1964 live broadcast of the Teenage Music Awards from Santa Monica CA.

The Rolling Stones are on their first American Tour and are playing black music, the blues, for white audiences across the land. They have been picked to follow James Brown and end this broadcast.

James was pissed. He went out and gave the 18-minute performance above. Its the first time we see his famous “cape” routine..

Mick and the Stones were visibly shaken backstage. Marvin Gaye told them “just go out and do your best…..”

http://www.newyorker.com/culture/cultural-comment/possessed-james-brown-eighteen-minutes

Classical music on life support


Dear Seattle Symphony,
If this poor re-creation of a club atmosphere is what it takes to get people in the seats then it’s time to quit.

Its really not your fault. Its the composers who, for 50 or 60 years wrote mostly atonal crap no one really wanted to hear. The repertoire was not expanded in a culturally meaningful way. By the time they came back to tonality it was too late… orchestras were mostly museums.

There are already so many places to go and shake your booty to Sir Mix-a-lot, including your own living room. There is only one place to go to hear 60 or 70 highly trained acoustic musicians in one room interpret the greatest music ever written. Having them emulate the sound of Sir Mix-a-Lot as it comes from your shitty iPod is fucking stupid.

Sample lyrics (from the video track above: “Baby Got Back”)

“…..But that butt you got makes me so horny….Ooh, Rump-o’-smooth-skin……”

I’m no prude but this is just pandering to the lowest possible common denominator. Orchestras since the beginning have existed to showcase man’s highest musical aspirations. This ain’t it.

I got nothing against pop concerts even, but if this is what it takes for an orchestra to survive in this economy- – - please Seattle Symphony….. just quit.

Better yet, morph into something *completely* different. Something perhaps more culturally relevant, if that’s important to you.

Those women dancing……Jesus…………..embarrassing….

Stuff : Montreux ’76

Eric Gale, guitar (bald)
Cornell Dupree, guitar (afro)
Richard Tee, piano
Donny Hathaway, bass
Steve Gadd, drums

Without doubt, one of the greatest assemblages of recorded musicians on any one stage, ever. These players, all of them, have been heard on some of the most iconic recordings in history. Here are just *some* of the artists, on whose most famous records, they can be heard.

James Brown, Aretha Franklin, Paul Simon, Paul McCartney, Michael Jackson, Quincy Jones, Blood, Sweat and Tears, Joe Cocker, Kenny Loggins, Dave Matthews, Teddy Pendergass, Diana Ross, Billy Joel, Hall and Oates, Average White Band, Steely Dan, Joe Cocker, Dionne Warwick, on and on and on.

These were the hired guns you never heard of- the backing players. They were all my idols in high school.

Cornell Dupree is referred as “Mr. 2500″ ….having reputedly played on over 2500 recordings in his career. He played the opening riff on Aretha Franklin’s “Respect”…. as an example.

if i could play guitar please god let me play like Cornell

Turn this shit UP