Category: Music

Toby, Count Basie
Goldberg Variation 10 Fughetta, Glenn Gould
La fille aux cheveux de lin, Boston Pops
La Bamba, Ritchie Valens
Ramblin’ Man, Allman Brothers Band
Spirits in the Material World, The Police
To Lay Me Down, Cowboy Junkies
Sha La La (Make Me Happy), Al Green
Escucha Me, Gipsy Kings
Mr. Tambourine Man, Bob Dylan
Ida y Vuelta, Strunz & Farah
Agua de Beber, Antonio Carlos Jobim/Astrud Gilberto

was born as Eleanora Fagan on this date in 1915. We know her as Billie Holiday.

The New York Times has posted its 1959 obituary of Miss Holiday, from which the following is excerpted:

Miss Holiday set a pattern during her most fruitful years that has proved more influential than that of almost any other jazz singer, except the two who inspired her, Louis Armstrong and the late Bessie Smith.

Miss Holiday became a singer more from desperation than desire. She was named Eleanora Fagan after her birth in Baltimore. She was the daughter of a 13-year-old mother, Sadie Fagan, and a 15-year-old father who were married there years after she was born.

The first and major influence on her singing came when as a child she ran errands for the girls in a near-by brothel in return for the privilege of listening to recordings by Mr. Armstrong and Miss Smith.

Miss Holiday took her professional name from her father, Clarence Holiday, a guitarist who played with Fletcher Henderson’s band in the Nineteen Twenties and from one of the favorite movie actresses of her childhood, Billie Dove.

She came to New York with her mother in 1928. They eked out a precarious living for a while, partially from her mother’s employment as a housemaid. But when the depression struck, her mother was unable to find work. Miss Holiday tried to make money scrubbing floors, and when this failed she started along Seventh Avenue in Harlem one night looking for any kind of work.

At Jerry Preston’s Log Cabin, a night club, she asked for work as a dancer. She danced the only step she knew for fifteen choruses and was turned down. The pianist, taking pity on her, asked if she could sing. She brashly assured him that she could. She sang “Trav’lin’ All Alone” and then “Body and Soul” and got a job–$2 a night for six nights a week working from midnight until about 3 o’clock the next afternoon.

Miss Holiday had been singing in Harlem in this fashion for a year or two when she was heard by John Hammond, a jazz enthusiast, who recommended her to Benny Goodman, at that time a relatively unknown clarinet player who was the leader on occasional recording sessions.

She made her first recording, “Your Mother’s Son-in-Law” in November, 1933, singing one nervous chorus with a band that included in addition to Mr. Goodman, Jack Teagarden, Gene Krupa and Joe Sullivan.

Two years later Miss Holiday started a series of recordings with groups led by Teddy Wilson, the pianist, which established her reputation in the jazz world. On many of these recordings the accompanying musicians were members of Count Basie’s band, a group with which she felt a special affinity. She was particularly close to Mr. Basie’s tenor saxophonist, the late Lester Young.

It was Mr. Young who gave her the nickname by which she was known in jazz circles–Lady Day. She in turn created the name by which Mr. Young was identified by jazz bands, “Pres.” She was the vocalist with the Basie band for a brief time during 1937 and the next year she signed for several months with Artie Shaw’s band.

Miss Holiday came into her own as a singing star when she appeared at Cafe Society in New York in 1938 for the major part of the year. It was at Cafe Society that she introduced one of her best-known songs, “Strange Fruit,” a biting depiction of a lynching written by Lewis Allen.

During that engagement, too, she established trade-marks that followed her for many years–the swatch of gardenias in her hair, her fingers snapping lazily with the rhythm, her head cocked back at a jaunty angle as she sang.

The All Music Guide has a useful essay on Holiday.

Joss Stone did not win any of the three Grammy Awards, including best new artist, that she was nominated for this year. But Grammy officials say they believe that she achieved at least one distinction at last month’s awards show: First Artist to Perform Barefoot. The 17-year-old Ms. Stone, who’s known for going shoeless during her concerts, joins a tradition of powerful female singers who prefer to barefoot it.

Read about Ms. Stone and others, including self-described “mutant” Linda Ronstadt.

Source: Library of Congress

… of Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee Mike Stoller. He’s 72.

Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller have written some of the most spirited and enduring rock and roll songs: “Hound Dog” (originally cut by Big Mama Thornton in 1953 and covered by Elvis Presley three years later), “Love Potion No. 9” (the Clovers), “Kansas City” (Wilbert Harrison), “On Broadway” (the Drifters), “Ruby Baby” (Dion) and “Stand By Me” (Ben E. King). Their vast catalog includes virtually every major hit by the Coasters (e.g., “Searchin’,” “Young Blood,” “Charlie Brown,” “Yakety Yak” and “Poison Ivy”). They also worked their magic on Elvis Presley, writing “Jailhouse Rock,” “Treat Me Nice” and “You’re So Square (Baby I Don’t Care)” specifically for him. All totaled, Presley recorded more than 20 Leiber and Stoller songs.

Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum

Leiber wrote the lyrics. Stoller wrote the music.

James Taylor is 57 today.

was born on this date in 1905.

You can see the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville, Tennessee,
It’s the home of country music, on that we all agree.
But when you cross that ole Red River, hoss,
that just don’t mean a thing,
‘Cause once you’re down in Texas,
Bob Wills is still the King.

(“Bob Wills Is Still The King” by Waylon Jennings)

Bob Wills was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1968 and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1999. The following is from the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Inductee Detail:

Bob Wills was the driving force behind Western Swing, a form of country & western that was broader in scope than the parent genre. A master at synthesizing styles, Wills brought jazz, hillbilly, boogie, blues, big-band swing, rhumba, mariachi, jitterbug music and more under his ecumenical umbrella. He has been called “the King of Western Swing” and “the first great amalgamator of American music.”

Wills grew up in a part of Texas where diverse cultures and forms of music overlapped. His enthusiasm and mastery were such that he assimilated disperate genres into what might best be termed American music. (Wills called it “Texas fiddle music.”) “We’re the most versatile band in America,” Wills forthrightly asserted in 1944. He might’ve added that they were most innovative band as well. Certainly, they forced country music to open up in its acceptance of electric instruments. Even rock and roll’s freewheeling spirit of stylistic recombination has antecedents in the work of Bob Wills and His Texas Playboys.

Wills was born into a family of fiddlers that included his father, John Wills, who regularly won Texas fiddling competitions. Bob Wills learned how to play fiddle and mandolin from his father. As a young man, Wills performed at house dances, medicine shows and on the radio. With commercial sponsorship, Wills’ bands performed on radio in the early Thirties as the Aladdin Laddies (for the Aladdin Lamp Co.) and the Light Crust Doughboys (for Light Crust Flour). Following a salary dispute, Wills renamed his band the Texas Playboys and relocated to Tulsa, Oklahoma, where he had a live radio show. This exposure led to a contract with American Recording Corp. (later absorbed into Columbia Records).

In 1935, Bob Wills and His Texas Playboys laid down 24 tunes during their historic first session at a makeshift recording studio in Dallas. The group recorded prolifically in the late Thirties and early Forties, laying down such classics as “Steel Guitar Rag” (written by Leon McAuliffe, the Texas Playboys’ longtime steel guitar player), “Take Me Back to Tulsa” and Wills’ signature song, “New San Antonio Rose.” Their biggest hit, “New Spanish Two Step,” topped the country charts for 16 weeks in 1946.

Would I like to go to Tulsa, you bet your boots I would.
Just let me off at Archer, and I’ll walk down to Greenwood.
Take me back to Tulsa, I’m too young to marry.

(“Take Me Back To Tulsa” by Bob Wills and Tommy Duncan)

is 78 today. Here is what Bob Dylan wrote about Belafonte in Chronicles:

Harry [Belafonte] was the best balladeer in the land and everybody knew it. He was a fantastic artist, sang about lovers and slaves—chain gang workers, saints and sinners and children. His repertoire was full of old folk songs like “Jerry the Mule,” “Tol’ My Captain,” “Darlin’ Cora,” “John Henry,” “Sinner’s Prayer” and also a lot of Caribbean folk songs all arranged in a way that appealed to a wide audience, much wider than The Kingston Trio. Harry had learned songs directly from Leadbelly and Woody Guthrie. Belafonte recorded for RCA and one of his records, Belafonte Sings of the Caribbean, had even sold a million copies. He was a movie star, too, but not like Elvis. Harry was an authentic tough guy, not unlike Brando or Rod Steiger. He was dramatic and intense on the screen, had a boyish smile and a hard-core hostility. In the movie Odds Against Tomorrow, you forget he’s an actor, you forget he’s Harry Belafonte. His presence and magnitude was so wide. Harry was like Valentino. As a performer, he broke all attendance records. He could play to a packed house at Carnegie Hall and then the next day he might appear at a garment center union rally. To Harry, it didn’t make any difference. People were people. He had ideals and made you feel you’re a part of the human race. There never was a performer who crossed so many lines as Harry. He appealed to everybody, whether they were steelworkers or symphony patrons or bobby-soxers, even children—everybody. He had that rare ability. Somewhere he had said that he didn’t like to go on television, because he didn’t think his music could be represented well on a small screen, and he was probably right. Everything about him was gigantic. The folk purists had a problem with him, but Harry—who could have kicked the shit out of all of them—couldn’t be bothered, said that all folksingers were interpreters, said it in a public way as if someone had summoned him to set the record straight. He even said he hated pop songs, thought they were junk. I could identify with Harry in all kinds of ways. Sometime in the past, he had been barred from the door of the world famous nightclub the Copacabana because of his color, and then later he’d be headlining the joint. You’ve got to wonder how that would make somebody feel emotionally. Astoundingly and as unbelievable as it might have seemed, I’d be making my professional recording debut with Harry, playing harmonica on one of his albums called Midnight Special. Strangely enough, this was the only one memorable recording date that would stand out in my mind for years to come. Even my own sessions would become lost in abstractions. With Belafonte I felt like I’d become anointed in some kind of way. … Harry was that rare type of character that radiates greatness, and you hope that some of it rubs off on you. The man commands respect. You know he never took the easy path, though he could have.

The president has owned the personal accessory of the moment for some time, said Johndroe. He’s loaded his iPod with his favorite country singers: George Jones, Kenny Chesney and Alan Jackson. He also listens to Aaron Neville, Creedence and Van Morrison.

AP via The New Mexican

NewMexiKen noted the passing of chorale conductor Harry Simeon last week at age 94 and thought this background from The New York Times interesting:

The most successful was his group’s rendition of “The Little Drummer Boy,” adapted from a Czech carol. Translated into English in 1941, it was first recorded in 1957 by the Jack Halloran Singers. According to Songfacts, a professional database, a disagreement over the release of that record brought the song and the singers to Mr. Simeone for a redo.

Originally titled “Sing We Now of Christmas,” the album on the Holiday label that included “Drummer Boy,” turned into an instant holiday classic when it appeared in 1958, and made the Top 40 charts in the United States until 1962. Since then “The Little Drummer Boy” has been recorded by artists from Bing Crosby, paired with the rocker David Bowie, to the Pipes and Drums and Military Band of the Royal Scots Guards.

was born in Naples on this date in 1873. The Writer’s Almanac had this to say about Caruso two years ago:

It’s the birthday of tenor Enrico Caruso, born in Naples, Italy (1873), the eighteenth of twenty-one children and the first to survive past infancy. He was determined to become a singer, but several teachers told him he had neither voice nor talent. He finally persuaded one teacher to let him observe other students’ lessons; eventually he was given his own private classes. Legend has it that when the young tenor was asked to sing as Rodolfo in La Bohème, he first had to get permission from Puccini himself. After listening to Caruso sing a few pages, Puccini allegedly leapt from his chair and cried, “Who sent you to me? God!?!” In 1902, Caruso made his debut in Rigoletto at London’s Covent Garden, and the following year at the Metropolitan Opera in New York. He was engaged there continually for the next eighteen years. Caruso has often been called the greatest tenor of the twentieth century, known for his brilliant high notes and his dramatic interpretations. He was immensely popular, partly because he was the first major tenor to be recorded on gramophone records.

NewMexiKen had this about Caruso last year.

Apple has cut the price of the 4GB iPod Mini to $199, a reduction of $50. They’ve introduced a 6GB model for $249.

The iPod Photo is now available in a 30GB model for $349, or a 60GB version for $449, a reduction of $150.

Meanwhile Apple stock peaked at $90.13 last week, up from $64.56 the day the iShuffle and Mac Mini were introduced (January 11).

Bob Seger’s Like A Rock came up on the shuffle just now. (NewMexiKen has 550 discs (nearly 9,000 tracks) in two Sony CD jukeboxes.)

Criminies. I’d forgotten it was a “song.” I thought it was just a Chevy truck ad.

Robert Hilburn takes on the Grammy “credibility gap.”

Few artists in the history of American pop are more deserving of the Grammys’ top award than the late Ray Charles, so it was hard to feel too disappointed Sunday when his “Genius Loves Company” was named album of the year — even if the award was 40 years too late. In sports, it’s known as a makeup call.

Because the Recording Academy did such a dismal job for years in saluting talent that didn’t fit into the comfortable boundaries of mainstream pop, many of the greatest artists in the ’50s, ’60s and ’70s were ignored.

An embarrassing number of artists who have won Lifetime Achievement Awards from the academy were never honored with a high-profile Grammy during their most creative years. It’s a list that stretches from Elvis Presley, Jimi Hendrix and the Rolling Stones to, until Sunday, Ray Charles.

Makeup calls struck four times in the last seven years in the album of the year category: Bob Dylan in 1998, Carlos Santana in 2000, Steely Dan in 2001 and now Brother Ray. Only Dylan, honored for his widely heralded “Time Out of Mind” album, was a deserving choice.

Though it may seem sacrilegious to suggest it after Charles’ dominant showing Sunday, when he won a total of six awards, the academy needs to stop this cycle, even if it means something as drastic as adding a new Grammy category. They already have 107, so why not? Category 108 — best album by an artist we should have honored in the album of the year category more than 25 years ago but didn’t.

George Gershwin’s phenomenal blending of jazz and classical music, premiered at Aeolian Hall, in New York, on this date 81 years ago. Gershwin wrote it in three weeks, reportedly improvising some of the piano parts during the premiere.

You can hear an acoustical recording by the Paul Whiteman Orchestra made on June 10, 1924, by clicking here [RealOne Player]. That’s the composer, Mr. Gershwin, at the piano.

Rhapsody in Blue was one of NPR’s 100 most important American musical works of the 20th century. You can listen to the NPR report here [RealOne Player].

Los Angeles Times critics predict the Grammy Awards, these two by Robert Hilburn.

Album of the year

Ray Charles and Various Artists: “Genius Loves Company”
Green Day: “American Idiot”
Alicia Keys: “The Diary of Alicia Keys”
Usher: “Confessions”
Kanye West: “The College Dropout”

Even a habitual gambler is probably going to sit out this race because there are so many intangibles involved. West’s album is far and away the most acclaimed work, but the late soul genius Charles could benefit from the sympathy/respect vote, and rockers Green Day might step to the podium if all the R&B entries split the vote. Here’s hoping justice reigns and West captures the Grammy.

Record of the year

Black Eyed Peas: “Let’s Get Started”
Ray Charles & Norah Jones: “Here We Go Again”
Green Day: “American Idiot”
Los Lonely Boys: “Heaven”
Usher: “Yeah!”

It’s a wonder how records as ordinary as “Let’s Get Started” and “Heaven” made it past the blue ribbon screening. “American Idiot” has a strong point of view, but is far from memorable. That leaves a tough choice between the wonderful vocal teaming of Charles and Jones and the great ambition and dance-floor zaniness of “Yeah!” I’d vote for Usher.

All Songs Considered, NPR’s Online Music Show, has a Grammys edition.

Each year the Grammys hand out awards for nearly every conceivable category of music, from “best jazz instrumental album, individual or group” to “best engineered classical album.” Did you ever wonder how it all works? On this edition of All Songs Considered host Bob Boilen talks with Ron Roeker, vice president of communications for the Recording Academy about the selection process; plus a look at the “best new artist” category. Below you’ll find the five Grammy nominees for best new artist, along with listener and staff picks for best new artist from the past year.

The Day The Music Died

was born on this date in 1910. Reinhardt was the first significant jazz figure in Europe — and is the most influential European to this day. Play Jazz Guitar.com has some interesting background.

A violinist first and a guitarist later, Jean Baptiste “Django” Reinhardt grew up in a gypsy camp near Paris where he absorbed the gypsy strain into his music. A disastrous caravan fire in 1928 badly burned his left hand, depriving him of the use of the fourth and fifth fingers, but the resourceful Reinhardt figured out a novel fingering system to get around the problem that probably accounts for some of the originality of his style. According to one story, during his recovery period, Reinhardt was introduced to American jazz when he found a 78 RPM disc of Louis Armstrong’s “Dallas Blues” at an Orleans flea market. He then resumed his career playing in Parisian cafes until one day in 1934 when Hot Club chief Pierre Nourry proposed the idea of an all-string band to Reinhardt and Grappelli. Thus was born the Quintet of the Hot Club of France, which quickly became an international draw thanks to a long, splendid series of Ultraphone, Decca and HMV recordings.

The Red Hot Jazz Archive has some on-line recordings of the Quintette of the Hot Club of France.

From a correspondent at Altercation:

Your Music Dot Com

Interesting business model: Like Netflix, you set up a queue, only it’s comprised of CDs instead of DVDs. They have a fairly extensive — though by no means comprehensive — list. In fact, YourMusic.com is owned by BMG, and the selection is quite similar is to that of BMG record club.

Each month, the next CD in your queue gets mailed to you, for $5.99, including mailing. That’s a very reasonable deal. That’s right, all CDs are $5.99, and there is no charge for shipping or handling. Even better, the DVD/CD combos are also $5.99, And best of all, any of the many boxed sets are sold for (all together now) $5.99 per disc. From simple 2 disc sets, to all of the Led Zeppelin sets, to most of the Sinatra multi disc sets, to the wonderful and complete Ella Fitzgerald Songbooks (16 CDs!), are all $5.99 per disc. That is a fabulous deal.

You can always buy any disc from their catalog at any time, independent of the queue. You can add, delete and rearrange the queue at anytime.

The catch is that if you do not have a disc queued up, you get billed $5.99 anyway. When I set mine up, I added 57 CDs, so I won’t have that problem until 2010. They have a decent collection of Jazz (Sinatra, Ella, Armstrong, Coltrane, Miles,) — again, nothing exhaustive, but good starters and fill ins. Same for rock and pop.

I suspect that some of the A-list newer releases aren’t available for very long. The Best of Sheryl Crow disappeared, and so I moved Modest Mouse’s Good News For People Who Love Bad News up to the front of the queue.

So far, I received my first CD — came on time, and I was charged $5.99 (plus tax). This looks promising for those of us who like our digital music in a higher fidelity than MP3 or AAC.

From NPR, another new singer:

When Kasey Chambers was dubbed the “the freshest young voice in American roots music” by Rolling Stone magazine, it was quite an achievement — especially considering that the singer-songwriter hails from the Australian outback. Her clear tone evokes a whole history of country, with shades of Dolly Parton, Emmylou Harris and the Carter Family.

At the moment NewMexiKen is blogging to Chambers’ album Wayward Angel and finding it a pleasure.

Thanks to Veronica for the pointer.

There’s another full page ad in today’s New York Times promoting the singer Katie Melua. NewMexiKen bought Melua’s CD a couple of weeks ago and gave her a mention here.

It’s a fun CD, but as I’ve read elsewhere in the desperation to market Melua they had her sing every type of song. Some she does well and are worth playing again and again. Some she does OK. Some suck.