:: Saturday, February 07, 2004 ::

Blues First Weekend Best Yet!

Feb. 4 — The BluesFirst weekend just concluded and what a great series of events. The panels, the receptions, the old friends are all part of it. The Keeping the Blues Alive Awards ceremony Saturday morning had folks verklempf throughout the ceremony as one recipient after another talked about how much the award meant to them.

The marquee event of course was the 20th International Blues Challenge. With a record 94 acts, the competition was better than ever.

First place in the band contest was awarded Saturday night to Zac Harmon and the Midsouth Blues Revue (Southern California Blues Society-Los Angeles CA). Coming in second, Reverend Slick and the Soul Blues Boys (Howlin Wolf Blues Society—West Point MS). Third place went to The Matthew Stubbs Band (Boston Blues Society—Boston MA). As announced Saturday, the Solo/Duo winner is Lightnin’ Lee & the Upright Rooster (Spa City Blues Society—Hot Springs AR).

It was certainly a night to remember on old Beale Street. With temperatures outside in the 30's, temperatures inside the New Daisy began heatin' up within minutes of the night's first performance. Put 1500 enthusiastic fans and nine top notch bands and you have the recipe for a tasty winter blues stew.

The seven judges included Bruce Iglauer, president of Alligator Records, Bob Koester, founder of Delmark Records, Jay Sheffield, owner and talent buyer for Huey's in Memphis, David Bennett, T-Bone Erickson, Beanie Self, and recording artist Kenny Neal.

Neal gave up four days to attend the event and told the Foundation, "These are my fans. Because they come out to see and support me when I play in their towns, it's important for me to be here and support them."

Musical highlights of the performances included the super cool swing and jump blues of Boston's Matthew Stubbs Band, the riveting performance of "John The Revelator" by the Tennessee Hat Company from the Magic City Blues Society, some cool Little Feat-styled keyboard and vocals by Atlanta's Ken Rhyne band, the earthy singing and harmonica playing of Robin Rogers from Charlotte, the B-3 work of the Partick McLaughlin band from Marrietta, Ohio, the spontaneous preachin' of Rev. Slick Ballinger from the Howlin' Wolf Blues Society of West Point, Mississippi, and the decidely traditional bluesy guitar harmonica approach of the night's winner, Zac Harmon and the Mid-South Blues Revue from the Southern Cailfornia Blues Society.

The real highlight was the enthusiastic member support every blues society brought to the New Daisy. Seeing dozens of society members rush to the dance floor when their home town bands performed and then stay to support the next band is what the blues is about.

The Albert King Flying V guitar, presented to the best guitarist of the night, went to Slick Ballinger.

One lucky fan, Boyd Chavis from Plymouth, Michigan, won the Gibson guitar that was autographed backstage at the 2003 W.C. Handy Awards that was raffled off this weekend.

And after the competition was over, parts of all the bands turned up on stages in the Blues City Cafe and Pat O'Brien's and carried the music long into the morning hours. In fact, Kenny Neal was spotted on many of these after hours stages.

The weekend also featured performances by Watermelon Slim and Joe Bonamassa and the awarding of the Keeping the Blues Alive Awards to 17 deserving recipients.

Thanks to all the blues lovers and bands that came, saw and conquered and all the volunteers that make this event not only possible, but magical.

The Foundation and all participants are grateful to sponsors King Biscuit Time, Budweiser, Legendary Rhythm and Blues Cruise (they are on the high seas bluesifyin' now), XM Satellite Radio, Tennessee Film and Music Commission, Memphis Convention and Visitors Bureau, Gibson Guitars, T. Joseph Clifton Gallery. We also want to acknowledge Big City Rhythm and Blues magazine, Blues Revue, Blues Wax, the Commercial Appeal and Memphis Flyer and all the societies that help spread the word about this "largest gathering of blues bands in the world."

Now the focus switches to the 25th W.C. Handy Blues Awards on April 29 followed by Memphis in May's Beale Street Music Festival with three days of our favorite music in the Blues Tent.


The Blues First Awards are produced by:

:: Les Coles Saturday, February 07, 2004 [+] ::

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Inside the 25th W.C. Handy Awards - Part G

Part G in a series in which The Blues Blog takes a look at this year's W.C. Handy Awards.


Handy's Balloting Procedure
Each year, The Blues Foundation recognizes Blues artists, musicians, and recordings through the annual presentation of The W.C. Handy Blues Awards. The Handy Awards are the highest recognition bestowed on Blues artists in the music industry.
In order to be considered for a Handy Award, an artist must have been actively performing or recording during the eligibility period. Recorded material considered for a Handy Award must have been released during the eligibility period.

Three rounds of voting are held for the Handy Awards. Both the initial and second rounds of Handy ballots go to 183 individuals identified by The Blues Foundation who receive or review Blues recordings. This group consists of Blues programmers and writers, as well as festival promoters and talent bookers. Any individual who would benefit financially by having an artist or label win awards are excluded from this group.

The final ballot is available online for the first time.

Go here to register

The final ballots are audited by an independent accounting firm and the winners are announced during the Annual W. C. Handy Blues Awards.


The W.C. Handy Awards are produced by:

:: Les Coles Saturday, February 07, 2004 [+] ::

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Medley nails a 'Righteous' gig

LAS VEGAS -- ABout three months after the death of his partner Bobby Hatfield (See Nov 7 post), rocker Bill Medley has inked a deal with the Orleans Hotel & Casino.

Dubbed "Bill Medley Celebrates the Music of the Righteous Brothers," the inaugural Las Vegas show dates will be March 17-21. Medley will perform at the off-Strip showroom for five days per week for 11 weeks.

The 80-minute concert will feature solely Righteous Brothers songs. Thanks to a live album the pair recorded last year, the show should sound much like the duo's past work: "We'll take his voice electronically and put it into this show," Medley said.

Hatfield's unexpected death brought the duo's national tour to an end last Nov. 5. Medley said he's hoping he can tour again.

"I am real proud of everything we did," he said.

:: Les Coles Friday, February 06, 2004 [+] ::

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BBC Radio to Broadcast George Melly's 'Memories of The Blues'

6-part eries to air Starting at 9:30 p.m. this Tuesday (Feb. 10) on BBC Radio Two

Finding himself in need of a stiff pick-me-up one evening George Melly wanders down the Shepherd's Bush Road to one of his local establishments by the name of Brooks Blues Bar. Inside, much refreshed, the memories come flooding back - first hearing the recordings of his life-long heroine to be, Bessie Smith, Big Bill Broonzy staying at his parents' house in Liverpool, playing alongside Lonnie Johnson at the newly opened Royal Festival Hall, and meeting so many of the visiting Americans such as Josh White, Jimmy Rushing, Big Joe Turner, Memphis Slim, T-Bone Walker, Sonny Terry, Brownie McGhee, Champion Jack Dupree and Sister Rosetta Tharpe.

Programme One:
In 1943, George first heard a recording of Bessie Smith's "Gimme a Pigfoot", which started a love affair to last a lifetime; introduced to more of Bessie Smith and then to some of the other great blues artists such as Ma Rainey, Ethel Waters and Cleo Gibson, George became inspired to sing the blues himself, so beginning another lifelong passion for performing.

:: Les Coles Friday, February 06, 2004 [+] ::

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Campaign for Cajun-Zydeco Grammy Category

In the run up to the 46th Grammys being held Feb. 8 at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, The Blues Blog will be running a series of special articles on the event.

There are 105 categories in the 46th Grammy Awards being held Feb. 8 at the Staples Center in Los Angeles. The ones that get the most press are rock, pop and (new) R&B, and of course rap, which is dominating this year's event.

However, tucked away in the list there are also blues, gospel, and bluegrass categories. There's even a polka, a tejano and a Native American category.

One, or rather two, notable ommisions is that there is not a Cajun or zydeco category. And, contrary to popular belief, these genres are not confined to Louisiana — in fact there's probably more zydeco in Texas than Louisiana. There's also a large Cajun-zydeco following in the Bay Area

All this could change if Cynthia and Terrance Simien of Lafayette, who are campaigning for a Cajun-zydeco category, get their way.

The Simiens heads certainly know their music. Cynthia heads up Music Matters and Terrance is a zydeco acordianist who is very active in helping raise the awareness about his indigenous music and Creole heritage by presenting an acclaimed Arts-in-Education Creole for Kidz and the History of Zydeco (with a companion CD) performance for students K-12 at schools, festivals and art centers around the country.

The Problem

Currently, most Cajun-zydeco performers get shuffled off into the catch-all "folk categories." Such performers include Cajun outfit Beausoleil, which picked up the Best Traditional Folk Album for "L'armour Ou La Folle" in 1997.

The most successful category for zydeco artists is the Best Ethnic Or Traditional Folk Recording in the Folk Category: "Queen" Ida (Guillory) was the first to garner a Grammy in this section, picking one up in 1982 for "Queen Ida & The Bon Temps Zydeco Band On Tour."Zydeco accordianist Clifton Chenier and His Red Hot Louisiana Band followed a year later, winning the award with "I'm Here." And in 1985, Rockin' Sidney, for "(Don't Mess With) My Toot-Toot"— what else.

But the Simiens are bucking for what they term "our" own category for the indeginous music of Loisianna.

As things are, Steve Riley and the Mamou Playboys' "Bon Reve" album is competing in the Best Traditional Folk Album alongside "Wildwood Flower" by June Carter , "Any Old Time" by Steve Forbert, "The Three Pickers" by Earl Scruggs, Doc Watson & Ricky Skaggs and "Seeds: The Songs Of Pete Seeger, Volume 3" by Pete Seeger & Friends.

Sonny Landreth, whose "The Road We're On" is up for a Grammy in the more-appropriate Best Contemporary Blues CD, is on the Simiens' side.

"The problem is," said Landreth, who mixes Cajun-zydeco influences with blues on his CD, "it's an imperfect system, in that they (the academy) can't really account for every nuance of music," he told the The Baton Rouge Advocate in a recent interview.

The Simiens began their campaign fo a "C-Z" category drive three years ago, entreating the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences to create a C-Z Grammy category that is both deserving and more indicative of its style.

In March of 2001, when Terrance and Cynthia Simien connected a group of committed local music artists, economic development and arts organizations with The Recording Academy (the Grammy folks) with this petition effort to establish a separate voting category for Zydeco and Cajun Music. USA Today, Billboard, CNN, Offbeat Magazine, The Times, The Lafayette Daily Advertiser, The Times Picayune, The Shreveport Times (front page headline) and countless radio (KRVS.org) and TV News stations(KATC-3, Lafayette) have all supported this effort and some even with feature stories. A special thanks to Jan Ramsey and Joseph Irrera of Offbeat Magazine, NOLA and Herman Fusilier of The Daily Advertiser, Lafayette.

The Solution

It takes voting members to catch the ear of the academy. To be a voter, a musician must have been involved in six commercially released tracksónot even full-length CDs, but songs. At least 25 musical entries must be sent to the academy.

"And that's all we need," Cynthia Simien said.

"You just need to press 1,500 copies," Terrance Simien added.

And they are closer than ever to the C-Z dream, Cynthia Simien said.

"This year, for the first time in the 45-year Grammy history, we have 25 Cajun-zydeco recording entries into the system," she said.

The missing part of the equation, however, is voting membership to the organization.

There are about 40 Louisiana members in the Memphis chapter&mdas;one of 13 national chapters and the one under which Louisiana's Grammy hopefuls operate. That number increased from 10 members three years ago. Their goal is to get 100 new members voted in so as to again petition for a C-Z category this summer.

"Anybody who's a voting member can petition for a new category," said Terrance, who has been an academy member for 10 years. "And, believe it or not, we were the first ones to petition."

The Simiens said they realize Cajun is different from zydeco, the latter more associated with black music style and more inclined to go electric. The C-Z tag may confuse people outside of Louisianaóat first.

"But you know what?" Cynthia Simien said. "Right now we don't have a category. We have to crawl before we can walk. And the reason we combined the two genres is for obvious reasons: They share a birthplace, the soil of Louisiana.

"They share a language, the French language. They share an instrumentation, accordion, in some cases fiddle and rub board. So that makes them common enough."

"The bottom line is, one can't stand alone," Terrance said. "There's not enough Cajun music, there's not enough zydeco music, to make the 25-a-year minimum. But together, they can."

Campaign winning support

The campaign has won support from numerous organizations, festival organizers and music industry bodies, including: The Louisiana Music Commission, Acadiana Arts Council, LEDA and the CFMA (Cajun French Music Association), Lafayette Convention and Visitors Commission, ULL Center for Cultural and Eco-Tourism, The Zydeco Festival in Plaisance, LA, Sen. Donald Cravins and his Zydeco Extravaganza Festival, The City of Ft. Lauderdale CZ Crawfish Festival, Ted Fox, Manager for Buckwheat Zydeco, and many artists who have supported this with their participation in the The Recording Academy Memphis Chapter, as well as Rounder Records and Arhoolie Records.

Soonest it could happen?

"Next year," Terrance said quickly. "I could be up against Michael Doucet (Cajun) or another Cajun band, but that would make more sense than being up against Willie Nelson or Bob Dylan."

The last year Terrance had a release was 2001, the same year Dylan released "Love and Theft." There were 117 entries in Traditional Folk that year, including Suzanne Vega and Lucinda Williams.

Only five of those 117 entries would be considered for the Grammy "gramophone" statuette.

"And that's one of the benefits of being a voting member, you can vote for yourself," Cynthia Simien said.

According to the Louisiana Music Commission in Metairie, about 350 CDs are released annually in Louisiana, a large amount considering the state's size.
A C-Z Grammy "is not only viable, it's as viable as jazz or blues as far as American music goes," LMC Director Bernie Cyrus said.

"I think the Grammys need this category," Cyrus said. "And without trying to insult anybody, that music is a lot better than some of the folk music it's up against. So, we'll actually be doing them (folk artists) a favor."

A couple of area record companies, however, are not on board with the efforts, the Simiens admitted but chose not to name names.

"I guess it's because we thought of it, so it is egos involved," Terrance said. "But this helps everyone here, and we can't understand why they won't participate."

Producer Neil Curry of CNN World beat was the very first in th media to report on this petition effort in a August 2001 report.

What You Can Do

Lend your support

Cynthia Simien can be contacted at:

MusicMatters

132 Vivian Drive, Lafayette, LA 70508

management965@aol.com

tsimieninc@aol.com

tsimeninc@aol.com

or contact the Memphis Chapter Office for membership info.

:: Les Coles Friday, February 06, 2004 [+] ::

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Soul survivor Tate 'Rediscovered' for Grammys

In the run up to the 46th Grammys being held Feb. 8 at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, The Blues Blog will be running a series of special articles on the event.

Veteran soulman Howard Tate delighted old fans and made a lot of new ones at the 10^th Park Tower Blues Festival in December (see review), making a comeback after his "30 missing years."

Tate's comeback album Rediscovered, which sees him reunited with legendary songwriter-producer Jerry Ragovoy, was nominated the day after I wrote the Park Tower preview for The Daily Yomiuri (ain't it always the way?). The album also has been nominated for a W.C. Handy Award, aptly enough in the Comeback Album category.(see Blues Blog, Jan 15)

During the festival, I landed an interview with Tate during which, with amazing candor, Tate told of his 30 missing years, his battle against drugs, and his hopes for the future.

The story of Tate's rediscovery, containing extracts from the interview, are published in today's (Feb. 5) issue of The Daily Yomiuri. You can access the online edition at: http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/newse/20040205woa3.htm

:: Les Coles Wednesday, February 04, 2004 [+] ::

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Blues, Soul, Folk (where they file Cajun & Zydeco) Grammy Nominees

In the run up to the 46th Grammys being held Feb. 8 at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, The Blues Blog will be running a series of special articles on the event.


Buddy Guy, Kim Wilson, Marcia Ball, Etta James, Sonny Landreth, Howard Tate, Susan Tedeschi, Roomful of Blues, Jay McShann, Eddy "The Chief" Clearwater featuring Los Straitjackets, Steve Riley & The Mamou Playboys nominated.


The Grammy action for blues fans mainly takes place in: Field 13 — Blues, which contains: Category 64 — Best Traditional Blues Album and Category 65 — Best Contemporary Blues Album. Also of potential interest to Blues Bloggers is Field 14 — Folk, Category 66 — Best Traditional Folk Album, which is where they file Cajun and zydeco (stay tuned for an upcoming special on this).

In other categories — not really the blues — but a cool dude who could play them when he wanted to:

Warren Zevon — who never received a Grammy during his lifetime — received four Grammy nominations Thursday (Dec. 4), including Song of the Year. Zevon, who died of lung cancer in September, was nominated for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance, and "Keep Me In Your Heart," off The Wind album was nominated for Song Of The Year. His collaboration with Bruce Springsteen on "Disorder in the House," off the same album, is up for Best Rock Song and Best Rock Vocal Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocal.

The Wind was one of my CD picks for The Daily Yomiuri "In Your Ear" CD review column.

Other deceased nominees included soul legend Sam Cooke and blues giant Muddy Waters. Cooke and Waters will battle each other in the long form music video race, for their respective packages Legend and Muddy Waters Can't Be Satisfied. Cooke was shot to death in 1964, while Waters died of a heart attack in 1983.

"I'm grateful that this fine documentary on the life and music of my brother, Sam Cooke, has been recognized this way," Cooke's brother, L.C. Cooke, said in a statement. "Our family has always been proud of Sam's legacy and we thrilled to share it."


In the blues categories:

Traditional Blues Album: "Rock 'n' Roll City," Eddy "The Chief" Clearwater featuring Los Straitjackets; "Blues Singer," Buddy Guy; "Goin' to Kansas City," Jay McShann; "That's Right!" Roomful of Blues; "Lookin' for Trouble!" Kim Wilson.

Blues Singer was one of my CD picks for The Daily Yomiuri "In Your Ear" CD review column, see review here

Contemporary Blues Album: "So Many Rivers," Marcia Ball; "Let's Roll," Etta James; "The Road We're On," Sonny Landreth; "Rediscovered," Howard Tate; "Wait for Me," Susan Tedeschi.

Howard Tate was one of the pergormers at this year's Park Tower Blues Festival. For full info on the festival and a bio on Tate, see the Park Tower Blues Festival Review.

Blues nominees in other categories include:

Album Notes: "Four Women: The Nina Simone Philips Recordings," Ashley Kahn, album notes writer (Nina Simone); "Martin Scorsese Presents The Blues: A Musical Journey," Tom Piazza, album notes writer (Various Artists); "Sam Cooke With The Soul Stirrers — The Complete Specialty Records Recordings," Daniel Wolff, album notes writer (Sam Cooke With The Soul Stirrers)

Historical Album: "Martin Scorsese Presents The Blues: A Musical Journey," Steve Berkowitz, Alex Gibney, Andy McKaie and Jerry Rappaport, compilation producers; "Sam Cooke With The Soul Stirrers — The Complete Specialty Records Recordings," Bill Belmont, Ralph Kaffel and Stuart Kremsky, compilation producers.

Long Form Music Video: "Legend," Sam Cooke; "The American Folk Blues Festival 1962-1966, Volume 1," Various Artists; "Muddy Waters Can't Be Satisfied," Muddy Waters.

Best Traditional Folk Album: "Wildwood Flower", June Carter Cash; "Any Old Time", Steve Forbert; "Bon Reve", Steve Riley & The Mamou Playboys; "The Three Pickers", Earl Scruggs, Doc Watson & Ricky Skaggs; "Seeds: The Songs Of Pete Seeger, Volume 3", Pete Seeger & Friends

Click here for the full list of nominees in all 105 categories.

Winners in all categories will be announced during the 46th annual Grammy Awards ceremony in Los Angeles on Feb. 8, and on The Blues Blog slightly later.

:: Les Coles Wednesday, February 04, 2004 [+] ::

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Grammy Presenters/Perfomers Announced

In the run up to the 46th Grammys being held Feb. 8 at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, The Blues Blog will be running a series of special articles on the event.


Beck, Jack Black, Ellen DeGeneres, Cuba Gooding Jr., Marg Helgenberger, Samuel L. Jackson, Queen Latifah, Amy Lee, George Lopez, Madonna, and Sarah Jessica Parker to Appear on Premier Music Event to be Broadcast on CBS Sunday, Feb. 8


SANTA MONICA, Calif.—(BUSINESS WIRE)—Feb. 4—In a move echoing last year's successful GRAMMY telecast in New York, the Recording Academy(R) announced today that it has invited a high profile list of music, film and television personalities to introduce performances on the 46th Annual GRAMMY Awards, to be held Sunday, Feb. 8 at STAPLES Center in Los Angeles. The show will again be broadcast in HDTV and 5.1 Surround Sound on CBS from 8-11:30 p.m., supported on radio via Westwood One worldwide, and covered online at GRAMMY.com.

Personalities confirmed to introduce the 18 performances on the show include three-time GRAMMY-winner Beck, actor Jack Black, talk show host/comedian Ellen DeGeneres, Oscar-winning actor Cuba Gooding Jr., EMMY-winning co-star of hit CBS series "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation" Marg Helgenberger, Oscar-nominated actor Samuel L. Jackson, GRAMMY-winning artist and Oscar-nominated actress Queen Latifah, current five-time nominee with Evanescence Amy Lee, actor/comedian George Lopez, five-time GRAMMY-winner Madonna (currently nominated for Best Short Form Music Video and Best Dance Recording for "Die Another Day"), and Golden Globe-winning actress Sarah Jessica Parker. More artists will be announced shortly.

Previously announced performances include Christina Aguilera, Beyonce, The Black Eyed Peas, Jackson Browne, George Clinton and Parliament Funkadelic, Chick Corea, Celine Dion, Earth, Wind & Fire, The Foo Fighters, Vince Gill, Emmylou Harris, Alicia Keys, Richard Marx, Dave Matthews, Martina McBride, OutKast, Prince, Robert Randolph & The Family Band, Justin Timberlake, The Eagles' Timothy B. Schmit, Sting and Sean Paul, Billy Bob Thornton, Pharrell Williams, The White Stripes, and Dwight Yoakam.

Previously announced presenters include recording artists Babyface, Joshua Bell, Jorge Calderon, Hilary Duff, Kurt Elling, Faith Hill, Norah Jones, B.B. King, John Mayer, Brian McKnight, Carlos Santana, Steven Tyler and Joe Perry of Aerosmith, Keith Urban, and Pharrell Williams, and actors Sean Astin and Amber Tamblyn.

Janet banned for Super Boob

WCBS-AM/New York has reported that Janet Jackson has been dropped as a presenter at this year's Grammy Awards, due to her Super Bowl antics. The awards show will take place this Sunday, February 8 in Los Angeles and will air on CBS, the same network that aired the Super Bowl. There is no indication that Justin Timberlake has been dropped as a performer. He is up for five awards this year.

Furthermore, even though JC Chasez had nothing to do with the performance of his *NSYNC bandmate, Timberlake, at the Super Bowl, he is feeling the repercussions. Chasez was supposed to perform "Blowin' Me Up (With Her Love)" at the Pro Bowl this weekend in Hawaii (which will air on ESPN), but the NFL has canned the performance. "We thought it was over the top," said NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy, according to Television Week. "It was because of the song, and how we believed it was going to be choreographed. We wanted to go in a different direction." The NFL is replacing Chasez' song with Hawaiian-themed entertainment, but it's possible that JC could sing the national anthem at the game.

Meanwhile, Kid Rock has angered the VFW with his flag-wearing antics. During his performance, Kid Rock made a slit in an American flag and wore it as a poncho. The VFW is angered that the Janet Jackson stunt has garnered so much attention but not Rock's disrespect for the flag. "While MTV and CBS have issued apologies for the Janet Jackson incident, they have yet to address Kid Rock's disgusting use of an American flag as a costume prop," reads a statement on vfw.org. "The 1.6 million members of the VFW agree that Kid Rock's stunt was in poor taste and extremely disrespectful to the members of our armed forces who everyday pledge their allegiance - and their life - to our flag."

:: Les Coles Wednesday, February 04, 2004 [+] ::

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Japan Blues Carnival 2004 Update

From L to R: Otis Rush, Mavis Staples, The Derek Trucks Band

Japan Blues Carnival 2004

MAY 17 - 23

HEADLINERS: Otis Rush, Mavis Staples, The Derek Trucks Band Support: Sons of Blues, Fusanosuke & His B&O, The Black Bottom Brass Band

KANSAI DATES

May 17 Otis Rush, Mavis Staples, The Derek Trucks Band Namba Hatch, Osaka, Tel: 06-6362-7301 Doors open: 6 p.m., Show starts: 7 p.m. Tickets: ¥6,8000 May 18 Mavis Staples Taku Taku, Kyoto, Tel: 075-351-1321 Doors open: 6 p.m., Show starts: 7 p.m. Tickets: ¥6,5000 May 18 Otis Rush, The Derek Trucks Band Bottom Line, Nagoya, Tel: 052-741-1620 Doors open: 6 p.m., Show starts: 7 p.m. Tickets: ¥6,8000 May 19 Mavis Staples Tokuzo, Nagoya, Tel: 052-733-3709 Doors open: 6:30 p.m., Show starts: 7:30 p.m. Tickets: ¥6,5000

KANTO DATES

May 20 Derek Trucks Band Club Quattro, Tokyo, Doors open: 6 p.m., Show starts: 7 p.m. ¥6,000 May 21 Otis Rush, Mavis Staples, The Derek Trucks Club Citta, Kawasaki Doors open: 6 p.m., Show starts: 7 p.m. Tickets ¥6,800 Band May 22 Otis Rush, Mavis Staples, Sons Of Blues Hibiya Park, Tokyo Gates open: 4:45, Show starts: 5:30 Tickets ¥6,800 May 23 Otis Rush, The Derek Trucks Band, Fusanosuke & His B&O, Black Bottom Brass Band Hibiya Park, Tokyo Gates open: 2:45, Show starts: 3:30 Tickets ¥6,800 Two-day tickets: ¥12,000 Ticketing: M&I (the promoter9 : >click here; Pia Code: 164-677, Lawson's Code: 36381

:: Les Coles Tuesday, February 03, 2004 [+] ::

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N.Y. Symposium to Examine Study of Black Music

YONKERS, N.Y., Feb. 2 (AScribe Newswire) &mdas; Inspired by the work of Amiri Baraka (LeRoi Jones), particularly his 1963 history Blues People: Negro Music in White America, a generation of scholars in the field of jazz and blues music criticism was born, creating a legitimate space in the academy for the serious study of African American music. "Blues People: 40 Years Later, A Symposium" to be held at Sarah Lawrence College Feb. 6 - 7, will honor Baraka's artistic legacy as well as focus attention on the pioneering scholarship that has grown out of those early years of the study of this uniquely American culture. For more information please call 914-395-2412.

Blues People was the first book-length history written by an African American that addressed the social, musical, economic, and cultural influences of the blues and jazz (which Baraka refers to as "Negro music") on American history. Symposium panels and lectures will speak to diverse aspects of jazz studies, including women's roles, black nationalism, and the development of rap music.

Baraka's approach to music criticism was different from anything else that existed when he first began writing in the 1950s and '60s, partly because he was the only black writer in a field of white critics. Komozi Woodard, professor of history at Sarah Lawrence and the organizer of the symposium commented: "He was not simply describing the music, but he fashioned a type of writing that was itself an artistic performance about music."

The symposium will culminate in a music and poetry performance by Baraka's group, "Blue Ark" that includes poets, blues singers, and other musicians led by saxophonist and professor of jazz studies at Rutgers University, Herbie Morgan. The group has performed in numerous countries around the world.

The symposium's participants themselves reflect the growing recognition of jazz's academic significance in higher education. Blues and jazz have come of age in the university. For example, one of the featured panelists is Ingrid Monson, first appointed holder of Harvard University's Quincy Jones Chair created in 2000 to devote scholarship to jazz music and its implications in the African American experience. Monson will speak on a panel along with John Szwed of Yale University who will address "The Folk Communities of Amiri Baraka and Ralph Ellison," as well as Travis Jackson of the University of Chicago.

Following is the complete Symposium Schedule:

Blues People: 40 Years Later, A Symposium

Feb. 6-7, 2004, Reisinger Concert Hall, Sarah Lawrence College

Friday -- 9 a.m., Registration

10 a.m., Welcome

10:15 a.m., Panel: Coltrane, Monk and Jazz Criticism Salim Washington, Robin Kelley, and John Gennari, "Baraka's Bohemian Blues," Scot Brown, "'Praise for the Imamu': Amiri Baraka, the Kawaida Recording (1969) and the Politics of Black Cultural Nationalism"

12:30-1:30 p.m., Lunch

2 p.m., Panel: Black Pearls: Blues Women & What the Music Said, Farah Jasmine Griffin, Mark Anthony Neal, Daphne Duval Harrison, "Blues Women: from the 1920s to the 1960s"

4 p.m., Panel: Blues People, So What Travis Jackson, Ingrid Monson, John Szwed, "The Folk Communities of Amiri Baraka and Ralph Ellison"

6 p.m., The Rap on the Music Business, Chuck D (invited but not confirmed), Tracie Morris, and Carmen Ashhurst Woodard

8 p.m., Dinner Break

Saturday -- 10 a.m., Welcome

10:30 a.m., Panel: African American Dance, Katrina Hazzard, Jookin': the rise of social dance in African American Culture, Jacqui Malone on choreographer, Cholly Atkins, genius of Motown choreography, Donna Peters, "Hearing Dance and Seeing Music - The Jazz Tap Community"

12:30-1:30 p.m., Lunch

2 p.m., Panel: Musicians on the Music Hilda Harris, Sarah Lawrence College, La Shonda Barnett, Sarah Lawrence College, David Burrell, "Daybreak," "David Burrell Plays Ellington & Monk," W.S. Tkweme, University of Massachusetts

4 p.m., Panel: The Poetics of the Music, Tracie Morris, Eugene Redmond, and Amiri Baraka, Michael Simanga, "Blues People: African American Identity and Music in the 21st Century"

6 p.m., Dinner Break

7 p.m., Amiri Baraka and Blue Ark Music and poetry performance

Participants:

Carmen Ashhurst Woodard, Sarah Lawrence College, formerly president of Def Jam Recording.

Amiri Baraka and Blue Ark: blues, jazz and poetry group In addition to Blues People, Black Music and The Music, Baraka is the author of over twenty plays, three jazz operas, more than eight books of nonfiction, two novels, a more than a dozen volumes of poetry.

La Shonda Barnett, Sarah Lawrence College, social and cultural historian, is a Ph.D. candidate at William and Mary College.

Scot Brown, historian at UCLA, and author of the new book, Fighting for US: Maulana Karenga, the US Organization, and Black Cultural Nationalism.

David Burrell, pianist has performed on a number of albums including, David Burrell Plays Ellington & Monk.

John Gennari, professor of history and cultural studies at the University of Vermont. Gennari is finishing a pioneering book on the music that includes a chapter of Baraka's role in jazz criticism in the 1950s.

Hilda Harris, Sarah Lawrence College music faculty member, is a singer and actress, a performer in opera, oratorio, and orchestral concerts in the U.S. and Europe, a solo artist with the Metropolitan Opera Affiliate Artist Program and a freelance recording artist.

Daphne Duval Harrison, emeritus, University of Maryland Harrison is a path-breaking historian of music who wrote the classic work, Black Pearls: Blues Queens of the 1920s, and who is editing an encyclopedia of the blues.

Farah Jasmine Griffin, Columbia University, author of the new book, If You Can't Be Free, Be a Mystery: In Search of Billie Holiday. Professor Griffin is on the cutting edge of African American studies today.

Katrina Hazzard is the author of the classic study of Black American dance, Jookin' the Rise of Social Dance formations in African American Culture.

Nat Hentoff of the Village Voice is the prolific author of a number of books including the classic, Jazz: New Perspectives.

Travis Jackson, University of Chicago, Music & the Humanities is one of the young lions in African American musical studies.

Robin Kelley, Columbia University, is one of the leading scholars in American history, cultural studies, labor history, and African American Studies, who is now hard at work on a new book on the renowned jazz genius, Thelonius Monk.

Jacqui Malone is an expert on the influential choreographer Cholly Atkins, one of the geniuses behind the Motown phenomenon and author of the book, Stepping on the Blues: The Visible Rhythms of African American Dance and co-author with Cholly Atkins of Class Act, which according to the library journal says: "The story of Cholly Atkins is that of 20th-century American jazz and tap dance...This book resonates with charm and provides solid information about the history of American jazz dance.

Ingrid Monson is a noted scholar of jazz and the first appointed holder of Harvard University's Quincy Jones Chair.

Tracie Morris, award-winning writing professor at Sarah Lawrence College and one of those who paved the way for performance poetry.

Mark Anthony Neal, University of Texas, Austin, one of the rising stars in African American Studies who broke new interpretive ground with his book, What The Music Said.

Donna Peters is sociologist and ethnographer at Temple University, specializing in performance and dance.

Michael Simanga is a poet, cultural critic, music producer, and author of the novel, In the Shadow of the Sun. Simanga is one of the pillars of the Black Arts Movement.

John Szwed has set the pace in cultural studies and biography for quite some time; his last two books are biographies of jazz musicians, Space in the Place: The Lives and Times of Sun Ra and So What: the Life of Miles Davis. He teaches at Yale University and is a guest this year at Center for Jazz Studies at Columbia University.

W.S. Tkweme, University of Massachusetts. Mr. Tkweme has been a student and teacher of jazz history for some time now-sometimes on jazz radio and at times lecturing at American colleges.

Salim Washington is one of the young lions in African American Studies as well as a professor of music and African American Studies at Brooklyn College, who is working on an important manuscript about John Coltrane and his music.

Komozi Woodard, History faculty, Sarah Lawrence College, is the author of A Nation Within A Nation: Amiri Baraka (LeRoi Jones) and Black Power Politics and editor of Freedom North, The Black Power Movement, and Groundwork.

Amiri Baraka: Online Poems

"Notes For a Speech"


African blues
does not know me. Their steps, in sands
of their own
land. A country
in black & white, newspapers

blown down pavements
of the world. Does
not feel
what I am.

Strength

in the dream, an oblique
suckling of nerve, the wind
throws up sand, eyes
are something locked in
hate, of hate, of hate, to
walk abroad, they conduct

their deaths apart
from my own. Those
heads, I call
my "people."

(And who are they. People. To
concern

myslef, ugly man. Who
you, to concern
the white flat stomachs
of maidens, inside houses
dying. Black. Peeled moon
light on my fingers

move under
her clothes. Where
is her husband. Black
words throw up sand
to eyes, fingers of
their private dead. Whose

soul, eyes, in sand. My color
is not theirs. Lighter, white man
talk. They shy away. My own
dead souls, my, so called
people. Africa
is a foreign place. You are

as any other sad man here
american

----------------------------------

"Monday in B-Flat"



I can pray

    all day

    & God

    wont come.



But if I call

                911

            The Devil

                Be here



            in a minute!

:: Les Coles Tuesday, February 03, 2004 [+] ::

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Texas Fred, the Zydeco Cowboy, on XM Satellite Radio

Ils sont partis!
Texas Fred, The Zydeco Cowboy, is now broadcasting Zydeco at XM Satellite Radio. The name of the show is "The Satellite Trail Ride". The show will air Monday at 11am eastern time, Tuesday at 11am eastern time and Sunday at 1pm eastern. In the words of J. Paul Zydeco has now hit "Another Level".
Check out this Washington Post interview with Texas Fred

:: Les Coles Monday, February 02, 2004 [+] ::

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Martin one in a million guitar

The Millionth Martin Guitar

Such a simple number: a one followed by six zeros. Yet C.F. Martin & Company's millionth guitar represents so much: a family’s dedication to an ideal that has endured for six generations, an incredible 171 years of musical history, more than 700 craftspeople whose talents and attention to detail can be appreciated in every Martin guitar, and countless guitar players for whom the Martin sound is their sound.

So it's only natural that the millionth C.F. Martin & Company guitar be a spectacular celebration of the Company’s history and art.

Crafted from C.I.T.E.S. certified Brazilian rosewood, Adirondack red spruce, black African ebony and genuine mahogany, Serial #1,000,000 – fittingly, a Dreadnought, one of Martin’s most influential designs – is the most elaborate instrument in the company’s history, surpassing even the D-45 China Dragon (#700,000) and the D-45 Peacock (#750,000). Intricate inlays of abalone, mother of pearl, sea snail, 18-karat gold, white gold and precious gems, including diamonds, emeralds, rubies, sapphires and aquamarines, cover the back, fingerboard, headstock, rosette, pickguard and inset soundhole "rose" Similar inlays accent the sides and neck.

The inlays feature Victorian and Baroque imagery as well as some uniquely Martin elements. Tendrils of vines and leaves frame the top, back, sides and neck, and more elaborate inlays in the same style are set into the back of the neck and the sides. A grand trellis rises from an urn at the base of the fingerboard. A golden eagle peers from a flourish of leaves on the headstock. The pickguard features a guitar top with Martin's innovative X-bracing as well as tools of the luthier’s trade.

Most spectacular of all is the guitar's back. An urn near the center supports an arbor of vines and leaves on which four angels play guitars, a mandolin and a ukulele, while near the top, two more angels place a wreath on the neck of an early Martin of the sort the founder C. F. Martin, Sr. made in his early years in the United States. Framed by cascading tendrils, "#1,000,000" is followed by the familiar “C.F. Martin & Co., Est. 1833” logo in abalone. Near the bottom, an engraved portrait of C.F. Martin himself completes the inlay.

Work on the millionth Martin began in early 2002, when master inlay artist Larry Robinson submitted drawings for the various inlay elements. After selection and parts preparation in Nazareth, the various pieces were shipped to Robinson's shop in Sonoma County, California. Nearly two years of cutting the inlay pieces (by hand, with a jeweler's saw), fabricating the designs, gluing them into carefully incised wood and flat-sanding followed. Robinson was assisted by world-class engraver Dave Guilietti, who engraved all the gold elements as well as the angels, cherubs and portrait of C. F. Martin, Sr. on the back. The jewels were tube set by Jeweler's Warehouse. The various elements were returned to Martin in late 2003. The jewels were placed in their settings by Larry Robinson in mid-December 2003 &mdas; just in time for extensive photography in anticipation of the guitar’s unveiling on Jan. 15 at the NAMM Show in Anaheim, California. Even a special display module has been custom fabricated to house the instrument at the show, as well as the incredible Genuine Ostritch Skin Custom Case custom made for the one millionth guitar by TKL Case Company.

Is "#1,000,000" the ultimate C.F. Martin guitar? Certainly it is an unprecedented museum piece and a pristine example of the guitarmaking craft. But as C. F. Martin & Co. continues to add to its guitarmaking legacy, the urge to create an even more fantastic guitar will almost certainly arise. After all, #2,000,000 may be less than 20 years away!

:: Les Coles Sunday, February 01, 2004 [+] ::

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