MetaFilter posts tagged with musician and singer

Kazuhira Takeshita and his songs from Amami

flapjax at midnite — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 06:23:46 -0800

In case you've never heard him, I'd like to introduce you to the sublimely soulful music of Kazuhira Takeshita, from Amami. I discovered Kazuhira Takeshita about 10 years ago via this release, and I can't recommend it highly enough. The record reviewer on this page, however, incorrectly indicates that Takeshita plays the shamisen. Wrong. Takeshita's instrument is is the sanshin, the same as that used throughout the Okinawan archipelago. It is the predecessor of the Japanese shamisen. There's something rather unique about the folk music (called "shimauta") of Amami: unlike virtually all other Okinawan and Japanese folk music, Amami singing involves the use of falsetto voice. Wikipedia page on the Amami Islands.

Martha Copeland, 20s-era blues singer

flapjax at midnite — Sun, 26 Oct 2008 05:06:20 -0800

Though Bessie Smith is regarded as the queen of the early blues singers, Martha Copeland was singing the blues and its variants (and doing a fine job of it) back in the 20s as well. Head over to Internet Archive to hear Martha sing her versions of two of the tunes that made Bessie so famous: I Ain't Got Nobody and St. Louis Blues, the latter with backing vocal chorus from the Hall Johnson Choir. Check out her Dying Crap Shooter's Blues and Sorrow Valley Blues. And there's plenty of Martha Copeland goodness for your ears (RealPlayer) here and here. I've only been able to find one photograph of Martha Copeland: it graces the jacket of this Document Records release. The Internet Archive links to "I Ain't Got Nobody" and "St. Louis Blues" in this post are originally from a radio show, year 1928, which you can hear at the 20 minute point of this WFMU "Thomas Edison's Attic" broadcast of The Eveready Hour. From the excellent Honey Where You Been So Long (prewarblues.org): "Martha Copeland was a highly successful artist, whose talents were mismanged and wasted by Columbia. Copeland’s wonderful voice was often used to record substandard sides and copies of current hits by Bessie Smith and others rather than promoting her own work. Copeland became famous - but never of the level that her talent would have allowed. Copeland’s body of work is also lessened by the choices others made for her, but on her stand out tracks you can see how much talent and skill she possessed." Meanwhile, here's more great Bessie Smith for your listening pleasure: Gimme a Pigfoot, Yellowdog Blues, Mountaintop Blues, Downhearted Blues and A Good Man is Hard To Find.

Dee Dee Warwick, RIP

flapjax at midnite — Sat, 25 Oct 2008 04:04:20 -0800

Dee Dee Warwick, sister of Dionne and a fine soul singer in her own right, recently passed on to that other shore. This blog entry on Dee Dee features mp3 links to her wonderful cover of the Elvis Presley hit Suspicious Minds and the heartrending She Didn't Know. More: I'm Gonna Make You Love Me, Monday Monday and Foolish Fool.

Gilberto Gil

flapjax at midnite — Thu, 31 Jul 2008 01:56:16 -0800

Brazil's Gilberto Gil, now 66 years of age, is stepping down from his position as Minister of Culture to concentrate, once again, on his music career. That's good news for his fans, and here's some more good news: a huge chunk of his recorded work is available as streaming audio for your listening pleasure. Here's a vintage clip of Gilberto with mondo-Brazil-rock trailblazers Os Mutantes. More Os Mutantes.

I have to be a star like another man has to breathe.

miss lynnster — Mon, 02 Jun 2008 11:56:22 -0800

Sammy Davis Jr—entertainer , photographer... camwhore... SATANIST!!!??? Did hanging out with this guy make Sammy bad? Or was he just selling his soul to be groovy? Here are a plethora of links featuring the insanely talented, always popular, often controversial Sammy Davis Jr.. Can you dig it? Aaaand... okay, here's a little info on the Church of Satan.

Renato Carosone, pride of Napoli.

flapjax at midnite — Wed, 05 Dec 2007 04:30:07 -0800

This is just too charming and endearingly goofy to miss: Renato Carosone's Tu Vuo' Fa' L'Americano (You're Acting All American). See also: O Sarracino, Torero and Maruzella.

Richard Thompson and his exquisite songs.

flapjax at midnite — Sat, 24 Nov 2007 03:44:03 -0800

Singer/songwriter and guitarist extraordinaire Richard Thompson: songs of bittersweet longing, sublime eloquence, dark exuberance and ominous allusion. Richard Thompson has a dedicated following, and consequently there are a lot of Thompson clips on YouTube. I selected these four to post here, though, because as TV spots (BBC) their quality is excellent, and because they showcase his acoustic guitar playing. Not that I don't love his electric guitar work: in fact I I am a huge fan of his electric aesthetic, particularly his soloing, but I think his acoustic guitar accompaniment is the perfect foil for his voice. I think he's one of our finest living songwriters, actually, and I hope you enjoy these clips. There's one more from the same BBC performances, Vincent Black Lightning 1952, which I certainly would've included in the FPP, but for the fact that it would've been a double, from none other than the esteemed and now-seemingly-departed vronsky. Here's hoping you'll come riding back to MeFi, vron!

Queen of Soul.

flapjax at midnite — Tue, 20 Nov 2007 03:08:58 -0800

Aretha. Aretha. Aretha. Aretha. Aretha. Aretha. Aretha. Aretha. Aretha. Aretha. Aretha. Aretha. Aretha. Aretha.

Barbara Lynn Ozen: songwriter, guitarist, singer.

flapjax at midnite — Sun, 04 Nov 2007 08:01:28 -0800

Ever heard of Barbara Lynn? She was a rarity in the world of R&B in the early 60's: a black female songwriter, guitarist and sing er. After a couple of decades out of the spotlight, she returned in 1999 with a new album. Here's one more Barbara Lynn YouTube clip, a rather generic soul number called Movin' On A Groove". It's a fairly forgettable track, but her warm vocals make it worth a listen. Dumb video alert. Carla Thomas (daughter of Rufus Thomas) also recorded a version of Lynn's hit You'll Lose a Good Thing, as did country star Freddy Fender. Unfortunately, Fender's version has been removed from YouTube.

Link and the Hill

flapjax at midnite — Tue, 18 Sep 2007 04:48:30 -0800

Legendary tremolo guitar king Link Wray discovered him singing gospel with the Mighty Clouds of Joy, and figured he might be the kind of rock'n'roll screamer he was looking for. If he was gonna sing the devil's music, though, he'd need another name, so they came up with a rather unlikely moniker: Bunker Hill. Just listen. Here's a Bunker Hill discography. Previously on MeFi: Link Wray obit FPP. Link Wray timeline (with no mention of Bunker Hill...) from the official Link Wray site. Link Wray MySpace page, where, as usual, you can hear four tunes, including, of course, the original 'Rumble'. Link Wray, YouTube clip from 1960: Trail of the Lonesome Pine.

Oliver Mtukudzi, pride of Zimbabwe

flapjax at midnite — Sun, 16 Sep 2007 00:26:43 -0800

Let's pay a visit to Zimbabwe's Oliver Mtu kud zi, or Tu ku, as he's affectionately known to his fans. His voice has a touch of that sweet soul gravel reminiscent of Georgia's Otis Redding, or Jamaica's Toots Hibberts, but his mellow fingerpicking guitar style and relaxed, loping grooves are African all the way. His earlier stuff is certainly worth going back to as well! And, hey, it's unlikely you'll hear too many other pop stars who sing lines like "Call the mother of my childfren. I am hurt. I was injured while training the ox." Though it's a bit out of sync, and the sound isn't the greatest, here's a YouTube clip by an audience member at a live show in Washington DC, and another, similar, from a live show in Virginia. London MeFiers take note: he'll be in your town soon, providing those visas get sorted... Those interested in checking out some of the younger artists coming out of Zimbabwe can get some info here at Zimvibes.com

A Resource For and About Songwriters

netbros — Wed, 22 Aug 2007 16:53:39 -0800

The Muse's Muse Songwriting Resource is the place for songwriting tips, tools, interactivities and connecting with other songwriters around the world. See the section about musical instruments or get into the guitar player's guide. Start communicating with other musicians and songwriters in the forums and check out the music reviews. Lots to do, see, hear, learn, and most of all, enjoy.

Relatively rare Beatles.

flapjax at midnite — Thu, 07 Jun 2007 06:27:57 -0800

I thought I'd seen pretty much every bit of performance footage (whether live or lip-synched) featuring the Beatles, but lately I discovered some clips on YouKnowWhere that I hadn't seen before, and I'd wager there's more than a few folks out in MefiLand who've also missed these: a proto-psychedelic promo clip for Rain, and another promo clip for Hey Bulldog, and finally, this rarity, an alternate take of the promo clip for Hello Goodbye. Just for good measure, here's the more familiar (but still somewhat obscure) version.

Here's to Bobbie Gentry! Wooooooo!

flapjax at midnite — Tue, 29 May 2007 22:33:47 -0800

Somewhere along the line you've probably heard Bobbie Gentry's brilliant signature tune, Ode To Billy Joe, but unlike previously, now you can see a sad-eyed Bobbie perform it live, displaying the understated Southern soul delivery that, in addition to the delicious lyrics, lazy tempo and no-drums arrangement, made the tune such a milestone in US pop music history. But there was another side to Bobbie: down-home sex kitten! The gal could work a fire-engine red catsuit. Check her out! Go Bobbie!

some Tuvan throat singers.

flapjax at midnite — Fri, 18 May 2007 05:38:42 -0800

Throat singing from Tuva's Huun Huur Tu and Kongar-ol Ondar. [all youtube]

Luther Vandross: RIP

trip and a half — Fri, 01 Jul 2005 19:31:50 -0800

Luther Vandross is gone. The great R&B balladeer died today, apparently due to complications from a stroke he suffered two years ago. Believers in an afterlife can hope he's enjoying a dance with his father. After all, he did believe in the "Power of Love". RIP.