Chances are that sometime, somewhere, out of the corner of one ear, at least, you've heard the iconic (yet all-but-forgotten) "Willie and the Hand Jive". Set to a Bo Diddley beat, it was an infectious little number that made quite a splash back in its day. Here's a fun
live version of the bouncy tune, complete with the three largest dancing girls you're ever likely to see, and here's the
original 1958 recording. The composer of the tune, the son of Greek immigrants who decided that the world of black music was where he wanted to be, was one
Johnny Otis, who has just
died at the grand old age of 90. Shortly after its release, "Willie and the Hand Jive" was covered by early rock icons like
Bo Diddley and, across the pond in England,
Cliff Richard. But apart from his most famous tune, Johnny did a LOT of recording and performing throughout his lengthy career, so there's...
[more inside]
posted by flapjax at midnite
on Jan 19, 2012 -
42 comments
If you ever caught NRBQ live, you were most likely treated to some
raucous,
pounding and
undeniably joyful roadhouse revelry that made you wanna drink another beer (at least) and bask in the divine glory of Rock. And. Roll. But it is with a sad heart that I relay the news to you today that the hard-hitting, deeply grooving powerhouse behind the drums, the man who drove America's Best Bar Band to ever more delirious heights of cathartic oneness with the Universe, has left us. RIP,
Tommy Ardolino.
[more inside]
posted by flapjax at midnite
on Jan 7, 2012 -
27 comments
In 1993 in Dharamsala I met for the first time that amazing music performer, perhaps he was a Rajhastan gypsy. Usually he sat on road side from McLeod Ganch to Dhalai Lama residence. This man-orchestra created great atmosphere, sometimes he sang from eternity even didn't notice listeners. In 2004 I came to Dharamsala and people told me that he passed away.
This video is dedicated to him and to people who knew him.
posted by flapjax at midnite
on Dec 29, 2011 -
7 comments
Never had a whole lotta use for the Lawrence Welk show, but man, when it came time for steel guitar wizard Buddy Merrill and his dazzlingly snazzy stringery to take center stage, the broadcast got a
hella lot better,
fast!
posted by flapjax at midnite
on Dec 19, 2011 -
24 comments
Happy birthday John Lee Hooker! Let's celebrate by listening to some of your older tunes! "Gonna take you down by the riverside, gonna tie your hands, gonna tie your feet, got the
mad man blues" ... "Now the
war is over, and I'm broke and I ain't got a dime" ... "You know I'm a
crawling king snake, baby, and I rule my nest" ... "Gonna get up in the mornin',
goin' down highway 51" ... "Well I
rolled and I tumbled, babe, I cried the whole night long" ... "
I feel so good, let me do the boogaloo"
posted by flapjax at midnite
on Aug 22, 2011 -
19 comments
Somewhere along the line, you might've heard one of the biggest hits to ever come out of the world of jazz: it was a song originally made famous by Les McCann and Eddie Harris back in 1969, called
Compared To What. If you were in the right place at the right time, you might've even caught them doing it
live. Or, if you were born a little too late for all that, you might've heard the song performed by
John Legend and the Roots. Well, the man who wrote the song,
Gene McDaniels, has just
left us at age 76. RIP Gene McDaniels.
posted by flapjax at midnite
on Aug 2, 2011 -
25 comments
Perhaps it's best my grandmother didn't live to see this day: the Liberace Museum, located in the besequined showman's old stomping grounds of Las Vegas, is
closing, and that would have saddened her. Maybe it's time for all of us to brush up on our early
Liberace history. And let's hear the sparkling man, resplendent in gold, take
Mack the Knife through some changes. Farewell, Liberace.
posted by flapjax at midnite
on Sep 18, 2010 -
66 comments
One of the most rhythmically solid, tastefully understated and (all too often) criminally underrated drummers in the history of rock music turned 70 today, and you'll forgive me if I couldn't let the day pass without a nod in his direction. You've probably heard of
him.
[more inside]
posted by flapjax at midnite
on Jul 7, 2010 -
98 comments
With their no-frills, earnestly deadpan delivery, excellent pitch and diction, crisp guitar work, impeccable rhythm and sweet harmonies, Fiona and Emily are sure to become your favorite classic rock cover band.
Honky Tonk Woman,
Pinball Wizard,
Ticket To Ride,
Surfin' USA,
House of the Rising Sun,
Help,
Johnny B. Goode, and last but certainly not least,
I Am the Walrus. Woooooooooo!
posted by flapjax at midnite
on Jul 5, 2010 -
55 comments
Have you heard of
Washington Phillips? He was possessed of a wonderful voice, and delivered his simple but gorgeous gospel tunes in an easy and utterly unprepossessing style. He accompanied himself not on guitar or piano, as might be expected, but rather on a chiming, delicately ethereal zither, lending a curiously timeless air to his recordings from the 1920s. An altogether unique performer, his music is a real treat for the soul:
Take Your Burden To the Lord,
What Are They Doing in Heaven Today,
Denomination Blues,
I Had a Good Father and Mother,
Lift Him Up,
Paul and Silas in Jail,
Mother's Last Word To Her Son and
Train Your Children.
[more inside]
posted by flapjax at midnite
on Jun 14, 2010 -
23 comments
Born in Big Sandy, Texas in 1874,
Henry Thomas was one of the oldest black musician who ever recorded for the phonograph companies of the 1920′s and his music represents a rare opportunity to hear what American black folk music must have sounded like in the last decade of the 19th century.
[more inside]
posted by flapjax at midnite
on May 11, 2010 -
21 comments
The other day someone asked me "who's the most deeply grooving and truly exciting electric guitar player you've heard lately?" and I said
"this guy".
posted by flapjax at midnite
on Apr 10, 2010 -
82 comments
Back in the 1920s, when
Warren "Baby" Dodds was busy inventing jazz drumming in the company of pioneers like King Oliver, Jelly Roll Morton and Louis Armstrong, to "give the drummer some" usually never meant more than a couple of bars fill every now and again. Fortunately, though, come 1946, when Dodds was already an older man but still in fine playing form, someone had the wherewithal to record this seminal percussion stylist in a series of extended drum solos, displaying his
exuberant rhythmic stylings as well as his lending of
superbly playful swing to the
the rudiments. But let's jump back to the 20's again, and hear drummer Dodds, with the aforementioned King Oliver, take what's gotta be the killingest
slide whistle solo in all of jazz history.
[more inside]
posted by flapjax at midnite
on Mar 22, 2010 -
11 comments
The man behind the classic sound of Al Green, Memphis producer and soulmeister supreme
Willie Mitchell has
passed on. Many of the Al Green sides are legendary, of course, and very well known (as is the fantastic "I Can't Stand the Rain, by Ann Peebles), but be sure and head over to the excellent
Funky 16 Corners where you can hear three of his lesser-known but
deeply grooving productions. Fat stuff. So long, Willie Mitchell, and thanks for the wonderful music.
posted by flapjax at midnite
on Jan 6, 2010 -
24 comments
Fela: Music is the Weapon is a documentary film from 1982 featuring a wealth of live concert footage (from his club in Lagos, "The Shrine") as well as interviews with the legendary Nigerian singer, bandleader and social critic. Here's
part 1,
2,
3,
4,
5 and
6.
[more inside]
posted by flapjax at midnite
on Nov 5, 2008 -
22 comments
Drummer and vocalist
Jimmy Carl Black, "the Indian of the group", who appeared on more Mothers of Invention
records than you could shake a stick at, has passed away. Here's Jimmy drumming with The Mothers of Invention
live on French TV 1968,
live on BBC TV 1968, singing with
The Muffin Men, 2002, and on one of his last gigs, singing Capt. Beefheart's
Dropout Boogie in June 2008, in his duo with mad banjo wizard Eugene Chadbourne which they called
The Jack and Jim Show.
[more inside]
posted by flapjax at midnite
on Nov 3, 2008 -
49 comments
A musician
passed away just the other day. In all likelihood you never knew his name. But you've probably heard him, no exaggeration, on
thousands of occasions. He was
drummer Earl Palmer, and some of the thousands of songs he propelled with his versatile grooves and masterful sense of time include
Tutti Frutti and
Lucille,
La Bamba,
Let's Go Get Stoned,
I Don't Need No Doctor,
Unchained Melody,
You've Lost That Loving Feeling... the list goes
on and on. Oh, and there's the TV themes he drummed on, like say,
Mission Impossible. And here you can see New Orleans native Earl demonstrating how he put the beat under Professor Longhair's classic
Tipitina and on Fats Domino's
I'm Walkin'. He was one superb rhythmist. Au revoir,
Earl Palmer.
[more inside]
posted by flapjax at midnite
on Sep 28, 2008 -
31 comments
One fine old day in old LA, in the year of nineteen and sixty, one Frederick Usher met
Eddie "One String" Jones, heard him lay down some deep blues on his
diddley bow, and was so taken with Jones'
monochord masterpieces that he ran home, grabbed his tape recorder and recorded Jones in the alley. One other recording session ensued soon thereafter, which was
released as an LP in 1964. By that time, however, the mysterious Eddie Jones (if that was even his real name) was long gone, and was never heard from again.
[NOTE: see hoverovers for link descriptions] [more inside]
posted by flapjax at midnite
on May 24, 2008 -
22 comments
