Jazzanova, a German “nu jazz” collective, decided to collaborate with some black American soul singers for the 2008 CD “Of All the Things.” Among those singers were Leon Ware, Paul Randolph and Dwele.
A cut from that album is available as a FREE MP3.
Click here to hear “Look What You’re Doin’ to Me,” featuring Phonte, a North Carolina rapper who also sings.
As I mentioned last week, New Orleans R&B singer and guitar virtuoso Snooks Eaglin has passed away. Today, Mr. Eaglin was honored with a procession through the streets of the city’s Warehouse/Arts District... in the manner of a traditional “jazz funeral.”
A brass band started at noon with “What a Friend We Have In Jesus,” played as a dirge.
Then the musicians kicked up a swinging march (alas, I can’t name the tune), and a few onlookers broke into “second line” dance moves.
Such is the visual magic of a New Orleans jazz funeral that many folks – black and white – had their cameras out.
Including me.
To mark the occasion, I’m spinning another Snooks Eaglin track on my Vox blog. Click here to hear his rocking version of “Red Beans” from 1991. (This tune was Professor Longhair’s rewrite of “Got My Mojo Working.”)
Here’s a FREE MP3 with a Black History Month twist to it.
Diana Braithwaite and Chris Whiteley are Canadians. She’s a blues singer with a bit of an international reputation; he’s a veteran roots musician who has played with Leon Redbone and John Hammond, Jr.
“Freedom Train” is a track from their 2008 album “Sugar & Gold,” which is subtitled “New Songs from the Underground Railroad.”
Click hear to hear “Freedom Train” on my Vox blog. To download it, click the song title below.
Being a Mardi Gras virgin, I figured this was the day to attach myself to my boy David Simon and his wife, Laura Lippman.
We were out of the hotel before 8 a.m., got good and coffeed up, then headed to the Treme neighborhood to see some skeletons roll out. (Here’s Simon with actor Clarke Peters...)
We then walked to Claiborne Avenue, saw a few Mardi Gras Indians in all their finery. Made time for a couple of drinks at Kermit Ruffins’ bar.
By the time the Zulu parade came through, we had hooked up with two more actors – Khandi Alexander and Kim Dickens. Those two were bead magnets, let me tell ya.
Now it’s 6 p.m. and all I wanna do is sleep. Hard to believe that today, for the rest of the country, was just another ordinary work day.
This is, without a doubt, the hippest piece of film ever posted on YouTube!! Of course, as a P-Funk fanatic I might be biased.
I have never seen these images before. I doubt that many Funkadelic fans have. (“that dude,” where y’at?)
This is George Clinton and his band in New York City circa 1973, when Funkadelic was at the cutting edge of American rock ’n’ roll.
People say that audiences used to be scared of George. And you can see why... with his white face paint, fucked-up hairstyle and hoodoo gesticulations.
You got Fuzzy Haskins in his torn long johns... Garry Shider’s genitals swinging to and fro in his diaper... and the best look I’ve ever had at guitarist Ron Bykowski, the only white member of Funkadelic during the group’s early years on Westbound Records.
This. Is. Magic.
UPDATE (02/23/09): Thanks to my reader papasean, who explains that this video clip is part of a recent CD release called “Toys,” featuring assorted Funkadelic rarities. Happy Monday Gras!
Here’s one from the “Mister T” cartoon series of the 1980s. The writing is horrible, the voice acting is subpar and the animation sucks. But hey... they’re in New Orleans for Mardi Gras!
So... I’m in New Orleans. Last weekend I saw my first Mardi Gras parade. Last night I saw my first nighttime parade. It was all cool. But I didn’t quite get the thrill of it. Particularly since I wasn’t buzzed, and I don’t have a kid.
Tonight, I was hanging with David Simon, and he explained that you have to get into the whole thing of catching beads and other “throws” which the float riders toss to the begging crowd.
Well, at the Krewe of Hermes parade a few hours ago, I caught my first set of beads on the fly. Yeah, it was fun. It didn’t unleash my inner child, but I kinda get it now.
The best part was hearing Simon tell tales of parades past. That cat knows how to Mardi Gras.
Precisely 10 years ago – on February 20, 1999 – Gene Siskel died at the age of 53. Here is some of Roger Ebert’s televised tribute to his departed friend:
Mr. Eaglin, a virtuoso guitarist, was known locally as “the human jukebox” for his massive personal repertoire of folk, jazz, blues and soul tunes (plus, I’m told, the complete works of Bad Company). The man could not be stumped when it came to requests.
Blind since infancy, Eaglin was billed as “Li’l Ray Charles” early in his career. He went on to record with giants of New Orleans music such as Dave Bartholomew, Professor Longhair and James Booker.
Click here to hear “Brown Skinned Woman,” an acoustic blues from 1961, on my Vox blog.
Best wishes on this day to one of America’s most prolific jazz artists, tenor saxophonist David Murray, who turns 54.
As a founding member of the World Saxophone Quartet, Mr. Murray has had hold of my ear for a good quarter-century. Under his own name, he has released 50 albums in the last 20 years.
I’m streaming on my Vox blog a track from Murray’s 1993 CD “Ballads for Bass Clarinet.” Click here to hear “Elegy for Fannie Lou” (composed by cultural activist Kunle Mwanga).
I do enjoy the sound of a bass clarinet, and this cut really picks up steam as it goes. Murray’s A-list sidemen for the session were John Hicks, Ray Drummond and Idris Muhammad.
To dig deeper into David Murray’s music, visit his MySpace page.
Jazzanova, a German “nu jazz” collective, decided to collaborate with some black American soul singers for the 2008 CD “Of All the Things.” Among those singers were Leon Ware, Paul Randolph and Dwele.
As I mentioned last week, New Orleans R&B singer and guitar virtuoso Snooks Eaglin has passed away. Today, Mr. Eaglin was honored with a procession through the streets of the city’s Warehouse/Arts District... in the manner of a traditional “jazz funeral.”
A brass band started at noon with “What a Friend We Have In Jesus,” played as a dirge.
Here’s a FREE MP3 with a Black History Month twist to it.
“Freedom Train” (MP3) 
Album available at iTunes Music Store
Good to see that Jody Watley is still doing her thing. The Aris Kokou mix of her latest single, “Candlelight,” is available as a FREE MP3.
Being a Mardi Gras virgin, I figured this was the day to attach myself to my boy David Simon and his wife, Laura Lippman.
We then walked to Claiborne Avenue, saw a few Mardi Gras Indians in all their finery. Made time for a couple of drinks at Kermit Ruffins’ bar.
This is, without a doubt, the hippest piece of film ever posted on YouTube!! Of course, as a P-Funk fanatic I might be biased.
So... I’m in New Orleans. Last weekend I saw my first Mardi Gras parade. Last night I saw my first nighttime parade. It was all cool. But I didn’t quite get the thrill of it. Particularly since I wasn’t buzzed, and I don’t have a kid.
I am late in noting the death last Saturday of an all-time great jazz drummer – Luigi Balassoni, or Louie Bellson.
New Orleans R&B legend Snooks Eaglin passed away yesterday. He had prostate cancer.
Best wishes on this day to one of America’s most prolific jazz artists, tenor saxophonist David Murray, who turns 54.
