music

Xmas Vinyl Part 2: R&B – JB, SAR Compilation, Eddie and Ernie

Joel E. Turner , ,

You gotta start with James Brown:

A Soulful Christmas was released in 1968 which was a key transition time for JB as his work took on more of a political punch and his sound moved to the stripped-down vamps that would result in hits like Mother Popcorn and Funky Drummer (just to mention a few) in the years to come. After the death of Martin Luther King Jr. in April 1968, Brown performed shows in Boston and Washington DC that were heralded for calming racial tensions and encouraging black pride within a non-violent context. Brown then recorded “Say it Loud – I’m Black and I’m Proud”, a civil rights anthem that saw its first release on this album. The other stand-out track is “Santa Claus Go Straight to the Ghetto”, which includes a shout out to Hank Ballard (“The Twist”, “Finger-Popping Time”, etc.) who was an early influence on Brown’s raucous sound and co-authored the song.

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Xmas Vinyl Part 1: Philly Sounds (featuring Bowie cover bands, Ben Vaughn, Palymyra Delran, Mick Cancer and Nazz)

Joel E. Turner , , , , ,

The vinyl resurgence may be cresting, at least as evidenced by what was under my tree this year. Or maybe no one can figure out what else to get me.

I believe some people like buying vinyl records but don’t have a record player, so they target those who do. Another factor in my case is that an outstanding local second-hand record store that’s been around for over forty years, Gold Million Records, is closing, and has been having a sort of never-ending sale. (Buyers alert: their entire collection is up on Ebay if you have a spare $25K.)

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A Good Day for Pat Martino Records (by any other name)

Joel E. Turner , ,

Last week, I was in Washington DC and visited a few record shops. I am a big fan of jazz guitarist Pat Martino and my usual search process involves looking not just for his records, but also those of other great players that he worked with as a sideman early in his career.

It was a very good day on the latter count, as I found three records, all by different lead artists and all on Prestige, featuring Pat.

The earliest recording was made in 1964, Live! Action, by Willis “Gator Tail” Jackson.

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Pat was 19 when this session was recorded at The Allegro club in New York. The session was a productive one, yielding three additional albums, also released on Prestige. Continue reading →

Ornamented Frames: Cal Schenkel and Horace Pippin

Joel E. Turner , ,

Five years ago I was in my local vintage vinyl and music memorabilia store, Gold Million in Bryn Mawr (PA) (http://goldmillionrecords.com), which was hosting an exhibit of work by Cal Schenkel (http://www.ralf.com).

Frank Zappa fans will know Cal as the artist responsible for many Zappa/Mothers album covers, including Cruising with Reuben and the Jets:

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Long and Winding Road: Music Royalties – Ober|Kaler

Joel E. Turner ,

 

While writing my recent novel, What is the Chance?, I needed to understand how music publishing worked in the 1960’s, both in the US and the UK. Everyone has heard stories of unscrupulous producers/agents/publishers/moguls ripping off unsuspecting artists. After digging into the details, I can easily see how that happened.

Here’s a piece that gives a good view of the process – from a lawyer with a bit of wit.

Source: Long and Winding Road: Music Royalties – Ober|Kaler