Category: Music

Saturday Matinee – UFO Intro, Cab Calloway with Al Morgan, & Mitch Woods with Pinetop Perkins

UFO was a 1970 British sci-fi TV series with the premise that the earth is invaded by aliens in the distant future: 1980.

From the 1933 W.C. Fields film International House, Cab Calloway‘s “Reefer Man” is some hot jumpin’ jazz featuring Al Morgan slappin’ bass.

“Mitch Woods‘ Boogie Woogie Blowout” at Yoshi’s, Oakland, CA. Nov 19, 2009. Pinetop Perkins (1913-2011) is featured. Jump to 01:30 for the music. Mr. Perkins (96 years old at the time of this recording) wanders on stage to kick ass just past 03:00. [h/t trebob]

“Too hot to handle and too cold to hold” is a recurring theme of The Saturday Matinee. Have a great weekend, folks.

Funky Monkey Babys

Funky Monkey

Album cover from Japan titled “Funky Monkey Babys Last Best.” I’ll leave it up to you to find them on the Utoobage. [h/t Thomas de Bohun]

Saturday Matinee – Zappa & Zappa & Tesh, The Sensational Alex Harvey Band, Sonny Boy Williamson & Co.

Ahmet & Dweezil Zappa with John Tesh and a lady in a box on Conan O’Brien‘s show. [Found here].

The Sensational Alex Harvey Band circa 1973. The SAHB was popular in the UK, but didn’t catch on in the US (with the exception of the Cleveland Ohio region).

On 4 February 1982, a day short of his 47th birthday, Harvey suffered a massive heart attack while waiting to take a ferry from Zeebrugge, Belgium back to England after performing a Belgian gig with his new band, the Electric Cowboys. He suffered a second fatal attack in an ambulance on the way to hospital [Wiki].

Getting Out Of Town – Awesome lineup from 1963:
Sonny Boy Williamson Vocal, Harmonica
Sunnyland Slim: Piano
Hubert Sumlin: Guitar
Willie Dixon: Bass
Clifton James: Drums

That should do it for today’s edition of The Saturday Matinee. Have a great weekend, folks.

It’s Official. Rock and Roll Is Dead.

The End Of Rock

Shabütie, now known as Coheed and Cambria, has had some success for reasons unknown to me. I’ve been out of the loop. [Found here.]

Tony Clifton: The Man. The Legend.

Tony Clifton Las Vegas

One thing is for sure. Tony Clifton is larger than life, and his imposing image on the Las Vegas Strip deserves to be spilled into the right hand margin. If you don’t like him, you can leave this blog right now. He’s that big.

The late Andy Kaufman knew Tony Clifton personally. For those who only remember Kaufman as Latka Gravas from the TV series “Taxi,” you’re missing out, as Kaufman was an awesome, if eccentric, comedian. Prior to his stints on SNL, Kaufman was a stand up comic whose specialty was long set ups that often had no punch line, yet occasionally provided a responsive audience transportation to a local venue for milk and cookies. He was also a talented impersonator.

Kaufman impersonated Elvis, Tito Puente and Jerry Lawler, but his epitome [embodiment, exemplification, quintessence, essence, perfect example, exemplar, representative, type, typification, personification, incarnation, archetype, model, prototype, pattern, ultimate, last word; see also model] was Tony Clifton, and it was spot on.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8zpNIomYAkE
I’ve never seen a better impersonation of Tony Clifton, the greatest lounge singer/entertainer/comedian ever. Go figure.

Saturday Matinee – George Jones, Caravan Palace & Acoustic Alchemy

R.I.P. “The Possum” George Jones (1931-2013).

Caravan Palace “Rock It For Me” [h/t to Bunkarina].

Acoustic Alchemy, led by Greg Carmichael and Miles Gilderdale on guitars, Fred White/keyboard, Greg Grainger/drums and Gary Grainger/bass, Kuumbwa Jazz Center in Santa Cruz, CA.

Looks like that’ll do for this edition of The Saturday Matinee. Have a great weekend.

Saturday Matinee – Boston Brass, Jazz In My Pants, Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver, Jools Holland & Dragstrip Riot

After the atrocities in Boston this week, I was undecided on whether or not to post a eulogy for the dead, a lament for the maimed, or a patriotic kick ’em right in the nuts fight song. I figure the best move is to post videos of what radical islamic supremists hate the most: music, dancing and people having fun.

The Boston Brass. “Blues For Ben” has a funk tuba crank.

Jazz In My Pants -A fun interpretation of  “St. James Infirmary Blues.”

Doyle Lawson/mandolin, Jason Barie/fiddle, Jessie Baker/banjo, Corey Hensley/bass, Mike Rogers/guitar, Josh Swift/dobro, and Carl White/drums at Bluegrass Underground, Cumberland Caverns, Tennessee on July 22, 2011.

Jools Holland & His R&B Orchestra in 2010.

Dragstrip Riot 1958 shows the true evil decadence of the Western world with hot rods, hot chicks, & rock and roll.

That should keep you happy until the next edition of The Saturday Matinee. Have a great weekend folks, and pray for the people of Boston.

Saturday Matinee – Jonathan Winters, Manu Chao, Gnarlemagne & Billy Cobham/George Duke Band

Jonathan Winters (1925-2013) was the most talented improvisational comedian ever. R.I.P.

Manu Chao, Live Baionarena – Dia Luna Dia Pena. Chao’s got an interesting background that explains a lot of  his leftist politics.

Gnarlemagne‘s “Funky New Orleans” is some fun nasty ska.

“The Red Baron” by The Billy Cobham – George Duke Band, live at Montreax Switzerland in 1976. Very cool funk groove, featuring George Duke, John Scofield, Alphonso Johnson and Billy Cobham.

That’ll do for another edition of The Saturday Matinee. Have a great weekend folks.

Saturday Matinee – Fresh Guacamole, Freshlyground, Leon Russell & Friends

[h/t Bunkarina for finding this.]

“Pot Belly,” recorded in 2007 by South African band Freshlyground. Nice song with a cool video [via].

Here’s Freshlyground live with “Fire Is Low” from 2011.

Leon Russell celebrated his 71st birthday 2 April. From the 1971 Concert for Bangladesh, here’s  his take on the Stones‘ “Jumpin’ Jack Flash” and The Coasters‘ “Young Blood.”

The event was the first-ever benefit concert of such a magnitude and featured a supergroup of performers that included George Harrison, Ringo Starr, Bob Dylan, Eric Clapton, Billy Preston, Leon Russell, the band Badfinger,  Ravi Shankar and Ali Akbar Khan [Wiki].

With that, we’re out of here. Have a great weekend folks.

Saturday Matinee – Dehydrated Peeps, Monochrome Dance, Musical Genius / Sex Symbol Earl Okin & Johnny Burnette


Just add water.

Both vids above h/t Aussie Phil

Earl Okin is almost as seductive as Leon Redbone (sorry, Earl).

Nice vid compilation of Johnny Burnette‘s version of Tiny Bradshaw‘s classic “Train Kept A Rollin'” previously featured here.

Have a great weekend folks. Whether you’re religious or not, never forget the meaning of Easter.