Saturday Matinee – Postmodern Jukebox with Morgan James, Herbie Hancock with Miles Davis, & Frank Zappa

Postmodern Jukebox (featuring the amazing vocals of Morgan James) always gets my attention. Nice ’60s kinda sound happens here.

Watermelon Man.” Herbie Hancock teams up with Bill Evans, Al Foster and Miles Davis on his 1962 soul/jazz/funk classic.

One of my favorite Zappa songs, “Black Napkins,” performed on the Mike Douglas Show in 1976. Kinda reflects my mood these days, but I’ll snap out of it. Meanwhile, have a great weekend, and for those of you in the midwest, have fun with the cicadas.

Saturday Matinee – The Cabin Kids, Too Many ZooZ & Lucky Chops

The Cabin Kids from “Teacher’s Beau” in 1935. [via].

Too Many Zooz crank it.

Trumpet player Matt Doe, baritone saxophonist Leo P. and drummer David “King of Sludge” Parks have been rocking the [NYC] subways since August [2013]. Doe, 21, and Leo P., 22, first became friends while attending the Manhattan School of Music, while Leo P. and Parks played together in another busking band, the Drumadics. They all came together with a simple goal: to make some extra cash [via].

[h/t Bunkessa]

Lucky Chops is/are a bit more elaborate and include some cool moves (the trombone player even does the Mashed Potato).

Not bad for buskers. Have a great weekend, and we’ll see you shortly.

 

Saturday Matinee – Louis in the Studio, Kid Ory & Trombone Shorty

This exclusive video depicts Armstrong and his All Stars recording the master take of “I Ain’t Got Nobody,” as well as silent footage of them listening to the playback. Also featured in the clip are Trummy Young, trombone, Peanuts Hucko, clarinet, Billy Kyle, piano, Mort Herbert, bass and Danny Barcelona, drums.

I always thought Kid Ory came out of King Oliver’s Creole Jazz Band (along with Johnny Dodds, Baby Dodds and Louis Armstrong) but according to Wiki:

Ory had one of the best-known bands in New Orleans in the 1910s, hiring many of the great jazz musicians of the city, including cornetists Joe “King” Oliver, Mutt Carey, and Louis Armstrong, who joined the band in 1919; and clarinetists Johnny Dodds and Jimmie Noone.

So how ’bout some more in the same vein? Trombone Shorty’s tribute to Louis Armstrong ain’t bad, and he’s got one hell of a breathing trick.

[Confidential to Calo – That one’s for you. Condolences.]

Have a great weekend, folks, and be back here tomorrow for more, you know, stuff.

 

Saturday Matinee – The National Blues Museum, Andy Williams & The Temptations, The Continentals & The Trashmen

The National Blues Museum just opened in St. Louis, Missouri. [via]

In December 1969, Andy Williams (aka Mr. Moon River) got down and funky with The Temptations. He looked mad, dammit. [via]

The Continentals (Richard Frank, Lead Guitar; Robert Sarlo, Rhythm Guitar; Ricky Mangone, Rhythm Guitar; Joseph Messina, Drums and Ralph DiForio, Vocals and Bass Guitar) recorded July 9, 1961 on Ted Mack’s Original Amateur Hour.

I dare you to Lip sync Surfin’ Bird. Now sing it without a backup band. Have a great weekend, folks, and we’ll be back tomorrow with more inanity than you can stand.

Saturday Matinee – Tom Waits, Howlin’ Wolf & Ron Holloway

16 Shells From A Thirty Ought Six” is one of my Tom Waits favorites. Pure industrial grade Howlin’ Wolf. This clip was from his 1988 film dérangeant Big Time.

Howlin’ Wolf and other classic bluesmen were promoted by The Rolling Stones.

Great live version of “Jimi Thing” by The Dave Matthews Band in 2011. Jump to 07:00 for some awesome funk sax by Ron Holloway.

Saturday Matinee – USS Hartford Breaks The Ice, Remi Gaillard & Ray Charles

ARCTIC CIRCLE (March 10, 2016)
USS Hartford (SSN 768) surfaces in the Arctic Circle near Ice Camp Sargo during Ice Exercise (ICEX) 2016. Servicemembers and civilians assigned to Arctic Submarine Lab clear ice from the hatches to allow for surface access. ICEX is a five-week exercise designed to research, test, and evaluate operational capabilities in the region [via].

Remi Gaillard’s Blind Man [via].

Ray Charles was the best. Have a great weekend, folks. We’ll be back here tomorrow, rain or shine.

Saturday Matinee – The South Memphis String Band, Bascom Lamar Lundsford & The Allman Bros. Band

The South Memphis String Band is a bit traditional and a bit unorthodox in their approach to country bluegrass and blues. Here’s their version of “Jesse James.”

“Jesse James” was first recorded by Bascom Lamar Lundsford in 1924. He played and promoted traditional Appalachian folk music and styles from the previous century.

The Allman Brothers‘ version of “One Way Out,” recorded live on 2 November 1972 in Hempstead, New York:

“Ain’t but one way out baby,
Lord I just can’t go out the door;
Ain’t but one way out baby, and
Lord I just can’t go out the door;
‘Cause there’s a man down there,
might be your man I don’t know.”

Here’s a brief history of the song with links to earlier recordings.

Have a great weekend, folks. More fun is on the way.

Saturday Matinee – Dog Looks, Skatalites, and others

YES. Dogs do this, especially with a nice soundtrack [via].

Dedicated to all the Social Justice Warriors out there.

Have a great weekend, folks. See you back here tomorrow for more inanity.

Saturday Matinee – Gene Pitney, The Reflections & Aretha Franklin

The Man Who Shot Liberty Valence. Great song and great movie.

That’s how teenagers danced to The Reflections in 1964. Meanwhile Aretha Franklin was crankin’ out this:

Have a great weekend, folks, and if you have a minute, tweet #FreeStacy. He’s a good guy who’s done nothing wrong.

 

Saturday Matinee – Ice Stacking, Room Full Of Blues, Magic Slim & Buddy Guy

Lake Superior pwns the ice [via].

13 February 2016
“Lake Superior put on a dramatic show with her recent ice in Duluth, Minnesota.
[…]
The seemingly endless ice sheets broke into large plates and stacked on shore, sounding much like breaking glass. The ice thickness ranged from about 1/4″ to about 3″ thick.”

Room Full Of Blues (AKA The Institute of Awesome). They’ve been around for decades and don’t get half the respect they deserve. I heard them live in the ’80s and my ears are still ringing.

How ’bout some Magic Slim? Nice bad boy groove, that.

Buddy Guy coached a young prodigy on stage, and displayed no condescension whatsoever. What a class act.

Have a great weekend, folks. Be back here to tomorrow, because I said so.