Christmas Ball Blues, Leon Redbone (1988) From his album Christmas Island, the song is a cover of Bessie Smith‘s At The Christmas Ball 1925..
Tag: Leon Redbone
Saturday Matinee – Pathé Luxury, Leon Redbone, Tuba Skinny, Kelly Finnigan & The Atonements
From Wiki:
The Pathé Brothers of France went into the photographic business in 1896. In the early 1900s, Pathé became the world’s largest film equipment and production company, as well as a major producer of phonograph records. In 1908, Pathé invented the newsreel that was shown in cinemas before a feature film.
[The future of the past found here.]
Leon Redbone could scat-sing better than almost anyone, and there’s proof with his cover of Tommy McClennan’s Bottle Up And Go (aka Step It Up And Go recorded by Blind Boy Fuller and many others). If someone in the audience pulled out a camera to take his photo, when the flash went off, he’d stop the song, jump for his camera and take a shot of them. He’d wait as the Polaroid image developed, (“Hmmm. Not a bad likeness”) and pick up the song right where he left it. He kept those photos, too.
Tuba Skinny plays Blind Boy Fuller‘s Untrue Blues.
Kelly Finnigan & The Atonements resurrect the ghost of Otis Redding. Great soul R&B.
Tomorrow is only two days from yesterday, so we’ll see you back here then. Have a great weekend and stuff.
Fimicolous Hot Links
“Haunted House“, Leon Redbone (1975) Album: On The Track.That’s a cover of Lonnie Johnson‘s “Blue Ghost Blues” (1927). When Redbone passed on, his website announced:
“It is with heavy hearts we announce that early this morning, May 30th, 2019, Leon Redbone crossed the delta for that beautiful shore at the age of 127.”
Throwing cats in zero G [h/t lobo91].
Fun Facts To Know And Tell: The Japanese once disparaged Europeans as bata-kusai, or “butter stinkers.” [Source via here.]
[Top image found here.]
From the Archives: 1 year ago. 5 years ago. 10 years ago.
Saturday Matinee – Leon Redbone (1892-2019)
“Why don’t they play pretty music any more?”
Leon Redbone was an iconic performer who reinvigorated the music of the late 19th to early 20th century, including blues, ragtime, dixieland jazz and country. That he pulled it off in the mid 1970s is an interesting commentary of the state of music of the time (mainstream rock was sucking donkeys). You couldn’t get more retro than Leon Redbone at that time, and he stepped right into the mix.
Rolling Stone described his repertoire as “so authentic you can hear the surface noise of an old 78 rpm.” During a 1974 interview (prior to release of any album) they asked where he first played in public. Redbone responded, “In a pool hall, but I wasn’t playing guitar, you see. I was playing pool.” Apparently he was pretty good at it.
I learned of the song “Ain’t Misbehavin‘” via some sheet music my late grampa had, and I liked the tune. I’d never heard of Fats Waller before I heard Leon Redbone’s version.
Then I heard Redbone’s over-the-top absurd version of The Sheik of Araby, a cover of this (1937) which was a cover of this (1922). I became a fan.
In the early ’80s I saw Mr. Redbone perform at The Golden Bear (a small but famous venue with no bad seats). His props were a rattan chair, a side table with a lamp, and his guitar. He was in the middle of a song when he saw the flash of a Kodak Instamatic camera. With lightning speed, he stopped, grabbed a Polaroid Swinger and took a photo of the photographer, then sat quietly humming until the image appeared. He held it up to view.
“Ahhh. Not a bad likeness.”
Then he resumed the song exactly where he left off.
I wasn’t aware of this until today, but there is a documentary on Leon Redbone. Here’s the trailer:
“He was always mysterious, he was always coming and going. It was almost like he was there one second and he’d be gone the next… and you never knew where he’d gone or why or how he’d even left, but suddenly he wasn’t there anymore.” – Jane Harbury, Publicist.
Here’s a link to the full documentary if you’re interested. It’s only 16 minutes, but it’s worth it.
Leon Redbone, you were a breath of fresh air into the stagnant late 70s music scene. May You Rest In Peace.
[Related posts here.]
Saturday Matinee – Aluminum & Mercury Amalgamation, Capybara Soul & Leon Redbone
Okay. I’m impressed. The timelapse is killer.
Eddie Murphy‘s James Brown‘s Capybara Hot Tub is awesome [via].
Everybody needs some Leon once in a while, so there you go.
Have a great holiday weekend, folks, see y’all back here tomorrow.
Saturday Matinee – Allotria Jazz Band, Fats Waller, Leon Redbone & Captain Beefheart
Die Allotria Jazzband ist eine Combo, die 1969 in München gegründet wurde und dem traditionellen Jazz verpflichtet ist. [Allotria translates to Monkey Business.] “Wolverine Blues” was written and recorded by Jelly Roll Morton in 1923.
Two decades later, Fats Waller was playing the same style.
Nice lip-sync of a pretty song. According to the UToobage:
“Myra Johnson voiced-over the girl “vocalist” sitting on the piano, who, according to trumpeter Eddie Henderson, is his mother.”
In 1975, over five decades later, Leon Redbone recorded his own version (and this isn’t it. Click the link). Mr. Redbone’s music is meant for eggs and coffee and a side of toast.
That’s a version of Blind Blake‘s recording from 1929.
Captain Beefheart recorded an entirely different song called “Diddy Wah Diddy” that was later covered by The Fabulous Thunderbirds.
Whoa. I just found out that “Diddy Wah Diddy” was written by Willie Dixon and Bo Diddley, and was recorded in 1956.
Now it all makes sense.
Have a great weekend folks and be back here tomorrow for more diddy wah diddy.
It’s Beginning To Look A Lot Like Hot Links
NOEL is LEON spelled backwards, so here is Mr. Redbone (with Dr. John) from the album “Christmas Island.”
Nice list of Christmas Carols organized by language.
Here’s a great title from 1553: “Un Flambeau, Jeannette, Isabelle” (“Bring a Torch, Jennette, Isabelle.”) Basically, two girls are directed to create a fire hazard in a stable, someone bangs on the door to deliver cakes, but there’s a sleeping newborn so everyone better shut up.
The medieval Christmas carol, “Entre le bœuf et l’âne gris” (“Between the Ox and the Grey Ass”) as performed on 10 Theramins.
Q: What’s the oldest Christmas carol?
A: I dunno, but here’s a start.
Every Christmas Tree needs a Jingle Pug.
(That one’s for you Ms. Oops.)
The missus showed me a coupon that included a turkey stuffing recipe using White Castle Sliders yesterday. Wow.
Every rock band has a Christmas song, including The Ramones.
Los Angeles Ex-Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, aka Tony Villar, grunts “Jingle Bells” [via The John and Ken Show AM640KFI].
Pah-Rumpa-Pum-Pum indeed. This is the best version ever.
Ever hear anyone say, “Now, bring us some figgy pudding?” Neither have I, but if someone does, this is what you gotta do.
Saturday Matinee – Tuba Skinny with Erika Lewis, Leon Redbone, Brent Johnson & The Call Up
Tuba Skinny on a hot, steamy New Orleans day, playing James Scott’s “Climax Rag” from 1914. Pay attention to the girl on cornet – she knows exactly how to do it right – and before you assume that the girl on bass drum is only there for eye candy, check this out:
That’s Erika Lewis & Tuba Skinny performing at The Louisiana Busker Fest in Abita Springs 21 April 2013. BTW, the band is from Tasmania. Now, how ’bout some Leon?
Leon Redbone made his debut in 1976 with his album “On The Tracks.” Here he is on SNL, and here’s Mr. Redbone’s home page.
Mike Imbasciani with Brent Johnson & the Call Up doing a heavy swamp rock take of Chick Willis‘ “Stoop Down Baby.”
There are enough links up there to keep you out of trouble for a few hours. Have a great weekend folks, see you back here tomorrow for more fun stuff.
[Update: Tuba Skinny is from Louisiana. Thanks to Lulu for the correction.]
Saturday Matinee – Pete Candoli & Red Nichols & Al Hirt; Scott Biram, B.B. Chung King and Leon Redbone
Red Nichols, Pete Candoli & Al Hirt playing “Hot Lips.”
If that video wasn’t so entirely bitchin’ we’d never have posted it – Every decent link on the U-Toobage we found had “embedding disabled.” Some anusbrain copyright jerks don’t understand the concept of free advertisement. Let’s move on.
Scott Biram is a one-man ass-kickin’ rock machine.
“Mumbo Jumbo” by B.B. Chung King & The Screaming Buddaheads 2007. The Tail Gators did a song by the same name in 1988.
Here’s some fun etymology: In Japanese American slang, a “Buddahead” used to mean a Japanese American from Hawaii (h/t Osprey 1) and “Mumbo Jumbo” (Mandingo, West African in origin) was a bugbear who appeared at night to resolve marital disputes. Mumbo Jumbo was not nice. He’d beat the crap out of wives who disobeyed their husbands.
Let’s lighten it up a bit. Here’s Leon Redbone, one of the few folks I can think of (besides you, of course) who is welcome at my doorstep any time.
That’s it for this episode of The Saturday Matinee. Have a great weekend and be back tomorrow for more nonsensical oddities.
Saturday Matinee – Froggy Chillin’, Leon Redbone, Lonnie Johnson, Bob Brozman, Bonnie Raitt & Roy Rogers
Froggy be chillin’.
“I’m just an entertainer, and I use music as a medium for entertaining. But I’m not really an entertainer either, because to be an entertainer it implies you have a great desire to want to entertain.”
Leon Redbone
Leon Redbone‘s take on Lonnie Johnson’s “Mr. Jelly Roll Baker” in 2009. (BTW, “jelly roll” was slang for something other than a pastry.)
On growing up in New Orleans Parish: “There was music all around us, and in my family you’d better play something, even if you just banged on a tin can.”
Lonnie Johnson
Lonnie Johnson created the single-note guitar solo in the 1920s, and decades passed before the guitar was regarded as more than a background rhythm instrument. I don’t know who’s on drums or piano, but that’s Willie Dixon on bass, and the vid is likely from the mid to late 1960s.
My first impression of “ethnomusicologist” Bob Brozman was that he’s a pretentious jerk. On the other hand, he’s crammed some great country/Delta blues licks into his American Steel.
Let’s wrap this baboso up with two of the greatest modern day slide guitar players, on stage together in Austin: Bonnie Raitt & Roy Rogers jamming “Gnawin’ On It.”
So gnaw on that, folks, and have a great weekend.
Tacky Raccoons 