marcello Posted December 25, 2006 Report Share Posted December 25, 2006 I'm going to get nailed here but, the popularity of the music og James Brown, given what it was, did as much to depreciate the young audience for jazz music, as did the british invasion. Maybe more so because that audience came from the African American community. You can actually make the case that the music that so many here love, Soul Jazz, saw a decline as the music of Pop Soul, rose. That was the beginging of the end of the neighborhood clubs. Ask Lonnie Smith. Ouside of James's estatic performances themselves, the music is almost Black Bubblegum, a little raw, but bubblegum all the same. It is what it is. Once, in '83, I was flying to Phoenix with a NYC rock musican from NYC. James and his road manager were waiting to the side to be the last on the plane and when we walked up he looked at my friend and kind of growled / smiled "Aggggghhhh....I know you! Yo're a friend of Pauls'!". He meant Paul Schaefer from the Letterman show where he just played. My friend said " Hi James! No, I don't know Paul, but I know Hiram ( Bullock )". James kept on with the same growl/smile " AAAAAgggggghhhh!!!, Paul! Yeah, I know you!! Hah! Aggghhhh....Mmmmm!". This went on for as few minutes, and then we boarded. We were all in coach, and James sat a few rows ahead of us, and the whole filght he would cath one of our eyes and go through whole "Aggghhh.. I know you/ You know Paul!!!" thing. When we all got off the plane the four of got our bags at the same time and he just kept it up;" Yeah!! Paul!!! Aghhh Agh!!! I know!!" until we all got our bags. I thought he was a nice guy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Soulstation1 Posted December 25, 2006 Report Share Posted December 25, 2006 James deserves more than a 1/2 minute / 1 minute spot on the news today RIP Soul Brother # 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paul secor Posted December 25, 2006 Report Share Posted December 25, 2006 Damn. I thought he'd live forever. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikeweil Posted December 25, 2006 Report Share Posted December 25, 2006 R.I.P., and thanks for the music. It was his music around 1970 that made me understand the African part in African-American music, and I will be eternally grateful for that. That groove was irresistible! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Soul Stream Posted December 25, 2006 Report Share Posted December 25, 2006 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PmbBMiwJMrc Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
felser Posted December 25, 2006 Report Share Posted December 25, 2006 I'm going to get nailed here but, the popularity of the music og James Brown, given what it was, did as much to depreciate the young audience for jazz music, as did the british invasion. I'll pound the first nail. Don't actually disagree with the statement, but that doesn't make his music any less important. Without JB and the British Invasion, Funk and Rock would never have become what they did in their golden eras, and we would be much the poorer for it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
felser Posted December 25, 2006 Report Share Posted December 25, 2006 (edited) JB is easily one of the top 5 black people of all time. I'm sorry he's gone, but not sure how hype like this helps the cause. Let us know which two of the following get removed from the list to make room for JB, who was by all accounts a groundbreaking musician but a real MF of a human being: - Frederick O. Douglass - Booker T. Washington - George Washington Carver - Jackie Robinson - Duke Ellington - Martin Luther King Edited December 25, 2006 by felser Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John L Posted December 25, 2006 Report Share Posted December 25, 2006 JB is easily one of the top 5 black people of all time. I'm sorry he's gone, but not sure how hype like this helps the cause. Let us know which two of the following get removed from the list to make room for JB, who was by all accounts a groundbreaking musician but a real MF of a human being: - Frederick O. Douglass - Booker T. Washington - George Washington Carver - Jackie Robinson - Duke Ellington - Martin Luther King What about Nelson Mandela? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BERIGAN Posted December 25, 2006 Report Share Posted December 25, 2006 JB is easily one of the top 5 black people of all time. I'm sorry he's gone, but not sure how hype like this helps the cause. Let us know which two of the following get removed from the list to make room for JB, who was by all accounts a groundbreaking musician but a real MF of a human being: - Frederick O. Douglass - Booker T. Washington - George Washington Carver - Jackie Robinson - Duke Ellington - Martin Luther King Don't forget Sidney Poitier... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quincy Posted December 25, 2006 Report Share Posted December 25, 2006 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brownie Posted December 25, 2006 Author Report Share Posted December 25, 2006 From the White House: President and Mrs. Bush Saddened by Death of James Brown Laura and I are saddened by the death of James Brown. For half a century, the innovative talent of the "Godfather of Soul" enriched our culture and influenced generations of musicians. An American original, his fans came from all walks of life and backgrounds. James Brown's family and friends are in our thoughts and prayers this Christmas. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chewy-chew-chew-bean-benitez Posted December 25, 2006 Report Share Posted December 25, 2006 you can definetly bump MLK for JB Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest youmustbe Posted December 25, 2006 Report Share Posted December 25, 2006 Tough to get to Top Five....I'll take Rosa Parks, Miles, Trane, Ray Charles, Leontyne Price, Marian Anderson, over JB, as well as MLK, Jackie Robinson, who I saw play, a/o, as well as those young kids who intergrated the school in Little Rock. Let's put JB in Top 10, or even 20. BTW Bobby McFerrin's father died recently. His father was first Black male to sing at Met Opera. He was good too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest youmustbe Posted December 25, 2006 Report Share Posted December 25, 2006 Oops! I forgot Bird! Shame on me! Yeah, tough to get even to 20...Time goes by, more people contribute. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J Larsen Posted December 25, 2006 Report Share Posted December 25, 2006 I fail to see how this is a useful or even interesting path for discussion. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cali Posted December 25, 2006 Report Share Posted December 25, 2006 I fail to see how this is a useful or even interesting path for discussion. Me either. I find the precept condescending and insulting. Maybe before making such an outrageous statement, one should learn more black history. Getting back to J.B., you can't fathom the groove he set unless you caught him at a hole-in-the-wall club on the "chitlin' circuit". I caught him in '65 in Augusta, Georgia. At the time I was in the army, stationed at Fort Gordon, Georgia and Maceo Parker was in the "band" company. When the James Brown Revue came to town we went as Maceo's guests. Got to see James work from about 10 feet away. Electrifying! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest youmustbe Posted December 26, 2006 Report Share Posted December 26, 2006 I was at Ft. Gordon in 65 too! Or am I being condescending to you? I remember Joe Tex at some place, because my bunkmate who was from right outside the post knew how to sneak out and back without getting caught. But, with all due respect, I think one could have caught JB at the Apollo in NY and still appreciate him as much you do/did. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chalupa Posted December 26, 2006 Report Share Posted December 26, 2006 Spotlight on James Brown, y'all. He's the king of them all, y'all. He's the king of them all, y'all. Oh yeah, oh yeah. Long Live The King! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
felser Posted December 26, 2006 Report Share Posted December 26, 2006 JB is easily one of the top 5 black people of all time. I'm sorry he's gone, but not sure how hype like this helps the cause. Let us know which two of the following get removed from the list to make room for JB, who was by all accounts a groundbreaking musician but a real MF of a human being: - Frederick O. Douglass - Booker T. Washington - George Washington Carver - Jackie Robinson - Duke Ellington - Martin Luther King What about Nelson Mandela? Don't forget Sidney Poitier... Two more good names that I don't at all disagree with, which just further make my point. Thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
felser Posted December 26, 2006 Report Share Posted December 26, 2006 I fail to see how this is a useful or even interesting path for discussion. You can decide if it's an interesting path for you or not. It's usefulness is this: There is a tendency on this board for unthoughtout (sic) hyperbolic statements, and I'm trying to encourage that some thought be put into opinions before they are posted, that they be based in reality not just thrown out there in the heat of the moment. I'm not trying to run a poll of the five greatest black people of all-time, I'm trying to discourage comments like James Brown has to be included among them. To that end, I had just come up with a few obvious names to make the point. Where James Brown's true place is in music history and black history is, I think, a very useful and rewarding discussion if done with due consideration and thought. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CJ Shearn Posted December 26, 2006 Report Share Posted December 26, 2006 I was shocked when I heard the news x-mas morning. JB put such a distinctive and lasting stamp on popular music, it's a shame most ppl my age don't know him outside the "Funky Drummer" sample, "Living in Americs" or "I Got You" (I Feel Good) and man, the JBs were such a hip horn section. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
danasgoodstuff Posted December 26, 2006 Report Share Posted December 26, 2006 (edited) To me, amature musician/historian/asshole, American musicians deal with rhythm in either a pre-JB kinda wasy or a post-JB kinda way. It's that simple, "Brand New Bag" actually was just that. Whether that makes him top 5 whatever depends on whether you think rhythm is more important than politics... In any case, a great loss. My personal story - I was in a hotel in Walla Walla WA in the spring of '66 while my dad was interveiwing for a job there and the one thing that sticks in my mind about that trip was seeing JB on TV. He did "Please Please Please" and "Night Train" and the whole capes thing and I was just fascinated (I was 11). Oh, and I fail to see how ragging on obvious hyperbole for being, well hyperbole, is interesting or useful... Edited December 26, 2006 by danasgoodstuff Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kari S Posted December 26, 2006 Report Share Posted December 26, 2006 To the guy who compared JB's music to "bubblegum" (?) or sth ... The influence of their rhythmic approach, the riffs etc. is way more than something that can be dismissed basically as 'useless'. Ok, James' tunes weren't always great "pop songs" per se, but that's hardly the point, where as the grooves they built are. Plus, he had a genuinely personal sound as a singer (or a "proto-rapper" whatever that is) too - and the dude could sing his ass of too ("This Is a Man's World"...). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
felser Posted December 26, 2006 Report Share Posted December 26, 2006 To me, amature musician/historian/asshole, American musicians deal with rhythm in either a pre-JB kinda wasy or a post-JB kinda way. It's that simple, "Brand New Bag" actually was just that. Whether that makes him top 5 whatever depends on whether you think rhythm is more important than politics... In any case, a great loss. My personal story - I was in a hotel in Walla Walla WA in the spring of '66 while my dad was interveiwing for a job there and the one thing that sticks in my mind about that trip was seeing JB on TV. He did "Please Please Please" and "Night Train" and the whole capes thing and I was just fascinated (I was 11). Oh, and I fail to see how ragging on obvious hyperbole for being, well hyperbole, is interesting or useful... Right, by all means, let's not encourage people to think before they talk, or seek any proper perspective, let's just escalate name calling. After all, we got da rhythm (pre and post JB). What else could possibly matter? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J Larsen Posted December 26, 2006 Report Share Posted December 26, 2006 I'm not trying to run a poll of the five greatest black people of all-time... Glad to hear it, but that is exactly what this thread was becoming. There is a tendency on this board for unthoughtout (sic) hyperbolic statements, and I'm trying to encourage that some thought be put into opinions before they are posted, that they be based in reality not just thrown out there in the heat of the moment. You are aware that we're talking about Chewy here, aren't you? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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