Soul Stream

chuck, do you think Yoshi's is deliberately not hiring or putting black artists on it's anniv. cd? is this a conspiracy?

To be honest about it, the Joey Defrancesco cuts are with George Coleman and I would say that it could go under either artists name as it's definately a equal partnership. Joey's the Concord artist, hence the name, ect. But saying no black artists are represented is kind of white-washing it (pun intended) considering George Coleman is blowing the hell out of the saxophone on it. Maybe they can get Najee now.

Yes, Texas is full of lame white people playing black music! What a drag! (But I keep forgetting nobody cares about that! -_- )

Clem, Jimmie is one of the deepest musical cats you will ever meet. His approach to music and aesthetic/style is the level of musical genius. To be around him, watch the way he thinks about music is pretty amazing. Can't say enough great things about Jimmie...he's single-handedly changed a lot of the musical landscape in these parts. And this is beyond any T-birds, solo career, SRV connection, guitar-queer stuff. If you think of Jimmy only as a trad journeyman, I've got to look at all your other Austin-based musical opinions through another filter. Doug Sahm would be the first to tell you all this. And Jimmie would be the first to tell you about the genius of Doug as well.

Sorry Clem...I'm not sure I agree with much of this...especially the Roky bit which I consider an overrated has-been (sorry) whom I lumpy in with Daniel Johnston on the "these guys are geniuses 'cause they have mental problems" Texas music sidenotes: SRV = real, tho' i'm not a fan Double Trouble = lame white boy blues & funk Jimme Vaughan = good player, NOT a songwriter Jon Dee Graham = NOT a songwriter, who cares Gurf Morlix = HACK, not a songwriter Alejandro Escovedo = absurdly overpraised songwriter Mike Buck = underrated drummer Doug Sahm = Doug Sahm!!! (motherfucker) Roky = Monk (almost) Austin singer-songers from Abra Moore to Fracasso to Malford to Robsison = suck suck suck suck suck suck Lucinda = real BTW if anyone's close to Monk in this town...it's Jimmie Vaughan.

Well screw them. For real. But to keep it real, you gotta say screw them if they say they like it too. Yes, I take everything with a grain of salt. Good and bad. Nobody's perspective has served me as well as my own over the years. Also, maybe it's a southern thing. But there's a long history of white guys playing black music. From Bob Wills To the Vaughan Brothers. That stuff is happening every day down here. It's part of the landscape. There is a history there and that history is still being written.

You've just made my point Jim. Not to lump you in with everyone else, but it's that idea that if you're black you and can blues and if you're white you can't. If you had said "old black guy" who came from that era I might agree with you. My problem is take a 20 year old black kid and a 20 year old white kid, both from the suburbs, and with equal right to 'play the blues' and you'll get two different responses from most people as far as who's is authentic. If you're saying neither kid has the right to play the blues, I might agree. Although I do think it's a language that's handed down and it speaks to fundamental human emotions. Someone should play the blues imho. And there ain't gonna be old blacks guys around much longer with real roots to do it. Hearing Chet Baker play some blues works for me. Warne as you mentioned. All these guys are playing THEIR truth. I'm playing my truth as I was raised in my musical community. A community that had a heavy dose of black and white together. The question is...are you playing your TRUTH? I know yes, 100% for me. That may be jive to someone just walking in and seeing me play. Those are the folks I'm talking about. People who are judge and jury to MY truth and aren't buying it. That's a hurtful trip.

Yeah....without a guitar player, you really get to hear everything Jimmy's doing. And he's doing A LOT!

Wow....NYC...them's some spoiled jazz audiences! I'd kill to see a couple sets of Lonnie on a tuesday night.

Jim, I think you're getting into the "is jazz relevant today" thing more than "Hey, that white dude sucks" thing I'm thinking of. Maybe my point wasn't made really. And let's not confine it to jazz, blues, r&b, rap, soul, funk...you get the idea. What people consider as black music. Let's face it...music ain't "we are the world" these days. Lots of stuff trying to say it is...but it ain't...not in the world I live in. Charley Pride got served his share of shit for playing white music too. M&M is the exception to the rule. Stan Getz may be too. Fact is sometimes you're a white man in a black man's world, or a black man in a white man's world (musically and then some I guess). Jim playing Dallas I KNOW has felt all this shit and then a ton more.

I think part of the problem now is that we have a pretty poorly educated audience on our hands as far as the knowledge of the music (any kind of music) and it's roots. The amount of people in a typical audience of mine that I could sit down and easily talk about the music of Bobby Bland or Bobby Hutcherson would probably amount to next to none. That's what I think I'm missing more than ever these days. Common knowledge you share with an audience.

It's amazing that someone who could write so many incredible songs early on...basically shoot blanks the rest of his life.

I can't think of anything more stupid than that, but thankfully, neither can I think of a single instance of someone expressing this sentiment to me over the last several years. Strange that you are hearing this on a regular enough basis that it strikes you as a trend - especially among younger people. Joe, it's funny in that maybe since I live in a town known for it's Country & Western and it's a stark contrast to me in this way. I don't know how many locals and out of towners who come through and are blown away (rightfully) by some of the western swing and traditional C&W acts and musicians here in town (All white of course). Yet these same people just can't be impressed by white musicians of equal ability that play blues, R&B or jazz in this town. But if some of these same people go to an east side and see a half drunk do the same thing, they really get excited by it, exclaiming how great it all is. Just an observation I've had. There's a blues label in town that caters to Japan and Europe, that for years will only use white musicians as a backup band... for their abilites in the studio. But the leaders on the front cover have to be black. That label owner has told me he'd like to do records on others here in town but can't sell them to his market with white people on the cover. I did a record with him and none of the white musicians involved were allowed to be pictured on the insert of the CD. I didn't care, just a fact of life. But it does go on.

Thanks Dan. I really meant to frame this discussion in a more general way. I personally haven't felt a huge backlash, although I do pick up on it for sure and it seems like you're always going to battle it in one way or another. Especially with music critics. It was brought to my mind more from talking with people at clubs, reading things, ect about other bands or musicians. The way folks talk. The way the thinking is going. It's this swell of sentiment that I've been picking up on in the last few years.... I'm even guilty of it myself to some degree. I mean I HAVE seen a lot of lame ass blues/jazz/funk/ect white boy bands (and an equal amount of black ones too)

I just put on a small audio interview clip with John on the MySpace site. Some interesting thoughts from the man himself...

Thanks for the input Lon. I also wanted to say that as a musician, I've never felt more accepted and appreciated than in front of all black audiences. It only seems to be the white audience that makes you jump through hoops (if they even give you the chance at all).

For someone like myself who's only played 'black' music their whole career. The older I get, the more I realize a white guy playing black music is just not going to get over to some (maybe a majority) of people. You're just not seen as being authentic these days unless the music you're playing is race-appropriate. It's not 'real' enough. I'm sure there has always been a lot of this. But in the last 5 years, I think it's really gotten worse with the 25 and under crowd. I've heard/read these terms so much over the years that it's getting a bit old... lame white boy blues band lame white boy funk band lame white boy R&B band lame white boy jazz band I say this knowing there are just as many lame ass black bands in the same catagories. However, I see white audiences giving those guys a pass many times, because they percieve them as 'authentic.' I'm sure there a lots of folks here on the board who might secretly, or not so secretly hold the same views. So let's be honest among us...who here is a "if it's not black, it's whack" kind of music fan.

Glad to get you on Accent on the Blues. THAT is a killer...sit back and let that one sink in for a loooong time. That's a session that, to my ears, just never gets old. Also you mention Minor Move...do you mean Minor Swing on the DIW label? What's the other Patton session you're missing? Minor Swing on DIW (not the Tina Brooks recording, my mistake). I don't have Memphis to New York Spirit. Check the MySpace site again. I just put up a new songclip...Dragonslayer from Memphis To New York Spirit. I think after listening to it you'll have to have MTNYS... MTNYS on ebay

Glad to get you on Accent on the Blues. THAT is a killer...sit back and let that one sink in for a loooong time. That's a session that, to my ears, just never gets old. Also you mention Minor Move...do you mean Minor Swing on the DIW label? What's the other Patton session you're missing?

Now we're talking...that's a GREAT album that we/nobody talks about enough. (Not to mention one of Blue Note's greatest-funkiest album covers)

Which brings us all back to this... Freddie Roach Quartet Kahlil Rahman (vib) Freddie Roach (org) Eddie Wright (g) Clarence Johnston (d) Rudy Van Gelder Studio, Englewood Cliffs, NJ, September 16, 1965 tk.4 Bread And Butter Blue Note rejected 1647 tk.5 Hi Heel Sneakers - 1648 tk.6 Avatar Blues - tk.10 Spring Is Here - tk.14 St. Thomas - 1649 tk.18 King Of The Road Where in the heck is Kevin B. when you need a direct line to Michael Cuscuna....

I dug Leon Henderson on tenor from the clips...his sound reminded me of Harold Vick....

Sounds Great!!!! Can't wait. Love how he's doing a lot of that Erroll Garner-style as he did on Plays Fats Waller. I doubt this was put out at the time just because his recorded output was so high and this session doesn't have the commercial focus of a Plays Fats or a Midnight Special. Just more genius playing from the genius.

Yeah Jim, you could be very well right about that. As we musicians know first hand, a lot of this language is a local thing in many ways. Trading ideas, hanging at the local spots and listening to what others a playing. So, good point and one we hadn't even though of previously. And yes, Smith really revived that style he had earlier once you get to things like All The Way Live and that 80's thing he was doing....he was a genius in every way and just oozed that stuff.

Thanks for sharing that Guy. Obviously, I'm no Coltrane scholar so it's interesting to hear his perspective. I wonder if you could possibley ask David Wild to specifically listen to "Groovin' at Small's Paradise." I think that is where the real sonic similarities begin and (really, ultimately) end for me. The paths diverge from there in my mine. I'd be VERY interested to hear what he thinks of that Smith session.