JSngry

Consider this - how many Broadway tunes have become standards relative to the overall output? Not that many,really. Off the top of my head, I can think of a whole bunch of Horace Silver tunes, several Herbie things, some by Joe Henderson, and lots lots of Wayne things that have become "standards". And let's not forget Monk, Timmons, & Benny Golson. A handful relative to the overall output, sure, but a pretty impressive legacy nevertheless. Plenty of "jazz originals" are good tunes and are fun to play. But that's not all it takes to become a standard. It takes something really distinctive in terms of how melody and changes hook up (melody is just as important in making a jazz standard as it is in pop, perhaps even moreso since there usually is melody and not just hooks), as well as something, usually, distinctive about the rhythm of the melody and/or the groove underneath it. It needs to be something that is "different" yet at the same time "familiar" for both players and listeners. It's an inexact set of criteria to be sure, but as somebody who's delved into the arcania of transcribing and playing un(der)played recorded songs, I can tell you that a lot of seemingly "intriguing" originals just don't stick for repeated performances, not because they're "bad" or anything, but just because they don't have that "thing", that undefinable quality that differentiates a "good tune" from a "standard". You play them a few times, have fun with them, and then it's like, "OK, that was fun, time to move on." I'm all for rediscovering obscure gems, of which there are many, but the collective consciousness will be what it will be, and no matter how good most of this material is, it'll never become standards. Doesn't meant that it's unworthy or anything, just means that it's always going to primarily be material for the cognosenti, of which I have no problem being a member of.

"Up Up & Away", with a Trane/Elvin feel. I'm serious. Great changes for blowing and a long, non-traditional form.

Les Nessman Benny More Bud Freeman

Feel like a king Cause I just got a haircut.

I see it, and I like it!

The soft blue is indeed easier on the eyes, but maybe a subuded peach could be used as the background color instead of white in all but the posting areas? Keep the traditional colors, just recontextualize them?

Oh HELL no! He's 19 and has a job. He'd not let me be there even if I wanted to!

My son was there last night. With his own money, no less! And he got one. Christmas shopping just got a little easier!

Well, ok. Just be careful who borrows your cell phone.

Ok, back on a serious note. If this movie was 1959, then the odds are that 1954 was not too early for some sort of youthful "beach culture" to have been happening in some form, right? The Big Jim Wynn song isn't about "surf", it's about "beach", but still....

Well, wasn't this one of The Beach Boys' best albums?

You got me on that one. Never heard of such a thing, but would like to know more!

The Dewey LP is OOP, but I've heard that "you can find them at any record store that caters to hiphop DJs". That's from somebody in NYC who is involved in that whole scene, so "any" to them might be a big "?" for a lot of us. But now we know, so let the search begin.

Exactly. But had anybody else done a song with this type of "salacious" "sun, fun, and girls" lyrical focus before this? I mean, you think of R&B in 1954, and a song about going to the beach is not exactly the first thing that comes to mind, ya' know? And you think of "Rock & Roll" in 1954 and you think of...R&B. Musically, no, there's no "surf music" to be found here. And considering that the first "real" surf music was probably another 5 years or so away, and it mostly instrumental (I'm thinking Dick Dale here, and my dates might be off), I'm not saying that this song had any "impact" in the developement of the genre. But as a document of an evolving "sociological" type thing, I think there's interest in the lyrics here. Prior to this, weren't most popular songs with a "beach" theme based aroung a Hawaaian type motif? And weren't they mostly idealistic and/or idyllic? Here's something that suggests that by 1954, there was something going on in California pertaining to young (well, younger anyway) people going to the beach, not for some moonlit luau, but to check out hot babes in the warmth of the sun. The fact taht this is a song by a Black band makes it all the more intriguing from a cultural standpoint - just how integrated were Southern California beaches in 1954? (an honest question; I myself have no clue). Again, I'd not go so far as to say that this was "the beginning of surf music" per se. But otoh, the "sun and fun" culture didn't just spring up out of nowhere, and this record might be the first document of its nascient formation. And even if it's not, it's got a helluva greasy groove to it!

Allen - take a break and check out this thread will ya'? http://www.organissimo.org/forum/index.php?showtopic=23402 I thought it might stir some "musical history" buffs, but I guess not. So be my guest!

Just found out that this is a legit recording, done especially for this purpose.

Alban Berg Berg Larsen Otto Link

That Nilva side RULES!

Ok, the song is available for listening HERE as a mp3 file. See what you think.

Dr. Robert EL Doctorow Donald Lambert

They did, didn't they...

The possibility exists that these are illicit rips from a multitrack copy of legit sessions. You know how "the underground" can be... The possibility also exists that these are new recordings done specifically for this release. You know how "the underground" can be... Investigation, such as it is, is ongoing. I'll let y'all know what, if anything, I find out. Anybody who already knows, please speak up!

Well I woke up this mornin', bright shone the sun, Blue skies up above, I think I'll have my fun. Goin' down to the ocean, down to the oceanside. I'll make the trip, hit the drip, roll out with the tide. Say hey all you girls, with sex appeal, Stay off the lake, bound to make a steal. Goin' down to the ocean, down to the water blue. I'll hide(?) some tan, climb the sand, hang on with you. There on the beach, I'll have my fun, Watchin' those dolls stroll in the sun. On the sand, as far as you can see, The cute little girls, oh-ho they killin' me. Goin' down to the ocean, down to the mighty sea. This ain't no fake, I'll make the lake, come along with me. As you might surmise by the lyric structure, this is a 12-bar structure. And not surprisingly, it was recorded by a California band. But more surprising is the fact that it was recorded in 1954, and by a Black R&B band at that! The song is "Down To The Ocean", the band was that of Big Jim Wynn, and the songwriter was band vocalist Bernie Anders. Although the music is prtotypical West Coast greasy R&B, and the lustiness of the lyrics (and their delivery) is a far cry from the idealistic naive hedonism of later, "real" Surf Music, to my knowledge, this is the very first song that treats the beaches of California as a sensual/sexual playground. Whether or not it was in any way "influential", I don't know, but as a document of "things to come" as far as California beaches as Teenage Promised Land, I think a case can be made that it's not wholly insignificant. Corrections of any kind, lyrical and/or historical, are welcome. All I know is that the first time I heard this song, I thought that this surely had to be the first R&R/R&B "sun and fun" song ever. If it's not, tell me! I'll try and attach a .wma file so you can hear for yourself [EDIT - This didn't work, so I'm attempting to find somebody to host the file for a few days]. but please know that the song is available on this CD: and this LP: http://web.telia.com/~u41602033/record.html

Up, for the last time.

Don Wilson Mike Cuellar Larry Dierker