robertoart

That would be interesting indeed. But also, with a tradition and recorded legacy as great as The Blues, impeccable taste is par for the course. i have always felt that the British Blues Rock artists were good at acknowledging the Blues 'in the general' but rather more sheepish about acknowledging it 'in the particular'. This was in some contrast to many of the more 'grassroots' American 'White' Blues players and enthusiasts (especially some of the acoustic or 'fingerstyle' players' who often had "hands on' or disciple/student' relationships with many of the major Black players). I remember reading insights, at various times, regarding people like Rev. Gary Davis, Fred McDowell, and others. Interestingly I remember reading Mississippi Fred McDowell being asked directly, how he felt about hearing his musical culture appropriated by so many others...his gracious reply was that...he took comfort from knowing that, no matter what or how anyone chose to claim or appropriate his music...those same people always knew in their hearts where they got it from. This was from a 1970's Guitar Player interview I think. How I loved reading the interviews with those Old Black Masters in that magazine especially. An interview with Pee Wee Crayton also springs to mind.

I bet Ike was as disappointed as anyone that the record didn't sell in the States. He would have had to of been some kind of a sociopath not too.

You're a fair dinkum Dickhead most of the time, really. If Benson always sucked, so did McDuff, GG, Wes Montgomery, Lou Donaldson, Larry Young and the whole Soul Jazz time. Listen to Beyond The Blue Horizon and then tell Lonnie Smith he's not a real Doctor. Hot Dog.

I've read you mention this Beck thing a few times. I'm sure it's of the quality you say it is. Still... He does belong in the Jazz-Rock Mullet Hall Of Fame, no doubt about that. Johnnie Ray. For being the bridge between Sinatra and Elvis in the heartthrob stakes. At least in Australia anyway. And what's with Keith Richards giving Buddy Guy his guitar at the end of that Stones Concert film? What's all that about. Comes across as a very patronising, paternalistic gesture from 'The Great White Blues Player'. Did Richards just spring that on Buddy Guy? Buddy Guy should have hit Richards over the head with it and given him a contrecoup injury.

Yeah. I know I'm getting old; the bumping of long-dead threads is more enjoyable than the new ones... Well actually one thing I noticed reading this thread, is that everyone focussed on the music and singing. No one mentioned George Benson's youthful SEX APPEAL. That was the equal main ingredient of your crossover right there. Ask all the women in your lives about George Benson and THAT Chromatics be damned BTW, the idea (expressed in this thread), that he was always at heart a singing entertainer is absurd. He was like...what...3 years old when he was LittleGB. He definitely got the guitar bug bad later on, because he often recounts banging on the motel doors of every Jazz guitarist that came through his town to get insights and lessons. Simply the greatest Wes, Grant, Kenny immediate disciple there was...who had PLENTY of other options...unlike Pat Martino or Jerry Hahn or Larry Coryell. Even great guitarists like Wilbert Longmire and Jimmy Ponder exercised their vocal abilities a la Benson. Ever hear Larry Coryell's 'psychedelic vocal tunes'.

My understanding of how this works at the Kennedy Center is that the Artist being honored is typically paid tribute by others influenced by him or her and generally they seem to be of a younger generation than the honoree. Given that Beck is rather more of a contemporary of Zep's and arguably as much as or more of an influence on Page than the other way around, then it would not make sense for Beck to be honoring Zep. That would be kind of like McCartney honoring Badfinger! ha ha. Beck an influence on Page? Picture that. All the Clapton "God" talk aside, Mr. Page was THE preeminent blues-influenced rock guitarist in England during the early to mid 60s. Like Beck, he was influenced by American blues musicians. What some here don't seem to get is that the Kennedy Center was essentially honoring the American art form by honoring Buddy Guy and Led Zeppelin. And, as far as validity and the inane post above goes, rock and jazz are equal bastard step-children of the blues. IF America had produced a rock act even close to the equal of Led Zeppelin in influence and virtuosity, I'm sure that act would have been honored before the "blimeys". Like I said above, the bigger reason that it wouldn't have made sense for Beck to honor Zeppelin was that Beck was jealous of Zeppelin. You want some more negative/jealous homeland reaction to Led Zeppelin, check out Keith Richards' ridiculous interview on you tube. if you really want to be realistic about the 'British Invasion' and Blues and Rock, check out the feeble latter day performances on Red White and Blues? on Scorsese's series. Beck, Lulu, Van the Man etc. Or google some of the youtube jams of Wood and Keef jamming basic 12 bars on acoustics What did the British Rock acts really contribute? Taking the declarative and extroverted performance culture of Black America and sending it back as posturing narcissistic spectacle for the masses. The Beatles probably distilled Black American music better (before psychedelia) because their focus was on the song structures and harmonies of Black American Pop. Beck seems to have spent the better part of his creativity trying to sidestep the Blues and sound like a violin playing Pavarotti of the Electric guitar. that was after he tried his hand at Fusion

Well Ike was hardly gonna not have the song in the repertoire. He had to do something to it to make it stage and band friendly. Tina Turner and Buddhism...

'Can't get it in the shops' it will all make sense when you click on 'The Mighty Boosh' link in the post above.

FAB Gerry. http://www.abc.net.a...on-dies/4444400 http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2253506/Gerry-Anderson-dies-Thunderbirds-creator-went-war-real-Lady-Penelope.html

I dunno. A friend of mine opened for him at The Hollywood Bowl a year or so ago so I went to see her and the place was pretty full. Really. Some of the recent youtube clips look like he's lost a large amount of his audience. Those clips can be deceiving I guess. In Australia he plays at 'The Hilton'. Definitely a dinner and show kind of crowd.

RIP Miss yoyo.

i think JSngry knows DIW cds at the beginning of the digital age (outside Japan) were much like 'Cheekbone' magazine. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nWD_hfacU8o

The comments section after the article are funny. Vinyl is King. However if you were too poor to own or keep a good system from the pre-digital days, then researching, finding and financing a quality vintage vinyl set up (bang for the buck), is not for the faint hearted. Neither is relying on Ebay for your vinyl, especially if you have fastidious vinyl standards and rather arcane tastes Otherwise it's always nice to read someone else savouring the delights of 'slow music'.

Benson said Tenderly nearly ruined his career at the time, and that he would never record another Instrumental/Jazz album again. As that was such a long time ago now, at his advancing age, and with his Pop marketability at pretty much that of a small venue cabaret drawcard, maybe he'll reconsider, and make a guitar album or two. Then again, maybe Benson still sees himself as a Pop star, even though most of those that go to his gigs probably wouldn't know what his latest album and material are. And maybe (the funkiest man in showbiz) Allen Lowe is right... and 'you can't go home'... so a Benson guitar album at this stage of his life might turn out to be a real bummer. Otherwise, Golly Gee Sergeant Carter...what a funny thread this was.

A vain and stupendously materialistic identity. Skills? - maybe. Another Hollywood oxygen thief? - that's Entertainment Tonight.

Really enjoyed that and excellent teaching communication going on this video. The other link to his trio playing was hot as well. Very Kenny Burrell in that one

That was a tribute to John Hammond special. Goddard Lieberson hosted. Benson was great on "Seven Come Eleven". Dylan also showed up. The details are in the link above. Dylan agreed to appear on one condition: that he be allowed to perform his Hurricane Carter song in toto (it is rather long for such a TV show as this). George Benson was included because the hype was that he was a Hammond "discovery." Having written the notes for George's first album (it was on Prestige), I was ever so surprised to hear of this Hammond find. Hammond signed the Benson/Cuber/Smith band after Benson left McDuff. There is a good story GB recounts often in his interviews about this. So perhaps Hammond believes he was 'discovering' Benson for a 'wider' audience. For an amazingly candid and comprehensive Benson history -through his own eyes- check this out http://www.smithsonianjazz.org/documents/oral_histories/George_Benson_Interview_Transcription.pdf Really interesting to read about Benson's recollections of his meeting with pianist Freddy Gambrell in San Francisco(?). Benson credits Gambrell with sharing his musical knowledge that redefined GB's musical approach - and gave him an edge over other guitarists after his McDuff apprenticeship. I wonder what system Gambrell was imparting? I assume it would have been a Melodic Minor one, that is now common knowledge in Jazz education as a 'modern' approach (associated with Sixties Jazz harmony). But would have been far less available as public knowledge back then I suppose. This is now seen in guitar terms - at least - as associated with Pat Martino's 'minor conversion' system, or Emily Remler's 'Berklee method for dummies' system. However, Benson seems to think of it as playing 'Major' a half step up in a ii-v-i (?). To confuse matters further, Benson's playing seems heavily chromatic and more Mixolydian based.

There is, of course, the story of Johnny Griffin and the British Inland Revenue authorities. IIRC John was seized on arrival at London airport in connection with unpaid income tax arising from previous employment in the UK and spent the night in Pentonville jail, before his release was secured by his friends in the music business. He subsequently played on the Clarke Boland album At Her Majesty's Pleasure (British legal term for indefinite imprisonment), which featured tracks named after prisons ("Pentonville", Wormwood Scrubs", "Broadmoor", Holloway") and convict experience ("Doing Time", "Reprieve", "Going Straight"). I think I detect the humour of fellow band member Ronnie Scott in that album concept. That's a nice change. A single night in the Slammer for tax evasion. Still seems a bit silly though. I mean, how many people in the UK could have been targeted for that?

And look what I found! It had to be Jim Hall.

Just watched the Anita O'day documentary. She talks about her time in jail, and also describes how the cops busted her. Which Jazz musicians received Jail terms during their lives? And why did others, perhaps more high profile escape this fate? For instance, Grant Green, Baby Face Willette, Frank Morgan (on the Black side) were in Jail for extended times. On the White side, O'day, Joe Pass, Art Pepper. Other well documented addicts, as far as I know, were spared lengthy sentences, Art Blakey, Miles Davis, Bill Evans? Jackie McLean? Would the level of privilege, status, race...have been significant factors on who the authorities targeted, or was it more luck of being in the right/wrong place at the right/wrong time? Also, did the emergence of specially dedicated psycho-social drug rehabs play a role in Jazz musician-addicts lives during the Sixties and beyond. Perhaps this was tied into the incarceration period and release? Bob Porter writes that when Grant Green was released from Jail (and began sideman work with Prestige) he had minders with him who were making sure he avoided all stimulants (even caffeine). This suggests some kind of post release rehab treatment. Joe Pass was also an early Syanon resident - which he talked about in interviews at some length. And his musical legacy is really most known post that period of his life.

I can tell you that when I was trying to get my hands on those DIW titles in 90,91,92......they weren't following me around. And if they were, they didn't want to make themselves known.

I don't watch US TV, so I could well be wrong, but I've always understood that the shows being talked about were the US equivalent of our British chat shows. MG Even in a David Frost/Parkinson world, Jazz musicians must have felt double outsiders in a world that feited Classical music or anyone with Classical leanings (Zappa?) in hushed tones and reverence. Cavett (I know less about Douglas, but I believe his show was coming from a similar place) devoted much time to Filmakers, Writers, The Intellectual side of Pop Music etc. It would be entirely justified of Lee Morgan, Kirk and everyone else to feel excluded and slighted in an intellectual media that was interested in and celebrated people like Cassavetes, Bogdanovich, Welles, the Ono-Lennons and Ray Charles. Or African American Boxers and Comedians (mostly).