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Decoding Album and Song Title Meanings


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Here is a meaning I found at a contemporary slang dictionary for the term 'bait'.

Reminded me of the title 'Good Bait', that I figured probably wasn't about fishing.

bait

1. adj. To describe a location as unsafe, or high profile. Usually refers to the danger of being caught by police. "I ain’t smokin’ here, this place is mad bait."

Another term I often wondered about is the word 'channel' that George Braith refers to in liner notes, when talking about one of his compositions. I assume he is referring to the turnaround in a chord progression , but it is something I have otherwise not heard used anywhere else.

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On a related note, I was just enjoying this interview with Melvin Gibbs:

http://www.invisibleoranges.com/2011/06/heavy-metal-be-bop-4-interview-with-melvin-gibbs/

Very great and interesting read. Especially Melvin Gibbs take on Sharrock and Last Exit, Ornette ect.

He says he will not say much about Last Exit 'beyond this', and then goes on to talk his head off :g

Obviously he was enjoying the chance to discuss the music. :)

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Another term I often wondered about is the word 'channel' that George Braith refers to in liner notes, when talking about one of his compositions. I assume he is referring to the turnaround in a chord progression , but it is something I have otherwise not heard used anywhere else.

That's a word used to describe what is more commonly known as the bridge. I think Monk might have used it too. I've heard it a few times over the years, but not too many.

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Another term I often wondered about is the word 'channel' that George Braith refers to in liner notes, when talking about one of his compositions. I assume he is referring to the turnaround in a chord progression , but it is something I have otherwise not heard used anywhere else.

That's a word used to describe what is more commonly known as the bridge. I think Monk might have used it too. I've heard it a few times over the years, but not too many.

I thought it was either a turnaround or the bridge. Thanks for the confirmation.

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Another term I often wondered about is the word 'channel' that George Braith refers to in liner notes, when talking about one of his compositions. I assume he is referring to the turnaround in a chord progression , but it is something I have otherwise not heard used anywhere else.

That's a word used to describe what is more commonly known as the bridge. I think Monk might have used it too. I've heard it a few times over the years, but not too many.

Didn't Monk call the bridge the 'inside'?

Bertrand.

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On a related note, I was just enjoying this interview with Melvin Gibbs:

http://www.invisibleoranges.com/2011/06/heavy-metal-be-bop-4-interview-with-melvin-gibbs/

Very great and interesting read. Especially Melvin Gibbs take on Sharrock and Last Exit, Ornette ect.

He says he will not say much about Last Exit 'beyond this', and then goes on to talk his head off :g

Obviously he was enjoying the chance to discuss the music. :)

:tup

Yes I like the discussion of Last Exit. Interesting fact he mentions in passing, that the musicians were not in the studio at the same time for the Last Exit studio record.

It's a great interview and takes you into areas of recent musical history and thinking that aren't often on the radar.

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I often read term 'playing the dozens' used when people talk about Jazz.

Is this Wikipedia entry an accurate guide to its meaning and use;

The Dozens is a game among two contestants, common in African American communities, where participants insult each other until one gives up or violence erupts. It is customary for the Dozens to be played in front of an audience of bystanders, who encourage the participants to reply with more egregious insults to heighten the tension and consequently, to be more interesting to watch. Among African Americans it is also known as "sounding", "joning", "woofing", "wolfing", "sigging", or "signifying"[1][2], while the insults themselves are known as "snaps".[3][4][5]

The origin of the game is unclear, but it has roots in Africa: similar contests are held in Nigeria among the Igbo people, and in Ghana. Comments in the game focus on the opposite player's intelligence, appearance, competency, social status, financial situation, and disparaging remarks about the other player's family members—mothers in particular—are common. Commentary is often related to sexual issues, where the game is then referred to as the "Dirty Dozens".[6] According to sociologist Harry Lefever and journalist John Leland, the game is almost exclusive to African Americans; whites often fail to understand how to play the game and can take remarks in the Dozens seriously.[note 1] Both males and females participate, but the game is more commonly played among males of varying social status.[1]

Several theories have been put forth to explain why the game was developed. One hypothesis from 1939 suggests that the game formed as a way for African Americans to express aggression in an oppressive society that severely punished such displays against whites. Another theory from 1962 highlights the game's focus on one's opponents mother is a reflection of the dominance of females in African American families and how young males may feel rejected by females and react accordingly. The importance of mothers in African and African American families is at the heart of the game: insulting someone else's mother is sure to inflame the passions of the other player. The Dozens is a contest of personal power: wit, self-control, verbal ability, mental acuity, and toughness.[6]

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Elijah Wald just had a book published on the Dozens (& Rap) - My link

Haven't read it

dozens-cover1.jpg

though I read recently another short thing he wrote on Hip Hop - he wrote -

"For any longtime blues fan, hip-hop should not be a major stretch. After all, it is coming from the same kind of communities and artists who produced our favorite records. "

this seemed a bit simplistic to me (but what do I know? nowt. a lot less than him anyways)

There are some great records of course - Will Shade of Memphis Jug did a very dirty dirty Dozens-type recording for George Mitchell

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It seems people with African ancestry "do the dozens" wherever they were born. My wife is from Trinidad and it's always amusing to watch and listen whenever her brothers and cousins and other Trinidadians end up together in the same room. The good-natured insults that get exchanged are often much funnier than some of the stuff we pay money to hear. The Trinis don't use the term "dozens" though. They call this type of verbal sparring "fati",which I would guess comes from fatigue. The manner in which they wear each other down can certainly be fatiguing. The custom strikes me as being a really healthy outlet and, if anything, seems to cement relationships between the participants.

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It seems people with African ancestry "do the dozens" wherever they were born. My wife is from Trinidad and it's always amusing to watch and listen whenever her brothers and cousins and other Trinidadians end up together in the same room. The good-natured insults that get exchanged are often much funnier than some of the stuff we pay money to hear. The Trinis don't use the term "dozens" though. They call this type of verbal sparring "fati",which I would guess comes from fatigue. The manner in which they wear each other down can certainly be fatiguing. The custom strikes me as being a really healthy outlet and, if anything, seems to cement relationships between the participants.

As in the US, you can hear it in the music too - Calypso War. Same with Jamaican deejays.

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also here - http://maria-brazil.org/embolada.htm

You can see/hear repentistas improvising verses in the movie Saudade do Futuro (about poor people from the northeastern part of Brazil who have migrated to São Paulo in search of work).

Edited by seeline
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Not exactly as 'conceptual' as 'Street Priest' and 'Barbeque Dog', but still a decoded album title nevertheless.

JW: How did Alligator Bogaloo get its name?

LD: It was my title. I’m a golfer and had been playing down in Florida. One day I hit my ball and it went in a ditch. I started to go in to get it and the caddy stopped me and said, “Don’t do that.” Then he told me why. When I stuck my club down in the ditch with all the foliage, an alligator lifted up his head [laughs]. I liked the way the word "alligator" sounded with "bogaloo," which was a new hot dance then.

from the Lou Donaldson interview here

My link

Edited by freelancer
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Not as good as Aric's interview, although surprisingly similar.

The facts on drugs account for those many indifferent passages on Blue Note disks, including GG's innumerable fluffs and meandering.

:g

I always thought it was some kind of ticket or pass on the cover. I was actually glad to find out it was a sandwich.

A good piece of Jazz scholarship that was :D

I love Lou's surly reminiscences about being ostracised for not 'using' back in the day.

I've also read him say that he thought all the so-called reformed users were still secretly getting high.

"If they're still making it, they're still taking it" :lol:

I love his alto playing.

I also wish I could afford the three hundred dollars the near mint first pressing of Here Tis just sold for on ebay yesterday.

My link

BTW that man on the cover looks like he could use a bigger sandwich than that.

Edited by freelancer
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