THE SIGNAL from David Katznelson
“It is the very mark of the spirit of rebellion to crave for happiness in this life” ― Henrik Ibsen
File this under: Damn, I miss seeing live music.
Once upon a world gone by there was a yearly event called Jazz Fest in New Orleans (yes, I am being a little dramatic here for effect). And in between the Jazz Fest weekends was a yearly tradition known as The Ponderosa Stomp. Run by fellow crazed music nut Dr. Ike, the Stomp brought together the Mystic Knights of the Mau-Mau to witness the greatest players of rock/soul/r’n’b/jazz/anon history put back on stage with an incredible backing band to blow through their hits one more time.
The first time I experienced a stomp is when it was held in a schoolhouse, and featured Elvis’ backing band…The David Bartholomew orchestra…and the show-stealing moment when the Otha Turner Rising Star Fife and Drum band was laying it down on stage as the New Orleans Indians came in from the back of a packed house and started playing along with them from the crowd. There was also the Memphis stomp, when Dr. Ike took things on the road and where Roy Head bugged-out on a tequila-fueled show of the decade while Sleepy LaBeef channeled the Velvet Underground in his reverb-drenched set in the venue’s outside hallway.
But probably the greatest Stomp happened on the year that was staged at a classic old-school bowling alley featuring The Sun Ra Arkestra opening all three nights…the year that one-hit wonder Phil Phillips dazzled the crowd with his so soulful rendition of Sea Of Love, just to come back to the stage right after finishing it….to do it again. Damn. But my favorite moment was when Frogman Henry barreled onto the stage and sang the song that made him famous: Ain’t Got No Home, a song roaring the true New Orleans r’n’b sound, brought back to new generations from its musical part in the film Diner. The Frogman belted it as if it was just hitting the charts that week. And right after he sang it, he jump off the stage and started signing autographs to the adoring (mostly female) fans who had loved him since he was a youngin’. I got him to sign my pants, which I called my “Frogman Henry” pants til they fell apart.
Happy Birthday to Frogman Henry. And to all, a good weekend.
BEYOND ‘THE SCREAM’: HOW EDVARD MUNCH CHANNELED A TIMELESS SENSE OF DREAD
In Conversation: Alice Cooper Talks “Detroit Stories” and Being the Prodigal Son of the Motor City
Of course Alice Cooper is going back to Detroit. Who isn’t these days…one of the most exciting cities in the states as well as one that will be getting better weather…thanks to global warming...over the next few years. Great interview.
Daring ‘rescue’ mission results in Dead Sea Scroll finds, other rare discoveries
“In many instances, archaeologists have had to rappel hundreds of feet down sheer cliff faces and dig through piles of bird and bat guano to uncover artifacts that may be the target of similarly equipped looters in the sparsely populated, arid region along the western shore of the Dead Sea.”
WEEKEND LISTEN: Bulawayo Blue Yodel (Various Artists)
It is one of those crazy cross-cultural stories started with the importing of American Westerns into South African theaters. The Westerns caught on, becoming a phenomenon in black communities. And in a crazy twist, because many of the movies featured singing cowboys like Gene Autry, a slew of black country-western recordings hit the airwaves. Yodels and ballads and fine, fine guitar picking…and yet all with one foot firmly grounded in the musical culture of South Africa…a completely new sound. This compilation, which I understand took years to compile, features a great collection of them and is just an incredible listen.
THE DAY THE FIRST SNOW FELL
By: Edward Kamau Brathwaite
