I post a weekly diary of historical notes, arts & science items, foreign news (often receiving little notice in the US) and whimsical pieces from the outside world that I often feature in "Cheers & Jeers".
OK, you've been warned - here is this week's tomfoolery material that I posted.
CHEERS to Bill and Michael in PWM, our Wyoming-based friend Irish Patti and ...... well, each of you at Cheers and Jeers. Have a fabulous weekend .... and week ahead.
ART NOTES — the exhibit East of the Mississippi: Nineteenth-Century American Landscape Photography is at the New Orleans Museum of Art to January 7th.
Opens Friday, October 6th in NOLACHEERS to the unveiling of a plaque in Buenos Aires, Argentina to a Chilean general (and his wife) who were ordered slain by the late dictator Augusto Pinochet. General Carlos Prats was relieved of his command as army chief in 1973 when he refused to take part in the coup against President Salvador Allende, and took asylum in Argentina. Several men were (later) jailed for the crime, and the plaque for the couple was unveiled on the 43rd anniversary of their deaths.
IN THE LATE 70’S the Cleveland-originated punk rock band The Dead Boys released an album entitled We Have Come for Your Children …..
Steven “Stiv” Bators (1949-1990)…. and in this photo with a young, gleeful Brooke Shields: the band’s late lead singer Stiv Bators had a facial expression of … “Where did we go wrong??”
AMONG THOSE writing tributes to the late Tom Petty— a woman who emigrated from Belfast, Northern Ireland years ago to escape “The Troubles” … and to become the American Girl … that she heard Tom Petty sing about on the BBC.
UNLIKE IN THE PAST when people emigrated from Italy due to a lack of education and an inability to find work: today, it has shifted to those with university degrees.
THURSDAY's CHILD is named Xeli the Cat— and if you’re ever at Denver International Airport, Xeli is their first therapy cat hired (along with 75 certified therapy dogs) who work in shifts helping ease passenger anxiety and stress.
Xeli the Therapy CatA NEW RAILROAD connecting the east African nations of Ethiopia to its Gulf of Aden neighbor Djibouti has begun full-scale trials before passenger and freight services begin in earnest.
HAIL and FAREWELL to the basketball star Connie "The Hawk” Hawkins— who, (affected by an unfounded allegation of involvement in a point-shaving scandal in college) had a Hall of Fame career that included stops in the Harlem Globetrotters and the ABA as well as the NBA (with a style not unlike Dr. J, who followed him) — who has died at the age of 75.
FRIDAY's CHILD is named Tucker the Cat— a heavyweight kitteh who is allowed to roam downtown Raleigh, North Carolina as part of his weight-loss program … and who has had some success.
Tucker the CatBRAIN TEASER - try this Quiz of the Week's News from the BBC.
CHEERS to a nice meet-up yesterday in Boston with some fellow DK folks — and to take in a tribute concert to the jazz saxophonist John Coltrane (whose 91st birthday anniversary was two weeks ago, and who died 50 years ago). This show featured one of Trane’s sidemen, tenor saxophonist Ferrell “Pharoah” Sanders— who as a Little Rock, Arkansas native was a saxophone inspiration to a Hope, Arkansas native … who went far ... in a different line-of-work.
Ten years or so ago, Pharoah Sanders gave a more-or-less traditional jazz concert … last night, he delivered a humorous, call-and-response show … at age 76. Some Coltrane numbers (notably Central Park West) plus a stripped-down (and gentle) version of his 1969 epic-length The Creator Has a Master Plan— wotta show.
SEPARATED at BIRTH — TV star Matthew Perry and former congressman turned MSNBC host Joe Scarborough.
Chandler Bing in “Friends” TV host of “Morning Joe”...... and finally, for a song of the week ...........................… while the Motown studio musicians (known collectively as the Funk Brothers) had other drummers and bassists … the most famous tandem were inducted posthumously into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame — albeit in separate years. Bassist James Jamerson has somewhat more of a higher profile (due in part to living longer) in the music field, though not so much in the general public. And drummer Benny Benjamin is something of a mystery man … even amongst music industry insiders.
Yet together (and separately) they recorded many of the most familiar songs in the Motown catalogue (and R&B in general). Label owner Berry Gordy said, “If I was producing I’d always have to have Benny Benjamin on drums and James Jamerson on bass.” And the Beatles (upon meeting Berry Gordy in England) singled out these two sidemen in particular — so they deserve a mention.
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Even the origins of drummer William “Benny” Benjamin are unclear — with most reports listing a birth in 1925 in Birmingham, Alabama. Given the nickname “Papa Zita” by his fellow musicians, he was the one who coined the phrase The Funk Brothers for his rhythm section cohorts.
Coming-of-age in the big band era, he learned a style of drums different from some of his (younger) peers who learned a small club style. Stevie Wonder describes his own drumming style by saying “I learned from just listening to him — he was one of the major forces in the Motown sound”.
As the decade of the 1960’s ensued, he was used less-and-less (due to heroin and alcohol addiction) and he died of a stroke in 1969 at (it is believed) only age 43. Rolling Stone named him as #11 in its 100 Greatest Drummers of All Time list and he was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame (as a sideman) in 2003.
Wm. Benjamin (1925?-1969)That was three years after his more celebrated partner James Jamerson was inducted. The two men had some things in common: both were native southerners (Jamerson was born in South Carolina in 1936), both of their families moved to Detroit when they were in their teens, both had early jazz experience (Jamerson played acoustic double bass in bands led by Kenny Burrell and Yusef Lateef) and both died early deaths due to substance abuse.
Jamerson had a bicycle injury in his youth that left him with a limp, that left him self-conscious throughout his life. In his early twenties, he also began playing with R&B acts (including a stint in Jackie Wilson’s band). He joined Motown at its inception in 1959 and by 1961 had switched from double bass to the electric bass— which with his jazz background gave him a more melodious sound than many other players who merely kept time. In some sessions, he recorded a double bass accompaniment to his electric bass line, for a sonic wave.
In addition to his work at Motown, he also did session work at other studios, including the song Cool Jerk (by the Capitols) and on John Lee Hooker’s classic Boom Boom in 1962. Along the way, he became an inspiration not only in the R&B community but also to future members of the British Invasion (with both Paul McCartney and Cream’s Jack Bruce citing him as a major influence).
By the late 60’s, his influence began to wane. First, as Motown grew: the loose arrangements for the Funk Brothers (simple chord charts and lots of improvisation) gave way to formal written charts, and despite his jazz background he had difficulty adjusting to new ways. More importantly, he began to have alcohol and emotional problems, leading to his being a no-show at record dates.
Berry Gordy stuck with him (over some objections) and Jamerson was able to perform on Marvin Gaye’s landmark 1971 What’s Going On before moving to Los Angeles along with the rest of Motown in 1973. He began touring more with Gaye as well as non-Motown acts (Joan Baez and Maria Muldaur) and did work in film and TV soundtracks.
But by the mid-70’s, the alcohol, medication and emotional problems took their toll, and he spent much of his time in hospitals and mental institutions. James Jamerson died in August, 1983 from complications due to cirrhosis of the liver, heart failure and pneumonia … at only age 47.
There is a 1989 biography of him entitled Standing in the Shadows of Motown and as noted he was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame (as a sideman) in 2000. Just earlier this year, Bass Player magazine published its 100 Greatest Bassists of All Time……. and ranked him as #1.
James Jamerson (1936-1983)Among the most popular songs these two men recorded together on include “Ain’t Too Proud to Beg” and “My Girl” (Temptations), “Uptight” (Stevie Wonder), and “Going to a Go-Go” (Smokey Robinson and the Miracles).
My favorite is another Temptations song Get Ready- the last song that Smokey Robinson ever wrote for the band. It reached #29 in the pop charts in 1966 (as well as #1 in the R&B charts) and below you hear Eddie Kendricks sing lead on it.
x xYouTube Video