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 Laramie, Wyoming-based friend Irish Patti and ...... well, each of you at Cheers and Jeers. Have a fabulous weekend .... and week ahead. I hope that everyone is holding-up well under the circumstances.
ART NOTES— an exhibition entitled Native Voices, 1950s to Now: Art for a New Understanding — featuring seventy works including paintings, photography, video, sculptures and performance art, all created by Indigenous U.S. and Canadian artists — is at the Brooks Museum of Art in Memphis, Tennessee, scheduled through May 17th.
YUK for TODAY— I have never cared for the Mötley Crüe drummer Tommy Lee’s music, and especially not his history of violence (both men and ex-wives). I would not have read this raunchy rant of his (against you-know-who) except for the pleading of a music friend, and most of it is pedestrian ….. except that he compared the Trumpster not simply to a sex toy ….. but an “off-brand” butt plug.
HAIL and FAREWELL to the soul singer Bill Withers, who has died at the age of eighty-one (and not due to the coronavirus). From a previous profile of mine:
His daughter was best friends in elementary school with Joe Walsh's stepson. It's a sign of how unaffected Bill is ... that he accompanied Joe to a recording session, then saw Ringo Starr and Mick Jagger in the studio and still thought, "Wait a minute: there's an Eagle, a Beatle and a Stone in this room!"
The drummer/bandleader for the Tonight Show, Amir Questlove Thompson summed-up his career in a quite interesting way:
"He's the last African-American Everyman. Jordan's vertical jump has to be higher than everyone. Michael Jackson has to defy gravity. On the other side of the coin: we're often viewed as primitive animals. We rarely land in the middle. Bill Withers is the closest thing black people have to a Bruce Springsteen."
THURSDAY's CHILD is named Aurora the Cat— a Seattle kitteh who was so impressed by the recording her ballet teacher human was making that she decided to ….. spontaneously leap into her arms for a quick snuggle.
BOOK NOTES— nearly eighteen years after his death, the “quiet man” of The Who will be the subject of a biography. The bassist John Entwistle— known as the Ox — apparently had written a few chapters of his early life, yet never published it. A biographer named Paul Rees then met with his son Christopher, who gave him the green light to write this book ….. and wanted it to be warts-and-all.
FRIDAY's CHILD is named Walter the Cat— an English kitteh now famous when a woman (seeing him) put a sign in her window asking, “What is the black and white cat called?”— and received a sign in response (prompting a Twitter outbreak).
BRAIN TEASER - try this Quiz of the Week's News from the BBC.
YOUR WEEKEND READ is by Adam Serwer— on the “Ideological conviction, held by much of the Republican Party, that the Democratic Party is inherently illegitimate and has no right to govern”.
MOTHER-DAUGHTER? — embattled Sen. Kelly Loeffler (R-GA), distrusted by the Trumpster long before her troubles and Hope Hicks (completely trusted by him).
...... and finally, for a song of the week ...........................… it seems prophetic that in this time of remote virtual gatherings …. that a long-standing music series (involving musicians making remote recordings) would come to greater attention. And yet Playing for Change has been hiding-in-plain-sight for well over a decade …. I swear that I am not lacking, just slow.
Its origins go back to 2002, when producers Mark Johnson and Whitney Kroeneke travelled around the world, recording musicians (using mobile equipment) interpreted in their own native styles. Ultimately, this led to an award-winning 2008 documentary — entitled A Cinematic Discovery of Street Musicians.
In 2005, Mark Johnson heard one particular street musician in California (Roger Ridley, who died later that year) sing the Lieber/Stoller/Ben E. King song “Stand By Me” — which led Johnson to imagine recording him not alone, but in a Song Around the World style. And this will be the focus of tonight’s profile: songs with some famous musicians, but also introducing North Americans to guitar aces Char (Japan), Roberto Luti (Italy) and others.
Meanwhile, the success of the documentary led the founders to create a 501(c)3 non-profit called the Playing for Change Foundation— to assist music programs in developing countries, offering scholarships and in a few cases creating entire music schools.
As for the Songs Around the World— four anthology albums have been released since 2009, none of which I ever recall hearing about. (Wow). There are numerous popular music songs (from pop, rock, R&B, country) that — especially in more recent recordings — feature famous musicians you know …. augmented with musicians around the world whose playing will be a revelation. Here are links to several: (search YouTube for "Playing for Change" — Song Around the World):
Grateful Dead song Ripple— w/David Hidalgo, Jimmy Buffet and Bill Kreutzmann
Doobie Brothers song Listen to the Music— w/three band members & others.
Sly Stone’s Everyday People— featuring Keb’ Mo, Josh Groban and Yo-Yo Ma.
John Lennon’s Imagine— whose ending chorus is archival footage of John himself.
Otis Redding’s Sittin’ on the Dock of the Bay— with Roger Ridley himself leading.
Traditional song Richie Valens made famous, La Bamba— w/Los Lobos members
Stevie Wonder’s Higher Ground— with some exotic stringed instruments
John Denver’s song Take Me Home, Country Roads— “West Virginia” accented.
Rolling Stones song Gimme Shelter— with Taj Mahal on harmonica/vocals.
Marvin Gaye’s hit What’s Going On— with Sara Bareilles among the vocalists.
Two I will feature prominently — and one is the Bob Dylan song All Along the Watchtower— although in fairness, it was Jimi Hendrix’s 1968 cover version that is the template for all future renditions. This version includes Warren Haynes (Allman Brothers), John Densmore (The Doors), Ivan and Cyril Neville, and several Lakota musicians, dancers (plus a compelling vocalist).
Lastly, among the more recent recordings the organization has arranged: is Robbie Robertson of The Band playing his old classic The Weight— with Ringo Starr on drums and Willie Nelson’s son Lukas on guitar.