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.
ART NOTES— an exhibition entitled Our Strength Is Our People: The Humanist Photographs of Lewis Hine— covering subjects such as child labor, immigration and the building of the Empire State Building — will be at the Asheville, North Carolina Art Museum to August 2nd.
YOUR WEEKEND READ is this essay by Eric Alterman of The American Prospect entitled The Roots of Crime Hysteria.
THURSDAY's CHILD is named Sweet Tart the Cat— running for re-election as the ‘mayor’ of Omena, Michigan.
FOR THOSE FRETTING about having to say something positive about Liz Cheney, Mike Pence, Adam Kinzinger, Mitt Romney, Brad Raffensperger and others on the political right, considering their substantial baggage: I’d relax, as you don’t have to forget the rest of their portfolio (at all). Most famously:
When Winston Churchill praised now having the Soviets as allies, and was taken-to-task (for saluting their military and leadership) by those reminding him of his long time, vehement anti-communism and anti-Soviet remarks:
"If Hitler invaded Hell, I would make at least a favourable reference of the Devil in the House of Commons."
FRIDAY's CHILD is named Floki the Cat— who has now climbed all forty-eight of New Hampshire's 4,000-foot-plus mountains by reaching the top of the 6,200 ft Mount Washington … along with her human companion Melissa Elam.
BRAIN TEASER— try this Quiz of the Week's News from the BBC ...… and the usually easier, less UK-centered New York Times quiz (one BBC question will help you answer on a NYT question).
YUK FOR TODAY after another head-scratching, tense political week: on an Open Thread at the Baby Blue Cherub (Atrios) blog, someone whose handle is that of the bartender on The Simpsons, “Moe Szyslak”:
"I told my wife I'm leaving her … to hook-up with Jen Psaki.She told me it's too late ...... she's ahead of me".
FATHER-SON?— TV host Jimmy Kimmel and country music singer Tyler Farr.
...... and finally, for a song of the week ...........................… although he lived only twenty-five years: until the rise of B.B. King to prominence in the 1950’s, there was no more influential American electric guitarist than Charlie Christian— only his contemporary from Belgium (Django Reinhardt) has as many guitarists citing him as an influence from the pre WW-II era. The All-Music Guide’s Scott Yanow goes on to say that any jazz guitarist whom emerged from 1940-1965 owes Christian a debt of gratitude, yet his early death assured obscurity. That deserves correction.
Born in Bonham, Texas in 1916, he grew-up in Oklahoma City and began to use an electric guitar in 1937, after studying under electric guitar pioneer Eddie Durham. He began playing in clubs on NE 2nd Street (nicknamed Deep Deuce) and eventually began to travel the Midwest. There he met the rising star tenor saxophonist Lester Young and also the pianist Mary Lou Williams— who told the Columbia Records producer John Hammond about him in 1939.
Hammond was also impressed, and arranged for Christian to travel to Los Angeles to audition for bandleader Benny Goodman— in no small part since Goodman had hired African-American musicians (such as Lionel Hampton and pianist Teddy Wilson). Reports vary as to their first meeting: some have them in a recording studio in a non-productive session, others say that Goodman was off-put by Christian’s wardrobe.
All agree that Christian sat-in with Goodman’s band that night, and Goodman called for a difficult tune, Rose Room— which Christian knew by heart and his playing won-over everyone. Goodman hired him for his sextet, with Charlie Christian’s income going from $2.50/night to $150/week.
The un-amplified guitar had heretofore been an accompanying instrument, not easily heard in any sort of band setting. Now, Christian was able to be heard by all, and his solos (influenced by Lester Young and others) made him the influence he was to become. In fact, Goodman often asked him to turn his amplifier down, only to have Christian reply, “I like to hear myself”.
He worked with Goodman for the next two years, as well as with Lionel Hampton and the blues singer Ida Cox. He was also fond of jam sessions in Harlem, particularly at Minton’s Playhouse (located in the Cecil Hotel) where many musicians came to perform at after their normal gigs in Midtown or Greenwich Village had concluded.
Charlie Christian developed a case of tuberculosis sometime before 1940 and in June, 1941 was hospitalized in a sanitarium — seemingly making a recovery — before his health declined and he died in March, 1942 at only age twenty-five.
Later this month will mark his 105th birthday anniversary and — while never recording as a bandleader — has numerous recordings of the day (reflecting the primitive recording techniques of the era) with a 1987 compilation album serving as a career retrospective.
In 1966 he was elected to the Downbeat Magazine Hall of Fame, in 1989 to the Oklahoma Jazz Hall of Fame and the following year, the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inducted him as an Early Influence. In 2006 a street in Oklahoma City was named after him and he is buried in his birthplace of Bonham, Texas.
Of all of his work, my favorite is this 1941 recording at Minton’s Playhouse with the popular big band standard Stompin’ at the Savoy, named after a different Harlem nightspot (the Savoy Ballroom). This type of assertive guitar playing was uncommon in 1941.