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 (especially after being named a delegate at the DNC in Philadelphia) and ...... well, each of you at Cheers and Jeers. Have a fabulous weekend .... and week ahead.
ART NOTES — works by the watercolorist Charles Burchfield in an exhibition entitled Industrial Beauty are on display at the Arkansas Arts Center in Little Rock through May 8th.
Now in Little Rock, ArkansasHAIL and FAREWELL to the TV/stage and film star Madeline Sherwood— a veteran of several Tennessee Williams plays who became known to the general public as the Mother Superior in the TV show “The Flying Nun” (that launched Sally Field’s career), yet who had to overcome blacklisting during the McCarthy era — who has died in her native Québec at the age of 93.
CHEERS to efforts to alleviate climate change-related flooding in the west African nation of Cameroon— paying young people to collect plastic litter that clogs rivers and blocks gutters, then recycling the plastic into slabs that can be used for construction — and thus fighting youth unemployment, plastic waste pollution, flooding, and non-sustainable building at the same time.
THURSDAY's CHILD is named Chloe the Cat— an Welsh kitteh who was lost six years ago (after she jumped from her carrier) yet was reunited …. due to her microchip.
Chloe the CatIF YOU CAN IMAGINE a sports championship combining the surprise of the 1980 US Olympic ice hockey team, the 1969 Mets and the 2004 Boston Red Sox comeback — then you can understand the excitement in the soccer world over the success of the Leicester City team this season. With only two games left to go, they are poised to win the championship of England’s Premier League — the most prestigious professional league in the world — for the first time in its 125+ year history, needing only one win in its final two matches (or if the second-place team loses Monday night).
A 5,000-to-1 shot at the beginning of the year (having finished 14th out of 20 teams last year) some who bet on them to win have already cashed-out a partial offer (rather than risk waiting until the end) and one fan says his 5-pound wager will provide a down payment on a house.
FRIDAY's CHILD is named Gwen the Cat— a nursing Michigan shelter kitteh who was also willing to nurse Bobby, a days-old ………. puppy whose mother died in a car accident.
Gwen the Mama CatBRAIN TEASER - try this Quiz of the Week's News from the BBC.
THIS COMING SUNDAY I will feature Odds & Ends - a wrap-up diary of my postings, circa noon Eastern (9 AM Pacific). I hope you'll vote in the "Who Lost the Week?!?" poll (a mirror image of the one Bill posts here). Dang, there are already bushel baskets of misfits lined-up for your review (such as James Webb, Dennis Hastert and John McCain’s consultant) .... and the week's not over yet.
SEPARATED at BIRTH — two dyspeptic public officials: Arizona’s notorious Sheriff Joe Arpaio— a Trump supporter, natch — and Maine’s notorious Governor Paul LePage — also a Trump supporter whom Charlie Pierce calls “the human bowling ball jacket” and said that electing him is like “voting for the weekend fill-in host …………. at your local talk radio station”.
Arizona’s sheriff Joe Arpaio Maine’s Gov. Paul LePage...... and finally, for a song of the week ...........................… whenever music or celebrity magazines list “power couples”, they always list Beyoncé and Jay-Z, Tim McGraw and Faith Hill ….. and if they consider the blues: they would also have to include Susan Tedeschi and Derek Trucks: whose fifteen-year marriage has survived separate careers, two children and now a touring band that they lead. Both came from a noteworthy family in their region, both achieved success individually as both guitarists and bandleaders at young ages and together the whole is even greater than the sum-of-the-parts. Each is worthy of a full individual profile, but let’s do the best for both in a short space.
Susan Tedeschi was born in 1970 in the suburbs of Boston, from an extended family that made its name via a regional convenience store chain. She was an early listener to the blues (with her father’s collection of vintage blues albums) and she was able to graduate from Boston’s prestigious Berklee College of Music at only age 20.
Marinating in the blues scene of greater Boston (as Bonnie Raitt did a generation earlier) she formed her own band in 1993 and became known as a noted singer as much as for her guitar skills. With more and more exposure (and a regional record release) her band was able to obtain an indie record contract in 1998.
That first release Just Won’t Burn made her career — with several songs she wrote (including the title track) as well as spirited covers of John Prine’s Angel from Montgomery and (Mama) He Treats Your Daughter Mean— that Ruth Brown made famous for Atlantic Records.
She had offers from 1999-2003 to appear at the Lilith Fair tour as well as being an opening act for bands such as the Rolling Stones, Buddy Guy, B.B. King and Bob Dylan’s bands. I cited her in a previous Top Comments diary as being among the most prominent female blues guitarists back in 2011.
And throughout this new century, while her personal life took an interesting twist: she has continued to record under her own name along, garnering five Grammy nominations as a solo artist at only age forty-five.
The 1998 breakthroughDerek Trucks was born in 1979 in Jacksonville, Florida. The nephew of Butch Trucks (drummer for the Allman Brothers) and whose great-uncle was the baseball pitcher Virgil Trucks, he was a child prodigy on guitar, sitting-in not only with his uncle’s band but also the likes of Buddy Guy by the time he became a teenager. Then by the time of his twentieth birthday one could add Bob Dylan, Joe Walsh and Stephen Stills to that list.
His own musical stylings coincided with his future wife, yet had differences as well: while she had more R&B leanings (in addition to Delta blues) and is a much adept singer: he is not a vocalist yet has major jazz influences (such as John Coltrane and Sun Ra) in his playing. In fact, the couple’s two children have names reflecting jazz stars: son Charles was named after both saxophonist Charlie Parker (as well as jazz guitar pioneer Charlie Christian) and their daughter Sophia’s middle name is Naima — the title of a famous John Coltrane ballad dedicated to his first wife. Derek also became interested in Indian music and has become adept at playing the multi-stringed sarod— very popular in Indian classical music.
The Derek Trucks Band was founded in 1997, and had several successful albums through last decade before disbanding — in fact, their last studio album Already Free won a 2010 Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Blues album.
In addition, Derek Trucks was asked to join his uncle in the Allman Brothers Band back in 1999, and performed with them periodically until their farewell concert in late October, 2014. Then in 2011, he was ranked by Rolling Stone as #16 in their 100 Greatest Guitarists rankings … and he will only turn age thirty-seven this June.
As a younger performerThis decade, the two performers decided to join forces, as their outside commitments had made increasing demands upon their family. The founding of the Tedeschi Trucks Band— with an expanded lineup, including a horn section and with her as the band’s principal singer — enables them to tour together and bring their kids with them when possible.
“It helps being married to someone who understands what you’re doing. Because if Susan hadn’t been a musician and understood what [being on] the road takes, I don’t know if doing this would even be possible,” Derek conceded. Having been a part of the Allman Brothers and hearing tales of broken families, he added, “When me and Susan first were together and were having kids, we had a few long talks like, ‘We’re not gonna do what they did. This isn’t going to turn into that same ole story. We’re going to do this differently.’”
They sponsor an annual two-day Florida music festival each January, they both performed at the famous 2012 White House blues summit (where President Obama was coaxed into singing a few bars of “Sweet Home Chicago”) and their new band’s debut album won a 2012 Grammy Award for best blues album.
The Tedeschi Trucks Band has an extensive summer tour lined-up, beginning in Buffalo, New York and has a new album release for 2016, which you will no doubt hear selections from at their shows this summer. Here’s hoping their musical and marital partnership will long endure.
Coming to a city near youOf all of the songs they have performed together: my favorite is one that they performed as part of jazz pianist Herbie Hancock’s Imagine album project, that brought together guest musicians (and songs) from across the musical spectrum.
The tune that Herbie asked them to perform on was Space Captain — written by the songwriter Matthew Moore, who introduced it to the late Joe Cocker while Moore was part of the legendary Mad Dogs & Englishmen tour of 1970, appearing on the live album release of that tour. Barbra Streisand and the Black Crowes are among those who have also recorded it, in addition to Herbie Hancock.
Susan and Derek made it part of their repertoire, and when they appeared on Eric Clapton’s recurring Crossroads tour in 2010, they performed it — with veteran sideman Chris Stainton (who performed on the original Mad Dogs & Englishmen recording of it) leading the band on keyboards. And below you can hear it.
Once while traveling across the sky This lovely planet caught my eye And being curious: I flew close-by And now I'm caught here until I dieI lost my memory of where I've been — We all forgot we could fly — Someday we'll change to peaceful men — And return into the sky
Until we die ……... learning to live together …... until we die
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