Something old, something new ….. after-the-jump ….
But first: Top Comments appears nightly, as a round-up of the best comments on Daily Kos. Surely ... you come across comments daily that are perceptive, apropos and .. well, perhaps even humorous. But they are more meaningful if they're well-known ... which is where you come in (especially in diaries/stories receiving little attention).------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Send your nominations to TopComments at gmail dot com by 9:30 PM Eastern Time nightly, or by our KosMail message board. Please indicate (a) why you liked the comment, and (b) your Dkos user name (to properly credit you) as well as a link to the comment itself.
A book that I can heartily recommend (and you need not be a jazz buff to enjoy) that was published just this past May — and which I found at my public library:
The author told a radio interviewer the genesis of this book:
Years ago I wrote a book about the Black men who worked on the railroad who were known as Pullman porters. They were an extraordinary collection of guys who from the end of the Civil War (most of them were ex-slaves) to the 1960's made traveling by train and Pullman sleeper car the best way to get across America. They told that when I got done writing about them I had to write another book about their three all-time favorite passengers, guys named "Duke", "Count" and “Satchmo."
Unlike many musical history books: this does not get into-the-weeds of technical analysis of their instrumental styles (or song arrangements), nor extended accounts of recording sessions, nor comings-and-goings of sidemen (though there are some pertinent exceptions).
Rather, this book waves together the personal lives of these three bandleaders: including their childhoods, racial discrimination, dealing with managers (some with mob connections), winning-over white America (even in rural areas), their part in the civil rights struggle, their marriages (and often callous treatment of women), egos, wardrobes, finances and band member in-fighting. One book review takes this theme even further:
Tye organizes the chapters so that he can interweave the lives of his three protagonists: “Setting the Stage,” “Musical Lives,” “It’s an Ensemble,” “Offstage,” “Race Matters” and “Last Acts.” The juxtaposition of the information allows for a quick way to compare the lives of his subjects.
Coming-of-age at the dawn of the 1970’s: I only knew of Ellington and Armstrong as old men in the final years of their lives, whereas Count Basie (who lived until 1984) I knew primarily as an accompanist to Frank Sinatra. And so this book makes these three bandleader giants quite human, recognizing what they accomplished, warts-and-all.
Just over seven years ago, I updated an (even earlier) story about the singer-songwriter duo of Brewer & Shipley… and their song One Toke Over the Line that was never meant to be performed publicly, yet — due to a chain-link of coincidences — became their old-age pension. It concluded with the performance of the song on the Lawrence Welk show, with the woman (Gail Farrell) who sang it on that show hoping to crowd-fund a one-woman show. If achieved, she promised to reveal who on the show knew the meaning of “toke” .. and who did not.
You can read that detailed account at this link.
Now …... an update
Whether Gail Farrell is ever able to make that promised revelation: someone who won’t be around to see it is Michael Brewer, who died last month at the age of eighty. His musical partner Tom Shipley wrote on social media:
Michael Brewer, my friend of 65 years (and music partner for over 60) had to go. I saw him on Saturday at Cox Hospital in Branson and he told me he wanted to go home. He was weak and very tired. They took him home on Sunday and his wife Scarlett called this morning (Tuesday) to tell me he was gone. So tonight I will raise a glass to Michael and drink to all those years, all those miles, all those songs, and all the heavenly audiences we played for. Go with God, my friend. I’ll see you on the other side.
And now, an update to my Top Comments essay from just three weeks ago.
Last Friday, I attended my nephew’s wedding in Brooklyn, for which the big concern was the green card process for his bride Jemma (as an Australian citizen) whom he first met in Copenhagen. You can read the back-story at this link.
Now …... an update
I met her family, many of whom made the trek from Adelaide, South Australia for the service. My brother Pat “prepped” her parents and siblings about me (that weasel!) so they had a lot of “Are you ... THE Eddie?” greetings. Her father Mick was a true delight — asking me about some of the concerts that Pat told him I attended, with his telling me how many Bob Dylan shows he’s seen. He and his wife continued the more modern trend of both of them giving-away their daughter (less of an anachronism, to me).
Because both Kevin and Jemma have jobs with international travel, the priest told us during the service that there were attendees from eleven countries (twelve if you count Long Island). He was quite funny; telling us that he always asks couples how they met — and if they say “in church”, he doesn’t believe it. Finally, after the newlyweds walked out onto Metropolitan Avenue to cheers from us: passers-by not only applauded as well, but many took impromptu photos (and one even asked for a selfie).
Everything came off smoothly … and then we had my favorite wedding reception of all time. That’s saying something: as I’ve been to one on a boat in New York Harbor (past the Statue of Liberty) with an open bar featuring premium spirits.
I say this because there was an excellent DJ and open seating: no assigned tables, with small-plate food stations situated around the restaurant (and their open bar was pretty good, too). Best of all: the couple made a (relatively) brief appearance and then left: and so there were no speeches, throwing-of-the-bouquet, wedding garters, nor guests clinking their water glasses every 3-5 minutes. I can be sentimental, but some practices that date back decades ... I’ll pass on.
While their 1979 marriage only lasted eleven years: my favorite song showing a (comically re-enacted) wedding has to be Nick Lowe’s Cruel to Be Kind— also an international wedding (UK/USA) — to Carlene Carter, the stepdaughter of Johnny Cash. Their divorce was amicable and the couple have remained friends.
Now, on to Top Comments (and even some Top Photos):
From Audri:
From Perlinator:
And from Ed Tracey, your faithful correspondent this evening ........
In the diary by Vetwife about the varying degrees of interaction/lack thereof with you-know-who at Jimmy Carter’s state funeral ... while some were off-put about the interaction with him by Barack Obama, I thought Moai not only cited the most important reason (BHO’s dignity) but also noted the enduring frustration of “the orange bronzer” not to be welcomed by the blueblood set he has always wanted.
And lastly: yesterday's Top Mojo - mega-mojo to the intrepid mik ...... who rescued this feature from oblivion:
10) More Telnaes support by Denise Oliver Velez +9020) Dump by Denise Oliver Velez +7225) I welcome our new Canadian overlords! by Hinoema01 +6825) The Extreme Court. by Lefty Coaster +6830) Banana Republic. Kangaroo Court. by elliott +65