Pat Bowie With Charles McPherson • Feelin' Good

 

Hearts of darkness James Taylor, Jackson Browne, Cat Stevens, and the unlikely rise of the singer-songwriter

 

Hearts of Darkness is the story of a generation's coming of age through the experiences of its three most atypical pop stars. James Taylor, Jackson Browne, and Cat Stevens could never have been considered your typical late-sixties songwriters – self-absorbed and self-composed, all three eschewed the traditional means of delivering their songs, instead turning its process inward. The result was a body of work that stands among the most profoundly personal art ever to translate into an international language, and a sequence of songs – from “Sweet Baby James” and “Carolina in My Mind ” to “Jamaica Say You Will” and “These Days ” to “Peace Train” and “Wild World” – that remain archetypes not only of what the critics called the singer-songwriter movement, but of the human condition itself.

Author Dave Thompson, himself a legend among rock biographers, takes on his subjects with his usual brio and candor, leaving no stone unturned in his quest to shine a light on the dark side of this profoundly earnest era in popular music. Penetrating, pointed, and laced with vivid insight and detail, Hearts of Darkness is the story of rock when it no longer felt the need to roll.

 

David Thompson (Autor)

 

Gregorian Chant pdf

 

Willi Apel's classic study of Gregorian chant is now in paperback. This extensive survey describes the evolutionary processes of its long history as well as its definition and terminology, the structure of the liturgy, the texts, the notation, the rhythm, the tonality, and the methods and forms of psalmody.

 

Willi Apel (Author)  

 

Aretha Franklin • Respect

 

www.arethafranklin.net ...

The Cambridge Companion to the Singer-Songwriter

 

Most often associated with modern artists such as Bob Dylan, Elton John, Don McLean, Neil Diamond, and Carole King, the singer-songwriter tradition in fact has a long and complex history dating back to the medieval troubadour and earlier. This Companion explains the historical contexts, musical analyses, and theoretical frameworks of the singer-songwriter tradition. Divided into five parts, the book explores the tradition in the context of issues including authenticity, gender, queer studies, musical analysis, and performance. The contributors reveal how the tradition has been expressed around the world and throughout its history to the present day. Essential reading for enthusiasts, practitioners, students, and scholars, this book features case studies of a wide range of both well and lesser-known singer-songwriters, from Thomas d'Urfey through to Carole King and Kanye West.

 

Katherine Williams (Editor), Justin A. Williams (Editor)  

 

Nina Simone • A Single Woman The Complete Elektra Recordings

 

Review by Thom Jurek
A Single Woman is the final studio album released by Nina Simone. Released in 1993, it was her first studio outing in seven years and was produced by Andre Fischer, the Grammy-winning co-founder/drummer of Rufus who produced Natalie Cole's smash Unforgettable. The recording sessions netted 17 tunes -- ten made the final cut. Her revolving studio cast included bassists John Clayton and Jim Hughart, pianist Michael Melvoin, percussionist Larry Bunker, drummer Jeffrey Hamilton, and guitarists John Chiodini and Al Schackman. A 50-piece orchestra with strings performed on the first seven tracks. The material was shaped by arrangers Clayton, William Evans, and Jeremy Lubbock. Despite her trademark range in choosing material and a thoroughly committed performance that ranged effortlessly across genres, Fischer's polished production miffed some critics, who lamented that the recording wasn't "raw" enough. Simone isn't credited on piano because she sang while fronting the orchestra.

The album is modeled on two of Simone's favorite albums: Billie Holiday's 1958 classic Lady in Satin and Frank Sinatra's 1969 A Man Alone (The Words and Music of Rod McKuen). She actually kicks the record off with two McKuen selections: The poignant philosophical ballad "A Simple Woman" and the jaunty "Lonesome Cities." She then delivers a stunning "Love's Been Good to Me" a few selections later, detailing her amorous relationships. The orchestral tunes end a few songs later with her luscious reading of George Brassens' heartbreaking chanson "Il N'y A Pas D'Amour Heureux" (There is No Such Thing as Happy Love). All three songs appeared on Sinatra's album. "Just Say I Love Him" is a dark, lonely, loss-ridden cabaret song. Harry Warren's "The More I See You" is a finger-popping jazz tune with a hip trumpet break by Jack Sheldon before the album wraps with the swinging Simone original "Marry Me." Though dismissed by critics at the time, A Single Woman reveals an ever-evolving, creatively restless artist and deserves reconsideration as a powerful work of mature, iconic art.

[2025's A Single Woman: The Complete Elektra Recordings is beautifully remastered. Its ten bonus tracks include the seven unissued session songs including a stellar "The Long and Winding Road," a 58-second intro take of Bob Dylan's "The Times They Are A-Changin'" that emerges into Prince's "Sign of the Times" to reflect their original sequencing. (There's an alternate take of it later.) It also includes two excellent takes of Fats Waller's "I'm Gonna Sit Right Down and Write Myself a Letter" that cross jump blues, stride, and R&B. Simone pays a fantastic tribute to Bob Marley with "No Woman, No Cry." The inclusion of two takes of the sexually overt "Do I Move You" looks back to the 1960s when she cut the tune twice as a single in 1966 and an unreleased second, slower, lustier version. This one revels in a celebratory sensuality. There are also two versions of "Baseball Boogie," presumably with Simone pumping the 88s in scorching jump blues versions. 
https://www.allmusic.com/album/a-single-woman-the-complete-elektra-recordings-mw0004631665

///////

Reseña de Thom Jurek
A Single Woman es el último álbum de estudio lanzado por Nina Simone. Lanzado en 1993, fue su primera salida de estudio en siete años y fue producido por Andre Fischer,cofundador/baterista ganador del Grammy de Rufus que produjo el éxito Unforgettable de Natalie Cole. Las sesiones de grabación obtuvieron 17 melodías ten diez llegaron al corte final. Su elenco de estudio rotativo incluía a los bajistas John Clayton y Jim Hughart, el pianista Michael Melvoin, el percusionista Larry Bunker, el baterista Jeffrey Hamilton y los guitarristas John Chiodini y Al Schackman. Una orquesta de 50 músicos con cuerdas tocó en las primeras siete pistas. El material fue moldeado por los arreglistas Clayton, William Evans y Jeremy Lubbock. A pesar de su rango característico en la elección del material y una interpretación completamente comprometida que abarcaba sin esfuerzo todos los géneros, la pulida producción de Fischer molestó a algunos críticos, quienes lamentaron que la grabación no fuera lo suficientemente "cruda". Simone no está acreditada al piano porque cantó al frente de la orquesta.

El álbum está inspirado en dos de los álbumes favoritos de Simone: el clásico Lady in Satin de Billie Holiday de 1958 y A Man Alone de Frank Sinatra de 1969 (Las palabras y la música de Rod McKuen). De hecho, inicia el disco con dos selecciones de McKuen: La conmovedora balada filosófica "A Simple Woman" y la alegre " Lonesome Cities. Luego entrega un impresionante "El amor Ha sido Bueno para Mí" unas pocas selecciones más tarde, detallando sus relaciones amorosas .  Las melodías orquestales terminan unas canciones más tarde con su deliciosa lectura de la desgarradora canción de George Brassens "Il N'y A Pas D'Amour Heureux" (No Existe el Amor Feliz). Las tres canciones aparecieron en el álbum de Sinatra. "Just Say I Love Him" es una canción de cabaret oscura, solitaria y llena de pérdidas. "The More I See You" de Harry Warren es una melodía de jazz que hace estallar los dedos con un corte de trompeta moderno de Jack Sheldon antes de que el álbum termine con el swing original de Simone " Marry Me."Aunque rechazada por los críticos en ese momento, A Single Woman revela una artista en constante evolución y creativamente inquieta y merece una reconsideración como una poderosa obra de arte maduro e icónico.

[A Single Woman: The Complete Elektra Recordings de 2025 está bellamente remasterizada. Sus diez pistas adicionales incluyen las siete canciones de sesión no emitidas, incluida una estelar "The Long and Winding Road", una toma introductoria de 58 segundos de "The Times They Are A-Changin'" de Bob Dylan que emerge en "Sign of the Times" de Prince para reflejar su secuencia original. (Hay una versión alternativa más adelante.) También incluye dos excelentes tomas de "I'm Gonna Sit Right Down and Write Myself a Letter" de Fats Waller que cruzan jump blues, stride y R & B. Simone rinde un fantástico homenaje a Bob Marley con " No Woman, No Cry."La inclusión de dos tomas de la abiertamente sexual" Do I Move You " se remonta a la década de 1960 cuando ella cortó la melodía dos veces como sencillo en 1966 y una segunda versión inédita, más lenta y exuberante. Este se deleita con una sensualidad festiva. También hay dos versiones de "Baseball Boogie", presumiblemente con Simone bombeando los 88 en versiones abrasadoras de jump blues. 
https://www.allmusic.com/album/a-single-woman-the-complete-elektra-recordings-mw0004631665


 

Allan Harris • The Genius Of Eddie Jefferson

 

In an accompanying press release, Allan Harris compares his deep dive into Eddie Jefferson’s groundbreaking oeuvre to “taking a master class at MIT.” No question that navigating the tricky, rapid-fire, street-smart wordplay of vocalese—an art form Jefferson is widely credited with creating and of which he remains the undisputed champ, even 39 years after his untimely death—is a daunting endeavor. But although he’s best known for his buttery tributes to Nat “King” Cole and Billy Eckstine, Harris ranks among the most dexterous singers around, and he proves fully up to the challenge. Indeed, it’s intriguing to hear these 10 gems—mostly vocalese, plus such covers as “Memphis” and Duke Pearson’s “Jeannine”—rechanneled from Jefferson’s vocal grit to Harris’ rich baritone.

Befitting so notable a project, Harris has enlisted top-drawer support: tenor saxophonist Ralph Moore, pianist Eric Reed, bassist George DeLancey, drummer Willie Jones III and, most significant, alto saxophonist Richie Cole, who worked closely with Jefferson in his later years, including on the night he was shot and killed after a Detroit gig in 1979.

The beauty of so many Jefferson creations is that they’re not only based on jazz standards but also reworked to lyrically celebrate jazz masters and jazz lore. “So What” recalls Miles and Coltrane’s famous mid-performance co-exit, while “Body and Soul” venerates Coleman Hawkins. Prez, Bird, Dex and Horace Silver are all genuflected to. Aptly, Harris closes with Cole’s “Waltz for a Rainy Bebop Evening,” a whirling salute to the jazz life and its giants.
https://jazztimes.com/reviews/albums/allan-harris-eddie-jefferson/

///////

En un comunicado de prensa adjunto, Allan Harris compara su profunda inmersión en la innovadora obra de Eddie Jefferson con «asistir a una clase magistral en el MIT». No hay duda de que navegar por los complicados, rápidos y astutos juegos de palabras del vocalese —una forma de arte cuya creación se atribuye ampliamente a Jefferson y de la que sigue siendo el campeón indiscutible, incluso 39 años después de su prematura muerte— es una tarea desalentadora. Pero, aunque es más conocido por sus suaves homenajes a Nat «King» Cole y Billy Eckstine, Harris se encuentra entre los cantantes más hábiles del panorama actual y demuestra estar a la altura del reto. De hecho, resulta intrigante escuchar estas diez joyas —en su mayoría vocalese, además de versiones como «Memphis» y «Jeannine» de Duke Pearson— reinterpretadas desde la fuerza vocal de Jefferson al rico barítono de Harris.

Como corresponde a un proyecto tan notable, Harris ha contado con el apoyo de músicos de primer nivel: el saxofonista tenor Ralph Moore, el pianista Eric Reed, el bajista George DeLancey, el baterista Willie Jones III y, lo más significativo, el saxofonista alto Richie Cole, que trabajó estrechamente con Jefferson en sus últimos años, incluso la noche en que fue asesinado a tiros tras un concierto en Detroit en 1979.

La belleza de tantas creaciones de Jefferson radica en que no solo se basan en estándares del jazz, sino que también se reelaboran para celebrar líricamente a los maestros del jazz y la tradición jazzística. «So What» recuerda la famosa salida conjunta de Miles y Coltrane en mitad de una actuación, mientras que «Body and Soul» venera a Coleman Hawkins. Prez, Bird, Dex y Horace Silver son todos objeto de reverencia. Harris cierra acertadamente con «Waltz for a Rainy Bebop Evening» de Cole, un vertiginoso homenaje a la vida del jazz y a sus gigantes.
https://jazztimes.com/reviews/albums/allan-harris-eddie-jefferson/


allanharris.com ...

Etta James • Love Songs

 

Eddie Jefferson • Body and Soul

 

Eddie Jefferson (3 de agosto de 1918, Pittsburgh, Pensilvania, Estados Unidos – 9 de mayo de 1979, Detroit, Michigan, Estados Unidos), un ex-bailarín de claqué y cantante, tuvo la idea un día de 1952, de poner letra a la bella y extraordinaria improvisación que el saxofonista, James Moody, había realizado a la balada «I’m in The Mood For Love» con músicos suecos en 1949. Después de él vinieron muchos otros, incluso con gran éxito como fue el caso del cantante, King Pleasure, pero, Jefferson fue el primero. Y con el nació el estilo vocal conocido como «vocalese».

Eddie Jefferson, cantaba la letra recogiendo todas y cada una de las inflexiones del sólo de saxo de Moody yendo mas allá del scat,  – el canto improvisado sin palabras – y por tanto creando las bases para una nueva canción. Al principio de su carrera, Jefferson, había introducido esporádicamente en sus espectáculos de clubes, breves versiones vocales de solos de Chu Berry y Lester Young. Ya antes, en 1939, hizo algo parecido con el tema de Coleman Hawkins, «Body and Soul».  Y fue cuando Jefferson estaba trabajando en el «Cotton Club» de Cincinnati en 1950, cuando King Pleasure se presentó en el Teatro Apollo de Harlem y ganó su concurso para aficionados con el tema de Jefferson.

En 1953, Eddie Jefferson se asoció con el saxofonista, James Moody y su grupo durante una década donde tuvo la oportunidad de grabar varios discos para los sellos: Argo, Prestige y Riverside. Durante los años setenta, formó pareja con el también saxofonista, Richie Cole, grabando con él varios discos para el sello «Muse» antes de morir trágicamente asesinado a las puertas de un club de Detroit en donde trabajaba.
https://apoloybaco.com/jazz/eddie-jefferson/

///////

Biography by Scott Yanow
The founder of vocalese (putting recorded solos to words), Eddie Jefferson did not have a great voice, but he was one of the top jazz singers, getting the maximum out of what he had. He started out working as a tap dancer, but by the late '40s was singing and writing lyrics. A live session from 1949 (released on Spotlite) finds him pioneering vocalese by singing his lyrics to "Parker's Mood" and Lester Young's solo on "I Cover the Waterfront." However, his classic lyrics to "Moody's Mood for Love" were recorded first by King Pleasure (1952), who also had a big hit with his version of "Parker's Mood." Jefferson had his first studio recording that year (which included Coleman Hawkins' solo on "Body and Soul"), before working with James Moody (1953-1957). Although he recorded on an occasional basis in the 1950s and '60s, his contributions to the idiom seemed to be mostly overlooked until the 1970s. Jefferson worked with Moody again (1968-1973), and during his last few years often performed with Richie Cole. He was shot to death outside of a Detroit club in 1979. Eddie Jefferson, who also wrote memorable lyrics to "Jeannine," "Lady Be Good," "So What," "Freedom Jazz Dance," and even "Bitches' Brew," recorded for Savoy, Prestige, a single for Checker, Inner City, and Muse; his final sides appeared in 1999 under the title Vocal Ease. 
https://www.allmusic.com/artist/eddie-jefferson-mn0000168784#biography

 

 

Nina Simone • I Put A Spell On You

 

Lift Every Voice and Swing: Black Musicians and Religious Culture in the Jazz Century

 

Explores the role of jazz celebrities like Ella Fitzgerald, Cab Calloway, Duke Ellington, and Mary Lou Williams as representatives of African American religion in the twentieth century

Beginning in the 1920s, the Jazz Age propelled Black swing artists into national celebrity. Many took on the role of race representatives, and were able to leverage their popularity toward achieving social progress for other African Americans.

In Lift Every Voice and Swing, Vaughn A. Booker argues that with the emergence of these popular jazz figures, who came from a culture shaped by Black Protestantism, religious authority for African Americans found a place and spokespeople outside of traditional Afro-Protestant institutions and religious life. Popular Black jazz professionals―such as Ella Fitzgerald, Cab Calloway, Duke Ellington, and Mary Lou Williams―inherited religious authority though they were not official religious leaders. Some of these artists put forward a religious culture in the mid-twentieth century by releasing religious recordings and putting on religious concerts, and their work came to be seen as integral to the Black religious ethos.
Booker documents this transformative era in religious expression, in which jazz musicians embodied religious beliefs and practices that echoed and diverged from the predominant African American religious culture. He draws on the heretofore unexamined private religious writings of Duke Ellington and Mary Lou Williams, and showcases the careers of female jazz artists alongside those of men, expanding our understanding of African American religious expression and decentering the Black church as the sole concept for understanding Black Protestant religiosity.

 

James Brown • Jazz

One of the many compilations issued in the wake of James Brown's passing in 2007 is this rather strange and necessary one produced by Alan Leeds and Harry Weinger. There's no irony in the title, and it's only a little misleading. Brown loved all kinds of music throughout his lifetime and made no secret of it. This set compiles 12 cuts, all of which Brown originally produced, that accent the jazzier -- and sometimes near all-out jazz (though everything on this baby has more than a little soul grit mixed in) -- side of the Godfather. The coolest thing about this set is that it contains numerous unreleased alternate mixes, extended versions, single edits, and literally unreleased versions and tunes that span from standards and soul-jazz cuts to '70s-era pop tunes. Ranging from 1964's reading of the Adderley Brothers' "Tengo Tango" (never before issued in any form) to a 1970s alternate mix of "For Once in My Life," this is perhaps among the most ambitious of Brown recordings to be released in quite some time. Released gems here include Brown on a killer B-3 take of Jimmy McGriff's "All About My Girl" in 1966 and his version of Joe Zawinul's "Why (Am I Treated So Bad)" from 1967. In between, there are hip mixes of standards like "Cottage for Sale" and "That's My Desire." The sequencing here is not stale either, since it's not chronological. In fact, since it bookends in the year 1970, with the 1960s material sandwiched between, it's rather wonderful aesthetically. Recommended.
Thom Jurek, Rovi

///////

Una de las muchas compilaciones publicadas tras el fallecimiento de James Brown en 2007 es esta bastante extraña y necesaria producida por Alan Leeds y Harry Weinger. No hay ironía en el título, y es sólo un poco engañoso. Brown amaba todo tipo de música durante toda su vida y no lo ocultó. Este set recopila 12 cortes, todos los cuales Brown produjo originalmente, que acentúan el lado más jazzero -- y a veces casi totalmente jazzero (aunque todo en este bebé tiene más que un poco de agallas de alma mezcladas) -- del lado del Padrino. Lo mejor de este conjunto es que contiene numerosas mezclas alternativas inéditas, versiones extendidas, ediciones de sencillos y, literalmente, versiones y melodías inéditas que van desde los estándares y los cortes de soul-jazz hasta las melodías pop de los años 70. Desde la lectura en 1964 de "Tengo Tango" de los hermanos Adderley (nunca antes publicado en ninguna forma) hasta una mezcla alternativa de los años 70 de "For Once in My Life", esta es quizás la más ambiciosa de las grabaciones de Brown que se ha lanzado en bastante tiempo. Entre las joyas que se han publicado aquí se encuentran Brown en una estupenda toma en B-3 de "All About My Girl" de Jimmy McGriff en 1966 y su versión de "Why (Am I Treated So Bad)" de Joe Zawinul de 1967. En medio, hay mezclas de estándares como "Cottage for Sale" y "That's My Desire". La secuenciación aquí tampoco es rancia, ya que no es cronológica. De hecho, como termina en el año 1970, con el material de los años 60 entre ambos, es bastante maravilloso estéticamente. Recomendado.

Thom Jurek, Rovi

www.jamesbrown.com ...

The Race of Sound: Listening, Timbre, and Vocality in African American Music

 

In The Race of Sound Nina Sun Eidsheim traces the ways in which sonic attributes that might seem natural, such as the voice and its qualities, are socially produced. Eidsheim illustrates how listeners measure race through sound and locate racial subjectivities in vocal timbre—the color or tone of a voice. Eidsheim examines singers Marian Anderson, Billie Holiday, and Jimmy Scott as well as the vocal synthesis technology Vocaloid to show how listeners carry a series of assumptions about the nature of the voice and to whom it belongs. Outlining how the voice is linked to ideas of racial essentialism and authenticity, Eidsheim untangles the relationship between race, gender, vocal technique, and timbre while addressing an undertheorized space of racial and ethnic performance. In so doing, she advances our knowledge of the cultural-historical formation of the timbral politics of difference and the ways that comprehending voice remains central to understanding human experience, all the while advocating for a form of listening that would allow us to hear singers in a self-reflexive, denaturalized way. 

 

Bruton Music Library • BRB 19 Vocal Jingles

 

Each jingle has two versions. One with non specific vocals at top and end and one instrumental. All are 58 which will edit to 28 secs and intercut. There is also a set of staccato single chords (Baps) in the keys of various jingles for editing to produce sharper endings.

Ella Fitzgerald • Lady Time

Review by Scott Yanow
This LP places Ella Fitzgerald (then 60) in an unusual setting. Joined only by organist Jackie Davis and drummer Louie Bellson, she tackles a wide variety of material that ranges from "I'm Walkin'" and "I Cried for You" to "Mack the Knife" (which did not need to be remade) and "And the Angels Sing." Not one of her more essential releases, Lady Time does show that even at this fairly late stage in her career, Fitzgerald could outswing just about anyone.

Note:
In my opinion, Scott Yanow has not perceived the beauty of this recording, Ella and Jackie in perfect conjunction, accompanied by the omnipresent and delicate battery of Louie Bellson, without the grandiloquence of an orchestral support, Ella gives her voice to all its splendor.

 

////////

Traducción Automática:

Este LP coloca a Ella Fitzgerald (entonces 60) en un entorno inusual. Ensamblado solo por el organista Jackie Davis y la baterista Louie Bellson, aborda una amplia variedad de material que va desde "I'm Walkin '" y "I Cried for You" hasta "Mack the Knife" (que no necesitó ser rehecho) y "Y los ángeles cantan". No es uno de sus lanzamientos más esenciales, Lady Time demuestra que incluso en esta etapa bastante avanzada de su carrera, Fitzgerald podría superar a cualquiera.

Nota:
En mi opinion, Scott Yanow no ha percibido la belleza de esta grabación, Ella y Jackie en perfecta conjunción, acompañados de la omnipresente y delicada batería de Louie Bellson, sin la grandilocuencia de un soporte orquestal, Ella brinda su voz en todo su esplendor.

Big Mama Thornton • With The Muddy Waters Blues Band

 

Artist Biography

 Willie Mae Thornton, known popularly as “Big Mama,” was not only a successful singer/songwriter in her own time, but a major influential voice in the development of American popular music with her original version of “Hound Dog.”

She herself was influenced by the famous blues singers of the 1920s and 1930s like Bessie Smith, Memphis Minnie, and Ma Rainey. She was a popular performer famous for exuberant shows. “Her booming voice, sometimes 200-pound frame, and exuberant stage manner had audiences stomping their feet and shouting encouragement in R&B theaters from coast to coast from the early 1950s on,” according to the Encyclopedia of Pop Rock & Soul. She received no formal training, either for voice, or for the instruments she played, like the harmonica and the drums. She was a true musician and was able to watch others play and then try things out until she got them right.

Born December 11, 1926 in the country outside Montgomery, Alabama, Thornton was one of seven children of a minister. She began her music career singing alongside her mother in her father's church choir and also playing harmonica, an instrument she picked up at a very early age, in small shows around the countryside. When, in 1940, her mother died Thornton was forced to go out and work. Only 14 years old, she took a job scrubbing floors at a local saloon and it was there that she had her first opportunity to sing in public when the regular singer suddenly quit her job one night leaving the place with no entertainment. After her first successful attempt at singing in public, Thornton entered a small talent show in which she won first prize, and it was there that she came to the attention of Sammy Green. Green asked her to join his Hot Harlem Review and Thornton was soon after seen touring with the vaudeville troupe, dancing and singing across the South.

In 1948 she stopped touring and settled in Houston, Texas having signed a five-year contract with Don Robey to be his nightclub singer, singing with Louis Jordan's band. There she met such famous musicians as Junior Parker, Lightning Hopkins, Lowell Fulson, and Gatemouth Brown. They all helped influence her building style, and it was while living in Houston that Thornton released her first recording under the name Harlem Stars. Brought more firmly into the blues world by this release, she was signed onto the Peacock label, which had her heading to Los Angles to perform with Johnny Otis, the famous bandleader.

She toured with Johnny Otis's Rhythm and Blues Caravan throughout the early 1950s. In 1952 they went to New York to perform at the Apollo, it was while there that Big Mama got her nickname, given to her after the first performance because she was six feet tall, was rather large, and had an immense, earthy voice. The name stuck. At the same time she was touring she recorded around thirty songs of her own.

In 1953 she recorded “Hound Dog,” the song later made famous by Elvis Presley. Johnny Otis, asked Jerry Lieber and Mike Stoller to write a song specifically for Thornton and that song was “Hound Dog.” It quickly went up the R&B charts to number one and was the song that made Thornton a big star. Three years later Elvis Presley recorded the song and it became an enormous hit for him. Thornton, in the meantime, always thought she'd never received the credit she should have for the song. Although written by Lieber and Stoller, it was her additions to the song that made it the hit it is today but she received only one check for $500 for the song and never saw another penny that the popular song pulled in.

After the release of “Hound Dog” in 1952, Thornton went on tour with some of her old friends, first with Junior Parker and Johnny Ace from 1953 to 1954, and then with Gatemouth Brown in 1956. After her tours finished she moved to Los Angeles and started playing harmonica and drums in some of the local clubs as the popularity of blues began to decline. In 1961 Thornton was brought into the limelight again with her release of the song “Ball and Chain.”

Although she struggled a bit professionally during her life, Thornton was well received at such festivals as the Monterey Jazz Festival, the Newport Folk Festival, and the Ann Arbor Blues Festival. She also toured Europe with the American Folk Blues Festival in 1964. When she returned she signed a contract with the Arhoolie label in 1965, with whom she stayed until the 1980s. It was while with Arhoolie that she did some of her best work as “Big Mama Thornton in Europe,” (1966) and “Big Mama Thornton with the Chicago Blues Band.” (1967) Her fortunes received a boost when Janis Joplin recorded a cover of her song “Ball and Chain.” She continued to tour and would often headline blues festivals, she also began to record again and made two albums for Mercury Records.

In 1979 she took part in the San Francisco Blues Festival, despite poor health, and gave there what critics called the performance of a lifetime. To recognize her contributions to the blues music scene, Thornton was awarded the San Francisco Blues Festival Award. Thornton appeared on many television shows throughout her life, and in 1980 she was seen onstage at the Newport Jazz Festival in a program “Blues Is a Woman” alongside other veteran female singers.

Thornton was known to be a heavy drinker and her notorious hard living finally took its toll in the 1970s and the 1980s, but Thornton performed in her lively fashion almost to the end. Even after a serious car accident in 1981 for which she required major surgery, she performed at a cabaret in Pasadena, California though she was unable to walk or stand during the performance. She died on July 25, 1984 in a boarding house in Los Angeles, California of a heart attack and complications from cirrhosis of the liver.

After a lifetime of performing, Thornton was inducted into the Blue's Foundations Hall of Fame in 1984.

In the year 2000 Thornton was remembered in a dance show called “Sweet Willie Mae.” Andrea E. Woods, who was the choreographer of the show, wanted to celebrate the freedom she found in Thornton's music. Thornton was also part of an exhibit at the Woman's Museum in Dallas, her recording of “Hound Dog” playing continuously in a room dedicated to female musicians. Also, the Fund for Women Artists website has a page dedicated to The Big Mama Thornton Project. These are high honors for a woman who died penniless and alone, and ones that will most likely be repeated as more and more people discover a woman who helped make Blues and R&B the popular forms of music they are today.

Source: James Nadal

https://musicians.allaboutjazz.com/bigmamathornton

///////

Biografía del artista

 Willie Mae Thornton, conocida popularmente como "Big Mama", no sólo fue una cantante y compositora de éxito en su época, sino también una voz influyente en el desarrollo de la música popular estadounidense con su versión original de "Hound Dog".

Ella misma fue influenciada por los famosos cantantes de blues de los años 20 y 30 como Bessie Smith, Memphis Minnie y Ma Rainey. Era una intérprete popular famosa por sus exuberantes espectáculos. "Su voz en auge, a veces de 200 libras de peso, y su exuberante manera de actuar en el escenario hicieron que el público pisoteara y gritara de costa a costa en los teatros de R&B desde principios de la década de 1950 en adelante", según la Enciclopedia del Pop Rock & Soul. No recibió ningún entrenamiento formal, ni para la voz, ni para los instrumentos que tocaba, como la armónica y la batería. Ella era una verdadera músico y era capaz de ver a otros tocar y luego probar cosas hasta que las hizo bien.

Nacido el 11 de diciembre de 1926 en las afueras de Montgomery, Alabama, Thornton fue uno de los siete hijos de un ministro. Comenzó su carrera musical cantando junto a su madre en el coro de la iglesia de su padre y también tocando la armónica, un instrumento que aprendió a una edad muy temprana, en pequeños espectáculos en el campo. Cuando, en 1940, su madre murió, Thornton se vio obligado a salir a trabajar. Con sólo 14 años de edad, aceptó un trabajo fregando pisos en un salón local y fue allí donde tuvo su primera oportunidad de cantar en público cuando la cantante habitual renunció repentinamente a su trabajo una noche, dejando el lugar sin ningún tipo de entretenimiento. Después de su primer intento exitoso de cantar en público, Thornton entró en un pequeño show de talentos en el que ganó el primer premio, y fue allí donde llamó la atención de Sammy Green. Green le pidió que se uniera a su Hot Harlem Review y Thornton fue visto de gira con la compañía de vodevil, bailando y cantando por todo el sur.

En 1948 dejó de viajar y se estableció en Houston, Texas, habiendo firmado un contrato de cinco años con Don Robey para ser su cantante de club nocturno, cantando con la banda de Louis Jordan. Allí conoció a músicos famosos como Junior Parker, Lightning Hopkins, Lowell Fulson y Gatemouth Brown. Todos ellos ayudaron a influenciar su estilo de construcción, y fue mientras vivía en Houston que Thornton lanzó su primera grabación bajo el nombre de Harlem Stars. Traída más firmemente al mundo del blues con este disco, fue fichada por el sello Peacock, que se dirigía a Los Ángeles para tocar con Johnny Otis, el famoso director de orquesta.

Viajó con Johnny Otis's Rhythm and Blues Caravan a principios de los años 50. En 1952 fueron a Nueva York para actuar en el Apollo, fue allí donde Big Mama recibió su apodo, que le fue dado después de la primera actuación porque medía 1,80 metros de altura, era bastante grande y tenía una voz inmensa y terrenal. El nombre se quedó. Al mismo tiempo que estaba de gira, grabó una treintena de canciones propias.

En 1953 grabó "Hound Dog", la canción que más tarde se hizo famosa por Elvis Presley. Johnny Otis, pidió a Jerry Lieber y Mike Stoller que escribieran una canción específica para Thornton y esa canción era "Hound Dog". Rápidamente subió en las listas de éxitos de R&B al número uno y fue la canción que convirtió a Thornton en una gran estrella. Tres años después, Elvis Presley grabó la canción y se convirtió en un gran éxito para él. Thornton, mientras tanto, siempre pensó que nunca había recibido el crédito que debería tener por la canción. Aunque fue escrita por Lieber y Stoller, fueron sus adiciones a la canción las que la convirtieron en el éxito que es hoy en día, pero sólo recibió un cheque de $500 por la canción y nunca vio otro centavo que la popular canción atrajo.

Después del lanzamiento de "Hound Dog" en 1952, Thornton se fue de gira con algunos de sus viejos amigos, primero con Junior Parker y Johnny Ace de 1953 a 1954, y luego con Gatemouth Brown en 1956. Después de terminar sus giras se mudó a Los Ángeles y comenzó a tocar la armónica y la batería en algunos de los clubes locales a medida que la popularidad del blues comenzaba a declinar. En 1961, Thornton volvió a estar en el candelero con el lanzamiento de la canción "Ball and Chain".

Aunque ella luchó un poco profesionalmente durante su vida, Thornton fue bien recibida en festivales como el Monterey Jazz Festival, el Newport Folk Festival, y el Ann Arbor Blues Festival. También realizó una gira por Europa con el American Folk Blues Festival en 1964. A su regreso firmó un contrato con el sello Arhoolie en 1965, con el que permaneció hasta los años ochenta. Fue mientras estaba con Arhoolie que hizo algunos de sus mejores trabajos como "Big Mama Thornton in Europe" (1966) y "Big Mama Thornton with the Chicago Blues Band" (Big Mama Thornton con la Chicago Blues Band). (1967) Su fortuna recibió un impulso cuando Janis Joplin grabó una versión de su canción "Ball and Chain". Continuó su gira y a menudo encabezaba los festivales de blues, también comenzó a grabar de nuevo y grabó dos discos para Mercury Records.

En 1979 participó en el Festival de Blues de San Francisco, a pesar de su mala salud, y allí dio lo que los críticos llamaron la actuación de su vida. Para reconocer sus contribuciones a la escena musical del blues, Thornton fue galardonada con el San Francisco Blues Festival Award. Thornton apareció en muchos programas de televisión a lo largo de su vida, y en 1980 fue vista en el escenario del Festival de Jazz de Newport en un programa "Blues Is a Woman" junto a otras cantantes femeninas veteranas.

Thornton era conocida por ser una bebedora empedernida y su notoria y dura vida finalmente se cobró su peaje en los años 70 y 80, pero Thornton actuó de manera muy animada casi hasta el final. Incluso después de un grave accidente automovilístico en 1981, en el que tuvo que someterse a una cirugía mayor, actuó en un cabaret en Pasadena, California, aunque no pudo caminar ni estar de pie durante la actuación. Murió el 25 de julio de 1984 en una pensión en Los Ángeles, California, de un ataque cardíaco y complicaciones de cirrosis hepática.

Después de toda una vida de actuación, Thornton fue admitido en el Salón de la Fama de Blue's Foundations en 1984.

En el año 2000 Thornton fue recordado en un espectáculo de danza llamado "Sweet Willie Mae". Andrea E. Woods, que fue la coreógrafa del espectáculo, quería celebrar la libertad que encontró en la música de Thornton. Thornton también formó parte de una exposición en el Museo de la Mujer de Dallas, su grabación de "Hound Dog" tocando continuamente en una sala dedicada a mujeres músicas. Además, el sitio web del Fondo para Mujeres Artistas tiene una página dedicada al Proyecto Big Mama Thornton. Estos son altos honores para una mujer que murió sin un centavo y sola, y que muy probablemente se repetirán a medida que más y más gente descubra a una mujer que ayudó a hacer del Blues y el R&B las formas populares de música que son hoy en día.

Fuente: James Nadal

https://musicians.allaboutjazz.com/bigmamathornton

 

 

Mildred Anderson • No More In Life

Review by Scott Yanow
A fine singer who came over from the R&B/blues field to record two jazz-oriented albums in 1960, Mildred Anderson is joined on this CD reissue by tenor-saxophonist Al Sears, organist Robert Banks, guitarist Lord Westbrook, bassist Leonard Gaskin and drummer Bobby Donaldson. The repertoire ranges from originals to "I Ain't Mad at You," "Roll 'Em Pete" and "That Ole Devil Called Love." Considering how well she sings on this set, it is strange that Mildred Anderson would have no further opportunities to lead her own albums.

 

///////

 

Reseña de Scott Yanow
Mildred Anderson, una excelente cantante que vino del campo del R&B/blues para grabar dos álbumes orientados al jazz en 1960, está acompañada en esta reedición del CD por el tenor-saxofonista Al Sears, el organista Robert Banks, el guitarrista Lord Westbrook, el bajista Leonard Gaskin y el baterista Bobby Donaldson. El repertorio abarca desde originales hasta "I Ain't Mad at You", "Roll 'Em Pete" y "That Ole Devil Called Love". Teniendo en cuenta lo bien que canta en este conjunto, es extraño que Mildred Anderson no tuviera más oportunidades de liderar sus propios álbumes.

Paul McCartney • Kisses On The Bottom

 

www.paulmccartney.com ...

Arthur Prysock & Count Basie • Arthur Prysock & Count Basie

 

 

VA • Five Great Women In R&B