General Comments for all Naweedna CDs
- Will Moyle’s Jazz Alive, a locally produced master collection of classic jazz.The Will Moyle stuff is the best collection of jazz I’ve ever heard. Originally recorded by me in the 80s.
- FFUSA: Folk Festival USA, a nationally distributed collection of excerpts recorded live at various folk festivals around the country – varying from traditional country to purely ethnic, to socio-political (one lesbian festival, in fact). FFUSA is eclectic, and the live recordings often catch a lot of crowd noise as well as bad microphone placement.Originally recorded by me in the 80s.
- GTWG:The Glory That Was Grease, another locally produced broadcast that featured the formative years of Rock and Roll from the 50s and 60s – my youth. The “Grease” may have been “Greece”, the Rochester suburb where the program originated.The GTWG is marginal but good for reminding my generation of their teenage years – if that can be considered a good thing.Originally recorded by me in the 80s.
- BBGR: Big Band Go Round, yet another local program featuring … Big Band, but also including most anything recorded from 20s to the 50s. The BBGR is so broad that it is unlikely to be duplicated anywhere. However, you have to have a fondness for the crackle of scratchy old 78’s and an appetite for schmaltz to fully appreciate it. Originally recorded by me in the 80s.
- PHC & PHC-D: Prairie Home Companion– the middle years. I didn’t get started with PHC until the 80s, so I missed the early period, and I stopped recording when Garrison retired – for the first time. Remember the unfortunate guy who took over the time slot from Garrison? Me, neither. AS IF anyone could do that – a classic no-win situation. When Garrison un-retired (like Michael Jordan), the second version of the show was based in NYC, and I didn’t care for it that much, so I didn’t record it. A few years later I discovered that he had gone back to the old format and was broadcasting from St Paul, MN. I’ve been digitizing those programs in real time over the last couple years, and they are designated as PHC-D. The PHC stuff contains the essence of American music – in my not-so-humble opinion. The only nationally broadcast show that ever came close to matching PHC for quality and variety was the TV show, Northern Exposure – go figure. I have two Northern CDs; if there are more, I would like to know about them ASAP.
- The dates represent the release date of the album or CD source. These dates are as accurate as I can obtain. The dates for some tracks from compilations reflect the release date of the compilation.
As usual, my comments are in blue.The other information comes from Additions and corrections are welcome … encouraged, in fact.
The Playlist and Notes for Naweedna 2003
01Chloe – Ry Cooder
Chicken Skin Music (1976)
If I were a DJ, this would be my theme. Chloe is from one of the three best “typical” Cooder CDs. The other two are Show Time (1977) and the hard-to-find Slide On Drop Down D–Live In Santa Cruz (1978). The others would be collaborations with ethnic musicians. Note that my three best Cooders are 1976-77-78. Hmmm.,,
Whether serving as a session musician, solo artist, or soundtrack composer, Ry Cooder’s chameleon-like fretted instrument virtuosity, songwriting, and choices of material encompass an incredibly eclectic range of North American musical styles, including rock & roll, blues, reggae, Tex-Mex, Hawaiian, Dixieland jazz, country, folk, R&B, gospel, and vaudeville. The 16-year-old Cooder began his career in 1963 in a blues band with Jackie DeShannon and then formed the short-lived Rising Sons in 1965 with Taj Mahal and Spirit drummer Ed Cassidy. Cooder met producer Terry Melcher through the Rising Sons and was invited to perform at several sessions with Paul Revere and the Raiders. During his subsequent career as a session musician, Cooder’s trademark slide guitar work graced the recordings of such artists as Captain Beefheart (Safe As Milk), Randy Newman, Little Feat, Van Dyke Parks, the Rolling Stones (Let It Bleed, Sticky Fingers), Taj Mahal, and Gordon Lightfoot. He also appeared on the soundtracks of Candy and Performance.
Cooder made his debut as a solo artist in 1970 with a self-titled album featuring songs by Leadbelly, Blind Willie Johnson, Sleepy John Estes, and Woody Guthrie. The follow-up, Into the Purple Valley, introduced longtime cohorts Jim Keltner on drums and Jim Dickinson on bass, and it and Boomer’s Story largely repeated and refined the syncopated style and mood of the first. In 1974, Cooder produced what is generally regarded as his best album, Paradise and Lunch, and its follow-up, Chicken Skin Music, showcased a potent blend of Tex-Mex, Hawaiian, gospel, and soul music, and featured contributions from Flaco Jimenez and Gabby Pahinui. In 1979, Bop Till You Drop was the first major-label album to be recorded digitally. In the early ‘80s, Cooder began to augment his solo output with soundtrack work on such films as Blue Collar, The Long Riders, and The Border; he has gone on to compose music for Southern Comfort, Goin’ South, Paris, Texas, Streets of Fire, Bay, Blue City, Crossroads, Cocktail, Johnny Handsome, Steel Magnolias, and Geronimo. Music By Ry Cooder (1995) compiled two discs’ worth of highlights from Cooder’s film work.
In 1992, Cooder joined Keltner, John Hiatt, and renowned British tunesmith Nick Lowe, all of whom had played on Hiatt’s Bring the Family, to form Little Village, which toured and recorded one album. Cooder next turned his attention to world music, recording the album A Meeting by the River with Indian musician V.M. Bhatt. Cooder’s next project, a duet album with renowned African guitarist Ali Farka Toure titled Talking Timbuktu, won the 1994 Grammy for Best World Music Recording. – Steve Huey
Chicken Skin Music
Artist Ry Cooder
Album Title Chicken Skin Music
Date of Release 1976 (release)
AMG Rating 4.5 *
Genre Rock
Styles Blues-Rock, Country-Rock, Roots Rock, Album Rock, Slide Guitar Blues
Time 39:37
Hawaiian traditional music meets Leadbelly and Ben E. King on Cooder's gospelization of rock & soul. — Jeff Tamarkin
1. The Bourgeois Blues (Leadbelly) - 3:22
2. I Got Mine (Traditional) - 4:28
3. Always Lift Him up: Kanaka Wai Wai (Traditional) - 6:01
4. He'll Have to Go (Allison/Allison) - 5:07
5. Smack Dab in the Middle (Calhoun) - 3:18
6. Stand by Me (King/Leiber/Stoller) - 3:38
7. Yellow Roses (Devine/Nichols) - 6:11
8. Chloe (Kahn/Moret) - 3:00 (Naweedna 2003)
9. Goodnight Irene (Leadbelly/Lomax) - 4:32
02Man Smart, Woman Smarter – CJ Chenier & Red Hot LA Band
Alligator Records 25 Years (1996)
Got this from Bob “Music Man” Mahoney. It’s from a double CD set that contains a lot of really good stuff.
The son of late pioneer of Zydeco music, Clifton Chenier, C.J. Chenier (born: Clayton Joseph Chenier) has been dubbed, "The crown prince of Zydeco'. Since inheriting leadership of his father's group, The Red Hot Louisiana Band", Chenier has continued to pay tribute to his father's sound and to expand the Zydeco tradition. According to The Boston Globe, Chenier (has added blues, New Orleans-style R&B and rock and roll to the two steps and waltzes of his father's Zydeco, creating contemporary, turbo-charged, dance music". While The Washington Post praised Chenier for "taking the genre into the R&B mainstream", Living Blues, claimed that Chenier is "the best living Zydeco singer and accordionist". In a review of a concert by Chenier, The Louisville Courier-Journal wrote, "he played back country two steps, hinted at rock and funk, crossed over into country and sang triple-laced rock ballads in a rich soulful voice".
Chenier's interests in Zydeco were sparked in his early-twenties. Although he studied piano in the third grade, switched to the saxophone a year later and received a scholarship to study music at Texas Southern University, he was drawn to the funky sounds of R&B and modern jazz. Chenier played saxophone, keyboards, flute and sang backup vocals in a top forty cover band, Hot Ice.
In 1978, Chenier was invited to replace saxophonist "Blind" John Hart in his father's band. Although he had little experience with Zydeco music, he accepted the invitation. Over the next decade, he apprenticed with his father, assuming his role as accordion player and bandleader following his father's death in 1987.
Chenier has remained active in a variety of outside projects. In addition to playing on Paul Simon's album, Rhythm Of The Saints, he participated in Simon's Born At The Right Time tour. Chenier was a guest performer on the Gin Blossom's album, New Miserable Experience.
The Alligator Records 25th Anniversary Collection
Artist Various Artists
Album Title Alligator Records 25th Anniversary Collection
Date of Release Mar 1996
AMG Rating 4.5 *
Genre Blues
Styles Modern Electric Blues, Contemporary Blues
Type various artists
Time 146:45
This is a specially priced, two-CDs-for-the-price-of-one photocube set, loaded with great stuff from Charlie Musselwhite, Koko Taylor, Lonnie Brooks, Johnny Winter, Billy Boy Arnold, Lonnie Mack and a host of others who've trotted their wares on the label over the years. Besides giving the novice one great introduction to the label (as the music runs from traditional to modern), the big bonus here is a treasure trove of previously unissued tracks from Roy Buchanan (a chaotic version of Link Wray's "Jack the Ripper"), Floyd Dixon (a recut of his Blues Brothers-approved hit "Hey Bartender"), Albert Collins and Johnny Copeland in a marvelous out-take from the Showdown! album ("Something to Remember You By") and the band that started it all, Hound Dog Taylor & the HouseRockers, with a crazed version of Elmore James' "Look on Yonder's Wall," as sloppy as it is cool. Very good stuff and at these prices, a bargain and then some. — Cub Koda
1. Don't Pick Me for Your Fool performed by Son Seals - 4:15
2. Diggin' My Potatoes performed by James Cotton - 3:38
3. Something to Remember You By [#] performed by Albert Collins / Johnny Copeland - 5:26
4. The Complainer's Boogie Woogie performed by William Clarke - 4:52
5. Stingaree performed by Charlie Musselwhite - 2:54(future Naweedna selection)
6. It's Alright [#] performed by Lil Ed & the Blues Imperials - 4:46
7. Man Smart (Woman Smarter) performed by Chenier, Clifton & His Red Hot... - 3:02 (Naweedna 2003)
8. I Want to Be Your Spy performed by Vaughn, Maurice John - 5:34
9. Hey Bartender [#] performed by Floyd Dixon - 3:24
10. Sitting on Top of the World performed by Shaw, Eddie & The Wolf Gang - 3:41
11. Action Man performed by Cephas & Wiggins - 1:53(Naweedna 2002B)
12. Bayou Blood performed by Kenny Neal - 3:14
13. T-Bone Intentions performed by Hunter, Long John - 3:08
14. 'Tain't Nobody's Bizness If I Do performed by Saffire the Uppity Blues Women - 4:12
15. If You Have to Know performed by Lonnie Mack / Vaughan, Stevie Ray - 4:31
16. Been Gone Too Long performed by Arnold, Billy Boy - 2:54
17. A Quitter Never Wins performed by Tinsley Ellis - 6:10
18. I Ain't Got You performed by Sugar Blue - 2:37
19. Crawfish Fiesta performed by Professor Longhair - 3:13(Naweedna 2001)
20. Evil performed by Koko Taylor - 4:59
21. Got Lucky Last Night performed by Lonnie Brooks - 2:59
22. Blues Lover performed by Bob Margolin - 4:53
23. I Could Deal With It performed by Little Charlie & the Nightcats - 4:06
24. Cherry Red Wine performed by Luther Allison - 4:22
25. Hard Lovin' Mama performed by Katie Webster - 4:12
26. She Puts Me in the Mood performed by Elvin Bishop - 3:32
27. Low Down Dirty Shame performed by Carey Bell - 4:29
28. Six O'Clock Blues performed by Lucky Peterson - 3:42
29. Keep Your Motor Running performed by Dave Hole - 3:45
30. Roots Woman performed by Corey Harris - 2:50
31. Can't Recall a Time performed by Hill, Michael Blues Mob - 3:45
32. Baby, Baby, Baby performed by Buchanan, Roy w / Delbert McClinton - 4:23
33. Jack the Ripper [#] performed by Roy Buchanan - 2:47
34. Got to Find My Baby performed by Johnny Heartsman - 3:04
35. Love, Life and Money performed by Johnny Winter - 5:20
36. Look on Yonder's Wall [#] performed by Taylor, Hound Dog & the Houserockers - 3:27
37. Somebody Loan Me a Dime performed by Fenton Robinson - 2:56
38. We're Outta Here performed by Clarence Brown - 3:50
03Begin The Beguine – Artie Shaw
Begin The Beguine (1938)
Got this one from Milne Library. I intended to put this track on a previous Naweedna CD, but it got bumped.
One of jazz's finest clarinetists, Artie Shaw never seemed fully satisfied with his musical life, constantly breaking up successful bands and running away from success. While Count Basie and Duke Ellington were satisfied to lead just one orchestra during the swing era, and Benny Goodman (due to illness) had two, Shaw led five, all of them distinctive and memorable. After growing up in New Haven, CT, and playing clarinet and alto locally, Shaw spent part of 1925 with Johnny Cavallaro's dance band and then played off and on with Austin Wylie's band in Cleveland from 1927-1929 before joining Irving Aaronson's Commanders. After moving to New York, Shaw became a close associate of Willie "the Lion" Smith at jam sessions, and by 1931 was a busy studio musician. He retired from music for the first time in 1934 in hopes of writing a book, but when his money started running out, Shaw returned to New York. A major turning point occurred when he performed at an all-star big band concert at the Imperial Theatre in May 1936, surprising the audience by performing with a string quartet and a rhythm section. He used a similar concept in putting together his first orchestra, adding a Dixieland-type front line and a vocalist while retaining the strings. Despite some fine recordings, that particular band disbanded in early 1937 and then Shaw put together a more conventional big band. The surprise success of his 1938 recording of Begin the Beguine made the clarinetist into a superstar and his orchestra (who featured the tenor of Georgie Auld, vocals by Helen Forrest and Tony Pastor, and, by 1939, Buddy Rich's drumming) into one of the most popular in the world. Billie Holiday was with the band for a few months, although only one recording ("Any Old Time") resulted. Shaw found the pressure of the band business difficult to deal with and in November 1939 suddenly left the bandstand and moved to Mexico for two months. When Shaw returned, his first session, utilizing a large string section, resulted in another major hit, Frenesi; it seemed that he could not escape success. Shaw's third regular orchestra, who had a string section and such star soloists as trumpeter Billy Butterfield and pianist Johnny Guarnieri, was one of his finest, waxing perhaps the greatest version of "Stardust" along with the memorable "Concerto for Clarinet." The Gramercy Five, a small group formed out of the band (using Guarnieri on harpsichord), also scored with the million-selling "Summit Ridge Drive." Despite all this, Shaw broke up the orchestra in 1941, only to re-form an even larger one later in the year. The latter group featured Hot Lips Page along with Auld and Guarnieri. After Pearl Harbor, Shaw enlisted and led a Navy band (unfortunately unrecorded) before getting a medical discharge in February 1944. Later in the year, his new orchestra featured Roy Eldridge, Dodo Marmarosa, and Barney Kessel, and found Shaw's own style becoming quite modern, almost boppish. But, with the end of the swing era, Shaw again broke up his band in early 1946 and was semi-retired for several years, playing classical music as much as jazz. His last attempt at a big band was a short-lived one, a boppish unit who lasted for a few months in 1949 and included Zoot Sims, Al Cohn, and Don Fagerquist; their modern music was a commercial flop. After a few years of limited musical activity, Shaw returned one last time, recording extensively with a version of the Gramercy Five that featured Tal Farlow or Joe Puma on guitar along with Hank Jones. Then, in 1955, Artie Shaw permanently gave up the clarinet to pursue his dreams of being a writer. Although he served as the frontman (with Dick Johnson playing the clarinet solos) for a reorganized Artie Shaw Orchestra in 1983, Shaw never played again. He received plenty of publicity for his six marriages (including to actresses Lana Turner, Ava Gardner, and Evelyn Keyes) and for his odd autobiography, The Trouble With Cinderella (which barely touches on the music business or his wives), but the outspoken Artie Shaw deserves to be best remembered as one of the truly great clarinetists. His RCA recordings, which were reissued in complete fashion in a perfectly done Bluebird LP series, have only been made available in piecemeal fashion on CD. - Scott Yanow
Begin the Beguine [Bluebird/RCA]
Artist Artie Shaw
Album Title Begin the Beguine [Bluebird/RCA]
Date of Release Jul 24, 1938 - Jul 23, 1941 inprint
AMG Rating 4.5 * Selected
Genre Jazz
Type compilation
Library View Click here to see this album in MARC format
Product Purchase Click here to buy this album
Beginning not with the career-launching title track but with the bandleader's own haunting signature tune, "Nightmare," this is an outstanding slice from a brief period at the start of the Second World War. Included in 15 digitally remastered sides led by the eccentric clarinetist from 1938 to 1941 are performances by Buddy Rich, Billie Holiday (her only recording with Shaw), and even Ray Conniff. This is a great introduction to a mercurial, innovative musician who created an early form of fusion music by joining a string section and rhythm section to a big band. - Mark Allan