...to the Sublime

RIP Dennis Hopper

David Lynch has a way of taking pop songs and making them incredibly spooky, but Dennis Hopper had as much to do with that in "Blue Velvet." Most people remember Roy Orbison's "In Dreams" because of Dean Stockwell's creepy lipsync performance, but Ketty Lester's "Love Letters" had as much of an impact on me, probably because of Hopper's memorable lines aimed at Kyle MacLachlan: "I'll send you a love letter, straight from my heart, fucker! You know what a love letter is? It's a bullet from a fucking gun, fucker! You receive a love letter from me, you're fucked forever!" Uh, ok.

"Love Letters" was a 1962 Top 5 hit for Lester--easily the biggest hit of her career. She was born in Hope, Arkansas in 1934 (the second most famous native of the town, after Bill Clinton), and won a scholarship to study music at San Francisco State College. She briefly toured with Cab Calloway's orchestra, then returned to California where she launched her recording career in the early '60s. (Here's one I'll have to look for: in 1966 she recorded "When a Woman Loves a Man," an answer song to Percy Sledge's "When a Man Loves a Woman.") By the end of the decade she gave up music for an acting career, at which she was also moderately successful. (She appeared in "Blacula" and "Uptown Saturday Night"!)

But her career high point certainly was "Love Letters," co-written by Lincoln Mayorga (more on him later). His honky-tonk piano gave the song a countryish feel--in fact, for a long time I assumed Lester was a white C&W singer. And FYI--that's the legendary drummer Earl Palmer with some subtly sublime brushwork. I hope Lynch and Hopper helped produce some residuals for Lester.

Download 01 Love Letters

 

 
 

From the Rarities File

Alan Rudolph's "Remember My Name" (starring Anthony Perkins and Geraldine Chaplin) has never been released on DVD and the fantastic soundtrack to the 1978 film--featuring the late, great Alberta Hunter--has never been released on CD. So here's a little digitized vinyl treat--the title track from the movie.

Download Remember My Name

  

He's Been Carried Home

When I need a touch of spirituality I cue up my "Goin' to Church" playlist, a collection of my favorite gospel and religious songs. And one of my favorites is "Swing Low, Sweet Chariot" as interpreted by bassist Charlie Haden and pianist Hank Jones, who died Sunday at the age of 91. Jones was eternally modest, but he was a giant talent who played with every 20th century jazz great, and he came from a musical family that also boasted his brothers, trumpeter Thad Jones and drummer Elvin Jones. Here's a good obituary by Don Heckman: http://www.latimes.com/news/obituaries/la-me-hank-jones-20100518,0,7904611.story?page=1. Meanwhile, listen to Hank Jones playing his way into heaven.

05 Swing Low, Sweet Chariot

 

The Cultural Blockade Opens

While the Obama administration has largely ignored immigration reform, it is at least loosening the reins on visas that had made it difficult for Cuban artists to visit the U.S. in recent years. Now, for the first time in more than 30 years, the influential nueva trova singer/songwriter Silvio Rodriguez is embarking on an American tour, including a June 4 date at Carnegie Hall and June 17 at the Gibson Amphitheatre in L.A. It will be interesting to see how the expatriate Cuban community reacts to Rodriguez, who has been a staunch supporter of the Revolution, though he and other artists--including Pablo Milanés and Carlos Varela--have recently been critical of the Cuban government. (Rodriguez is one of the Latin American artists who I was introduced to through David Byrne's Luaka Bop label compilations, including the one pictured above, which includes the lovely "Nuestro tema.")

 Download 10 Nuestro tema

    

 

Bang the Drum Slowly

Legendary Cuban percussionist Francisco Aguabella died Friday in Los Angeles at the age of 84. He left Cuba before the Revolution to perform in the film "Mambo," and then toured with dancer/choreographer Katherine Dunham for several years before establishing a long career as a sideman, studio musician and bandleader. He performed with a Who's Who of music legends, including Peggy Lee, Frank Sinatra, Dizzy Gillespie and Tito Puente. Even rock bands such as Three Dog Night and The Doors called on him, as did Paul Simon. He also played with Santana and was a founding member of the Latin-rock band Malo. For many years he led his own Latin jazz band and recorded for the Cubop label. He was awarded a National Heritage Award from the National Endowment for the Arts and in recent years taught at UCLA's World Arts & Culture program. Tonight (May 8) his band was previously scheduled to perform at Steamer's Jazz Club in Fullerton, and the show will go on as a tribute to their leader. It should be quite a descarga.

Download 02 Asi Son Bronco

 

Odes to Arizona

Two musician friends of mine--Hector Saldaña in San Antonio and Eugene Rodriguez in the Bay Area--have each put their considerable talents to work and quickly produced songs to protest Arizona's new immigration law. Saldaña, guitarist and lead singer of The Krayolas, knocked out the rockin' "1070 (I'm Your Dirty Mexican)," taking part of his title from a Twitter message that was sent by an idiot who was covering the Dallas-San Antonio NBA playoff series and sent a tweet congratulating the Spurs' "dirty Mexican" fans.

Rodriguez, who leads the folk ensemble Los Cenzontles, wrote a powerful, traditional corrido titled "Estado de Verguenza" (State of Shame). I brought the song to Saldaña's attention, who said he played it for his mother and 98-year-old grandmother, and "they let out a couple of gritos." 

Mission accomplished.

01 1070 (I'm Your Dirty Mexican)

Download Estado de Verguenza

 

C&W: Conjunto & Western

Aside from the fantastic illustration on the album jacket, Ry Cooder's "Chicken Skin Music" (1976) included a bolero version of the C&W standard, "He'll Have to Go," featuring Flaco Jiménez on accordion. Puro Tex-Mex--I guess I'm missing the homeland.

Download 04 He'll Have to Go