...to the Sublime

RIP, Gil Bernal

Gil Bernal, who died Sunday at the age of 80, was one of the great unsung heroes of the L.A. music scene. Born in Watts, he grew up with the likes of Charles Mingus, Buddy Collette and Big Jay McNeely. Before he was 20, Bernal began playing with Lionel Hampton and he went on to play with Quincy Jones among many others. He took a detour from jazz and played on many of The Coasters' hits, including "Youngblood" and "Smoky Joe's Café." He also had a singing career and was nominated for an Academy Award for "The Eyes of Love" from the 1967 film, "Banning." In his later years he was recruited by Ry Cooder to play on the Buena VIsta Social Club sessions and on Cooder's "Chavez Ravine." I asked Ry for a comment via e-mail and he graciously responded:

He played the tenor like it was a wind instrument, not a dentist drill. And these days we have to ask, is swing still with us, or was it a state-of-mind thing, like full drape suits? Gil was a swinging, finger-popping cat from Watts. He had the same music teachers as Charles Mingus and Don Tosti. He was with Lionel Hampton, who also featured a Nisei Japanese trombone player. Very golden-era Los Angeles. I tried to get him down to Cuba, but he didn't have a passport. They would have dug him the most...

Here's Bernal playing tenor behind another L.A. legend, Lalo Guerrero, on a track from "Chavez Ravine":

Download 06 Los Chucos Suaves

A More Soulful Shade of Pale

I recently heard Procol Harum's original "A Whiter Shade of Pale" on a movie soundtrack, which reminded me that sometime back I'd come across this version by a minor Motown artist named Shorty Long. But Frederick Earl Long had quite a story. He co-wrote "Devil With the Blue Dress On" and "Function At the Junction," but never received a push from Berry Gordy's company. Marvin Gaye said Long was "this beautiful cat who had two hits, and then got ignored by Motown." He drowned in a boating accident in 1969 at the age of 29. Soon after, Motown released his only album.

Download 4-20 A Whiter Shade of Pale

RIP, Manuel Galbán

You may recall that the entire Buena Vista Social Club phenomenon was somewhat of a happy accident. Ry Cooder had gone to Cuba with the intent of recording with some African artists to explore the roots of Cuban music. But when the Africans had trouble securing visas, Cooder asked whether there were any of the old-time Cuban musicians still around, which is what led him to the likes of Rubén González, Compay Segundo, and Ibrahim Ferrer. It also led him to the guitarist Manuel Galbán (above left, with Cooder), who had played behind a legendary vocal group called Los Zafiros. Galbán became part of the Buena Vista cottage industry, playing on the landmark BVSC album, then recording one in 2003 with Cooder called "Mambo Sinuendo," which included this fantastic version of Pérez Prado's "Patricia." Cooder told NPR: "Nobody — but nobody — in Cuba has played guitar like this. He's strictly a renegade. It's just his — what can I say? It's in his hands." Gálban died from cardiac arrest today in Havana at the age of 80.     

Download 04 Patricia