...to the Sublime

The Family That Plays Together...

I caught these eight Chicago brothers live the other night. And by brothers, I mean--incredibly enough--siblings! They go by the Hypnotic Brass Ensemble and they're more than hypnotic, they're mesmerizing. Four trumpets, two trombones, a tuba and a sousaphone, accompanied only by a drummer, they make a mighty sound. Sometimes they sound like a New Orleans brass band, sometimes they sound like the Art Ensemble of Chicago, and other times they sound like the Sun Ra Arkestra, which is appropriate since their father is jazz composer and longtime Arkestra member, Phil Cohran. If you ever get a chance to catch them perform, don't miss out.

Download 01 Ballacki Bone

Let the Good Times Roll

11:42pm

It's after midnight in New Orleans, so the streets have been cleared. They take the transition from Mardi Gras to Ash Wednesday pretty seriously down there. But it's not quite midnight here in LA. I just got home from a party in Echo Park and had the last of the red beans and rice. So there's a few more minutes to let the good times roll and then it's time to think about those magic words: From dust you came, and unto dust you shall return.

Download 3-09 Let The Good Times Roll

A Zydeco Throwdown

Paul Simon must've heard "Let's Say Goodnight," the zydeco shuffle that Los Lobos recorded on their 1983 EP debut, "...And a Time to Dance," because he invited the band to the studio when he was recording "Graceland" in 1986. The result was the final song on "Graceland": "All Around the World or The Myth of Fingerprints." That's vintage Lobos, back when Louie Pérez was still playing drums. But what I didn't know is that there was a nasty battle over the songwriting credits. SImon has sole credit on the album, which the band argued against. Not sure what the legal result was, but you can't argue with what is a mighty fine song.

Download 11 All Around The World Or The Myth Of Fingerprints

 

Laissez Les Bon Temps Roulez!

Once you get outside of New Orleans, the R&B and funk give way to zydeco (or cajun music, depending on, as they say, where you at). Buckwheat Zydeco (pictured, born Stanley Dural) started out as Clifton Chenier's keyboard player. But he picked up the accordion and eventually ascended to the throne as the King of Zydeco. As for the song (which was written by Chenier), tamales became a staple of the south when Mexican farmworkers migrated there in the early 20th century to pick cotton. And in some parts of the south, they fry their tamales. Whoa!

Download 2-10 Hot Tamale Baby

 

It's Carnival Season, Y'all!

Carnival season sort of snuck up on me this year. But down in New Orleans and Rio, in Veracruz and Venice, the party's in full swing on the home stretch to Mardi Gras--that's Fat Tuesday, y'all. One of these years I'm going to make it to one of those locales for the celebration. But first on my list is NOLA. Today's song was included on the fantastic 2004 Shout Factory four-disc box set pictured here. The package, which should've won a Grammy, was designed by my good friend (and San Antonio native!) Michael Rey and his Intersection Studio. The song is by the late N'awlins R&B stalwart Earl King, who wrote "Big Chief," which was made famous by Professor Longhair. Now, if you'll excuse me, I gotta get my red beans cookin'.

Download 2-02 No City Like New Orleans

RIP, Whitney Houston

I can't say I was ever a big fan of Whitney Houston, but she had an undeniably great voice and it was hard to resist perfect pop/R&B confections such as "I Wanna Dance With Somebody." But the material she chose never grabbed me on a consistent basis. And if I never hear "I Will Always Love You" again, well, that'll be just fine. But here's an interesting rarity: this is reportedly Whitney's first-ever lead vocal recording, done before she was 20, and it's with an unlikely band--the avant-funk outfit Material, led by bassist Bill Laswell and joined by jazz saxophonist Archie Shepp.

12 Memories

And if you've never heard much of Whitney's mom, Cissy Houston (that's them above), she is simply an astounding gospel singer. Listen to her turn the Motown classic, "How Sweet It Is," into a spiritual. (By the way, I read this morning that Whitney's teen-aged daughter, Bobbi, has already done some background singing for Adele.)

 

Download 03 How Sweet It Is

 

 

A Musical Legacy, Indeed

The nonagenarian composer and bandleader Gerald Wilson has a daughter who is married to the great guitarist Shuggie Otis. They have a son, Eric (below), who is also a musician. That means Eric's grandfathers are Wilson and the recently deceased Johnny Otis. On Gerald Wilson's 2011 album, "Legacy," Eric displayed his composing and orchestration skills on this cut. Nice to know the Wilson/Otis legacy is in good, talented hands.

Download 05 September Sky