a busy artist.

Over the years I can't remember all the musicians, famous or not, who I've played with. Some of the musicians I've played with are very well known by your readers. I often forget their names until we show up on the same gig. Anyway, I like this story. Never heard of her. Good story, Jake. 

bassist Carol Kaye. 

By Jim Keltner

"There are times as a studio player, especially prolific studio players, where you are playing on so many kinds of songs for so many different kinds of artists, and you're doing so many covers, things can get mixed up.

I think that's what happened with Carol Kaye. She claims she played on some songs that James Jamerson had played on." 

Right place Right attitude

"Leadership, in my mind, is involvement and I've always prided myself on being involved. I jump right into the thick of everything, always throw out suggestions and goof around with everybody to keep the energy level high.

When I started playing all of this was so new. We didn't really have any peers to look towards. When I first started going in the studio within six months I was one of the A-list guys.
As things evolved I'd be in there with a Larry Knechtel or a Hal Blaine, Thomas Tedesco. A lot of the old "wrecking crew" guys.

I looked up to them because they had been doing it for so long and we're so successful at it. All those guys had that same energy and I just kind of jumped right into it.

I wasn't really emulating anybody it's just that the atmosphere was so comfortable. I wasn't sitting there like a neophyte scrutinizing everybody.

When I was working with Clarence (White) when he got killed. We were in the studio for about a week and we came in one day and they said, Clarence had been killed by a drunk driver." He was changing a tire on his car and a guy ran into him. He was such a beautiful person and player. That's happened to me several times. It happened to me when I was working with Percy Faith doing one of his "Orchestra" albums. Percy died in the middle of the project.

Whether I was playing with Gene Clark or Crosby I was already such a "Byrds" fan that anytime you got to play with one of those guys you sat back and were like, "I used to go see that cat at The "Hulabaloo." I still am an Uber fan because I have such respect for those players. That's one of the oddest parts of my whole career. In my heart of hearts and in my mind I'm just this dorky guy from the San Fernando Valley and than I'll wind up at a gathering and Clapton's there and he comes up and says "Hey Lee, How Ya Doing?"

By Leland Sklar


from archives of Jake D. Steinberg 

top DJ

ANGIE VU HA by Abreum Garcia
August 22, 2012   

Angie Vu Ha collage
September 6, 2012 

 

High Music Makers

"I'm Not Invited"
By John McLaughlin


"Last year in Montreux, Switzerland I was doing a jam with Carlos' (Santana) band. The day before he left he came up to me and the Director of Montreux and said, "I got this idea of putting together, a "Supergroup."

He loves Wayne (Shorter) and Herbie (Hancock). He would love to be associated in a musical way with Wayne and Herbie because these are consummate musicians. They are the essence of jazz music. In that sense, they are like the teachers - the gurus of jazz. I'm very fortunate to know them and play with them.


Carlos and I go back 45 years and he wanted to base this project on one of Wayne's albums called "Super Nova." I was on that along with Miroslav and Sonny Sharrock.


I thought, "that sounds cool, we'll make some beautiful music." He's going on and I'm saying "let's make an event like when we played in New York in 1972." We made a float and powered it on the back of a flat bed truck. We put amps on the truck and we played our guitars driving down Broadway. I said, "let's do that. Let's get on a truck, the other musicians can if they want, and just play going through the town of Montreux.


The idea behind it was to invite great musicians from different cultures from all over the world to play with us. It's kind of a globalization of music and I was happy to be part of the idea.
Just before Christmas I get a call from Montreux and they said, "Carlos' agent just called and cancelled." I said, "what? He didn't call me." I wrote to him and said, "what's going on?" I didn't get an answer. I haven't really seen him since then but I know he's put together this "Supernova" band together with Herbie and Wayne. They're going to play "The Hollywood Bowl." I'm not invited."


*excerpt of part III of my (Jake D Feinberg) interview with John McLaughlin from May 2016

 

Music Story

In 1969, Jimmy Page, a seasoned session musician, decided upon creating a band after an experience in a supergroup, Beck's Bolero. He picked Robert Plant, from an unknown Band of Joy for lead singer, fellow session musicians John Paul Jones and John Bonham for bassist and percussion, respectively. Even though the band was sure to "fail like a Lead Balloon" (a quip made by The Who drummer the late ...Keith Moon) they had become one of the most influential bands in history.

Fast foward to 1976. Just after creating 'Physical Graffiti', Robert Plant had gotten into a car crash in Rhodes and spent his recovery creating the songs which would be grouped together as 'Presence'. This album is unique in all of Led Zeppelin's discography, as it's the only one without keyboards nor acoustics. And now let's begin with the review:

By the time Led Zeppelin released 'Presence' in 1976 they really had nothing left to prove. They had already carved out a place as one of the essential rock and roll acts of all time and the masterpiece that was 'Physical Graffiti' had further cemented that position. That seminal work was a triumphant amalgamation of the many styles they had experimented with on their previous releases. As is so often the case when gifted musicians have progressed to a logical conclusion with their art they choose to either diversify further or go back to basics. Led Zeppelin chose the latter on 'Presence' but with an intention to introduce a higher level of complexity than was found on their first couple of albums.

The album was conceived and recorded during a rather turbulent period in the band's career. Plant had been injured abroad in a car crash just after the release of their previous album and when he joined up with the rest of the band they recorded 'Presence' in just eighteen days due to limited studio time. The band members had to work overtime to finish the recording and it was particularly hard on the wheelchair bound Plant who was in physical pain and was also suffering from homesickness. Furthermore, the fact that Plant was in hospital for much of the album's compositional period meant that Page was more of a major player in the song-writing stakes than usual. This might go some way to explaining why it is such a guitar dominated album compared to previous releases.

If you listen to 'Physical Graffiti' and 'Presence' back to back the differences are quite stark. The intricate multi-layered epics are gone, the gentler folkier side of their music is entirely suppressed and there is a total absence of keyboard sounds. Instead we are treated to a far more direct approach whereupon their bluesy hard rocking and funk influences are channelled into a focused barrage riding upon a much more forward sounding production than that given to their previous release. This album certainly contains some of Zeppelin's most hard hitting music. Opener "Achilles Last Stand" is an epic thrusting hard rock song with a galloping bass line, heavily overdubbed guitar arrangements and a literally bone-shaking contribution from John Bonham on the drums. It also features one of Jimmy Page's most memorable extended solos. However, compared to the rest of the music on here "Achilles Last Stand" is rather an anomaly. The album in general is far bluesier and funkier than suggested by the opener and this manifests itself to great effect on "Royal Orleans" with its irresistible groove and hip-thrusting vocal delivery. Multi-tracked phased guitars herald the arrival of "Nobody's Fault But Mine" which is a traditional gospel song that the band made their own. This song features a typically idiosyncratic vocal performance from Plant full of trademark wails and screams with a great harmonica solo mid-section and another masterful solo from Page towards the end.

Led Zeppelin save the best for last in the form of the epic "Tea For One". The song opens in a way that belies its true nature with a mid-tempo interplay between guitar and drums but soon settles into a gorgeous slow minor blues number that recalls "Since I've Been Loving You". This masterpiece is dripping with slowburn emotion as Plant laments his feelings of loneliness and homesickness imposed by his long absence from his family due to his accident. His vocal performance on here is without a doubt one of his very best. Not to be outdone Page delivers some of his most tasteful guitar work ever including an emotion drenched solo that dominates the mid-section of the song.

Led Zeppelin certainly fulfilled their ambition of getting back to basics on 'Presence'. The album encountered a mixed reaction from press and fans alike and in some ways it can certainly be seen as a step down from the magnificent 'Physical Graffiti'. However, as Jimmy Page once boasted, Led Zeppelin's mediocre was better than anyone else's best. - anon

 

The Joy of Playing

Milwaukee musicians, Elias Holman (piano), Russell Rossetto(trombone), Carlos Adames (congas), Tony Ayala and an acoustic bassist and drummer. The commitment on their faces must make for a tremendous sound. I would guess the overriding emotion would be joy? - Gregory E. Woods (Jan. 24, 2016)

1974

Wesley Boyd in Czech Republic playing his berimbao (2015) is an Ogan of the tradition.

Gregory E. Woods and Gail Dickert playing drums at Frog Pond Early Learning School.
That's Pam Tinker, the founder of the school standing beside Gail. (10.24.15)

 

She Can Play !!!!

Drummer Meytal Cohen behind her kit !!!!

Gallery of Meytal Cohen

MEYTAL COHEN VS JULIA DALES

Submit to Depth



Meytal Cohen, drummer is an Israeli Jew living in LS since 2004 !!!!

In my coming up opportunity in music looked very different than now. The internet and the technologies of this age has provided almost immediate access to strong fan bases, product lines, and promotional and album deals and most astonishing of all the ability to create quality recordings in one's home. The young people, more than I can, can innumerate the 'how' of this time period. I am interested in the depth of their craft and the development of person and craft. As an older and practiced musician I can submit into this generation some facts to consider if they want to be deep musicians well into their golden years. 

The 1960's and before required a level of impeccability today's youth think they can live without. The religion of their musical causes is a Muse, who erroneously thinks less, and acts more without the benefit of foresight. Insight always accompanies an educated mind, but the access to fleeting fame has re-focused many young people into a desire to merely be famous. Unable to connect the musical dots and trace influences into the past centuries and across continents and cultures leaves an anorexic spiritual base for creating music. Preparing for longevity is a distance from a relationship with ancestor's music, or the depth of knowledge a musician needs to digest to tell stories to the wide range of people who listen to music and need to connect with music makers. 

Music making is a spiritual art. It is a form of life from the creativity that formed the universe. Music, like stones, hold millions upon millions of stories ready to be told in a variety of ways and voices. Those voices are histories and American children disconnected from histories produce shallow sounds from the sands of stones, not the stones themselves. It is not completely their fault, and I am not taking this platform to bash them in the head. I am speaking into the solutions. 

There is a lot more to share, but the attention span of so many young people is considerably less than is required for the times, adulthood, or the depth of knowing required to be a master. The responsibilities of citizenship in a wealthy country like the U.S. for musicians are greater than an average soul just getting by in life. Because of the disconnect visited upon many of today's youth their vision is dimmed when it should be illuminated! - Gregory E. Woods, Keeper of Stories 3.29.15



Anyway, I want to share the music of Meytal Cohen, a fantastic drummer I would love to play with one day!

Hear Meytal play

Meytal Cohen's theme

Meytal Cohen, drummer is an Israeli Jew living in LS since 2004 !!!!

 

I Wish To See Them LIVE!

Brazilian singer Glaucia Nasser & percussionist Sammy Figueroa 

Sammy Figueroa & Glaucia Nasser

“Talisman” featuring Sammy Figueroa and Glaucia Nasser,  is a perfect balance between the exciting Latin percussion of double Grammy nominee and renowned musician Sammy Figueroa (Miles Davis, Sonny Rollins, David Bowie, Mariah Carey and many more) and Brazilian singer Glaucia Nasser. "Like peanut butter and chocolate" this combination of Brazilian song and Latin percussion comes out as a surprising and tasty combination

Percussionist Sammy Figueroa is considered one of the world’s great musicians. In a career spanning over thirty years he has played with Miles Davis, Sonny Rollins, the Brecker Brothers, Mariah Carey, David Bowie, John McLaughlin, Arturo Sandoval, Paquito D’Rivera, Chaka Khan, Blues Traveler, Ashford and Simpson, Natalie Merchant and countless others. He has also co-produced several albums, most notably the Cuban a cappella group Vocal Sampling.

His other group, Sammy Figueroa and his Latin Jazz Explosion, is one of the most exciting in jazz today. Known for their exciting performances, enhanced by Sammy’s ebullient humor , the band has recorded three albums, with two of them nominated for the Grammy for Best Latin Jazz Album.

Glaucia has garnered critical praise from notable names of Brazilian music, such as Nelson Motta, Roberto Menescal and Ivan Lins.  Glaucia’s four previous albums have been extremely well received by the media and fans alike.  Her extensive concerts and world tours have built a fantastic following. 

Talisman means good luck charm, amulet, a symbol with magical powers.   We chose Nicolas Roerich's Banner of Peace symbol as our talisman because, among other things, it symbolizes the three of us, Sammy, Glaucia and Rachel, who had the good luck to come together to make magic in the recording studio.

http://www.sammyfigueroa.com/

http://en.glaucianasser.com.br/

Visit Website
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BLACK MAN BLACK MUSIC BLACK WOMAN

Black music evolved every genre it touched, or was touched by. The relationship between Creator and Creation is told within the genius and genesis of African music. It is embodied within the women who birth the songs and the singers, whose hips, and thighs are the cadence and the clavé centering the polyrythms through the tangle of pubic hairs to the core, the essence of birthed energies that detangle the contradictions of those who conquered Africans and Africa without the fore knowledge of the deep spiritual powers embedded within the Earth from realms the white people are glimpsing now through science's lenses.

The African woman naked is music, and Life. The African man is music, and Life. Two combined forces of Nature tamed by no one. Contained by no one. If you need to believe it is contained it will appear so, but Africa's soul belongs where it needs to be creating new life. This is the soul of Africa, and her children. - Gregory E. Woods, Keeper of Stories 2013



 

Liberace's movie face

Liberace's Plastic Surgery Left Him Unable to Close His Eyes — Even While He Was Sleeping

By Kimberly Potts | Yahoo! TV

CBS Photo Archive/Getty Images - Liberace in the CBS special "Leapin' Lizards, It's Liberace!" (1978)

"Now here is a bizarre movie I won't go to see, and I like movie challenges. I, like the rest of the country in those days, was compelled to watch Liberace. I didn't know a neighborhood where I cat like him could live to see the next day, or a church that would let him in the door, but I didn't know many not compelled to watch him perform. We'd never seen anything like him flaunting something we dared not say. 

A feminine man bedazzled in jewels and flamboyant, and happy in the 1970's? We contradicted ourselves and watched every show he was on. The nation did this as well as my own family and friends. There was nothing appealing about sissies then. But, Liberace was pushing at some boundaries I was not sophisticated enough to fathom so I watched him intently studying every move and word..." - Gregory E. Woods, Keeper of Stories 5.25.13



"The film should have focused on the genius of Liberace as an excellent and very talented performer and entertainer, but viewers will not see that, they will only focus on the disturbed life style of the gays." - Justoneinthecrowd  


"... as my daddy said ingenuity/intellect and insanity often walk hand and hand. the meaning of that old saying is crazy people are gifted." - Jim 

3 JAZZ GIANTS

by Bruni Sablan

KEITH JARRETT:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Keith_Jarrett

MARY LOU WILLIAMS:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary_Lou_Williams

ROBERT JOHNSON: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Johnson


Bruni, I am all about the fluid motions in Keith Jarrett you captured, the steady cool and restrained elegance of pianist, Mary Lou Williams, and the eyes. The eyes of Williams and blues man, Robert Johnson are alive telling stories about a time, a time and the times they lived, and created music in. 

As my father would say upon seeing your work, "You tellin' it like it T I S!!!! - Gregory 

GODFATHER of GOGO beam me up, Chuck!!!!

Lead singer for the reggae band STEEL PULSE (r.) shaking the hand of the legendary Chuck Brown, who created GoGo music; the original sound of Washington DC (Chocolate City), and Tom Terrell at the Strathmore in early 2012.
photo by Dera Tompkins. 

The Right Wife

OZZY OSBOURNE, rock star

That is a strange cat, but in his older years it seems he married the right woman who got him. By his own admission his talent engulfed him and the world of fans he played to and for, but Ozzy had no control over his spirit and admitting so got some wisdom out of the deal.

His revelation into self-control and thoughtful engagements with his higher self are 30+ years too late, but so be it. It takes some a longer time than others to ascend, and ascend we do; at our own pace. - Gregory E. Woods, Keeper of Stories 1.11.13

Father's Song to daughters. . .

Tomaca Govan, her dawg & guitar !!!!

DAUGHTERS

“Every woman's mystique should be met, created and carried by them. That is how my mother lived, and the women of my childhood carried it!” – Gregory E. Woods, father (11.7.12) 

Tomaca Govan