I was hoping that I’d find this fabulous track on one of the Uncle Walt albums I’ve already acquired. But no! It’s not on either. They had a third album, which was all live stuff. Perhaps it was on that?
Another Omnivore expanded reissue.
But nope, ‘Getaway’ isn’t on this either! Not to worry. I’ve ordered it anyway. I love them so much I can’t imagine not loving this one as well as the others. How am I going to get Getaway, though? Not sure about buying the Omnivore comp’, Those Boys From Carolina, They Sure Enough Could Sing, just to get one track!
Rather annoyingly, during my shift today the leaflet in the above CD fell out of the car. I’ve only had the CD a day or two, and now it looks like it’s years old. Damn!
And this one too…
One song that jumped out at me today was ‘Early Riser’, a live track included as an extra on the Omnivore reissue of their debut (above). It appeals to me as antidote to another of their tracks, ‘In The Night’.
Whereas ‘In The Night’ celebrates the wee small hours, ‘Early Riser’ finds our handsome hirsute hero turning in nice and early! I do that, and I love it. I haven’t mastered the other part, the part that gives the song its title.
And in the evening, afore bed, we watched Pursuit to Algiers, with Basil Shinbone and Nigel ‘the Bruce’. Ah, what formulaic fun.
A red herring?
I do love the combo of Basil and Nigel. Not very Conan Doyle, admittedly. Esp’ Bruce’s bumbling buffoonery! But I grew up watching these, and they’ve carved a little niche in my heart.
Crimes at sea? It’s not all black and white.
Who really cares about the silly plots? It’s all about the heroic pair, and their chemistry. Rathbone’s Holmes is always clipped, often earnest, and frequently in a hurry. Bruce’s Doc’ is slower paced, hankers after food n’ drink, a bit of sport, and comely dames.
Will Holmes solve the case, whilst simultaneously sending up Watson, and still charm the pants off everyone, inc. the Doc’? Of course. He always does. It’s not the destination, be it Algiers or elsewhere. It’s the trip.
As ever, we’re just chasing clutter around the house. I am selling stuff, slowly. In the last year or so I’ve probably sold about £3Ks worth of musical gear. Alas, for less than that. Prob realising about £2K on it.
And sadly that’s just money to stay afloat. A slow process of asset attrition. Not ideal at all. And not selling because I want of the stuff, but because of a combo of poverty and lack of storage space!
The same view from the window end.
We might let the blue room. We’ve been thinking about it for ages. I’ve been really set against it. Not wanting to share our home now we’re in our 50s! But this time the possible tenant is family. And that makes all the difference.
I really ought to clear this table as well!
These are the ‘before’ pics. I’m taking a coffee break. Listening to Dorothy Ashby, with Chester sat beside me. In about 15 minutes I’ll tackle the table. Then I’ll take the ‘after’ shots.
This area really needs addressing.
The above area is a bit of a dead space at present. I really want to do something better with it. One idea is a box-shelf/cupboard type construction, atop the fridge (but attached to the walls.
The microwave ought to come down off the fridge, as well. So perhaps another box-cupboard thing to the left of the fridge, with the microwave sat on it?
The most improved aspect.
The best work I did, of a short term sort, I guess, moving the drum kits off the bed. But they’ve remained in the room. They’re cluttering up a different area now. As you’ll see below.
Looking from the window towards the door.
I actually improved on the above, by removing most of the clutter off the chest o’drawers. The drum bits are now behind where I was stood taking the above snap. And a few other bits (eg headphones), are elsewhere now, as well.
Cleared the table about 60-70%.
I managed to remove about two thirds of the stuff off the tabletop. Which is good. I’ve just bunged it on our bed for now. I’ll have to deal with it properly later, or tomorrow.
Uh-oh! Drums aplenty.
My Ayotte and Mapex kits are mostly (but not completely, as can be seen above) bagged up. And are stacked separately. The Mapex is hiding the Ayotte! You can still access the fridge. Which is a necessity, as we already use it as a backup to our other fridge and freezer set up, downstairs.
Even better!
Finally got the table (more or less) completely cleared. And I’m glad we did. As Antonio, our prospective tenant, and (former?*) brother in law, sat down at it to test our WiFi, and see if it’s up to snuff for his work.
He seems pleased, and it looks like we’ll have a tenant for a while, from mid-April.
This is one of the many GB albums I don’t yet have in a ‘hard copy’ format, yet. Indeed, I don’t think I’d ever even listened to it until now.
Having been totally blown away by the Rick Beato George Benson interview, I’ve been delving into areas of Benson’s back catalogue I’d not explored before.
And, unsurprisingly, it’s proving a rich and rewarding experience. This disc is interesting for numerous reasons. First of all it’s unusual, in popular music, for an artist to release an entire album covering just one other artist.
Secondly, later on in Benson’s career he’d get a lot of flak for ‘selling out’, as he began introducing vocal numbers. But, as he says when talking to Rick, he’d always sung, since childhood. And this album precedes the ones – Breezin, In Flight, etc – that drew certain folks’ ire.
Personally I absolutely love these recordings. What’s not to love? Excellent songs, reinterpreted by equally excellent musicians, but in a different vein. The blend of jazz, R’n’B, popular song, and terrific classical influenced arrangement, all add up to a Fab whole.
A short while back I discovered Uncle Walt’s Band, and bought their self-released debut, reissued by Omnivore, with lots of bonus material. It’s superb.
I love it so much I’ve now got their follow up (also self-released), An American in Texas. This is another Omnivore reissue. Also packed to the gills with extras.
The group actually took a bit of a hiatus, between albums one and two. According to the liner notes for this album, Champ Hood took up violin between the recording of the first and second album. There is violin on the first disc, however. So I wonder about that?
What’s certain is that the violin plays a more prominent role here, later on. For example, the title track itself is a violin lead instrumental.
My initial reaction is that whilst American is brilliant, I slightly prefer their debut. What’s intriguing is that the extras on American are phenomenally good.
The upshot is that both collections, albums one and two, when taken together with the extras, are utterly fabulous.
I came home from work, today, and this was on the TV. I was surprised to see Bumphrey Hogarth and Ronald Raygun are in it.
The plot involves Bette Davis’ flighty socialite Judith Traherne discovering she’s terminally ill, after her Doc’ – George Brent as Dr Steele – trying to keep the news from her.
Davis and Reagan seek solace in spirits.
It’s full of dated themes, some of which the movie doesn’t address at all. And some it only addresses partially or momentarily – such as relations between the rich and their servants – but it still packs quite a punch, for addressing such a hefty issue.
Bogie as Irish stable hand Michael O’Leary.
Ultimately it’s really very moving. We all face death. And this film faces that awful topic head on. It’s also interesting in how it deals with cancer, which Steele, first Traherne’s doctor, and then her husband, can’t help her. It’s perhaps even more poignant now? Because of how cancer treatment has come on since then, and yet remains one of our chief killers.
The lovers.
Also very moving is how it treats the idea of protecting a loved one. Although perhaps nowadays we’d counsel straightforward honesty, in favour of noble self- sacrifice.
But the way it ends remains very powerful, very moving. I blubbed like baby. but then I’m a big softy.
The daffs are, of course, gorgeous. But there aren’t near enough. Yet. I suppose with each year we’re getting better?
Purple grape hyacinths.
I can never seem to recall the name of the ‘purple bobble’ flowers. I near enough always have to look it up.
Hyacinths and solar light.Tulips… at last!
We’ve been trying to get flowers going in the garden for years. With minimal success. It’s nice to finally see a few tulips making it above ground. Again, need lots, lots more!
Glory be! Three flower types in one spot.
The border of the lawn section of our garden needs neatening up. Weeding, edging, and hopefully some more of those rope doodads.
The Mongolia is looking good.
We have plenty o’ trees. Two holly, an apple, pear, plum, several figs, two… no, three cherries, some bamboo, and a laurel bush. There’s also sundry stuff we inherited, down the far end. Inc the biggest tree of the lot. I don’t know what type of tree that is, yet.
Buds are coming out on the main cherry.
It’s funny how things come out at different times. The cherry out front is already in near full bloom. Whereas the one out back (above) is just budding.
Petting Chester this morning lead me to wonder where and when the conjunction of cats and humans, as we know it now – there are estimated to be in the region of 600 million pet cats, worldwide – occurred.
It seems, according to the evidence gathered in that article, that Felix Silvestris Lybica, or the African Wildcat, is the prime candidate for ancestor to our modern domestic cats.
Chester, tolerating mollycoddling!
The common name is a little misleading, however. As rather than the African continent, the location for the coming together of cats and humans is believed to be the Fertile Crescent:
The Fertile Crescent, acc. to Wikipedia.
This places the conjunction of cats and humans in what we’d nowadays call The Middle East, rather than Africa. And one of the earliest archaeological evidences for this is the burial together of a human and a cat, on the island of Crete, about 10,000 years ago.
There are several striking thing about cats, as opposed to most other domesticated animal species: the latter, from cows, pigs, sheep, to dogs, are social or group – herd or pack – animals. And they serve us in many obvious ways. Providing meat, clothing, and security services.
Cats, by contrast, are solitary, and not so biddable. It seems possible or probable that they chose to live with us, rather than vice versa. And the trade off was access to domestic mice and human trash; bountiful food sources for the populations of f. s. lybica living near the booming human settlements of The Fertile Crescent.
Oh, and then there’s the fact that they’re adorable!
Watching and listening to George Benson in his Rick Beato interview – an absolute classic – has decided me on further and deeper exploration of his recorded legacy.
I’m keen to hear not just his output as a leader, up into the mid-‘80s (I’ll cut off in ‘85 for now*), but also his stuff with Jack McDuff, prior to that.
* Whilst somewhat arbitrary, this is also when my interest in his output kind of diminishes (whether that’s justified or not is moot).
Benson’s debut on wax with McDuff?
With Jack McDuff:
Brother Jack McDuff Live, 1963 Brother Jack McDuff at the Jazz Workshop Live, 1963 Prelude, 1963 Cookin’ Together, 1964 The Dynamic Jack McDuff, 1964 The Concert McDuff, 1964 Silk & Soul, 1965 Hot Barbecue, 1966 Walk On By, 1966 Hallelujah Time, 1967 Midnight Sun, 1968 Soul Circle, 1968 I Got A Woman, 1969 Steppin’ Out, 1969
As leader:
New Boss Guitar of GB (w Jack McDuff), 1964 It’s Uptown, 1966 CD GB Cookbook, 1967 Giblet Gravy, 1968 Shape of Things to Come, 1968 Goodies, 1968 Tell It Like It Is, 1969 Other Side Abbey Rd, 1970 Blue Horizon, 1971 CD White Rabbit, 1972 Body Talk, 1973 Bad Benson, 1974 Good King Bad, 1976 Benson & Farrell, 1976 mp3 Breezin’, 1976 CD In Concert, Carnegie Hall, 1976 In Flight, 1977 CD Weekend in LA, 1978 vinyl Livin’ Inside… 1979 Give Me The Night, 1980 vinyl Jazz On A Sunday Afternoon, Vols I-III, 1981-2 In Your Eyes, 1983 Pacific Fire, 1983 mp3 I Got A Woman, 1984 20/20, 1985
Wow! This is so good. George Benson is incredible. Not just a great guitarist, great singer, or even just great musician. He’s also a great storyteller, and clearly a great human being.
I recall, when working for Drummer magazine, interviewing several drummers. George comes over here like Omar Hakim did, when I interviewed him. Eloquent, loquacious, just a plain pleasure to talk with and listen to. Full of passion for his art, and loaded to the gunwhales with great stories, wit and wisdom.
A beautiful man with a beautiful guitar making beautiful music.
It’s so refreshing how open and humble he is. In fact, it’s astonishing. He’s like a force of nature, somehow. And a bit of a sage. He can be simple, and bluesy, or complex and philosophical. In speech and thought, as well as musically.
I’ve loved Benson since childhood. Thanks to a copy of In Flight that my parents had kicking around, back when I was a kid. Watching this I just want to dig deeper into his catalogue. Maybe explore his Jack McDuff stuff?
I thought Yanks said ‘ass’, not ‘bum’!?
I loved this interview so much I posted the following comment:
Wow! That’s hands down my favourite musician interview ever. Seriously.
I’ve loved George Benson and his music since childhood. Thanks to a copy of ‘In Flight’ that I grew up with. His version of The World Is A Ghetto is one of my favourite recordings EVER. The synergy in the ensemble is beyond brilliant.
Rick, you do a great job of both prompting George, and yet - as Benson himself says, when talking about musical sensitivity, - keeping out of the way. Well done!
And George… what can we say, but we love you. A great singer, a great guitarist, a great musician, a great storyteller, and an all round great human being.
Incredibly accomplished, and yet so disarmingly open and humble. What a great example! Qualities like love and humility are undervalued in our times, and George Benson exudes these like a boxer produces sweat. Like his music, greatness and goodness seem to flow from him.
I don’t usually go in for ‘gushing fanboy’ type comments. But I was blown away by this wonderful interview. Thank you Rick. Thank you George! We love you ♥️
The very definition of joy in music.
Rick plays a few snippets of Benson’s playing and singing during the interview, including some of the unison guitar and vocal stuff from the above rendition of On Broadway.
The lyrics (my italics) fit Benson like a glove:
They say I won't last too long on Broadway I'll catch a Greyhound bus for home, they all say But they're dead wrong, I know they are 'Cause I can play this guitar And I won't quit til I'm a star on Broadway
Before watching it, I texted a link to the interview to my jazz guitarist friend, and fellow Beato watcher, Pat. After watching it I texted again:
It's hands down my favourite Beato thing. George is an absolute legend. He's as good a storyteller as he is guitarist/vocalist. And that someone as hugely talented and successful as he is can also be so open, down to earth and humble!? Beyond brilliant, in my opinion. And GB is 81!!! But still has the zesty lust for life of a wide-eyed kid. I think he's touring the UK this year. I'd love to see him perform.
