BB, Mick and Barack: Blues at The White House

It had to have been the smallest crowd that Mick Jagger had played to in decades when he headlined the recent “Red Hot and Blues” concert from the East Room at the White House. But it may have been the best all-star blues band he has ever fronted.

Of course, the First I-Pod stole the show when he sang the chorus of “Sweet Home Chicago” with B.B. King as a finale. And he showed his professorial roots with an introduction that began with a nod to Alan Lomax paying Muddy Waters $20 for two recordings in 1941. He also noted that the blues represented “music with humble beginnings, with roots in slavery and segregation in a society that rarely treated black Americans with the dignity and respect they deserved.”

The concert, broadcast on PBS and with clips still streaming at their website (http://www.pbs.org/inperformanceatthewhitehouse/video.php), was a chance to pay respect to the troubadors of pain and poverty who have made this musical art form into a hallmark of American culture.

It began with the grand master, B.B. King doing “The Thrill is Gone,” and then the other senior statesman, Jagger, got the spotlight for several songs including, “Commit A Crime” by Howlin Wolf, with Jeff Beck on guitar.

Jagger paid his respects to the pioneers when he talked about the Rolling Stones’ first visit to Chess Records in Chicago in 1964 and meeting Muddy Waters and Willie Dixon, among others. And he had a corny joke about Sonny Boy Williamson (“These English boys want to play the blues real bad. And they do…play it real bad.”) But Mick, under the watchful eyes of George Washington and Teddy Roosevelt, could still make the ladies swoon and the men try to figure out how he does it.

Looking like a Harvard professor himself, was another veteran, Booker T. Jones, who presided with aplomb over his band from behind the Hammond B-3 organ.

For me, the excitement was generated by the younger folks on the card. People like Trombone Shorty doing “St. James Infirmary,” Gary Clark, Jr. doing “A Beat Up Guitar,” Keb Mo doing “Henry,” and Susan Tedeschi, Derek Trucks and Warren Haynes in a very credible tribute to Etta James on “I’d Rather Go Blind.”

But when the heavyweights joined forces, the guitar riffs were jaw dropping. Jeff Beck, Gary Clark, Jr., and Buddy Guy (with Mick) brought the house down with Eddie Boyd’s,
“Five Long Years.”

It was night when the price of admission seemed to be a bottle neck on your ring finger, and made you think there had not been this much musical talent under the White House roof since Thomas Jefferson dined alone.

News & Notes: Grammys to Glasgow

As this blog enters a second year, and the televised awards season has washed over us, it seems appropriate to do a little reflecting on recent events and past posts. Let's start with The Grammys, which, despite the politics and the pandering (why do so many TV stars and sports guys get to present music awards?) and the endless commercials, still manages to put on pretty good show. For a show that gives aural accolades, it does some stunning production numbers and eye-catching visuals. You gotta love the slide shows of waves and surfboards behind the Beach Boys songs and how pale the setup bands seemed when compared to the real thing. “Good Vibrations” still sounds like a work of genius and it was touching to see Brian back with the band after all these (50) years. (See April 14, 2011 post).
It was a night for us seniors and those even older who were still performing. What a contrast between the simple solo of Sir Paul McCartney and Tony Bennett’s duet with the complicated production numbers of Taylor Swift and Katy Perry. Speaking of Taylor, didn’t she look fetching in her shredded dress plucked from a Tobacco Road shack? She sure looked different in the Cover Girl Ad that followed later! And it was ironic to see Sir Elton John in a Pepsi spot and not on stage.
The tribute to Glenn Campbell (Blog Post Feb. 21) seemed just a year too late as he stumbled a bit and the set-up bands made me want to reach for the original versions by Glenn and John Hartford. It was still a grabber when the Rhinestone Cowboy sang,
“There’s a load of compromisin’ on the road to my horizon.” One heck of a long road.
One other line deserves mention from the humble Bonn Iver, winner of Best New Artist, when he said, “I want to thank all the nominees and the non-nominees.”

Between glitzy award shows we spent a lovely afternoon watching sets from the performers at a memorial tribute to the late financier Warren Helman. It was streamed from the Hardly Strictly Bluegrass site (http://www.strictlybluegrass.com/) and was great fun to see as well hear favorites like Steve Earle. Gillian Welch and David Rawlings wore matching red and white satin, rhinestone studded outfits that seemed as sassy as their line from Miss Ohio, “I want to do right but not right now.”

The folk songs sounded especially good coming out of the vintage KLH 17 speakers that are still strong after all these years. (A tip of the hat to my daughter who insisted we needed a cable so she could listen to her computer collection when she is here visiting).

One other note from the concert (which may still be up and streaming along with the service for Warren) came from the Dry Branch Fire Squad who announced that they had CDs for sale in the back. However they only had 12 of the Dry Branch Fire Squad Thought Repellent Hats left. “The one man looking at them must be a Hoosier and we appreciate his support.”

Speaking of daughter Jessica, her latest parttime job is being a minder for two boys, ages nine and ten, who are playing the young Tommy in the Rock Musical, “Tommy” (Blog Post December 25) which the graduate students at the Royal Conservatoire in Glasgow are presenting. She still has a tee shirt from the Broadway production of “Tommy” we took her to when she was too young to appreciate anything but the music.

Finally, a RIP to Davey Jones (Blog Post January 22), who was on the Ed Sullivan Show the night the Beatles appeared and said it changed his life from stage to singing. I have been amazed at the media attention his passing received and wonder if it is because of his young age (a boomer plus one) or perhaps just all the fun he created on screen that we wish we had back.

Guitar Man: Happy Traum

There’s 1352 guitar pickers in Nashville
And they can pick more notes than
The number of ants on a Tennessee ant hill.

There’s 1352 guitar cases in Nashville
And anyone who unpacks a guitar
Can play twice as better than I will.
"Nashville Cats"--John Sebastian.


The other night I happened across a guitar player who not only plays twice as better than most, but can probably take credit for teaching many of the cats in Nashville and other cities how. The venue was Schoenberg’s Music shop (www.om28.com), a tiny place in the picturesque town of Tiburon, located on a point halfway between the Golden Gate Bridge and San Quentin.

The star attraction was Happy Traum, a bona-fide folk legend who began in the early sixties in New York’s Washington Square and whose guitar skills and easy manner led to teaching handbooks and videos that are still in print today. My friend, host and flat-picker John still has his Happy Traum instruction books.

Traum acknowledged his musical roots with a tune, “Betty and Dupree,” by his teacher, Brownie McGhee (with whom he did an instruction book). He then told a story on himself about performing a folk song he “discovered” that turned out to be “The River is Wide.”

Traum’s first recording was for Folkways Records, called Broadside Ballads, Vol. 1, a collection that included Bob Dylan, Pete Seeger, Phil Ochs and others. Traum’s New World Singers were the first to record “Blowin’ In The Wind” and he recorded a duet with Dylan (who used the pseudonym Blind Boy Grunt).

Traum paid tribute to Dylan as a song writer and bluesman repeatedly throughout the evening with “Crash on the Levee,” “I’ll Be Your Baby Tonight,“ "Buckets of Rain” and
“Tonight I’ll be Staying Here With You.” After that last one, he remarked slyly,
“Whoever wrote that song is going to go far.”

Traum’s singing voice is no longer as robust as it was in the early 70’s but when he dials the lyrics back to almost a talking blues, it lets the music and his guitar virtuosity shine through, easily heard in a such a small room. Imagine Andres Segovia doing a set of Dylan covers.

Joining him for the evening was his son, Adam, who could match his father, chord for chord and they played well off each other. Adam is working on a new album with his dad and old family friend, John Sebastian (who appeared along with Roly Salley on Happy’s solo album, American Stranger done back in 1976 and now re-released.)

There was more music from Mississippi John Hurt’s “Monday Morning Blues” to Steve Earle’s “Hometown Blues.” There was also a great vibe from the aging baby boomers in the audience, half of whom raised their hands when Happy asked: “How many of you play?”

Finally, it was a beautiful visual setting to see a man and his son, both of whom had devoted their lives to making music from simple, acoustic guitars, performing in front of a wall of Gibsons and Martins built in the 1920s and 1930s. The fruits of artisans striving to create the perfect instruments and the efforts of artists to play them to the fullest measure.

Music Milestones 2011: Teen Spirit to King Tut

Advancing age, no doubt is what makes me appreciate anniversaries and the passing of those who made a difference in our lives and culture.

Let’s start with some anniversaries and reappearances. It was thirty years since the debut of a music cable channel, chronicled this year with the publication of a book, “I Want My MTV.” It was the was 20th anniversary of Nirvana’s “Never Mind” which drummer Dave Grohl observed by releasing his seventh Foo Fighters album and a documentary film, Foo Fighters Back and Forth. Another film by Cameron Crowe for PBS celebrated 20 years of Pearl Jam. DC punk rockers, Fugazi proved you can be on hiatus and on the internet by releasing the first of some 800 recorded concerts for download on a pay what you can basis. They Might Be Giants marked 25 years with a new release.

Other comebacks included The Cars after 22 years, Aretha with a CD sold exclusively at Wal-Mart and banjo player Steve Martin, whose album of original compositions with the Steep Canyon Rangers (along with Paul McCartney and The Dixie Chicks) reprised his mega-hit from 1978, King Tut. There were a number of tribute albums, including cover collections of Buddy Holley, Hank Williams and Waylon Jennings. Woody Guthrie’s family continues to mine his archives for new collections.

Most rock bands break up more frequently than they change socks but R.E.M. made it 31 years, leaving a legacy that both musicians and wordsmiths can appreciate.

The year saw the passing of many music stars. Here are some you may have missed.
• Jean Dinning, who wrote “Teen Angel” and recorded by her younger brother Mark.
• Gladys Horton, an original Marvellete whose “Please Mr. Postman,” was Motown’s first number one hit.
• Hazel Dickens, blue grass champion of the working poor who wrote “Mama’s Hand.” Her haunting voice graced the soundtracks of Harlan County, USA and Matewan.
• Gil Robbins, a member of The Highwaymen and father of Actor Tim Robbins. He began his career as drum major for the UCLA marching band, was a backup singer for Harry Belafonte and later managed the Gaslight Café in New York City.
• Don Devito, a record producer who did Dylan’s “Blood on the Tracks” and “Desire.”
• Sylvia Robinson, who as part of a duo, Mickey and Sylvia recorded the 1957 hit, “Love is Strange” and then produced, 22 years later, the first hip-hop single, “Rappers Delight,” which sold 14 million copies for her Sugarhill Gang label.
• Tom Keith, the incomparable sound effects man for Prairie Home Companion.
• Hugh Martin who composed songs for Judy Garland to sing in Meet Me In St. Louis and penned these classic lyrics:
“Have yourself a Merry Little Christmas/ Let your heart be light
From now on our troubles will be out of sight.”

The year 2011 saw Tom Waits, Darlene Love, Alice Cooper, Dr. John and Neil Diamond enter the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Diamond was also feted by the Kennedy Center along with Sonny Rollins and YoYo Ma.

The Smithsonian announced that it has rescued the last replica of Parliament Funkadelic’s Motherhip and will put it on display at the National Museum of African American History when it opens in 2015.

Bob Dylan performed in China after agreeing not to sing several songs including, “The Times They Are a Changing” and “Chimes of Freedom.”

Finally, a fond farewell to financier and music lover Warren Hellman who, in 2001 founded the Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Concerts in San Francisco’s Gold Gate Park. The free concerts showcased hall of fame talent and his philosophy about philanthropy:
“Money is like manure. If you hold on to it, it stinks. But if you spread it around, good things grow.”

The Agony of Beatlemania

The Beatles have become part of the fabric of our lives. Ringo has a new CD out, Paul’s getting married and touring, there is a new film about George, no doubt a book about John and classic rock radio has their tunes in regular rotation. As they have moved from superstar to iconic status, the fans have created an insatiable desire for anything “Beatles.”

So it came as no surprise to see their album covers made into jigsaw puzzles. The size of long playing albums led to a creative outburst in the 1960s and ‘70s that lives on today. My collection of covers is worth more than the music they were made to protect. Why else would stores like Urban Outfitters want to sell me expensive frames to hang them on my walls? Or Restoration Hardware sell me a book of covers?

It was a however, a bit of a surprise to get a birthday present of a puzzle based on the cover of “Revolver.” Released in 1966, it was one of the first rays in the dawn of the psychedelic era. It was a transition for them. They mixed the classic love songs (Got To Get You Into My Life) with the political tunes (Taxman), the mysterious tales (Eleanor Rigby) and the whimsical (Yellow Submarine).

And of course the cover was eye catching and so different from early Beatles publicity still covers.

Imagine this cover chopped into 500 tiny pieces. Now think about how many of those pieces are all white. Or white with thin black lines. Or pieces of black lines. Or how many heads of hair (each slightly different) there are. Or how many images there are of John, Paul, George and Ringo. I count about 37.

My plan was to wait until my daughter got home for the holidays and we would knock it out in a few evenings in front of the fireplace. What actually happened was the night before she left she proclaimed: "We haven’t done the puzzle yet." So after several hours of singing along with old Beatles albums (it was interesting that both mother and daughter know all the words), we managed to get the edge together and the top center section of photos. Then my daughter left and it sat there, daring me to finish it.

After several tortortuously slow sessions (one piece an hour), along came the perfect time wasting excuse: The NFL Playoffs. After the better part of four games, I had given up thoughts of tossing it all back in the box and convinced myself that forty-five years after it was created, I could summon the patience and persistence to complete this.

I hit the home stretch during the State of the Union and finally at 2:08 pm, January 25, the last piece went in.

Now I am thinking of which of my “friends” I might pass this puzzle on to and wondering if its creator, Klaus Voorman (another session man with a great backstory) has ever assembled his Grammy award winning cover from 500 pieces. And while enjoying my newly found free time, I am fervently hoping no one decides to give me Sgt. Pepper next year.

David Bromberg: Back with Bang

We interrupt our plans for a year in review for an album in review. David Bromberg, a grizzled veteran who had dropped off the music radar for a career making violins is back with a new album that demonstrates why he was a much sought after session player (guitar, mandolin, fiddles) and is the best mix of rock, blues, R & B and roots music that I have heard in years.

His new album,"Use Me" employed a most unusual concept. He called up his friends and colleagues and asked them to write a song for him (or pick a song) and then produce the recording session for him. Perhaps because he had played with so many of them over the years (Rolling Stone Encyclopedia credits him with 90 albums), they climbed on the bandstand with him. The result is a mix of traditional sounding ballads (John Hiatt on Ride On Out A Ways), political protests (Digging in the Deep Blue Sea with Keb Mo'), country swing (Lookout Moutain Girl with Vince Gill) and the basic blues (Use Me produced by the Butcher Brothers, Phil and Joe Nicolo).

Then there's Levon Helm, Dr. John, Los Lobos and Linda Ronstadt, plus others. But I hope you have the point by now. Instead of Central Casting, he called the Rock and Hall of Fame. The result in terms of music is certainly at the level. It's also a trip down memory lane for him and his partners. In the liner notes he refers to how long he has known Keb Mo.
"In the Jurassic Age, before I stopped performing for 22 years, Kevin, like John Hiatt appeared on shows with me. I am very grateful that I wasn't a jerk to either of them or they never would have worked with me on this CD."

My thanks again to Bob Edwards who took us listeners on a tour of Bromberg's violin store and workshop in Wilmington, Delaware. In addition to describing what was in his safe (the really expensive violins), we heard from artisans and about which kind of horsehair from South America they imported to make bows. The story of how the album got created over almost a year was just as fascinating. The connection with Los Lobos came because both Davids (Bromberg and Hidalgo) had done CDs for children at a company called Rabbit Ears.

My only encounter with Mr. Bromberg came at a concert in 1976 at George Washington University in support of his album, "How Late'll Ya Play 'Til." A friend had gotten front row seats and after one particularly rousing song, he looked down at me and said something to the effect: "What's wrong? Don't you like the music? Why aren't you clapping?"

I shrugged while turning shades of crimson behind the footlights and attempted to join in. As my family and a few friends know, not only can I not carry a tune in a bucket, my sense of rhythm is always a half beat slow. Hence I try to avoid clapping in public. The show did go on and I became a fan even after being skewered by his rapier wit. Back in the day that wit produced such laugh out loud fun songs as Sloppy Drunk and Will Not Be Your Fool as well as great takes on Blues standards. He's mellowed since then but on "Use Me," he's uncorked some fine vintage music.

The Who Hits WISH-TV Holiday Airwaves

Did you ever see the faces of the children,
They get so excited
Waking up on Christmas morning
Hours before the winter sun's ignited.
They believe in dreams and all they mean
Including heaven's generosity.


As a young reporter in 1970 I asked my favorite cameraman to shoot film of his young kids descending the stairs and arriving at the Christmas tree surrounded by presents on Christmas morning. He grumbled about having to set up lights and work during his day off, but agreed to help. I took my well-worn copy of the four-sided rock opera by The Who into the station and dubbed off the opening lyrics to “Christmas,” which we played over the film footage to start the six o’clock news that night.

Normally I would not have been producing the newscast but on that holiday staffers without kids subbed for those who had families. So I had the freedom to do something a little different. The result was a “cold” opening to the show, no headlines, no logo, no teases…just The Who and the kids. I am sure my news director, watching at home, choked on his egg nog when he saw it. Everyone at the station seemed to enjoy it and catch the spirit, but I suspect most of them did not know the lyrics that followed told the story of a “deaf, dumb, blind kid that sure plays a mean pin ball.”

That brief moment has become a fond memory for a couple of reasons. The two kids have grown up and have kids of their own (who are grown up). The cameraman has recently recovered from some serious health issues. “Tommy” has gone onto a life of its own: a true operatic treatment with the London Symphony, a major motion picture (Tina Turner’s “Acid Queen,” is a gem), a Broadway Play (which we saw), regular rotation on classic rock stations and finally a revival tour with Roger Daltrey.

For me the short clip was a chance to buck the system established by CBS News of forbidding the use of music over news stories. It was a policy no doubt enforced by my former professor Fred Friendly when he was President of CBS News and one that influenced the local affiliates.

It also served as a precedent for a second effort during the 1972 presidential campaign in Indiana. I produced a 30-minute special called “Plant Gate Primary” which opened with Joan Baez singing The Stones' “Salt of The Earth.” With some license we used the opening line as sort of a headline: “Let’s drink to the hard working people…Let’s drink to the salt of the earth.”

As we head into yet another campaign, the vision of Jagger and Richard still shines through.
Spare a thought for the stay-at-home voter
His empty eyes gaze at strange beauty shows
And a parade of the gray suited grafters
A choice of cancer or polio

It was after watching that bit of film and music that my sister declared: “Frank you just want to do the news using rock and roll.” Guilty.

So Merry Christmas to all and as you ponder whether or not the first music video appeared on WISH TV some four decades ago, lift a drink to the salt of the earth and
Let's think of the humble of birth.