Carl Gardner of The Coasters Is Gone

Carl Gardner is on the left.

Move the mouse to the Guardian obit.

Visit The Prof's other blog, Nipper and Me for some toonz.

Hank Jones has died

A poet of the keyboard, with an inimitable touch, and what Giddins calls "a regal but nimble bearing." For early piano solos try the twofer that contains "The Talented Touch" and "Porgy and Bess." For tasty piano duets find "Our Delights" with the sympatico Tommy Flanagan.

Jones was a great accompanist of horns and singers as you can hear with Coleman Hawkins on "The High and Mighty Hawk" and with Ella Fitzgerald on the to-die-for "Pure Ella." Jones resurgence as an eminence gris in the last two decades meant he got a lot of opportunity to record. The recent "Kids" with Joe Lavano is bracing, but my favorite Jones is on the spirituals-only set with Charlie Haden, "Steal Away."

NYTimes obit is here.

A wonderful appreciation by Giddins in The New Yorker is here.

Jingle Jammin' Begins! : Featured Cut: Merry Christmas, Baby

Prof Pals are well aware what the Prof will be doing in the next few weeks aside from saving the brains of the youth of America--burning Xmas mixes! Yes, cats and kittenheads, he's up to volume 46 of the customized "Jingle Jammin'" CDRs and will attempt to reach a half o' hundred by New Year. So the Prof herewith initiates a series within a series, featured cuts and albums from his humble estimation of the bestest of Kringlepop music. (That's ol' Fezziwig above gettin' down at the archetypal holiday office party just to get you in the mood. The illustration is by John Leech from the first edition of A Christmas Carol. You can check out a cool site dedicated to the book and other Dickens by clicking your mouse (a creature that isn't stirring, I guess.)

We begin with one of the biggies, the number which is probably the first R & B Christmas composition, written by Lou Baxter and Johnny Moore and first recorded in 1947 by Moore's Blue Blazers with an assist in the studio by Johnny's brother Oscar, guitarist for Nat Cole's trio.
The track begins with bluesy arpeggios wrapped around the chords of a celesta (suggesting the jingling season subliminaly) and leads into the smoky vocals of the keyboard player Charles Brown (photo below), who switches to piano a few measures later. Brown and Moore keep it simple and urbane so that the music glows with its easy good-time feel and Moore gets in a jazzy Jingle Bells quote that spirals back down into the blues.

The lyrics are iconic American secular Xmas good-times hipness-- the first verse evokes the bling (she gave him a diamond ring so he's "livin' in Paradise," no, not that Paradise), the second verse gets all self-reflexive (he's feelin' mighty fine coz there's good music on the radio), and the last provides a good-natured gag about not drinking but feeling all lit up like a Christmas tree (they did call what Johnny and Charles and Nat and Osacar did cocktail music, after all).

This formula proved so potent that Brown recorded the song at least a dozen more times (and the Prof has interlarded them throughout his Xmas Mix), most notably in a duet with Bonnie Raitt. Brown also became a specialist in Yuletide piano blues--as we shall see later in this series.

A durable blueprint for so many great versions:

1950 Lionel Hampton Orchestra with a blistering vocal by Sonny Parker in the jump manner of Wynone Harris.

1960 Chuck Berry sliding some twangy chords that influenced snake around Jimmy Johnson's classic Chess Chicago-style fills that update Johnny's and Charles' original conception.

1964 Ike and Tina Turner burn up the Yule log with a choogling version that ends with Tina screaming "Jingle all the way!"

1968 Otis Redding Kicking off with a "dashing through the snow" riff by Booker T on the organ and cushioned by the jubilant Stax horns, this version features an exultant O at his best. You can hear him grinning through the whole track.

1971 Elvis Presley stretches out and gives it his all changing the last line from "I'm livin' in paradise" to "I'll play it through Al's mike." He plays an electric guitar solo as D J Fontana urges "Play it dirty." El is one bad Santa, know what ahm sayin?

Senegal Flash

Dedicated to the amazing Jake-ola bound for Columbia U to represent Senegal.

(Details in the expanded post tomorrow.)

DISCOGRAPHY:

Orchestra Baobab

Roots and Fruit (Earl years)

N'Wolof (1970-1)

On Verra Ca (1978)

Bamba (1980-81)

Pirates Choice (1982)

Specialists in All Styles (2002)

Made in Dakar (2008)

Etoile de Dakar with Youssou N'Dour and El Hadji Faye

Absa Gueye (Volume 1) Recorded in 1979 at Jandeer Nightclub.

Thiapatholy (Volume 2) Recorded in 1980 at Studio Sangomar.

Lay Suma Lay (Volume 3) Recorded in 1981 at Studio Sangomar.

Khaley Etoile (Volume 4) Recorded in 1981, '82 at Studio Sangomar in Dakar.

All are out of print but can be found with a little scrounging on the net.

Recommended alternative: The Rough Guide to Youssou N'Dour and Etoile de Dakar.

Compilations

African Pearls 4: Senegal: The Teranga Spirit (Double CD. First disc features traditional music.

Second features early pop recordings.

African Pearls 8: Senegal 70 Musical Effervescence (Double CD. The place to start!)

Senegal Flash: Kaolack

Senegal Flash: Banjul

Senegal Flash: Ziginchor

Senegal Flash: Louga

Senegal Flash: Dakar

Senegal Flash: Mdar

The Senegal Flash series on Syllart is spectacular, out of print, and expensive if you can find any of the CDs. Syllart is re-releasing a lot of Congolese music, so perhaps they'll get around to this one day.

The African Pearls are best acquired from Sterns African Music. Best price and fast shipping.

And don't forget the astonishing compilation The Music in My Head (and its less amazing sequel) selected by Mark Hudson to his novel about Dakar's music scene. The book and Volume 1 are out of print, but check here and here.