Wednesday, March 31st
voices I miss
Koko Taylor (1928-2009), “I’d Rather Go Blind” (E. Jordan, B. Foster, E. James), 1981
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lagniappe
random sights
this morning, Oak Park, Ill.
music clip of the day
jazz/blues/rock/classical/gospel/more
Category: blues
2021
Wednesday, January 27th
sounds of Chicago
Art Ensemble of Chicago (Roscoe Mitchell, 1940-, saxophones; Joseph Jarman, 1937-2019, saxophones, flute; Lester Bowie, 1941-1999, trumpet, MCOTD Hall of Fame; Malachi Favors, 1927-2004, bass, percussion; Don Moye, 1946-, drums, percussion) with guests,* live (performance begins at 8:20), Switzerland (Lugano), 1993
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lagniappe
random sights
yesterday, Chicago (Columbus Park)
*****
*Amina Claudine Myers (organ, vocals), Frank Lacy (trombone), James Carter (tenor saxophone), Chicago Beau (harmonica, vocals), Herb Walker (guitar, vocals).
2021
Wednesday, January 13th
timeless
Sleepy John Estes (1899 or 1900–1977; vocals, guitar), with Hammie Nixon (harmonica) and Charlie Pickett or Son Bond (guitar), “Floating Bridge” (J. Estes), 1937
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lagniappe
random sights
yesterday, outside Chicago (Illinois Prairie Path)
2020
Friday, December 25th
How about some blues for Christmas?
Bessie Smith (1894-1937) with Joe Smith (cornet), Charlie Green (trombone), Fletcher Henderson (piano), “At the Christmas Ball,” 1925
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Blind Lemon Jefferson (1893-1929), “Christmas Eve Blues,” 1928
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Victoria Spivey (1906-1976) with Lonnie Johnson (guitar), “Christmas Morning Blues,” 1928
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Leroy Carr (1905-1935), “Christmas in Jail—Ain’t That a Pain,” 1929
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Sonny Boy Williamson I (1914-1948), “Christmas Morning Blues,” 1938
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Johnny Moore’s Three Blazers with Charles Brown (1922-1999, vocals, keyboards), “Merry Christmas, Baby,” 1947
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Lowell Fulson (1921-1999), “Lonesome Christmas (I & II),” 1950
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Sonny Boy Williamson II (AKA Alex or Aleck Miller, 1912-1965), “Sonny Boy’s Christmas Blues,” 1951
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John Lee Hooker (1917-2001), “Blues for Christmas,” 1959
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Hop Wilson (1921-1975), “Merry Christmas Darling,” 1961
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lagniappe
random sights
yesterday, Oak Park, Ill.
2020
Thursday, December 3rd
sounds of the 1940s
Cecil Gant (1913-1951, piano, vocals), “What’s on Your Worried Mind,” “I Gotta Gal,” 1945
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lagniappe
random sights
a while ago, Maine (Monhegan Island)
2020
Thursday, November 26th
basement jukebox
J. B. Lenoir (1929-1967), “Mama Talk To Your Daughter,” 1955
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Magic Sam (aka Samuel Maghett, 1937-1969), “All Your Love,” 1957
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Otis Rush (1934-2018), “All Your Love (I Miss Loving),” 1958
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Junior Wells (1934-1998), “Little by Little,” 1960
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Buddy Guy (1936-), “First Time I Met the Blues,” 1960
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Sonny Boy Williamson II (aka Alex [or Aleck] Miller, 1912-1965), “Help Me,” 1963
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Fenton Robinson (1935-1997), “Somebody (Loan Me a Dime),” 1967
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lagniappe
random sights
yesterday, Oak Park, Ill.
2020
Monday, August 10th
two takes
“Cold, Cold Feeling” (J. M. Robinson)
T-Bone Walker (1910-1975, vocals, guitar), 1952
*****
Albert Collins (1932-1993, vocals, guitar), 1978
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my back pages
The other day, on Spotify, I saw that this track—something I co-produced in another life—had over 4 million plays. If someone had told me, when we were working on this album, that someday it would “stream” to millions of listeners, I would have wondered: What are you smoking?
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lagniappe
random sights
other day, Chicago
2020
Wednesday, July 29th
basement jukebox
Otis Rush (1934-2018, vocals, guitar), “All Your Love (I Miss Loving)” (O. Rush), 1959
If you take the words from ‘Black Magic Woman’ and just leave the rhythm, it’s ‘All Your Love’—it’s Otis Rush.
—Carlos Santana
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lagniappe
random sights
yesterday, Oak Park, Ill.
*****
reading table
Roads run forever
Under feet forever
Falling away
Yet, it may happen that you
Come to the same place again
Stay! You could not do
Anything more certain—
Here you can wait forever
And rejoice at your arrival—Samuel Menashe (1925-2011)
2020
Thursday, April 30th
basement jukebox
Sonny Boy Williamson II (aka Alex [or Aleck] Miller, 1912-1965, vocals, harmonica), “Help Me” (S. Williamson, et al.), 1963
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lagniappe
random sights
yesterday, Oak Park, Ill.
2020
Sunday, March 29th
sounds of New York
Reverend Gary Davis (1896-1972), “Death Don’t Have No Mercy,” live
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lagniappe
random sights
yesterday, Chicago (Columbus Park)
*****
reading table
Clear skies ring with the honk of wild geese
On deserted hills, leaves whirl in the wind
Twilight on a smoky village road
Carrying an empty begging bowl and walking home alone—Ryōkan (1758-1831), translated from classical Chinese by Ryūichi Abé and Peter Haskel
music clip of the day 