Soul Bossa by Michael Pellecchia

Benefit for HIAS at Village Tavern in Pittsburgh

unexpected loss of our friend Lief has me sharing this musical moment with Lief and his friend the immortal Richie Cole. with Lief

Columbia C-31 7-8 both sides

“Take Me To That Land of Jazz”: Texas Serenaders feat. Christy Foster (W...

Headlines from NY Times music obits collected over years

 Litany of Influence

Headlines clipped and saved, from

newspaper pages flattened in scrapbooks, mostly not cut or detached but 

yes, folded, creased, and all that

they scream the importance of branding your life in advance

they tell the importance of age in increments of tens and fragments of those

Nat Hentoff, a Writer, A Jazz Critic and Above All a Provocateur, Dies at 91

Levon Helm, Drummer and Gravel-Throated Singer for the Band, Is Dead at 71

and likely still dead

Hal David, Award-Winning Songwriter, Is Dead at 91

and is probably still dead at 92

Imagine Dying at the age of Something-One

Jack Hardy, 63, Folk Singer and Keeper of the Tradition

Earl Hagen, 88, “Andy Griffith” composer

Wilma Cozart Fine, 82, Record Producer

Levi Stubbs, powerful voice for the Four Tops, dies at 72

Hank Thompson is Dead; Country Singer was 82

Jimmy Giuffre, Imaginative Jazz Artist, Dies at 86

Harold Leventhal, Promoter of Folk Music, Dies at 86

Jack Lawrence, Writer of Hit Songs, Dies at 96

Jim Stewart, 92, Dies; Unlikely Record Maker of Black Soul Music

Yes, if you hadn’t guessed, the headlines are all composed in New York City

in the Land of All That’s Fit To Print u won’t see me there a pity

Dorival Caymmi, Singer of Brazil, is Dead at 94

and is probably still dead at 95

U. Utah Phillips, 73, Folk Troubadour

Bob Brookmeyer, 81, Jazz Master and Mentor

Don Helms, 81, Who Put the Twang in the Hank Williams Songbook

John Martyn, Folk and Jazz Guitarist, Dies at 60

Johnnie Johnson, 80, Dies; Inspired ‘Johnny B. Goode’

Hank Crawford, 74, Prolific Saxophonist

John McGlinn, 55, Restorer of Musicals

Flute Music Wafted in Caves 35,000 Years Ago

Jim Dickinson, 67, Player In Memphis Music Scene

Singer-songwriter Del Shannon dies

Nick Ashford, 70, of Motown Duo, Dies

Stanley Drucker, 93, Longtime Clarinetist For Philharmonic, Dies

Sam Butera, 81, Saxophonist for Louis Prima

Billy Lee Riley, 75, Sun Records Singer

Neal Hefti, Composer of ‘Batman’ for TV, Dies at 85

Bo Diddley, Who Gave Rock His Beat, Dies at 79

Odessa, Civil Rights Voice, Dies at 77

Seattle Bids Tuba Man a Sad Goodbye

Consuelo Vela’zquez Dies; Wrote ‘Besame Mucho’

Gene Pitney, Who Sang of ’60’s Teenage Pathos, Dies at 65

Boots Randolph, the ‘Yakety Sax’ Man, Dead at 80

Chuck Stewart Dies at 89, Jazz Photographer Left His Mark on Album Covers

Rudy Van Gelder, 91, Audio Engineer; Helped Define Sound of Jazz on Record

Chuck Berry, Rock ’n’ Roll’s Master Theorist and Statesman, Dies at 90

these people all seem to have had to do with popular music in the last half of the 20th century

James Brown, the ‘Godfather of Soul,’ Dies at 73

Mickey Baker, Guitarist, Is Dead at 87

Pete La Roca Sims, 74, Postbop Drummer

Earl Carroll, 75, Lead Singer of the Cadillacs

Greg Lake, a Progressive-Rock Icon Of King Crimson Fame, Dies at 69

Jesse Winchester, Singer and Songwriter, Dies at 69

Enduring, With a Half-Smile and a Song

Curly Putman, Songwriter of Heartbreakers, Dies at 85

Giorgio Gomelsky, 81, Rock Music Producer Who Gave the Rolling Stones Their Start

Marie Knight, Rich-Voiced Gospel Singer, Dies at 89

Sam Carr, 83, Delta Blues Drummer

Bob Marcucci, 81, Backer of Fabian and Frankie Avalon

Pinetop Perkins, Delta Boogie-Woogie Master, Dies at 97

Hubert Sumlin, 80, Master of Blues Guitar

Velvet-Voiced Ferlin Husky Dies at 85

Ross Barbour, 82, a Founding ‘Freshman’

Creed Taylor, 93, Dies; Producer Who Shaped Jazz Sound for Decades

Now read this in reverse

 Delirious Guy

Here is a lonely old "spoken word" from many years ago, after immersing in Shep Shepherd Jr.'s great recordings and radio transcriptions.

At the time, I was enamored particularly of "Shifting, Whispering Sands." Both Part 1 and Part 2.

Sam Thomas had a bunch of Jean Shepherd records I had never seen. While we were needle dropping on his vinyl one night, I asked if he had anything Italian because I had to play an Italian wedding that weekend.

He didn't, but he had an old mandolin. He handed it to me and we spilled a few cans of Texas Pride beer doing the hand-off. I wondered how hard it might be to fake playing it.

He let me take it home to use on the gig that weekend.

Coincidentally, I'd been making cassette tapes of me playing with the great guitarist Dave Lincoln, and we had a draft of "autumn leaves" which I practiced to, hitting strings on the mandolin to get the typical sound as close as possible.

Overdubbing the mandolin onto that cassette basically ruined it for any practical further purposes. Who wants to hear someone fumbling with a mandolin.

But since I can't throw anything out, I decided two mistakes were better than one. I wrote some lyrics that I could picture Jean Shepherd Jr. reading over the mandolin and guitar track.

I'm writing this because the story behind the song is possibly more interesting than the song itself.

Sam Thomas was an inspiration who made tapes for me of tunes I should learn on sax and clarinet. A few days after the wedding I heard he was found dead in his apartment.

He and his son did not get along, his only living relative. I thought, I could keep the mandolin and Sam would not have minded. But he lent it to me, not gave it to me.

I went to his apartment with the mandolin and knocked. No answer. I pushed on the door and it was open. I didn't want to look inside, because even when Sam lived there, every surface was covered. His career involved delivering groceries to families on the North Side of Fort Worth. His recreation was going to hear live jazz and playing records; how we met up.

I put the mandolin inside the door.

I learned later that his son had sold all his records, and mandolin, etc. to Sumter Bruton at Record Town, the store we all hung out at.

Now as the weather turns colder I thought of the key line in the spoken word "Delirious Guy"-- "Somebody May Still Care."

Click on "Delirious Guy" at the top of this if you want to hear it.

Performing with...

 

Performing with...

Intelligence. Knowing what's going on around you

Heart. Feeling the song

Humor. as in ice cream

Empathy. Feeling the audience

Generosity. Play for tips

Courage. Run with it

Honesty. Find in the song

Grit. Wear yourself out

Performing with...

Dynamics. Contrast

Articulation. Variety

Repetition. Learn

Melody. Phrasing and expression

Effects. Visual

Expression. Suit the song

Range. use it or lose it

phrasing. Words.

vibrato. like singing.

note bending. judicious

duration. right length

smoothness. musical sounding