Today's post looks back at 20th century music, both in the thick of pop culture (r&b, soul, rock, pop) and on the adventurous far fringes of it. We'll start, recalling the wide ranging, multi-genre Art Ensemble Of Chicago heading of Great Black Music, with The Greatest Of All Time.
Another recording artist whose career, as Aretha Franklin's did, began with singing in church was Sam Cooke, who rose to prominence as the lead vocalist with the gospel vocal ensemble The Soul Stirrers. Sam would become a hitmaking songwriter and pop star. Among many accomplishments, Sam appeared several times on The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson.
Thanks to a host of talented documentary filmmakers, there are wonderful clips featuring the masters of the blues. Many have tried to play this style of music - and few have succeeded.
Remembering the crooners of soul and r&b, here's the wonderful Al Green!
And then there was Bobby Womack!
Do we love Stevie Wonder, who began as 12-year-old Little Stevie and grew into a remarkable songwriter? Yes.
Also love the fact that Stevie has penned a gazillion excellent songs and can also rip through the chord changes of John Coltrane's Giant Steps.
Here's a guy whose synthesis of advanced harmonies and sophisticated lyrics addressing social and political issues strongly influenced Stevie: Curtis Mayfield, the poet laureate of words and sound.
As the head of his own label, Curtom Records, Curtis Mayfield was working along the lines of maestros Quincy Jones and Brian Wilson, producing and arranging his own albums and those of other recording artists. He was also a masterful guitarist who inspired the reggae rhythm guitar style. Here's Curtis, in concert from Ronnie Scott's.
A stone's throw from the guitar-driven funk of Mayfield's 1970's records is the "P-funk on the 1" music of electric bassist Bootsy Collins.
Remember watching this very performance of Parliament/Funkadelic on Late Night with David Letterman. Yes, Dave had outstanding musical guests on his show.
Here's the one, the only James Brown (at one time in the late 1960's and early 1970's the employer of several cornerstones from Parliament/Funkadelic) on Late Night with David Letterman!
Speaking of the greatest musicians of the 20th century, another master was Clifford Brown, a genius of the trumpet.
Clifford Brown made one television appearance - on The Soupy Sales Show!
On the topic of not-too-shabby trumpet players, here are Dizzy & Pops, playing "Umbrella Man" on The Jackie Gleason Show. If Roy Eldridge could have been included to make this The Three Aces, that would encompass the development of jazz trumpet phraseology from the early 1920's through the 1940's.
This guru of jazz drummers co-led an incredible and still unsurpassed quintet with Clifford Brown: the great and innovative bandleader, percussionist, activist and teacher Max Roach.
The architect of swinging "hard bop" and bandmate of Clifford Brown in Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers waxed numerous terrific records and led varied ensembles over five decades: pianist, songwriter and bandleader Horace Silver!
Another ace pianist and composer who played with Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers and subsequently led excellent ensembles that made top-notch recordings was Cedar Walton.
Have no choice but to follow these gentlemen with a few more powerhouse pianists!
Bud Powell, Charlie Mingus, Eric Dolphy, Booker Ervin, Ted Curson and Dannie Richmond IN THE SAME GROUP! YIPES!
Composer and bandleader Charles Mingus leads his brilliant 1964 lineup of the Jazz Workshop ensemble (Eric Dolphy, Johnny Coles, Jaki Byard, Dannie Richmond).
The saxophonist most frequently featured in Black History Month promotions every year would be John Coltrane, of course.
The saxophonist never featured in Black History Month promotions - or any promotions, for that matter, was the unorthodox, uncompromising and unique modern jazz artist Albert Ayler (1936-1970). He said "my imagination is beyond the civilization in which we live" and that is still true 50 + years after his untimely death. For Albert, sonic explorations through the cosmos were his playground and traveling too far was not possible.
Here's a short clip from the Nuits de la Fondation Maeght concert of July 25, 1970. The group supporting Albert is vocalist Mary Maria (later Mary Maria Parks), Steve Tintweiss on double bass and Allen Blairman on drums.
WHERE is the rest of the footage from this film? Wish the rest of the footage capturing the Nuits de la Fondation Maeght concerts in the documentary Albert Ayler: Le Dernier Concert (currently kept in the archives of the Fondation Maeght) will be released to film, Blu-ray or DVD up someday. The complete soundtrack from the July 25 set has been issued as the Live On The Riviera album.
The record of the Nuits de la Fondation Maeght concert from two nights later, July 27, 1970 - his last appearance would be on the following night, July 28, in a set played for an invited group of fans at La Colle-sur-Loup - remains among the greatest of the saxophonist's shooting star career.
The July 27 concert is particularly compelling and reflects that his forte was live performance, not studio recordings. The contrast between Albert's utterly ecstatic "outside" saxophone playing and the diatonic, darn near "churchy" chords of keyboardist Call Cobbs, Jr. shouldn't work. . . and yet, in the weirdest way, does. Cobbs, pianist in Wardell Gray's group and pal of Art Tatum, plays the simple melodies in a way a modern jazz pianist a la Lennie Tristano or Cecil Taylor would not.
Strap yourself in for Albert's original blend of raw blues (sans the standard I-IV-V chord changes), skronky atonal free jazz and hymn-like folk melodies, none of it done halfway or half-baked, EVER.
Albert, known for his group featuring drummer Sunny Murray, is not for the faint of heart, but musically can be rewarding, tantamount to cracking The Stravinsky Code.
These recordings, including four pieces performed at Ayler's last musical performance on July 28, 1970, can be found on the Revenant Records box set, Holy Ghost: Rare & Unissued Recordings (1962–70).
Sadly, Albert Ayler would be among a veritable throng of luminaries from rock n'roll, r&b and jazz to die prematurely and tragically in 1970-1971. While sorry they left so soon, we owe all these musicians and recording artists a debt of gratitude and thanks.
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