Zero to 180 – Three Minute Magic
King Records, who no doubt envied the massive success of “Tequila” by The Champs, did their level best to cash in, as Johnnie Pate‘s 1958 Federal 45 “Muskeeta” clearly demonstrates, with the flute (substituting for sax) as the lead instrument: “Muskeeta” by Johnny Pate (1958) Recorded in Chicago on March
The Soulful Strings evoke the magic of falling snow — thanks to Dorothy Ashby‘s harp — on their classic instrumental track, “Snowfall“: “Snowfall” by The Soulful Strings (1968) Discogs helps us appreciate how The Soulful Strings were able to create an identifiable sound despite only playing other people’s material: “The
Bill Doggett and his Hammond organ, in 1957, would breathe (via flute) fresh life into Tiny Bradshaw‘s “Soft” from 1952 – both versions released on King. Even though Doggett’s “Soft” would ‘only’ peak at #51, Billboard’s “Hot 100 Chart History” indicates this song to have spent 14 weeks on the
Until fairly recently, I had a Tuesday Morning “close-out retailer” store within two miles of home. In an age when we are lucky to have just one large national bookstore chain, I was grateful to have a quirky home goods store that also offered the oddest assortment of book fare,
The alluring flute and vibraphone are just a ploy — liberation’s crafty end game of using music to help listeners recognize the shared humanity that binds us all: “Liberation“ The Afro-Blues Quintet Plus One (1965) “Liberation” is the debut single from The Afro-Blues Quintet Plus One, who released five albums
“Sugar Sugar” was inescapable in the summer of 1969, with Wilson Pickett and even The Wailers (with Bob Marley singing lead) recording their own versions. Muscling in on the action also were the studio musicians behind the hits being recorded in the late 60s at Rick Hall‘s Fame Studios in
Shelly Manne, the legendary jazz drummer, also did extensive film and television session work, including the music for children’s dramatic TV series, “Daktari” (Swahili for “doctor”). “Daktari” itself was based upon the 1965 film, Clarence, the Cross-Eyed Lion, the subject of this particular track taken from the Atlantic album on which
Stan Kenton – who released a 10″ Capitol EP Artistry in Rhythm in December 1946 – was a progressive voice in jazz, just as Tex Williams, who answered Kenton in 1948 with “Artistry in Western Swing,” was likewise a forward thinker within the realm of western swing and country music.
I would love to know exactly how Ennio Morricone instructed his vocalists to yip and mew and emit all sorts of silly sounds, as on the title track to the 1973 Sergio Leone film, Il Mio Nome è Nessuno (My Name Is Nobody): Vimeo lists musician credits for this soundtrack
From Toots Thielemans‘ appearance on David Sanborn’s Night Music TV show, I learned that Toots is a jazz harmonica virtuoso who (1) played the harmonica on the original ‘Sesame Street‘ theme song, as well as (2) whistled the famous melody for the Old Spice deodorant TV ads of the 1970s. I
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