Playlist: November 25, 2015

Sly & The Family Stone, Underdog
Sly & The Family Stone, St. James Infirmary (live)
     Cynthia Robinson (1946-2015)
Amber Gougis, Let Me Love You
     Sun 11/29 @ Studio Grand

Sylvester Cotton, Thanksgiving Blues
Guy Davis, Thanksgiving Day
Carolina Chocolate Drops, Cornbread And Butterbeans
California Honeydrops, Pumpkin Pie
Lonnie Johnson, Sweet Potato Blues
The Robins, Turkey Hop Part 2
The Emotions, Mashed Potatoes
Sly Stone, Buttermilk pt.1
Matthew Childs, Funky Onions
Harold Burrage, You Eat Too Much

Sly & The Family Stone, Stand!
Sly & The Family Stone, Everyday People

Inside the National Recording Registry: Stand!

It's that time of year again, when our Peabody Award-winning series Inside the National Recording Registry begins airing on PRI's Studio360. I wound up producing the first two pieces this year, the first of which I had my eyes and heart set on from the moment this year's Registry was announced:

I was honored to interview Freddie Stone and George Clinton myself for this story, but I'm writing this on the day we learned of the passing of the band's original trumpeter and distinctive vocalist, Cynthia Robinson. We had sought out Cynthia for an interview earlier this year but were unable to make it happen. An early draft of the story had Sly Stone biographer Jeff Kaliss highlighting some of Cynthia's contribution (around three minutes in):



I've certainly got more tape of Jeff and Freddie talking about Cynthia's role on the album and in the band. More significantly, however, friends of the show Micah Dubreuil and Will Magid (who both took part in last year's mega-tribute to Stand!) interviewed most of the Family Stone members, including Cynthia, for what is sure to be the definitive audio documentary about the band:

Playlist: November 18, 2015

Elvin Bishop, Old School

The Sam Chase, Everyone Is Crazy But Me

     Thu 11/19 @ Hopmonk Tavern: Haitian Children's Benefit

     Sat 11/21 @ 19 Broadway

     Mon 11/23 @ Slim's 

Sean Hayes, Boom Boom Goes the Day

     Sat 11/21 @ The Chapel

Mark Growden, Old Lady From Brewster

     Fri 11/20 @ The Lost Church

Junk Parlor, Melusina

     Thu 11/19 @ The Chapel

     Sat 11/21 @ Club Deluxe

Special in-studio guest: Kim Nalley

     Sat 11/21 @ Biscuits and Blues

Movin' On Up (in-studio)

Sugar In My Bowl (in-studio)

Trombone Song (Big Long Sliding Thing) (in-studio)

Big Hooded Black Man 

     from the new album Blues People

Listen Here / Cold Duck / Compared To What? (in-studio)

I Shall Be Released (in-studio)

Summertime

     from the new album Blues People

Bob Dylan, Visions of Johanna (take 4)

Bob Dylan, Outlaw Blues (take 2)

Bob Dylan, It Takes A Lot To Laugh, It Takes A Train To Cry (take 1)

Bob Dylan, It Takes A Lot To Laugh, It Takes A Train To Cry (take 3)

Bob Dylan, Just Like A Woman (take 4)

Bob Dylan, Jet Pilot (take 1)

Bob Dylan, Lunatic Princess (take 1)

Bob Dylan, Medicine Sunday (take 1)

Bob Dylan, I Wanna Be Your Lover (take 1)

Bob Dylan, Highway 61 Revisited (take 7)

Bob Dylan, Leopard-Skin Pill Box Hat (take 3)

Bob Dylan, Leopard-Skin Pill Box Hat (take 13)

Bob Dylan, Just Like Tom Thumb's Blues (take 3)

Bob Dylan, Pledging My Time (take 1)

     from the new box set The Cutting Edge 1965-1966

Playlist: November 11, 2015

Allen Toussaint, Long Long Journey
     Allen Toussaint (1938-2015)
Kim Nalley, Ferguson Blues
     from the new album Blues People
     Wed 11/18 on Fog City Blues
Marcus Shelby Orchestra, Emmett Till (Bobo)
     Thu 11/12 @ Red Poppy Art House: Beyond the Blues
Con Brio, California Cowboy
     Sat 11/14 @ The Fillmore

Special in-studio guest: Lech Wierzynski (California Honeydrops)

     Thu 12/03 @ The New Parish
     Fri 12/04 @ Freight & Salvage
     Sun 12/06 @ Hopmonk Tavern

California Honeydrops, Cry Baby Blues
California Honeydrops, Crazy Girls

California Honeydrops, Jolie
Dennis Brown, Make It Easy On Yourself
Lech Wierzynski, Come Back Baby (in-studio)
California Honeydrops, Long Way
Abdullah Ibrahim, Mannenberg
California Honeydrops, A River's Invitation
     from the new album A River's Invitation

Bob Dylan, Sad Eyed Lady of the Lowlands (Take 1)
Bob Dylan, Like A Rolling Stone (Takes 1-3)
Bob Dylan, Mr. Tambourine Man (Take 3)
Bob Dylan, Visions of Johanna (Take 14)
Bob Dylan, Desolation Row (Take 5)
     from the new box set The Cutting Edge 1965-1966

Playlist: November 4, 2015

Dorado Schmitt, Just a Gigolo
     Thu-Sun 11/05-08 @ SFJazz Center
Barrio Manouche, La Marcha Gatina
     Sat 11/07 @ La Peña Cultural Center
Rebirth Brass Band, Let's Go Get 'Em
     Sat 11/07 @ Heron Arts
Preservation Hall Jazz Band, Sugar Plum
    Fri 11/06 @ The Fillmore

Special in-studio guest: Tiffany Austin

     Sat 11/07 @ Red Poppy Art House

Walk the Line
     from the new album Nothing But Soul
T'ain't Nobody's Business If I Do (in-studio)
I'm Gonna Leave You (in-studio)
I Get Along Without You Very Well (in-studio)
Miss Rockwell (in-studio)
Baltimore Oriole
     from the new album Nothing But Soul

Bob Dylan, Visions of Johanna (take 5)

Bob Dylan, California

     from the forthcoming box set The Cutting Edge 1965-66

California Honeydrops, Long Way

     from the new album A River's Invitation

Wendy DeWitt with Kirk Harwood, Sonoma County

     from the forthcoming album Getaway

Bhi Bhiman, Bennie Please

     Thu 11/05 @ Rickshaw Stop

Ruthie Foster, Death Came A-Knockin' (live)

     Fri 11/06 @ City Winery

     Sun 11/08 @ Red White & Blues Festival

Hot Tuna, AK-47 (live)

     Sat 11/07 @ Great America Music Hall

Andy Santana & the West Coast Playboys, Greaseland

     from the new album Watch Your Step!

     Sat 11/07 @ Empress Theatre

Bey Paule Band, This Party's Done

     Sat 11/07 @ Biscuits and Blues

     Sun 11/08 @ Red White & Blues Festival