Playlist: June 16, 2010

Click to listen

La Gaité, Pretty Fly
Emily Ann's Delights, It Don't Mean a Thing If It Ain't Got That Swing
     Fri 6/18 @ Revolution Café
Cassandra Wilson, Dust My Broom
     Sat-Sun 6/19-20 @ Yoshi's Oakland
Smokin' Joe Kubek & Bnois King, RU4 Real?
     Sun 6/20 @ Headfeathers
     Mon 6/21 @ Biscuits and Blues 

Special in-studio guest: Dennis Johnson

Dennis Johnson & The Mississippi Ramblers, 32-20 Blues
Dennis Johnson, Ramblin' On My Mind (in-studio)
Dennis Johnson, Warm It Up To Me (in-studio)
Blind Willie McTell, Bell St. Lightnin'
Dennis Johnson & The Mississippi Ramblers, Judgment Day
Dennis Johnson, Terraplane Blues (in-studio)
Dennis Johnson & The Mississippi Ramblers, She Looks Good
Robert Johnson, Stop Breakin' Down Blues

Blue Rodeo, One More Night
Blue Rodeo, Joker's Wild (live)
     Wed 6/23 @ The Independent
Cowboy Junkies, I Cannot Sit Sadly By Your Side
     from the new album Renmin Park
Fathead, Red Maple Road
     from the new album Where's The Blues Taking Me
Elvin Bishop, Blues Cruise
     from the new album Red Dog Speaks
     Sun 6/20 @ Rancho Nicasio

Butterfield Blues Band, Blues With A Feeling
Beatles, I'm Down
Bob Dylan, Like A Rolling Stone
Hobo Gobbelins, Mr. Gomper
Butterfield Blues Band, Mystery Train (live)
Jr. Walker & The All Stars, Shotgun
Jr. Walker & The All Stars, Shake And Fingerpop

Djangofest redux

I spent much of this weekend in Mill Valley at Djangofest SF, the annual festival celebrating the music and spirit of the great French/Belgian Gypsy guitarist Django Reinhardt (who would have been 100 this past January). I first learned about the festival from Charlie Baty (of Nightcats fame), who told me about it during an interview on the show a few years ago. I ran in to Charlie just after the afternoon show on Saturday, where Doug Martin and the Avatar Ensemble (who played live on the show this past week) had opened. Doug also played rhythm the night before with the John Jorgenson Quintet -- a terrific show, but I'd be remiss if I didn't mention the opening act, a trio from Amsterdam by the name of La Gaîté. Not especially Gypsy-jazzy, but some highly original takes on the American and European songbook, not to mention incredibly endearing. The festival organizer told me that he might try to have them back in the fall, and perhaps bring them to our fair radio show. In the meantime, I'll let them win you over:

Humanist Judgment Blues: Live!

[ed.note: most of this post was written last weekend.]

Yesterday was a day of live radio. Well, not live broadcasts, but radio shows recorded in front of a live audience. Sort of. In the morning it was work, as I production-coordinated an episode of my main gig, Philosophy Talk, at the 69th annual conference of the American Humanist Association in San Jose ('nuff said?). Later that day, at the Brava Theater in the Mission, I attended the debut performance of Snap Judgment Live, a TV taping of the Oakland-based radio show that's been airing occasionally on KALW and was recently picked for distribution by NPR. That was sort of work too: back in late 2007, I was hired to help produce the pilot episode. I'll leave the critique to the critics; my takeaway (actually, my girlfriend's takeaway) was that we need to get a Fog City Blues Revue on the stage...

Playlist: June 9, 2010

Robert Randolph & the Family Band, If I Had My Way
     from the forthcoming album We Walk This Road
     Fri 6/11 @ The Fillmore
Ralph Carney's Serious Jass Project, Black Beauty
     Fri 6/11 @ The Union Room
Janiva Magness, Weeds Like Us
     Sat 6/12 @ Last Day Saloon
     Sun 6/13 @ Biscuits and Blues
Quinn Deveaux & The Blue Beat Review, Kid's On Fire
     Wed 6/16 @ Ashkenaz
Dennis Johnson & The Mississippi Ramblers, Bordello Stomp
     Fri 6/11 Marilyn's on K
     Wed 6/16 on Fog City Blues

Catherine Russell, Spoonful
     Thu 6/11 @ Yoshi's San Francisco
Howlin' Wolf, Sitting On Top Of The World
Howlin' Wolf, I'm The Wolf (Acoustic)
Howlin' Wolf, Howlin' Wolf Boogie
Howlin' Wolf, Back Door Man
Jackie Wilson, Reet Petite (The Finest Girl You Ever Want to Meet)
Johnny Ace (w/ Big Mama Thornton), Yes Baby
Les Paul & Mary Ford, Look Down That Lonesome Road
Cole Porter, You're The Top
Mimi Fox, Night And Day

Special in-studio guests: Doug Martin...

Avatar Ensemble, Flight of the Giniker
Avatar Ensemble, Georgia Grump
John Jorgenson, F.A. Swing
Avatar Ensemble, La Verità

...and the Avatar Ensemble

When You're Smiling (in-studio)
En Route (in-studio)
Coquette (in-studio)
I Can't Give You Anything But Love (in-studio)

Playlist: June 2, 2010

Markus James, X-Ray Soul (Hard to Find Pt 1)
      Sat 6/05 @ Ashkenaz
Dr. John and the Lower 911, Save Our Wetlands
     Fri-Sun 6/04-06 @ Yoshi's San Francisco
Catherine Russell, Quiet Whiskey
     Wed-Thu 6/09-10 @ Yoshi's Oakland
Maria Muldaur, Garden of Joy
     Sat 6/05 @ Palm Ballroom
Doug Martin Shanghai Trio, China Boy 
     Wed 6/09 on Fog City Blues
Gonzalo Bergara, Some of These Days
     Sat 6/05 @ Bluesix

Special guest: Elvin Bishop

Elvin Bishop, Fat & Sassy
Elvin Bishop, His Eye Is On The Sparrow
Elvin Bishop (feat. John Németh), Get Your Hand Out of My Pocket
Little Smokey Smothers & Elvin Bishop, Remembering
Elvin Bishop, Doo-Wop Medley
Butterfield Blues Band, Walkin' Blues
Little Smokey Smothers & Elvin Bishop, Hello Baby
Little Smokey Smothers & Elvin Bishop, Bye Bye Baby

Jimmie Vaughan, The Pleasure's All Mine
     from the forthcoming album Plays Blues, Ballads & Favorites
Pinetop Perkins and Willie 'Big Eyes' Smith, Cut That Out
     from the forthcoming album Joined at the Hip
Otis Taylor, Coffee Women
     from the new album Clovis People, Vol. 3
Regina Carter, Hiwumbe Awumba
     from the new album Reverse Thread
Carolina Chocolate Drops, Trampled Rose
     from the new album Genuine Negro Jig
California Honeydrops, Yours Truly
     Sat 6/05 @ Pizzaiolo
Devine's Jug Band, Terrible Operation Blues
     Fri 6/04 @ Red Poppy Art House
Kally Price, Come Around To My House
     Fri 6/04 @ Revolution Café
Jeff Healey, Holding My Honey's Hand

Rolling Stones, I'm Not Signifying
Rolling Stones, Stop Breaking Down
Jimmy Rogers (feat. Mick Jagger and Keith Richards), Goin' Away Baby
Jimmy Rogers, Ludella
Memphis Minnie, When The Levee Breaks

Recording Registry Blues

Memorial Day is for remembering, and last week on the show we honored two seminal blues people that have featured prominently in my own public radio work: singer Mamie Smith, born May 26, 1886, and guitarist Aaron "T-Bone" Walker, who centennial was Friday. T-Bone may be the more recognizable of the two, being more or less the wellspring of all modern electric blues guitar, the first one to make his mark playing single-note lead lines -- and making a show of it. Mamie Smith, on the other hand, was not even principally a blues singer; but her 1920 recording of Crazy Blues is generally acknowledged as the first commercially successful vocal blues record. In 2005 that recording was selected to be preserved for all time in the National Recording Registry at the Library of Congress; the following year it was the subject of one of the five features we produced for NPR's "All Things Considered." In 2007 T-Bone's Walker's Call It Stormy Monday was selected for the Registry, and was also the subject of one of our pieces the following year. Needless to say, those NPR features made for the obvious on-air tributes, since the voices telling the story of
each of those recordings were far richer than mine. If you missed the show you can check them out, along with our first three years of Registry features, at this NPR website (the most recent suite of Registry pieces aired on PRI's "Studio 360" and can be heard at their website)

Playlist: May 26, 2010

Click to listen

Mose Allison, My Brain
     from the new album Way of the World
     Fri-Sat 5/29-30 @ Yoshi's San Francisco
Mark Hummel, Lord Oh Lord Blues
     from the new album Retro-active
     Sun 5/31 @ Yoshi's Oakland
Elvin Bishop, Red Dog Speaks
     from the forthcoming album Red Dog Speaks
     Sat 5/30 @ Cajun Creole Music Festival
Steve Lucky, Red Beans & Rice
     Fri-Sun 5/28-30 Sacramento Jazz Jubilee
     Wed 6/02 @ Ashkenaz

Special in-studio guest: Mitch Woods

Mitch Woods, Gumbo Blues
Mitch Woods, Blue Monday
Smiley Lewis, Big Mamou
Mitch Woods, Can't Stop Lovin' You
Dave Edmunds, I Hear You Knocking
Mitch Woods, Ooh La La
Elvis Presley, One Night Of Sin
Mitch Woods, Big Mamou
     from the forthcoming album Gumbo Blues
Mitch Woods, Big Easy Boogie
     Sun 5/31 @ Biscuits and Blues

T-Bone Walker, Call It Stormy Monday
Buddy Guy, Dedication To The Late T-Bone Walker
Derek Trucks Band, Back Where I Started
     Sun 5/30 @ Santa Cruz Blues Festival
Eric Lindell, Country Livin'
     Sat 5/29 @ Santa Cruz Blues Festival 
Lavay Smith & Her Red Hot Skillet Lickers, Miss Brown To You
     Sat 5/29 @ Cafe du Nord
     Wed 6/02 @ Savanna Jazz
Mamie Smith, Crazy Blues

The Band (w/ Bob Dylan), Don't Ya Tell Henry (live)
The Band (w/ bob Dylan)  Baby Let Me Follow You Down (live)
Bob Dylan, From A Buick 6 (live)
Bob Dylan, Grand Coulee Dam
Bob Dylan, See That My Grave Is Kept Clean
Bob Dylan, (She'll Be) Comin' Round the Mountain
Bob Dylan, Forever Young
Mitch Woods, I Hear You Knockin'