Playlist: January 30, 2013

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Saffire – The Uppity Blues Women, The Bad Times
Ann Rabson with Bob Margolin, Let's Get Drunk and Truck
     Ann Rabson (1945-2013)
Lavay Smith & Her Red Hot Skillet Lickers, Deed I Do
Hot Club of San Francisco, What a Little Moonlight Can Do
    Sun 2/03 @ SFJazz Center
Brass Menažeri, Vranjski San
     Fri 2/01 @ The New Parish

Howell Devine, Write My a Few of Your Lines
     from the new album Jumps, Boogies & Wobbles
Hillstomp, Little Angel Child
     Sat 2/02 @ Humboldt Brews
     Sun 2/03 @ The Crepe Place
The Wood Brothers, Up Above My Head (live)
Seth Walker, More Days Like This
     Sat 2/02 @ Great American Music Hall
     Mon 2/04 @ Don Quixote's International Hall of Music
     Tue 2/05 @Mystic Theatre
Seth Augustus, Tiny Little Head
     Sat 2/02 @ Cafe Revolution
Markus James, Exile Tracks
Vieux Farka Touré, Gido (feat. John Scofield)
     Sun 2/03 @ Yoshi's San Francisco
John Németh, My Future (live)
     Thu 1/31 @ Biscuits and Blues

Buddy Guy, Damn Right I Got The Blues (live)
     from the new album Live At Legends
Lucky Peterson, I'm Back Again (live)
     from the forthcoming album Live At The 55 Arts Club Berlin
Otis Taylor, Sit Across Your Table
     from the forthcoming album My World Is Gone
Cassie Taylor, Spoken For
     from the new album Blue

The gonifs, Arbeter Ring Sher / A Zekele Gelt
     from the new album The gonifs 
Gaucho, Dark Eyes
Hot Club of Cowtown, Dark Eyes (in-studio)
Django Reinhardt, Improvisation
Roosevelt Sykes, Monkey Face Blues
Elmore James, Stranger Blues
Eddie Taylor, Trouble No More (live)
Paul Pena & Big Bones, Too Poor To Be Rich (live)

Playlist: January 16, 2013

Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band, The Dust Blows Forward 'n the Dust Blows Back

Special in-studio guest: Marshall Lamm

     Wed 1/23 @ SFJazz Center: Opening Night
     Broadcast live on KALW at 8:00 pm

Bill Cosby, Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band
McCoy Tyner, Blues For Jeff
Jason Moran, I'll Play The Blues For You
Bill Frisell, A Hard Rain's A-Gonna Fall
SF Jazz Collective, Superstition

Special in-studio guests: Joshua Howell & Pete Devine

     1/29-2/01 in Memphis, TN: International Blues Challenge

Howell Devine, HowellDevine Boogie Woogie
Howell Devine, Spoonful
Mississippi Fred McDowell, Write Me A Few of Your Lines
Howell Devine, Soft Steel Piston
Howell Devine, Rollin' and Tumblin'
Howell Devine, Mighty Long Time
Jimmy Reed, Take Out Some Insurance
Howell Devine, Shotgun Blues
Magic Sam, Lookin' Good
Howell Devine, Harmonica Wobble #2
     from the forthcoming album Jumps, Boogies, and Wobbles
 

Playlist: January 9, 2013

Marc Ribot, Fat Man Blues
     Wed 1/09 @ Palace of Fine Arts
Los Lobos, West L.A. Fadeaway
     Sat 1/12 @ Bing Concert Hall
Howell Devine, Train
     Sat 1/12 @ Club Deluxe
     Sun 1/13 @ Club Fox: Road to Memphis Revue
Tin Cup Serenade, Sunny Oakland Day
     Thu 1/10 @ Rite Spot Cafe

Special in-studio guests: Brass Menažeri Balkan Brass Band

     Tue 1/29 @ Moe's Alley
     Fri 2/01 @ The New Parish: Ultimate Balkan Bash

Doppio Macchiato (in-studio)
Oliverov čoček (in-studio)
Rane Moje (in-studio)

Medley: Goranine čafanine / Četvorno (in-studio)
Plava devojka (in-studio)

Allman Brothers Band, Don't Want You No More / It's Not My Cross To Bear
Gregg Allman, Checking On My Baby
     Tue 1/15 @ Palace of Fine Arts
     Wed 1/16 @ Crest Theatre
Mitch Woods, Queen Bee (live)
     Sun 1/13 @ Half Moon Bay Brewing Company
Steve Lucky & The Rhumba Bums, Do The Pup
     Sat 1/12 @ Ashkenaz
Lavay Smith & Her Red Hot Skillet Lickers, Miss Brown To You
     Fri 1/11 @ Red Poppy Art House
     Sat 1/12 @ Biscuits and Blues
Celia Ramsay, You Don't Know What Love Is
     Wed 1/16 @ Freight & Salvage: CD Release Party

Eddie Taylor (with Mark Hummel), Dust My Broom
     Sat 1/12 @ Napa Valley Opera House: Tribute to Jimmy Reed
Phil Berkowitz, Straight Up
     Fri 1/11 @ Murphy's Law
     Sat 1/12 @ Winterhawk Winery
Ray Manzarek & Roy Rogers, Greenhouse Blues
     Sat 1/12 @ Firehouse Arts Center
Pine Top Smith, Pinetop's Boogie Woogie
Tampa Red, Denver Blues
Elvis Presley, Roustabout

Playlist: January 2, 2013

Mary Harris, Happy New Year Blues 
Blind Lemon Jefferson, Happy New Year Blues 
Lightnin' Hopkins, Happy New Year 
Lonnie Johnson, Happy New Year Darling
Lil Son Jackson, New Year's Resolution
Roy Milton Solid Serenaders, New Year's Resolution Blues

Special in-studio guests: Mark Hummel and Ron Thompson

     Fri-Sun 1/04-06 @ Yoshi's Oakland: Blues Harmonica Blowout – Tribute to Jimmy Reed

Jimmy Reed, You Don't Have To Go 
Eddie Taylor (with Mark Hummel), Red Light
Ron Thompson, Honest I Do
Joe Louis Walker, I'm On To You
Ron Thompson & Mark Hummel, Where Can You Be (in-studio)
Mark Hummel & Ron Thompson, High and Lonesome (in-studio)
Lazy Lester, Sugar Coated Love
The Fabulous Thunderbirds, You're Humbuggin' Me (live)
Ron Thompson & Mark Hummel, You Don't Have To Go (in-studio)
Mark Hummel & Ron Thompson, Natural Born Lover (in-studio)
Jimmy Reed, Hush Hush

Ron Hacker, House Rent Blues (live)
     Thu 1/03 @ Biscuits and Blues
Cathy Lemons, Good Morning Little Schoolboy
Wendy DeWitt, Jungle Boogie
Steve Freund, Lonesome Flight
     Fri 1/04 @ Slim's: Tip Your Hat To The Blues
Little Smokey Smothers & Elvin Bishop, Crack Head Woman (live)
Howlin' Wolf, I've Been Abused
Elvin Bishop & Little Smokey Smothers, Roll Your Moneymaker (live)

Playlist: December 26, 2012

Rev. J.M. Gates, Did You Spend Christmas Day in Jail?
The Youngsters, Christmas in Jail
Leroy Carr, Christmas In Jail (Ain't That A Pain)
Doug Legacy and the Legends of the West, Christmas in Prison
Jimmy McCracklin, Christmas Time Pt.1
Bob Dylan, Christmas Island

The Orioles, What Are You Doing New Years Eve
Slim Jenkins, Black Coffee and Burnt Toast
     Mon 12/31 @ Local Edition
Quinn DeVeaux & The Blue Beat Review, All Night Long
Gaucho, Deep Night
     Mon 12/31 @ Bimbo's 365 Club
Brass Menažeri, Doppio Macchiato
     Mon 12/31 @ Ashkenaz
Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue, Backatown
     Sat-Mon 12/29-31 @ The Fillmore
Con Brio, The Battle of San Francisco (live)
     Fri 12/28 @ Main Street Brewery
     Sat 12/29 @ Disco Volante
     Mon 12/31 @ Boom Boom Room
Tommy Castro & The Painkillers, Greedy
     Fri 12/28 @ Moe's Alley
     Mon 12/31 @ Mystic Theater
Kim Nalley, Goin' To New York
     Wed-Mon 12/26-31 @ Rrazz Room
Lavay Smith & Her Red Hot Skillet Lickers, Winter Wonderland
     Sat 12/29 @ Speisekammer
     Sun 12/30 @ Club Fox
     Mon 12/31 @ Chez Spencer

Robert Randolph & The Family Band, I Don't Wanna Be A Soldier Mama
     Sat 12/29 @ The Independent
Elvin Bishop, Get Your Hand Out Of My Pocket
     Sat 12/29 @ Center For The Arts
John Németh, Magic Touch (live)
     Sun 12/30 @ Biscuits and Blues
Rick Estrin & The Nightcats, The Legend of Taco Cobbler
     Fri 12/28 @ Biscuits and Blues
John Lee Hooker Jr,  Listen to the Music
     Mon 12/31 @ Biscuits and Blues

Joe Louis Walker, Ten More Shows To Play (live)
Cab Calloway, Corrine Corrina
Johnny Otis Orchestra, Happy New Year, Baby
Staples Singers, Who Took The Merry Out Of Christmas
Odetta, Livin' With the Blues
Donna Summer, I Feel Love
Tom Waits, New Year's Eve

Playlist: December 19, 2012

Christmas Jug Band, Dirty Claus Rag
     Fri-Sat 12/21-22 @ Sweetwater Music Hall
Oakland Interfaith Gospel Choir, He Is Great (A New Song)
     Mon 12/24 @ Slim's
Hot Club of San Francisco, Baby, It's Cold Outside
     Thu 12/20 @ Yoshi's Oakland
Gaucho, Tico Tico
     Thu 12/20 @ Yoshi's Oakland
Bob Dylan, Must Be Santa

Special in-studio guests: Slim Jenkins

     Sat 12/22 @ Cafe du Nord: Vagabond Lovers Club 
     Mon 12/31 @ Local Edition 

Funky Bug (in-studio)
Devil Blues (in-studio)
Old Joe's Hittin' The Jug (in-studio)
Varetta Dillard, That's Why I Cry
The Cues, Why
Devil Eyes (in-studio)
Coal Miner (in-studio)
Buttermilk Baby (in-studio)
You Know Yeah (in-studio)

Professor Longhair, Mess Around / Hey Now Baby
Professor Longhair, Tipitina
Irma Thomas, Same Old Blues
Hugh Laurie, Tipitina
Allen Toussaint, Egyptian Fantasy

Gary US Bonds, Christmas Is On
     from the new album Christmas is ON!
David Gogo, Let's Get a Real Tree
     from the new album Christmas With The Blues
Fathead, Santa's Drunk
     from the new album Santa's Got Mojo 2 - An Electro-Fi Christmas Blues Celebration
Fats Waller, Swingin' Them Jingle Bells
Blind Lemon Jefferson, Christmas Eve Blues
Jimmy Witherspoon, How I Hate To See Xmas Come Around
Big Joe Turner, Christmas Date Boogie
Rev. A.W. Nix, Begin a New Life On Christmas Day - Part 1

Playlist: December 12, 2012

Speckled Red, The Dirty Dozen No. 2
Kokomo Arnold, The Twelves (The Dirty Dozens)
Tin Cup Serenade, Christmastime in San Francisco
     Thu 12/13 @ Rite Spot Cafe
Christmas Jug Band, Jug Band Romance
     Fri 12/14 @ Freight & Salvage
     Sat 12/15 @ Raven Theater
     Sun 12/16 @ Don Quixote's International Music Hall
Jeremiah Lockwood, Ethan Miller, and Luther Dickinson, Dreidel
     Sat 12/15 @ Brick & Mortar: 'Twas the Last Night of Hanukkah

Special in-studio guests: Lavay Smith & Chris Siebert

     Thu 12/13 @ Yoshi's Oakland: The Magic of Duke Ellington

Lavay Smith & Her Red Hot Skillet Lickers, I Ain't Got Nothin' But The Blues
Ella Fitzgerald, Caravan
Ella Fitzgerald, Bli-Blip
Johnny Hodges & His Orchestra, That's The Blues, Old Man
Duke Ellington & His Famous Orchestra, Kissing Bug
The Harlem Footwarmers, Rockin' In Rhythm
Duke Ellington, What Can A Poor Fellow Do?
Lavay Smith & Her Red Hot Skillet Lickers, It Don't Mean A Thing (If It Ain't Got That Swing)

Howell Devine, Train
     Sat 12/15 @ The New Parish
     Tue 12/18 @ Biscuits and Blues
California Honeydrops, When It Was Wrong (live)
     Thu 12/13 @ Palms Playhouse
     Fri 12/14 @ Mystic Theatre
     Sat 12/15 @ The New Parish
Carolina Chocolate Drops, Ruby, Are You Mad At Your Man?
John Németh, You're An Angel (live)
Joe Louis Walker, Movin' On
Paula Harris, Turn On The Naughty
Tim & Nicki Bluhm, Reno, Nevada
     Sat 12/15 @ Uptown Theatre
Maria Muldaur, I Am Not Alone
     Sat-Sun 12/15-16 @ Rrazz Room
Big Mama Thornton, Hound Dog (Take 1)
Kinky Friedman, We Reserve The Right To Refuse Service To You
     Sun 12/16 @ Moe's Alley
     Tue 12/18 @ Cafe du Nord

Playlist: December 5, 2012

Dave Brubeck, Lullaby
Jay McShann & Dave Brubeck, Mission Ranch Blues
     Dave Brubeck (1920-2012)
Taj Mahal, Good Morning Little Schoolgirl
     Sat 12/08 @ Uptown Theatre
     Sun 12/09 @ Center For The Arts
Slim Jenkins, Your Voodoo Workin'
     Sun 12/09 @ Amnesia
Meshugga Beach Party, Hot Rod Hanukkah
     Tue 12/11 @ Yoshi's Oakland

Special in-studio guest: David Katznelson, The Idelsohn Society

     Sat 12/15 @ Brick & Mortar: 'Twas the Last Night of Hanukkah

Ray Brenner and Barry E. Blitzer, The Problem 
Jeremiah Lockwood, Ethan Miller, and Luther Dickinson, Dreidel
Woody Guthrie, Hanukkah Dance
Theo Bikel, Sweetest Dreams Be Thine
The Ames Brothers, I Got A Cold For Christmas
Mickey Katz, Grandma's Dreidel
Cantor David Putterman, Rock Of Ages
Temple B'Nai Abraham Children's Choir, Svivon Sov Sov Sov
The Ramones,  Merry Christmas (I Don't Wanna Fight Tonite)
     from the new album 'Twas the Night Before Hanukkah: The Musical Battle Between Christmas and the Festival of Lights

Sonny Boy Williamson, Santa Claus
Sonny Boy Williamson, V-8 Ford / Stormy Monday
Bob Dylan, Don't Start Me Talkin'
Tom Waits, Satisfied
Little Richard, Rip It Up
Ruth Brown, R.B. Blues
Karina Denike, I Never Cared
     Fri 12/07 @ Club Deluxe
Awna Teixeira, Little Piggy
     Thu 12/06 @ Golden State Theatre
     Sat 12/08 @ Poplar Playhouse
The Tragically Hip, Boots or Hearts
     Mon 12/10 @ The Fillmore
Luther Dickinson, Death Comes On Wings of Crepe

The Vocal Art of Bob Dylan

A few weeks ago I was interviewed by Chloe Veltman for an episode of her KALW program VoiceBox. The subject was "The Many Voices of Bob Dylan," an idea that grew out of a conversation at the PRPD conference in Las Vegas a couple of months ago. Although it was my first time as a feature-interview subject (not to mention the first time putting my years of Dylan scholarship on public display), it didn't turn out half bad. The episode aired last week, but you can stream it here:

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Inside The National Recording Registry: Love, "Forever Changes"

A radio feature I produced about the 1967 album Forever Changes by the L.A. group Love airs nationally this weekend on PRI's Studio 360:

I began this project with what felt like less skin in the game than last year's feature on Captain Beefheart's Trout Mask Replica (Tom Waits interview, anyone?), though in both cases I was only peripherally familiar with most of the music at the outset. The production journey was significantly shorter than last year, but at the end of the day similarly enlivening. Here's more information from Studio 360's website:

The year 1967 saw the release of two psychedelic pop masterpieces — one globally famous (the Beatles' Sgt. Pepper), the other nearly forgotten: Forever Changes, by Love. Sometimes referred to as Arthur Lee’s Love, it was one of the first mixed-race bands — “still to this day, you don’t see many bands like that,” notes Maria McKee, the younger sister of Love member Bryan McLean. “If we had been an all-black group,” recalls guitarist Johnny Echols, “we would have been typecast as a blues group or an R&B group, and we didn’t want that.” 

Like Sgt. Pepper, Forever Changes was an eclectic record that mixed different '60s elements with symphonic ambitions, including fully orchestrated horn and string sections. McLean and Arthur Lee — both dead now — wrote and sang lead, McLean bringing the folk-rock influence he had acquired as a road manager for The Byrds. But Forever Changes made little impression at the time. Its undercurrent of darkness and paranoia may not have suited the Summer of Love, and it was certainly overshadowed by the Beatles’ great watershed. 

But it was in Britain that Forever Changes found its audience, as Maria McKee saw firsthand many years later. “When I was in my band [1980s country rock group] Lone Justice and we performed the first time in London, that was pretty much all anybody wanted to talk about — Love.”  As a new generation of American musicians and fans of ‘freak folk’ has rediscovered the lesser-known 1960s, Forever Changes’ reputation continues to rise. 

The record was selected for the National Recording Registry in 2012. Telling its story are Johnny Echols, Maria McKee, and the record’s producer, Bruce Botnick.

Playlist: November 28, 2012

Taj Mahal, Chainey Do 
     from the new album The Hidden Treasures of Taj Mahal 1969-1973
Taj Mahal, Dust Me Down
     Tue-Wed 12/04-05 @ The Independent
Chris Thomas King, Last Go Round
     from the new album Bona Fide
     Sat 12/01 @ Palms Playhouse
Blind Boys of Alabama, Jesus Hold My Hand
     Sun 12/02 @ Herbst Theatre

Sol Kim, Mo'oz Tzur
     from the new album 'Twas the Night Before Hanukkah: The Musical Battle Between Christmas and the Festival of Lights
     Wed 12/05 on Fog City Blues
Kugelplex, Bei Mir Bistu Shein
     Thu 11/29 @ Freight & Salvage
Go Van Gogh, Posey Macedonia
     Sat 12/01 @ Awaken Cafe
Red Elvises, Lara's Wedding
     Thu 11/29 @ Moe's Alley
     Fri 11/30 @ Cafe du Nord
The Record Company, Goodbye Sad Eyes
     from the new EP Superdead
     Sat 12/01 @ Hotel Utah
Seth Augustus, Air To The Thrown
     Sat 12/01 @ Revolution Cafe
Sean Hayes, Lucky Man
     from the new album Before We Turn To Dust
     Fri-Sat 11/30-12/01 @ The Independent
John Németh, Mother In Law (live)
     Fri 11/30 @ Biscuits and Blues
Con Brio, Jimi's Blues
     Fri 11/30 @ Disco Volante

Little Richard, Dancing All Around The World
Jimi Hendrix Experience, Hear My Train A-Comin' (live)
Jimi Hendrix Experience, Lover Man (live)
Jimi Hendrix Experience, Like A Rolling Stone (live)

Bob Dylan, Like A Rolling Stone (live)
Howlin' Wolf, Joy To My Soul
Butterfield Blues Band, Hate To See You Go
Love, You Set The Scene
Love, Alone Again Or
Eddie South, Kol Nidre
Blind Boys of Alabama, The Last Time

Playlist: November 21, 2012

Ramblin' Jack Eliot, San Francisco Bay Blues
     Sun 11/25 @ Freight & Salvage
Quinn DeVeaux & The Blue Beat Revue, They All Asked For You
     Fri 11/23 @ The Independent
     Sat 11/24 @ Armando's
Meklit Hadero & Quinn DeVeaux, Satellite of Love
Sharon Jones & The Dap Kings, Let Them Knock
     Sat 11/24 @ Davies Symphony Hall

Maria Muldaur, Winter Weather
Mitch Woods, Rocket 88 (live)
     Tue 11/27 @ Empress Theatre: Superstorm Sandy Blues Benefit
Lavay Smith & Her Red Hot Skillet Lickers, Boogie Woogie
     Fri 11/23 @ Biscuits and Blues
     Sun 11/25 @ The Royal Cuckoo
Aaron Leese & The Panhandlers, Night Club
     Sun 11/25 @ Boom Boom Room
The Canadian Brass, Tuba Tiger Rag
     Fri-Sat 11/23-24 @ Yoshi's Oakland
Big Bad Voodoo Daddy, Diga Diga Doo
     Sun 11/25 @ Dougherty Valley Performing Arts Center
     Tue 11/27 @ Gallo Center for the Arts
Tip of the Top, She Told Me
     Fri 11/23 @ Piacere's
     Sat 11/24 @ Main Street Brewery
Bob Dylan, Early Roman Kings
     Fri 11/23 on VoiceBox: The Many Vocies of Bob Dylan

California Honeydrops, Pumpkin Pie
Carolina Chocolate Drops, Cornbread and Butterbeans
Lonnie Johnson, Sweet Potato Blues
Big Three Trio, No More Sweet Potatoes
Elvin Bishop, Sweet Potato

Jim Jackson, I Heard The Voice Of A Porkchop
Memphis Minnie, Pigmeat On The Line
Georgia White, Pigmeat Blues
Louis Jordan & His Tympany Five, You're My Meat
Steve Lucky & The Rhumba Bums, Where's My Gravy

Cab Calloway, Everybody Eats When They Come To My House

Zu Zu Bollin, Why Don't You Eat Where You Slept Last Night?

Harold Burrage, You Eat Too Much

The Robins, The Turkey Hop, Part 2
Dr. John, Gris-Gris Gumbo Ya Ya
Dr. John, God's Sure Good