Tag Archives: Mavis Staples

Bob Dylan, Emmylou Harris, Joan Baez, Mavis Staples, Norah Jones, Sound

5 incredible women on stage and record with Bob Dylan

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Sometimes two voices or two musicians come together in an inspired pairing that is truly special and Bob Dylan has had several such inspired moments through the years. We have dug up some really special treats for you today.

Bob Dylan and Joan Baez – Never Let me go (Renaldo & Clara):

Written by Joseph C. Scott (but made famous by Johnny Ace) performed by Bob Dylan and Joan Baez during the first Rolling Thunder Revue (1975).

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List

Best albums of 2013 number 15 to 6

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Part one: The best albums 2013 25-16 

15. The South – The Further Inside You Go…

the-south the further

Musically The South are even more at “the west-coast” of USA this time, the country aspect is toned down (but there are traces of it still – great steel-guitar and some honky-tonk piano, I like that they haven’t abandoned it all.) It has that very recognizable guitar sound (“The South-sound”), but it has more “space” and is more dreamy in a way.

“We didn’t have that specific discussion this time, we told him (Bent Sæther, producer) a bit about what we wanted, in what direction we would like to go. “A bigger canvas” was an expression that came about early on. We wanted not to rush it, to give the songs more time.”
– Alexander Pettersen

The South is also an incredibly good live band, catch them if you get the chance!

I know you wanted me to grow up tall
Not sure that I am man enough just yet to face it all
I know this isn’t what you had in mind  at all
I hope it helps to know I’ll pick you up each time you fall
(Dad)

– Hallgeir

Highlights
Hallgeir: Different Eyes, The further inside you go…, Dad
Egil: The further inside you go…, Dad, Different Eyes

The South – The Further Inside You Go… (live in studio):

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Blues, The Best Songs, Video

Great versions of “See That My Grave Is Kept Clean” (videos)


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Along with “Matchbox”, “See That My Grave Is Kept Clean” is Blind Lemon Jefferson’s best known song. This is a day to remember & listen to BLJ, but also to his songs interpreted by others.

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“See That My Grave Is Kept Clean”
Single by Blind Lemon Jefferson
B-side “Where Shall I Be”
Released 1927
Format 10″ 78 rpm record
Recorded October 1927
Genre Blues
Length 2:54
Label Paramount (Cat. no. 12585)
Writer(s) Blind Lemon Jefferson

–

 

Here are BLJ & some fine versions of by other artists.

Blind Lemon Jefferson:

Bob Dylan – from his debut album:

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Jazz, Music Calendar, Soul

Today: Mavis Staples is 74 – Happy Birthday

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Mavis Staples
Mavis Staples  was born July 10, 1939 in Chicago, Illinois she is an American rhythm and blues and gospel singer, actress and civil rights activist who recorded with The Staple Singers, her family’s band.

The Staple Singers were an American gospel, soul, and R&B singing group. Roebuck “Pops” Staples (1914–2000), the patriarch of the family, formed the group with his children Cleotha (1934–2013), Pervis (b. 1935), Yvonne (b. 1936), and Mavis (b. 1939). They are best known for their 1970s hits “Respect Yourself”, “I’ll Take You There”, “If You’re Ready (Come Go with Me)”, and “Let’s Do It Again”.

Biography from Allmusic (Rob Bowman):

She first recorded solo for Stax subsidiary Volt in 1969. Subsequent efforts included a Curtis Mayfield-produced soundtrack on Curtom, a disappointing nod to disco for Warner in 1979, a misguided stab at electro-pop with Holland-Dozier-Holland in 1984, and an uneven album for Paisley Park. Staples has a rich contralto voice that has neither the range of Aretha Franklin nor the power of Patti LaBelle. Her otherworldly power comes instead from a masterful command of phrasing and a deep-seated sensuality expressed through timbre manipulation.

Both the Staple Singers andMavis found fresh audiences stemming from their participation on the CD Rhythm Country and Blues, and in 1996 she issued Spirituals & Gospel: Dedicated to Mahalia Jackson. Her next recording project didn’t land for another eight years, although Have a Little Faith on Alligator became her highest-profile release in years. We’ll Never Turn Back appeared three years later in 2007.

Staples teamed up with Wilco’s Jeff Tweedy as producer for 2010’s You Are Not Alone, which won the 2011 Grammy Award in the category of Best Americana Album. One True Vine, released in 2013, was also produced by Tweedy and featured a mix of old and new songs written by the likes of George Clinton, Alan Sparhawk (Low), and Nick Lowe.

Mavis Staples with Jeff Tweedy

The Weight – The Band with The Staple Singers (from The Last Waltz):

Album of Today is Mavis’ fantastic new record, One True Vine:
one true vine

Other 10 July:
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Jazz, Music Calendar

Today: The late Lee Morgan was born in 1938 – 74 years ago

From Wikipedia:

Edward Lee Morgan (July 10, 1938, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania – February 19, 1972, New York City) was an American hard bop trumpeter.

From Allmusic (Steve Huey):

A cornerstone of the Blue Note label roster prior to his tragic demise, Lee Morgan was one of hard bop’s greatest trumpeters, and indeed one of the finest of the ’60s. An all-around master of his instrument modeled after Clifford Brown, Morgan boasted an effortless, virtuosic technique and a full, supple, muscular tone that was just as powerful in the high register. His playing was always emotionally charged, regardless of the specific mood: cocky and exuberant on up-tempo groovers, blistering on bop-oriented technical showcases, sweet and sensitive on ballads. In his early days as a teen prodigy, Morgan was a busy soloist with a taste for long, graceful lines, and honed his personal style while serving an apprenticeship in Art Blakey‘s Jazz Messengers.

As his original compositions began to take in elements of blues and R&B, he made greater use of space and developed an infectiously funky rhythmic sense. He also found ways to mimic human vocal inflections by stuttering, slurring his articulations, and employing half-valved sound effects. Toward the end of his career, Morgan was increasingly moving into modal music and free bop, hinting at the avant-garde but remaining grounded in tradition. He had already overcome a severe drug addiction, but sadly, he would not live to continue his musical growth; he was shot to death by his common-law wife in 1972.

Bassist Bob Cranshaw played on Lee Morgan’s immortal “The Sidewinder.” Here, he remembers the session, and offers his thoughts on the great trumpeter, who died tragically at the age of 33:

Album of the day:

The Penguin Guide to Jazz selected this album as part of its suggested “Core Collection” (with a crown) calling the title track “a glorious 24-bar theme as sinuous and stinging as the beast of the title. It was both the best and worst thing that was ever to happen to Morgan before the awful events of 19 February 1972.” The album was identified by Scott Yanow in his Allmusic essay “Hard Bop” as one of the 17 Essential Hard Bop Recordings.

Other July-10:

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