Every now and then Deeper Roots will take a step back and look at the unknowns, not for their anonymity as much for their stories and why their music is so important to the American story. A documentary was recently released entitled “Bayou Maharajah: The Tragic Genius of James Booker”, http://www.bayoumaharajah.com/ directed by Lily Keber. It tells the story of the classically trained session man and we’re going to also explore the contributions that Booker made to the music of others, his quirky yet brilliant talent in performances of his own, and we’ll also share some of the stories of James Booker’s celebrated ups and tragic lows.
In this episode of Deeper Roots, we explore the diverse sounds of jazz guitar, featuring some of the very best from the early century where the masters defined the role of guitar in trios, quartets, and then finally in the jazz band. In the early century, the guitar was relegated to either solo performances or in smaller ensembles where there was no competition other than strings. It didn’t really have much of a chance in the jazz scene where horns and percussion would simply drown the strings out making it not only impossible to record but impossible to hear in a live performance. All of that changed, of course, with the invention of the electric guitar allowing the sound to come through, holding its own with the saxophone or trumpet.
Our show will feature a number of early blues and jazz practitioners who crafted a sound into gold and paved the way for others. We’ll hear from many of the early gems from the likes of Eddie Lang, Charlie Christian, Tampa Red, Lonnie Johnson, as well as the inheritors including Wes Montgomery, Tal Farlow, and Kenny Burrell.
In this episode of Deeper Roots, we explore the early works of a giant of American popular music: Duke Ellington. His career spanned over a half century where he composed thousands of songs for stage, screen, and the contemporary songbook. He called his music “American Music” and his signature sound, particularly in the early years, was unmistakable. This was in large part because he searched out musicians with unique playing styles such as Bubber Miley, Joe Nanton, Cootie Williams, Rex Stewart, and the great alto saxophonist. While our focus will be on the pre-War Elligton classics, we’ll also catch the early versions of “Sophisticated Lady” and “Take the ‘A’ Train” and, at the same time, include some telling excerpts from a few different interviews.
This episode will look at the roots of Honky Tonk: a place where, on one side of the track you, as Roosevelt Sykes points out in “The Honeydripper”, you had the blues performer as Doctor who prescribed Blues as a cure for the Blues and on the other, you had the country sound of Moon Mullican who demanded that the beer bottles danced on the table when the band got rockin’. We’ll spend our time exploring the early sounds of Big Maceo, Albert Ammons, and Jimmy Yancey and move down yonder to the country bars where boogie woogie was also understood. The country honky tonk sounds of Merrill Moore, Bobbie Nelson, Jerry Lee Lewis, and a handful of others will get their chance to entertain. Boogie woogie came to the country and it was retooled and renamed as honky tonk.
This episode of Deeper Roots will feature Big Band Standards done by others as well as by the greats of the genre. Swing and sway with the sounds of “At the Woodchopper’s Ball”, “Take the A Train”, “Little Brown Jug”, “One O’Clock Jump”, and a number of others. The performers cross the divide…Bob Wills, Nina Simone, The Mills Brothers, Benny Goodman, George Harrison, Merrill Moore, and others. The big band sound had an energy and personality that was made for the urban clubs, but it would also make itself known as more than just a pop or jazz phenomenon…it became the music of a generation that found a broader audience at barn dances, Elks’ Halls, theaters, and the larger venues of the present day. It’s roots music with a swinging groove and drive.
Join Dave Stroud for the music of Louis Armstrong, from the early King Oliver days to popular tunes of the late century. Probably the most important musician to come out of the 20th century, he took the blues and established it as jazz’s harmonic foundation, well beyond the ‘fashionable’ jazz of the day. He introduced a style of singing called ‘scat’ that was to be mimicked by others including Ella Fitzgerald, Billie Holiday, and Bing Crosby. He created masterworks based on Tin Pan Alley songs that went beyond his original New Orleans influences, showing that jazz could expand musically and commercially. And there is little doubt that he introduced the form we know as ‘swing’ today.
With the rise of be-bop and modern jazz, some of the newcomers (Dizzy Gillespie being the most vocal) pushed Louis aside with a new sound in jazz and words that were youthful miscalculations at the least if not disrespectful altogether. But it was time that would prove Louis’ music and his stature in the history of the American musical art form that remains abiding and durable. Those newcomers would recant and recognize the true mark of genius.
We’ll feature two hours exploring the career of Louis Armstrong in both music and in his own words.
Take a trip with Deeper Roots as we visit a Saturday Night Fish Fry featuring Eddie Williams and His Brown Buddies, Cab Calloway’s “Everybody Eats When They Come To My House”, Duke Ellington’s tribute to the “Saturday Night Function”, and songs of house rent parties, Saturday evenings, and Fats Waller will tell us about “Functionizing”. It has always been about blowing off steam after a long week…and swinging, rocking, and having a ball.
This episode of Deeper Roots features performances from Count Basie, Bennie Moten, Andy Kirk & His Twelve Clouds of Joy, Kansas City Kitty, and a host of others. Kansas City is considered (along with New Orleans, Chicago, St. Louis, and New York) one of the more popular “cradles of jazz”. Most of the jazz musicians associated with the new jazz style in the early days came from elsewhere but got caught up in the friendly musical competitions among performers that could keep a single song being performed in variations for an entire night. And the music of the Kansas City big bands were often composed and arranged collectively in a manner known as “head arrangements”.
“The Devil Ain’t Lazy” is a song by Bob Wills and His Texas Playboys and it is also the title of this week’s Deeper Roots show. In our weekly ramble through the last century of America’s music this Friday night at 9, we explore how that malevolent spirit known as the devil has been a foil and muse in song. We start it off with the Almanac Singers and the Irving Berlin piece from pre-war, “Get Thee Behind Me Satan”, move into a 1928 musical sermon called “Warming By the Devil’s Fire”, and find ourselves in country bible land with the Louvins, Hank Williams, and Marty Stuart. In between we’ve got lots of jazz, gospel, blues, and some modern revelations about our culture’s call and response with Lucifer himself.
This episode of Deeper Roots explores music celebrating the “Father of The Waters”, “The Big Muddy”…”The Mighty Mississippi”. Between its head, Lake Itasca in Minnesota, to the point where it empties into the Gulf of Mexico, the Mississippi is responsible for the watershed of 31 states, although its banks only border on 10 of them. Over the centuries, it’s been an inspiration in traditional song and story. Join us as we are entertained by the likes of J. J. Cale, The Mississippi Sheiks, Bessie Smith, Dr. John, and a host of others in a show about a natural wonder that is part of our national identity.
