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Re: [ARSCLIST] Obscure Geniuses/ASCAP
I'm a huge 'Fess fan, and I was recently disgusted to turn on the tv and
see that "Big Chief" is currently being used as the background music in
a women's deodorant commercial...
-----Original Message-----
From: Association for Recorded Sound Discussion List
[mailto:ARSCLIST@xxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Parker Dinkins
Sent: Thursday, August 02, 2007 12:51 PM
To: ARSCLIST@xxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: Re: [ARSCLIST] Obscure Geniuses/ASCAP
on 8/2/07 11:17 AM US/Central, Malcolm Rockwell at malcolm@xxxxxxxx
wrote:
> Tops Professor Longhair any day of the week, IMNSHO.
While Booker was very versatile and fluid on the piano, Longhair had a
much more powerful attack, albeit with a limited repertoire.
When Booker tried to play piano in Longhair's style, it came off as a
weak imitation. Booker's vocal power and range were somewhat limited,
especially when compared to Longhair's (who could also whistle
beautifully).
They were very different.
Not generally well known is the fact that Longhair's 'Latin tinge'
actually came from him being in the Civilian Conservation Corps/WPA
along the Mexican-American border in the 1930s. Powerful Mexican AM
radio stations blanketed the area, and Longhair incorporated the local
rhythms to please his audiences.
Others have attributed his Latin tinge to Caribbean influences, but this
is not correct. It's a more romantic image, but it didn't happen that
way.
Unlike Booker, who could be difficult to work with, Longhair had a
wonderful personality; however, he was a shy person. Some would mistake
that for something else.
He was endlessly inventive on the piano, even incorporating an
occasional mistake which he would build upon to provide another theme
variation. I really preferred his solo work to anything else he did, but
because he was basically shy, he didn't like performing solo at all.
In my opinion, GONE SO LONG, which was recorded in Baton Rouge at Deep
South, is one of his best works to illustrate this. The pads on his
fingers were extremely swollen after that session; it was too dark in
the car to see if he was actually bleeding.
--
Parker Dinkins
MasterDigital Corporation
Audio Restoration + CD Mastering
http://masterdigital.com