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Elders who've played with '60s luminaries to stop in Cleveland. Rundgren to return
By Malcolm X Abram
Beacon Journal popular music writer
Published on Thursday, Dec 27, 2007
Well, I hope you had a wonderful (place name of holiday here) and that you and your friends and family will have a safe new year.
As we wrap up 2007, here are a few random bits of information for your perusal . . .
Tonight at Nighttown in Cleveland Heights will be an evening of smooth grooves and soul-jazz when Godfathers of Groove, a trio of jazz vets, performs. Actually, only two of the members qualify as Godfathers as they have been making and appearing on records since the 1960s.
The duo provided the backbone (and backbeat) for the acid jazz and soul-jazz revival of the 1990s and have been sampled by many artists.
Hammond organist Reuben Wilson was one of many cats signed to Blue Note during the soul-jazz era of the late 1960s and '70s, when the label cranked out albums of pop tunes set to funky grooves. He didn't really have any hits, but he did play with several luminaries of the era, including drummer Roy Haynes, maverick avant saxophonist Sam Rivers, hard bop trumpeter Lee Morgan and guitarist Grant Green.
And that brings us to Grant Green Jr., the second member of the Godfathers of Groove.
Following in his father's footsteps, Green is a fine-enough guitarist, but lacks his father's ultra-smooth and crystal clear single-line sense of melody and rock-solid swing.
That's OK, because studio vet Bernard Purdie is on drums and Purdie has played with everybody. If you've listened to pop and soul music of the past 30 years, chances are you've heard something from one of the 3,000 albums on which he has played.
A short list of his credits includes laying down his super-funky patented ''Purdie shuffle'' on Steely Dan's Home at Last and Babylon Sisters from its Aja album as well as playing on albums and/or performing with artists such as Aretha Franklin, B.B. King, Cat Stevens, King Curtis, Joe Cocker, James Brown, Michael Bolton (yikes!), Roberta Flack, Tom Jones, Quincy Jones, Isaac Hayes, Miles Davis, Louis Armstrong, Jeff Beck, Gil Scott-Heron, Todd Rundgren, Stevie Wonder, the Rolling Stones and Dizzy Gillespie, to name a few.
The trio has a 2007 album called Godfathers of Groove on 18th and Vine records, and though there's nothing revelatory on the mix of originals and covers, it is an easy rolling, toe-tapping listen.
Speaking of Mr. Rundgren, area fans, of which there are many, will be delighted to know that Runt will be coming back to his second home of Cleveland on Jan. 16 to play at the Allen Theatre in Playhouse Square. I'm sure the restless technogeek has something cooking since his last album was 2004's decent, if a bit too computerized, Liars.
Reunion at Annabell's
Readers may recall the heartening tale of local musician Gerard Dominick, who broke the cardinal musician's rule about never leaving your stuff in the van and paid the price when a couple of very nice and expensive basses were stolen from him. In case you missed it, after some frantic searching, he eventually found himself at a local pawn shop at the same time as the idiot culprit tried to sell his instruments.
Dominick, who looks like a bass-playing defensive end, exhibited considerable self-control and allowed the police to handle the matter rather than simply throttling the guy himself.
Anyway, Dominick, who plays bass in the Colin John Band and the Brian Lisik Band, has been around the Akron/Cleveland scene for many a year and has played in many bands.
Tonight at Annabell's in Highland Square in Akron, he will be reuniting with one of his old bands, In Fear of Roses. The band was active during the 1980s and in eight years shared bills with folks such as the Red Hot Chili Peppers, played big festivals, including South by Southwest and The CMJ, and briefly had a deal with Elektra, which I'm guessing taught them a few hard lessons about the music business.
They'll be playing a free show for friends, fans and family along with the Brian Lisik Band.
Fame is calling
Here's something I'm sure you were wondering about: The Top 10 ring tones of 2007, according to AT&T.
1. Shop Boyz — Party Like a Rockstar
2. Mims — This Is Why I'm Hot
3. Soulja Boy — Crank That (Soulja Boy)
4. Nickelback — Rockstar
5. Akon — Don't Matter
6. T-Pain — Buy You a Drank (Shawty Snappin)
7. Hurricane Chris — A Bay Bay
8. Sean Kingston — Beautiful Girls
9. Huey — Pop, Lock & Drop It
10. Fergie — Big Girls Don't Cry
Well, hip-hop may not be selling CDs like it was a few years ago, but at least there's a new revenue stream for those singles/artists who are hot for a few months and then disappear.
There was an Associated Press article about ''ring tone rap'' a few months ago that pointed out that as lucrative as the ring tone market and having one big hit might be, it is no way to build or sustain a music career.
''They're not making substance material — they're not really going into creating a sound. It's all about making the hot song for right now, but the artists who will stand the test of time like myself are about making records, not songs.
''You got to make a quality album so you can hold people's attention. It's like a movie. If you make a movie that got (only) one good scene, ain't nobody gonna go see it.''
Those are words of wisdom from none other than Snoop
Dogg, who has been coasting on his laid-back charm for a good seven or eight years, but his point is valid. Hip-hop will ring tone itself into obsolescence if the up and coming artists are only thinking about how good their songs will sound coming out of a tiny and tinny phone speaker.
Hey, remember Dem Franchize Boyz' (Lean Wit It, Rock Wit It)? Or Young Dro, who had the dance sensation Shoulder Lean? How about Mr. No. 1 ring tone, Mims? Sure you remember their tunes. They were the jam, right?
OK, can you name those artists' next hit?
How about the name of their albums?
Anyone?
Bueller?
Oh, well. Perhaps dropping a few pegs down on the mainstream pop radar would do hip-hop some good.
More on rock hall
I apologize for ignoring these two 2008 inductees into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. So let's give a big hand to Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff for being inducted into the rock hall in the nonperformer category.
Gamble & Huff gave Philadelphia a new soul sound back in the 1970s with their Philadelphia International label and the list of artists for whom they wrote and produced hits, which includes the O'Jays, Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes, Teddy Pendergrass, the Jacksons and Dusty Springfield.
Blues harmonica legend Little Walter, inducted in the sideman category, was among the first to use a microphone's amplification to add tones and sound effects to his harmonica playing that is still imitated by every blues harp player on the planet.
He also had a few hits back in the 1950s with Juke and My Babe and was Muddy Water's right-hand harp man for most of that decade. He also recorded with Jimmy Rogers, Bo Diddley and Otis Rush.
Happy New Year to all for whom it applies.
Malcolm X Abram can be reached at mabram@thebeaconjournal.com or 330-996-3758.
Well, I hope you had a wonderful (place name of holiday here) and that you and your friends and family will have a safe new year.
Get the full article here.
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