amplified playlist 004
Celebrating the First Week of Black History Month with These 10 Songs...
February is Black History Month, so I wanted to share a playlist rich in Blues with a dash of Soul and a brilliant slice of Jazz to finish. You might know these artists, but the songs are some of my favorites, so if they’re new to you, I hope you’ll give them a shot!
We begin with an outtake from one of the last sessions of Jimi Hendrix in his Electric Ladyland Studios (1970). Hendrix was only getting better, and from this opening cut, I wonder what else he could have done if he had more time…
Last week, I picked up the 180-gram audiophile reissue of ‘It Serve You Right to Suffer’ by John Lee Hooker, and Shake It Baby is the lead cut, one of my favorites. Mastered by Matthew Lutthans at The Mastering Lab from the original analog tapes. The playlist continues with R.L. Burnside, who I discovered in college after he created an album with the Jon Spencer Blues Explosion, who also plays backup here. Self-taught guitarist T-Model Ford, who began playing guitar in his 60s, created some bangers late in life, including Someone’s Knocking on My Door. We then hear Howlin’ Wolf with his alternate take of Mr. Airplane Man and then head to Chicago for Magic Sam’s soulful Blues, which helps us transition into Wilson PIckett’s cover of The Beatles, Hey Jude. I love this version very much — one reason is the introduction and guitar solo of a young Georgia guitarist, Duane Allman, who inspired Eric Clapton to visit Muscle Shoals and led him and his brother, Gregg, to start a southern rock band.
Before he ventured into outer space, Sun Ra performed doo-wop and rock music with a twist—like the Muck Muck with Yochanan, a Chicago street singer heard here…
You might be familiar with Dizzy Gillespie’s Be-Bop period, but have you heard Dizzy’s Party from 1977? It is a great jam featuring Paulinho da Costa on percussion. It definitely has a funky feel from the 1970s.
We end the playlist with Joe McPhee, who can be an acquired taste for many, but this piece is more accessible. It’s quite the Jazz jam and clocks in at over 13 minutes long. McPhee, a NYC-based tenor sax player, is joined by seven other musicians to create this music, named after James "Shakey Jake" Harris, a Chicago blues singer, harmonicist, and songwriter. Shakey Jake performed many times with Magic Sam, whom we heard earlier.
Enjoy the music, and as always, let me know your thoughts. - JB