BLUES ARTIST BIRTHDAY:
George "Wild Child" Butler (1936) – Blues guitarist, harmonica player, and vocalist, George Butler began playing blues music in bands from the late 1950s, but it was not until 1966 that he began to receive notice, after moving to Chicago and signing with Jewel Records. His early sessions were recorded with Willie Dixon, Cash McCall and Jimmy Dawkins as sidemen. He recorded an album for Mercury Records in 1969. In 1981, Butler moved to Ontario, Canada, where he played regularly. In the 1990s, he began recording with record producer Mike Vernon in England, which resulted in two albums released on Bullseye Blues. George “Wild Child” Butler died on March 1, 2005 in Windsor, Ontario of a pulmonary embolism at the age of 68.
JAZZ ARTIST BIRTHDAY:
Curtis Lundy (1955) –Double bass player, composer, producer, choir director and arranger, Lundy is best known for his work as part of jazz vocalist Betty Carter's band, through whose ranks several eventually renowned musicians have passed. Lundy has also played on other jazz artists' recordings, including albums by John Hicks, Bobby Watson, Steve Nelson Quintet and Johnny Griffin. In the late 1980s, he briefly stepped out of the background and issued Just Be Yourself (1988). A decade later, with Justin Time Records, he released Against All Odds (1999) and Purpose (2002). Both albums feature pianists John Hicks and Anthony Wonsey. Curtis Lundy's arrangement of "Walk With Me", recorded by the ARC Gospel Choir, was sampled by rapper Kanye West and became the Grammy Award Winning, ground breaking hit "Jesus Walks".
JAZZ ALBUM RECORDED:
Charles Mingus – Let My Children Hear Music (1971)
Track Listing:
1. The Shoes Of The Fisherman’s Wife
Are Some Jive Ass Slippers
2. Adagio ma Non Troppo
3. Don’t Be Afraid, The Clown’s Afraid
Too
4. Taurus In The Arena Of Life
5. Hobo Ho
6. The Chill Of Death
7. The I Of Hurricane Sue
Review by Brian Olewnick at Allmusic:
On the original LP issued by Columbia, Mingus thanked producer Teo Macero for "his untiring efforts in producing the best album I have ever made." From his deathbed in Mexico in 1979, he sent a message to Sy Johnson (who was responsible for many of the arrangements on the album), saying that Let My Children Hear Music was the record he liked most from his career. Although Mingus' small-group recordings are the ones most often cited as his premier works, this album does, in fact, rank at the top of his oeuvre and compares favorably with the finest large-ensemble jazz recordings by anyone, including Ellington. The pieces had been brewing over the years, one from as far back as 1939, and had been given more or less threadbare performances on occasion, but this was his first chance to record them with a sizable, well-rehearsed orchestra. Still, there were difficulties, both in the recording and afterward. The exact personnel is sketchy, largely due to contractual issues, several arrangers were imported to paste things together, making the true authorship of some passages questionable, and Macero (as he did with various Miles Davis projects) edited freely and sometimes noticeably. The listener will happily put aside all quibbles, however, when the music is heard. From the opening, irresistible swing of "The Shoes of the Fisherman's Wife Are Some Jive Ass Slippers" to the swirling depths of "The I of Hurricane Sue," these songs are some of the most glorious, imaginative, and full of life ever recorded. Each piece has its own strengths, but special mention should be made of two. "Adagio Ma Non Troppo" is based entirely on a piano improvisation played by Mingus in 1964 and issued on Mingus Plays Piano. Its logical structure, playful nature, and crystalline moments of beauty would be astounding in a polished composition; the fact that it was originally improvised is almost unbelievable. "Hobo Ho," a holy-roller powerhouse featuring the impassioned tenor of James Moody, reaches an incredible fever pitch, the backing horns volleying riff after riff at the soloists, the entire composition teetering right on the edge of total chaos. Let My Children Hear Music is a towering achievement and a must for any serious jazz fan. The CD issue includes one track, "Taurus in the Arena of Life," not on the original LP, but unfortunately gives only snippets from the Mingus essay that accompanied the album. That essay, covering enormous territory, reads like an inspired Mingus bass solo and should be sought out by interested listeners. One can't recommend this album highly enough.
1. The Shoes Of The Fisherman’s Wife
Are Some Jive Ass Slippers
2. Adagio ma Non Troppo
3. Don’t Be Afraid, The Clown’s Afraid
Too
4. Taurus In The Arena Of Life
5. Hobo Ho
6. The Chill Of Death
7. The I Of Hurricane Sue
Review by Brian Olewnick at Allmusic:
On the original LP issued by Columbia, Mingus thanked producer Teo Macero for "his untiring efforts in producing the best album I have ever made." From his deathbed in Mexico in 1979, he sent a message to Sy Johnson (who was responsible for many of the arrangements on the album), saying that Let My Children Hear Music was the record he liked most from his career. Although Mingus' small-group recordings are the ones most often cited as his premier works, this album does, in fact, rank at the top of his oeuvre and compares favorably with the finest large-ensemble jazz recordings by anyone, including Ellington. The pieces had been brewing over the years, one from as far back as 1939, and had been given more or less threadbare performances on occasion, but this was his first chance to record them with a sizable, well-rehearsed orchestra. Still, there were difficulties, both in the recording and afterward. The exact personnel is sketchy, largely due to contractual issues, several arrangers were imported to paste things together, making the true authorship of some passages questionable, and Macero (as he did with various Miles Davis projects) edited freely and sometimes noticeably. The listener will happily put aside all quibbles, however, when the music is heard. From the opening, irresistible swing of "The Shoes of the Fisherman's Wife Are Some Jive Ass Slippers" to the swirling depths of "The I of Hurricane Sue," these songs are some of the most glorious, imaginative, and full of life ever recorded. Each piece has its own strengths, but special mention should be made of two. "Adagio Ma Non Troppo" is based entirely on a piano improvisation played by Mingus in 1964 and issued on Mingus Plays Piano. Its logical structure, playful nature, and crystalline moments of beauty would be astounding in a polished composition; the fact that it was originally improvised is almost unbelievable. "Hobo Ho," a holy-roller powerhouse featuring the impassioned tenor of James Moody, reaches an incredible fever pitch, the backing horns volleying riff after riff at the soloists, the entire composition teetering right on the edge of total chaos. Let My Children Hear Music is a towering achievement and a must for any serious jazz fan. The CD issue includes one track, "Taurus in the Arena of Life," not on the original LP, but unfortunately gives only snippets from the Mingus essay that accompanied the album. That essay, covering enormous territory, reads like an inspired Mingus bass solo and should be sought out by interested listeners. One can't recommend this album highly enough.
