Thursday, March 26, 2009
So long, Eddie Bo.
so sad to hear the news of eddie passin'...veronica, if you're readin' this, my heart is with y'all...much much love.
the above photo of eddie bo was taken by dan prothero at a show that he and I produced. the venue was dba during jazzfest a couple of years ago. the band that night was me on guitar and vocals, eddie on piano and vocals, kirk joseph on sousaphone and robb kidd on drums. eddie's old pal ( and our dear friend and spiritual guide), big chief monk boudreaux dropped by and ended up stayin' all night.
my friend kieth abel cooked up a mess o' collard greens, fried chicken and homemade cornbread and set it up backstage...and we all spent a couple of hours before the show, eating, conversing, enjoying life and it's simple pleasures...good friends, good food, good music...eddie and monk were especially keeping us all entertained with reminiscin' bout 'back in the day'. kirk related how 'check yo bucket', with it's tuba-like bassline, sing-song chorus and sexy lyrical innuendo, was a personal favorite of his and all the jumpropin' girls on his block as a 12 year old kid!
earlier that week I had tried to persuade eddie to rehearse (because it was a big deal to me to play with the elder funk maestro and I wanted to be prepared)...finally, he reluctantly agreed the day before the show to come by the studio I had rented for the occasion. he listened to us run through 'hook and sling' and 'check your bucket', barely joining in himself. he grinned and half-jokingly scolded me for making him drive across town..."See...I wouldn't even be doin' this show if I didn't know ahead of time that y'all could play! I knew we didn't need no rehearsal!"
Nothing could have been truer as he took the stage and took command of the band, the audience and the piano underneath his fingers. The packed house began to sway and shout, jump and sweat...at one point, during an intense workout on brother ray charles' 'what I say' the entire building felt like it was expanding and relaxing in time with his left hand...oh yeah - it was funky!
I am lucky in so many ways to have known eddie and shared that magical night of music on the bandstand with him...I will never forget it as long as I live.
R.I.P.
the above photo of eddie bo was taken by dan prothero at a show that he and I produced. the venue was dba during jazzfest a couple of years ago. the band that night was me on guitar and vocals, eddie on piano and vocals, kirk joseph on sousaphone and robb kidd on drums. eddie's old pal ( and our dear friend and spiritual guide), big chief monk boudreaux dropped by and ended up stayin' all night.
my friend kieth abel cooked up a mess o' collard greens, fried chicken and homemade cornbread and set it up backstage...and we all spent a couple of hours before the show, eating, conversing, enjoying life and it's simple pleasures...good friends, good food, good music...eddie and monk were especially keeping us all entertained with reminiscin' bout 'back in the day'. kirk related how 'check yo bucket', with it's tuba-like bassline, sing-song chorus and sexy lyrical innuendo, was a personal favorite of his and all the jumpropin' girls on his block as a 12 year old kid!
earlier that week I had tried to persuade eddie to rehearse (because it was a big deal to me to play with the elder funk maestro and I wanted to be prepared)...finally, he reluctantly agreed the day before the show to come by the studio I had rented for the occasion. he listened to us run through 'hook and sling' and 'check your bucket', barely joining in himself. he grinned and half-jokingly scolded me for making him drive across town..."See...I wouldn't even be doin' this show if I didn't know ahead of time that y'all could play! I knew we didn't need no rehearsal!"
Nothing could have been truer as he took the stage and took command of the band, the audience and the piano underneath his fingers. The packed house began to sway and shout, jump and sweat...at one point, during an intense workout on brother ray charles' 'what I say' the entire building felt like it was expanding and relaxing in time with his left hand...oh yeah - it was funky!
I am lucky in so many ways to have known eddie and shared that magical night of music on the bandstand with him...I will never forget it as long as I live.
R.I.P.
Thursday, March 12, 2009
PAPA MALI IN AUSTIN
PAPA MALI PLAYS TWO SHOWS IN AUSTIN...TOMORROW NIGHT (FRIDAY THE 13TH) AT THE PARISH ON HISTORIC SIXTH STREET IN DOWNTOWN AUSTIN. ALSO ON THE BILL: A DUO IN THE TRADITION OF BLACK KEYS AND RL BURNSIDE, THE ROOSTER BLUES (HATTIESBURG, MS) AND MC LEMORE AVENUE, A KILLER SOUL/FUNK ENSEMBLE THAT ALWAYS DRAWS COMPARISONS TO BOOKER T & THE MG'S AND THE METERS!
AND NEXT WEEK, FOR SXSW ATTENDEES, PAPA MALI IS HOSTING THE 1ST ANNUAL HOODOO BLUES AND BBQ, SATURDAY MARCH 21ST FROM 2PM TIL 6PM AT KENNY DORHAM'S BACKYARD, AN OUTDOOR VENUE LOCATED NEXT TO THE FAMOUS VICTORY GRILL IN EAST AUSTIN!
1:30PM: GATES OPEN
2PM: THE ROOSTER BLUES
3PM: THE GREYHOUNDS
4PM: TOPAZ AND MUDPHONIC
5PM: PAPA MALI AND FRIENDS
ALL PROCEEDS GO TO BENEFIT THE DIVERSE ARTS GROUP
AND NEXT WEEK, FOR SXSW ATTENDEES, PAPA MALI IS HOSTING THE 1ST ANNUAL HOODOO BLUES AND BBQ, SATURDAY MARCH 21ST FROM 2PM TIL 6PM AT KENNY DORHAM'S BACKYARD, AN OUTDOOR VENUE LOCATED NEXT TO THE FAMOUS VICTORY GRILL IN EAST AUSTIN!
1:30PM: GATES OPEN
2PM: THE ROOSTER BLUES
3PM: THE GREYHOUNDS
4PM: TOPAZ AND MUDPHONIC
5PM: PAPA MALI AND FRIENDS
ALL PROCEEDS GO TO BENEFIT THE DIVERSE ARTS GROUP
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