James Brown and B.B. King Performing At the Beverly Theater

I found this great clip of music legends B.B. King and James Brown performing together in concert in 1983 at the Beverly Theater in Los Angeles. I taped the concert years back when it first aired on HBO, but lost it awhile ago. And I would always miss it whenever the channel aired it again. So I was ecstatic when I recently found that someone had uploaded the entire show on youtube. The video contains amazing performances from both artists. The concert kicks off with a terrific set by B.B., which includes the classics "The Thrill Is Gone" and "Let The Good Times Roll."

Following B.B.'s set, James tears up the stage with some of his biggest hits. The Godfather showed he hadn't lost a step and delivered a powerhouse performance, which featured some of his dazzling footwork. He kept the audience on its feet with his raw funk and unrivaled charisma. Some of the tracks he performed included "The Payback," "I Got the Feelin'," "It's a Man's Man's Man's World," "Doin' It To Death," "Papa's Got a Brand New Bag," and "Get Up (I Feel Like Being a) Sex Machine."

This is the legendary show where Michael Jackson and Prince were in the audience. James invites MJ onstage to sing and perform briefly. The look on his face when MJ does "the James Brown" is priceless. Prince was also invited onstage to perform that night, but unfortunately his part was edited out of this video. For the show's finale, James and B.B. perform the blues classic "Sweet Little Angel" as well as James' hit track "Jam." It was an epic concert.

Related blog entry: James Brown Wows Soul Train Audience With Dynamic Performance

The Simi Valley Cajun & Blues Music Festival 2012 Set For Memorial Day Weekend

Several talented artists and performers will descend upon Simi Valley, California come Memorial Day weekend for the 23rd Annual Simi Vally Cajun & Blues Music Festival. The festival will take place on May 26 and 27 at the Rancho Santa Susana Community Park in Simi Valley, California. It should be a jammin' good time.
The Simi Valley Cajun & Blues Music Festival made its debut in 1988 as a New England Clambake fundraiser for the Rotary Club of Simi Sunrise. Within two years of its inception, the festival adopted the Cajun Creole music theme. The Cajun theme caught on and became extremely popular, helping the festival garner national attention. It grew to become one of the biggest festivals of its kind west of the Mississippi River.

The festival currently presents live Cajun, Creole, zydeco and blues entertainment on multiple stages and offers more than 150 food, beverage, craft and sponsor booths. The annual jamboree draws approximately 15,000 attendees each year. 100 percent of all festival profits are donated to charitable, educational and humanitarian causes. Profits from the festival have resulted in total charitable donations in excess of $1,500,000.

Some of the artists scheduled to perform at the festival include The Fabulous Thunderbirds, Bonne Musique Zydeco, The Bayou Brothers, The Mighty Mojo Prophets, Billy Lee & the Swamp Critters, and Gator Beat. The festival will also pay tribute to late blues legend Muddy Waters.  The tribute will feature some of the great players who had jammed with Muddy, including James Cotton, Bob Margolin and Paul Oscher. Waters' son, Mud Morganfield, will also be performing in the tribute. For more info about the Simi Valley Cajun & Blues Music Festival, go to their website.

André 3000 Set To Play Guitar God Jimi Hendrix In Upcoming Biopic

It looks like hip-hop star/actor André  Benjamin (aka by his stage name André  3000) will be playing legendary rock guitarist Jimi Hendrix in the upcoming biopic All Is By My Side. According to a report from the Irish Film and Television Network, the OutKast member has been tapped to portray the left-handed axe master in the long-awaited film. Benjamin has been the frontrunner for the coveted role for a good five years now, so the news wasn't much of a surprise to industry insiders or anyone else for that matter.

It will be really interesting to see how Benjamin fares in the role. He's appeared in several films and is a decent actor. But none of those roles have been as challenging or demanding as playing Hendrix will no doubt be. The results could be disastrous, or Benjamin may exceed expectations and surprise everyone, similar to Jamie Foxx's startling turn as Ray Charles in the acclaimed biopic Ray (2004).

Novelist and screenwriter John Ridley will direct All Is By My Side. This will only be the second feature film that he has directed. Ridley, who will also write the screenplay, is most recognized for writing the films Three Kings and U-Turn. The project is currently in pre-production in Wicklow, Ireland with principal photography set to begin in three weeks in Dublin and Wicklow. The shoot will last six weeks in total. The film will chronicle Hendrix's time in England in 1966 and 1967 when he and his band, the Jimi Hendrix Experience, were putting together their landmark debut album Are You Experienced?

Three Funk Masters Share The Stage For Prince's 1999 New Year's Eve Bash

Funk Masters Prince, Larry Graham and Maceo Parker set the stage on fire in this awesome jam session from Prince's Rave Un2 the Year 2000 DVD. The energy on the stage is palpable. You really got to give it up for Prince; he really knows how to put together a massive funk party by bringing together super-talented people who love to get down. Maceo tears it up with some funky sax work, and Prince's band the New Power Generation keeps the groove smokin'. NPG vocalist Rosie Gaines brings the thunder with some serious scatting, and guitarist Mike Scott delivers a smooth, jazzy solo.

And Prince kills it with some dope dance moves that would even make James Brown take notice, including an incredible eight splits in a row. His Royal Badness also delivers a cool keytar solo and works it on percussion as well. Larry gets his moment to shine on his own jam "It's Alright." His vocals sound just as powerful and soulful as they did when he originally recorded the track back in 1975 with Graham Central Station.

Rave Un2 the Year 2000 is the video of a Prince concert taped sometime in December of 1999. The concert was originally broadcast through Pay-per-view on New Year's Eve, December 31, 1999. The concert was recorded at Paisley Park Studios in Chanhassen, Minnesota. Prince performed some of his biggest hits, including  "Let's Go Crazy," "Raspberry Beret" and of course "1999." And in addition to Maceo and Larry Graham, some of the other special guests included Lenny Kravitz and Morris Day & The Time. Kravitz performed his hit song "Fly Away" and his well-known cover of The Guess Who's classic "American Woman." The Time performed their monster hits "Jungle Love" and "The Bird."

Rave Un2 the Year 2000 was Prince's first full-length live concert video since Sign o' the Times back in 1987. And in addition to the concert footage, the DVD contains a short documentary featuring interviews with some of the concert's participants; a "Freedom Newz" statement by Prince about artistic freedom; and bonus songs featuring George Clinton, Larry Graham, Jimmy Russell, Kathy Jensen and NPG.

The segment with Maceo, Larry Graham, Rosie Gaines and Mike Scott begins at 34:03.
 

Purchase Rave Un2 The Year 2000 at Amazon

Film Review of Marley

Photo courtesy of Magnolia Pictures

Filmmaker Kevin Macdonald’s documentary Marley is a fascinating portrait of Jamaican superstar Bob Marley, who introduced reggae music to the world.  It is a very insightful and comprehensive exploration into the life and legacy of the music legend. The film effectively captures the many faces of Bob Marley:  the thoughtful songwriter/poet, the fiery human rights crusader, the charming womanizer, the spiritual messenger, the charismatic performer and the global icon.  Like many gifted artists, Bob Marley was a very complex individual, and this film lends some insight into his many complexities. The film takes a compelling look at Marley’s incredible journey to superstardom and his massive influence on music and pop culture.  It is a truly inspiring film and gives the viewer an idea of who the real Bob Marley was behind his now mythical stature.

The documentary spends a good deal of time exploring Marley’s childhood. It shows how young Marley often felt like an outsider among his peers due to his biracial makeup. His father, Norval Sinclair Marley, was a white Jamaican-born Marine officer and captain as well as a plantation overseer, and his mother was black Jamaican teen Cedella Malcolm. Cedella was only 18 when she gave birth to Bob, and Norval was in his 50s or early 60s. The future reggae star was born Robert Nesta Marley in the mountainous village of Nine Mile in Saint Ann Parish, Jamaica on February 6, 1945. Cedella and Norval got married shortly after she became pregnant with their son.  Marley saw very little of his father, who was frequently absent. When Marley was ten, his father died of a heart attack. Shortly after his father’s death, Marley and his family moved to a very poor section of Kingston, Jamaica called Trench Town.  The film chronicles how Marley grew up in extreme poverty in Trench Town. But despite his rough upbringing in Trench Town, Marley always maintained a great fondness for the area and immortalized it by mentioning it in several of his songs.   

Macdonald (The Last King of Scotland) does a stellar job in showing how Marley’s rough childhood helped shape him into a highly spiritual individual.  The film gives a stark view of what it was like for young Marley growing up in abject poverty and often feeling ostracized by his peers. His less-than-ideal surroundings put the fire in his belly and drove him to find a way out of his situation.  He developed a great passion for football and music. He learned how to play guitar and began writing songs at the age 14. The film reveals how music became a huge part of Marley’s identity and spiritual being. It seems that music would have always been an important part of his life, whether he achieved great success with it or not.  

Additionally, the documentary contains tons of great concert footage. Marley was truly an electrifying performer, and the concert footage captures some terrific moments of him completely in his element on stage. You can see how the music touched his soul in his performances. Marley had no planned-out steps or choreography; he just went with wherever the music took him. Also, the documentary is filled with classic Marley tunes.

The film also focuses on Marley’s unwavering devotion to the Rastafarian religion. He was first introduced to Rastafarianism by music teacher and mentor Joe Higgs. His Wailer band mates Bunny Wailer and Peter Tosh also became devout followers of Rastafarianism.  And the three smoked ganja (marijuana) as a Rastafarian religious sacrament.  They also all wore their hair in dreadlocks in honor of Jah. Millions of people around the world became aware of the Rastafari movement through Bob Marley & The Wailers.

The documentary shows Marley as an outspoken crusader for human rights and a champion for the underclass. It also reveals how Marley was the most politically influential figure in Jamaica for a time, and politicians sought to affiliate themselves with him to help improve their standing with the Jamaican public. Marley is shown to have played a pivotal role in quelling the escalating violence between two warring political parties and was almost killed in the process. His theme of unity struck a chord and no doubt saved many lives.

The film features some revealing interviews from friends, family members, band mates, business associates as well as Marley himself. Some of the interviewees are quite colorful, particularly Bunny Wailer. Wailer is quite a character, and all of his interview segments are interesting and funny. The documentary also featured interviews with some of Marley’s children, as well as his wife Rita Marley.

The film examines Marley’s very close but unconventional relationship with his wife Rita.  From the time Marley first met Rita in the mid-1960s, she remained a very important part of his life until his death at age 36.  She was Marley’s loyal, dedicated wife as well as a musical and spiritual partner. She was a member of the vocal group the I- Threes who provided background harmonies for Bob Marley & The Wailers.  She put up with Marley’s many infidelities for what she felt was the bigger cause of getting his music and message across to the world. The relationship between Marley and Rita was very spiritual. They shared a powerful bond that has never been broken.

The film’s running time is 144 minutes, but it doesn’t feel like it. Marley is such an absorbing piece that the time goes by really fast and actually leaves you wanting more. Very few films, let alone documentaries, can do that. Macdonald does a tremendous job in profiling this very complex artist, presenting Marley flaws and all. It’s a superb documentary and is a must-see for Bob Marley fans and film lovers alike.

Rent Marley at Amazon

George Clinton And P-Funk To Perform At The Mostly Jazz, Funk & Soul Festival 2012

George Clinton and Parliament-Funkadelic are heading overseas to the UK next month to perform at the 3rd annual Mostly Jazz, Funk & Soul Festival. George and the P-Funk crew will be performing on Friday June 29th at Moseley Park, Birmingham, England. The band will return to Moseley Park for another performance on Sunday July 1st. 

The Mostly Jazz Festival (now called Mostly Jazz, Funk & Soul Festival) made its debut in 2010. The impetus behind the festival was to celebrate "the dynamic grooves, innovation and excitement of the modern jazz movement." It was designed to showcase the diversity of contemporary jazz in all its different forms: jazz-fusion, avant-garde, free and modern jazz, song-based jazz, etc. Another goal of the festival was to recognize jazz's influence on other important music genres, such as Latin, funk and soul.

The three-day festival will be held on June 29-30 and July 1st. In addition to Uncle Jam and P-Funk, some of the other bands and artists scheduled to perform at the festival include Fred Wesley & The New J.B.'s, The Family Stone, Miles Levin Quintet, Ghostpoet, Soweto Kinch and Odyssey. Sounds like it's going to be a blast. For more festival info, go to their website.

"Disco To Go" By The Brides of Funkenstein: Jumbo-Sized Funk

P-Funk disciples the Brides of Funkenstein scored their biggest hit with the hugely funky single "Disco To Go" in 1978. It's a colossal groove that hits on all cylinders. I'd say it's up there with some of the funkiest tracks in the P-Funk canon. Bootsy Collins' Space Bass is on full funk mode here. His bass line is similar to the one on Funkadelic's "Stuffs and Things" but slowed down a bit to ensure maximum funkatude. "Disco To Go" was originally slated to be the title track for Bootsy's Rubber Band's second album, which is not surprising considering the groove sounds so much like a Bootsy joint.

The track is like a funk battle cry with the Brides leading the charge. They sound like two badass Amazonian soul sisters heading a funk brigade. The great horn work on the track was arranged by keyboard maven Bernie Worrell and trombonist Fred Wesley, who was the musical director of James Brown's legendary band the J.B.'s.  It's funny that the word "Disco" is in the title of the song, as there's nothing disco about it. The groove is full-on stank, gutbucket funk, not disco by any stretch. The track kicks off with a James Brown-style intro, which also closes out the song. The groove is just a funk wrecking ball, destroying all that's in its path.

"Disco To Go" is from the Brides of Funkenstein's debut album Funk Or Walk. The song was co-written by Bootsy and George Clinton and did quite well on the charts. It went to number seven on the Billboard Hot Soul Singles charts and was certified Gold with more than 500,000 units sold.

The Brides of Funkenstein were formed in 1978 and consisted of Lynn Mabry and Dawn Silva, who were previously backup singers with Sly & the Family Stone. The two joined the P-Funk army in the mid-'70s. They toured and recorded with the monster funk/rock collective, providing background vocals on a slew of hit tracks, including classics "Flash Light," "One Nation Under a Groove," "Bop Gun (Endangered Species)" and "Aqua Boogie."

Mabry left P-Funk in '79 and later resurfaced as a backup singer for Talking Heads during their highly successful Stop Making Sense tour in 1983. She also appears in the award-winning documentary Stop Making Sense (1984). At this time, Mabry was a highly respected and much sought-after background vocalist, touring with top music acts such as George Michael, Stevie Nicks, Bette Midler and Rita Coolidge. She's currently a business partner with Sheila E. In 2001, the two established Elevate Hope Foundation to help abused and abandoned children.

Following Mabry's departure, the Brides of Funkenstein morphed into a trio. P-Funk backup singers the Bridesmaids--Sheila Horne and Jeanette McGruder--joined Silva as the re-formed Brides of Funkenstein. In 1979, the newly formed Brides of Funkenstein released the album Never Buy Texas From A Cowboy. The album earned the Brides a Cashbox Rhythm & Blues Award in 1981 for "Best Female Group." The album's title track, "Never Buy Texas From A Cowboy," became a hit in Europe, Asia and the Midwest.  The album resurfaced in 2001 when Rolling Stone magazine named it one of the "top 50 coolest albums of all time."

Silva left P-Funk in 1981 and recorded and toured with the Gap Band the following year. She signed a solo recording deal with Polygram Records in 1988, but her debut album on the label was never released. Her first solo album, All My Funky Friends, was released in Europe on Musisoft (Paris, France) in December 2000 and sold thousands of units. The collection was lauded by Tower Records as the only authentic funk album to be released in more than 20 years. In addition to P-Funk, the Gap Band, and the Brides of Funkenstein, some of Silva's other recording and touring credits include Ice Cube, Roy Ayers, Coolio, B.B. King, and Snoop Dogg.



Related blog entries: 

The Brides of Funkenstein Perform "Birdie" Live

"Party Up In Here" by The Brides of Funkenstein

Purchase Funk Or Walk CD at Amazon