What Are You Listening To? August 2023

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Ella Fitzgerald - Live From The Roseland Ballroom, 1940 (Sunbeam comp 1974)

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Vinyl Rip of the Day.

After Chick Webb died in 1939, Ella as his "girl singer" took over the band under her own name. This was an incredible accomplishment for any woman at the time, much less one of color. She maintained the orchestra's character as one of the jazziest swing bands around, downplaying the novelty vocals that brought her initial success.

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Various Anatolian Artists ~ Ashiklar, Those Who are in Love [Soundtrack] (1999)

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With Ashiklar, Those Who Are in Love, filmmaker David Grabias provides the soundtrack for a documentary film of the same title. In concise, well written and illuminating liner notes, Grabias provides entry to the world and history of the ashik, the traditional saz-playing oral storytellers that were the topic of his film. Descended from Turkic nomadic tribes who settled in Anatolia between the 8th and the 11th centuries, in time the ashik evolved a distinct form of Islamic religious practice that stemmed from their own pre-Islamic shamanistic roots. Ultimately repressed by the Ottoman Sunni government, the ashik in the 20th century came to associate with leftist political movements and have suffered disintegration of their traditional culture. According to Grabias, "No more do ashik wander the countryside; instead, old men sit in cafés and tell stories of the past. More and more, their children forsake the life of the village for the promise of the city, losing touch with folk culture and the Alevi oral traditions as they dream of becoming the next pop star." These outstanding performances were recorded on location in Turkey in 1994 in the villages and fields where ashik saz and vocal performers continue to reside. Not to be missed (and track down the film if you're able!).
 
Andy Cotton ~ Last Stand at the Havemeyer Ranch (2009)

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An open and dark take on some African inspired and Reggae rythms. Recorded and mixed over several years in an airy Brooklyn loft with crumbling brick walls and the NYC skyline out the window and finished just before they evicted our asses out of there.

 
Charlie "Peanut" Faircloth - Two Decca Singles (1950)

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Shellac and Vinyl Rips Of the Day.

Did you ever buy a record based solely on the artist's name? I was listening to an old Kirk Hansard single (Who??? Don't worry, we'll get to him soon) and saw a songwriter credit for "Peanut" Faircloth. This intrigued me, so I did some discographic research. It revealed that he had recorded a session for Decca in 1950 which was released on two singles. Luckily, I found both singles, one a 78 and the other, a 45.

Further research showed "Peanut" to be a very interesting figure in early country music.

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Georgia born, he became a disc jockey in Macon at age 18. His career in radio took him to several states and eventually he landed in Chattanooga where he worked the last four decades of his life. Charlie was also a successful performer and songwriter. Ernest Tubb landed him a contract with Decca. "Peanut" paid it forward by giving young Brenda Lee her first break on a stage show.

These two singles show "Peanut" to have a clear, if rustic voice well suited to upbeat novelty numbers. Unfortunately, they sank without a trace. But Faircloth nevertheless enjoyed a highly successful career and became a fan favorite in Chattanooga. His fascinating obituary is here:

 
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