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Article: The Music In Me: Rock's Pointy Little head


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- The Lindy, or "Lindy Hop:" Speaking of the first rock record, what might have been the first music videos were films with all-black casts (sensing a theme here) featuring plenty of dance numbers with folks doing the Lindy (and really doing it up, as in running up walls, doing backward flips and landing on the floor in rhythm and dancing). Of all places on earth, Sweden had a cadre of people who went wild for these films. They found one of the foremost dancer-choreographers in the films still alive in the 1970s or 80s (can't recall which) and brought him over to Sweden to teach them to Lindy. Now I don't remember this guy's name, but I do remember him saying, after talking about how nice everyone was to him, that walking around in Sweden he "felt like the raisin in the milk bowl."

 

Progenitors: Always great fun to trace this stuff back. Bob Dylan was one of the best at it on his satellite radio show Theme Time Radio Hour, archives of which are available on the Web (not sure if non-Sirius/XM subscribers can listen). Two folks I'll mention.

 

One was a progenitor to the progenitors, that is, his music is widely credited with helping to pave the way for R&B. That's Henry Roeland Byrd, better known as Professor Longhair. Fess combined Afro-Cuban and New Orleans shuffle beats into a gumbo that pretty well started the whole New Orleans funk/proto-R&B sound. I have a recording of him playing "Tipitina" in his 70s, and that man could rock the house even then.

 

The other is Johnnie Johnson. Who? Chuck Berry's piano player, that's who. In Keith Richards' Berry tribute movie, "Hail Hail Rock 'n' Roll!", he goes on at length about how Chuck copped all his famous foundational rock 'n' roll licks from his piano player. (You might think this is disrespectful in what's supposed to be a tribute to the great man, but Chuck and Keef - neither one the easiest guys to get along with at times - manage to aggravate each other repeatedly throughout the movie, which is at least half the fun.)

One never knows, do one? - Fats Waller

The fairest thing we can experience is the mysterious. It is the fundamental emotion which stands at the cradle of true art and true science. - Einstein

Computer, Audirvana -> optical Ethernet to Fitlet3 -> Fibbr Alpha Optical USB -> iFi NEO iDSD DAC -> Apollon Audio 1ET400A Mini (Purifi based) -> Vandersteen 3A Signature.

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Great music that I hadn't heard in a long time. It does sound a lot more modern than pretty much all the other music back then except for a few of the Black bands.

Main listening (small home office):

Main setup: Surge protector +>Isol-8 Mini sub Axis Power Strip/Isolation>QuietPC Low Noise Server>Roon (Audiolense DRC)>Stack Audio Link II>Kii Control>Kii Three (on their own electric circuit) >GIK Room Treatments.

Secondary Path: Server with Audiolense RC>RPi4 or analog>Cayin iDAC6 MKII (tube mode) (XLR)>Kii Three .

Bedroom: SBTouch to Cambridge Soundworks Desktop Setup.
Living Room/Kitchen: Ropieee (RPi3b+ with touchscreen) + Schiit Modi3E to a pair of Morel Hogtalare. 

All absolute statements about audio are false :)

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Thanks for the history and insight, Gilbert.

 

My only concern is Chris' threat in the preface to "take us to modern times, to Burning Man, in fact."

You must have chaos within you to give birth to a dancing star

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Thanks for the history and insight, Gilbert.

 

My only concern is Chris' threat in the preface to "take us to modern times, to Burning Man, in fact."

 

Uh-oh, gotta confess: Chis didn't make the threat; that was me. I had a pretty unusual insight- not at Burning Man, that would be another story- but on the way to the event. Burning Man might give different experiences to different people, and a common experience to a lot of people, which I admire, but this one might elude festival-goers, so I'm chiming in. It wont be as much about music as the previous posts, but hopefully will add something to the event if you're going, and an unusual insight if you're not.

 

As long as I'm on the soap-box, I want to thank CA readers for their support and appreciation. As my bio says, I am always looking for new stories, and I hope this next one will add something to the mix. Then it's back to music.

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