GUMBO #366
Sunday, April 5, 1998 / 10:00pm to Midnight
"Le dernier gumbo ...lache pas la patate."
KCRW Santa Monica, 89.9 FM
KCRY Indio - Palm Springs, 89.3 FM
KCRU Oxnard - Ventura County, 89.1 FM
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Opening Theme:
ALIAS RON KAVANA - Soweto Trembles (The Jo'burg Jig)
[THINK LIKE A HERO/Chiswick Records]
BEAUSOLEIL - Acadian Two-Step [HOT CHILI MAMA/Arhoolie] The first song I
ever played on the air, on my first show on KCRW, "Gumbo Ya-Ya",
Saturday, May 28, 1988. Killer version.
COWBOY MOUTH - Maggie Don't Two-Step [GLOBAL GUMBO: MODERN ROOTS MUSIC
FROM AROUND THE WORLD/Rhino] One of my favorite bands, whom I'd
been supporting on the air since I got ahold of their first demo
tape. From the Rhino compilation I did as a sort-of tie-in to
my show, a few years back. Pretty good record, if I do say so
myself. (Originally on the Mouth's album WORD OF MOUTH)
THE BALFA BROTHERS - Parlez-Nous a Boire [ALLIGATOR STOMP, VOLUME 3:
CAJUN AND ZYDECO CLASSICS/Rhino] Another album I compiled and
for which I wrote the liner notes. This is the first Cajun song
I ever really remember learning, by one of the all-time great
bands. (Originally on THE BALFA BROTHERS PLAY TRADITIONAL CAJUN
MUSIC on Swallow)
POI DOG PONDERING - Pulling Touch [LIQUID WHITE LIGHT/plate tec ton ic]
Sincetheir first record in 1989, one of my very favorite bands.
*Gumbo* music. This is a beautiful song, from their recent 2-CD
live set.
PROFESSOR LONGHAIR - Tipitina [ROCK 'N ROLL GUMBO/Dancing Cat] The Bach
of Rock, the great piano professor of New Orleans, with his
signature tune.
BATTLEFIELD BAND - After Hours/Andy Renwick's Ferret [Recorded live on
"Gumbo" - February 14, 1992] My first non-Louisianian band in
live performance (I was nervous as hell), this was a killer
performance by this great Scottish folk/trad band. The pipes
nearly lifted the roof off the studio.
PLANXTY - The Good Ship Kangaroo [AFTER THE BREAK/Tara Records] The first
song from The Album That Changed My Life. I bought this on LP
soon after its release in 1979 -- I was a freshman in college.
Within 30 seconds I was transfixed. I began to trace and follow the
careers and music connections these four musicians made with others,
in Irish and Scottish traditional music, and ended up with hundreds
of albums of Irish music. Beyond brilliant.
THE BOTHY BAND - The Kesh Jig/Give Us A Drink Of Water/The Flower of the
Flock/Famous Ballymote [LIVE IN CONCERT/BBC Records-Green Linnet]
The other Band That Changed My Life. I also followed these guys
through Irish and other Celtic music connections. Planxty and The
Bothy Band were *the* two supergroups of Irish music in the early-
to mid-70s, revolutionized the music and gave myriad musicians
inspiration. Beyond brilliant.
KILA - Bi Ann/Leanfaidh Me [TOG E GO BOG E/Kila Records, http://www.kila.ie ]
The current Irish band that's lighting a big fire under my butt.
Irish trad instrumentation, original tunes, Gypsy and Balkan rhythms
as well as Irish, Irish Gaelic vocals from folky to rappy, and
everybody plays a percussion instrument or two. Just go to the
web site and order it.
JEFF TWEEDY - Gun [Live at the Lounge Ax, December 29, 1994] Hearing
Tweedy solo acoustic just hammers home how terrific he is, as
a singer and a songwriter. A special request from my good friend
and longtime in-studio assistant Michael Yasui; thanks to Michael
Pemberton for the tape.
UNCLE TUPELO - Still Be Around [STILL FEEL GONE/Rockville] Perhaps my
all-time favorite UT/Farrar song. This one gets the waterworks
flowing.
CORDELIA'S DAD - Brave Wolfe [Recorded live on "Gumbo", August 5, 1996]
Tim Eriksen on voice and guitar on this track, on a song from the
Warners' book, learned from the singing of Yankee John Galusha.
A classic performance, one of my all-tim favorites in 10 years.
CLIFTON CHENIER - Zydeco Sont Pas Sale [LOUISIANA BLUES AND ZYDECO/Arhoolie]
The man who started the genre, and the song that gave zydeco its name.
Means "the snap beans aren't salty". There was, is, and will always
be only one King of Zydeco, and that's Clifton.
THE IGUANAS - Remolinos [Recorded live on "Gumbo", June 9, 1993] My buds
from New Orleans, playing Mexican music, R&B and rockabilly 'n roll,
filtered through a strong New Orleans groove.
MALDITA VECINDAD - El Gran Circo [Recorded live on "Gumbo", June 22, 1992]
Mind-boggling Mexican "rock en Espanol" band, blending punk-rock
energy, folk music social consciousness, Mexican traditional music,
mariachi, reggae, Algerian rai and more.
JOE SIMIEN - Black Wasp [Recorded live on "Gumbo", October 2, 1990] One of
the last greats of Creole music, Joe's a native of Lawtell, LA who's
been living in Los Angeles since the 40s. He first learned accordion
from the great Amedee Ardoin, and plays songs from the old days that
nobody else plays anymore. This is one of 'em.
VARTTINA - Kyla Vuotti Uutta Kuuta [SELENIKO/Xenophile-Green Linnet] Finnish
folk/trad group, from their breakthrough album, with an absolutely
gorgeous wedding song from the Karelia region, "The Village Waits for
the New Moon"
VARTTINA - Sulhassii [Recorded live on "Gumbo", November 27, 1993] We couldn't
manage to get the whole band into the studio, but the four female
vocalists from Varttina came in, did a fun interview, and sang a
couple of dynamite songs a cappella. (Originally on SELENIKO)
MARTIN CARTHY - A Stitch in Time [Recorded live on "Gumbo", May 15, 1993]
Martin Carthy, a legend in English folk music, came in with his
longtime friend and collaborator, fiddler Dave Swarbrick. This is a
solo a cappella song from Martin, written by his brother-in-law Mike
Waterson, about a woman sick of being beaten by her drunken husband,
who sews him up inside a bedsheet as he sleeps off a binge, and beats
the crap out of him with a frying pan.
RICHARD THOMPSON - I Feel So Good ["I MISUNDERSTOOD" promo EP; Live
acoustic version, recorded at the Ventura theatre] A rare recording of a solo
performance of one of my favorite of Richard's songs.
PETER OSTROUSHKO AND DEAN MAGRAW - Prairie Sunrise [Recorded live on "Gumbo",
November 30, 1992] An absolutely jaw-dropping performance of a
stunning piece of music, an original composition of Peter's. He plays mandolin
and fiddle, Dean plays guitar, and they tore it up. We had a blast
at the interview too, with funny stories of weird polka bars in
northeast Minneapolis. Along with Cordelia's Dad, my all-time favorite
live performance from the show.
DAVID LINDLEY AND HANI NASER - Tiki Torches at Twilight [OFFICIAL BOOTLEG:
LIVE IN TOKYO/Pleemhead Records] Mr. Dave has been a mainstay of
my show from the beginning, a brilliant multi-instrumentalist at
home with anything with strings, who will play an Irish air while
bowing a Turkish banjo-like instrument and play Kazakh-influenced
Appalachian tunes on his Hawaiian hollow-necked Weissenborn guitars.
GRATEFUL DEAD - Ripple [AMERICAN BEAUTY/Warner Bros.] One of my favorite
songs of all time, and one of the most beautiful songs ever written.
OLD AND IN THE WAY - Panama Red [OLD AND IN THE WAY/Rykodisc] This was the
very first CD I ever bought, back in 1987. I was a Deadhead, and
it was Jerry who brought me to bluegrass.
KALE-ROGER AND TABU LEY ROCHEREAU - Afrika Mokili Mobimba [AFRICA DANCES/
Original Music] A classic piece of 1950s African music, still covered
today by many artists, and also the theme song of "The African Beat",
which ran on KCRW for 11 years, and which my show immediately preceded
for years. Dedicated to C.C. Smith, Solomon Solo and Ade James, who
taught me so much and with whom I had so much fun. "MY BRUDDAH!"
AARON NEVILLE - The Mickey Mouse March [STAY AWAKE: VARIOUS INTERPRETATIONS
OF MUSIC FROM VINTAGE DISNEY FILMS/A&M Records] "Now it's time to
say goodbye to all our company ... M-I-C, K-E-Y, M-O-U-S-E."
'Nuff said.
THE VOICE SQUAD - The Parting Glass [GOOD PEOPLE ALL/Shanachie] A gorgeous
three-part harmony a cappella song of parting. "Good night and joy
be to you all."
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Chuck Taggart
(e-mail chuck)