Merry Holidays to All

RIP James Brown

RIP James Brown.

Now that Digby has taken to calling Matt Stoller the hardest working man in the blogosphere, I’ve been calling him the James Brown of the blogosphere.

May he pick up the mantle from James Brown and carry it proudly.

Today, I weep. JB was one of the fe3w who instead of joining the mainstream, the mainstream joined HIM. Like Waylon Jennings.

We have lost a Titan.

Ladies and gentlemen, there are seven acknowledged wonders of the world.

We have just experienced the eighth.

See ya JB.

wonderful …

next time we’re all together, we’ll have to get Stoller to show us his dance moves …

Hope both you ladies are having a very good day. We’re lazing here … made a big brunchy breakfast, Omar curled up next to me and I’m just mod-ing away between episodes of the Wire. Not very Christmas-y but goodness what a brilliant show.

FWIW, I put up a piece at HuffPo about James (also at my place).

I never got a chance to meet him, although I have been fortunate to meet and work with many other icons of American music, such as Solomon Burke, B.B. King, Billy Preston, Stevie Wonder, and many others, many of whom owe a great debt to James.

And Merry Christmas to my friends both here and everywhere!

Happy Christmas, all. I am taking the liberty to post some Esten Maxwell updates from his “Care Page”, so everyone can keep up with his progress.

December 25, 2006 at 02:24 PM EST
Merry Christmas!

Esten is doing beautifully. He’s really that same wonderful kid he was before steroids. The chemo gives him headaches and diarrhea, and makes him throw up, but only for a day or so. It doesn’t dampen his spirits.

Look at this picture of a normal kid opening christmas presents, and accept our gratitude for the gift of your support.

Love to all!

Tom

39 December 22, 2006 at 03:59 PM EST
What a beautiful rainy day. Evelyn and Esten are playing, fighting and laughing…perfect! Both kids are well, and Tom and I are busy with scheduling visits with grandparents and attending parties with our friends. Esten will go in the day after Christmas for the typical clinic visit with chemo and spinal tap, but so far he has tolerated those just fine. Looking forward to the New Year and wish you all much love and peace! Mel

38 December 18, 2006 at 09:22 PM EST
No news is good news!

Esten goes back in for chemo tomorrow, and has been on track for a couple weeks now. He’s a rambunctious three-year-old, thank God, and a complete delight. He still has the occasional bump, and I’ve taken to calling them chigger bites, which they may as well be, given that dermatology has been scratching their beards over them for a month without actually committing to a diagnosis.

Naturally, I’ll catch hell from Peepers when he gets his port accessed tomorrow, but it won’t bother me a bit. Well, not too much! If looks are anything to go by he’s doing swimmingly.

Happy holidays to all!

Tom

37 December 13, 2006 at 11:49 AM EST
So, let’s just say being out of the hospital is sooooooooooo good:) Sleep for everybody is transforming. Esten is doing fine, he is still getting little sores, but nobody is sure if it’s really chicken pox or not. We’re doing the chemo at home and he’s a trooper. Tom is leaving for LA tomorrow and will be gone till Sunday, we all gotta work sometime! Evelyn is a delight and the kids tell each other they love each other when we drop her off at school, it kills me…in a good way. Evelyn painted a remarkable picture of a Christmas tree and had it at the house when we came home, it was so beautiful and I was so glad to be home, I burst into tears. After this Friday, Esten will be off home chemo till beginning of January. He will still have chemo in clinic, but that’s only once a week instead of 4 times a week. We are still reeling from the success of the benefit and the generosity of our friends, neighbors and co-workers, wow! We paid our first medical bill today from Esten’s account, thank you all!!! Now, it’s time to start thinking about Christmas, much love, mel.

Here’s hoping every one of you will be doing well and have a fantastic New Year.

Star Time in Heaven.

RIP, Music Box.

Take it to the bridge

Dragging this upstairs from EPU land

From James Browns – ‘A Funky Christmas’ album

listen for free

Santa Claus Go Straight To The Ghetto

I last saw him in Tunica, MS in the late nineties. A true original who taught this boy to dance wherever the notion hits.

Oh I hope Christy sees the recommendation of Bill Murray in The Razors Edge. A gem that slipped by to many folks, imo. Just the locations make it worth a watch. Think I will watch it today.

Peace and love to all pups on this fine day.

Rolling Stone article:
Being James Brown

also MP3 of James Brown singing Christmas In Heaven

I love this one for sheer sense of the energy of James Brown …. and the fun of seeing the funk flow from JB’s classic revue style to Afrika Bambatta’s hiphop:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dlst1n7z4Xk

but the James Brown I remember is this one:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v…..38;search=

Nice work, as always darkblack :)

DarkBlack! I love it!

Hey Jacqrat! I was just checking Esten’s page … it’s so encouraging!

Tremendous loss to the music world.He was as badass as they come, and I will miss him dearly.

Would the world have the music of Maceo Parker, Fred Wesley or Pee Wee Ellis without James?

SteveAudio – great post! I will be downloading (dialup) all day..)

In the music world, there are those who bring out the best in other musicians (Miles Davis, Frank Zappa), and those who nuture other musicians (Emmylous Harris, Todd Rundgren).

There are those musicians who blaze new trails, and yet somehow never have imitators (Becker and Fagan, Tori Amos, Jeff Beck). And there are those who walk a new path and raise up an army of imitators (Jimi Hendrix).

Then, there are those who simply provide feverish, genuine inspiration for other musicians and performers. James Brown infected a lot of people with his energy, his style, and his search for the stuff that goes straight to the endocrine system. He convinced a whole lotta people — including me — to Get Up Offa That Thing.

James Brown’s muse visited a lot of other folks over the years. The echoes are going to splash back and forth for a long, long time. Rest in peace, Godfather.

…and a righteous, funky holiday to all FDLers, wherever you are.

Guitar-playing-Bastard,

I want to thank you for the guitar advise you gave me a while back. I bought a used G&L ASAT Classic (you recommended used because of lagging resale value). Anyway, I love it. I feel like I have my favorite single coil solid body and will now hunt for a hollow body, maybe an Eastman from Ed Roman guitars in Las Vegas? They look hellasweet to me.

klangfarben … well said!

Siun @ 20

klangfarben … well said!

Yes well said. OT from JB — “Hit me, band!” — but Becker & Fagan. Yessssssss.

Eureka Springs, AR @ 17

Would the world have the music of Maceo Parker, Fred Wesley or Pee Wee Ellis without James?

Heartily concur!

And I would add Bootsy Collins, as well. Whatever else you may thing of him, that dude walks in the Dark Heart of Funk.

(Full disclosure: as a bass player myself, I slightly, um, worship Mr Collins.)

Siun -

Nice vids. That Sullivan one – right at the end Ed say: “Now, that’s real excitement, isn’t it?” and I ‘hear’ Letterman. Ironic, doesn’t Letterman use ‘Ed Sullivan Theatre’ for his show? Walks the same stage our Mr. Brown perfomed on those 40 years ago…
—-
oh, BBC has ‘Have Your Say’ (momories of Jaes Brown)…ten pages worth of comments as I type.
http://newsforums.bbc.co.uk/no…..1225203802
—-
My compliments to darkblack also.

klangfarben @ 22

Eureka Springs, AR @ 17

Would the world have the music of Maceo Parker, Fred Wesley or Pee Wee Ellis without James?

Heartily concur!

And I would add Bootsy Collins, as well. Whatever else you may thing of him, that dude walks in the Dark Heart of Funk.

(Full disclosure: as a bass player myself, I slightly, um, worship Mr Collins.)

Uh, how about Victor Wooten?

sofistic @ 24

Uh, how about Victor Wooten?

A few degrees off the JB vector, but funky nevertheless.

Jeebus, Victor Wooten is simply in a class by himself. That’s really all I can say about him. (I would go without many needful things for a chance to attend one of his Bass Nature Camps.)

Ah, James Brown as Reverend Cleophus James in The Blues Brothers.

“Do you see the light?”

Amen James.

-GSD

Headsup-Press conference at 4:30 eastern! RIP James, the world is just a lot less funky today.

Oh yea – Got to luv some Bootsy. Turn up the bass!

Just listened to JB’s 1983 Montrose concert. Made me cry. We lost Jimmy Nolan soon after that show. That is some feel good music. Like James always said “Get on the Good Foot!”. Rest in peace, Man.

Reverend Al Sharpton remembers JB:
http://www.iht.com/articles/ap…..arpton.php

Thank you all for your compliments on this bittersweet day.

‘Give the bass a taste’, indeed. Getting a Coffin case for my Warwick Vampyre was a delicious surprise from my love this morning.

A joyous holiday and peace on earth in our lifetimes to all.

darkblack @ 31

‘Give the bass a taste’, indeed. Getting a Coffin case for my Warwick Vampyre was a delicious surprise from my love this morning.

Thumpalicious, even. We should all have such understanding loves in our lives.

klangfarben @ 32

Of course, it works both ways…The mile-wide smile when the latest addition to the armaments collection was unsheathed gave me warm pause in my dance to keep from crying.

;>)

Rushton @
19

Guitar-playing-Bastard,

I want to thank you for the guitar advise you gave me a while back. I bought a used G&L ASAT Classic (you recommended used because of lagging resale value). Anyway, I love it. I feel like I have my favorite single coil solid body and will now hunt for a hollow body, maybe an Eastman from Ed Roman guitars in Las Vegas? They look hellasweet to me.

Glad you found something you like. Did you get the “Classic” with the bridge and pickups similar to a traditional Tele, or the one with the pickups that look sorta like P-90s?

Somewhat OT, but there is an interesting connection between Victor Wooten and James Brown (via Bootsie Collins). Below is a review of “Live in America” album, with an introduction by Bootsie Collins, followed by a JB medley.
http://www.tollbooth.org/2001/reviews/vwooten.html

*ilbo @ 27

Headsup-Press conference at 4:30 eastern! RIP James, the world is just a lot less funky today.

Did anyone catch it? Not on cspan or any MSM via my satellite. (didn’t check FOX /snicker)

sofistic @ 35

Somewhat OT, but there is an interesting connection between Victor Wooten and James Brown (via Bootsie Collins). Below is a review of “Live in America” album, with an introduction by Bootsie Collins, followed by a JB medley.
http://www.tollbooth.org/2001/reviews/vwooten.html

Thanks for the info! Not so OT after all. And more proof that VW can do anything that comes into his head — and often does, in the space of a single tune.

Now I’m going to have to track down that CD.

Guitar_Playing-Bastard,

My G&L ASAT Classic has the “soapbox” p-90 Seymore Duncan pickups. Plenty of twang fron the bridge position, nothing special mid position (rarely use it), and OMFG!!! from the neck position.Anyway, I’m diggin’ it.

new thread

Great musician – NOT such a great man in many ways:

http://www.womensenews.org/art…../aid/1706/

If imitation is flattery then James Brown certainly deserves this.

I have always felt a pang of sorrow for James Brown. He brought the joy of great music to so many. And the joy of great dance music! But neither brought him the same joy he gave. RIP James Brown

Holy Crap, as Cartman would say, check out the audience; not one person of color! That clip tells so many stories: from minstrels through JB to Michael; and our narrow-ass White longing to just be able to DANCE!