The People's Ensemble on the Duplex

Guests on the DuPlex Mystery Jazz Hour of 3.23.17 were two members of the People's Ensemble, founder-composer-keyboard player Greyson Davison and spoken word performer Gus Johnson. We played some of their tunes and jammed a few things live in the studio.

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Atonal Boogie (live)

The People's Ensemble “Ontology” Music For A Better Tomorrow (private 2017)

Armastice (live)

The People's Ensemble “For Tomorrow” Music For A Better Tomorrow (private 2017)

Pharoah Sanders and Leon Thomas, "The Creator Has a Master Plan," (Impulse,  1969)

The People's Ensemble “Hermeneutics in Blue” Music For A Better Tomorrow (private 2017)

The People's Ensemble “Boston (In Three Movements)” Music For A Better Tomorrow (private 2017)

United Future Organization feat.Jack Kerouac "Poetry and All That Jazz" (1991)

The People's Ensemble “In the Sun" Music For A Better Tomorrow (private 2017)

Atonal Boogie #2

Jazz Soundtracks, II

Here's another DuPlex Mystery Jazz Hour about sound tracks, recorded on 3.16.17. So, close your eyes and let the cinematic images float through your mind.

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PLAYLIST (Theme music from the film, unless otherwise noted)

Elmer Bernstein, "The Man With The Golden Arm"  1955 on Spectrum
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Elmer Bernstein/Chico Hamilton‬ "Sweet Smell Of Success" 1957 on Decca
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Henry Mancini‬ "‪Touch Of Evil ‬" 1958 on Sarabande
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Lalo Schifrin‬ "Bullitt" 1968 on Warner Bros

Ella Fitzgerald "Pete Kelly's Blues"  (Jazz, 1955) on Decca

Eddie Sauter "Mickey One" (Jazz, 1965) on Polygram

Martial Solal "A bout de souffle" (Breathless) 1959 on Classic Soundtrack Collector

Gato Barbieri "Last Tango in Paris" 1972 on United Artists

Ennio Morricone "‪The Cat O' Nine Tails‬" 1971 on Colonna Sonora

Miles Davis "Ascenseur pour l'échafaud" 1961 on Fontana
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Quincy Jones "Hanging Paper‬" from "In Cold Blood" 1968 on Colgems

Duke Ellington "Happy Anatomy" from "Anatomy Of A Murder" 1959 on Columbia

Sonny Rollins "Alfie's Theme"1966 on Impulse

Review of "Bop Apocalypse," by Martin Torgoff

The vilification and suppression of marijuana and narcotics in the U.S. was fueled in the 20th century by a campaign that whipped up fear of "the other"- Mexicans, Caribbean islanders, South Americans and African-Americans.  Bop Apocalypse limns the history of this campaign and uses it to frame the story of how our own American "others"- (black and white) jazz musicians and the (white) Beat movement-interacted with each other and with law enforcement.

Most of the key cast of musical characters in Bop Apocalypse will be familiar-Louis Armstrong, Mezz Mezzrow, Lester Young, Charlie Parker and Billie Holiday. So too, will the cast of Beats-Allen Ginsburg, Jack Kerouac, Neal Cassidy and William Burroughs. Others playing smaller parts are Miles Davis, John Coltrane, Jackie Maclean and writers Antonin Artaud, John Clellan Holmes, Michael McClure, Herbert Huncke and a few others.

As chief antagonist, we have Harry Anslinger, for 30 years the head of the Drug Enforcement Agency. Anslinger was a master propagandist, willing to manufacture evidence in order to convince the public and Congress that, well, we know the litany: gateway drug, leads to violent crimes, corrupts youth. All the "facts" about marijuana that have dominated public opinion until recently were shaped by Anslinger. And yes, in some quarters, they continue to dominate.

For most readers, the story of the interaction between Anslinger, Congress, the law and the perps will be new. Details of Lester and Billie's stories will make for interesting reading, while the stories of Armstrong, Mezzrow and Bird as told here may serve to fill in parts of stories we already knew.

A few other aspects of the book stand out. First of all, I'm used to thinking of the Beats-Kerouac, Ginsburg, et al, as planets in eccentric orbits, interacting intensively but haphazardly. Torgoff shows there was a discernible flow of ideas and influences that bound the group together and shaped white beat/bohemianism in mid-century America. He shows there were clear literary and cultural through-lines: Club Des Hashichins, Gautier, Hugo, Balzac, Spengler, Rimbaud, Blake and that smoking pot, although useful sexually, was part of a shared ethic of drug use as spiritual exploration.

The author describes interplay between the Beats and jazz musicians that gives a sense of their relationship; for example, Lester Young turning Kerouac on to pot. Influence between these two groups seemed to flow pretty much in one direction-from jazz to beats.  One infers that jazz culture was not particularly interested in "new literature," although eventually collaborations arose between poetry and jazz.

The difference between the white and black experiences of being "outsiders" is noted. Historically, as I said, the campaign against drugs was a campaign against outsiders and jazz musicians were some of the first and most overt outsiders. The jazz world was a backdrop for the intermingling of races and the cultural center of pushback against the Yankee and Puritan ethics. The beats, too, were easy to peg as cultural outsiders, but they didn't have the added layer of racism to contend with.

Torgoff engages the question of whether Kerouac's romanticizing of jazz was another example of white de-dimentionalizing of the black experience. He seems to take it as it comes-a marker of Kerouac's genuine affection and empathy for the black jazz world. I've always had my doubts, in fact saw a cartoon-ish quality to some of Kerouac's writing on jazz and this book didn't change my mind, but Torgoff's presentation gives the reader a fair view of competing perspectives.

Torgoff tries to come to terms with why such a large number of jazz musicians became heroin addicts in the 40's and 50's, Of course, there was Charlie Parker's out-sized influence and Torgoff explores this and some other ideas. Ultimately, though, his approach is to tell a number of individual stories of addiction; to personalize it rather than trying to over-theorize about it. Even though part of me wishes to find more closure on this vexing question, I think Torgoff's approach is viable and useful.

Are there things in Bop Apocalyse that I don't like? Yes. The long exploration of Burroughs' life is fairly interesting, but I see it as an extensive footnote or an Appendix, not something that should be in the body of the book. So too, the story of the junkie-prostitute Ruby, who had crossed paths with Billie and Bird at a shooting gallery. I don't think there's enough there to spend as much time on the story as Torgoff does and see it as another Appendix. Speaking of structural aspects-the Notes and Bibliography are extensive, but the lack of an Index for a book of this scope and size is disappointing.*

Don't get me wrong. I think Torgoff does many things right and those who've read about this subject in a scattershot way will find in this well-written book a coherent exegesis of several important 20th century cultural currents. There is a great deal to ponder in Bop Apocalypse and what I read here will usefully inform my thoughts about how we are now dealing, or not dealing, with drugs, literature and jazz.

*I was contacted by Mr. Torgoff, who tells me that the review copy which I read didn't have an index, but that the released book does."

Take a Leap of Faith

Pek and Yuri guested on the DuPlex Mystery Jazz Hour on WZBC on 3.9.17. Pek is the evil genius behind the Evil Clown musical empire, which includes a number of smaller groups and the Leap Of Faith Orchestra. The boys were kind enough to play in the studio and to let me join in the fray.

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PLAYLIST

Live performance in studio

Necromancer's Binary Dance 1, Turbulence Doom Choir, Netherworld, Evil Clown Records.

Necromancer's Binary Dance 2, Turbulence Doom Choir, Netherworld, Evil Clown Records.

Necromancer's Binary Dance 4, Turbulence Doom Choir, Netherworld,, Evil Clown Records.

Leap Of Faith Orchestra, Supernova, Evil Clown Records.

Live performance in studio

Charlie Kohlhase Speaks

Actually, Charlie's a very good talker, as radio listeners know from his 20 year stint hosting "Research and Development on sister station WMBR. He also knows a few tricks vis a vis the saxophone, arranging, composing and bandleading.  Charlie fell by the DuPlex on 3.2.17 to brief us on his music and to submit to a few Blindford Test questions.

Chariie and John Carlson in conference

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Jelly Roll Morton “Hesitation Blues” (1938)

Lester Young & Teddy Wilson. “All of Me” from Pres and Teddy (Verve 1956)

Harry “Sweets” Edison & Buddy Rich “You're Getting To Be A Habit With Me” from Buddy and Sweets (Verve 1955)

Charlie Kohlhase Quintet “Where is China” from Research and Development (Accurate 1991)

Jack Teagarden's Big Eight “Big Eight Blues” Single (Hot Record Society Originals 1940)

Charlioe Kohlhas Quintet “Deep Purple” from Dart Night (Accurate 1996)

Jeff Denson Trio + Lee Konitz “Baby”from Jeff Denson Trio + Lee Konitz (Ridgeway Records 2015)

Charlie Kohlhase Quintet “Buhaina Checked Out” from Good Deeds (Accurate 1992)