New Orleans has always had a rich, vibrant, influential music scene

New Orleans has always had a rich, vibrant, influential music scene

• New Orleans has always had a rich, vibrant, influential music scene

• The city is a diverse cultural mix: Native, Spanish, French, British, African, Caribbean, Latin American

• The city also has cultural links to Latin American and Caribbean music and traditions such as Mardi Gras

The cultural mix gave the New Orleans R&B a similarly mixed sound:

• The cultural mix gave the New Orleans R&B a similarly mixed sound:

• Latin rhythms

• “band” instrumentation (horns, etc)

• The influence of blues

• The city was known for being a very important center in the development of jazz:

• ragtime

• “barrelhouse” piano (a combo of jazz, ragtime, blues and boogie-woogie)

• “New Orleans” style jazz (and Dixieland)

• Other musical influences from New Orleans’ culture:

• Parade bands, with African and Creole elements

• funeral processions

• festivals, celebrations

• hundreds of music clubs

What are we listening for today?

• What are we listening for today?

• Instrumentation: emphasis on piano, bass, and sax/horn section

• music that mixes diverse influences: R&B, jazz, funk , Latin or Caribbean

• Inventive and varied rhythms, often with a Caribbean feel, or the use of polyrhythms

• the boogie-influenced “Barrelhouse” piano style

PROFESSOR LONGHAIR

• PROFESSOR LONGHAIR

• B. Henry Roeland Byrd, 1918

• one of the earliest artists to typify the “New Orleans” R&B sound.

• A cross of cultural influences: “offbeat Spanish beats and Calypso downbeats”

• “Boogie rhumba” style: boogie bass lines set to a rhumba beat, which became a hallmark of the New Orleans style

• Very influential on later New Orleans piano players such as Fat Domino, Allen Toussaint, Art Neville, Dr John, Huey “Piano” Smith

• Never really became nationally famous, but deeply respected by other musicians; died in 1980.

Released in 1953 on Atlantic Records

• Released in 1953 on Atlantic Records

• There is a famous bar in N.O named “Tipitina’s”

• He was ‘rediscovered’ in his 70’s, but died in 1980.

The influence of earlier New Orleans pianists can be found in artists such as Dr John.

• The influence of earlier New Orleans pianists can be found in artists such as Dr John.

Now that we’ve had an introduction to the concept of New Orleans style, let’s look at some of the 1950s R&B artists who came out of New Orleans and contributed their influence to the sound of early rock and roll, and learn where they recorded.

• Now that we’ve had an introduction to the concept of New Orleans style, let’s look at some of the 1950s R&B artists who came out of New Orleans and contributed their influence to the sound of early rock and roll, and learn where they recorded.

1950’s Recordings

• 1950’s Recordings

• Two particular labels carried a lot of New Orleans artists through the 1950's:

• Imperial (Fats Domino)

• Specialty (Little Richard)

• Both labels were based in LA, although the artists recorded in New Orleans.

At this time in the 1950’s, there was only one recording studio in New Orleans: J&M (run by engineer Cosimo Matassa.)

• At this time in the 1950’s, there was only one recording studio in New Orleans: J&M (run by engineer Cosimo Matassa.)

The session band at Matassa’s studio was led by bandleader Dave Bartholomew

• The session band at Matassa’s studio was led by bandleader Dave Bartholomew

• Bartholomew’s band worked with many New Orleans artists: Smiley Lewis, Lloyd Price, Fats Domino, etc

Antoine “FATS” DOMINO

• Antoine “FATS” DOMINO

• B. 5/10/29 in New Orleans

• Father was a jazz violinist

• Hands injured in a factory accident when he was young; overcame that to become famous pianist

• Discovered in 1949; Dave Bartholomew became his co-writer and arranger

• First big hit (1950): “The Fat Man,” featured members of Bartholomew’s band: Herb Hardesty and Alvin “Red” Tyler, sax; drummer, Earl Palmer; bass, Bartholomew

Fats Domino hit it big in 1955 with the song “Aint That a Shame.”

• Fats Domino hit it big in 1955 with the song “Aint That a Shame.”

• Listen for:

• 12 bar blues

• “catchy” tune

• strong dance beat / rhythmic variety

• “Tight” (meaning precise and virtuosic) ensemble playing

• Repeating bass riff, a trademark of Bartholomew’s style

• Drummer Earl Palmer’s style - Palmer would go on to be a very famous LA session drummer

Fats Domino’s biggest hit: Blueberry Hill, 1955

• Fats Domino’s biggest hit: Blueberry Hill, 1955

• Originally recorded by another New Orleans legend, Louis Armstrong, in 1949

• The single was controversial: some jazz purists didn’t like the idea of a “rock” cover of a jazz tune

• Listen again for the boogie bass and the drum style with the snare backbeat

Fats was consistently successsful

• Fats was consistently successsful

• 1963: went to ABC records; they changed his sound to a more “modern Nashville” production.

• Had a 60’s hit with his cover of the Beatle’s Lady Madonna

• Successful live performing career has continued

Little Richard is a great example of an artist who experienced the tension between the sacred and the secular: the risqué innuendo of rhythm and blues lyrics are often delivered with the passionate vocal style of gospel music

• Little Richard is a great example of an artist who experienced the tension between the sacred and the secular: the risqué innuendo of rhythm and blues lyrics are often delivered with the passionate vocal style of gospel music

Born Richard Penniman, 6/5/32 in Macon Georgia

• Born Richard Penniman, 6/5/32 in Macon Georgia

• one of 12 children in a very religious Seventh Day Adventist household

• Earliest musical influence was church music & gospel

• Family disapproved of his music and his gay lifestyle; kicked him out when he was a teenager

• “adopted” by a white couple who owned a local nightclub, and encouraged him to play music

• age 19, won a recording contract with RCA and became “Little Richard”; no success at first

• got contract with Specialty records in LA; they sent him to record in New Orleans

Little Richard’s first hit: Tutti Frutti (1955)

• Little Richard’s first hit: Tutti Frutti (1955)

• They hadn’t planned to record it

• Little Richard started singing it during a break

• Produced (Bumps Blackwell) decided it would be a great single, however…

• They had to clean up the original words, which were:

• A wop-bop a-loo-Mop, a good goddamn,

• Tutti frutti…good booty…

“Tutti Frutti” was the first big hit for Richard, and reached the Top Ten on both the rhythm and blues charts and the pop charts. It has the following musical characteristics:

• “Tutti Frutti” was the first big hit for Richard, and reached the Top Ten on both the rhythm and blues charts and the pop charts. It has the following musical characteristics:

• 12-bar blues structure

• “stop time chorus”

• Richard’s voice – “vocal fuzz box”

• vocal “cues” – a particular “scream” always cues the soloist

Released in 1956

• Released in 1956

• Pat Boone also covered this song, but Richard’s version outsells it.

• The Beatles recorded this song years later, with Paul doing his famous “Little Richard” imitation.

• Jimi Hendrix once said, “I want to do with my guitar what Little Richard does with his voice.”

Released in 1957

• Released in 1957

• Richard is a great example of the “singer” being more important than the “song”, as a good number of his songs are filled with nonsense lyrics.

• Your book points out, “When you hear Little Richard, you don’t hear the songs, you hear him.”

Late 50’s: Richard has crisis of faith

• Late 50’s: Richard has crisis of faith

• Left rock and roll

• Enrolled in Oakwood Bible College in AL

• 1962: went back on tour singing gospel

• eventually went back to rock and roll

• This battle between “sacred and profane” has been an issue for him many times during his career.

Another important New Orleans artist is Allen Toussaint:

• Another important New Orleans artist is Allen Toussaint:

• musician

• songwriter (wrote many hits for other artists, esp. in the 60s)

• producer

• successful career lasting to the present day

An example of New Orleans’ tradition of musical families

• An example of New Orleans’ tradition of musical families

• Aaron, Art, Cyril, Charles, Ivan Neville

• African-American and Native-American background (one of their bands was the “Wild Tchopitulas,” named after a Native tribe)

• Aaron had huge hit in 1966 with the ballad “Tell it Like it Is”

• Neville Brothers successful career continues to the present; Grammys, etc