KCRW Broadcast 78

Fanatics!

Coming to you from Scotland. I am four shows into my seven show run here. They are the last shows for the year it looks like and I am already going through early stages of withdrawals at the very idea of this thing coming to an end. It's been great here so far. I only wish I had more shows here. Perhaps some other time, they will cut me loose on ten shows.

Last week, we dug on forty happening Punk Rock tracks. It seems that a lot of you Fanatics dug the show as I am still getting mail about it, thanks a lot for that. It's always good to hear from you.

So, tonight, we change things up. I can't think that comes as any surprise to any of you. For this Saturday evening, we get into six, count'em six tracks that are as long as they are as good. It's a completely different kind of payoff but a payoff nonetheless. I have wanted to do this show for a long time now. I think it's a great way to experience music, to get into one idea and stay on it. I know it's probably the same for you, it requires a re-tune of the ears and mind to go long on one track but it comes quickly. I have been listening to a lot of longer jams lately, Les Rallizes Denudes, Taj Mahal Travellers, Noah Howard, etc., etc. I have been listening to Bitches Brew a lot over the last several weeks. Next week, I will be on a panel at the Grammy Museum along with some happening KCRW types like Garth Trinidad and Jeremy Soles as well as some other radio people and members of the Miles Davis family to talk about the album for its 40th anniversary. I am stoked to have been asked by the Miles Davis Estate to be part of this.

Anyway, let's get onto the important stuff, the music. Our first hour is three very different approaches. I don't know if we have played anything from the WhiteBuzz album on the show yet, perhaps only once before. I don't know much about the band besides that I became a fan as soon as I heard them. The label they are on, MeteorCity, http://www.meteorcity.com/, has provided this show with many great jams from bands like Snail. Eric from Snail wrote me the other day and told me that they are gearing up for more recording. Hope they get that happening sooner than later. Anyway, the WhiteBuzz jam is a great one. I chose it for our first dip into the thang tonight as it has a great huge sound that I think prepares the ears for what is to come. I know you all know about the Velvet Underground and I don't have to extol the virtues of the White Light/White Heat album to any of you Fanatics. It is one of the best records I have ever heard and all these years later, I am still listening to it with the same level of interest as I ever have. I don't think we have done any Fela jams on our show for awhile. Well, we took care of that deficit. Such a great James Brown-esque thing happening here on this track from the Open & Close album. Our second hour gets into it with Noah Howard and a track off his long lost and briefly back in print album Black Ark. I went looking around on the internets and it seems to be scarce again. Perhaps they sold through the print run and didn't want to do it again. I think Engineer X was able to download the album from i-Tunes. Noah has a lot of Ayler in him for sure, it's a great album, find it if you liked what you heard tonight. I did a little investigating into his back catalog and was reminded that I had done this before, only to find that it's pretty much all out of print. I became curious about one of his albums, At Judson Hall. I did some looking around and found a download of it and listened to it yesterday, I recommend searching out this album, really cool. Too bad it's out of print. I got a letter from Al of OM the other day and he told me they are going to record again soon. I think the album comes out next year. I will hopefully get updated on that one when there is something to know. Their second album, Conference Of The Birds, two songs long, is really great and sounds amazing on LP if you can find it. Tonight, one of its two tracks, At Giza. Tonight's last track, from the amazing Robert Pete Williams, is an amazing story. I don't know if we have ever jammed this one before, perhaps back in the Indie days. It's a story Williams tells about being in the Angola Prison in Louisiana. Heavy as it gets. The man has quite an intense story. Here's some information: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Pete_Williams if you want to know more. I advocate that you check out every possible recording of this guy.

And there you have it, Fanatics! I am off to the gym to wear off some accumulated tension. I humbly submit these tunes and these notes to you in hopes that you dig the show immensely and until next week, when again, the show will be a whole ‘nother thing altogether, I hail you and implore you to STAY FANATIC!!!

--Henry

E-Mail address for Henry: HenryOnTheRadio@gmail.com

 

01. WhiteBuzz - Pentaprisma / Book Of Whyte
02. The Velvet Underground - Sister Ray / White Light/White Heat
03. Fela Ransome Kuti - Swegbe And Pako / Open & Close
04. Noah Howard - Mount Fuji / Black Ark
05. Om - At Giza / Conference Of The Birds
06. Robert Pete Williams - Talkin' Blues / Blues Masters

Playlist

[PLAYLIST GOES HERE]

Credits