Patti Astor is gestorven. Ze was bekend voor haar prominente aanwezigheid in de kunstscene in het New York van de jaren zeventig en tachtig. Als men de getuigenissen mag geloven was ze daar koningin van, wereldbekend in NYC.
Continue readingTag Archives: 1950
RIP Damo Suzuki (1950 – 2024)
In Duitsland stierf Damo Suzuki, de Japanse zanger die gedurende twee à drie jaar leadzanger bij de Duitse cultband Can was en bij wie hij teksten verzon en zong voor songs zoals “Mushroom” (1971) and “Vitamin C” (1972). Doe geen moeite die teksten te begrijpen, ze zijn als nonsensgedichten, al hebben ze bestaande woorden.
Maar daar gaat het niet om. Can is een ijkpunt in het domein van de artrock — het woord kunstrock heeft nooit ingang gevonden — waar ook Velvet Underground wat potten gebroken heeft.
Ik leg Damo naast Jaki Liebezeit en Holger Czukay; het wachten is op Irmin Schmidt, zolang kan dat niet meer duren want Schmidt is inmiddels 87 of zo.
Rust zacht Damo.
RIP Johan Leysen (1950 – 2023)
RIP Ali Birra (1950 – 2022)
In Ethiopië stierf de zanger en muzikant Ali Birra. Hij werd 72. Een van de Éthiopiques verzamelplaten, Éthiopiques 28: Great Oromo Music (2013), is aan zijn oeuvre gewijd.
Van die Éthiopiques serie kan ik u vooral “Yékèrmo Sèw” (1969) en “Yegelle Tezeta” (1972) van Mulatu Astatke en “Erè Mèla Mèla” (1975) van Mahmoud Ahmed aanbevelen.
Rust zacht Ali Birra
RIP Robbie Coltrane (1950–2022)
Robbie Coltrane was een Schots acteur vooral bekend omwille van zijn rol als Hagrid, de schattige halfreus in de Harry Potter films (2001–2011).
RIP Patrick Adams (1950 – 2022)
Patrick Adams was an American composer and record producer.
Adams is known for his 1970s and 1980s production, songwriting and engineering work on labels such as Salsoul, Prelude Records and P&P; his associations with recording artists such as Black Ivory, Inner Life, Jocelyn Brown, Loleatta Holloway and Leroy Burgess; and studio projects such as Cloud One, The Universal Robot Band, Logg Phreek, and Musique. He owned and operated PAPMUS (Patrick Adams Productions Music) in New York City.
“Love Bug” (1976), “Atmosphere Strut” (1976), “My Baby’s Got E.S.P.” (1976), “Making Love” (1977), “Keep On Jumpin'” (1978), “In the Bush” (1978), “Make It Last Forever” (1978), “Weekend (Tonight Is Party Time)” (1978), “I’m A Big Freak (R•U•1•2)” (1978), “I’m Caught Up (In a One Night Love Affair)” (1979), “Till You Surrender” (1981) and “Touch Me (All Night Long)” (1984).
Patrick Adams and Gregory Carmichael wrote and produced at least fifty composition which transcend disco as genre. Adams and Carmichael, and maybe August Darnell too, were in many ways the auteurs of disco, more so than Larry Levan, Walter Gibbons or Tom Moulton, who were primarily involved in post-production. The only one to rival Adams, Carmichael and Darnell was Arthur Russell, but his story is different altogether.
Although well-known for writing and producing his own material, one of his biggest successes was his 1981 reinterpretation of Ashford & Simpson’s “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough” (1966) as Inner Life, with vocals by Jocelyn Brown and a remix by Larry Levan.
Continue readingRIP Andrew Woolfolk (1950 – 2022)
Andrew Woolfolk was an American saxophonist known for playing on such songs as “September” (1978).
RIP William Hurt (1950 – 2022)
William Hurt was an American actor known for his parts in Ken Russell’s drug epos Altered States (1980), the gay epic Kiss of the Spider Woman (1985), the cyberpunk classic Dark City (1998) and Cronenberg’s A History of Violence (2005).
Hurt’s death has made me curious about Dark City, which I should have seen already but I have not.
RIP Mikey Chung (1950 – 2021)
Mikey Chung (1950 – 2021) was a Jamaican musician who played keyboards, guitar and percussion instruments.
Here with a cover of “Breezin'” (1970) by Bobby Womack.
“Breezin'” (1970) is a musical composition by Bobby Womack, originally released with Gabor Szabo on Blue Thumb Records as a seven inch single.
On the b-side was “Azure Blue”. The song was later released on Gabor’s album High Contrast.
RIP Wah Wah Watson (1950 – 2018)
This happened in 2018, but I only found out today.
Wah Wah Watson was an American guitarist who was a member of The Funk Brothers, the studio band for Motown Records.
This track from Elementary (1976), his only solo album, reminds me somehow of “Rapper Dapper Snapper” (1980) by Edwin Birdsong.