Tag Archives: 1951
RIP Michael Henderson (1951 – 2022)
Michael Henderson was an American bass guitarist who is known for his work with Miles Davis. As a vocalist he is chiefly remembered for “You Are My Starship” (1976).
RIP Ernest Wilson (1951 – 2021)
Ernest Wilson was a Jamaican singer; known for interpreting such songs as “I Know Myself” (1974), a Channel One production and “Undying Love” (Studio One, 1968), released on in an extended mix on Studio One Showcase Vol. 1 (1999).
RIP Dennis Thomas (1951 – 2021)
Dennis Thomas was one of the co-founders of Kool & the Gang.
It’s not clear to me how many writing credits Thomas has in the band’s oeuvre; but he did co-write “Jungle Boogie” (1973).
Sadeana
Watching the film Marquis (1989) for a second time last night, occasioned by the death of Michel Robin, brought the following dictum to my attention:
… qu’importe à sa main créatrice que cette masse de chair conformant aujourd’hui d’un individu bipède, se produise demain sous la forme de mille insectes différents?…”
This appears to be a variation of Sade’s dictum that a “mass of flesh which today constitutes an individual … may be reproduced tomorrow in the form of a thousand insects”.
In my quest to find the origin of this citation (Justine), I stumbled upon Man into Wolf (1951) by Robert Eisler. That book has a good chapter on Marquis de Sade, and, is in the public domain since this year.
“Paris sleeps in the arms of the Seine”
Following the death of Juliette Gréco, I watched the 1951 French film Sous le ciel de Paris by Julien Duvivier.
It’s undervalued film. It begins with an exhilarating fly-over of Paris by night, topped with a voice-over mentioning all these souls in the city for which fate has a thing or two in store.
The ensuing action takes place over a period of 24 hours while many of the participants lives intermingle, making it an early example of hyperlink cinema.
RIP Ronald ‘Kool & the Gang’ Bell (1951 – 2020)
Ronald Bell was an American composer and saxophonist best-known as the founder of Kool & the Gang.
He wrote and produced many of the band’s songs including “Celebration”, “Cherish”, “Jungle Boogie”, “Summer Madness”, and “Open Sesame”.
RIP Andy González (1951 – 2020)
Andy González was an American musician and bassist.
In my book he is noted for his contribution to the oddball Latin jazz album Concepts in Unity (1975) by Grupo Folklorico Y Experimental Nuevayorquino which I discovered in the 1990s when I was collecting releases by Salsoul Records.
RIP Vaughan Mason (1951 – 2020)
Vaughan Mason was an American musician and producer.
His claims to fame are “Bounce, Rock, Skate, Roll” (1979) and “Break 4 Love” (1988).
RIP Michael de Benedictus (1951 – 2019)
This happened on October 17, 2019, but I only found out yesterday.
Michael de Benedictus co-founded the Peech Boys who released several twelve inches and one album: Life Is Something Special (1983).
De Benedictus was part of the New York dance music scene which was centered around two discotheques: the Paradise Garage and the Loft. I leave out Studio 54 on purpose.
I believe I told this story before, but for many years I hunted Antwerp flea markets for vinyl. My prey were records played by DJ Larry Levan at the New York discotheque Paradise Garage.
I was assisted in my hunt by a internet list of records I had found in 1996. You can find that list of 1100+ records here. I printed it and tried to learn the names by heart and started hunting.
At the time, I was already a fan of house music. I listened to radio shows by Pierre Elitair and the guys behind Liaisons Dangereuses. But now, finally, I found the antecedents of that kind of hedonistic nightlife music.
I gradually delved deeper, learning which labels to buy (Salsoul, West End, Prelude), which producers to focus on (Patrick Adams) and which artists to follow (Arthur Russell).
Where had this fascination with dance music come from?
I don’t know.
I remember when I was in my early twenties, walking along the Meir, hearing “Rotation” by Herb Alperts, and being intrigued by this music which could not be heard on the radio.
This world continues to fascinate me.
Michael de Benedictus role in that world was short and modest but large enough for me to document his legacy during a couple of hours on a lost coronavirus afternoon.