Here are some of the songs you've never heard that I play:
Waltzing, Harry Cardillo (Waltz for Mimi and Bob - his original title) This one gets applause - possibly when I make it through w/o modulating to a key I can't handle, it's a very tricky but very beautiful instrumental. A waltz ballade written by Harry Cardillo for his mom & dad. His dad is a famous piano player in Pittsburgh and Cardillo's was a restaurant they had with two grand pianos in it where I think they recorded
Hands Together. Harry played for several years at the
Hay House by the Capital Building in Washington DC with the sax player _____ -
forgot his name, good player I'll fill it in later.
Sloppy Seconds, Harry Cardillo - My slovenly sevenths version. It's a fun flat- of- the- thumb which plays differently on different types of pianos. Harry can go from trad to fusion to funk. This is bebop when he plays it.
He's Alive (And Remembers), Jane Getz -
No Relation, that's the name of her CD: no, she's not related to Stan Getz. Jane started her recording career in a kind of
Tory Amos vein (that's as close as I can come to describe her, but she was long before Tory) under the name of
Mother Hen. She also worked with
Eugene McDaniels, a kind of political beatnik poet.
Now she does hard-core outside-bebop, tear-up-the-piano jazz. I was a big fan in college, even wrote a review on her album. Many (and I do mean many) years later I saw her at
Chadneys.
She promises (public request - please please please!) to rerelease the first couple
Mother Hen albums as
HenZilla! (and help me find the rest of the words - my copies of her albums are in Kansas with my Mom).
Villa Podgey, Lynn Williamson - Lynn is from Australia, she was playing in a piano bar in NYC and I was playing down the street. She got off earlier so she came down & sat in.
I've found most of the words, and they're funny but it's a long song (for me).
I wonder where she is. Her stuff and Jane Getz's have unprepared modulations that are so natural that when I get to daydreaming about a couple beautiful chords I find myself getting "modern" on 'ya mate.
So I mess with my own head by playing it in a different key each time.
Sorry.
That's kind of why I play this piano - it's my gym. It's so physical that I have to stumble, I have to push the limits of what I can reach. I sort of hide in the corner and try not to irritate the perfectionists, but I've gotta stretch. Sometimes I swing wild, sometimes I connect.
P.S. At The DownBeat (http://thedownbeatcafe.com) - and throughout most of my playing life - I'm facing a wall so I mostly can't hear you.
When I can hear, sometimes I can play along with you and sometimes I can't get it. No value judgement, there, just our limitations as a combo.
My big complaint - girls are limited in their social opportunities from childhood, protected from the boys who have all the freedom. I spent most of my childhood alone on furniture, and even now am not quite ready at times to play in front of people. It's the first phase.
Hand on the other foot, I played piano bar for years where I could talk w/ people while I played, so I know I can get back up to speed eventually.
I Only Wanted To Dance Last Night, Reseda Mickey & Howie Fields - I wrote this w/
Harry Chapin's drummer,
Howie Fields.
Phil Forbes was the band drummer, Howie dropped by occasionally. So I hadn't noticed Howie had this warmup lick that was kind of marching band style, but more Yankee than the Memphis stuff I was used to. I must have remembered more than I realized. On the subway I was thinking a phrase for some reason, and when I got there I realized it was the lick. We recorded it, I've got a 1/2" tape - including, I hope,
I Wanna Meet the Drummer that
Doug Walker, the guitar player wrote (I assume about me).
I was living in
Brooklyn, NY, and had neighbors who played salsa. Fortunately, I love salsa, (as do all us girls from
Kansas), so when I'm solo I play it syncopated.
(It's Gonna Be A) Sad Day Tomorrow, Teeny Hodges - not sure of the actual title. I wrote leadsheets for Teeny Hodges. He made me play the tunes with him after I wrote them down. Being slightly slow (white girl from Kansas only played in a band for a short while), I got to play with him one on one for a while. What a thrill!
He recorded these partially at Al Green's studio with a drum machine (This was after they lost Al Bell) and did drum overdubs with Gene Crisman at BR Toad. Crisman was known for his good time, played with Dan Penn and Spooner Oldham. He looked like a Doonesbury character. I later saw Doonesbury's series on Dunn and Cropper & co and thought of those eyes.
It Ain't Me (I Hope You Get What You Want and then again I hope you don't, cause)
-
Teeny Hodges. Another song from BRToad masters.
When I was playing a piano bar in the Phuket Yacht Club on an island off the coast of southern Thailand, a producer of
Miami Vice (who had been the manager of
Crabby Appleton, a band I saw in San Diego opening for The Doors) said his latest project was a
Bobby Womak album and showed me a cassette. I sat down and played this song for him (OK, close enough for him to recognize it, please refer back to the white-girl thing) and blew his mind!
Etta James did a version of
Sad Day. Or maybe it's the other way around, I've forgotten.
Sweet Time (Sweet High?),
Hal Newman - Hal was writing in Memphis, I watched him write with
Dan Penn. I think he's in Nashville. I found an old tape, recently. I know it had
Dulan Lancaster who was in
Area Code 615 - the band - at one time. And speaking of area codes, when I met him he said his drums were in "another dimension". They were. They were in route from a tour in Iowa or Illinois or something.
I don't have many lyrics, but I don't have a great memory anyway. Including the title.
Me and My Misery, Hal Newman - This song has a little wordplay, which I love. And a little preachin', too.
After the Show, Liz Griffith Lottman - a nice blues number from the lead singer of our band
Jumpin' Slick. We used to have "pretty boy" contests - she always won. Once she came in with a drop-dead georgeous woman, and won that week's competition. Yeah, you gessed it. Memphis had some good drag shows.
Change, Lady, Change - Liz Griffith Lottman - She sings it in D - aaaack! - not me, I don't have that kind of range. I'm thinkin' G or A. Another one I mess with the key signature just for mental exercise.
Recently Liz sent a message her latest CD was being featured by
Dan Akroyd on his
House of Blues radio show. She has more more unreleased stuff. I recorded this song with her at
Hi Records in Memphis looong ago. I loved it because there aren't enough 12/8 songs and that's my fav rhythm. Of course "
Chuck E's In Love" came out soon thereafter and scooped us, dang.
And here's the 7degrees of connection from that song to me:
I had
Chuck E's album in NYC, first turned on to it by a
Billboard Photographer Chuck Pulin.
I played
Riki Lee's song "
Chuck E's in Love" when it came out because it was so fun, and thought it cool I had owned his album. Even heard a Thai version in Bangkok.
I landed in LA even more years later and immediately became a big fan of
Chuck E. Weiss's band
The Goddammed Liars - warmed up for them several weeks when we were both regulars at
Gorky's in Hollywood.
Well, technically warmed up - I caught a cab daily with my piano from the
Bowl Motel where I was staying. I played daily 6-8pm.
Then I MC'd a talent show at 1-5am. No, that's not a misprint. I get along with nightowls.
One of our regular beat poets was the guy with all the rings in
Blade Runner - can't think of his name now...
And then another wierd coincidence recently. After
Liz Griffith Lottman told me about her album on the
HOB radio show, and before her show was actually on the radio,
Doug Legacy was hired to teach
Dan Akroyd how to play the accordian for
Christmas With The Kranks. We were coming back from his gig and so I got to come along. I mentioned Liz, surprising him - and hopefully giving her some good face that she'd be known coast to coast.
--- Aaaaaanyway. I always thought this song should at least be the followup to "Chuck E's in Love" if it couldn't be the predecessor.
Oh yeah, and
Doug Legacy toured with Riki Lee. Oh, AND
Alfred Johnson wrote for her - see the next song entry. Maybe I'll get to meet her! Or maybe we're only up to 6 degrees of separation! dang.
. . . aaaaaand . . .
Take it to The Roux, Alfred Johnson - If I can't meet Riki Lee Jones, I'll play a song by someone who wrote with her. Alfred Johnson wrote this song and a couple on Riki's first album. His card says "Johnsonix".
One of the most fascinating people I've met in my life, and that's saying something. Problem is, he's a genius, so I can only play teensy bits of his songs. You'll have to hear him play , he's in LA.
Lot's of his songs are on other people's albums, and he's got lots of "demos" that ought to be released just as they are. He's got the Tower of Power horns and who knows what other names, heck they're fine! Put 'em out for us to enjoy, Alfred, please, please, please! (public request!)
Anyway, to kill time I was fooling around with the words and tune while the band was setting up for first rehearsal. They liked it and played along. A few weeks later they were finishing up recording the album and invited me to play that song again. It ended up on the album! Is my head swelled!
Picnic in the Country, Sherry Lovelady - this just came back to me recently. Sherry was a georgeous blonde from Texas. I could go to places with her and be invisible because she was so beautiful I became invisible. That was fine with me, as I'm shy.
She came into the publishing company I was working in (
Ken Galloway, who came to Nashville with
Red Foley back in the day) and wanted to have leadsheets written. I really think she had some great songs and did my best to make useful charts for her. Wish I knew where she is.
You Hit the Spot, Leon Rubenhold - This is just one of several of his I'm working on.
Leon has a steeltrap mind, I watched him rehearse for a big revue with complex arrangements of new tunes and then totally nail it at the show. That's why
Wilson Pickett said "Rubenhold delivers" - Leon played with him 10 years, and before that with
Bobby Womak. And others - see his website http://leonrubenhold.com, I haven't got room here!
Again, this is a SIMPLE version of his tune - this list is the blonde versions of songs. I think if people would hear all these tunes and get familiar with them they will really appreciate the originals.
