Blues in da Fog version

Robert W. Harwood over at I Went Down To St. James Infirmary has the 411: “The fact is that I really like this.”

Uh, okay

Voodoo Fest dispatch:

Thousands of folks turned around and headed toward the main Voodoo Stage across the field. Facing them was a black curtain spelling out “KISS” in enormous silver letters – and, on the video screen affixed to the left speaker stack, the Preservation Hall Jazz Band’s creepy-cool new animated video…. [of "SJI," mentioned here repeatedly.] …

Preservation Hall curates a tent on the Voodoo Fest grounds that is on the opposite side of the food booths from the main stages. Many KISS fans likely wouldn’t visit it. But thanks to the video, they got a taste of the Pres Hall crew anyway.

Basically, I look forward to KISS covering “SJI.”

Thx: GK.

[NOT!] Leadbelly

A fairly traditional treatment, but the sound is haunting and lovely. Enjoy.

UPDATE October 29: See the comments — seems that this is actually Josh White singing (although those are pictures of Leadbelly, I’m pretty sure.) A humiliating turn of events for no notes! Our thanks to Robert W. Harwood for setting the record straight! And apologies to all…

Song Decoders

It occurs to me that some of  you (anybody out there?) might be interested in this recent day-job article: I had a piece in the New York Times Magazine about Pandora, the  Internet radio service. My interest was/is in their “Music Genome Project,” the engine that underlies what music you hear when you use the site.

On first listen, some things grab you for their off-kilter novelty. Like the story of a company that has hired a bunch of “musicologists,” who sit at computers and listen to songs, one at a time, rating them element by element, separating out what sometimes comes to hundreds of data points for a three-minute tune. The company, an Internet radio service called Pandora, is convinced that by pouring this information through a computer into an algorithm, it can guide you, the listener, to music that you like. The premise is that your favorite songs can be stripped to parts and reverse-engineered.

Anyway it’s a long piece, but if you’re interested, here it is.

The Preservation Hall SJI King Britt cartoon video (again, but apparently for real this time)

–> Thx: G.K.!

A brief recap. An old Betty Boop cartoon by Max Fleischer is an astonishing and surreal piece of work, and happens to feature a Cab Calloway rendition of “St. James Infirmary.” Fleischer made several cartoons featuring jazz works. The 1933 Boop cartoon (considered a classic) features the character Koko the clown — referenced by The White Stripes in their cover of “SJI,” which throws in an extra verse that I believe must have been inspired by the vintage cartoon.

A while ago I started hearing that a new cartoon was in the works. And that it would be produced under the auspices of Preservation Hall, which has been balancing out its deep traditions with new ideas. Details emerged last month: The new animation would feature a version of “SJI” remixed by King Britt, whose work I like a lot.

So the above video is the result. I think it’s pretty great, and the animation is full of nice references and allusions that will demand a separate post … later.

P.S.: Gambit’s site also compares this cartoon to “Steamboat Willie,” here.

P.P.S.: Friend of no notes Alex Rawls has some great info and observations on this, here.

While we wait…

“SJI” … on ice??

The Globe and Mail has an article about a Canadian TV show called Battle of the Blades, which I gather is like one of those silly dance-competition reality shows, but, with skating. Who cares? Well, I only know about it because of this:

On a recent show, one duo performed a routine to the music of the White Stripes’ version of St. James Infirmary . It was devastatingly good – a remarkable dance dramatization of the great blues song. “I went down to St. James Infirmary/ Saw my baby there/ Set down on a long white table/ So sweet, so cold, so fair.” The performance was chilling.

Sadly, there is no video.

SAV signage

Sassy’s, originally uploaded by R. Walker.

If you recall the recent post here about New Orleans sign-painter Lester Carey, you know I’m interested in hand-painted signs on local businesses — and Savannah also has its share. Here and there I’ve taken snapshots of a few, but most as part of my Savannah MLK set, gathered in connection with the MLK BLVD project (which like this site is a spinoff from LfNO). Examples above and below.

Walk-Ins Welcome, originally uploaded by R. Walker.

Anyway so I was disappointed to learn after the fact that there was a lecture on Savannah’s hand-painted, apparently buttressed by slides and some actual information about the artists. And we missed it! Thus I have no idea if the images above are good representations of what was discussed.

The local paper describes the lecture here; it was given by a SCAD prof named Susan Falls The most interesting thing to me was the mention of some of the artists’ names:

Falls also included an image of Sekka, a relatively new bicycle shop on Broughton Street, whose owners chose to have a sign hand-rendered by Leonard Miller, whose distinctive lettering and design can be seen at many local businesses. Marcus Polite and Jimmie Williams were among the other artists featured in the slideshow.

The mention of Marcus Polite particularly caught my attention. One of the other snaps I took on Savannah’s MLK is below, and in the Flickr description I speculated about who it is that paints this lettering style, so common in Savannah (one person? many?).  And another Flickr user (whom I later met; charming guy) assured me it was Mr. Marcus Polite. All I can say is that I hope Falls reprises her lecture, or puts some version of it online or maybe in a gallery setting.

Thrifty 350, originally uploaded by R. Walker.

King Britt Remix + Animation

[UPDATE: That link's not working anymore because they've password-protected the video for now, per comments. Boooo! Oh well, we'll be patient.]

Fantastic! Loaded with great N.O. and SJI details that I’ll address more later. But for now, check it out:

Preservation Hall Jazz Band – St. James Infirmary (King Britt Remix) from Lantian Xie on Vimeo.

SJI remixed & re-animated

Alex Rawls passes along this (obviously exciting!) news:

Preservation Hall Recordings is proud to present a brand-new, locally produced animated music video! Directed by Lafayette-based teacher and animator James Tancill, the music video for the Preservation Hall / King Britt remix of “St. James Infirmary” by the Preservation Hall Jazz Band is an animated romp in the style of Max Fleischer (Betty Boop, etc.) that plays out like a storybook caper set against a backdrop of beloved New Orleans characters and institutions both old and new. Audiences familiar with the iconography of New Orleans music and culture will thrill as characters and beloved landmarks from the past and present find new life in an animated tableau.

Set to music by The Preservation Hall Jazz Band (as led by dearly departed bandleader John Brunious, Jr. and remixed by noted Philadelphia DJ and producer King Britt (Digable Planets, E-Culture) and Preservation Hall Creative Director Ben Jaffe) the video for “St. James Infirmary” follows the antics of Ronnie Numbers and Mr. The Turk of The New Orleans Bingo! Show through a dark and mischievous imagining of the song’s classic narrative as sung by Clint Maedgen (PHJB, The New Orleans Bingo! Show). Starring animated versions of Clint Maedgen, Ben Jaffe, and King Britt; and featuring appearances by such departed icons as John Brunious Jr., Sweet Emma Barrett, and Marie Laveau in such familiar settings as Preservation Hall, Jackson Square, and the long-defunct Pontchartrain Beach amusement park, “St. James Infirmary” is the third music video from Preservation Hall Recordings to feature the cross-over appeal of the Preservation Hall Jazz Band and The New Orleans Bingo! Show.

“We were looking for a fun way to visually document some of the great icons of New Orleans music and culture. What better way to bridge the past and the present than with a modern cartoon in an instantly recognizable, classic style. And made right here in New Orleans.”

- Preservation Hall Creative Director Ben Jaffe
Son of Preservation Hall founders Allan and Sandra Jaffe

Previously:

1. Animation in progress?

2. Trad v. Prog at Preservation Hall.

3. The Betty Boop Cartoon.

THX ALEX!!