[Dixielandjazz] Little Richard

[Steve Barbone]

Not specifically OKOM, but Little Richard's Act should have a lot of
influence on the way we musician's perform.

I've gone to his shows for years, last one about 3 years ago in Wilmington.
He is a treat, plays some New Orleans Funk, and always invites women up on
stage to dance, or hang with him and the band. I copied that part of his act
years ago much to the delight of my band, and our audiences.

If you get the chance, see him.

Cheers,
Steve Barbone  


He¹s Frail, but Still Rocking and Preening

Including a great photo which I can't send of:
Little Richard playing for women he invited from the audience to dance on
stage at the B. B. King Blues Club & Grill on Monday night in Manhattan.

NY TIMES - By BEN RATLIFF - January 17, 2007

A Little Richard show includes a lot of talking and a lot of fascinating,
ephemeral fuss; a couple of songs with the power of mule kicks; and a fair
percentage of music that seems to have been created in an Anytown sports
bar. But the subtext, now, is the limitations of the body. Age really has no
business advancing on this singer, born Richard Penniman, and so what you
remember is the disjunction between his lovely, widened, overexcited eyes
and the frailty of his joints.

At B. B. King¹s Blues Club & Grill on Monday night, he appeared in a
gold-striped yellow suit, with a long, four-button jacket and an
extravagant, rooster-cut hairpiece. He is 74 now, and a helper and two canes
supported him. 

At the piano bench he dabbed at his makeup with a tissue, taking in screams
of approval. He identified what he heard, as if it were bird song. ³White
ladies say ŒAaaaa!¹ ² he noted. ³Black ladies say ŒUuuuh!¹ ²

Someone mentioned James Brown. ³I¹m so sorry about my friend James,² he
said, making his face into a moue. ³He loved me so much. He said, ŒOh, you
got some pretty skin.¹ ²

The band ‹ big enough to suggest the Mack-truck vibe of his best music, with
two drummers, four horn players, an organist, a bassist and two guitarists ‹
started with ³Good Golly, Miss Molly.² Little Richard sang casually, not
really ready, unable to deliver his falsetto shrieks. The song ended
quickly. 

³It¹s so nice just sitting here, being beautiful,² he said. ³I feel so
unnecessary.² Someone yelled. ³Shaddup,² he shot back.

Ruminative, he started pounding the triplets of Fats Domino¹s ³Every Night
About This Time,² and sang a few of its sad verses, then shut down the band
entirely. ³My mama had 12 children, and we were pretty but we were poor,² he
regaled. ³All that beauty, and wasn¹t nobody on duty. All that honey and no
money.² He started the song again in the middle.

Little Richard is wary of photography. During ³Blueberry Hill,² he noticed a
lot of digital cameras. ³Nobody do no video,² he ordered. ³I ain¹t hired
you. Ain¹t nothing going on unnoticed on this planet. The angels keep a
record. You can take my money, but your child may get killed.² Quite a few
people in the crowd drew a sharp breath at that.

³Could I get two black ladies to dance?² he ventured. ³I¹d like to have two
fat white ladies, too. Juicy ones. And two Mexicans.²

Most of his order was shortly processed, and he enjoyed himself, smiling
broadly, as the band played ³Bama Lama Bama Loo²:

Got a gal named Lucinda, we call her the great pretender.

Got a gal named Lucinda, we call her the great pretender.

¹Cause when she talks, she says bama lama loo.

During ³Tutti Frutti,² Little Richard asked his trumpeter to sing the first
verse ‹ as if anyone wanted to hear somebody else sing it. But he didn¹t
care. He unzipped one of his jewel-encrusted boots, and placed it on the
piano for the room to admire, deeply pleased by the sight himself. By
³Lucille,² he was beginning to get warm, sliding up to a scream.

Finally the sky opened up, in the slow blues ³Directly From My Heart to
You,² (which he dedicated to the pianist Allen Toussaint, who was in the
audience). Over the guitarist¹s initial riff, he muttered: ³Baby? Baby? Oh,
baby.² He hoisted himself up, leaning against the piano, and sang the song
seriously. During the guitar solo, he ordered a lemon and sucked it,
spitting out the seeds in front of the stage monitors.

The two drummers were playing a simple synchronized groove, but Little
Richard pushed for even simpler. ³Relax, relax,² he said. ³No fancy stuff.²
He saved that for the next number, a version of Mr. Brown¹s ³I Feel Good,²
featuring the singing of James Brown¹s nephew Earl Swindell, a
spaghetti-limbed man with an unruly voice.

A few false endings later ‹ including a version of Hank Williams¹s ³I Saw
the Light,² and about five minutes of signing LP covers ‹ and he was done.

³Was you glad to see me?² he asked, tenderly. ³If any of you can help Earl
get a recording deal, give me your number and I¹ll give it to him. And
remember, the Lord is coming soon. Never put a question mark where God has
put a period.²