When I first saw a picture of the Coup, I realized that I used to run into Boots Riley all the time—on BART, at coffee shops, etc. It’s probably just as well I didn’t know who he was—he doesn’t seem like the type to get excited about a middle-aged white guy asking for his autograph.
playlist
Count Basie
The guy at the shop (plug: MANIFESTO, Oakland) who sold me my bike is named Basie. I said, “Like the Count. You must get that all the time.” He said, “Actually, only from …” and stopped himself just before finishing with “older customers.” Nice save there, bro.
Clash
How come when white Brits incorporate reggae into rock/punk/whatever, it sounds natural and works—but when white Americans try to do so, it sounds like … white people trying to do reggae (I’m looking at you, Blondie).
P.S. Same goes for rap.
Chuck Berry
The fact that Chuck Berry’s only #1 hit was 1972’s “My Ding-a-Ling” tells you pretty much everything you need to know about race and the music industry in the 50s and early 60s. You’ll notice that “My Ding-a-Ling” doesn’t make the list.
Charlie Parker
In my perfect world, everyone would know a lot about Charlie Parker’s life and music, and nobody would know or care about Rhianna. I guess that officially makes me an old fogey.
Charlie Haden
Charlie Haden has a special place in my heart, because it was at a Charlie Haden tribute that I met my jazz buddy Marcia. On the down side, Charlie Haden died soon after. Betty Carter also died soon after the last time I saw her, not to be confused with Sarah Vaughan, who died shortly before I was going to see her. Warning to aging jazz stars: If I buy a ticket to your show, you might want to cancel that performance.
Charles Mingus
Charles Mingus invited white Canadian folkie Joni Mitchell, of all people, to write lyrics for and record the last set of songs he composed before he died. If you need any more proof of the awesomeness of a man who wrote songs with names like “Pithecanthropus Erectus” or “The Shoes of the Fisherman’s Wife Are Some Jive Ass Slippers,” there you have it.
Chaka Khan/Rufus
My old roommate Larry (sorry … Lawrence) is a big Chaka Khan fan, so I guess that makes me a fan by association. I hated “I Feel for You” when it first came out, which goes to show that even music junkies make mistakes.
Cesaria Evora
I didn’t know a note of Cesaria Evora’s music before I created this list. But, she is from Cape Verde, and my friend Lisa, who is the queen of awesome—as Richard says, “She puts the T in Trip”—is of Cape Verdean descent, so clearly Cesaria Evora is awesome by association. Plus: performing barefoot.
Celia Cruz
Celia Cruz strikes me as the happiest person ever—kind of the Latina Louis Armstrong. She also strikes me as the real-life inspiration for the Carmen Miranda movie character, except 1) Carmen Miranda is a real person, and 2) her career started a good 20 years before Celia Cruz’s. Facts are no fun.
Playlist of the Day 