THE GURGLING COD

Sunshower

Considering that in this part of the Upstate, the mail is so slow we just got the NYer with the topless Tilda Swinton foto, it is hard to gage if grime is already in the crosshairs of  Jessica Shaw, as she sets her phaser to "5 minutes ago." Irregardless, worth it to hear the antecedent of the "Sunshower" riff MIA boosts. Dr. Buzzard's Original Savannah Band, the first project of August Darnell, whom you know and love under his Kid Creole nom de excellence, fronted this act, which is frequently described as a fusion of big band and disco. I never quite bought it, as it is seems quirkier than either. I like to imagine the origin of the band as the entire Count Basie Orchestra suffering a head injury that causes them to forget how to play, and then they are re-taught their instruments by Pizzicato Five.
Dr. Buzzard's Original Savannah Band, "Sunshower" Dr. Buzzard's Original Savannah Band, RCA, 1976
Buy Kid Creole Redux first, then work back to DBOSB for your own collection.
Food? If it is nice where you are, I suggest a case of Duboeuf Cuvee Blanc, 11 friends, 12 sippy straws, and some open-face sandwiches. 

Even if now she's got a perm

Digging around for the Aunt Jemima image for the last post made for an interesting morning. It was harder to find a good Mrs. Butterworth image, but not politically fraught. On the other hand a Google search, or image search for "Aunt Jemima" reveals dramatic choices, primarily post-handkerchief, or not? You can read more about the corporate de-mammyfication of AJ here; Slave in a box?"some say best title for book on pancake mix evs. I'm heading over to the lib to get this one as fast as my chubby little legs can carry me. In the meantime. Chuck, Flav, and Terminator have summarized the situation in a song on an album that has just been added to the National Recording Registry. (Tip of the fin to cinetrix for reading the rest of the Times and pointing this out.) The Cod has been a big PE fan since Yo! Bum Rush The Show, and the choice to add FOABP to the registry shows how deep they are, in that it is arguably their second or even third best. When you have an album that does not have "Bring the Noise" You're Gonna Get Yours,"  or  "Fight the Power" on it that the US Government  deems worthy to list along  with Live at the Apollo, Pet Sounds, and the King James Bible for Pete's sake, you definitely can call yourself the incredible / rhyme animal. They are practically giving the album away online, so go buy one.

Back

While I get my act together, why not go have a look at Mr. Diddy Wah, who has Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five's "Scorpio" up for your listening pleasure. Once again, the question of why anyone with access to a Vocoder would chose not to use it at all times presents itself. Also, Mr. Diddy Wah has generously posted the cover art, superfluous apostrophe and all. This is another one of those moments from before hiphop really figured out its aesthetic, and each of the boys in the band is taking it in a different direction: grape flavored Billy Dee? Check. Gay tank commander? Check. Also, if the name "Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five did not imply a group of six, it would be understandable to make the inference that Jimmy "Superfly" Snukka had leapt into the frame at the right of the picture just as the photo was snapped. He is even rocking a purse, God love him.

Talking all that Saigon Noodle Bake Jazz

I decided to go ahead with the pot au pho casserole I speculated about, in the interest of working through leftovers before leaving town and allowing the them to create some kind of primitive civilization in the fridge.  I had envisaged something like a sort of aspic-y cold loaf sort of thing, maybe to serve w/ crunchy bread, almost like Bahn Mi's mutant stepchild. It was not to be. Unlike pork and duck, beef fat is gritty and nasty when it is cold, so I heated it, which meant that the reduction was too hot to remain gelled. So it was basically diced brisket from the pot au pho, some basil, and rice noodles that had soaked up a ton of the compound braising liquid from the pot au pho. It was decent, and a good way to use up leftovers, but not the conceptual breakthrough I had hoped for. To make up for it, how about a track from Stetsasonic that is longer than 10 seconds? "Stet Troop '88" is a reminder of a time before hiphop had been appropriated as a global marketing juggernaut and devolved into a synonym for conspicuous consumption, and violence. Easy to sound hard when you are rapping about gats and rims, harder to do so when you are rapping about drinking lowfat milk and riding in an Aerostar, as the boys in the band do here.  For any grasshoppers out there in Codland, Stetsasonic were playing instruments when The Roots were just a gleam in Huey Freeman's eye, and the Prince Paul who appears on this track is the very same who rose to greater prominence as the mastermind of Three Feet High and Rising, and Dan the Automator's partner in Handsome Boy Modeling School, and also has released a solo album or two. I'd love to know what happened to the rest of the band.
Stetsasonic: "Stet Troop '88!" In Full Gear, Tommy Boy, 1988
Why not push your chair back, go to your local independently-owned record store, flirt with that cute clerk, and have them order you In Full Gear? Pick up the CD of Three Feet High and Rising while you are there, too-- your casette is doubtless thrashed by now, and the bonus disc is actually good. Failing that, you could buy them here.

New Home

Have migrated from Blogspot to here, so I can have a big boy blog. I wanted more flexibility, though you see the design is still a work in progress. It does seem that it will be easier to share the odd music file here at Type Pad. As a warmup, a very brief offering from the band that is spelled S-T-E-T. I mostly use my cell phone to crack Brazil nuts, but it seems like this tune, in its entirety, might make a good ringtone.
Stetsasonic: "Extensions" In Full Gear, Tommy Boy, 1988