Video of the Week #28

The Clovers sing "Fool, Fool, Fool." Although this record was #1 on the R&B charts in 1951 with Buddy Bailey singing the lead, this version was recorded in 1954, while Bailey was in the Army. His replacement Billy Mitchell sings lead. The others members are Matthew McQuater, tenor; Harold Lucas, baritone; Harold Winley, bass; and Bill Harris, guitar.

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The Soundies #15 (The Mills Brothers)

The Soundies #7 (The Delta Rhythm Boys)

The Sight of Music

Which is more important you are evaluating the quality of a piece of music, the sound of the music, or the visual information you obtain from watching the performance? If you're like most people, you say the sound. In a new study by Chia-Jung Tsay, 83.3% of participants said the sound mattered more. But maybe we're mistaken.

In a series of studies, participants were presented with six-second clips of the three finalists from prestigious classical music competitions and asked to guess the winner. Some were given sound only, others video only, and the rest both sound and video. Both novices and expert participants (professional musicians) showed the same results. When given the video only clip, from 46% to 52% of them correctly identified the winner, which was significantly better than chance (33%, since there were three contestants). Those given sound only performed worse than chance, while those given both sound and video performed at about chance level. Thus, not only was sound of the music not helpful in predicting the winner, it's inclusion on the sound plus video clip distracted the participants from the visual information that was more useful in predicting the winer.

Two of Tsay's studies may help identify the mechanisms responsible for the effect. In one of them, participants were shown silent videos of black-and-white moving outlines of the performers. They also predicted the winners at better than chance. This suggests that participants are using movement and gestural information to evaluate performance, rather than static information such as race, gender and physical attractiveness, which were not visible on these clips.

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In another study, participants were given either sound-only or video-only recordings and asked to choose the performers who were most confident, creative, involved, motivated, passionate and unique. In the video condition, the performer chosen as the most passionate was the winner 60% of the time. This was true, but to a lesser extent, in the audio condition as well. Those chosen as most creative, involved, motivated and unique in the video condition were also more likely to have won. Only confidence didn't help to identify the best performer.

These results remind me of a social-psychological study by Ambady and Rosenthal in which participants were shown brief video clips of college teachers lecturing without sound. Participants' evaluations of the instructors from these “thin slices” of behavior closely matched evaluations from the students in their classes at the end of the semester. Short observations of therapists in action also predict patient outcomes in psychotherapy.  Such studies show that nonverbal cues are important sources of accurate information in impression formation.

Tsay's results suggest that when we watch a musical performance, visual cues overwhelm auditory cues. We judge musical performance by watching cues such as posture, gesture and movement, especially when they are interpreted as indicators of passion. Both expert and novice judges were surprised by these results, which suggest that we are less affected by “content,” i.e., musical notes or a professor's words, and more by self-presentational style than we think.

These results have several limitations. Since the performers were contest finalists, there may not have been large differences in sound quality for the observers to detect. They were obtained with classical music performances, and it's not clear whether they would generalize to popular music or other genres. Of course, you might argue that the visual mode is even more important in popular music. The clips were unusually short, although from another perspective, the accuracy that was obtained with such short selections makes the results even more impressive. Although one of Tsay's studies suggests that physical attractiveness information is not necessary to produce accurate judgments, the studies do not rule it out as an influence, especially in popular music, where we have reason to think it's important.

The studies imply that the original judges in these competitions were heavily influenced by visual information, even though this was almost certainly not their intention. If we want to judge musical performance primarily by sound, the data suggest that we avoid music videos and live performances, since our evaluations are likely to be contaminated by what we probably consider irrelevant information. Of course, that would remove some of the enjoyment from the experience, which may be the whole point.

Video of the Week #27

This is the Cannonball Adderley Quintet--Julian "Cannonball" Adderley, alto sax; Nat Adderley, trumpet; Joe Zawinul, piano, Sam Jones, bass; and Louis Hayes, drums--supplemented by Yusuf Lateef on tenor sax and flute, playing "Jive Samba" on European TV in 1963.

Living Blues Poll: Critics vs. Fans

The 20^th Annual Living Blues Critics' and Readers' Polls were published in the August issue. Although I start to get bored with all these awards at this time of year, these two polls allow us to compare the opinions of the average person with the professionals. Unfortunately, readers are asked to vote in fewer categories. In October, the Down Beat Readers' Poll will be released and we'll be able to make a similar comparison among jazz musicians. (Here are the Critics' Poll results.)

	Critics	Readers
Blues Artist of the Year (Male)	Lurrie Bell	Buddy Guy
Blues Artist of the Year (Female)	Ruthie Foster	Janiva Magness
Most Outstanding Blues Singer	Bobby “Blue” Bland	Buddy Guy
Most Outstanding Musician (Guitar)	Lurrie Bell	Robert Cray
Most Outstanding Musician (Keyboard)	Ironing Board Sam	Marcia Ball
Most Outstanding Musician (Harmonica)	Billy Boy Arnold	Charlie Musselwhite
Most Outstanding Musician (Horns)	Eddie Shaw
Most Outstanding Musician (Bass)	Bob Stroger
Most Outstanding Musician (Drums)	Kenny Smith
Most Outstanding Musician (Other)	Dom Flemons—Banjo
Best Live Performers	Lil' Ed and the Blues Imperials	Lil' Ed and the Blues Imperials
Comeback Artists of the Year	Jewel Brown and Milton Hopkins
Artist Deserving More Attention	Blind Boy Paxton
Best Blues Album (New Release)	Mud Morganfield—Son of the Seventh Son	Buddy Guy—Live at Legends
Best Blues Album (Historical Recording)		Albert King—I'll Play the Blues For You
Best Blues DVD		Muddy Waters/Rolling Stones—Checkerboard Lounge Live, Chicago 1981
Best Blues Book	Ben Sandmel—Ernie K. Doe: The Emperor of New Orleans	Buddy Guy/David Ritz—When I Left Home
Contemporary Blues Album	Joe Louis Walker--Hellfire
Southern Soul Album	Barbara Carr—Keep the Fire Burning
Traditional and Acoustic Album	Carolina Chocolate Drops—Leaving Eden
Best Debut Album	Heritage Blues Orchestra—And Still I Rise
Historical Pre-War	VA—The Return of the Stuff That Dreams Are Made Of
Historical Post-War	VA—Plug It In, Turn It Up: A History of Electric Blues

With the exception of Bobby Bland, who probably died just as the critics were casting their ballots, the critics tend to reward performers currently at the top of their game, while the readers reward past performance—or, in other words, folks who are more well known. Lurrie Bell is held in high esteem by the critics, while the readers prefer Buddy Guy and Robert Cray. Billy Boy Arnold has had a terrific last couple of years. Charlie Musselwhite has been less active, although he is rebounding strongly in 2013.

However, these blues critics are not out of touch with the average fan. They chose Joe Louis Walker's Hellfire as the Contemporary Blues Album of the Year. It was also the #1 album of 2012 as measured by the Living Blues survey of radio playlists. It's unfortunate that Walker didn't make more headway in the singer and guitarist categories.

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Different Strokes

Video of the Week #26

Here's Howlin' Wolf from a 1966 after hours session. "How Many More Years" features a short lecture on the blues and some great harmonica. Hubert Sumlin can be seen playing guitar in the background.

"Down in the Bottom," from the same session, has Wolf playing slide guitar. That's Eddie Shaw on tenor sax.

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Video of the Week #17 (Sonny Boy Williamson #2)

Two More Vocal Group Losses

Herman “Junior” Denby (1931-2013)

Herman “Junior” Denby, a lead singer and bass player with the classic Baltimore vocal group, the Swallows, died in West Chester, Ohio on July 14 at age 82. He had been suffering from Alzheimer's disease. The Swallows only made the R&B charts twice with “Will You Be Mine” in 1951 and “Beside You” in 1952, but their haunting ballads are perennial favorites among vocal group fans.

Herman Denby was born in Baltimore on June 26, 1931. In the late '40s, the success of a local group, the Orioles, inspired teenagers to form vocal groups. One of them, the Oakaleers, consisted of Eddie Rich, first tenor, Earl Hurley, second tenor; Herman “Junior” Denby, second tenor-baritone, Frederick “Money” Johnson, baritone; and Norris “Bunky” Mack, bass. Since bird groups were all the rage, the Oakaleers name was ditched in favor of the bird in their theme song, “When the Swallows Come Back to Capistrano,” which oddly enough they never recorded.

The Swallows' local reputation won them an audition with King Records' A&R man Henry Glover. Their first session took place in April 1951, and “Will You Be Mine”/”Dearest” was released the following month. Eddie Rich sang the lead on their first several ballads, but Glover eventually came to prefer Denby's baritone, which resembled the sound of popular crooner Charles Brown. Denby also wrote several of their songs. The Swallows also recorded up-tempo numbers, including the off-color classics “It Ain't the Meat” and “Bicycle Tillie,” with bass Bunky Mack doing the leads. Here are two examples of Denby's vocal style.

In 1952, Herman Denby was drafted into the Marines. The group continued to perform through 1955, with eleven releases on King and one on the After Hours label. When Denby returned from the service, he attempted a solo career on King. His two releases were unsuccessful and he left the music business. Eddie Rich formed a second Swallows group in 1957 and they had four records on Federal in 1958. Denby was not involved.

The Swallows group that appeared at oldies shows over the last couple of decades was led by Eddie Rich. Herman Denby only sang with them twice, once at their induction into the United Group Harmony Association Hall of Fame in 1994. He also sang with Harold Winley's Ink Spots, but gave it up saying that he could not meet the standard set by Bill Kenny.

Lewis Lymon (1944?-2013)

Lewis Lymon, younger brother of Frankie Lymon and a major participant in the kiddie lead fad of the mid-'50s, died July 9 of prostate cancer at his home in Las Vegas at the age of 69.

I'm unable to come up with Lewis Lymon's exact date of birth, but he was the third eldest of four brothers from the Harlem musical family. Their father, Howard, was a member of the Harlemaires, a gospel group. In 1955, Frankie Lymon, then 13, and the Teenagers recorded the #1 R&B hit “Why Do Fools Fall in Love?,” which was followed by several other hits by vocal groups with young teenagers singing lead.

Capitalizing on the family name and the similarity of his voice to Frankie's, Lewis formed a group called the Teen Chords in 1956. The other members were Lyndon Harold, David Little, Rossilio Rocca and Ralph Vaughan. They initially signed with Harlem entrepreneur Bobby Robinson's Fury label. The Teen Chords released six records in all, three on Fury, two on End and one on the Juanita label. None of them made the R&B charts, but their first release, “I'm So Happy,” was a local hit in New York.

Fortunately, we have a video of the Teen Chords lip syncing their 1957 release, “Your Last Chance,” on the eccentric New York disc jockey Douglas “Jocko” Henderson's televison program.

You probably know Frankie Lymon's tragic story. Although he and the Teenagers had several other hits, after his voice changed, he was unsuccessful in his attempts to become a pop singer. He died of a heroin overdose in 1968 at the age of 25.

When the Teenagers began to appear on the oldies circuit, Lewis Lymon was the obvious choice to sing Frankie's songs, as well as some of his own. He sometimes shared the lead singing with family friend Jimmy Castor, who died recently and was also a part of the New York kiddie lead scene. Here he is singing “I'm So Happy” at a 1995 Pittsburgh oldies show.

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And Now For Something Completely Different

Vocal Group Roll Call

Video of the Week #25

Here are Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers from 1961 doing “Dat Dere:” Wayne Shorter, tenor saxophone; Lee Morgan, trumpet; Bobby Timmins, piano; Jymie Merritt, bass; and Art Blakey, drums. Timmins is the composer of the song.

George Duke (1946-2013)

I really think it's possible . . . to make good music and be commercial at the same time. I believe it's the artist's responsibility to take the music to the people. Art for art's sake is nice; but if art doesn't communicate, then its worth is negated. It has not fulfilled its destiny.

                                                                                 George Duke

Keyboard player, singer and record producer George Duke, whose career spanned the worlds of jazz and R&B, died on August 5 at the age of 67. The cause was leukemia.

The general consensus among jazz fans is that George Duke gave up a promising career as a jazz pianist and keyboardist in order to become a pop music producer and that most of his music after 1975 is of little interest. Like all generalizations, there are exceptions, but I have to agree that his recent blend of smooth jazz and R&B was, for the most part, pretty boring.

George Duke was born on January 12, 1946 in San Rafael, California. He began taking piano lessons at age 4 after seeing a performance by Duke Ellington. He held music degrees from San Francisco State University and the San Francisco Conservatory. He formed a trio in the mid-'60s and recorded his first album in 1966. He shared a recording with violinist Jean-Luc Ponty in 1969. During the first half of the '70s, he alternated between genres, playing synthesizer with Frank Zappa's Mothers of Invention and electric piano with the Cannonball Adderley Quintet. He recorded with Sonny Rollins in 1975. Here he is with Zappa and Ponty.

In 1976, he formed a jazz fusion group with drummer Billy Cobham, and in 1981 he partnered with bassist Stanley Clarke on the Clarke-Duke Project. The first of his nine songs to make the R&B charts was the funk classic “Reach For It” in 1977. It was followed the next year by his popular novelty, “The Dukey Stick.” His biggest hit was was the ballad “Sweet Baby” that he recorded with Clarke in 1981. For much of the rest of his career, he sang and produced pop/R&B songs, such as Deniece Williams' #1 song, “Let's Hear It For the Boy.” His vocal persona reminded me of Barry White, but in a higher register.

He was involved in a variety of interesting projects. In 1979, he did the critically-acclaimed A Brazilian Love Affair with vocalists Milton Nascimento and Flora Purim. He also contributed to Michael Jackson's album Off the Wall, produced by Quincy Jones. During the '80s, he played off-and-on with Miles Davis. He was the composer of “Cobra,” from Miles' 1989 CD Amandla. That's Kenny Garrett on alto saxophone.

He received a Grammy in 2000 as producer of In the Moment—Live In Concert by his cousin, singer Dianne Reeves. He also produced for Smokey Robinson, the Pointer Sisters, Take Six and many others. He was leader or co-leader of almost 40 albums. His recent CDs did well on the smooth jazz charts. Here he is with the promo for his final album, Dreamweaver, released last month.

Video of the Week #24

Skip James was an early Mississippi delta blues singer, known for his haunting falsetto. He recorded 18 sides for Paramount in 1931. They didn't sell well and he retired. He was rediscovered by blues enthusiasts in 1964, and he performed and recorded intermittently until his death in 1969. This video was shot by blues researcher Alan Lomax at an after hours gathering during the 1966 Newport Folk Festival. James sings “Devil Got My Woman,” “I'm So Glad” and “Worried Blues.”

This is not the Skip James of 1931. His health was not good and he flubs some guitar lines, but this is rare footage of a blues pioneer. Incidentally, the big guy in the white shirt on the right is Howlin' Wolf. I'm pretty sure the man in the hat in the background is Mississippi John Hurt.