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VOLUME 137, sent Aug 5, 1998
Topics in this issue:
1. our man goes latin
2. some traffic tapes need ID
3. Summer Listening
4. Sessions - Family / Spooky Tooth / Rolling Stones
5. *Trafficology* -- part 1
6. Re: Ijahman Levi
7. Latin Crossings at Shepherd's Bush
8. Looking for...
9. Winwood is Everywhere
10. June/July stats
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1*1*1*1*1*1*1*1*1*1*1*1*1
From: rpawlys@thestar.ca
date: Thu Jul 02 18:07:18 EDT 1998
subject: our man goes latin
From the Canadian Press wire service, July 2:
Brit rocker Steve Winwood meets Cuban jazz
By Conway Daly
MONTREAL (CP) British rock star Steve Winwood has been captured by Cuban
rhythms and he isn't putting up much of a fight.
``I've always had a great love for the music,'' said Winwood, who joins
drummer Tito Puente and trumpeter Arturo Sandoval tonight for a mixture called
Latin Crossings. ``Now I'm beginning to feel it.''
The concert is a sellout at the 1998 Montreal International Jazz Festival,
a 12-day extravaganza that ends July 12. After the show, the band hits the
road for three weeks of one-nighters in Western Europe.
Puente said the band's sound is unique.
``Nobody has done this before,'' he said.
The partners exchanged tapes and musical scores for months and got together
this week in Montreal for a first rehearsal. It worked.
Puente said: ``He sounds like a Cuban! An English Cuban!''
Sandoval chimed in: ``Steve has been doing certain things in his own
repertoire with a big, big influence of Latino flavor.''
Winwood, 50, who was known as a singer, guitarist and keyboard player with
the 1960s group Traffic, listened quietly as Puente and Sandoval praised him
at a news conference. Then he returned all their compliments.
The Cubans had considered Sting and David Byrne but chose Winwood, who
first stood out as a 16-year-old in the Spencer Davis Group.
``We were looking for people of his status,'' said Sandoval, who was
surprised to find he and the Birmingham native both grew up listening to the
same jazz programs
Winwood's pop reputation could help open doors for the Latin-style sounds
of the veteran Puente who said: ``I've made 117 albums.''
Sandoval quipped: ``He made one a year.''
Puente, 73, did a mock grimace when asked about Tito Puente Jr., who lives
in Miami. ``He doesn't sing. When you're a rapper, you recite.
``Then he dances a little off beat. I used to be a dancer so I'd tell him,
you got to step on two (beats), Tito. You're always stepping on one or
two-and-a-half or three-and-a-half, not on two.''
Puente admitted that rap may be popular with lots of young ``Dominicans,
Puerto Ricans and Cubans'' but it's not for him.
``I'm not interested in going backwards.''
The irrepressible Puente didn't stop kibitzing even when the news
conference wrapped up and he posed for a young photographer. With his hand
extended, Puente asked: ``You're finished? Give me $5.''
2*2*2*2*2*2*2*2*2*2*2*2*2
From: RBERG51@aol.com
Date: Mon, 20 Jul 1998 13:51:19 EDT
Subject: some traffic tapes need ID
I have some Traffic tapes in my possession, and I don't really know if the
date is correct.
Fillmore West 3/18/68
Jam>Colored Rain, No Face No Name
Fillmore 6/68
Mr. Fantasy
Fillmore East 6/11/70
Who Knows, Every Mothers, Goo, Barleycorn, Stranger, Pearly, Pages, Headmen,
Feelin God, Fantasy, Glad/Freedom Rider
Can you give me any help on these?
I also have a tape listed as 6/30/70
Who Knows, Every Mother, Good, Barleycorn, Pearly, Stranger, Empty, headmen,
can't find, blind man, Fantasy, No time
3*3*3*3*3*3*3*3*3*3*3*3*3
From: RRopek@aol.com
Date: Wed, 22 Jul 1998 16:28:24 EDT
Subject: Summer Listening
The list seems pretty slow these days , so I thought I'd toss out a couple of
suggestions for 'summer listening' - kind of like the 'summer reading' lists
that you see in various places. Since I assume that most list members have the
'usual' Traffic/Winwood albums, these are things that might need a little more
effort to uncover, but are worth the effort.
Dave Mason/ Cass Elliot - (self titled, from 1971). What a nice album !
Actually one of my favorite solo efforts from the members of the Traffic family,
but seems to be poorly known by most folks. I read a review of this in Goldmine
magazine some years ago that basically trashed it. With that review in mind,
when I saw this in the cut-out bin at K-Mart I almost passed on it but finally
decided to spend the $5.99, and discovered a worthy successor to "Alone
Together".
To be fair,this is not a true 50/50 collaboration of Mason and Cass, but instead
is more of a Dave Mason album with contributions by Mamma Cass - she has only 2
lead vocals on the album. The album could be called 'pop-rock' of the nicest
sort; with solid but not overly flashy guitar, concise song structures and
wonderfully arranged vocals that make many of the songs really soar. The
highlights for me are "On And On", "To Be Free" and "Sit and Wonder", but this
is a 'listen to the whole thing' CD, and there isn't really a clunker in the
bunch - head to the cut-out bins immediately !
The Third World, AIYE-KETA (1973) About 180 degrees from the Mason/Elliot,
but what the heck - a good change of pace. For those who don't know this
project is the result of a collaborative effort between Steve Winwood , Remi
Kabaka and Abdul Lasisi Amao. Steve was coming off his recuperative period from
the 1972 illness that forced an extended layoff from the music scene, and here
he tried his hand at a daring mixture of Afro/Jazz/Rock. To me, this is a lot
like what Traffic could have sounded like, if they immersed themselves in
African rather than Celtic influences. There are only five tracks, with lots of
jamming, but enough structure to hold things together. The last track: "Shango"
is the longest and least structured, but if you enjoy the late period "free-
jazz" of John Coltrane then you'll 'get it', otherwise you may want to program
around it. Vocals do not play a large role in things, and Remi Kabaka handles
what leads there are - so don't wait to hear Steve. Where he does appear is in
very prominant keyboards and guitar. In fact, Winwood does a lot to shape the
sound of this album, but received no writing credits, which seems odd. I think
this will be in the import section, I had to get the local store to order it
(Edsel Records EDCD 513), but its worth the effort.
Thats it for now - I'd be interested in hearing about others
finds/recommendations.
Dan
4*4*4*4*4*4*4*4*4*4*4*4*4
From: Stephen Smith
Subject: Sessions - Family / Spooky Tooth / Rolling Stones
Date: Fri, 24 Jul 1998 02:27:36 -0400
Traffic fans check this out! I've learned that most or all of the group
played on Family's first singe, "Scene Through The Eye Of A Lens" / "Gypsy
Woman" (1967). Two members of Family, Charlie Whitney and Roger Chapman,
have both said that Steve played Mellotron and the rest of Traffic was on
percussion for the single. You can hear the song from a bootleg CD copy at
http://www.ambrosiaweb.com/family/family.htm. Jan Inge Sommerseth
originally tipped me about this single.
I was also pleasantly surprised to receive an e-mail response from Gary
Wright, the one and only "Dream Weaver" and original member of Spooky
Tooth. Gary said that Steve played piano on "I've Got Enough Heartaches",
on the album Spooky Two (1969)! Check out Gary's site at:
http://www.thedreamweaver.com
I've looked into rumors that Steve played on two Rolling Stones releases:
Beggars Banquet, and the demo version of "Memo From Turner" on
Metamorphosis. Both were recorded during sessions at Olympic Studios in the
summer of 1968. The references to Steve on Beggars Banquet are vague and
may well be wrong. For the "Memo?" demo, there's little question that Steve
and Jim recorded the song, but it's unclear whether the Metamorphosis
version is that recording. I've put both releases in the "Wannabe Sessions"
on the Sessions page.
Steve
5*5*5*5*5*5*5*5*5*5*5*5*5
Date: Fri, 24 Jul 1998 07:30:40 -0400
From: Ted G
Subject: *Trafficology* -- part 1
Greetings, Smiling Phasers...
Having browsed all the way through the SP archives, I'd now like to put
in my own 2 cents' worth for any Traffic fans with nothing better to do
at the moment...
TRAFFICOLOGY: Observations, questions & other extreme trivia regarding
Traffic releases (US ones, generally), covering whatever I haven't
already seen covered in SP...
Corrections from other subscribers are welcome (I've displayed my
ignorance once already, so I may very well do so again!), as well as
comments, answers, questions, etc.
(Part 1)
MR. FANTASY & other early Traffic
I don't really expect an answer to this: Why does Chris' name
appear in the songwriting credits so frequently before the 2nd album, and
so rarely from then on? Before that, he co-wrote 8 out of 15 different
songs released by the band (that's 8 out of the 10 co-written by Steve).
Afterwards, he's credited only twice: on *Shanghai* and (of course)
*Tragic Magic*.
Speaking of Chris: He also seems to have sung backup frequently before
the 2nd album (as noted by Alan W. in SP), though the only song
where I can really pick out his voice is *Heaven Is In Your Mind*
(*capturing moments of LOIF in a jar...*). Also, it's always sounded to
me like he does all the jive talk on *Giving To You* -- can anyone confirm
or de-confirm this?
I don't really expect an answer to this: Who does the little
girl's voice on *Hole In My Shoe*?
In case anyone didn't know this and/or never bothered to check: The
version of *Utterly Simple* on the Here We Go Round The Mulberry Bush
soundtrack is a totally different recording from the Mr. Fantasy version.
It's very basic instrumentally & doesn't have the spoken part. (I'm
not anti-Dave or anything, but what's the point of there being more than
one version of that song?)
The US version of Mr. Fantasy (from what I remember seeing, anyway) did
not have songwriting credits. Did the record company do that to completely
exclude Dave's name, which would have been in the credits 3 times
(Hole, House, Giving)? Could they LEGALLY do that?
TRAFFIC (2nd album)
*Did ya ever notice?* how little Dave does on the half of the
album that he didn't write? Organ on *No Time*. Harmonica at end of
*Pearly*. Possibly backing vocals on *Who Knows*. That's it. (Next
question: Does this really surprise anyone?)
Mutating songwriting credits: As alluded to in SP (again, by Alan
W.), the credits for *Vagabond Virgin* changed from Mason/Capaldi to
Mason/Wood somewhere between the original LP & the current CD. (I think
it's pretty clear that the former is correct.) Also, the credits for
*Who Knows What Tomorrow May Bring?* changed from Winwood/Capaldi to
Winwood/Capaldi/Wood somewhere in there. The latter is questionable since
Chris apparently didn't even perform on the track.
LAST EXIT
Stopwatch malfunction: For some reason, *Shanghai* (actually 5:04)
is listed as 7:58 on later LP & all CD copies I've seen. (7:58 is
longer than *Shanghai* plus the whole next song.)
I don't really expect an answer: Who's the little girl shown
on the cover with Jim?
Regarding the Last Exit *mystery songwriters* asked about in SP:
The mysterious Fallon of *Shanghai* appears to be one Larry Fallon, who
has been a producer/arranger/etc. on various albums since '68. (For
some reason the names Fallon & Miller were dropped from the *Shanghai*
credits in the Smiling Phases collection, leaving Winwood/Capaldi/Wood.)
*Blind Man* was written by Deadric Malone & Joseph Scott, of which the
former seems to have been an especially prolific writer. (Check out
*Legal* under *Blind Man* in the Song Encyclopedia.)
I seem to remember seeing a 2nd cover design for this album -- photos
(different ones, I think) set into a big Traffic logo instead of taking up
the whole cover. Does anyone have (or remember) this?
At 34 minutes, this is the shortest Traffic album. (It's no wonder
someone decided to throw that old Dave solo track in to help fill it up.)
Tune in next time... (or as Steve once profoundly said, *See ya later.*)
6*6*6*6*6*6*6*6*6*6*6*6*6
From: Azaal1@aol.com
Date: Sat, 25 Jul 1998 20:07:51 EDT
Subject: Re: Ijahman Levi
RE: Ijahman Levi. SW also plays on Toots and the Maytals album "Reggae got
Soul"
Just a tidbit, the drummer with whom I currently play (Tucson reggae band Bass
Culture), also worked with Shawn Phillips in LA. Small world.
Azi
7*7*7*7*7*7*7*7*7*7*7*7*7
Subject: Latin Crossings at Shepherd's Bush
From: Paul Minkkinen
Date: Sun, 2 Aug 1998 18:16:43 +0100
London May 24th
Steve Winwood: keyboards, piano, guitar, percussion and vocals.
Tito Puente: timbales, vibes and vocals.
Arturo Sandoval:trumpet, flugel horn, and vocals.
Ed Calle: sax, flute & vocals.
Tommy Anthony: guitar & vocals.
Manuel Castrillo: Latin percussion
Oskar Cartaya: Bass and vocals.
Otmaro Ruiz: piano, keyboards, vocals.
Horacio El Negro Hernandez: drums and percussion
SET LIST :Hot Sauce,Sandunga,Higher Love,Paro Los Rumberos,Low
Spark,Picadillo,Closely
Dancing,Be bop,Tito,IOm A Man,Oye Como Va. Encore:Gimme Some Lovin
Billed as Latin Crossings this was not to be a Steve Winwood concert with Latin
musicians, this was a collaboration of some of the best musicians around with no
particular band member hogging the limelight. Tito Puente and Arturo Sandoval
are stars in their own right and the rest of the members whilst not getting
their names on the posters were far from making up the numbers. The audience was
the most multi-racial and wide age spread I can recall seeing at any concert I
have attended. The warmth and enthusiasm of the crowd all evening was also
somewhat refreshing. I went to this gig with a totally open mind hoping for
surprises, I'd been listening to Tito Puente's music for the last few weeks and
also Jazz FM had been playing a lot of Latin music including that of Arturo
Sandoval who had been interviewed by the same radio station the night before
just before the band were due to play in Italy. The opening number was almost
like a warm-up before the 3 main performers took the stage with Ed Calle playing
some demon sax and Tommy Anthony the guitarist on vocals, the percussion and
bass. Next saw the arrival of messrs Puente, Winwood and Sandoval fattening up
the sound considerably and it was Sandoval who grabbed your attention with some
blistering trumpet playing a striking figure with his long greased back hair.
Tito Puente has been hailed by many as the king of salsa and is a commanding
looking figure with his white hair and extroadinary facial expressions which at
times look almost depraved, he looked like he was loving every minute of it.
Stevie looked very much at ease in his red shirt standing out of the spotlight
on guitar and produced one his trademark guitar solos brief, economical with a
slightly harsh tone. This band was starting to smoulder and getting hotter.
Higher Love benefited from enhanced percussion and superb horn players, there
were subtle differences but the song ran fairly faithfully to the original. Low
Spark was superb with notes on bass before Stevie came in on piano and vocals,
produced the customary great solo which he turned briefly into a repetitive
Latin groove then back to the chorus before letting Arturo loose on a trumpet
solo so fiery in places it could strip paint at 50 metres, and then he would
take the pace down and fine short quiet controlled bursts of sound captivated
the audience, here was a master at work! Otmaro Ruiz should also be mentioned
for his work on the Hammond giving the number added warmth and colour. On the
next 2 numbers Stevie was quite astounding on guitar whether it was picking out
a melody line in style not dissimilar to Carlos Santana or firing off a fierce
but melodic solo, it was a joy to hear his guitar work. Other joys at this gig
included a change of pace and sound with Tito on vibes and Stevie singing a
verse in Spanish which was rapturously received by the enthusiastic audience.
Bebop was the only down side over indulgent sax solo and drum solo, good but too
long, just about saved by a moment of light relief as Tito fanned down drummer
with a large white towel. Tito featured the king of the timbales and great all
round band contributions. I'm A man featured a similar intro to that on the
Junction 7 tour with the band settling into a nice groove with both horn players
prominent before Stevies swirling Hammond and vocals kicked in and Oye Como Va
which is a Tito Puente composition well received with fine solos including bass
player Oskar Cartaya and Steve on Hammond (on a par with the Santana cover and
much better than my mates pub band Close Shave used to perform, in fact they
used to murder it! :-)Encored with a charged up Gimme Some Lovin' sending
everyone home with ear to ear smiles.
More reviews , exclusive photos and a whole lot more in Coloured Rain issue 26
out in September. E-mail for details: minkkinen@btinternet.com (UK only)or
jan.inge.sommerseth@nrk.no
(rest of the world).
Paul
8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8
Date: Mon, 03 Aug 1998 09:10:47 -0400
From: Bob Craig
Subject: Looking for...
HI gang!
With Steve on the road this summer, and in such an unusual setting, I am
actively looking for some live tapes of these performances. If you have
any, please drop me a message privately and we can arrange a trade. I
have a lots of Traffic and Winwood stuff to trade with. Thanks for your
help.
SP'ers, if I am successful in acquiring a good sounding tape of one of
these shows, I will offer it up to the group. Keep your fingers
crossed.
Bob Craig
9*9*9*9*9*9*9*9*9*9*9*9*9
Date: Tue, 4 Aug 1998 21:00:07 -0500
From: Dawn
Subject: Winwood is Everywhere
Continuing with our SW is everywhere thread: I was on the phone with
American Express today, waiting to hear just how many pounds of flesh I
owed them this month. After a few seconds, I realized that I actually
recognized the "on hold" music, even through the putrid "Muzak"
instrumentation: "Some Kinda Woman"!
Even though it was the mangled "Muzak" version, it made me smile, and took
a little bit of the sting out of it when I heard the current balance! ;-)
Peace,
Dawn
10*10*10*10*10*10*10*10*10
From: "BobbieG."
Date: Wed, 5 Aug 1998 07:14:36 -0700
Subject: June/July stats
# vols - 3
Average length - 17.6
# posts - 28
Total # of Subscribers - 348
New Subscribers - 7
Subscribers leaving - 14
Changes of address - 3
Bobbie
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END OF SMILING PHASES, VOL 137
