Smorgasbord Afternoon Video – I get a little like this when I hear Nirvana…

The Music Column with William Price King – Jazz Instrumentalists – Dorothy Ashby – Harpist

This week William Price King shares the life and career of Dorothy Ashby who was one of the few harpists to play jazz. Normally associated with classical music, this was not the only barrier that this talented musician broke through.

Dorothy Jeanne Thompson (August 6, 1932 – April 13, 1986), better known as Dorothy Ashby, was an American jazz harpist and composer. Hailed as one of the most “unjustly under loved jazz greats of the 1950’s” and the “most accomplished modern jazz harpist,” Ashby established the harp as an improvising jazz instrument, beyond earlier use as a novelty or background orchestral instrument, proving the harp could play bebop as adeptly as the instruments commonly associated with jazz, such as the saxophone or piano.

The Jazz Harpist is Dorothy Ashby’s debut album and was recorded in 1956 for Regent, a subsidiary of major jazz imprint Savoy, and released the following year. She was accompanied by a groovy group of session men made up of flautist Frank Wess, drummer Ed Thigpen, and alternating bassists Eddie Jones and Wendell Marshall. This recording, which features her writing skills, put her on the map. Here is Thou Swell from the album.

Dorothy Ashby had to overcome many obstacles during the pursuit of her career. As a black woman musician in a male dominated industry, she was at a disadvantage. In a 1983 interview with W. Royal Stokes for his book Living the Jazz Life, she remarked of her career, “It’s been maybe a triple burden in that not a lot of women are becoming known as jazz players. There is also the connection with black women. The audiences I was trying to reach were not interested in the harp, period—classical or otherwise—and they were certainly not interested in seeing a black woman playing the harp.” Ashby successfully navigated these disadvantages, and subsequently aided in the expansion of who was listening to harp music and what the harp was deemed capable of producing as an instrument.

Ashby’s albums were of the jazz genre, but often moved into R&B, world music, and other styles, especially her 1970 album The Rubaiyat of Dorothy Ashby, where she demonstrates her talents on another instrument, the Japanese koto, successfully integrating it into jazz.

‘Myself When Young’, from the album, was composed by Dorothy Ashby in an Eastern mode* for harp and koto* and arranged by Richard Evans. The original songs from this album were inspired by the words of Omar Khayyam. On this album and in this piece Ashby plays the koto and demonstrates her ability to successfully integrate another instrument into jazz.

• Eastern mode – In music, the Eastern or Phrygian mode is derived from the Phrygian dominant scale which is the fifth mode of the harmonic minor scale, the fifth being the dominant. It is also called the altered Phrygian scale in jazz.
• The koto is a traditional Japanese stringed musical instrument derived from the Chinese zheng and is the national instrument of Japan. Koto are about 180 centimetres length, and made from kiri wood.

Some of the highlights of Dorothy Ashby’s life and career.

Dorothy was born into a musical family and her father Wiley Thompson was a jazz guitarist who brought fellow musicians into their home. Dorothy would play along with them on the piano and she also played a number of other instruments including the saxaphone and string bass before discovering the harp.

She studied music at Wayne State University in Detroit, and after graduating began playing piano in jazz clubs in the city. By 1952 she was focusing on the harp and at first met resistance from her fellow musicians who associated the instrument with classical music. But Dorothy persisted and to drive home her passion she arranged for her trio to play free at shows and for dances. She went on to record with some of the top musicians at the time including Jimmy Cobb, Ed Thigpen and Richard Davis.

‘The Moving Finger’ ( from The Rubaiyat ) opens with what seems like a Buddhist chant, and quickly kicks into harp, koto, guitars, drums, and bass bump. The guitar and alto solos, along with the kalimba* rhythms, cut right into the flesh of the blues and transforms it into a soulful groove.

• The Kalimba, or African thumb piano, is a modern member of a family of ancient African instruments called lamellaphones with a single row of keys. In Africa, each cultural group has their own type of kalimba,

Music was central to Dorothy’s life especially as her trio included her husband, John Ashby, on drums. They were on the road touring a great deal and also recorded albums for a number of labels. She played with Louis Armstrong and Woody Herman, among others. In the 1960s Dorothy Ashby, together with her husband, formed a theatrical group to produce plays that would be relevant to the African-American community of Detroit, offering theatrical training and acting opportunities for young black actors..

In the late 1960s, the Ashbys gave up touring and settled in California, where Dorothy broke into the studio recording system as a harpist through the help of the soul singer Bill Withers, who recommended her to Stevie Wonder. As a result, she was called upon for a number of studio sessions playing for more pop-oriented acts.

Afro Harping, written by Dorothy Ashby and Phil Upchurch and arranged by producer Richard Evans was recorded in 1968 and released on the Cadet label. This sublime blend of African percussion and soulful orchestrations highlights how Ashby turned the harp into a lead instrument with solos as tough and memorable as those played by any reed, brass or percussion player.

Dorothy Ashby died from cancer on April 13, 1986, in Santa Monica, California. Her recordings have proven influential in various genres. The High Llamas recorded a song entitled “Dorothy Ashby” on their 2007 album Can Cladders.

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dorothy_Ashby

Buy music by Dorothy Ashby: https://www.amazon.com/Dorothy-Ashby/e/B000APYYIY

About William Price King

William Price King is an American jazz singer, crooner, and composer.

His interest in music began at an early age when he studied piano and clarinet in high school. At Morehouse College in Atlanta where he grew up, he sang in the Glee Club and studied classical music. After graduation he went off to the Yale School of Music where he earned a Masters degree. From there he journeyed to New York where he created a jazz trio ‘Au Naturel’ which performed in some of the hottest venues in Manhattan including gigs on Broadway and the famous ‘Rainbow Room.’ These gigs opened doors for performances in Montreal and a European tour.

While touring Europe he met a lovely French lady, Jeanne Maïstre, who, a year later became his wife. King left the group ‘Au Naturel’ and settled in the south of France where he started a new life on the French Riviera, opening his own music school – the “Price King Ecole Internationale de Chant.” He has had the pleasure over the years of seeing many of his students excel as singers on a professional level, and some going on to become national celebrities. He continues to coach young singers today, in his spare time.

His debut jazz album was entitled “Home,” and was a collection of contemporary compositions he composed, with lyrics written by his wife Jeanne King. His second album was a Duo (Voice and Guitar) with Eric Sempé on the guitar. This album included original songs as well as well known standards from contemporary jazz and pop artists. The “King-Sempé” duo toured France and thrilled audiences for more than three years before going their separate ways. King has formed a new duo with French/Greek guitarist Manolis, and is now exploring new ideas, in a smooth jazz/soul/folk direction.

In addition to singing and composing, King has been collaborating with author Sally Cronin over the past few years on her blog “Smorgasbord – Variety is the spice of life,” with the series “A Man And His Music – Jazz, Contemporary, Classical, and Legends” and now, the “William Price King Music Column.” Working with author Sally Cronin has been an exhilarating experience in many ways and has brought a new dimension to King’s creative life. King has also created a micro blog, “Improvisation,” which features and introduces mostly jazz artists from across the jazz spectrum who have made considerable contributions in the world of jazz; and also artwork from painters who have made their mark in the world of art. This micro blog can be found on Tumblr.

His vocal mentors are two of the greatest giants in jazz, Nat King Cole and Mel Tormé. King has a distinctive wide-ranging voice which displays a remarkable technical facility and emotional depth.

William Price King on Tumblr – IMPROVISATION – https://williampriceking.tumblr.com

Connect with William

Website – http://www.williampriceking.com/
Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/WilliamPriceKing
Twitter – https://twitter.com/wpkofficial
Regular Venue – http://cave-wilson.com/ 
ITunes https://itunes.apple.com/us/artist/william-price-king/id788678484

You can find all of the Music Column series in this directory: https://smorgasbordinvitation.wordpress.com/william-price-king-music-column/

Thank you for dropping in and hope you will tune in again in two weeks for another post in the series Jazz instrumentalists.

Smorgasbord Afternoon Video – When ever I feel a little Grumpy – I sound like this pug!

I bet he doesn’t stay outside for long………

Smorgasbord Health Column – Food in the News – Organic produce and reduction in Cancer rates.

There has been a lot of controversial reports on the benefits of buying organic produce. The issues have mainly been around price and whether there was any health benefit to eating organically. Clearly mass producers of fruit and vegetables around the world have taken any opportunity to knock organic growers, particularly local producers who are classed as amateurs. But in a recent study in France, evidence does point towards a significant reduction in cancer rates in those who consume organic produce.

Pixabay.com

I love farmer’s markets, and will always buy organic produce where I can. I was brought up in the country and our fresh fruit and vegetables were picked or harvested and on the table within a matter of a couple of days. Today much of the fruit (especially out of season) can be months old. The same can be said for vegetables that have traveled thousands of miles before being packed in plastic on the supermarket shelves. Unfortunately, this also impacts their nutritional content. How fresh are your supermarket apples

At least today regulations demand that country of origin be displayed somewhere on the packaging, but good luck with finding the small print without a magnifying glass.

Some supermarkets will make it a strategy to use local produce and Tesco here in Ireland does source both fresh produce, dairy and meats where possible from Irish farmers.

Pixabay.com

In the largest study of its kind Daily Mail, 70,000 French men and women who answered a questionnaire indicating that they ate only organic produce, have been followed for 7 years. The results so far indicate that there is a significant reduction in overall cancer rates, although bowel cancer and prostate cancer do not appear to be reduced. This may be because there is a genetic or other lifestyle element that impacts the results.

“Eating only organic food could slash cancer risk, a new study claims.

The biggest impact was seen on non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma risk, which plummeted among those who only ate organic, according to the survey of nearly 70,000 French adults. Overall, their risks of breast cancer also dropped.

The finding comes amid a flurry of interest in the cancer risks of pesticides, spurred by this summer’s Monsanto trial, when a jury awarded a cancer-suffering groundsman $250 million after concluding that Roundup weedkiller caused his cancer.”

However, one cancer that plummeted according to the report was non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma which is understandable as it is a cancer of the immune system. Lymph nodes are clusters of the white blood cells lymphocytes (B cells and T cells) and are dotted around the body in the chest, abdomen and pelvis and they are linked by special vessels to form a closed system much like the bloodstream. This means that there is lymph tissue in several of the major organs of the body, particularly the spleen and bone marrow which are essential to our immune system function. Cancer in the form of lymphomas can form in any of these sites and be transported around the body in the lymphatic system.  With a compromised immune system it is impossible to fight off even the mildest of infections.

The other area of high risk is neurological and here is an abstract taken from a research study on the impact on our brains and nervous system. The full report can be read HERE

Poisoning by acute high-level exposure to certain pesticides has well-known neurotoxic effects, but whether chronic exposure to moderate levels of pesticides is also neurotoxic is more controversial. Most studies of moderate pesticide exposure have found increased prevalence of neurologic symptoms and changes in neurobehavioral performance, reflecting cognitive and psychomotor dysfunction. There is less evidence that moderate exposure is related to deficits in sensory or motor function or peripheral nerve conduction, but fewer studies have considered these outcomes. It is possible that the most sensitive manifestation of pesticide neurotoxicity is a general malaise lacking in specificity and related to mild cognitive dysfunction, similar to that described for Gulf War syndrome. Most studies have focused on organophosphate insecticides, but some found neuro-toxic effects from other pesticides, including fungicides, fumigants, and organochlorine and carbamate insecticides. Pesticide exposure may also be associated with increased risk of Parkinson disease; several classes of pesticides, including insecticides, herbicides, and fungicides, have been implicated. Studies of other neurodegenerative diseases are limited and inconclusive. Future studies will need to improve assessment of pesticide exposure in individuals and consider the role of genetic susceptibility. More studies of pesticides other than organophosphates are needed. Major unresolved issues include the relative importance of acute and chronic exposure, the effect of moderate exposure in the absence of poisoning, and the relationship of pesticide-related neurotoxicity to neurodegenerative disease.

Research and fake news.

Whilst the increase in age related dementia, and an increase in cancers, can be attributed to better diagnosis and reporting, there is no doubt in my mind that lifestyle is the major factor and cause of these diseases. There is a genetic link to some neurological diseases and cancer, but our bodies are being exposed to many carcinogens created by modern mass farming methods, food production, packaging and additives including chemicals, hormones and antibiotics.

Most research into disease is commissioned by interested parties. Within the food industry there is billions spent on research programmes annually to prove or disprove links to health and to counteract fake news put out by competing parties. It is not helped when official guardians of our health are less that open about findings and they change their guidelines on carbohydrates, protein and fats at the drop of a hat!

Also the majority of the participants are not ideal test subjects. I am not convinced that they are screened to the fullest extent required to take part in the trial, since most people are not entirely honest about what they ingest or imbibe or about past lifestyle choices. This means that the results of their participation have to be skewed. This is why I rarely report on research that does not have substantive participation such as this French study of 70,000 over a decent interval of 7 years.

The other point is that some of the effects of pesticides and other chemicals may take many years to manifest themselves. Particularly in relation to neurological disorders such as Parkinson’s Disease and Dementia. We should be looking at 30 to 50 year research studies which would be more conclusive.

Also of concern is that we only have 5 year human trials for medication to counteract these diseases, which may well have their own long term side-effects, not apparent until we reach our 70s or 80s.

Summary.

My conclusion is that at whatever age you are, changing to organic produce such as vegetables and fruit, locally sourced and unpackaged is an important first step.

The second step which is equally important is to cook from scratch whenever possible using the 80/20 rule to limit exposure to manufactured food products.

Third step is to trust your gut… literally. If you react to certain foods then don’t eat them. D.G. Kaye contributed to the Health Column recently about her 20 years of managing her Crohn’s Disease. If you have been suffering from IBS or other intestinal problems then you will find this useful. Dietary restrictions, consequences and the eye rollers

©Sally Cronin Just Food for Health 1998- 2018

My nutritional background

I am a qualified nutritional therapist with twenty years experience working with clients in Ireland and the UK as well as being a health consultant on radio in Spain. Although I write a lot of fiction, I actually wrote my first two books on health, the first one, Size Matters, a weight loss programme 20 years ago, based on my own weight loss of 154lbs. My first clinic was in Ireland, the Cronin Diet Advisory Centre and my second book, Just Food for Health was written as my client’s workbook. Since then I have written a men’s health manual, and anti-aging programme, articles for magazines and posts here on Smorgasbord.

If you would like to browse by health books and fiction you can find them here: https://smorgasbordinvitation.wordpress.com/my-books-and-reviews-2018/

 

 

 

Smorgasbord Blog Magazine – The Food and Cookery Column with Carol Taylor – A Thai Cookery Lesson – #FriedRice

Welcome to Carol Cooks over at Sally’s… Before I came to live in Thailand I had been on a few holidays here and liked to cook Thai food at home… Mainly it was a disaster I just couldn’t cook a nice fried rice …It was absolutely awful…

Since living here I have had a few lessons from my daughter in law as to the error of my ways and now I can make a stir fry and hold my head up amongst most Thai cooks.

I will now show you how to make the perfect fried rice.

Rice must be cooked and cold so generally if you have had rice the night before and have leftovers then it is a way to use it up.

That was my first big mistake and why I had clumpy rice which stuck to the pan and why I didn’t ever get that nice dry fried rice.

However if you must use freshly steamed rice, just try to make sure your bowl of rice has cooled off and that it’s somewhat dried out before you get started.

Fried rice can be anything any vegetables or little bits of leftover chicken or shrimp (prawns) and you can have a lovely fried rice to go with many a meal…Traditionally served here with sliced cucumber, spring (green) onions and a chilli dip it is a dish many young children eat or may be something eaten for a quick lunch or as an accompaniment to other dishes.

Fried Rice.

Ingredients:

• 1.5 cups cooked cold rice
• 3/4 Spring Onions
• ¼ of white onion chopped
• 2/3 cloves of garlic chopped
• ½ leaves of Chinese cabbage or other cabbage ( optional)
• 1 Egg
• ½ tbsp Oyster Sauce
• ½ tbsp Soy Sauce
• For chilli Sauce
• 5 Thai chillies finely sliced
• 3 tbsp Fish Sauce
• ½ a fresh lime

If you are using shrimp( prawns) then start with the whole fresh shrimp, pinch of the head and de-shell the body leaving the tail on ( Thai style) at the same time try to retain that lovely shrimp oil from inside the head this is what gives your fried rice a wonderful red colour and a nice rich flavour.

Let’s Cook!

Chilli and fish sauce aka prik nam pla

This little dish is always served alongside your Fried rice whenever you eat it in a restaurant…

Just finely chop the chillies and add the fish sauce and a squeeze of lime…That’s it …

Making fried rice only takes about 15 minutes or less to make and this recipe serves 1…All you need is a wok and a spatula… Serving more than 1 person just double up…The more you make this dish you will get a feel for it and will instinctively know how much of this and that you need just by taste.

1. Firstly peel and finely chop your garlic.
2. Slice about a quarter of your white onion
3. Finely slice 3-4 green onions
4. If you are using Chinese cabbage slice in half along the spine and then slice into 1 cm strips.
5. Heat your wok or suitable pan and add about a tbsp of oil once your oil is hot add your garlic and stir fry continuously for about 15 seconds we don’t want burnt garlic do we?
6. Throw in the shrimp and fry for about 30 seconds…Your shrimp should just start to turn pink then add just about less than half of your rice which will soak up all those lovely juices stir fry for about 10 seconds push all the rice to one side and crack the egg into the empty side swirl the egg and let it cook for a few seconds and then start to mix with the rice and shrimp…
7. This was my second big mistake I used to just pour the egg straight over the rice hence a claggy, clumpy mess which no one wanted to eat.
8. Then stir in the remainder of your rice and you should have a lovely dry fried rice with separate grains…
9. Now add your soy sauce and oyster sauce and stir, some people add a little sugar at this point…I don’t…
10. Now add your chopped Chinese cabbage and white onions and stir fry for about 30 seconds and then toss in your spring onions and stir for a few seconds a little longer if you like your vegetables a little softer.

Place on a plate with a slice of lime and spring onion and your little bowl of chilli dip. If you want it to look extra special put it in a little bowl and turn out on the plate as pictured.

A little sprinkle of fish sauce and some fresh chillies on top of your fried rice with and extra squeeze of lime just elevates your fried rice to another level.

Younger children here are generally given just fried rice with egg and a little spring onion and maybe some very finely diced carrot…Fried rice is one of those dishes where anything goes … As little or as much as you like.

Sometimes if I have a few shrimp (prawns) or half a breast of chicken or a thigh left over I bag them and they are ideal for 1 serving of fried rice. We all have left over vegetables chop them and put in your fried rice. For one all you need is a small piece of carrot maybe a couple of peas or a floret of broccoli cut small and bobs your uncle and you have fried rice.

Truly anything goes it is one of those dishes where you really can add almost anything I suppose a bit like you would do when topping your pizza …

Enjoy!

If you were like me and just couldn’t make fried rice then I hope that now I have cleared up the mystery of how to make good fried rice… The bonus is that you will never have leftover rice, bits of meat, fish or vegetables again…

It is those little bits which I just hate to throw away and you end up with a fridge or freezer with small pots of this and that… Don’t you?

Enjoy!

I love rice dishes and it is a staple in our house at the end of the week with left overs from various meals… thanks to Carol for the tips on how to perfect this very tasty dish…

©Carol Taylor 2018

The other posts in the Food and Cookery Column can be found in this directory: https://smorgasbordinvitation.wordpress.com/carol-taylors-food-and-cookery-column-2018/

About Carol Taylor

Enjoying life in The Land Of Smiles I am having so much fun researching, finding new, authentic recipes both Thai and International to share with you. New recipes gleaned from those who I have met on my travels or are just passing through and stopped for a while. I hope you enjoy them.

I love shopping at the local markets, finding fresh, natural ingredients, new strange fruits and vegetables ones I have never seen or cooked with. I am generally the only European person and attract much attention and I love to try what I am offered and when I smile and say Aroy or Saab as it is here in the north I am met with much smiling.

Some of my recipes may not be in line with traditional ingredients and methods of cooking but are recipes I know and have become to love and maybe if you dare to try you will too. You will always get more than just a recipe from me as I love to research and find out what other properties the ingredients I use have to improve our health and wellbeing.

Exciting for me hence the title of my blog, Retired No One Told Me! I am having a wonderful ride and don’t want to get off, so if you wish to follow me on my adventures, then welcome! I hope you enjoy the ride also and if it encourages you to take a step into the unknown or untried, you know you want to…….Then, I will be happy!

Carol is a contributor to the Phuket Island Writers Anthology:  https://www.amazon.com/Phuket-Island-Writers-Anthology-Stories-ebook/dp/B00RU5IYNS

Connect to Carol

Blog: https://blondieaka.wordpress.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/TheRealCarolT
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/carol.taylor.1422

My thanks to Carol as always for the time and effort that goes into these posts.

Thank you for dropping in today and Carol would be delighted to answer any of your questions and we always enjoy your feedback. Thanks Sally

Smorgasbord Afternoon Video – Cats can do tricks too – and be cool

Smorgasbord Blog Magazine – The Cookery Column with Carol Taylor – #Halloween Party Food

Carol Cooks Halloween Food.

Welcome to this week’s edition of Carol’s cookery column well we are halfway through October and those of you who celebrate Halloween probably already have your porches and front gardens decorated…I am here to help you with the food but not just for Halloween as I have seen and heard that a few of you are already experiencing flurries of snow…and only October whereas here it is hotting up as our high season is coming…

The potato is ideal Halloween and cold weather food a simple food that can be elevated into something quite warming and special.

Before we get to the fillings we need to bake them…

How to bake…Simply select your potatoes and scrub them clean, dry them and poke a few holes here and there…I am sure many of you have witnessed the mess when potato bursts its skin in the oven…

I oil my potatoes very lightly and pop straight onto the shelves of a preheated oven… Cook on 400 F/200 C and cook for about an hour or until soft and the skin is crispy …I turn mine a couple of times to ensure they crisp evenly.

via Smorgasbord Blog Magazine – The Cookery Column with Carol Taylor – #Halloween Party Food

Smorgasbord Blog Magazine – The Music Column with William Price King – #Jazz #Musicians – Fats Waller

Delighted to welcome back William Price King who has had a very busy few months. William will be moving to every two weeks and so pleased that we can get back to enjoying his expertise and interesting posts.

This week William shares the life and music of the legendary Fats Waller with some of his music that showcases his extraordinary talent.

Image courtesy of Biography.com

Thomas Fats Waller, the youngest of 11 children, was born to Adeline Locket Waller, a musician, and the Reverend Edward Martin Waller May 21, 1904 in Harlem, New York. Waller came from a very musical family—his grandfather was an accomplished violinist and his mother was the organist of his family’s church. His first exposure to music was in the form of church hymns and organ music, an instrument he was taught to play by his mother and the church musical director. When he was six years old his mother hired a piano tutor and he learned how to read and write music. She paid for these lessons by working in a grocery store. Four years later he was playing the organ at this father’s church. His father hoped that he would follow a religious calling rather than a career in jazz, but his love of jazz proved too great. Waller attended high school for one semester, but left school at 15 to work as an organist at the Lincoln Theater in Harlem, where he earned $32 a week. Within 12 months he had composed his first rag.*

* rag or ragtime is a musical style that enjoyed its peak popularity between 1895 and 1918. Its cardinal trait is its syncopated or “ragged” rhythm.

In 1920 his mother passed away and Waller moved in with the family of his piano tutor, Russell Brooks. While living with Brooks, Waller met James P. Johnson and Willie Smith, two of the greatest stride pianists of the era. Both men saw Waller’s potential as a born showman. Johnson decided to take Waller under his wing and taught him the stride* style of piano playing, greatly advancing his level of musical education.

* stride is a jazz piano style that was developed in the large cities of the East Coast of the United States, mainly New York City, during the 1920s and 1930s.

Waller’s first recordings, “Muscle Shoals Blues” and “Birmingham Blues“, were made in October 1922 for Okey Records. That year, he also made his first player piano roll.*

*A piano roll is a music storage medium – a continuous roll of paper with perforations (holes) punched into it. The perforations represent note control data. The roll moves over a reading system known as a ‘tracker bar’ and the playing cycle for each musical note is triggered when a perforation crosses the bar and is read.

Waller’s other accomplishments include vaudeville appearances with the famous blues singer Bessie Smith, soon after which he wrote the music to the show Keep Shufflin’ . Waller’s first published composition, “Squeeze Me,” was published in 1924.

“Squeeze me” is a 1925 jazz standard based on an old blues song called “The Boy in the Boat “.  The lyrics were credited to publisher Clarence Williams, although Andy Razaf has claimed to have actually written the lyrics. The song has been recorded by numerous artists, including Louis Armstrong, Count Basie, Bessie Smith, and Dinah Washington.

Between 1926 and the end of 1927, Waller recorded a series of pipe organ solo records. These represent the first time syncopated jazz compositions were performed on a full-sized church organ

In 1927, Waller met the poet and lyricist Andy Razaf and the two collaborated on several musicals, the most of popular of which,  Connie’s Hot Chocolates  would bring them great critical and commercial success.

“Honeysuckle Rose” is a 1929 song composed by Fats Waller with lyrics by Andy Razaf. It was introduced in the 1929 Off-Broadway revue  Load of Coal  at Connie’s Inn as a soft-shoe dance number. Waller’s 1934 recording was inducted in the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1999.

“(What Did I Do to Be So) Black and Blue” is a 1929 jazz standard composed by Fats Waller with lyrics by Harry Brooks and Andy Razaf, from the Broadway musical Broadway musical comedy play Connie’s Hot Chocolates.). Blues singer Ethel Waters’ 1930 version of the song became a hit, and the song has been recorded by many artists since then. The song is also featured in the prologue of Ralph Ellison’s novel  Invisible Man (1952) as its protagonist, while hiding underground, listens to the song being played very loudly and descends into a dream regarding “the blackness of Blackness,” all after smoking a marijuana cigarette.

“ Ain’t Misbehavin’” is a 1929 stride jazz/early swing song. Andy Razaf wrote the lyrics to a score by Thomas “Fats” Waller and Harry Brooks for Connie’s Hot Chocolates. It has a thirty-two measure form (AABA) at a slow-to-moderate tempo. Waller said the song was written while “lodging” in prison (for an alimony violation), and that is why he was not misbehaving. It also became a huge hit for Louis Armstrong.

Waller became one of the most popular performers of his era, finding critical and commercial success in the United States and Europe.  Fellow pianist and composer Oscar Levant dubbed Waller “the black Horowitz” Waller is believed to have composed many novelty tunes in the 1920s and 1930s and sold them for small sums, attributed to another composer and lyricist.

On one occasion his playing seemed to have put him at risk of injury. Waller was kidnapped in Chicago leaving a performance in 1926. Four men bundled him into a car and took him to the Hawthorne Inn, owned by Al Capone. Waller was ordered inside the building, and found a party in full swing. Gun to his back, he was pushed towards a piano, and told to play. A terrified Waller realized he was the “surprise guest” at Capone’s birthday party, and took comfort that the gangsters did not intend to kill him!

In 1926, Waller began his recording association with the Victor Talking Machine Company/RCA Victor, his principal record company for the rest of his life, with the organ solos  “St. Louis Blues”  and his own composition, “Lenox Avenue Blues”. Although he recorded with various groups, including Morris’s Hot Babes (1927), Fats Waller’s Buddies (1929) (one of the earliest multiracial groups to record), and McKinney’s Cotton Pickers (1929), his most important contribution to the Harlem stride piano tradition was a series of solo recordings of his own compositions: “Handful of Keys”, “Smashing Thirds”,  “Numb Fumblin’, and “Valentine Stomp” (1929).

After sessions with Ted Lewis (1931), Jack Teagarden (1931) and Billy Banks (1932), he began in May 1934 the voluminous series of recordings with a small band known as Fats Waller and his Rhythm. This six-piece group usually included Herman Autrey (sometimes replaced by Bill Coleman or John ‘ Bugs’  Hamilton), Gene Sedric or Rudy Powell, and Al Casey.

When Waller composed “Jitterbug Waltz” he was 38 years old and at the high point of his career as a veteran recording artist for RCA Victor. It is notable for being one of the first jazz records recorded with a Hammond organ, an instrument that gained popularity in the genre soon after.

He enjoyed success touring the United Kingdom and Ireland in the 1930s, appearing on one of the first BBC television broadcasts on September 30, 1938. While in Britain, Waller also recorded a number of songs for EMI on their Compton Theatre organ located in their Abbey Road Studios in St. John’s Wood.

By the early 1940s Waller was earning a comfortable living as an entertainer. He wrote the first non-black musical for Broadway by an African American, ‘Early to Bed‘ and took a role in the film ‘Stormy Weather’ starring Lena Horne in 1943, which was released just months before his death. He also appeared regularly on radio.

Waller performed Bach organ pieces for small groups on occasion. He also influenced many pre-bebop jazz pianists; Count Basie and Erroll Garner have both reanimated his hit songs. His technique and attention to decorative detail influenced countless jazz pianists including Art Tatum, Count Basie, and Thelonious Monk. In addition to his playing, Waller was known for his many quips during his performances.

While traveling cross-country following performances on the West Coast, Thomas Wright “Fats” Waller died of pneumonia in Kansas City, Missouri’s Union Station train depot on December 15, 1943 at the age of 39.

The musical ‘Ain’t Misbehavin’ opened on Broadway in 1978 as a tribute to the black musicians of the 1920s and 1930s who were part of the Harlem Renaissance, an era of growing creativity, cultural awareness, and ethnic pride. The title comes from the 1929 Waller song “Ain’t Misbehavin’. “  It was a time when Manhattan nightclubs like the Cotton Club and the Savoy Ballroom were the playgrounds of high society and Lenox Avenue dives were filled with piano players banging out the new beat known as swing. Five performers presented an evening of rowdy, raunchy, and humorous songs that encapsulate the various moods of the era and reflect Waller’s view of life as a journey meant for pleasure and play. The West End production opened on March 22, 1979, at Her Majesty’s Theatre.

“Your Feet’s Too Big” is a song composed in 1936 by Fred Fisher with lyrics by Ada Benson. The song became associated with Waller who ad-libbed his own lyrics such as “Your pedal extremities are colossal, to me you look just like a fossil” and his catchphrase, “One never knows, do one?” It was performed in the 1978 Broadway musical, Ain’t Misbehavin’.

Sources and more information

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fats_Waller
http://jazz.wikia.com/wiki/Fats_Waller
https://www.biography.com/people/fats-waller-9522591

Buy Fats Waller albums: https://www.amazon.com/Fats-Waller/e/B000AQ09K0

About William Price King

William Price King is an American jazz singer, crooner, and composer.

His interest in music began at an early age when he studied piano and clarinet in high school. At Morehouse College in Atlanta where he grew up, he sang in the Glee Club and studied classical music. After graduation he went off to the Yale School of Music where he earned a Masters degree. From there he journeyed to New York where he created a jazz trio ‘Au Naturel’ which performed in some of the hottest venues in Manhattan including gigs on Broadway and the famous ‘Rainbow Room.’ These gigs opened doors for performances in Montreal and a European tour.

While touring Europe he met a lovely French lady, Jeanne Maïstre, who, a year later became his wife. King left the group ‘Au Naturel’ and settled in the south of France where he started a new life on the French Riviera, opening his own music school – the “Price King Ecole Internationale de Chant.” He has had the pleasure over the years of seeing many of his students excel as singers on a professional level, and some going on to become national celebrities. He continues to coach young singers today, in his spare time.

His debut jazz album was entitled “Home,” and was a collection of contemporary compositions he composed, with lyrics written by his wife Jeanne King. His second album was a Duo (Voice and Guitar) with Eric Sempé on the guitar. This album included original songs as well as well known standards from contemporary jazz and pop artists. The “King-Sempé” duo toured France and thrilled audiences for more than three years before going their separate ways. King has formed a new duo with French/Greek guitarist Manolis, and is now exploring new ideas, in a smooth jazz/soul/folk direction.

In addition to singing and composing, King has been collaborating with author Sally Cronin over the past few years on her blog “Smorgasbord – Variety is the spice of life,” with the series “A Man And His Music – Jazz, Contemporary, Classical, and Legends” and now, the “William Price King Music Column.” Working with author Sally Cronin has been an exhilarating experience in many ways and has brought a new dimension to King’s creative life. King has also created a micro blog, “Improvisation,” which features and introduces mostly jazz artists from across the jazz spectrum who have made considerable contributions in the world of jazz; and also artwork from painters who have made their mark in the world of art. This micro blog can be found on Tumblr.

His vocal mentors are two of the greatest giants in jazz, Nat King Cole and Mel Tormé. King has a distinctive wide-ranging voice which displays a remarkable technical facility and emotional depth.

William Price King on Tumblr – IMPROVISATION – https://williampriceking.tumblr.com

Connect with William

Website – http://www.williampriceking.com/
Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/WilliamPriceKing
Twitter – https://twitter.com/wpkofficial
Regular Venue – http://cave-wilson.com/ 
ITunes https://itunes.apple.com/us/artist/william-price-king/id788678484

You can find all of the Music Column series in this directory: https://smorgasbordinvitation.wordpress.com/william-price-king-music-column/

Thank you for dropping in and hope you will tune in again in two weeks for another post in the series Jazz instrumentalists.

There will be another Music Column post on Thursday.. it is 1988 and we settle into life in London… music and requests

 

Smorgasbord Blog Magazine – The Food and Cookery Column with Carol Taylor – The 5 Mother Sauces.

Sauces can make or break a dish…

I love a good sauce over vegetables, meat or fish and they don’t all have to be calorie laden or made with cream and more cream although I love a good cream and wine sauce with some mushrooms.

A basic sauce is generally used to make other variations of the original sauce. The French take credit for initially perfecting what is now universally recognised and categorised into one of the 5 groups of sauces and any chef who is classically trained will be taught to perfect these sauces…

I am self taught and learnt much at my mother’s knee but I can make a mean sauce or three.

A good restaurant will prepare the basic sauce in large batches to use as a foundation to make individual servings that are seasoned and flavoured separately but using one of the 5 mother sauces as the base.

4 out of the 5 sauces are made using a roux and the 5th is an emulsion.

To get you started, here is a short video that shows you how to make the perfect roux for soups and sauces.

What are the 5 Mother sauces?

A) Brown (demi- glaze) or Espagnole are a sauce that are brown stock based a few examples are Chasseur, Diane, Madeira, Mushroom or Tarragon of course there are others in this group but for a home cook like me who likes simple these are what I would make unless of course I received a lovely bottle of Bordelaise and that would be my piece de resistance and a rare treat…

To make a basic brown sauce you will need:

Ingredients:

• 1 bay leaf
• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
• 3 to 4 fresh parsley stems
• 7 to 8 whole black peppercorns
• 1 ounce clarified butter
• 1/2 cup onions (diced)
• 1/4 cup carrots (diced)
• 1/4 cup celery (diced)
• 1-ounce all-purpose flour
• 3 cups brown stock
• 2 tablespoons tomato purée

Let’s Cook!

• Fold the bay leaf, thyme, parsley stems, and peppercorns in a square of cheesecloth and tie the corners with a piece of kitchen twine. Leave the string long enough so that you can tie it to the handle of your pot to make it easier to retrieve it.
• In a heavy-bottomed saucepan, melt the butter over a medium heat until it becomes frothy.
• Add the mirepoix and sauté for a few minutes until it’s lightly browned. Don’t let it burn, though.

Cooks tip: A mirepoix is mix of small diced vegetables in this case onions, celery and carrots.

• With a wooden spoon, stir the flour into the mirepoix a little bit at a time, until it is fully incorporated and forms a thick paste (this is your roux).
• Lower the heat and cook the roux for another 5 minutes or so, until it just starts to take on a very light brown colour. Don’t let it burn, though!
• Using a wire whisk slowly add the stock and tomato purée to the roux, whisking vigorously to make sure it’s free of lumps.
• Bring to a boil, then lower heat; add the sachet and simmer for about 50 minutes or until the total volume has reduced by about one-third, stirring frequently to make sure the sauce doesn’t scorch at the bottom of the pan.
• Use a ladle to skim off any impurities that rise to the surface.
• Remove the sauce from the heat and retrieve the sachet.
• For an extra smooth consistency, carefully pour the sauce through a wire mesh strainer lined with a piece of cheesecloth.

If you won’t be serving the sauce right away, keep it covered and warm until you’re ready to use it.

Otherwise, serve hot and enjoy!

From this basic brown sauce you would then make your mushroom sauce by adding saute mushrooms and garlic and additional seasoning as required.

B) Veloute are sauces made with a white stock and a roux such as Supreme ala Chicken Supreme, Allemande or a white Bordelaise.

To make a Chicken supreme for example you would add crispy fried bacon, garlic and some cream poured over a frilled chicken breast.

C) Béchamel are made with a roux and milk such as a Mornay or Crème
Lovely over a piece of lightly poached sole…

D) Red or tomato sauces such as Spaghetti, Marinara sauce and also a variety of tomato sauces.

I think everyone loves a spag bol…Don’t you? I always use fresh tomatoes as they are plentiful here and I don’t buy tinned for health reasons…leaching etc… Some people put their tomatoes in hot water and then cold to remove the skins I don’t it all goes in the blender …

Ingredients:

• 12-14 fresh tomatoes…blitzed
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 large onion chopped
• 8 oz fresh, mushrooms chopped
• 2 tsp Worcester sauce
• 6 cloves garlic chopped
• 10-12 basil leaves chopped
• 1 tbsp oregano finely chopped
• 1 tbsp brown sugar
• 1 tbsp salt (or to taste)
• 1-2 tsp black pepper to taste

Let’s Cook!

• Heat oil in a large skillet. Add onions and saute until they become soft and transparent.
• Add mushrooms and cook for about 2-3 minutes. Add Worcester sauce and garlic and continue to cook until mushrooms become soft.
• Add tomatoes, basil, oregano, brown sugar, salt and pepper.
• Bring to a simmer, stirring occasionally for at least one hour. The longer the better! Ideally 2 hours you will now have a nice rich tomato sauce to make your spaghetti Bolognese.
• This sauce can be frozen in portions and used as required.
• To make the Bolognese then cook some ground beef in olive oil and add your tomato sauce cook for about 20mins until the beef is cooked adjust your seasoning.
• Serve with spaghetti noodles of your choice, parmesan cheese and garlic bread.

E) Emulsions such as Hollandaise or Mayonnaises.

Goan Mayonnaise Ingredients

• 1 egg
• ½ cup of oil
• 1/8 th tsp white pepper
• 1 tsp Apple Cider Vinegar
• ¼ tsp sugar
• Salt to season

Let’s Cook!

Mix together all the ingredients in your blender except for the oil then add the oil at a drizzle a little at time and then blend for a minute or two until mayo thickens…Season to taste.

This would be the base sauce for a Goan fish dish to which flaked pureed fish and fish stock is added to the mayo and it is then brushed all over and inside a scaled and cleaned fish and then wrapped in foil and baked…

A dish cooked by a Goan friend of mine unfortunately I didn’t get any pictures unless you count what was left …lol

How many of these sauces do you make or know?

I was surprised that knew more than what I thought, when I first heard a chef talk about mother sauces a few years ago….I was like what?

But I suppose classical is a little like home cooking just a bit posher, but my mum cooked plain simple food, and as I grew older, I would make that basic sauce as she taught me, and add to it…

Easy when you know how isn’t it…Cooking demystified…

I am practising mine whenever I can just in case I get an invite for Masterchef…lol

Until next time…Thank you for reading this post…

©Carol Taylor 2018

The other posts in the Food and Cookery Column can be found in this directory: https://smorgasbordinvitation.wordpress.com/carol-taylors-food-and-cookery-column-2018/

About Carol Taylor

Enjoying life in The Land Of Smiles I am having so much fun researching, finding new, authentic recipes both Thai and International to share with you. New recipes gleaned from those who I have met on my travels or are just passing through and stopped for a while. I hope you enjoy them.

I love shopping at the local markets, finding fresh, natural ingredients, new strange fruits and vegetables ones I have never seen or cooked with. I am generally the only European person and attract much attention and I love to try what I am offered and when I smile and say Aroy or Saab as it is here in the north I am met with much smiling.

Some of my recipes may not be in line with traditional ingredients and methods of cooking but are recipes I know and have become to love and maybe if you dare to try you will too. You will always get more than just a recipe from me as I love to research and find out what other properties the ingredients I use have to improve our health and wellbeing.

Exciting for me hence the title of my blog, Retired No One Told Me! I am having a wonderful ride and don’t want to get off, so if you wish to follow me on my adventures, then welcome! I hope you enjoy the ride also and if it encourages you to take a step into the unknown or untried, you know you want to…….Then, I will be happy!

Carol is a contributor to the Phuket Island Writers Anthology:  https://www.amazon.com/Phuket-Island-Writers-Anthology-Stories-ebook/dp/B00RU5IYNS

Connect to Carol

Blog: https://blondieaka.wordpress.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/TheRealCarolT
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/carol.taylor.1422

My thanks to Carol for her hard work in putting these posts together. I am learning a great deal from her. She ran a successful catering business for many years and we join all her many satisfied customers.

Guest author: Sally Cronin ~ Why I am skipping old age and looking forward to my second childhood instead

I was the guest of Sue Vincent yesterday and if you missed it, here is a snapshot with a link to the rest of the post..

It is always a pleasure to have Sally over as a guest, especially when she is writing about an issue so close to my heart:

My thanks to Sue for the invitation to write a post for her today… always lovely to be over on her spectacular and eclectic blog.

Sally aged 7 years old – looking forward and not back

Why I am skipping Old Age and embarking on my Second Childhood instead.

I have researched the delights of Old Age rigorously, in an effort to determine if I want to actually accept the title. I looked after my mother for several years in her late 80s to her mid-90s, and I would say that she was young at heart until dementia robbed her of that at age 92.

She said that she felt the same inside as she had as a young woman, despite the wrinkles and failing body. She proved to me that Attitude is the key to anti-aging not botox or other miracle wrinkle busters.

I was 60 years old when she passed away and I felt that it was my obligation to carry on the family tradition she had established, to maintain at the very least a young outlook on life. I have spent the last five years attempting to achieve this desired state.

The first stage is to determine if you are already in danger of becoming one of the Old Age Brigade!

I use a little check list to identify where I am on the scale of maturity and I call it the Old Fogies Alert Test... It is a little bit of fun but it is amazing how closely I can identify with some of these statements for myself and friends and relatives who are over a certain age.

via Guest author: Sally Cronin ~ Why I am skipping old age and looking forward to my second childhood instead