NERDS WHO DEFY EXPECTATIONS

 

Rich here. I've always secretly harbored the hopes that as geeky as I might seem, when people get to know me, they'll discover that I am far cooler and hipper than appearances suggest.

 

Sigh. Another hope dashed!

 

Which leads me to one of my favorite artists of the '90s and early 2000's, the seemingly nerdy and quirky alt-pop singer/songwriter Jill Sobule, whose little girl voice a few may remember from her 1995 underground cult-hit, "I Kissed A Girl" (which is not the Katy Perry song of the same name) or her ironic song "Supermodel" which was featured in the movie "Clueless." 

 

Before her untimely death last year, Jill wrote and sang bright, catchy songs that belied their subject matter -- the unexpected people and events that were "Underdog Victorious," as one of her songs was titled.  

 

In one of my favorite of her songs, "Karen By Night," Jill describes her conservative boss at the shoe store, who isn't all that she's perceived to be.

JILL SOBULE - "Karen By Night" 

GENE AMMONS - "BAD! BOSSA NOVA" (1962)

 

Speaking of Gene Ammons, here's just one small tasty morsel from the man's exhaustive catalogue.

This album from 1962 titled "Bad! Boss Nova" is a testimony to how freakin' cool Gene was.

On this record, Gene is joined by Norman Edge on Bass, Oliver Jackson playing Percussion, Al Hayes on the Bongos, Hank Jones playing Piano, Kenny Burrell on Rhythm Guitar, and Bucky Pizzarelli playing Classical Guitar.

GENE AMMONS - "Ca' Purange (Jungle Soul)"

NEW YORK SKA-JAZZ ENSEMBLE - "Low Blow" (1996)

 

I don't know what it is about twin horns, but just like a duet of voices in perfect harmony, the sound of twin horns is just music that I think is incomparable, and probably nobody does it better than the New York Ska-Jazz Ensemble.

This album titled "Low Blow" came out in 1996, and has some killer music on it.

I see they are still performing these days, so I hope they come to the west coast, because I'd sure like to see them perform 'live' some day!

Here's a really cool song that's a tribute to the Jug, aka the incredible tenor saxophonist Gene Ammons!

NEW YORK SKA-JAZZ ENSEMBLE - "Gene Ammons"

THE ROCKY FELLERS - "Killer Joe" (1963)

 

The Rocky Fellers were from the city of Manila in the Philippines. They were a family affair made up of the father, Doroteo "Moro" Maligmat and his four sons Eddie, Albert, Tony and Junior Maligmat.

Think of a Filipino Jackson Five that included the Dad Joe Jackson.

 

The song "Killer Joe" made it to number 14 on the charts, and was song about a dancer named Frank "Killer Joe" Piro who got the name from his uncanny ability to wear out all his dance partners.

Killer Joe Piro went on to be a dance instructor in New York, who taught many celebrities how to do dances like The Frug, The Watusi, and The Hully Gully.

In 1965, Smirnoff Vodka asked Killer Joe to come up with a new dance called The Mule for ads for their new drink The Smirnoff (Moscow) Mule. 

For years, I thought this was a girl group with a funny name, not a bunch of kids.

THE ROCKY FELLERS - "Killer Joe" 

ALAN HOLDSWORTH - "Secrets" (1989)

 

I never thought doing this blog would be like walking through a graveyard, but sometimes, that's how it feels. Take Alan Holdsworth for instance. I was a big fan of his back in the 80's, but with all the music in the world, I haven't kept up with a lot of artists, so it was disappointing when I started writing this to find out that Alan Holdsworth had passed away nine years ago.

You know, it just ain't fair!

This record called "Secrets" came out in 1989, and here's just a very short cut that shows just how unique Alan's playing was.

I'm not sure he ever got as much credit as he deserved! 

Cheers!! 

ALAN HOLDSWORTH - "City Nights" 

DAVE AND ANSEL COLLINS - "Double Barrel" (1971)

 

"Double Barrel" is right, a hot naked gal inside an aged rum barrel of a loaded pistol, I think I see what's going on here. It's only taken me 55 years to figure it out!!

Dave and Ansel Collins recorded this fantastic album in 1971, and here's just one example of  how damn good they were!

Soulful and sweet, it's hard to beat music like this, because you can't!

DAVE AND ANSEL COLLINS - "That Girl" 

THE GENTRYS - "Keep On Dancing" (1965)

 

The Gentrys were from Memphis, Tennessee, and they had this number four hit in 1965 titled "Keep On Dancing," Their lead singer, Jimmy Hart did not sing this song, but instead it was sung by the guitarist Larry Raspberry.

"Keep On Dancing" was the height of their career, but Jimmy Hart did go on to be a very prominent figure in WWF wrestling as the manager known as "The Mouth Of The South." 

One very interesting fact about "Keep On Dancing,," and I'm sure Jimmy Hart learned a lot from this, the song is really only a little over one minute long. There's a fade a little past the middle, and then a drum roll, and that one minute starts over.

What fantastic marketing, and 'Poetry in Motion" indeed.

THE GENTRYS - "Keep On Dancing"