I post a weekly diary of historical notes, arts & science items, foreign news (often receiving little notice in the US) and whimsical pieces from the outside world that I often feature in "Cheers & Jeers".
OK, you've been warned - here is this week's tomfoolery material that I posted.
CHEERS to Bill and Michael in PWM and ...... well, each of you at Cheers and Jeers. Have a fabulous weekend .... and week ahead.
ART NOTES — an exhibition entitled Turner and Constable: Rivals and Originals — featuring over 170 works by Britain’s two most famous landscape painters (J.M.W. Turner and the lesser-known John Constable), 250 years after their births — is at the Tate Britain museum in London, England through April 12th.
J. Constable, Boatbuilding (1814)
YOUR WEEKEND READ #1 is this gift essay in The Atlantic by Adam Serwer, noting that the Krasnov’s past scolding of neocons … rings more hollow each day.
THURSDAY's CHILD is named Cheeto the Cat — who turned up as a stray at a Oklahoma restaurant, charming customers on their outdoor patio for awhile, before being adopted by a family.
Cheeto the Cat
YOUR WEEKEND READ #2 is this report in Reuters on an excavation site in England revealing a hearth apparently made by Neanderthals about 415,000 years ago, the oldest-known evidence of fire-making using flint and iron pyrite.
YOUR WEEKEND READ #3 is this essay in The Guardian by the nonpareil Jonathan Freedland with the self-explanatory title Donald Trump is pursuing regime change – in Europe.
FRIDAY's CHILD is named Luna the Cat - an Arizona kitteh who was raised with farm dogs to the point of fearlessness .. and because of her agility: can spot predators from a distance, known as the farm's “Recon Cat" (for reconnaissance).
Luna the Cat
BRAIN TEASER — try this Quiz of the Week's News from the BBC ...… and the usually easier, less UK-centered New York Times quiz.
OLDER-YOUNGER BROTHERS? — Fleetwood Mac drummer Mick Fleetwood and Italian designer firm CEO Barnaba Fornasetti.
Mick Fleetwood (b. 1947)
Barnaba Fornasetti (b. 1950)
...... and finally, for a song of the week ...........................… though his passing was announced on the same day as that of Steve Cropper, one read much less about guitarist Phil Upchurch. Largely because Steve Cropper had a public face (due to being in both Booker T & the MG’s and the Blues Brothers) while Phil was largely a behind-the-scenes session musician. In addition, while Steve was known for playing Memphis soul, Phil was on recordings of soul, jazz, R&B and the blues (and hence was not a featured stylist in a primary genre). The session pianist turned music reporter Ben Sidran described Phil as “a Chicago blues player with the mind of a be-bopper”. All the more reason to ensure a fair send-off to him.
Born in 1941 in Chicago, he served in the US Army in Germany, as a radio operator and playing in his unit’s glee club. In 1961, he had his one hit You Can’t Sit Down (an instrumental that reached #29 in the Billboard charts, and interestingly: Booker T & the MG’s recorded it on their first album). His big break as being a session musician was being hired as a house band musician by the legendary Chicago blues label Chess Records (recording with Muddy Waters and Howlin’ Wolf, among others).
During his life, he appeared on nearly 30 albums and more than 1,000 different songs. Here are some of the other performers he worked with by genre:
Blues → John Lee Hooker, Jimmy Reed, Mose Allison, B.B. King
Jazz → Ramsey Lewis, Stan Getz, George Benson, Dizzy Gillespie, Carmen McRae
Soul → Natalie Cole, Anita Baker, Etta James, Jerry Butler, The Soulful Strings
Pop-Rock → Sheena Easton, Bob Dylan, Cat Stevens, David Sanborn
Among the songs he contributed to — often not as a featured soloist, but instead as a rhythm guitarist with accent guitar sounds — are Michael Jackson’s Workin’ Day and Night, Curtis Mayfield’s Superfly and Chaka Khan’s I’m Every Woman.
Phil Upchurch died (at the age of eighty-four) on November 23rd, yet it was not made public until ten days later, December 3rd — alas, the same date as Steve Cropper, whose more public persona overshadowed Phil’s death. Phil published two guitar instruction books and was working on his memoirs at the time of his death, which will be published posthumously.
Phil Upchurch in yesteryear
… and more recently
Two songs: first, that 1961 instrumental hit of his.
And (apropos for the season) this 1970 hit by Donny Hathaway.
