tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-55132174380418677882024-02-07T16:22:21.313-07:00BRAD WEISMANNA portfolio of my past writing, and new stories as I develop them. Almost always deliberately funny.BradWeishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13473472881579089861noreply@blogger.comBlogger230125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5513217438041867788.post-52704007838205183412024-02-05T10:07:00.005-07:002024-02-05T10:07:33.534-07:00The NRR Project: 'Puttin' on the Ritz' ‘Puttin’ on the
Ritz’
Composed by Irving
Berlin
Performed by Harry
Richman with Earl Burtnett and his Los Angeles Hotel Biltmore Orchestra
Recorded
1930
2:25
Irving Berlin was expanding his horizons.
The preeminent American songwriter had already conquered Tin Pan Alley,
churning out hits such as “Alexander’s Ragtime Band” (1911), “I Love a Piano” (1915),
“A Pretty Girl Is Like a BradWeishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13473472881579089861noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5513217438041867788.post-4073169123641636672024-01-29T16:20:00.011-07:002024-01-29T16:22:17.908-07:00The NRR Project: 'Ain't Misbehavin''‘Ain’t Misbehavin’’Music: Fats Waller Lyrics: Andy RazafFats Waller, pianoRecorded Aug. 2, 19293:15If Ellington is our Beethoven, then Waller is our Mozart.His was a spirit of life and joy. Anyone who listens to even part of his prolific output can really feel uplifted by his gregarious spirit and musical inventiveness. His constant joking and muttered asides on his recordings mark him as a clownBradWeishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13473472881579089861noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5513217438041867788.post-33400866942993381762024-01-16T15:29:00.009-07:002024-01-16T15:29:56.669-07:00The NRR Project: 'Wildwood Flower' ‘Wildwood Flower’
Music: Joseph Philbrick Webster; Lyrics: Maud Irving
The Carter Family
Recorded 1928
3:15
This lover’s lament is an integral part of the history of
American music. The Carter Family, previously discussed here,
were the pioneering and popular purveyors of what was then termed “hillbilly
music,” which we now recognize as country.
Although it now sounds like indigenous BradWeishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13473472881579089861noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5513217438041867788.post-13710134908590954322023-11-29T12:38:00.003-07:002023-11-29T12:38:14.748-07:00The NRR Project: Rosa Ponselle sings 'Casta Diva' ‘Casta Diva’ from Bellini’s ‘Norma’
Rosa Ponselle, soprano
Metropolitan Opera Chorus and Orchestra
Recorded Dec. 31, 1928 and Jan. 30, 1929
4:45
Rosa Ponselle was the first American-born, American-trained
opera star. Born Posa Ponzillo in Connecticut in 1897, she began singing as a
child to entertain silent-film moviegoers while the projectionist changed
reels.
She became part of a BradWeishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13473472881579089861noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5513217438041867788.post-84755713012487200082023-10-18T17:27:00.002-06:002023-10-18T17:27:32.824-06:00The NRR Project: Blind Willie McTell and 'Statesboro Blues' "Statesboro Blues”
Written by Blind Willie McTell
Performed by Blind Willie McTell, vocals and guitar
Recorded Oct. 17, 1928
2:32
You have heard this song before, just not in its original
version.
Anyone exposed to rock and roll will know the iconic 1971 performance
of this song by the Allman Brothers on their first live album, raucous and
slashing, full of bluesy guitar squeals and BradWeishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13473472881579089861noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5513217438041867788.post-86070988022645416642023-09-29T10:24:00.009-06:002023-09-29T10:24:48.970-06:00The NRR Project: the Standing Rock Reservation Recordings Standing Rock Reservation Recordings
Members of the Yanktoni Tribe
Recorded by: George Herzog
Recorded 1928
205 Yanktoni songs
First of all, I could not do better than the explanatoryessay by Daniel B. Reed, as published on the National Recording Registry
website. It is concise yet comprehensive, full of all the information you might
like to know on the subject.
That being said, it BradWeishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13473472881579089861noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5513217438041867788.post-13773044662517339362023-09-19T15:59:00.004-06:002023-09-19T15:59:27.237-06:00The NRR Project: 'Smyrneikos Balos'Smyrneikos Balos
Traditional
Performed by Marika Papagika; accompanists unknown
Recorded 1928
4:03
It took a while for ethnic music to be represented on
American recordings. Frankly, at the beginning record companies wanted popular
hits; for a few decades they maximized mainstream music production, putting out
whatever they thought would catch the fancy of the widest possible audience.
But BradWeishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13473472881579089861noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5513217438041867788.post-13913449427809329102023-09-14T12:56:00.005-06:002023-09-14T12:56:26.770-06:00The NRR Project: 'Allons a Lafayette' Allons a Lafayette
Traditional
Performed by Joseph Falcon and Cleva Breaux; vocals, Leon
Meche
Recorded April 27, 1928
2:56
It’s the first commercial recording of Cajun music. Now, let’s
figure out – what is Cajun music? Who are Cajuns?
It starts back during the time of the French and Indian War.
The British wrested Canada from the French, and dealt the French-speaking population
of BradWeishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13473472881579089861noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5513217438041867788.post-59427057749902221902023-08-08T15:30:00.003-06:002023-08-08T15:43:10.055-06:00The NRR Project: The Victor Bristol sessionsThe Carter family.Victor Talking Machine recording sessions
Bristol, Tennessee
July 25 – Aug. 5, 1927
Wonder of wonders! There is a legendary story about a music
producer swinging into a sleepy Appalachian town for a couple of weeks in the
hot summer of 1927 and discovering the first greats of American country music.
Fortunately, that story is true.
Country music had not really been recorded BradWeishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13473472881579089861noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5513217438041867788.post-39825987273867069042023-07-20T09:54:00.003-06:002023-07-20T09:54:56.247-06:00The NRR Project: First transatlantic telephone conversation First official
transatlantic telephone conversation
January 7, 1927
The idea that one can speak to anyone, anywhere in the
world, instantly, is a new one. International calls that used to be held over
cumbersome land lines were difficult and expensive. However, even that level of
communication was not conceived of until AT&T created a viable mode of
transmission from one continent toBradWeishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13473472881579089861noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5513217438041867788.post-83394407753996434602023-05-21T15:56:00.007-06:002023-07-26T15:25:33.772-06:00CU in outer space: Missions, experiments aim at deep-space explorationFrom Boulder Magazine! Photo by Bonnie Chaim. A half a century after the last human visitor stepped on the
moon, mankind is looking to the stars again – and the University of Colorado at
Boulder is leading the way.
Boulder’s hometown university is a key player in space
science and exploration, and has been since 1948, when CU scientists
participated in the launches of captured German V-2 BradWeishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13473472881579089861noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5513217438041867788.post-90914770368229913772023-03-24T16:51:00.001-06:002023-03-24T16:51:09.595-06:00The NRR Project: 'El Manisero' ('The Peanut Vendor') El Manisero (The
Peanut Vendor)
Words and music by
Moises SimonRodriguez
<!--[if !supportLists]-->a.
<!--[endif]-->Rita
Montaner, vocal
Recorded November, 1927
2:46
<!--[if !supportLists]-->b.
<!--[endif]-->Don
Azpiazu and his Havana Casino Orchestra
Recorded May, 1930
3:35
This double entry marks both the origin and the BradWeishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13473472881579089861noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5513217438041867788.post-81317570322387717942023-02-24T17:06:00.006-07:002023-02-24T17:06:55.246-07:00The NRR Project: Hoagy Carmichael and 'Stardust' Stardust (originally
Star Dust)
Hoagy Carmichael and
His Pals
Music: Hoagy
Carmichael
Lyrics: Mitchell
Parish (lyrics added 1929)
Recorded Oct. 31,
1927
3:04
It’s the perfect song.
This extraordinary composition sprang from the mind of pianist
and composer Hoagy Carmichael, an Indiana boy who became a national figure in songwriting,
recording, and film. The lanky, drawling Hoosier BradWeishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13473472881579089861noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5513217438041867788.post-22015524575324747402023-02-19T16:21:00.000-07:002023-02-19T16:21:06.285-07:00The NRR Project: Bix Beiderbecke and 'Singin' the Blues' Singin’ the Blues
Frankie Trumbauer and
his Orchestra with Bix Beiderbecke
Music: Con Conrad, J.
Russell Robinson
Lyrics: Sam M. Lewis,
Joe Young
Recorded Feb. 4, 1927
3:00
Everybody knows about Louis Armstrong. Few, however, are
familiar with the other great jazz horn genius of the day, Bix Beiderbecke.
Part of this has to do with Beiderbecke’s short life, and resulting
skimpy body BradWeishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13473472881579089861noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5513217438041867788.post-88036986363058120342023-02-14T16:44:00.000-07:002023-02-14T16:44:04.489-07:00New book, 'Horror Unmasked,' comes out in September! Howdy! I just wanted to let you know that my new book, Horror Unmasked: A History of Terror from ‘Nosferatu’
to ‘Nope’, will be published on Sept. 5.You can pre-order it here. It’s derived from my earlier Lost in the Dark: A World History of Horror
Film, but it is revised, expanded, and richly illustrated. It was a treat
to get to update the text and make it current for a new set of readersBradWeishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13473472881579089861noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5513217438041867788.post-27584301019133214222023-01-16T17:12:00.011-07:002023-01-17T16:43:00.561-07:00The NRR Project: 'Dark Was the Night, Cold Was the Ground' “Dark Was the Night, Cold Was the Ground”Blind Willie JohnsonRecorded Dec. 3, 19273:18This music sits at the intersection of blues and gospel, and underlines the impulses lying behind both. With wordless vocals, the singer-songwriter lays open his yearning soul to the powers that be, imploring them for relief. It’s a suffering transformed through the power of music to redemption.Blinded at BradWeishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13473472881579089861noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5513217438041867788.post-6889080241041141472023-01-04T16:01:00.005-07:002023-01-04T16:01:27.009-07:00The NRR Project: Live coverage of Lindbergh's visit to Washington Charles A. Lindbergh
arrival and reception in Washington D.C.
NBC radio broadcast
June 11, 1927
It was a triumph of the imagination. That’s the only way to
explain the world’s reaction to Charles Lindbergh’s successful solo flight
across the Atlantic in 1927. Such raucous celebrations and wild hero-worship
had not been seen before and would not be matched later, even by the reception
forBradWeishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13473472881579089861noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5513217438041867788.post-22495267855486924612022-05-19T15:50:00.004-06:002022-05-19T15:50:45.735-06:00The NRR Project: 'Blue Yodel' Blue
Yodel (T for Texas)
Written
and performed by Jimmie Rodgers
Recorded: Nov. 30, 1927
Jimmie Rodgers, “The Singing Brakeman,” is considered the
father of country music. But what does that mean?
Country spawned from folk music and the blues, but it’s more
polished, and more versatile. It has a plaintive sound, like a coyote’s howl on
the open range. It can plumb emotional BradWeishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13473472881579089861noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5513217438041867788.post-79821679562041005792021-09-28T12:48:00.006-06:002021-09-28T12:48:51.498-06:00My new book 'Lost in the Dark: A World History of Horror Film' is now available!In addition to my ongoing projects, I completed and sold a non-fiction narrative about the history of the horror film around the world. You can read all about it here: https://www.filmpatrol.com/2021/09/how-to-write-film-history-book.html . BradWeishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13473472881579089861noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5513217438041867788.post-31755596565601541172021-06-29T12:18:00.005-06:002021-06-29T12:18:26.821-06:00The NRR Project: 'Black Snake Moan'/'Match Box Blues' Black
Snake Moan/Match Box Blues
Written
and performed by Blind Lemon Jefferson
Recorded: March 13/14, 1927
Blind Lemon Jefferson was an early star among country bluesmen.
He was born south of Dallas, Texas, in 1893, and learned the guitar growing up.
Soon he was performing on the street – initially near his hometown, then in
Dallas itself. His high, keening voice and intricate guitar BradWeishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13473472881579089861noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5513217438041867788.post-41021034304608096362021-01-05T11:43:00.004-07:002021-01-05T11:43:40.183-07:00The NRR Project: Protesta per Sacco e Vanzetti/Sacco e Vanzetti Protesta
per Sacco e Vanzetti/Sacco e Vanzetti
Written
by Frank Amodio/Lyrics by Ranzo Vampo, music by F. Pensiero
Performed
by Compagnia Columbia/Raoul Romito
Recorded: 1927
The tragedy of Sacco and Vanzetti is dimly remembered and
scarcely understood today. This unique recording commemorates their internationally
protested imprisonment and sentencing to death for a crime they may or BradWeishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13473472881579089861noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5513217438041867788.post-71074320921520757742020-10-26T16:38:00.002-06:002020-10-26T16:38:21.478-06:00The NRR Project: 'Tanec Pid Werbamy'/'Dance Under the Willows' Tanec
Pid Werbamy (‘Dance Under the Willows’)
Performed
by Pawlo Humeniuk
Recorded: 1926
Once again, I must defer to the National Recording Registry
for its excellent explanatory essay on this piece by Maria Sonevytky.
The violinist Pawlo Humeniuk migrated from Ukraine to
America when he was 18, in 1902. There he worked with his brother at their
instrument-making and -repair shop. He BradWeishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13473472881579089861noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5513217438041867788.post-70110038391468463242020-09-25T11:57:00.001-06:002020-09-25T11:57:27.961-06:00The NRR Project: 'Fascinating Rhythm' Fascinating
Rhythm
Composed
by George and Ira Gershwin
Performed
by Fred and Adele Astaire
George Gershwin, pianoRecorded: April 19, 1926
When they first met in 1916, George Gershwin and Fred
Astaire were both up-and-comers. Fred was a 17-year-old veteran of the stage,
who had been performing as a double dance act with his older sister Adele for
years. Gershwin was an 18-year-old song BradWeishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13473472881579089861noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5513217438041867788.post-76225142170241721562020-08-18T17:09:00.001-06:002020-08-18T17:09:03.454-06:00NRR Project: 'Black Bottom Stomp' Black
Bottom StompComposed
by Jelly Roll Morton
Jelly Roll Morton’s Red Hot Peppers
Jelly Roll Morton, piano; Kid Ory, trombone; Omer Simeon,
clarinet; George Mitchell, trumpet; Johnny St. Cyr, banjo; John Lindsay, double
bass; Andrew Hilaire, drummer
Recorded: Sept. 15, 1926
Once again, for thoroughness and accuracy in contextualizing
this entry I must doff my hat to the NationalBradWeishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13473472881579089861noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5513217438041867788.post-10665271986278443942020-07-03T14:55:00.002-06:002020-07-03T14:55:38.964-06:00The NRR Project: Louis Armstrong's Hot Fives and Hot Sevens
Louis
Armstrong Hot Fives and Hot Sevens
Recorded 1925 - 1928
Louis Armstrong, cornet
Lil Harden Armstrong, piano
Johnny Dodds, clarinet
Johnny St. Cyr, guitar and banjo
Kid Ory, trombone
Pete Briggs, tuba
Baby Dodds, drums
Also: Lonnie Johnson, guitar; Jimmy Noone, clarinet; Earl Hines,
piano; et al
Comes the revolution.
It’s difficult to overstate how
important these BradWeishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13473472881579089861noreply@blogger.com0