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What you have before you is my second entry in [link> MMQE's 'Rocktoberfest' carnival. Mary is exclusively using Rock from the 1980s, but since that is where Rock music lost me, I will be postin' & explainin' my thoughts on underrated Rock from other years.
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When I was a kid, there was Jazz in the house. My Ma loved Count Basie's 'April In Paris' & she owned the Cannonball Adderley LP 'Mercy, Mercy, Mercy! Live at The Club'. My Pa was a big fan of Louis Prima & had some of his albums, which got played often. As a teenager in the 1970s, I was all about Rock music. But then something happened...
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Early one morning in late 1977 or early '78, I was driving through the heart of Hollywood on my way to a job at either Universal Studios or Warner Brothers Studio (I don't recall which). Back then there was a wild radio station on the AM dial that was the most eclectic station I have ever heard. I can’t remember the call letters, but it was way, way over to the right side — like, maybe 1640 or somewhere in there.
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I happened to tune in that morning at the middle of some song and had no idea who the artist was, but the monstrous electric organ sound was mind-melting! I kept saying aloud – hoping the DJ would hear me – “WHAT is this?! WHO is this?! Please tell me, Mister DJ!” Half the time they didn’t even bother to mention what they had been playing. And I had never before heard anything quite like that song (I was only 18).
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Just as I was about parallel with the Hollywood Bowl (coincidentally having just crossed Sunset Boulevard about a minute earlier), the DJ said that the song had been ‘Bumpin’ On Sunset’ from Brian Auger’s ‘Live Oblivion’ album. SOLD!! Within a day or two, I had the LP, and that was the first step on my way to becoming a Jazz addict.
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'Bumpin' On Sunset' was composed & originally recorded by the great Jazz guitarist Wes Montgomery. The cover by Brian Auger & The Oblivion Express was a Jazz-Fusion version which is, essentially, a fancy way of saying Jazz-Rock.
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The first rendition of the song that I encountered (and still my favorite) had been recorded live in 1974 at the Whisky A Go-Go, only a few minutes away from where I was driving at the time I heard it. Some lyrics had been added to Montgomery's original instrumental, and the live recording - which was played at a slightly faster tempo than the studio take - included Steve Ferrone on drums, who became the drummer for Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers in 1994.
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Here's a link to that 1974 recording: BUMPIN' ON SUNSET
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However, for those who would prefer to SEE it being performed live, below is a video from a July 2005 concert at The Baked Potato in North Hollywood. It features Brian's son, Karma, on drums; Brian's daughter, Savannah, singing; and Derek Frank on bass. This was filmed on Brian Auger's 66th birthday:
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BUMPIN' ON SUNSET
by Brian Auger & Oblivion Express
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I hope that got you bumpin' along.
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I'll return with a new old tune in a couple o' days.
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Bless & Be Blessed!!
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~ Stephen
DogGtor of Alcohology &
King of Inebriation Nation
Jazz is something I've come to enjoy over the years. I may have had my ear tune to a few songs when I was younger but that didn't happen to frequently. You know the company you keep in all with whatever music they're listening to is what I was mostly acquainted to in my early years. Anywho, I really like Bumpin' On Sunset. I may have sample more of htis band's stuff, too. Excellent song share!
ReplyDeleteCAThy!
DeleteHey, thanks for checking this out, and I'm glad you enjoyed it.
It was quite a few years before Jazz really penetrated my soul. But looking back with 20/20 vision I can see that it was inevitable, because I always liked the Rock artists that had a Jazzy vibe, such as Chicago, Steely Dan, Van Morrison, Rickie Lee Jones, and of course Brian Auger & The Oblivion Express.
~ D-FensDogG