Louisiana Cultural Vistas - Winter 2005-2006 - (Page 102)

SOUND ADVICE music reviews by Ben Sandmel An improbable tonic The calming, cosmic music of Washington Phillips As the horrific scope of Louisiana’s dualhurricane disaster becomes increasingly apparent — and, in fact, continues to worsen — it is fortunate indeed that music’s nurturing power continually reveals its limitless bounds, too. Several strong new albums were commissioned this fall to raise money for relief, and they will be discussed in future columns. But let us take a moment to collectively lift our heads and look beyond Louisiana — if only briefly, to gather strength before soldiering on again. In that vein, many readers may find aural balm in a seemingly most unlikely source: a CD reissue of obscure gospel music from the 1920s. The Key to the Kingdom (Yazoo) compiles all the known recordings of Washington Phillips, an itinerant AfricanAmerican preacher from rural, southeast Texas. This thumbnail profile of Phillips might imply a rough-hewn style that’s too ancient and esoteric for contemporary ears. But Phillips’ music was actually quite delicate and ethereal, thanks both to his melodic voice and his self-accompaniment on an instrument that physically resembled a zither but produced the far more rich and full effect of a harp. Musicologists still debate the precise source of Phillips’ celestial sound, and the most accurate name for it; he may have modified an existing instrument, or perhaps devised some way to play a pair of them simultaneously, one with each hand. No matter. The appeal of Phillips’ lilting, lyrical music leaps across the fourscore-plus years of its origin. For quick reference, imagine the hybrid of a back-country preacher, an urbane crooner, a classical harpist, and a gentle yet subtly funky blues guitarist such as the late Mississippi John Hurt. Soothing, yet substantial, Phillips’ shimmering performances drew on folk sources, published hymns, and his own contemporary commentaries. He retold Biblical themes and sang Biblical verses, urged people to maintain their faith, dispensed moralistic advice, and condemned worldly transgressions. In this last regard, Phillips did not shrink from criticizing the hypocrisy of backsliding religious leaders: “Right now we have some real good deacons, and we have deacons ain’t right, all on earth some of them is fittin’ for, is to run around at night ” And, “you can go to college, you can go to school, but if you ain't got Jesus, you a educated fool.” These latter lines are part of a large body of folk lyrics known as “floating couplets” or “floating verses.” They appear in many songs, in many genres, in many varied contexts; consider this excerpt from Elvis Presley’s hormonally-supercharged rendition of “Baby, Let’s Play House,” recorded in 1956, 29 years after Phillips recorded “Denomination Blues”: “You may go to college, you may go to school, you may have a pink Cadillac but don’t you be nobody’s fool " Washington Phillips only addressed the adept at jazz, blues, country, and diverse hybrids all points in between — and disdaining all attempts to categorize him — Brown’s music reflected the multi-cultural influences he absorbed on the LouisianaTexas border. He emerged as a Gulf Coast legend in the late 1940s and achieved world-wide fame in recent decades. Following a diagnosis of terminal cancer in 2004, Brown told this writer “I have no interest in looking back on my career. F__k that! I’m looking ahead!” And look ahead Brown did, improbably continuing to tour and record through early August, 2005. As Hurricane Katrina advanced, Brown was evacuated from Slidell (where his house blew away); he expired in September, after a rough trip back to Sabine River country. Defiantly, one of Brown’s last recordings was a rendition of “See That My Grave Is Kept Clean.” First recorded in 1928 by Blind Lemon Jefferson — a Texas guitarist who became one of the blues genre’s first stars — this song reached a much wider audience when Bob Dylan reprised it in 1962. Brown sings it on the album Heard It On The X ( Telarc) as a member of the loosely-amalgamated band Los Super Seven. This group’s shifting personnel also includes progressive country icons Lyle Lovett, Rodney Crowell, and Joe Ely, and the TexMex singer and Bourbon Street alumnus Freddy Fender. Brown already knew he was ill when recording, so his seemingly nonchalant performance here is all the more poignant. Poignance of a more intentional sort suffuses Laura Cantrell’s Humming By The Flowered Vine (Matador). Cantrell writes a significant amount of her own material, and she sings with an exquisite tone and subtly certain rhythm. Her eloquent introspection is steeped in country music, both traditional and progressive, reflecting such diverse songwriting influences as Louisiana’s Lucinda Williams. The understated sincerity of Cantrell’s vocals recall the earnest approach of Washington Phillips, and — although only so much can be made of the connection — Cantrell has aired Phillips’ songs on her nationally acclaimed program Thrift Shop Radio. Returning full circle to Louisiana, an flagrant carnality of “playing house” by admonishing against it. But, stylistic differences and celebrity aside, his connection with Presley extends far beyond a mere floating couplet. Phillips too, was an American sui generis who left a profound legacy of unique, innovative and riveting music. Irrespective of religious beliefs, or a lack thereof, readers who feel overwhelmed with post-hurricane stress may find comfort in Washington Phillips’ musical company. The global music community mourns the passing of the great guitarist and fiddler Clarence “Gatemouth” Brown. Equally 102 LOUISIANA ENDOWMENT FOR THE HUMANITIES\Winter 2005-06

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Louisiana Cultural Vistas - Winter 2005-2006

Louisiana Cultural Vistas - Winter 2005 Contents Letters Editor’s Column Louisiana Endowment for the Humanities Louisiana State Museum After Katrina: “It’s time somebody woke us us up.” Missing New Orleans On Perilous Ground The Buildings of Louisiana (Architectural History by Karen Kingsley) Historic New Orleans Collection Louisiana Association of Museums Back to New Orleans Diary of a Displaced Person Jazz Notes (Music History by Bruce Raeburn) Cradle of the Stars The Terrible and the Brave Bookstand (Book Review by Thomas Uskali) Sound Advice (Music Review by Ben Sandmel) Forum (Commentary by James Lee Burke)

Louisiana Cultural Vistas - Winter 2005-2006

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