Month: May 2012

Librarian of Congress James H. Billington today selected 25 sound recordings that will be preserved as cultural, artistic and/or historical treasures for generations to come.The voices of former slaves, the sounds of Native American culture, the creative wordplay of “Rapper’s Delight,” Donna Summer’s electric 1977 hit and the only surviving recording of a stage icon are among the sound recordings selected for induction into the National Recording Registry of the Library of Congress.

The selections named to the registry are a diverse array of spoken-word and musical recordings—representing nearly every musical category—spanning the years 1888-1984.  They cover a great breadth of sounds and music, ranging from the first commercial recording and the authoritative voice of journalist Edward R. Murrow to the innovative music of Hawaiian Sol Hoopii and the novelty of the all-women’s jazz band International Sweethearts of Rhythm.

Among this year’s selections are Dolly Parton’s autobiographical song, “Coat of Many Colors”; Prince and the Revolution’s “Purple Rain,” the soundtrack from Prince’s 1984 movie debut; Leonard Bernstein’s debut performance with the New York Philharmonic; the 1912 “Come Down Ma Evenin’ Star,” the only surviving recording of Lillian Russell who is considered one of the greatest stars of the American musical stage; the Grateful Dead’s 1977 Barton Hall concert; an album from “A Charlie Brown Christmas”;  and the pioneering hip-hop album “Rapper’s Delight.”

Other additions to the registry feature notable performances by Ruth Etting, Bo Diddley, the Dixie Hummingbirds, Love, Parliament, Booker T. & the M.G.’s and the Gregg Smith Singers.

Nominations were gathered through online submissions from the public and from the NRPB, which comprises leaders in the fields of music, recorded sound and preservation. The Library is currently accepting nominations for the next registry at the NRPB website, loc.gov/nrpb/

 

 

Buffalo Fx is set to release its take on the classic Tone bender Mkii circuit and a revised version of the original Buffalo Fuzz. The Bender MKii is based on the original circuit, using NOS germanium transistors, with the functionality of external bias, tool-free battery change, and 9-volt power capability.

Learn more at buffalo-fx.com.

Osiamo will introduce Mooer Micro effect pedals to the U.S. market at this summer’s NAMM show. The pedals are compact, use true-bypass switching, and utilize many chips that replicate classic effect pedals. The current line includes the Ana Echo (analog delay), Black Secret (distortion), Blade (distortion), Cruncher (high gain distortion), Ensemble King (analog chorus), Green Mile (overdrive), Hustle Drive (drive), Pitch Box (harmony/pitch shift), Shim Verb (digital reverb), and the Ultra Drive (distortion). Mooer has plans to add 40 pedals to the line for a total of 50 pedals.

Los Lobos will release  the 20th Anniversary Edition of  Kiko Live on CD, DVD and a 2-disc Blu-ray/CD set on August 21. Released in 1992, Kiko was embraced by fans and hailed by critics as the band’s defining moment. Kiko Live captures their February 24, 2006, performance at the House Of Blues in San Diego, CA, where the band performed the release in its entirety, during a string of shows devoted to the album. The Kiko 20th Anniversary Edition has bonus material including demo versions of album tracks and live recordings, and new liner notes written by Los Angeles journalist and longtime friend of the band, Luis Torres. Never before released or broadcast, Kiko Live also contains interviews with the band and others involved in the making of the studio album.

The updated Slope Shoulder guitars are available in two different models and have an extended scale length and vintage styling.  Both guitars have a 1-11/16″ bone nut, an ivory body and fretboard binding, and pearl fretboard dots. The scale length has been extended to the full dreadnought scale of 25.4.”

The RAJ-126 has a solid AA grade Sitka spruce top and solid African Mahogany back and sides. It’s finished in vintage sunburst with a classic firestripe pickguard, and ivory Golden Age tuning machines.

The RAJ-116 has the same AA grade Sitka top with Mahogany back and sides. It’s finished in natural, with the same firestripe pickguard but with vintage-style Grover tuners.

Tab Benoit took top honors at the 33rd Blues Music Awards, receiving three awards: Contemporary Male Artist, B.B. King Entertainer of the Year, and Contemporary Blues Album. The award-winning 11-track album, Medicine, includes seven Benoit originals co-written with songwriter Anders Osborne.

For more information and a complete list of 2012 BMA winners: www.blues.org/

The International Bluegrass Music Association will move its World of Bluegrass events to Raleigh, North Carolina for the next three years. World of Bluegrass Week includes the four-day IBMA Business Conference, the International Bluegrass Music Awards Show, and the three-day Bluegrass Fan Fest. World of Bluegrass 2013-2015 will be hosted at the Raleigh Convention Center, the Raleigh Amphitheater and Memorial Auditorium, with hotel blocks at the Raleigh Marriott City Center, the Sheraton Raleigh and six additional nearby hotels.

The new Höfner Ignition Club Bass offers classic style and tone with a definite 60s vibe. Lightweight and short-scale, the Club bass offers real playability, particularly for those who find a standard scale solid instruments simply too big and heavy. It has a  spruce top, and flamed maple back and sides. Other classic features include the Höfner nickel plated tailpiece, Höfner wooden bridge, a pair of Höfner “Staple” pickups and of course the famous Höfner control panel. The Ignition Club Bass is available in classic sunburst.

DigiTech’s new Whammy pedal introduces chordal Whammy pitch-shifting, additional Whammy intervals, and true bypass.The Whammy lets guitar and bass players raise and lower their tuning by up to two octaves, to create pitch shifts from subtle to extreme. The Whammy now incorporates new pitch-shifting technologies that enable the player to bend entire chords up or down while keeping all the notes in the chord perfectly in tune. It keeps its signature Classic single-note mode, along with nine Harmony 2-note interval settings and two Detune modes.

The Whammy also includes 1/4-inch inputs and outputs, a MIDI input that allows control of the pedal from an external MIDI device, and a 9-volt DC power input. The Whammy employs high-quality 24-bit/96kHz analog-to-digital and digital-to analog converters for clean, smooth pitch-bending sound. An on/off switch engages and disengages the Whammy effect, and a “Classic/Chords” switch lets players select either mode. Each Whammy pedal comes with a rugged all-metal chassis, pedal, and footswitch.

Donald “Duck” Dunn, the bassist who, alongside guitarist Steve Cropper, helped create the sound of Memphis soul at Stax Records as part of Booker T. and the MGs, died in his sleep May 13. He was 70.

One of the most respected session players in the history of popular music, Dunn’s bass is heard on a host of classics recorded in the studios of Stax Records, including Wilson Pickett’s “In the Midnight Hour,” Otis Redding’s “Sitting on the Dock of the Bay,” as well as two hit versions of “Soul Man” – the original by Sam and Dave from 1967, and the 1978 cover recorded by the Blues Brothers.

Dunn was born in Memphis in 1941. He began playing bass in high school, which led to his joining the Mar-Keys with Cropper. He later followed Cropper into Stax Records’ house band, Booker T. & The MGs (which stood for “Memphis group”), one of the first racially integrated soul bands. Along with sessions backing the numerous soul stars on the Stax roster, the band scored instrumental hits of their own, such as “Hip Hug-Her,” “Soul Limbo,” and “Hang ‘Em High.”

Later in his career, Dunn worked with Eric Clapton (with whom he performed at Live Aid in ’85), Tom Petty, Neil Young, Bob Dylan, Peter Frampton, Robert Palmer, Rod Stewart, and Levon Helm. He was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and received a lifetime achievement Grammy award for his work with Booker T. & The MG’s. Most recently, Dunn was semi-retired, playing shows and festivals with Booker T. & The MGs. When he passed away, he was playing with Cropper and vocalist Eddie Floyd in Japan. Dunn was interviewed in the the February ’06 issue of VG.