Remembering Curtis Mayfield on the 10th Anniversary of his Death

Unlike the deaths of musical icons like Elvis Presley, John Lennon or Michael Jackson, there was not much fanfare when soul brother Curtis Mayfield died—ten years ago on December 26, 1999 —at the North Fulton Regional Hospital in Roswell, Georgia. At the age of fifty-seven, after more than four decades of songwriting, production and performance, the man whose friends nicknamed “the gentle genius” was gone.

Outside of old soul radio stations, not many seemed to care that the Mayfield was gone. Where were the distraught fans clutching photos of the bespectacled brown-skinned man while candles blew in the winter wind? Where were the urban troubadours strumming songs like “People Get Ready” or “Choice of Colors” on acoustic guitar? Where were the VH1 specials featuring neo-soulsters Lenny Kravitz, D’Angelo, John Legend, Joss Stone, Jill Scott and Maxwell talking how Mayfield’s musical magic and angelic voice had inspired their own creative spirits?

While Mayfield’s death and subsequent cremation a few days later became nothing more than a footnote in the national consciousness, I sat on the couch in my mom’s Baltimore living room and shed a few tears for the fallen artist. As memories of Mayfield rushed to my head, I was transported back to the Harlem hood of my youth where I first bought the Super Fly soundtrack album at Mr. Freddy’s Soul Shack in 1972, when I was nine.

For the rest of this story, go to:

http://www.soulsummer.com/memories-of-mayfield

Bill Withers

Contrary to popular belief, Singer/songwriter Bill Withers is not dead. So take heart, fans who never stopped bumping his laidback 70s soul classics “Ain’t No Sunshine” and “Lean On Me”—the man is still alive and writing music. “Jesse Jackson recently called me to find out if I was still alive,” Withers told a reporter in 2006. “He said his wife was walking around the house upset because she heard that I had died. We get a lot of those calls from foreign countries and everything. I’m used to it by now.”

In their lovingly enlightening documentary Still Bill, filmmakers Damani Baker and Alex Vlack have constructed a brilliant portrait of a musician who’s currently more in tune with his family than with show business and the endless demands of stardom. As Withers admits candidly, “The fame game was kicking my ass.”

Like many of us who grew up in the 1970s, Living Colour vocalist Corey Glover, who performed a riveting version of Withers’ jealous guy anthem “Who is He (And What is He to You?)” at a tribute concert in Brooklyn last year, was raised under the spell of Bill.

“When I was a kid, we played that tape in my fathers Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme,” remembers Glover, whose performance was captured in the documentary. “Those are some of my earliest memories of Bill Withers. Driving with my family to cookouts and picnics while everyone sang along to ‘Lean on Me’. His music is literally therapeutic for him and us. To me, he is what Bob Dylan wants to be.”

for the rest of this story, go to: http://www.soulsummer.com/bill-withers-lives

Afro Punk Erotica Story

On "Autumn Rain," fiction by Michael A. Gonzales

illustrations copyright (C) 2009 Jamie Reid

Straight from the U.K. comes the third issue of the hot erotica magazine Bunnie. This issue features my Black punk rock nasty jam "Autumn Rain." For years, my best friend and muse Sheila has been encouraging to write about my other hometown, Baltimore. Moving there from Harlem in 1978, a few years before drugs destroyed much of the inner-city, I tried to hate the depressing metropolis like the television inspired sullen teen I'd long to be. Still, no matter how badly I wanted to go home to Manhattan, I soon fell in love with the cobbled-stoned streets and grand architecture of Baltimore's enchanting Mount Vernon section. To this day, the beautiful Peabody Conservatory, Mount Vernon Methodist Church and the Washington Monument are three of my favorite structures in the country. Whenever I'm in Baltimore visiting my mom or easy riding through the streets with my play brother Frank, I always wind-up taking time to visit the area.

From the beginning of my other career as an erotica writer, which was launched by my friend Carol Taylor who edited the successful "Brown Sugar" series (watch for her debut novel The Ex Chronicles coming in 2010: http://www.brownsugarbooks.com), all of my stories have taken place in New York. In fact, like some kind of textual Woody Allen/Sidney Lumet/Spike Lee, I never even thought of setting my stories anywhere else.



Yet, having started writing a series of short erotica stories last year about freaky Blur magazine photo editor M. (whose S&M adventures "Brooklyn Bound" and "Across the Way," were published in the pages of the newly launched Bunnie; I insist these tales are not based on yours truly), I thought for the third issue I might try something different. Yes, "Autumn Rain" is still a narrative about my main man M., but like Tyrone Davis and R. Kelly, I decided to turn back hands of time. Indeed, I thought this was the perfect opportunity to make M. a miserable first year college student living in the city of Poe.

The pretty punk Lisa in "Autumn Rain," who helps push the young protagonist towards new artistic heroes including artist Jamie Reid, Love & Rockets comic books and The Sex Pistols, is based on a strange young poetess I fell in love in 1979, who introduced me to that section of the city. We dated for a few months and then she disappeared without a word.



Although I think "Autumn Rain" is poetic in parts, it's also nasty in other parts. So, if you're easily offended by sexuality in the "old" Prince sense of the word, than I advice you to turn away. But, if you're down with flying your freak flag, well...let the rain come down.

To download, go here:
http://www.facebook.com/l/3d249;www.redrabbitbooks.com/bunnie3/RRB_V3_The_Great_Outdoors.pdf

Critics on Super Fly soundtrack

The Rolling Stone Greatest 500 Albums of All Time Superfly, # 69 In the blaxploitation-soundtrack derby, Isaac Hayes' Shaft came first -- but that record had one great single and a lot of instrumental filler. Mayfield's soundtrack to Superfly is an astonishing album, marrying lush string parts to funky bass grooves and lots of wah-wah guitar. On top is Mayfield's knowing falsetto. Tracks such as "Pusherman" and "Freddie's Dead" are almost unremittingly bleak, commenting on the movie's glamorization of the drug-trade action and forecasting its inevitable results. Nelson George, author of The Death of Rhythm and Blues "I think Superfly is better than What's Going On. I think it’s the best album of an amazing era in black music." Elvis Mitchell, Esquire Pauline Kael wrote that The Godfather Part II was the first movie to say no in thunder. She could've said the same thing about Curtis Mayfield’s Superfly soundtrack. A seductive and rhythmic counterpoint to the picture's message about ripping off the Man -- and what blaxploitation picture isn't down with such a sentiment? -- Mayfield's score rebels against the movie's insidious mythologizing of a predatory drug dealer named Priest. Mayfield led his band through a rough and bluesy rendition of the title song and seemed to understand the unspoken dynamic of the movies of the era: This might be the only chance African-Americans got to redress decades of second-class imagery on the big screen and speak to the issues of the day. Robert Christgau, The Village Voice I'm no respecter of soundtracks, but I can count--this offers seven new songs (as many as his previous LP) plus two self-sustaining instrumentals. It's not epochal, but it comes close--maybe Mayfield writes tougher when the subject is imposed from outside than when he's free to work out of his own spacious head. Like the standard-setting "Freddie's Dead," these songs speak for (and to) the ghetto's victims rather than its achievers (cf. "The Other Side of Town," on Curtis), transmitting bleak lyrics through uncompromisingly vivacious music. Message: both candor and rhythm are essential to our survival. A- Entertainment Weekly voted Superfly #6 in their 100 Best Soundtracks A textbook case of a soundtrack that artistically dwarfs the film that spawned it, Curtis Mayfield's opus is a testament to the powers of a musician at the top of his game. Mayfield's music imbued the blaxploitation quickie with a moral pulse, taking aim at the scourge of drugs in the inner city. It was one of Mayfield's gifts that his songs could sound joyful and heartbroken at the same time, suggesting the complexities of the human experience. "Pusherman," "Freddie's Dead," the title track--Mayfield's lyrical high-mindedness would have meant naught if the music weren't as addictive as a drug itself. Ryan Schreiber, Pitchfork (rated 9.8) It's only when you listen to Curtis Mayfield's 1972 soundtrack to Superfly that you can truly get past the film's dated cinematography and bad acting. As most folks with clues realize, Superfly is one of the most influential R&B recordings of the 1970s (the majority of Seattle Grunge Rockers cite this album as an inspiration), and while some of the slang terms are less effective adjectives than flashbacks to yesteryear, they're true to their time. (Admit it; you've never been able to say 'junkie' with a straight face.) Mayfield's Superfly was probably the most important record for shaping the future of black music. This is one of the first releases to include to the trademark blaxploitation smooth-funk sound. Right from the record's opening of bongos, Hammond organ and hi-hats giving way to a distant, wailing electric guitar, bass drum, and strings and horn sections, it's obvious that this is the production that led to similar work by Issac Hayes and even James Brown. Four years ago, I found Isaac Hayes' Shaft on vinyl for a buck in a thrift store and it became the ultimate "sex music" of my late-teen life. It's got nothin' on Superfly.

The Flavor of Chocolat

Musician and singer Tamar-kali curates a night of bawdy, sexy, cabaret-inspired entertainment called “Cabaret Chocolat” on Saturday, November 21, 2009. With mentalist/ illusionist Marco the Magician as the emcee, the night will also feature a pre-show performance by accordionist/organist Mojo Lazarus, burlesque by The Maine Attraction, and dance performance artist Monstah Black.

Blackadelic Pop spoke with Tamar to get the nitty gritty flavor of Cabaret Chocolat: "I noticed in the last couple of years, there has been an interest and curiosity in early 20th Century entertainment. Whether its swing music or vaudeville, these events are often going on in the city. Yet, rarely are people of color involved. I wanted to do an event that bought together various kinds of performance beyond what I usually do. Like the Harlem Renaissance or Andy Warhol's Factory, I'm striving to do something special where various types of artists can meet, mingle and have fun. Folks are so much on their grind these days, we often forget what its like to be part of an artistic community. With Cabaret Chocloat, hopefully we can create an event that will not only be a great show, but will also get artists of different genres to meet and dialogue with one another. Believe me, this event will be both a spectacle and a scene."

Event info:

Saturday, November 21, 2009 -- $15 -- Harlem Stage Gatehouse

The Gatehouse is fully accessible for patrons with mobility challenges. Entrance to the building is located on Convent Ave. via ramp located on West 135th Street. One lift is located in the tower that can transport patrons to theater level. Seating is available for wheelchair bound patrons.

Tamar-kali’s CABARET CHOCOLAT: An Autumn Night’s Soiree

6 pm – pre-performance dialogue with Tamar-kali, Kandia Crazy Horse and Daphne Brooks.
7:30 pm – performance

Superfly Samples

Darkest of night, with the moon shining bright/There’s a set goin’ strong, lotta things goin’ on/The man of the hour has an air of great power/The dudes have envied him for so long/Ooooh, Superfly…

Curtis Mayfield, Superfly (1972)

Samples and Covers/List from The Breaks.com

Superfly: (Curtom 1972)

* “Pusherman”
Cam'Ron ft Brotha’s “D Rugs”
Cookie Crew’s “Come on and Get Some”
Eminem’s “I'm Shady”
Ice T’s “I'm Your Pusher”
Zhigge’s “Zhigge Man”

* “Freddie's Dead”
Audio Two’s “Many Styles”
Brand Nubian’s “Gang Bang”
Donell Jones’s “When I Was Down”
Dru Down’s “The Game”
Fishbone’s “Freddie's Dead” (cover)
GangStarr’s “Gusto”
Hammer’s “That's What He Said”
Master P’s “Kenny's Dead”
May May’s “Ya Head is Dead”
Poison Clan’s “Low Life Mothers”
Poison Clan’s “Paper Chase”
Racionais MCs’s “Mano Na Porta Do Bar”
Robbie C’s “Death Lives In The Rock”
TMT’s “Fugitives on the Run”
UGK’s “Cocaine in the Back of the Ride”

* “Give Me Your Love”
Eminem’s “Open Mic”
Aaliyah’s “It's Whatever”
Big Daddy Kane’s “Get Bizzy”
Digable Planets’s “Nickel Bags”
EPMD’s “Can't Hear Nothing but the Music”
Inspectah Deck’s “Trouble Man”
Mary J. Blige’s “I'm the Only Woman”
Pete Rock - CL Smooth’s “Shine On Me”
Queen Latifah’s “Give Me Your Love”
Snoop Dogg’s “Bathtub”
* “Eddie, You Should Know Better”
Busta Rhymes ft Rah Digga’s “Betta Stay up in Your House”
Snoop Dogg’s “G'z Up, Hoes Down”

* “Superfly”

The Blow Monkeys (cover)
Beastie Boys’s “Egg Man”
Cookie Crew’s “Come on and Get Some”
Curtis Mayfield ft Ice T’s “Superfly 1990”
Divine Styler’s “Divinity Stylistics”
Geto Boys’s “Do it Like a G.O.”
Mistress & DJ Madame E’s “Hypergroove”
Notorious BIG’s “Ready to Die Intro”

* “Little Child Runnin' Wild”
Kanye West’s “Flashing Lights”

Wax Poetics Issue 38

It’s been a long time coming. In fact, for the past eight years and thirty-seven issues, we’ve wanted to do a Curtis Mayfield cover. It finally worked out for our unofficial Film/Hustler Issue, in which we take a look at Mayfield’s epic soundtrack recording Super Fly. New York writer Michael A. Gonzales pulls from his own 1996 Curtis Mayfield interview as well as tapping Curtis associates, guitarists Craig McMullen and Phil Upchurch and composer/arranger Johnny Pate, to tell the story of the finest blaxploitation score of the 1970s.

Once again, we’ve created a split cover–with Curtis on front both times and the back shared by two classic films: Spike Lee’s Do the Right Thing (Radio Raheem in full effect) and Ralph Bakshi’s Coonskin (a Wax Poetics favorite). Besides speaking with both of these groundbreaking filmmakers, we also take a look at the new film Black Dynamite (Wax Poetics Records released the score and soundtrack), and music supervisor David Hollander reveals the fundamental facts of once-mysterious library music.

Last but not least, we finally unveil the Robert Beck aka Iceberg Slim story by longtime contributer Mark McCord (aka Mark Skillz). As the greatest hustler of all time, Beck finally gets his due.

Purchase at: Wax Poetics Storefront

Featured Articles:

• Curtis Mayfield
  “I don’t see why people are complaining about the subject of these films,” Curtis told Jet magazine in October 1972 in a statement that foreshadows the words of modern-day rappers. “The way you clean up the films is by cleaning up the streets. The music and movies of today are the conditions that exist.”
• Spike Lee
  What gets me mad about Bamboozled is that the New York Times refused to run the ad with Tommy Davidson and Savion Glover in blackface. The whole thing about the film was to show that there is a history behind this imagery.
• Ralph Bakshi
  When I was doing Mighty Mouse and The Mighty Heroes, I didn’t like what I was doing. That wasn’t the raw edge of life I grew up with. Bob Dylan was singing, the freedom marches were happening, Miles Davis was blowin’, and the stuff Coltrane was doing was brand new. So doing this stupid, old bullshit wasn’t good enough.

Also Includes:

• Re:Discovery Melvin Van Peebles, Manfred Krug, Marvin Gaye, Judgment Night OST, John Carpenter
• Roc Raida The Grand Master
• Shadows and Phonographs This sinister role of the turntable in Hollywood classics
• Brotherman Blaxploitation soundtrack for a film that wasn't meant to be
• Adrian Younge Black Dynamite composer refuses to cut corners with his authentic old soul
• Gangs On Film The South Bronx of 1979 documented in 80 Blocks from Tiffany's
• Night Life Photographer Michael Abramson captured the magic of 1970s South Side Chicago
• The Rhythm of Film DJ/producer David Holmes approaches soundtrack composition with a less-is-more philosophy
• Mood Music European libraries created soulful instrumentals for '70s film and television
• The Next Hustle Ex-pimp Robert Beck transformed into writer Iceberg Slim, introducing a new genre for literature, film and music
• Comic Truth Animation and indie film pioneer Ralph Bakshi drew attention to race and culture
• Gangster Boogie Curtis Mayfield injected his own cultural commentary into the Super Fly legacy
• The Provocateur Director Spike Lee continues to tell personal stories by any means necessary
• Playing It Straight Black Dynamite director Scott Sanders crafts high-caliber blaxploitation homage
• Analog Out Cybernetics, Louis and Bebe Barron, and the sonic life-forms of Forbidden Planet