Blues Project Update

[AllenLowe]

very busy on this - is now going to be 36 CDs, about 900 cuts, covering essentially 1913-1960.

I've mastered about 850 pieces so far, will probably end up mastering about 1200 and than will cut to 900 - still need to write the notes, which will be relatively short; trying to put together a companion book proposal.

Finding some terrific things including, dare I say, Nazi propaganda swing tunes, with a version of Stormy Weather in which the singer recites: "Mr. Churchill: don't know why/there are so many German planes up in the sky/because you're losing" -

I'm including everything from classical to rags to early punk-type rock to those Nazis to a notable crossdresser (Billy Tipton) - should be interesting -

documentary is proceeding as well - going to NYC in two weeks to film myself playing duets with Matt Shipp and Roswell Rudd. Mildy panicked as I have to write the music post-haste (a Morton-like blues for Matt; a holler-type blues for Roswell.)

Edited April 29, 2009 by AllenLowe

[papsrus]

Sounds ... wide-ranging Allen. Can you give any general outline of the accompanying narrative or storyboard, if that's the right way to put it? Or is that still sorting itself out?

Edited April 29, 2009 by papsrus

[John L]

You might want to hurry a bit, Allen. The movement to extend copyright in the EU seems to finally have some momentum. It may be extended from 50 to 70 years rather soon, which I imagine would knock your cuttoff date back to 1940. Of course, for the blues, that still wouldn't kill it.

[J.A.W.]

You might want to hurry a bit, Allen. The movement to extend copyright in the EU seems to finally have some momentum. It may be extended from 50 to 70 years rather soon, which I imagine would knock your cuttoff date back to 1940. Of course, for the blues, that still wouldn't kill it.

Why would EU copyright law be relevant? Since the project is done in the United States, doesn't American copyright law apply here? Just wondering.

Edited April 29, 2009 by J.A.W.

[John L]

I assume that Allen uses Europe for his releases. Otherwise, his compilations would be a copyright nightmare. But I guess that we should let Allen tell us about it, himself.

[Swinging Swede]

Why Europe specifically? Outside USA should be enough. Canada, for example.

[Chuck Nessa]

Why Europe specifically? Outside USA should be enough. Canada, for example.

His usual publisher is Music & Arts. They have been dancing around all copyright laws since the '60s when they started as the "Bruno Walter Society" and a couple of other names.

[AllenLowe]

yes, we're talking Europe and 50 years - hoping to get this out by late this year or early next year - but I'm just the guy who works in the sweat shop turning out the goods -

and we shouldn't be too righteous about all this; without the end runs of jazz and blues reissues, we would know next to nothing about the music - and people like Bob Koester would be out of business-

[clifford_thornton]

Looking forward to the release of this project, Allen.

[Hot Ptah]

Allen, I have heard two songs which are possible candidates for your Blues Project, and thought I would mention them. I know that you posted lists of possible songs at one time, and I admit that I did not go back over the lists to see if you already listed them.

The two songs are "Hillbilly Boogie" by the Delmore Brothers, recorded in 1946, and "Mandolin Boogie" by the Armstrong Twins, from about the same time.

The two songs are nearly the same, with minor changes to the lyrics, but the performances are quite different. I find the different approaches to the song quite interesting. These are energetic, tight blues performances by country artists of that time frame.

The lyrics refer to the fact that as the singer is from the country, he does not have access to a piano like the boogie woogie musicians in the city, and so he will have to make do with playing boogie woogie on his guitar (or mandolin, in the case of the Armstrong Twins).

Edited May 20, 2009 by Hot Ptah