5 Songs Saturday, Jan 11, 2025

Things got away from me yesterday afternoon so this post is 18 hours late

Bobby Lewis – “Head Over Heels” 1961 single available on Golden Oldies. If you don’t know his name, you might know his biggest hit, “Tossin’ and Turnin’” from earlier in the year 1961. “Head Over Heels” is clearly one of those songs intended to follow closely the formula of the previous smash single. But it’s a winning formula, and on its own terms, “Head Over Heels” is a fun record. It’s got that aggressively jaunty pseudo New Orleans feel to it, a strong baritone vocal from Lewis, and a fun hook – “I’m head over heels in love” with staccato beats. It also benefits from a playful lyrical twist, where you think he’s singing about running into an immovable object or something, and it turns out he’s just met somebody who will inevitably leave him tossing and turning.

Fletcher Henderson (as the Dixie Stompers) – “Panama Rag” 1925, sometimes titled “Panama” available on Ain’t She Sweet. I don’t know if Louis Armstrong is on this record or not – there is definitely no hot trumpet solo standing out so if he is, he’s just in the section. This may have come shortly after he went back to Chicago, anyway. At any rate, this is a fun record. It’s a ragtime form played by a big band in emulation of the early 20s New Orleans style. The way each section of the band jumps to the forefront and then returns to the background is delightful – it’s not as formal as how swing would develop. Instead, we’ve got a peppy, constantly surprising, and entirely delightful example of what was happening in New York jazz at the beginning of the big band time frame.

Juan Formell y Los Van Van – “Disculpe Señora” 1988 available on Juan Formell y los Van Van - Vol. 11. “Excuse me, ma’am” is the google translation of this title. This isn’t the only Cuban song by this name that I could find online, and it is more obscure than the one by José Alberto. But this one gives me a chance to talk about Los Van Van, one of my fave modern (albeit from several decades back now) Cuban bands. Juan Formell was the bassist and lead singer – this is the only record I’ve seen where his name is up front, but there are probably dozens of albums by these guys, so I’ve probably missed some. They were formed in the late 60s, and an album release in the US in the late 80s introduced them to me. I’m not nearly informed enough to tell you what form this song is, but I can tell you it’s got a heavenly Afro-Cuban groove to it, killer brass bits, and an infectious tune. I’ve never heard these guys make a bad record.

Big Maybelle – “New Kind of Mambo” 1956 single available on The Complete Okeh Sessions 1952-1955. Latin music was very big in the U.S. back in the fifties. Perez Prado was the king of the mambo, a particular Latin dance style that was messed around with quite a bit once American artists got hold of it. Big Maybelle had been singing and making records for over a decade by the time she gave this style a shot, though it’s really an r&b record with a Latin tinge added to it. Maybelle had one of the largest voices of any woman singer in r&b at that time – when you consider Big Mama Thornton and Etta James at least were among her peers, that’s saying a lot. She blasts her way through this tale of returning to the big city and wanting to show all the men the new dance she’d learned from the men she’d left behind. It’s got a great Latin-infuenced rhythm and plenty of aggressive excitement from Maybelle’s vocals. I don’t think this was much of a hit, but it sure sounds like it should have been.

Keb’Mo’ “The Door” 2000 from The Door. Keb’Mo’ is not a fave of mine, but I can enjoy him now and again. This song – now 25 (gulp) years old – is a nice little adult contemporary bluesy thing a la what Bonnie Raitt has made bank on for almost 40 (gulp) years. He’s singing about being down and finding salvation. It’s not explicitly religious but that’s the most likely way to read this thing. It could be a lover or a friend but it’s not really necessary to know. This is a very pleasant record, and Mr. Mo has a sensibly sensuous vocal approach. Worth pulling out every couple decades.