What Did You Miss This Week (Week 374 #418)

My Babe!!!

Joe took the My Babe conversation deep into a listening study this week of early versions of Careless Love that share the form:

• Careless Love instrumental from 1929 or 30 by the obscure harp player, Eddie Mapp. So obscure that Joe has never seen a record by Mapp for sale.
• Times Ain't Like They Used To Be by Gwen Foster and the Carolina Tarheels from 1927.
• How Many Biscuits Can You Eat, a bluegrass-tinged tune from the late 30's by Gwen Foster, this song is a version of Mama Don't Allow.
• I Want You By My Side from Jazz Gillum with the State Street Boys (which included Big Bill Broonzy).
• Come Along Little Children by Will Shade and the Memphis Jug Band from 1932.
• The Same Thing Could Happen To You by Lazy Lester.

Joe then shared a tool for thinking about blues over the 16 bar form. What we know about the 12 bar form is that commonly it consists of a vocal phrase that repeats a second time then resolves with a conclusion over the V chord.

A  Hush, hush, baby don't believe a word
A  Hush, hush, honey don't believe a word
B  Well, you don't know nothin' but believe everything you heard

This is musically expressed as an A-A-B form; call, call, response.

What you see looking at the 16 bar form is that it is simply A-A-B-A in nature:

A  My baby, don't stand no cheatin', my babe
A  Oh yeah, she don't stand no cheatin', my babe
B  Oh yeah, she don't stand no cheatin', she don't stand none of that midnight creepin'
A  My babe, true little baby, my babe

The resolution is over the I and IV chords in the 16 bar form rather than over the V and I chords we're used to in 12 bar, and is followed by an identical (or similar, in the case of My Babe) call as in the first A forms.

For another terrific example of this, listen to the new release version of Real Good Deal by Jim Liban. The added twist to the form on this song is that Jim takes the song out soloing over a bridge form.


Special Guest - Living Legend Eddy Clearwater in B1!!!

Legend Eddy Clearwater is coming to B1! Don't miss this special night and hear Eddy talk and play in our classroom.

Monday Oct 13th at 8:00pm

If you're in one of Joe's other classes, do plan to stick around for this.

Please give a heads up here IF you have not been around recently BUT still want to come.  We'll find some room for you.

Class Notes

• This is the week to re-enroll for your private lessons with teachers at Old Town.
• Remember Joe is on tour the last Monday of this session and the first three of the next session.  Shoji will be out two Mondays in that same period and RickEy will be out on one of them. Joe assured everyone that classes will be held and Zoe, Grant and the B1 Band will be ready to step in.

- Grant Kessler, B1 Blues Crew