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Cosimo Matassa at his Governor Nicholls Street studio in 1958. PHOTO: UNKNOWN REMEMBERING COSIMO MATASSA PART I: THE EARLY YEARS AND INDEPENDENT LABELS AMED NEW ORLEANS RECORDING ENGINEER and studio head, Cosimo and I appreciate it. But all I did was try to do Matassa, died at Ochsner Medical Center on September, 11. He had been in declining a good job with what came my way. There health for the past several years after having suffered a stroke and, up to the time of his was never any self reflection on my part about passing, was confined to a local nursing home. my place as historical figure. In fact, generally FTypically of this modest and self effacing man, he never claimed responsibility for the develop- speaking, it was a lot of fun,” he was wont to ment of what has come to be known as New Orleans rhythm and blues. “People say I’m a legend say. Nonetheless, for no other reason than the 6 | BLUESRAG | DECEMBER 2014-JANUARY 2015 | MOJOWORKIN.COM REMEMBERING BY LARRY BENICEWICZ COSIMO MATASSA PART I: THE EARLY YEARS AND INDEPENDENT LABELS fact he personally witnessed this genesis, he would were on such a scale as to reach mythic proportions. be worthy of recognition. But to have actually been Indeed, among his countless sessions, he oversaw at part of the creative process not only as engineer least 250 nationally charting singles and 21 million but also producer, arranger, and sometime writer, selling records. sets him apart. With a career of such a vast scope, It would be difficult to imagine what the Golden he loomed larger than life and his accomplishments Age of New Orleans R&B (mid-forties to mid- MOJOWORKIN.COM | DECEMBER 2014-JANUARY 2015 | BLUESRAG | 7 COSIMO MATASSA Matassa’s grocery store Cosimo Matassa with in French Quarter. Jimmy Clanton, late 50s PHOTO: LARRY BENICEWICZ PHOTO: RED TYLER sixties) would be without Cosimo chemistry student. Discovering that DeLuxe, based in Linden, New shouter and jump blues exemplar, Matassa. He not only was simply he was more technically inclined, Jersey (1130 St. George Ave.), were Roy Brown, whose caravans, as Mr. at the right place at the right time, he dropped out after five semesters gaining footholds in the region. Matassa noted, “sported so many when the home grown music was there to instead seek courses in elec- Represented by the Braun brothers, shiny black Cadillacs as to resemble taking wings, but also he had the tronic vocational schools. Thereafter, David and Jules, who doubled as a funeral cortege.” In July, 1947, the necessary character traits to nurture it wasn’t long before he became talent scouts, they were the first of then twenty-one-year-old engineer this indigenous genre of music both involved in the juke box trade, a the “carpetbaggers” and “usurpers,” supervised, arguably, the first rock in its naissance and throughout sideline also of his father who sold as Mr. Matassa referred to them, and roll single ever with Brown’s its two-decade long hey-day. Aside old used 78s out of a storefront at who “looted and plundered the “Good Rockin’ Tonight” (#1093). from his great sense of humor the nearby intersection of Rampart treasure of New Orleans music at And not forgetting the roots of this (he was an amazing wit) which and Dumaine Sts. With a partner, the cost of a few dollars session fee,” music, Mr. Matassa also recorded tra- served him in good stead during the Joe Mancuso, Mr.Matassa gradually he asserted. Some, granted, like this ditional jazzmen for DeLuxe during recording session, his greatest virtues expanded the inventory of this shop initial imprint, were more benign the late forties, including cornetist, in the studio were the three “P’s”- to include not only new releases than others, but Mr. Matassa at that Oscar “Papa” Celestin, and clarinet- --perfectionism, perseverance, and, but also the sale of small appliances juncture, needed a label, and the ist, George Lewis, respectively, at the above all, infinite patience, which such as radios and amplifiers. By the Braun brothers were all too willing tail end of their illustrious careers. would insure that each project reach mid-forties, he had acquired the to accommodate him. When it commenced operations, a satisfactory conclusion, no matter wherewithal to produce local voice Many of the original artists this newly christened J&M studio how many takes were involved to recordings and personal messages recorded by Mr. Matassa on DeLuxe (the initials were those of his father, achieve its completion. To put it on disks, both which proved to be (or auxiliary Regal) were to have John, and the aforementioned Joe bluntly, often when handed chicken lucrative pursuits. The popularity of a tremendous impact on the ulti- Mancuso) was about as primitive as feathers, he produced chicken salad, this undertaking, plus his awareness mate direction of R&B. Trumpeter they come. And Mr. Matassa would when given lemons, lemonade. And of the magnitude of unrecorded Dave Bartholomew, from Egard, often use expressions like “baptism because the musicians had such a musical talent residing literally with- LA, would later go on to arrange by fire,” “trial and error,” or “flying high regard for his judgment, he in blocks of his humble enterprise, or produce nearly all of the ensuing by the seat of my pants,” to describe was always able to extract the best ultimately convinced him to branch Imperial sessions, including the early the methodology employed to suc- from them. And, despite the rather out into the recording market. efforts of Fats Domino, Smiley Lewis, cessfully launch this new business rudimentary recording techniques, Nonetheless, Mr. Matassa, dur- Bobby Mitchell, and a host of oth- venture. Typically, using a duo of the quality of the end result remains ing that time frame, was not the ers, including vocal groups. Pianist Presto 8N recorders, two crude a tribute to his genius behind the only one cognizant of the pecu- Paul Gayten, out of Kentwood, LA, masters were cut simultaneously, control panel. niary potential of all the facets whose band featured the under- one serving as a safety or back-up. Cosimo Matassa, of Italian heri- of music that were so distinctly rated blues chanteuse, Annie Laurie, This process meant that all the tage, was born in New Orleans on peculiar to the Big Easy, be it R&B would subsequently attain the status recordings had to be direct to disk. April 13, 1926, approximately two then in its nascency, traditional jazz, of A&R (artists and repertoire) man Thus, the whole ensemble had to years after his father established a or Dixieland. It was the time of for Chess records and later become be present and complete the piece family grocery business (which still the rise of the independent record associated with Clarence “Frogman” in one take, as if in a live perfor- endures) at the corner of Dauphine labels which would capitalize on Henry and Bobby Charles. mance, without a sour note from and St. Philip Sts in the French the ethnic or less than mainstream Moreover, the coterie of studio anyone or it was back to square Quarter. Although he helped out music long neglected or given a musicians so often employed by Mr. one. This painstaking procedure was in the store as a youth, he had his short shrift by the pop oriented Matassa would often spring from extant just prior to the technologi- sights on higher education and, majors such as RCA, Columbia, the nuclei of both Bartholomew’s cal breakthrough of the one track narrowly averting the draft toward or Decca (each which had a lim- and Gayten’s supporting cast. But, tape, which allowed some flexibility the end of WW II, he enrolled in ited “race” designated catalogue). perhaps the biggest name from this in correcting human error. To his the uptown Tulane University as a Already, small companies such as era would undoubtedly be that of benefit, Mr. Matassa soon thereafter 8 | BLUESRAG | DECEMBER 2014-JANUARY 2015 | MOJOWORKIN.COM Earl King in Baltimore, 1990 PHOTO: LARRY BENICEWICZ Charles “Hungry” Williams, 1959 PHOTO COURTESY WARREN STORM joined the Audio Engineers Society pet of “Keep A Knockin’,” which would be either Frank Fields or vexed contemporary engineer, J.D. and, by attending conventions of Mr. Matassa was able to extend Chuck Badie. And finally on piano Miller, of Excello records renown in this organization, he could keep to a full length, two minutes and could be found Edward Frank or Crowley, LA. However, in a culture abreast of all the latest advances in ten seconds, thus personally invent- Salvador Doucette. like New Orleans wherein danc- this field. Even so, these rather rough ing Mr. Richard’s last million-seller. In fact, they all played with such ing played such a significant role, hewn disks, as well as the first tapes, Mr. Matassa looked back to those precision that any artist who was not feeling a visceral “beat” was always had to be farmed out to other engi- days and jokingly asserted that he up to snuff technically would be at of utmost importance. Thus, there neers, such as Bunny Robyn in Los was entitled to a special Grammy a loss ever trying to duplicate such a had to be excessive emphasis on the Angeles, who had to re-master them Award for tape splicing, or maybe high level of proficiency during his bass and drums, even more so than before the records could finally be a “Golden Razorblade Trophy,” to public performances. Such was in on the melody, to carry the number pressed.

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