FREE SAN DIEGO ROUBADOUR Alternative country, Americana, roots, Tfolk, gospel, and bluegrass music news December 2003 Vol. 3, No. 3 what’s inside Welcome Mat………3 Letter from the Editor Mission Statement Contributors Full Circle..…………4 Harold Land Lou Curtiss Front Porch…………6 Billy Midnight Parlor Showcase...…8 Tristan Prettyman Harmonija Rookie Card Ramblin’ …………10 Bluegrass Corner Radio Daze José Sinatra RantHouse The Highway’s Song.12 Eliza Gilkyson San Diego’s Finest/Lestats Classic Rock Allstars Of Note.……………13 Billy Midnight Annie Bethancourt J. Turtle Abbie Huxley Aspasia Aid ‘Round About .......…14 December Music Calendar The Local Seen……15 Photo Page PHIL HARMONIC SEZ: “God bless us, everyone!” — Charles Dickens San Diego Troubadour • December 2003 welcomewelcome matmat SAN DIEGO CONTRIBUTORS ROUBADOUR Alternative country, Americana, roots, Tfolk, gospel, and bluegrass music news FOUNDERS Lyle & Ellen Duplessie Liz Abbott Kent Johnson MISSION SAN DIEGO TROUBADOUR, the Letter from the Editor local source for alternative coun- To promote, encourage, and PUBLISHER try, Americana, roots, folk, gospel, provide an alternative voice for the Dear Readers, and bluegrass music news, is pub- Lyle Duplessie great local music that is generally lished monthly and is free of A couple of weeks ago, the overlooked by the mass media; EDITOR charge. Letters to the editor must San Diego Troubadour received the namely the genres of folk, country, Ellen Duplessie be signed and may be edited for roots, Americana, gospel, and honor of “best paper for musicians content. It is not, however, guaran- bluegrass. To entertain, educate, GRAPHIC DESIGN without amps” by CityBeat. And teed that they will appear. and bring together players, writers, Liz Abbott although the category was a bit All opinions expressed in SAN and lovers of these forms; to PHOTOGRAPHY unusual, what was written was explore their foundations; and to DIEGO TROUBADOUR, unless much appreciated. expand the audience for these otherwise stated, are solely the opin- Paul Grupp types of music. ion of the writer and do not Millie Moreno But Lyle and I do want to represent the opinions of the staff or spotlight the fact that, though we To receive advertising rates and DISTRIBUTION management. All rights reserved. did come up with the original idea information, call 619/298-8488 or Ellen Duplessie e-mail [email protected]. ©2003 San Diego Troubadour. Kent Johnson and vision for this monthly paper, it would not have happened without Liz Abbott and Kent Johnson (aka Phil Harmonic), the San Diego Troubadour ADVERTISING P.O. Box 164 backbone of the whole operation. Had it not been for Liz, the La Jolla, CA 92038 Kent Johnson graphic designer, we would have had no more than a little E-mail: [email protected]. 1 WRITERS 8 /2 x 11” newsletter, photocopied to give away. Liz was able to Lou Curtiss put all of our ideas into form and, with her graphic art skills and Ellen Duplessie creative touch, give it the look that it has today…an attractive, Phil Harmonic unique, and credible-looking newspaper. Paul Hormick Kent Johnson’s energy, along with his distribution experience, WRITE TO US! Frederick Leonard brought the paper to the streets all across the county. His interper- Jim McInnes sonal skills naturally placed him in charge of advertising as well. Liz We want to hear from you! Bart Mendoza and Kent’s organizational skills carry the paper to this day. By the Send your comments, Philippe Navidad time the first paper was out, we had joined together as a team, feedback, and suggestions to: José Sinatra [email protected] Paul Williams complementing one another’s strengths and weaknesses. Lyle and or to San Diego Troubadour, Gus Williker I really consider all four of us to be the founders of the P.O. Box 164, La Jolla, CA Robert Woerheide Troubadour, as from the start we have all worked together to get 92038-0164. D. Dwight Worden the paper out for you, the reader. John Philip Wyllie I speak for all four of us when I say that our monthly read would have no soul without the grass roots efforts of all our great columnists and writers. Columnists Lou Curtiss, José Sinatra, Russell Bauder (Gus Williker), Les Brennan (Jimmy Diesel White), Paul Abbott, Jim McInnes, Dwight Worden, and all the other writ- ers who have contributed over the past two years have been the heart of the Troubadour, along with the photographers, especially our very own Millie Moreno. Liz, Kent, Lyle, and I just want to say thanks to all of you who’ve supported the San Diego Troubadour, whether through writing, photography, advertising, delivering, letters, or just by your encouragement. Thanks to all the musicians and to all of you who support our local music scene. And last but not least, thanks to CityBeat for the nice words! We at the San Diego Troubadour wish you and your families a happy and safe holiday season. Cheers, Ellen Duplessie 3 December 2003 • San Diego Troubadour fullfull circlecircle by Bart Mendoza hile San Diego hasn’t Harold in the been thought of as W much of a jazz town until recently, the truth is that many famed jazz era musicians got their Land of Jazz start here, from Arthur Blythe to the Liggins Brothers. Even among such illustrious company, it’s clear that Though the Creole Palace was famous brother, Joe “Honeydripper” one of the most important jazz play- a mainstay, Fro Brigham’s band Liggins. Although Land considered ers ever to emerge from our town is played many other venues. “I was a his rhythm-and-blues road experi- saxophonist Harold Land. jitterbugger when I met Harold at the ence invaluable, he was soon back Born on December 12, 1928, in Club Romance in 1949,” says Mrs. at the Creole Palace, though by 1954 Houston, Texas, Land arrived in San Land. “That club was just two blocks he had moved to Los Angeles. Diego in 1933, at the age of five. His south of the Creole Palace.” Of the Mrs. Land states, “We lived in family lived at 1703 Imperial Ave. and band at the time she says, “They San Diego until 1954, and our son he found his love of music early. He played all the jazz, well really bebop, was born there. We left San Diego attended Memorial Jr. High in Logan that they could in a set, and all the when he was four and not long after Heights and then San Diego High jitterbuggers would be there. People that Harold joined up with Max School, graduating in 1946. just loved Fro’s voice and wanted to Roach.” Eastward Ho! Harold Land According to his wife Lydia, “He was dance.” Following a succession of In New York (1960). in the San Diego High School menial jobs, close friend flutist Eric Hear Ye was next, seeing Land orchestra, but jazz was his love. Dolphy invited Land to play a jam Merv Griffin Show, and The Mike as co-group leader with Red He’d had piano lessons, but after he session at Dolphy’s house. Both Douglas Show. 1971 saw a pair of Mitchell. It was released by Atlantic heard Coleman Hawkins, a saxo- Clifford Brown and Max Roach came releases by Land for Mainstream in 1961 and has been re-issued six phone was all he wanted to play. to check out Land for their musical Records: A New Shade of Blue and times since, including once in 1967 When he was 16 he was given a projects on Dolphy’s recommenda- Choma. It also saw the initial release under the “hip” title “And Keep On tenor saxophone. Mrs. Land recalls, tion. “Eric had known me since the of Damisi, an album with a tricky his- Swinging.” A series of indie releases “Harold had a music teacher who San Diego days and after I moved to tory. It would be reissued in 1972, followed, all stellar. Over the next was very strict. Everything had to be L.A., we became good friends,” Land ‘74, and ‘91 (at least), with each four decades he appeared on every a certain way, so for fun, whenever says in that interview. “He was issue containing a slightly different jazz label of note. The year 1963 saw the teacher would leave the room, beautiful. Eric loved to play any- choice of songs. You need the 1991 the release of Jazz Impressions of he would let go with music the way where, any hour of the day or night. CD re-issue to get it all. Folk Music on Imperial and 1967 had he wanted to play it, taking the same So did I.” Land passed the impromp- Next Land worked on a co-band The Peace-maker on Cadet, while songs and rearranging them.” He tu audition and was soon a rising leader production with Blue 1969 found Take Aim issued by Blue had just graduated when a friend, star in the jazz world, recording Mitchell, releasing Mapenzi for Note. bass player Ralph Houston, helped Harold Land as a young man enough material to appear on the Concord Jazz in 1977. It was fol- him join the Musician’s Union, set- pair’s 16 albums (including reissues) lowed by Live at Junk in 1980, a ting him on the path toward becom- On April 25th of that year the over the years. He left the employ of release only available in Japan, the ing a world-renowned musician. band, under the moniker the Harold Brown and Roach in 1956 due to a same year he joined the Timeless Land was influenced by other Land All Stars, cut four songs at family illness but continued to tour, All-Stars, which included famed saxophonists of the day, Savoy Records in Los Angeles, notably with Curtis Counce.