James Brown Throws Down in Zaire
In 1974, a DC-10 took off from the U.S. en route to Kinshasa, Zaire. The Rumble in the Jungle was about to go down – a heavyweight fight between George Foreman and Muhammad Ali. It was Don King’s first big fight as a promoter. To precede the fight, a music festival was planned. So aboard that DC-10, not only were Muhammad Ali and his crew on board, but all of the musicians too. And their gear. And their wardrobe. Making the flight were Bill Withers, B.B. King, the Pointer Sisters, the Jazz Crusaders, Sister Sledge, James Brown and his crew (Fred Wesley, Maceo Parker, and others), and even more musicians.
Brown and his gang were headlining the festival, and as you’ll hear, he and his great band were in prime form. The musicians spent a couple of weeks in Zaire, staying for free in luxury hotels, soaking up the nightlife, and having a great time. As Fred Wesley said in this article he wrote for the Seattle Times, “I think maybe some of the economic problems Zaire is experiencing today are a residual effect of that 1974 music festival.”
James Brown
Live in Zaire
September, 19741. Intro – The Payback
2. Soulpower
3. The Boss
4. Make It Funky
5. Doing It To Death
6. Bewildered
7. (I Feel Like Being A) Sex Machine
8. Cold Sweat – I Can’t Stand It
9. Papa’s Got A Brand New Bag
10. Gimme Some More
11. Get On The Good Foot
12. Zaire Soul
13. Sax Solo (Maceo)
14. Try Me
15. For The Love Of Money
16. The Payback (reprise)
17. My Thang
18. Say It Loud, I’m Black And I’m Proud
19. Please Please PleaseTRIVIA: Do you know who won the Rumble in the Jungle? Ali (32 yrs old) or Foreman (24 yrs old)? Well, one of ’em went down in the 8th round. You can watch Round 8 here to find out…
DVD: I just Netflixed an Oscar winning documentary about the Rumble in the Jungle, which not only documents the fight, but the music festival as well. It’s called When We Were Kings. You can find out more about it by clicking the DVD cover. I’ll be watching it soon.
Foreman vs. Frazier (1973) -Before George Foreman faced Muhammad Ali in Zaire, he had risen from from the ranks since his gold medal victory at the 1968 Olympics. In 1973, he faced Joe Frazier, completely dominating, with the fight being called in the 2nd round. Check out George Foreman, before the Grill ®.
RIP James Brown: 1933-2006
Sad news on Christmas morning. The Godfather of Soul gone?? Just doesn’t seem possible.
1. CNN article.
2. I have reposted an entire James Brown show from 1973.
3. A post from earlier this year with a link to a great Rolling Stone article about JB.
4. Keep checking the Hype Machine for James Brown tunes.
Feel free to post any and all JB links and thoughts below in the comments…
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CkGg3XkN80U&w=425&h=350]
Being James Brown, by Jonathan Lethem
If you haven’t had a good fix of James Brown lately, or if you’re not that familiar with his stuff other than what you’ve heard in hip hop samples, allow me to steer you toward a great piece in Rolling Stone magazine by Jonathan Lethem. It’s an in depth look at the James Brown of 2006, and the James Brown Band of 2006. From spending days with the band in an Augusta, Georgia recording studio, to a JB gig in Gateshead, UK, Lethem really captures James Brown: the soul / funk superstar, the strict and unforgiving band leader, the lonely, abandoned inner child, and the troubled older adult (with the law, marriage, etc.). It also captures those surrounding him, his band in particular. Obedient and respectful servants of the man on stage and in the studio, but very real people with real musical aspirations behind the scenes.
Lethem is an amazing writer, as you’ll see. I’ve enjoyed a few of his imaginitive sci-fi books (Gun, With Occasional Music, Girl in Landscape, As She Climbed Across the Table), and was happy to come across this RS article.
The online article also has a link to a James Brown Essential playlist, 9 full songs including “Cold Sweat”, “Think”, “Please, Please, Please”, and “Lost Someone”. There is also a 20 minute mp3 interview with Lethem. Take a few minutes out of your online cruising and enjoy this…
Article: Being James Brown – Rolling Stone article written by Jonathan Lethem
The Artist: James Brown’s Official Site | Wikipedia Entry | Buy His Music
The Author: Jonathan Lethem’s Web Site | Bibiliography
