{"id":1761,"date":"2011-08-25T08:06:33","date_gmt":"2011-08-25T13:06:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/funky16corners.lunarpages.net\/?p=1761"},"modified":"2012-02-22T12:50:58","modified_gmt":"2012-02-22T17:50:58","slug":"nick-ashford-1942-2011","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/funky16corners.com\/?p=1761","title":{"rendered":"Nick Ashford 1942 – 2011"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Nick Ashford and Valerie Simpson
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Listen\/Download – Marlena Shaw – California Soul <\/em><\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/del><\/p>\n

Listen\/Download – Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell – California Soul <\/em><\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/del><\/p>\n

Listen\/Download – Undisputed Truth – California Soul <\/em><\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n

Listen\/Download – Tamba 4 – California Soul <\/em><\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n

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Listen\/Download – Steve Allen and Oliver Nelson – California Soul <\/em><\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/del><\/p>\n

Greetings all.<\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n

Before we get started I’d like to remind you all that the Funky16Corners Radio Show<\/strong> returns to the air this Friday night at 9PM at Viva Radio.<\/strong><\/a> You can also pick up the MP3 download of the show here at the blog (click on the Radio Show tab in the header) the day after the show airs.<\/p>\n

This has been another one of those exceedingly sad weeks when musical giants seem to be falling whenever you turn around.<\/p>\n

This particular week has been an especially bad one when you take into account the loss of not one but two exceptional songwriters, first Jerry Leiber,<\/strong> and then the mighty Nick Ashford.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Though he\u2019s known to a generation or two as part of the singing duo of Ashford and Simpson<\/strong> (with his wife and writing partner Valerie Simpson<\/strong>), soul and R&B fans know him first and foremost as part of the team that wrote a long list of certifiable soul music classics.<\/p>\n

During the mid-to-late 60s, Ashford and Simpson (sometimes with the help of Jo Armstead<\/strong>) composed a series of hits for artists like Ray Charles<\/strong> (Let\u2019s Go Get Stoned and I Don\u2019t Need No Doctor), Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell<\/strong> (Ain\u2019t No Mountain High Enough, Ain\u2019t Nothing Like the Real Thing, You\u2019re All I Need To Get By), Diana Ross<\/strong> (Reach Out and Touch (Somebody\u2019s Hand), and Chaka Khan<\/strong> (I\u2019m Every Woman), before hitting as a performing duo, from \u2018Don\u2019t Cost You Nothin\u2019 in 1977 to their biggest hit \u2018Solid\u2019 in 1984.<\/p>\n

Both Ashford and Simpson had recorded as solos in the 60s, including Ashford\u2019s original versions of \u2018Let\u2019s Go Get Stoned\u2019 and the song we remember today \u2018California Soul\u2019.<\/p>\n

The first time I remember hearing (and falling in love with) \u2018California Soul\u2019 was in 1969, when my Mom was playing the hit version by the 5th Dimension<\/strong> (also the first place I ever heard a Laura Nyro<\/strong> song).<\/p>\n

Many years later, when I was digging for funk and soul and became enamored of the work of the genius Richard Evans<\/strong>, it was the version by Marlena Shaw that I sought, after hearing is chopped by DJ Shadow and Cut Chemist<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

The song has become my favorite Ashford and Simpson composition for a number of reasons, but mainly the chord changes and the lyrics.<\/p>\n

It harkens back to a time when California held a special place in the American imagination as a spot on the western horizon filled with the promise of a new, sunshine-filled life and prosperity (though it would be very interesting to juxtapose any vocal version of this with Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil\u2019s<\/strong> less optimistic \u2018Black California\u2019).<\/p>\n

Like Jerry Leiber, Nickolas Ashford was the main lyricist in the songwriting duo, and \u2018California Soul\u2019 is a fantastic example of his prowess in the regard, especially the following stanza:<\/p>\n

They say the sun comes up every morning<\/strong>
\n And if you listen oh so carefully<\/strong>
\n The winds that ride on the high time<\/strong>
\n Whistle in melody<\/strong>
\n And so the people started to sing<\/strong>
\n And that’s how the surf gave birth untold<\/strong>
\n To California soul, California soul<\/strong><\/p>\n

Collecting versions of \u2018California Soul\u2019 became something of a hobby, and over the years I\u2019ve found several, many of which I bring you today.<\/p>\n

First and foremost is the Marlena Shaw take. I\u2019ve spun this out at funk and soul night\u2019s many times, and while the appeal may start with that stellar break (Morris Jennings Jr<\/strong>) it only grows when Miss Shaw starts singing. Hers is by far the most powerful version of the song I\u2019ve heard, from her own voice to the brilliant arrangement by Charles Stepney<\/strong> and production by Evans. It simply kills from start to finish.<\/p>\n

Next up we have a couple of takes from the Motown stable.<\/p>\n

Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell\u2019s version, while not as dynamic as Shaw\u2019s features their fantastic vocal blend, so it is definitely worth hearing.<\/p>\n

The Undisputed Truth\u2019s<\/strong> version of the song, produced by none other than Norman Whitfield<\/strong> is a tiny bit funkier, and most definitely more atmospheric. I really dig the bass, as well as the background vocals. This is the moodiest of the versions I\u2019ve heard.<\/p>\n

The most unusual take on the tune is the rare promo-only version by Brazil\u2019s Tamba 4<\/strong>. Recorded in 1969 for an LP that was never issued, Tamba 4 take the tune at a brisk pace and feature the electric piano.<\/p>\n

The last version of \u2018California Soul\u2019 that I\u2019ll bring you today is my most recent find, from a 1969 album by Steve Allen<\/strong> and Oliver Nelson.<\/strong> While Allen\u2019s contributions to the sessions seem to be limited to his celebrity and some keyboard noodling, the arrangement by Nelson is (as always) top notch.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s a fantastic song no matter how you look at it (or hear it) and it is really worth hearing it interpreted several ways.<\/p>\n

I hope you dig it, and raise a glass in memory of Nick Ashford.<\/p>\n

See you on Monday.<\/p>\n

Peace<\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n

Larry<\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n

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Also, make sure that you check out the POAC link below (click on the logo). It’s a fantastic organization that provides services to our local autism community, with education and recreational events, and any contribution you could make would be greatly appreciated.<\/strong><\/p>\n

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If you want one of the new Funky16Corners stickers (free, of course) click here for info.<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

Check out the Funky16Corners Store at Cafe Press<\/a><\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n

PS Head over to Iron Leg too.<\/a><\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Nick Ashford and Valerie Simpson   Listen\/Download – Marlena Shaw – California Soul Listen\/Download – Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell – California Soul Listen\/Download – Undisputed Truth – California Soul Listen\/Download – Tamba 4 – California Soul   Listen\/Download – Steve Allen and Oliver Nelson – California Soul Greetings all. Before we get started I’d […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[43,58,46,11,17,14,76,24,67,69,12,18],"tags":[163,166,29,169,164],"class_list":["post-1761","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-chicago-soul","category-cover-songs","category-digging","category-funk","category-funk-45","category-funky16corners","category-norman-whitfield","category-northern-soul","category-obituary","category-original-versions","category-soul","category-soul-45","tag-funk","tag-funky16corners","tag-marvin-gaye","tag-northern-soul","tag-soul"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pMKgo-sp","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/funky16corners.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1761","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/funky16corners.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/funky16corners.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/funky16corners.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/funky16corners.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1761"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/funky16corners.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1761\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1923,"href":"https:\/\/funky16corners.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1761\/revisions\/1923"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/funky16corners.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1761"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/funky16corners.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1761"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/funky16corners.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1761"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}