May 16, 2007

saints among (side)men

I have met many musical giants during my 23 years with this musical great. So many are gone now -- the silence of their missing instrumentation is deafening at first. The songs left unwritten, licks left unplayed.

The Internet to the rescue? Not quite. But user Generated Content has some good points, although it's UGC "moniker" is not among them.

More and more those we have lost show up online. Through memories and clips from fans, purposefully contributed or accidentally linked, we find those we knew. Sometimes they show up through their musical associations with the big names who they helped make big through the genius of accompaniment, their solid groove, unrivaled professionalism. Example: the incredible, honorable, Mr. St. Claire Pinkney (and here) with James Brown on youtube. St. Claire, you are long and dearly missed.

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