Brrrrrrack

Nuanced political commentary from the Pick and Rofl..

Reefer Madness

One could be forgiven for assuming that the 1960's saw the first mentions of marijuana moving into music (in the era of classic rock, psychadelia, reggae, etc). But the first 'weed songs' are actually from much earlier, stretching back to a time nearer the beginnings of recorded music. The swing big bands, bluesmen and jazzy hepcats of the 1930's and 40's produced an oft-forgotten small library of weed-inspired music.

Cannabis was not made illegal in the USA until 1937, but had long been seen as corruptive and debasing - a substance for criminals, revellers with loose morals, and black/foreign people. But among the bandstands of the popular swing ensembles, it was indulged and cherished. In the music halls, where the young and the hip converged, reefer would constantly be on the burn. Showbusiness then was as seedy as ever: gangsters and dealers mingled with entertainers and ordinary folk, hard drugs and prostitutes were openly-available, serious violence was common. Weed is a natural and ubiquitous feature in such a scenario.

Performers used the "tea" for both inspiration and recreation, and many broadcasted their love of the herb in their songs, decades before 1968 and the cultural revolution. Uploaded in this post is a small selection of those tracks: from uptempo swing tunes striking a celebratory tone about getting high, to grittier blues parables about the downfalls of addiction and vice.

The slang terms of the time are wonderfully memorable - zoots are reefers; chro is jive, tea, or wacky dust; weedsmokers are vipers. While the syntax might have changed, drug imagery is near enough universal, unchaging across cultures and eras... dealers, addicts, and weed-induced experiences are instantly-recognisable in the songs, even to someone who's never listened to jazz or blues before.

The Pick and Rofl "Reefer Madness" Tape - Early Weed Music

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01 - Ella Fitzgerald - When I Get Low, I Get High
02 - Cab Calloway - The Man From Harlem
03 - Baron Lee - Reefer Man
04 - Gene Krupa - Feelin High And Happy
05 - Rosetta Howard - If You're a Viper
06 - Trixie Smith - Jack, I'm Mellow
07 - Barney Bigard - Sweet Marijuana Brown
08 - Ella Fitzgerald - Wacky Dust
09 - Ray Charles - Let's Go Get Stoned
10 - Cleo Brown - The Stuff Is Here And It's Mellow
11 - Buck Washington - Save The Roach For Me
12 - The Cats & The Fiddle - Killin Jive
13 - Champion Jack Dupree - Junker Blues
14 - Curtis Jones - Reefer Hound Blues
15 - Jazz Gillum - Reefer Head Woman
16 - Lil Green - Knockin Myself Out

17 - Muddy Waters - Champagne and Reefer

* Note I realise the Muddy Waters and Ray Charles songs are from much later, but they are included because they are superb 'old weed' songs, which do not break up the blues-jazz aesthetic of the collection.

Terence Blanchard - A Tale of God's Will

This 2007 album is Terence Blanchard's haunting and moving reflection on the tragedy and failures represented by post-Katrina New Orleans: a perfectly-balanced emotional journey through frustration, rage, sadness, despair and hope. The power in the compositions is emphasised by a 40-piece orchestra, deployed into the fold of a traditional small-band jazz array. On top of displaying his usual mastery on the trumpet, Blanchard conducts the orchestra and band with precision and restraint, summoning the music's mournful character with a forceful and intense all-round performance.

Terence Blanchard - A Tale of God's Will (A Requiem For Katrina)

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01. Ghost Of Congo Square

02. Levees

03. Wading Through
04. Ashe
05. In Time Of Need
06. Ghost Of Betsy
07. The Water
08. Mantra Intro
09. Mantra

10. Over There
11. Ghost Of 1927
12. Funeral Dirge
13. Dear Mom

London State of Mind

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Biggie on Westwood, 1995

Notorious B.I.G., Craig Mack, Puff Daddy on Tim Westwood's Radio One Rap Show, 1995

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Classic 90's Westwood: all the weird and wonderful callers (as older Westwood listeners will remember), real freestyles, Tim in his smoother boom-bap incarnation (before he became Big Dawg Tim Westwood circa '03, he would politely ask guest emcees to 'kick fresh flavour with mad lyrics').

This particular show featured an unending stream of chicks calling in trying to smash Biggie after the concert, calling from outside trying to get in the building, calling trying to get tickets... one unfortunate girl gets busted by her boyfriend live on air ("BITCH ARE YOU TALKING TO WESTWOOD AGAIN? GET OFF THE PHONE!"). Hilarity from start to finish, memorable stuff from a legend of hip-hop in his heyday. RIP.

Shark Jumping

My name's Seth MacFarlane
And I am proud to be
Milking the Fox network
For three salaries

Theres Family Guy, American Dad
and now the Cleveland Show
My ideas are spread thin
But nobody'll know!

And so I've found a place
Where I can mail it in
And make a hefty wage
Ain't that American!