Standing in the Shadows of Motown

David Kaczorowski · #1 11-14-2002, 02:24 PM

I just finished reading about a movie with the above title. It's a documentary about the session cats that played on all the great Motown records. The movie focuses especially on the rythm section cats and supposedly devotes a lot to James Jamerson. It's being released here tomorrow. I thought maybe some of you would be interested.

http://www.philly.com/mld/inquirer/4513621.htm

**Bob Gollihur** · #2 11-14-2002, 03:51 PM

Yes, that is supposed to be excellent. Bob Lee had told me about it when it was being made, and it has actually been playing in select cities for at least a year, maybe longer. There is a site dedicated to it: http://www.standingintheshadowsofmotown.com/

I hope to see it.

Blux · #3 11-14-2002, 08:24 PM

You can be sure I will be at the Ritz Bourse tomorrow afternoon. Been planning to see it for a couple of years.

Thanks for the thread David.

Blux · #4 11-15-2002, 05:00 PM

This would be the ".MUST SEE " movie on my list.
It was very interesting and the performances where a delight to see and hear. It could have been longer with each person in the book playing live versions of all the songs in the book.
Maybe, "Return of Motown".

edit typo

mje · #5 11-15-2002, 06:58 PM

I can hardly wait. I grew up in Detroit in the 60s and before the British invasion, Motown was all *any* of the kids listened to.

Mike Goodbar · #6 11-19-2002, 08:01 AM

Back when I was shedding the Slab, I went through the James Jamerson transcription book of the same name. It gave me a new appreciation of the virtuosity Jamerson and all of the Funk Bros.

anonymous0726 · #7 11-19-2002, 09:35 AM

The guy on the yellow drum set is Richard Howard 'Pistol' Allen. This is the drummer that taught me how ot play with drummers. I had the good fortune of playing with him for quite a few years. He was a great jazz drummer as well. Played with Sonny Stitt for 10 or 15 years, and was one of the first call guys in Detroit when the 'names' came through. His time-feel was beyond description. He died of cancer last year.

There are only two people in the world that I ever heard Pistol talk poorly about. One is a club owner in Toledo, OH. The other, Barry Gordy.

Mike Dimin · #8 11-19-2002, 09:47 AM

I saw the movie at it's world premier at the Tribeca film festival in NYC. It was a wonderful, moving film. I had the opportunity to meet Alan "Dr. Licks" Slutsky as well as Bob Babbitt.

Everyone owes it to themselves to see this movie!

Mike

Mike Goodbar · #9 11-19-2002, 10:00 AM

Quote:

There are only two people in the world that I ever heard Pistol talk poorly about. One is a club owner in Toledo, OH. The other, Barry Gordy.

I heard an interview on NPR's Fresh Air with a couple of surviving members of the Funk Brothers. Terri Gross asked a couple of loaded questions about Barry Gordy, and even today, they seemed extremely uncomfortable about saying anything negative about Gordy.

anonymous0726 · #10 11-19-2002, 12:21 PM

Partly the era they came through, partly maybe they're still holding out for some money -- which none of them made much of. Things were just starting to happen right for Pistol when he left. Stick and drums endorsements, etc. All partly because of a surge of interest in Motown that was happening in Japan.

He used to tell such great stories -- playing with Jamerson, babysitting Little Stevie Wonder, etc, etc.

olivier · #11 11-20-2002, 12:51 AM

What a great drummer !!! Whenever I hear Cherokee I think of him. Probably heard him in a session at Bert's in downtown Detroit, in the 80's. I didn't know he passed...

anonymous0726 · #12 11-20-2002, 09:30 AM

After all of those years with Stitt, he could play up tempos with an ease that few achieve...

That was probably him. He hung at Bert's a lot.

JohnL · #13 11-20-2002, 10:03 AM

Just heard the ATL is missing the first wave of openings; it won't be opening here for several weeks, and then only at one theater about 35 miles from me.