Hey Thomas,
(I started a new thread because the reply wouldn't post for some reason)
I haven't seen Nina Hagen in years and years. I wrote Russian Reggae
with her and Karl Rucker, her bass player. Karl and I were playing and
recording buddies for years before that. He had a great rep in LA at
the time because he was a master at fast slapping and popping a la
Stanley Clarke. I never went on the road with Nina. I just hung out
and recorded at her house when she was in LA. Nina hooked me up
producing Angelyne, the billboard queen. I had a Fairlight IIX and it
was hot stuff back then. We did a tune of mine called Animal
Attraction from the movie 'Earth Girls Are Easy' which became a kind
of cult classic. (the movie, not my song.. haha)
Strange times back in the late 70s and early 80s here. We used to call
good players 'gun slingers' and had some wild jam sessions I recall.
Mostly funky fusion styled stuff. Karl Rucker and Jason Scheff were a
couple of the monster bass players I hung out a lot with back then.
Jason Scheff (who later joined Chicago) used to sleep on my couch. I
recall he was bummed out because he didn't didn't get the gig as bass
player for the Crusaders at the time. Fortunate I guess, as he became
a millionaire playing with Chicago not long after. I also hooked up
with Joe Albany about this time too. He was a 'hope to die' drug
addict, (and it eventually killed him) but an incredible piano player.
We used to rehearse at his mothers apt in Hollywood (a sweet old
lady). He sat on that same infamous couch one night in my house and
cried like a baby while recounting the day Charlie Parker fired him
for being too high to play. (Go figure, huh?) He was loaded that night
too (as usual) and kept singing the 'Whiffenpoof' song through his
tears while rocking back and forth. There was always a great sadness
around Joe. I suspect he never really got over being canned by Parker,
and he ended up (like Art Pepper) doing a long stretch in prison for
heroin possession and never really got his career back on track.
As to Nina, she was a trip. Came to my house once dressed as Little Bo
Peep. Had the bonnet, frilly dress, buckle shoes, rouged checks and
carried a big staff. No sheep though.
Sorry to go on and on, but I haven't thought about some of this stuff
in years and years. Never a dull moment at my Hollywood townhouse way
back when....
;0)
Doc Dosco
http://www.docdosco.com
--- In jazz_gui...@yahoogroups.com, "thomas schönsgibl"
<analtotaljazz@...> wrote:
------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor --------------------~-->
Yahoo! Groups gets a make over. See the new email design.
http://us.click.yahoo.com/XISQkA/lOaOAA/yQLSAA/oyvqlB/TM --------------------------------------------------------------------~->
Yahoo! Groups Links
<*> To visit your group on the web, go to:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/jazz_guitar/
<*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
jazz_guitar-unsubscr...@yahoogroups.com
<*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to:
http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
