Look At Her GO! "Two-Toothed Buddha", "Po-Po Paloma", and "What Nobody Tells Me"--Songs for Toddlers, Aviators, Ballplayers, and Actors
Featuring Joie Mastrokalos and from the Suspect Many band John Baker, Dhyani Dharma, George Cremaschi, Mike Rose, and Richard Howell
I hope that you enjoy these three Tracks inspired by my daughter Paloma when she was about six months to two years old.
The three were recorded January 1989 and December 1989 (between the first Rebel Poets’ compilation, Worlds Made Flesh and many months at the Track “Crack/War Going On” at Dr. D’s in East Oakland. All three were cut at Olde West Studio, south of Market, south of San Francisco. They were such a pleasure to create! Music had opened to me in 1988 through my brother Kenton and its possibilities were like being born into a second life. Musicians who graced these early projects expanded into new and multifold dimensions the melodies and lyrics I first heard. 1989 was a time, too, of Sampling Galore, and you may hear my boom-box grabbed onto cassette whatever vital communication might arise from Street or household or message-tape.
Before any musical excellence (Joie and John and James are perfect, I think, in the “Two-Toothed …” and “Po-Po …” Tracks and Richard’s saxophone and Mike’s trumpet ROCK with George’s fretless bass and Dhyani’s horn-charts in “What Nobody Tells Me”) are the energies and illuminations gave me. Picasso was right. Jim Thorpe was right. Blessing and challenge to FOLLOW how a child goes!
It was supposed to be a Big Sound—JAMES HENRY, KENNY. BLACKMAN, DP, MARCOS SANTOS, and MARTY HOLLAND—Great American Music Hall, San Francisco, July 31, 1991, in the set that included “What Nobody Tells Me”..
‘Two-Toothed Buddha”
Two-toothed Buddha stands up everywhere
Two-toothed Buddha shakes her fist in the air
Two-toothed Buddha with 'bout an inch of hair
She's a two-toothed Buddha--two-toothed Buddha
Two-toothed-Buddha! Da-da-da-da-ga-GAH!
Crawling all over the room!
Two-toothed Buddha pounds on glass doors
Two-toothed Buddha throws toys on the floor
Two-toothed Buddha grabs hold of your nose
She's a two-toothed Buddha--two-toothed Buddha …
Two-toothed Buddha gets up every time she drops
Two-toothed Buddha bellows like a machine-shop
Two-toothed Buddha seems like she never stops
She's a two-toothed Buddha--two-toothed Buddha
Two-toothed Buddha touches drooling dogs
Two-toothed Buddha reaches out to hug
Two-toothed Buddha sees no reason not to love
She's a two-toothed Buddha--two-toothed Buddha
Two-toothed Buddha sometimes sits still
Two-toothed Buddha sometimes gazes deep
Two-toothed Buddha has never heard of Hell
She's a two-toothed Buddha--two-toothed Buddha
Destroying to create!
She's got a lot to tell!
This little girl has got a lot to tell!
With Joie Mastrokalos guitar, John Baker keyboards, Dave Chavez bass, James Schaefer drums-set, Don Paul percussion and vocal, and Tenderloin Cares (Emmanuel France, Leon Smith, and Raymond Wynn) backing vocals.
On the Maya Music Group LP (thank you again, Patrick Andrade) Against The City / We Can Have Everything.
Above, JOIE MASTROKALOS in a T-shirt for one of his superlatively accomplished bands, Verbal Abuse. Remastering the “Two-Toothed Buddha” and “Po-Po Paloma” Tracksm, second-by-second in the great freeware Audacity, let me hear again how deeply and exactly Joie Mastrokalos feels music. He’s note-perfect and timing-perfect in these Tracks, so far as I can her.
Joie’s Circle of Soul. albums with Granville “Granny” Cleveland are also something very soulful and special. We’ll jump to one Track from Circle of Soul, “Let Me Guitar Play”, at end of this Post. Play with angels, Joie!
“Po-Po Paloma”
With Joie Mastrokalos guitar, John Baker keyboards, Dave Chavez bass, James Schaefer drums-set, and Don Paul percussion and vocal
“This little girl is dancing so fine
Po-Po Po-po Paloma B’lam a Jam-Ah
This little girl I’m so glad she’s mine
Po-Po Po-po Paloma Ba-rang a Jam-Ah
This little girl she dips her head
Po-Po …
This little girl she kicks her leg
Po-Po …
This little girl she squats and shakes
Po-Po …
This little girl has got what it takes
Po-Po …
This little girl in her crib reels
Po-Po Po-po Rock-a Clock-ah
This little girl has got what it takes
Po-Po Po-po No-lo Lo-co
This little girl look at her go
Po-Po Po-po Paloma Loma
This little girl makes her own show
Po-Po Po-po Paloma B’lama Jam-ah
…
Buddha go!”
DEB FUTORIAN’s painting, ‘Electric Lemonade Birthday Party, August 13, 1985’, on back side of the album Against The City / We Can Have Everything .
JOHN BAKER, composer and keyboardist, Fort Mason, San Francisco, 1991, intermission during a Suspect Many and Rebel Poets gig. Always studying, always individual, always sincere. Perfect piano on “Po-Po Paloma”.
“What Nobody Tells Me”
With The Suspect Many (John Baker keyboards, George Cremaschi fretless bass, Dhyani Dharma, electric guitar, Kenny Blackman drums-set, James Henry percussion, Richard Howell tenor saxophone, Mike Rose trumpet).
Recorded in Olde West Studio, San Francisco, December 1989, with Peter Eckert engineer
Don't want to do what anybody tells me
Don't want to do what anybody tells me
Runnin' up this field with my eyes on bright chances
Runnin' up this road lookin' for what dances
That I might want to pick up
That I might want to ponder
Nobody can do it for me
Nobody can do it for me
Don't want to do what anybody tells me
Don't want to do what anybody tells me
Climbin' round this yard with my eyes on challenges
Climbin' up on things lookin' for a hand-hold
That I might want to pull up
That I might want to let go
Nobody can't do it for me
Nobody can do it for me
Don't want to do what anybody tells me
Don't want to do what anybody tells me
Yes, and maybe I'll be
Drivin' through landscapes and lookin' at heaps of waste
Rollin' over new roads with a mouth full of distaste
And I might to throw up
And I might want to blow up
Nobody can't do it for me
Nobody can do it for me
Who and What you’re hearing—MIKE ROSE, RICHARD HOWELL, JAMES HENRY.
Don't want to do what anybody tells me ...
Don't want to do what anybody tells me
Up ahead may be truths that 'll need a lot of ruth
Maybe find worlds of wealth can't be got just by myself
Prob'ly not just there for me!
Prob'ly not just there for me!
I keep runnin' over fields with my eyes on bright chances
Rollin' up new roads lookin' for what dances
Prob'ly not just there for me
Prob’ly not just there for me!
And now you can hear JOIE’s and GRANNY’s Track “Let My Guitar Play” on Circle of Soul’s album One Man’s Poison between 16:46 and 21:32 here—
Very, very poignant and sumptuous Track, I think. Also: Joie’s work with Verbal Abusea and his and Granny’s work with Circle of Soul deserve fine homes, alone and to themselves, on the Internet and elsewhere!
“Shattered Faith”, too, from this very good band, Circle of Soul.