Anderson@Large

 

Merry Christmas 2023

I want to send season’s greetings from some of the legendary artists who performed at the Showboat and stayed at the Douglass Hotel.

Blues for Christmas

It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas. While this is my least favorite time of the year, I love Christmas blues.

I recently learned that long before the film “Ray,” Ray Charles made his film debut in 1966. Brother Ray starred as himself in the movie “Blues for Lovers” (later retitled “Ballad in Blue”).

Ray Charles and his Orchestra lit up the big screen with 13 numbers, including “I Got a Woman,” “Unchain My Heart” and “What’d I Say.”

If anyone can chase my Christmas blues away, it’s Ray Charles.

Keeping Hope Alive on Philadelphia Courthouse Mural

I was on jury duty last week. During breaks, I checked out one of my favorite works of public art. When I first saw the Philadelphia Courthouse Mural in 2016, I nearly passed out. The panoramic mural has more stories about Philadelphia jazz than any source other than my website, All That Philly Jazz.

I was stumped by a previously overlooked image of a saxophonist who is described as “a major player in Philadelphia jazz.” I could not make out the name because the image is small and waist-high.

All That Philly Jazz is crowdsourced. With the advent of generative artificial intelligence (AI), I did not have to turn to the wisdom of the crowd. Instead, I asked my new research assistants, ChatGPT and Google Bard. They identified the saxophonist – Lynn Hope – in mere seconds.

Photography is not allowed in the Juanita Kidd Stout Center for Criminal Justice. When I told the court officer that I was documenting Philadelphia’s jazz history, she said OK but be quick.

Lynn Hope, also known as El Hajj Abdullah Rasheed Ahmad, was a band leader and tenor saxophonist who was popular in the late 1950s and early ‘60s. After converting to Islam, he wore his trademark turban. Hope and his band toured Africa, Europe and the Middle East. In 1950, he had a crossover hit with “Tenderly.”

Hope was the top star at the legendary Show Boat under the ownership of Herb Keller.

Hope faded into obscurity in the late ‘60s. After his jazz heyday, he held a variety of jobs, including cab driver (as noted on the mural). Hope joined the ancestors on February 24, 1993.