Hodgepodge of essays, reminiscences, and radio-interview
transcripts by LA.-based R&B drummer/concert
promoter/songwriter Otis. Born John Veliotes in 1921 to a
Greek-American family, Otis has become what he calls a "Black by
persuasion." In the 50's, he was an important band leader in the
L.A. area, promoting the careers of many musicians and vocalists;
his own hits include the early 50's novelty number, "Willie and the
Hand Jive." Here, Otis alternately blasts the American political
landscape for racism and waxes nostalgic over the "good old days"
of early R&B. But his political musings are simplistic ("Racism
was the primary factor in the deterioration of African American
culture," he says, as if the proliferation of new forms of
entertainment had nothing to do with the decline of more
traditional styles) and also somewhat odd (his constant referrals
to "our people" while contending that no white can empathize with
the black experience seem particularly strange since he himself is
white). Moreover, readers looking for new information on the birth
of R&B will be disappointed. Occasionally, Otis comes up with
an enlightening comment on a musician he's known (he describes
Count Basie's piano-playing as "a well-modulated style of plinks
and planks that usually concealed the deep reservoir of heat that
lurked just below the surface"), but more often his comments border
on rosy-eyed nostalgia (a typical description of the early L.A.
music scene: "Central Avenue was full of thrills at that time").
The author's lack of sympathy for today's performers - they're
without "discipline and style" and replace musicianship with
showmanship - may be on target, but he paints this picture with a
mile-wide brush. Essentially a cranky look at politics and today's
pop music. (Kirkus Reviews)
Legendary jazzman Johnny Otis has spent a lifetime at the center of
L.A.'s black music scene as a composer, performer, producer, d.j.,
activist, and preacher. His energetic, anecdotal memoir, Upside
Your Head Rhythm and Blues on Central Avenue, recalls the music,
the great performers, and the vibrant culture of the district, as
well as the political and social forces -- including virulent white
racism -- that have shaped black life in Los Angeles. Resonating
with anger, poignancy, joy, and defiance, Upside Your Head is a
unique document of the African-American musical and cultural
experience.
Upside Your Head recalls a 50-year career when it seems Otis either
encountered, discovered, or performed with every significant figure
in the early days of rhythm & blues and rock 'n' roll,
including Count Basie, Esther Phillips, T-Bone Walker, Big Mama
Thornton, and Lester Young. Drawing on dozens of vignettes,
personal photographs, and hours of taped interviews from the
popular "Johnny Otis Show," Upside Your Head offers a moving
tribute to the black community that gave birth to L.A.'s rhythm and
blues. His stories celebrate the true roots in black culture of a
distinctive American music while lamenting its eventual
appropriation by the dominant white society.
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