Today I played a Black History Month show at BAX, the Brooklyn Arts Exchange, as part of the Jumpin' Juniper series. My band was a great group of folks I'd never played with before: Ari Brand (guitar, vocals), Katie Mullins (baritone ukulele, mbira, vocals), and Ivan Katz (djembe, hand percussion). We did a mix of traditional tunes and original stuff related to Black History Month. For the second half of the show we invited kids and parents to play along with us. Thanks for bringing your ukes and your shakers and your guitars and your kazoos! Next time we want more parents to play along too.
Here's what we played and who played it:
Zora (just Lloyd)
About Zora Neale Hurston, on the Many Hands benefit album for Haiti
I've Been Working on the Railroad (Lloyd)
Just cos my sing-a-long crowd likes it so much...
St. Bessie Blues (Lloyd & Katie)
A variation on "St. Louis Blues" I wrote with some fourth graders a few years back. This take on the tune celebrates Bessie Smith and features some great kid-written raps.
Up Above My Head (Katie, Ari, Ivan, Lloyd)
Katie's take on an infectious African-American spiritual. http://www.musicwithmisskatie.com/
This Little Light of Mine (Lloyd, Katie, Ari, Ivan)
Banana Boat Song (Ivan, Ari, Katie, Lloyd)
One of Ivan's favorite tunes to do at his drum-a-longs.
Walk-a-Long John (Katie, Ari, Ivan, Lloyd)
Katie's variation on an old tune. She leads the tune on her mbira (pronounced, "imbira"), an instrument from Zimbabwe.
When the Saints Go Marching In (Lloyd, Katie, Ari, Ivan)
Even though Mardi Gras just passed. I'm always looking for songs people will actually sing along with and this is one of the few nearly everyone will.
Cool Papa Bell (Lloyd, Katie, Ari, Ivan, crowd)
About the Negro League star. On Strange Dees, Indeed.
Henry Box Brown (Lloyd, Katie, Ari, Ivan, crowd)
One of the most popular Dees tunes. On Freedom in a Box.
Sojourner Truth (Lloyd, Katie, Ari, Ivan, crowd)
Written as part of a musical about Northampton, MA, a few years ago. On Strange Dees, Indeed.
John Henry (Lloyd, Katie, Ari, Ivan, crowd)
A bluegrassy take on a trad tune I like to do in my classes.
Tub-Tub-Ma-Ma-Ga-Ga (Lloyd, Katie, Ari, Ivan, crowd)
Tub = Harriet Tubman, Ma = Martin Luther King, Ga = Gandhi, on American History + Rock-n-Roll = The Deedle Deedle Dees
Sunday, February 26, 2012
Monday, February 20, 2012
Some baseball books in honor of PITCHERS & CATCHERS
Browsing in a Vermont bookstore where my good friend works, I put together a list of some baseball books in honor of "Pitchers and Catchers," the much anticipated (amongst serious fans) first day of spring training when (you guessed it) pitchers and catchers are required to report.
Like my Black History Month list I've tried to include some picks for reluctant readers. I've also tried to mix a variety of genres: bios, YA, philosophy (it's a deep game), picture books, and, possibly the most read by kids obsessed with the game, encyclopedias.
Henry Aaron's Dream by Matt Tavares
A solid, fact-filled picture bio of the icon. A bit too inspirational in tone for my taste, but still worth getting for nice artwork and thorough research.
The Kid Who Only Hit Homers by Matt Christopher
Christopher's sports-based chapter books won't go away and there's a reason why: sports-loving kids always read them. Try this one with your athletic kid who thinks he or she doesn't like reading.
The Eastern Stars: How Baseball Changed the Dominican Town of San Pedro de Macoris by Mark Kurlansky
Kurlansky is best known for his books for adults and kids centered on things we eat (Salt, Cod...) that use the thing mentioned in the title as a jumping-off point for books that defy categorization as they whip effortlessly from social history to geography to science to personal essay. His book, The Big Oyster, was my favorite of those I consulted as I was writing a cycle of songs about the history of oysters in the New York Harbor and the efforts of a current group to re-introduce them to the infamously toxic Gowanus Canal.
This book isn't a food book but I expect it retains Kurlansky's trademark mix of sweeping narrative and incredible attention to detail (I haven't read it -- it's in my queue).
The Baseball Counting Book by Barbara Barbieri McGrath and Brian Shaw
Cute book for toddlers and new counters.
Baseball Americana: Treasures from the Library of Congress by Harry Katz, Frank Ceresi, and Phil Michel
A baseball dork's paradise of miscellania.
Cam Jansen and the Mystery of the Babe Ruth Baseball by David A. Adler and Susanna Atti
Another well-done chapter book series. Nothing thrilling, just a decent sports-based narrative for readers just starting their careers in the library.
The Way of Baseball by Shawn Green
Been wanting to read this, a book that's been compared to Phil Jackson's Sacred Hoops (I have to admit I kind of liked that book). It's most interesting to me, though, because I've always liked Green. He was a Met, he had decent stats, and he notably missed games during a playoff race in order to observe Yom Kippur. Plus, he always seemed like a cool guy (from my expert perch at the sports bar).
Campy: The Two Lives of Roy Campanella by Neil Lanctot
One of the greatest Brooklyn Dodgers, possibly the greatest. Amazing off-the-field story.
H is for Home Run: A Baseball Alphabet by Brad Herzog and Melanie Rose
Hey, why not?
The Baseball Encyclopedia: The Complete and Definitive Record of Major League Baseball by MacMillan
MacMillan being the publisher not an author. This was the original super encyclopedia (the first really important one), one that many others copied and referenced. Ever taught elementary school kids? You've surely been ignored while kids read books like this one under their desk or in the corner during periods when they were supposed to be doing something else. I think the current era of sabermetrics and Moneyball owes much to the generation that grew up reading this book and all its many imitators.
and lastly...
We Are the Ship: The Story of Negro League Baseball by Kadir Nelson (who did the pictures in Henry's Freedom Box) is one of several Negro League books I'm constantly recommending on this blog (see, for example, my entry on "Cool Papa Bell" for some more suggestions). This one is an exceptional one for kids and features Nelson's comic-book-heroic illustrations.
Yes, I know there are many more great baseball books. I just picked a few I love or want to read soon. What are your favorites?
Lloyd
Thursday, February 16, 2012
Play-along chords for Feb. 26 Black History show at BAX
On Feb. 26th I'm doing a Black History Month show at Brooklyn Arts Exchange (BAX) in Park Slope. I'm inviting parents and kids to bring their instruments and join us on some Dees favorites. Here are the basic chords to four songs. I haven't put all the words because the chords just keep repeating in a pretty much the same cycle for the whole tune.
For more advanced players, we'll have the chords to some jazz tunes on hand day of show.
Get practicing! These are the same chords we use on the albums and in our YouTube videos so you should be able to play along easily.
Here's info on the show: http://bax.org/performances-events/family-events/lloyd-miller/
Lloyd
All these songs are copyrighted.
words & music by Lloyd Miller
Tub-Tub-Ma-Ma-Ga-Ga
G C G
If you get tired, do the Tub-Tub-Tubman
D G
If you get mad, do the Martin Luther King
C G
If you're feeling greedy, give it away like Gandhi
D
Hum, hum, if you're too tired to sing
Sojourner Truth
G B7 Em
Sojourner Truth traveled up the mountain
C D
the moon was right behind her
G B7 Em
she looked down the mountain
C D
at those who tried to stop her
C
The moon looked like a light
D
and shined on Sojourner Truth
C
Where she's going
D
you're invited too
Henry Box Brown
Bm
Henry Box Brown put himself in a box
F#7
mailed himself to freedom in the North
Henry Box Brown… this side up!
Philadelphia-bound
Bm
He tried to get to freedom in a box
Em! Em! Em!
Bm
They sold his wife and kids away
Em! Em! Em!
Bm
that's when he started planning his escape
Em! Em! Em!
F#7
twas in the town of Richmond, VA
where a sympathetic tobacconist
helped Henry Box Brown escape
Bm
to the abolitionists
Cool Papa Bell
E
Cool Papa
C
Cool cool Papa
A7
Cool Papa
D
Cool Papa Bell
Same for rest of verse...
CHORUS
G
Cheetah cheetah
C
When your feetah
Am
Go round and round
D
Go round and round
G
Cheetah cheetah
C
When your feetah
Am
Go round and round
D7
Go round and round
Black History Month reading list
This blog always has lots of suggestions for kid and grown-up books related to black history (see the sidebar at right, for example) so for this list I'm going to try to focus on stuff I haven't mentioned before. I've also tried to include a number of books for reluctant readers.
100 Best African-American Poems
edited by Nikki Giovanni
This is a great starting point for a kid or grown-up to explore the poetry of black Americans. As always, Ms. Giovanni's commentary is funny, biting, and hits painfully close to home.
Poetry for Young People: Langston Hughes
Hughes is one of my favorite poets of all time and the "Poetry for Young People" series has selected a nice cross section of his work here.
Charlie Parker Played Be Bop
by Christopher Raschka
Just fun. I read this book to kids all the time.
Skit-Scat Raggedy Cat: Ella Fitzgerald
by Roxane Orgill
A nice kid biography of the jazz legend.
Duke Ellington: The Piano Prince and His Orchestra by Andrea Pinkney
Ditto.
Down These Mean Streets by Piri Thomas
I used to teach 10th grade English at a public school in Brooklyn. This was one of the few books nearly every kid was desperate to read. The first time I read it I found it a bit preachy but my opinion changed after discussing it with lots of kids, many of whom saw themselves in the book's protagonist. Mr. Thomas died this past year -- it's a good time to read -- or teach -- his book if you never have.
Panther Baby by Jamal Joseph
Jamal was my thesis advisor in film school. He was a Black Panther and spent a long time in prison in connection with his political activities. I used to spend a lot of time with Jamal and he always had an endless supply of stories -- I'm so excited some of his most thrilling and important tales are in print so more people can experience them.
Poems on Various Subjects, Religious and Moral by Phillis Wheatley
A slave, Ms. Wheatley was taught to read by her owners and became one of the first known black poets in colonial America.
The Coldest Winter Ever - Sister Souljah
This book is awesome, actually. I decided to read it because my high school students were constantly asking for it (I used my teacher money to buy copies that the students would check out and never return) but then found myself unable to stop reading it even though, at the time, I was in Mexico City on vacation with a long list of murals and museums I wanted to visit. I still managed to see lots of art but I also spent hours and hours in a bar / cafe finishing this very well-plotted book. I read it soon after The House of Mirth by Edith Wharton and found many thematic elements in common between the two books.
Kindred - Octavia E. Butler
Yeah, man, sci fi. I'm not that into it but a lot of kids (and adults) are. I used to give her books to kids -- and ex-cons in my GED classes -- who were only interested in alien and horror movies and most of them would get hooked fast.
Makes Me Wanna Holler: A Young Black Man in America by Nathan McCall
From the streets to the offices of the Washington Post... an inspiring book for kids thinking about a career in journalism. I read it while taking journalism classes at Florida A&M University (Go Rattlers!)
Bessie
by Chris Albertson
Bessie Smith bio. All you need to know.
Push by Sapphire
Yes, they based the movie Precious on this. Another book I read because students I was working with were really into it. Initially I found it sensational and it kind of creeped me out (you know the plot, right? it's rough stuff). But, like a couple of other books on this list, my opinion changed after discussing with kids who found the story very powerful and used it as a way to begin a lot of heavy classroom discussions. It's short, give it a try.
Rosa Parks: Not Giving In (The Time Traveler’s Adventure) by James Collins
Unique picture book take on the familiar story featuring some time-traveling kids.
Michelle Obama: Meet the First Lady by David Bergen Brophy
If you look this book up and see the cover (a glossy photograph of Ms. O) you might be like "This is one of those cheesy grocery store books!" Yeah, it sort of is. Actually this one is a little better than your average newsstand bio but it's still in that basic genre. Still, I've met many kids who love these things and that some kids who wouldn't read anything else were willing to read them.
Got your own suggestions? Please send...
thedeedledeedledees AT yahoo DOT com
Lloyd
100 Best African-American Poems
edited by Nikki Giovanni
This is a great starting point for a kid or grown-up to explore the poetry of black Americans. As always, Ms. Giovanni's commentary is funny, biting, and hits painfully close to home.
Poetry for Young People: Langston Hughes
Hughes is one of my favorite poets of all time and the "Poetry for Young People" series has selected a nice cross section of his work here.
Charlie Parker Played Be Bop
by Christopher Raschka
Just fun. I read this book to kids all the time.
Skit-Scat Raggedy Cat: Ella Fitzgerald
by Roxane Orgill
A nice kid biography of the jazz legend.
Duke Ellington: The Piano Prince and His Orchestra by Andrea Pinkney
Ditto.
Down These Mean Streets by Piri Thomas
I used to teach 10th grade English at a public school in Brooklyn. This was one of the few books nearly every kid was desperate to read. The first time I read it I found it a bit preachy but my opinion changed after discussing it with lots of kids, many of whom saw themselves in the book's protagonist. Mr. Thomas died this past year -- it's a good time to read -- or teach -- his book if you never have.
Panther Baby by Jamal Joseph
Jamal was my thesis advisor in film school. He was a Black Panther and spent a long time in prison in connection with his political activities. I used to spend a lot of time with Jamal and he always had an endless supply of stories -- I'm so excited some of his most thrilling and important tales are in print so more people can experience them.
Poems on Various Subjects, Religious and Moral by Phillis Wheatley
A slave, Ms. Wheatley was taught to read by her owners and became one of the first known black poets in colonial America.
The Coldest Winter Ever - Sister Souljah
This book is awesome, actually. I decided to read it because my high school students were constantly asking for it (I used my teacher money to buy copies that the students would check out and never return) but then found myself unable to stop reading it even though, at the time, I was in Mexico City on vacation with a long list of murals and museums I wanted to visit. I still managed to see lots of art but I also spent hours and hours in a bar / cafe finishing this very well-plotted book. I read it soon after The House of Mirth by Edith Wharton and found many thematic elements in common between the two books.
Kindred - Octavia E. Butler
Yeah, man, sci fi. I'm not that into it but a lot of kids (and adults) are. I used to give her books to kids -- and ex-cons in my GED classes -- who were only interested in alien and horror movies and most of them would get hooked fast.
Makes Me Wanna Holler: A Young Black Man in America by Nathan McCall
From the streets to the offices of the Washington Post... an inspiring book for kids thinking about a career in journalism. I read it while taking journalism classes at Florida A&M University (Go Rattlers!)
Bessie
by Chris Albertson
Bessie Smith bio. All you need to know.
Push by Sapphire
Yes, they based the movie Precious on this. Another book I read because students I was working with were really into it. Initially I found it sensational and it kind of creeped me out (you know the plot, right? it's rough stuff). But, like a couple of other books on this list, my opinion changed after discussing with kids who found the story very powerful and used it as a way to begin a lot of heavy classroom discussions. It's short, give it a try.
Rosa Parks: Not Giving In (The Time Traveler’s Adventure) by James Collins
Unique picture book take on the familiar story featuring some time-traveling kids.
Michelle Obama: Meet the First Lady by David Bergen Brophy
If you look this book up and see the cover (a glossy photograph of Ms. O) you might be like "This is one of those cheesy grocery store books!" Yeah, it sort of is. Actually this one is a little better than your average newsstand bio but it's still in that basic genre. Still, I've met many kids who love these things and that some kids who wouldn't read anything else were willing to read them.
Got your own suggestions? Please send...
thedeedledeedledees AT yahoo DOT com
Lloyd
Friday, February 10, 2012
A song written by all of us
Ok, let's try this. Watch the video of this simple sing-a-long song I wrote (ignore that really wrong chord I hit at one point). Read the lyrics below. Replace words with things you like. You could, for example, remove the word "hairballs" and put "werewolves" in its place (I tried to make replacement word rhyme with the one it was replacing. Can you do the same? Or change all the words in the verse so they work together?)
Send your ideas to me at thedeedledeedledees AT yahoo DOT com.
Our composition might end up on an album (I'm considering a real studio sing-a-long record. But it's very much in the planning-the-planning stage). At the very least I'll put a new version on YouTube featuring my favorites of the suggestions I receive. So far "vampire squid" (suggested by a kid at my Friday sing-a-long in Lefferts Gardens, Brooklyn) is my top candidate for inclusion.
Lloyd
Sing-a-long Song
words & music by Lloyd Miller (c) (p) 2011
Sing-a-long, baby Sing-a-long, mom
Sing-a-long, popsicles Sing-a-long, hairballs
Sing-a-long, baby Sing-a-long, mom
Sing-a-long, popsicles Sing-a-long, hairballs
Sing-a-long, floorboards Sing-a-long, walls
sing-along, windows it's a sing-a-long song
Sing-a-long, horses Sing-a-long, goose
Sing-a-long, wildebeest Sing-a-long, moose
Sing-a-long, feet and shoes!
it's a sing-a-long song everybody sing along
Sing-a-long, ninjas Sing-a-long, police
Sing-a-long, princesses Sing-a-long, peas
Sing-a-long, knights Sing-a-long, daisies
I'll sing-a-long with you if you sing-a-long with me
Sing-a-long, dragons Sing-a-long, teeth
Sing-a-long, overpass Sing-a-long underneath
Sing-a-long, potholes in the street
Sing-a-long, donuts Sing-a-long, dads
Sing-a-long, dogs Sing-a-long, doo-rags
Sing-a-long happy Sing-a-long sad
Sing-a-long in the mud and then later in the bath
Sing-a-long, train tracks and car alarms
sing it in the city so they can hear it on the farm
Sing-a-long, eggplant parm
Friday, February 3, 2012
Underground Railroad Quiz (Listen to the Hilltown Families podcast before you take it)
Our friends at the Hilltown Family Variety Show put together a special program all about the Underground Railroad. Our songs "Underground Railroad" and "Henry Box Brown" are on it. So are great versions of traditional songs by Taj Mahal and Bill Harley, a story read by Morgan Freeman and much more. Listen to it right now: http://hilltownfamilies.wordpress.com/2010/01/25/hfvs-33/
And listen carefully. That's the only way you'll pass the quiz we made up related to the show. The quiz is for 4th grade and up (or advanced readers of any age) and may require some extra research in addition to listening to the Hilltown podcast. But it's worth doing because everyone who at least tries every question will get a free copy of the Deedle Deedle Dees CD of their choice. Yeah. We're not messing around.
Try to avoid using Wikipedia. Searching songbooks, history books, Bibles, and other tomes you hopefully have on your family's shelves -- or in your local library -- will be a much more enjoyable way to find the information you don't know already.
Send your completed quizzes to Lloyd (AKA me, Ulysses S. Dee): thedeedledeedledees AT yahoo DOT com. Or post your answers on a blog or Facebook page or public Google doc and send us the link.
You have one week. Completed quizzes must be received by 11:59pm Eastern time Friday, Feb. 10th in order to eligible for a prize.
1. In our song "Underground Railroad," what is the secret password needed to board? It's actually three words.
2. Name three cities or towns that were part of the Underground Railroad -- and that we mention in our song about it.
3. What is the "drinking gourd" described in the story read by Morgan Freeman and sung about by Taj Mahal?
4. In the traditional song "Wade In the Water," (Bill Harley's version can be heard on the podcast) who, as the lyrics ask, are "these children all dressed in red" and "that young girl dressed in white"? There isn't one right answer -- tell us what you've read and what you think. (Hint: Many spirituals and Underground Railroad songs contained coded lyrics and secret messages)
5. Henry "Box" Brown mailed himself to freedom in a box. In which city did he finally climb out of his box a free man?
6. A state and a musical instrument are mentioned in "Nelly Grey" (Phil Rosenthal sings the version you hear on the podcast). Which state? Which instrument?
7. Why was "Nelly Grey" written? (Another question without one answer. We want your opinions as well as the results of your research)
8. "Swing Low, Sweet Chariot" (Leadbelly and a choir close out the podcast with their version) describes a trip to heaven -- or to freedom -- in a real or metaphorical chariot. Which prophet left life on this Earth in a chariot according to the Old Testament?
And listen carefully. That's the only way you'll pass the quiz we made up related to the show. The quiz is for 4th grade and up (or advanced readers of any age) and may require some extra research in addition to listening to the Hilltown podcast. But it's worth doing because everyone who at least tries every question will get a free copy of the Deedle Deedle Dees CD of their choice. Yeah. We're not messing around.
Try to avoid using Wikipedia. Searching songbooks, history books, Bibles, and other tomes you hopefully have on your family's shelves -- or in your local library -- will be a much more enjoyable way to find the information you don't know already.
Send your completed quizzes to Lloyd (AKA me, Ulysses S. Dee): thedeedledeedledees AT yahoo DOT com. Or post your answers on a blog or Facebook page or public Google doc and send us the link.
You have one week. Completed quizzes must be received by 11:59pm Eastern time Friday, Feb. 10th in order to eligible for a prize.
1. In our song "Underground Railroad," what is the secret password needed to board? It's actually three words.
2. Name three cities or towns that were part of the Underground Railroad -- and that we mention in our song about it.
3. What is the "drinking gourd" described in the story read by Morgan Freeman and sung about by Taj Mahal?
4. In the traditional song "Wade In the Water," (Bill Harley's version can be heard on the podcast) who, as the lyrics ask, are "these children all dressed in red" and "that young girl dressed in white"? There isn't one right answer -- tell us what you've read and what you think. (Hint: Many spirituals and Underground Railroad songs contained coded lyrics and secret messages)
5. Henry "Box" Brown mailed himself to freedom in a box. In which city did he finally climb out of his box a free man?
6. A state and a musical instrument are mentioned in "Nelly Grey" (Phil Rosenthal sings the version you hear on the podcast). Which state? Which instrument?
7. Why was "Nelly Grey" written? (Another question without one answer. We want your opinions as well as the results of your research)
8. "Swing Low, Sweet Chariot" (Leadbelly and a choir close out the podcast with their version) describes a trip to heaven -- or to freedom -- in a real or metaphorical chariot. Which prophet left life on this Earth in a chariot according to the Old Testament?
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