Nap Turner's Homage To Langston Hughes

The late Nap Turner, was a Washington DC institution. A musician, actor, community activist, Nap’s hosted jazz and blues radio programs for several decades on WPFW (with his mantra of “Don’t Forget the Blues”) as well as performed blues showing a considerable Percy Mayfield influence. A regular feature of his radio programs would have him read the Simple stories of the great Langston Hughes. In 1996, Nap and jazz vocalist Ronnie Wells, produced a cassette of him reading several of the Simple stories backed by a quartet of Turner on bass, Charlie Hampton on piano, Sonny Forriest (the one-time Ray Charles guitarist) and Lenny Robinson on drums. This was issued on a cassette Hughes’ Views of the Blues, that was sold at Nap’s gigs but long unavailable.


Subsequently Wayne Kahn recorded Nap part of his documentation of the DC area music scene and issued a selection by Nap on the essential anthology, The Blues You Hat to Lose Volume 1, which launched his Right on Rhythm label. Subsequently Wayne issued two well received CDs of Nap Turner, one of which included two more of the Simple stories. They discussed issuing all of the Hughes material Nap had done, but Nap passed away too before they could realize this dream.


With Nap’s beloved wife Gloria working with Wayne, Right on Rhythm has just issued Nap Turner Presents Hughes Views of the Blues, bringing together the seven stories presented on the cassette, the two stories on an earlier cd and Naps introduction and two more stories from a performance at a now closed DC club, Smokeless. There is a richness to Turner’s baritone and carefully paced delivery of these timeless stories. Hughes wrote about the folk of everyday lives in the African-American community and these stories rang so true to them and there is so much about their shared experiences here, which undoubtedly is what attracted Turner to them, yet their is plenty of humor and commonsense and love that the characters have for each other that should be readily understandable to most. It is marvelous to have this available.


While a live recording of Nap singing the blues is available at the store at www.rightonrhythm.com, this is not listed on that website but is available from cdbaby.com. I likely received a review copy from Right on Rhythm. This review appeared originally in the April 2006 D.C. Blues Calendar. Nap died in 2004 and I was privileged to have known him. He was an advocate for jazz and blues as well as an accomplished singer and radio personality. I bring this CD to your attention if by chance you are not aware of it.

WAMMIES - the Same Old S**t

Arguably the premiere jazz vocalist in the Washington DC area, Sharon Clark was not even nominated in the Jazz Vocalist category for the 2010 WAMMIES.

I have been increasingly disenchanted with the WAMMIES, which are supposed to recognize the best in the Washington DC area music scene.  This year's awards are no exceptions.  Steve Kiviat, who like me has found these awards flawed presented his usual take on the Wammies in his Washington City Paper blog.
http://www.washingtoncitypaper.com/blogs/artsdesk/music/2011/02/22/same-ol-same-ol-at-25th-wammies-awards/

Steve observes that “With the long-troubled Wammies, the artists who do not win or even get nominated are as important as those who do. WAMA leaders have said they sometimes consult "experts" to fill out the nominations slots, and in recent years they have, indeed, reached out to Washington City Paper writers (including me). But they've then largely ignored those suggestions.”

To illustrate Steve’s point I note that neither Bobby Parker (for blues) nor Sharon Clark (for Jazz vocalists) were even nominated. I could easily provide other names Steve also mentions categories of music and musicians that are ignored by the Wammie nomination process. Steve observes “While those artists have received media and public attention here and elsewhere, the dues-paying, voting members of WAMA are apparently not interested or aware of them.”

I might suggest that some of the nominations and results reflects folks voting for friends as opposed to having familiarity with a category of music and voting for folks who might deserve their vote. WAMA members solicit nominations and votes from other members and the results reflect that. It might be suggested that WAMA consider changing voting procedures so folks actually know something about categories that they vote in and the nominees in that category. Maybe limit categories any one person can vote in.

I also share Steve’s observation that the WAMA Board has again passed on honoring some of the old school soul and blues legends while giving themselves an old boys club, self-congratulatory special citation. Maybe someone from WAMA can explain, why none of these following are in the WAMA Hall of Fame: Bobby Parker, Sonny Warner, Lloyd Price, Bill Boskent, Ronnie Wells, and Little Royal are not in the WAMA Hall of Fame. Francis Scott Key, who is not from DC, is.

I really wish I could actually say something positive about the Wammies and WAMA but they make it really difficult to. Maybe when those running WAMA realize that Evans Grille in Forestville was at least as important as the Alexandria Roller Rink, you will show you get it and make yourself relevant to a portion of the great Washington area who view you as any but relevant.

Since I wrote the above, I realize I omitted Will Marion Cook from the list of folks who WAMA has yet to properly honor.  Do yourselves a favor and do a Wikipedia search on this amazing person.