James Booker

James Booker - Pianist, Vocalist, Recording Artist (December 17, 1939 - November 8, 1983)

Biography

James Carroll Booker III was born in New Orleans, Louisiana on December 17, 1939, son and grandson of Baptist ministers, both of whom played the piano. He spent most of his childhood on the Mississippi Gulf Coast, where his father pastored a church. It was his sister’s music teacher who taught him piano scales and how to read music. He first played organ in his father's churches. He was known for his musical gifts at an early age, and was considered a piano prodigy, giving classical recitals at age six, and continued classical training until twelve. He was acknowledged to have perfect pitch, instant musical recall, and a photographic memory in sight reading. After returning to New Orleans in his early adolescence he attended the prestigious Xavier Academy Preparatory School. He was playing Frédéric Chopin, Erroll Garner, and Liberace, and could play their solos from memory. He would sneak out and play boogie-woogie, and also learned local music from Tuts Washington, a family friend.

Booker was a diverse player who explored a variety of popular songs, ranging from jazz standards to rock. Rather than playing tunes in their original idioms, he integrated this repertoire into virtuosic style that combined elements of blues, boogie-woogie, gospel, stride, latin, and classical piano. Sometimes his styles were achieved by playing entire chords in steady groups, divided by a lower note in the bassline. Booker was also noted for his abilities on the organ, and examples of his organ playing can be found on the album United Our Thing Will Stand. Booker also had a powerful, wide-ranged singing voice. Professor Longhair and Ray Charles were among his important influences.

His sister took him along to her gospel show on WMRY in New Orleans, and he so impressed the staff at an audition, that he had his own show on Saturday afternoons at age eleven, playing blues and gospel piano. He would remain there for a few years, even putting a band together, "Booker Boy and the Rhythmaires".

By age of fourteen he auditioned for Dave Barthololmew at Imperial Records, where he cut a couple of sides as "Little Booker". Bartholomew recognized his talent for imitating any style, so he hired him as studio pianist to fill in and overdub piano parts, which he did for Fats Domino.

In 1958, Arthur Rubinstein gave a concert in New Orleans. Afterwards, eighteen-year-old Booker was introduced to the concert pianist and played several tunes for him. Rubinstein was astonished, saying "I could never play that... never at that tempo." (The Times-Picayune, 1958)

He would amass quite a long list of credentials in the recording and touring categories with a variety of artists. These would include between the years of 1956 to 1960 sessions and tours with Amos Milburn, Joe Tex, Shirley and Lee, Huey Smith, Dee Clarke, Earl King, Bobby Blue Bland, Junior Parker, and Smiley Lewis. In 1961 he recorded "Gonzo" which became a local hit. Booker was then back on the road and in studios with B.B. King, Little Richard, Lloyd Price, and Wilson Pickett. There is a grey area in the mid-1960's when he did time at Angola State Penitentiary for heroin possesion, then returned to New Orleans to play in the local bars and clubs. He would reemerge again in 1968 doing the piano work on Fat’s Is Back for Fats Domino, and would continue to work and record for the next several years with Freddie King, King Curtis, Aretha Franklin, T Bone Walker, Ringo Starr, Maria and Geoff Muldaur, Labelle, Jerry Garcia, and John Mayall.

James Booker would come into his own by the mid-1970’s and began the recordings for which he is primarily known. He had developed a style which is still difficult to categorize or define; he is recognized for his elaborate embellishments on the simplest of songs, and ability to turn the most tepid of material into a virtuoso masterpiece. He also did his own renditons of classical material. There is his "Booker riff" or "comp" which is most identified with him, which displays his New Orleans roots and the influence of Professor Longhair with the syncopated beat and rhythm which is indigenous to the music of the city. But that would be just his starting point from which he could take off. He had incredible feeling for the music he played, and the piano literally became an extension of the man, when Booker was on, it was nothing short of wizardry. His keyboard dexterity, excellent timing, coupled with a flamboyant expression, is just the beginning.

While in Los Angeles in 1973 he recorded with a group of New Orleans players in what would be called The Lost Paramount Tapes. He was back in New Orleans in 1976, in Sea-Saint Studios for his album, Junco Partner which many consider to be his best solo studio effort. There are a couple of releases that were recorded between 1974 and 1977 such as United Our Thing Will Stand and A Taste of Honey.

Booker went to Europe in 1977, where he had good reputation based on Junco Partner, and was recognized there for his talent. Taking advantage of the situation he recorded several albums in Hamburg, and Zurich. These are King of the New Orleans Keyboard Vol. I & II, The Piano Prince of New Orleans and New Orleans Piano Wizard: Live!, the last of which was recorded at his performance in the "Boogie Woogie and Ragtime Piano Contest" in Zurich, Switzerland in 1977 and won the Grand Prix du Disque for Jazz. He played at the Nice and Montreux Jazz Festivals in 1978. Fourteen years later a recording in Leipzig from this tour would become the last ever record to be produced in the former GDR. It was entitled Let's Make A Better World!.

Between the years of 1977 and 1982 he was the house pianist at the Maple Leaf Bar in the Carrollton neighborhood of uptown New Orleans, and John Parsons recorded Booker for posterity. These recordings were released as Spider on the Keys and Resurrection of the Bayou Maharajah.

By the end of 1982, he recorded Classified, which the producer, Scott Billington, states was recorded in four hours. This would be his last recording,

James Booker died in New Orleans, on November 8, 1983, at Charity Hospital, where he was born. His death was widely mourned by music lovers.

Harry Connick Jr., a student and close friend of Booker, is probably his most renowned disciple. Connick, Henry Butler, and Dr. John, among others, have recorded songs with titles and musical styles referencing Booker.

Transcriptions by Joshua Paxton of Booker's playing are available in "The James Booker Collection" and "New Orleans Piano Legends", both published by The Hal Leonard Corporation.

In 2003 there was released a compilation of his songs performed by various pianists on Patchwork: A Tribute to James Booker.

The latest Booker album, released in June of 2007, is Manchester '77, which consists of a live performance recorded at The Lake Hotel, Belle Vue, Manchester in October of 1977.

(Portions of biography adapted from AllAboutJazz, http://www.allaboutjazz.com/php/musician.php?id=5177)

Discography

(Title, Release Date: Record Label)

Junco Partner, 1976: Island, 1993: Hannibal (re-issue)
The Piano Prince Of New Orleans, 1976: Aves
Blues & Ragtime From New Orleans, 1976: Aves
New Orleans Piano Wizard: Live!, 1977: Gold, 1983: Rounder (re-issue)
Classified, 1982: Demon, 1993: Rounder (re-issue)
King of New Orleans Keyboard Vol. I & II, 1984-1985: JSP, 2005: JSP (re-issue)
Mr. Mystery, 1984: Sundown
Let's Make A Better World!, 1991: Amiga
Resurrection Of The Bayou Maharajah, 1993: Rounder
Spiders On The Keys, 1993: Rounder
The Lost Paramount Tapes, 1995: DJM
More Than All The 45's, 1996: Night Train International
New Orleans Keyboard King, 1996: Orbis
Live At Montreux, 1997: Montreux Sounds
United Our Thing Will Stand, 2000: Night Train International
A Taste Of Honey, 2000: Night Train International
Manchester '77, 2007: Document

(Albums listed are with James Booker as main artist. For a complete discography which includes Booker's other album credits, see "External Links".)

Quotes

"I'm better than all of 'em."

"Music is a mysterious art... and people that's really good at it... they get a little taste of the mysterious... sometimes mysticism, too. In fact, all of the time they have mystical, mysterious attributes, but it's whether or not they're aware of it that's important."

- James Booker

External links