James Brown

drummer on I've Got Money is out of this world
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aLUmCV6I-HA

Hell yeah. I'm not familiar enough of his pre-Clyde recordings, aside from the big ones.

Wiki says re “I’ve Got Money”

Biographer R.J. Smith describes "I've Got Money" as "one of the less-known great records of Brown's career":

It's a song whose time has yet to arrive, and it's barely a song. It's like a blueprint of some uncanny object. It's an assemblage of parts: a scimitar guitar chord coming down on the One, a show band horn chorus quoting Judy Garland's "The Trolley Song," and [Clayton Fillyau's] stampeding drums. The parts are arranged in a line, one beside the next - an incomprehensible rebus.[2]
Both Smith and Allmusic's Richie Unterberger point to the song as a stylistic precursor to Brown's later funk recordings.[3]

Great song . Need to read up on drummer Clayton Fillyau

I hear an HBO doc is in the making

hope it features lots of live footage, this is blowing my mind:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hRubq5D-3kM
The Payback - James Brown - Live - Zaire 1974

An A & E doc debuts tonight Monday with 2 episodes and 2 more episodes on Tuesday. Nelson George wrote about it on his Substack, and I saw the below also

https://www.wjbf.com/news/an-ae-documentary-on-james-brown-tells-of-a-black-man-and-musician-in-america/

Episodes 1 & 2 were interesting. They addressed Brown’s issues as well as his musical genius. Alan Leeds, various professors, musicians, Brown’s children all interviewed.

I would very much like to see this, although it looks like it will be tricky without a cable/tv provider

Some friends of mine made the same complaint. Crazy me is throwing away money at my cable provider so I am lucky enough to be able to watch it .

The first episode is streaming on the A&E website; maybe they'll put the second one up soon.

That’s good. I have watched first 2 , and dvr’d 3rd and 4.th

https://www.aetv.com/shows/james-brown-say-it-loud

I watched first ep last night on my phone through cable provider. Hopefully will watch rest soon. Ads are slightly annoying though.

Yeah they said they're only unlocking ep1, I'll check it out though. Tbh I'm only really interested in watching through the '70s peak.

Some of the live music clips feel a bit short.

I'm sure it will just frustrate me that the full footage presumably exists but is not available :(

And I am a fan of LL Cool J, and I get having he and Chuck D represent for rap, but sometimes he just offers enthusiasm in his interview clips in this more than knowledge. Sometimes this works as a counterpoint to more staid professors who are interviewed, but sometimes it does not.

I wonder if Brown's family who are involved in the making of this, didn't like RJ Smith's book. He is not in the portions of doc I have watched. Alan Leeds and an older white reporter from Georgia whose name I don't recall are interviewed in this a fair amount. Mick Jagger a bit . Christian Mcbride seems to be the current jazz rep in this.

Questlove is in it too

Isn't Questlove one of the producers? I thought I remember him mentioning on his podcast that he & Black Thought were some of the main movers behind this.

Christian McBride makes sense as he's Questlove's school days buddy and a certified JB obsessive.

Executive Producers Mick Jagger and Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson iirc.

McBride was actually in Brown's band at one point (or at least backed him at a single concert; I forget the story).

I think it was one concert, he tells the story of being in Brown's orbit here (1:11):

https://app.podscribe.ai/episode/83381179