Michael Fremer

Street playing string bands played some of the best music I heard at this year's SXSW conference in Austin, Texas. The Carolina Chocolate Drops out of Durham, North Carolina are one of the few African-American string bands plying the trade today. The trio plays fiddle, banjo, guitar, harmonica, bones (yes, bones) and other traditional instruments on this 10"  four tune EP. The group had a Grammy Award® winning album for "best traditional folk album" with their 2010 CD release "Genuine Negro Jig" also on Nonesuch.

Back in the late 1950’s, veteran alto sax player, bandleader and arranger Benny Carter, who died at 95 back in July of 2003, spent much of his time arranging for television shows, among them Lee Marvin’s Chicago-based cop show “M-Squad”. Why no label has reissued 1959’s The Music From M Squad (RCA Living Stereo LSP-2062) remains a mystery to me. It’s got great big band “crime” music, much of which was arranged by Carter and written by him, session conductor Stanley Wilson, Count Basie and “Johnny Williams” (thatJohn Williams). Recorded by the great Al Schmitt at RCA Victor Music Center of The World, LA, it also sounds pretty damn good!