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Album: Double Album – 28 songs!

Artist: The Memphis Jug Band

Year: 1981 (2013 Re-issue)

Label: Yazoo

Tested On: Ortofon 2M Red – Luxman PD-282 – Luxman R-1050 – Dynaco A-25

Every once in a while, life grants us the opportunity to encounter something truly and wholly beautiful. One such occasion occurred a few weeks ago when I paid my first visit to Cheap Thrills Records, and stumbled upon a double LP by the Memphis Jug Band. The album art, illustrated by cartoonist Robert Crumb, immediately caught my eye. Crumb was a pioneer of 1960s underground comics, leading him to be approached to produce album art for the iconic Janis Joplin record Cheap Thrills, not so coincidentally the record store’s moniker.

Though Crumb “immediately regretted” accepting this work for ethical reasons, he has since produced album art for other, more obscure, talent. Robert Crumb’s unmistakable graphics cover the front and back of the Jug Band’s gatefold sleeve, for this reason alone making it worth the purchase. Having said that, this 180-gram pressing of 28 classic jazz, rag and blues numbers would be a must-have regardless of celebrity endorsed packaging.

Side A gets off to a jubilant start with “I’ll See You in the Spring”. It is quite possibly the most charming song I’ve ever had the pleasure to hear: an ode to the more inextinguishable varieties of human connectivity. Other highlights include “Ambulance Man” and “K.C. Moan”, a track which I can’t help but read as a lamentation on the loss of that unimaginable and transcendent vision that comes to few and endures for even fewer. Some noteworthy omissions on this record are the Jug Band classics “Going Back to Memphis” and “In the Jailhouse Now”. These tracks, however, are easily accessible at your local library. Most of these songs are deeply allegorical, allowing the Jug Band to address issues of sex and drugs with impunity, despite the cultural constraints of the late 20s and early 30s. Music this good could well be described as the very distillate of human reality.

As a pressing, this album is simply exquisite. To be sure, the original source material (vintage 78’s provided by collectors) is about as far from high fidelity as one can get, but the raw beauty of these primitive recordings is captured with aplomb. The lovely and spherical monophonic soundstage is so enveloping, I felt like I was crawling around in the grooves of the original source records, tripping on every scratch, and enjoying it all the more for its imperfections. The transfer and mastering of this album excellently work to circumvent and remove the worst bits of surface noise and groove wear from each original. The characteristic history of each track shines through, though, and it becomes evident which discs had a hard life, and which were treated dearly. This, of course, speaks volumes about the high quality of the LP. As a piece of visual art, as a historical document, and most of all as a compendium of charming classic songs, this album is a treasure if ever there was one. Play this on a good stereo and you’ll finally learn what it’s like to stand face-to-face with God.

Hosted by Patricia Petit Liang

Stories by Allison O'Reilly and Patricia Petit Liang

Produced by Patricia Petit Liang

 CJLO is super pleased to announce the Collective E.P launch, July 14th at 8pm at le Cagibi.

The event is the first of a two part series that focuses on celebrating Mental Health through expressive performance! The event will feature an E.P launch of the alternative band called "the collective", with additional performances by other local artists such as Isabelle Michaud, King Juma, and Dimitri.

Tickets are $5, available at the door, and a portion of the proceeds go to Concordia's Centre for the Arts in Human Development.

Further event details on Facebook, HERE

In honour of tomorrow’s Canada 150 celebration, CJLO will be airing documentaries from the National Campus and Community Radio Association’s Resonating Reconciliation, a project that engages community radio to help reconcile all Canadians with the history of Indian Residential Schools. The broadcast will take place today from 11 AM until 5 PM. The full schedule is posted below.

“If you’re a conscious Canadian living in this country, you shouldn’t be supporting Canada 150; you can be proud to be a Canadian and live in this country, but you have to acknowledge the present day plight of indigenous people – as well as the past history – and not just sweep it under the rug.” - Jay Soule

11 AM - Law, Land, Language: Resonating Reconciliation in Secwepemculecw, produced by CFBX in Kamloops, British Columbia

In collaboration with Secwepemc Radio, this radio documentary focuses on the ways that law, land, and language have been impacted by the Indian Residential Schools.

12 PM - Adoption and the ’60s Scoop, produced by CFRC in Kingston, Ontario

This documentary follows the life of its producer and includes interviews with others on how the ‘60s scoop continues to impact families, communities, and individuals.

1 PM - What it means to be Indigenous in Canada today with the ongoing impact of Indian Residential Schools, produced by CJAM in Windsor, Ontario

This is an intimate documentary where the producer Andrea describes herself, her story, and the story of her family, friends and community.

1:30 PM - Why can't the past be the past? Produced by CiTR in Vancouver, British Columbia

This documentary aims to educate the listener (who is most likely not Indigenous) about common misconceptions and about the history of Indian Residential Schools not often taught in schools. This documentary provides a safe place for people to learn and find answers to their questions regarding Indian Residential Schools in an open and accessible way.

2 PM - Forgotten Voices, produced by CKUT in Montreal, Quebec

A collection of stories shared at the TRC event in Montréal, Québec.

2:30 PM - Healing through Art, produced by CKUT in Montreal, Quebec

This documentary highlights the effect art can have as it reflects the reality of Indigenous artists

3 PM - Education and Indian Residential Schools, produced by CJSW in Calgary, Alberta

This documentary focuses on education and its role in Indian Residential Schools, and its continuing impact on Indigenous people and Canadians. It also details how the education Jesse's father received in Indian Residential School has impacted his father's perspective towards education and how this has played a role in Jesse's life and family.

3:30 PM - Understanding Truth and Reconciliation: Exploring Reconciliation, Intergenerational Trauma and Indigenous Resistance, produced by CJSR in Edmonton, Alberta

Part one: Dr. James Daschuk talks about his research on the history of the health of indigenous peoples, particularly the effect of starvation. Dr. Ian Mosby continues the discussion by focusing on how starvation and medical experimentation were utilized at the residential school level to further colonial oppression.

Part two: TRC Commissioner Littlechild recounts his personal experience at a residential school in Ermineskin, Alberta.

Part three: Different perspectives from an aboriginal and settler perspective about reconciliation and what the aboriginal-settler relationship means going into the future.

Part four: How indigenous peoples have resisted and survived over history, and identifies the cultural pillars that continue to ensure indigenous survival.