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It was with great regret that we learned of the sudden death of Donald ‘Duck’ Dunn, bass player extraordinaire, at the tragically early age of 70. He was the very archetype of the solid, deep-in-the-groove bass players, always on the button with the rhythm and punching on the accents perfectly. In Booker T and The MGs he meshed with Al Jackson’s sparse drum patterns, forming the bridge to Steve Cropper’s chopping guitar phrasing and allowing Booker T Jones Hammond to float on top, together making up the most perfect instrumental group ever to have laid down a groove - and what a groove. 

At long last! John Broven, a consultant with Ace Records between 1991 and 2006 with many of his CD compilations still in catalogue, has updated and revised his history of New Orleans R&B, originally titled Walking to New Orleans and now known as Rhythm and Blues in New Orleans. He discussed the major changes in the introduction to the new edition, published by Pelican Publishing Co. of Gretna, Louisiana:

Ace’s Alec Palao remembers Dan Hicks, former Charlatan and leader of the Hot Licks, who died on 6 February 2016 of cancer.

It’s hard for me to offer the standard obituary for Dan Hicks. He really was a one-off, and I am truly honoured that I had the opportunity to work with him on more than one occasion. It’s also hard to categorize his style of music, although one oft-used description was folk-jazz, or as Dan would joke, “fo-jazz.” Western swing, bluegrass, ragtime and the blues all fit in there somewhere too, but it’s Hicks’ lyrical persona, the drily witty erudite raconteur with a keen eye for observation, that elevates him to the ranks of the truly inspired. ‘Canned Music,’ ‘I Scare Myself,’ ‘How Can I Miss You When You Won’t Go Away,’ ‘Capo On My Brain,’ ‘Euphonious Whale,’ and so many others: his legacy is a finely-honed, devastatingly-humoured cache of brilliance.

The legendary Art Laboe, beloved Los Angeles deejay and founder of Original Sound Records, passed away last Friday at the age of 97. Alec Palao remembers a fascinating figure, and one of the true architects of the reissue business.

Jan Savage, founder member of 1960s garage rock avatars the Seeds died in Oklahoma on 5 August. Alec Palao pays tribute and points out the importance of this iconic guitar slinger.