Interesting to hear James Maycock play and praise Joe Bataan on Charlie’s Saturday night show. Maycock’s right – Bataan was the King of Latin Soul in late-1960s New York and his new album Call My Name (Vampi) , his first in twenty years, is one of the best things I’ve heard this year: it sounds fresh, lively, a singer and band totally engaged.
This is a great change from the norm – the likes of Solomon Burke, Wilson Pickett and co’ tend to end up singing Elvis Costello and Van Morrison songs that don’t suit them and never sound very comfortable on their comeback albums. Bataan sounds like he’s barely blinked.
I was surprised Charlie didn’t appear knowledgable on Batan – his 60s and early 70s sides really cooked, very fresh sounding stuff. As James mentioned, Bataan had been in prison and involved with gangs before he became a recording star and his material always had a very ‘street’ feel to it, loose and raw.
I always thought he must have died as I’d heard nothing of him for so long – I got turned on to him in the ‘80s when a friend in New Zealand discovered a few of his sides during an American sojourn – until Nascenete reissued two of his 60s albums Subway Joe/Gypsy Woman on one CD (definitely worth purchasing if still in print) several years ago - I immediately bought another copy and sent it to the Kiwi friend who was very happy to receive it! And now Vampi, the fine Spanish label devoted to Soul Jazz, have been reissuing his albums along with lots of other great stuff from the same era.
I’ve never found much imfo on Bataan anywhere – I imagine he only had a NY following so never entered the soul reference books. And even though he sings in English I imagine he’s always been grouped with NY Latin artists. Also, soul jazz appears to have been totally overlooked by those who write about music – I remember Robert Christgau writing how he always snobbishly hated it when hearing it in NY in the ‘60s.
Interestingly, he’s of Philippino-African American heritage – I can’t think of another Philippino in popular music. Anyone else got any suggestions?
And anyone else got any imfo on Bataan or thoughts on his music?