Wavy Gravy
I was looking through my collection of old CDs last night and saw a track on Kenny Burrell’s classic album Midnight Blue with the title Wavy Gravy. I hadn’t noticed the name before, but thought it might do as a theme tune for my Cardiff colleagues who work on gravy waves gravitational waves…
Anyway, the album was recorded at the Van Gelder Studio, Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey on April 06-07, 1963, and originally released on Blue Note (4123). The complete personnel listing is: Kenny Burrell (guitar); Stanley Turrentine (tenor saxophone); Major Holley, Jr. (bass); Bill English (drums); Ray Barretto (congas).
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July 31, 2012 at 2:04 pm
Wavy Gravy
July 31, 2012 at 2:09 pm
Interesting that this fellow acquired his name in 1969, 6 years after the Kenny Burrell track was recorded…
July 31, 2012 at 2:10 pm
You beat me to it! From the link:
Origin of name Wavy Gravy
At the 1969 Texas International Pop Festival Romney was lying onstage, exhausted after spending hours trying to get festival-goers to put their clothes back on,[1] when it was announced that B.B. King was going to play. Romney began to get up; a hand appeared on his shoulder. It was B.B. King, who asked, “Are you wavy gravy?” to which Romney replied “Yes.” “It’s OK; I can work around you,” [17] said B.B. King, and he and Johnny Winter proceeded to jam for hours after that. Romney said he considered this a mystical event, and assumed Wavy Gravy as his legal name.[4]”
What was that about the universe not only being queerer than we suppose, but queerer than we can suppose? 🙂
The name Romney isn’t that common. Is he perhaps related to the presidential candidate? (Not that it matters, of course.)
July 31, 2012 at 2:19 pm
It doesn’t account for the title of this track, though, as it was recorded six years before this event…
July 31, 2012 at 2:32 pm
Maybe B.B. King was referencing the track, or the expression (which was apparently known to both King and Romney) has a common origin with the name of the track.
July 31, 2012 at 3:05 pm
Perhaps they both worked on gravitational waves?
July 31, 2012 at 3:19 pm
They were both, like, real heavy, man.