This week's birthdays include the impeccably funky Sly Stone and Wilson Pickett, manic Chopin played by the great pianist Sviatoslav Richter, lush orientalism from Rimsky-Korsakov, classic jazz from Bix Beiderbecke, and annoying pop from Clare Grogan.
18 March 1941: Wilson Pickett performs “Mustang Sally” in a classic clip from the Sixties.
18 March 1844: Born 100 years earlier than Sly Stone, Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov’s most famous work is the lush orientalist suite Sheherazade, composed in 1888, here performed by the Kirov Orchestra conducted by Valery Gergiev.
20 March 1915: The Soviet master-pianist Sviatoslav Richter in an absurdly fast version of Chopin’s Etude Op 10 No 4. Apparently, the film wasn’t speeded up.
17 March 1903: Bix Beiderbecke, the great jazz cornettist, in one of the high points of early Jazz, “Royal Garden Blues” from 1927, with his New Orleans Lucky Seven.
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17 March 1962: Clare Grogan of Altered Images sings their hit “Happy Birthday”. Annoying, but catchy. NME voted them new band of the year in 1981. But then it wasn't a vintage year for pop music. Happy Birthday, Clare!
