Ma Rainey's Black Bottom

- -

Yeah, Ma! -

Yeah, baby!

Testing, testing, one, two, three.

Testing, one, two, three.

- Testing, testing, one, two-- - Got that list?

Uh, I got it. Don't worry about it.

I'm holding you responsible. You keep her in line.

I'm not putting up with any shenanigans. You hear, Irv? Irv?

Irv?

Irv!

Not putting up with any Royal Highness, Queen of the Blues bullshit.

Mother of the Blues, Mel. Mother of the Blues.

Heh. You should've heard Levee at the club last night, Toledo.

Trying to talk to that gal Ma had with her.

You ain't got to tell me. I know how Levee do.

Levee tried talking to her and got his feelings hurt.

I want you to get her in here,

record those songs on that list, and get her out.

- Just like clockwork. -

Like clockwork, Mel.

And that horn player, the one who gave me those songs,

is he going to be here today?

- I want to hear more of that sound. - How you boys doing, Cutler?

Fine, Mr. Irvin.

Where's Ma? She with ya?

I don't know.

She told us to be here at 1:00. That's all I know.

Where's the, uh, horn player?

Levee's supposed to be here same as we is. I reckon he'll be here in a minute.

Hey, hey, hey. Good morning, Chicago.

- He ain't from 'round here now.

Come on in. I'll get you fed and ready to make some music.

Right.

Right down the hall.

Where's Ma? How come she isn't with the band?

Everything's under control, Mel. I got everything under control.

Cutler, here's the list of songs we're going to record.

Why isn't she here? And where's that horn player?

What we got there, Toledo?

Eh, we got, uh...

Mmm. "Prove It on Me," "Hear Me Talking to You,"

"Ma Rainey's Black Bottom," "Moonshine Blues."

Oh. Them ain't the songs Ma told me.

I wouldn't worry about it if I was you. Ma'll get it straightened out.

"Moonshine Blues."

That's one of them songs Bessie Smith sang, I believes.

Eh, Slow Drag's right. I wouldn't worry about it.

Levee know what time he's supposed to be here?

Levee left the hotel talking about he was gonna buy shoes.

Says it's the first time he beat you shooting craps.

- I ain't thinking about no four dollars. - Levee sure was.

Let me get a hit of that.

That four dollars liked to burn a hole in his pocket.

He's supposed to be here at 1:00.

- That's some good Chicago bourbon. Look here, Cutler!

- I got me some shoes. - Ooh!

Nigga, I ain't studying you.

How much you pay for something like that, Levee?

Eleven dollars. Four dollars of it belong to Cutler.

Ooh! Levee say if it wasn't for Cutler, he wouldn't have no new shoes.

I ain't thinking about Levee or his shoes.

- Let's get ready to rehearse.

I'm with you on that score. Don't want to be here all night.

Ain't but four songs on the list.

Last time there was six songs.

Yeah. Now I'm ready.

I can play some good music now.

Damn! They done changed things around.

Don't never leave well enough alone.

Yeah, everything changing all the time. Even the air you breathing change.

Yeah, you got, uh, monoxide, hydrogen, changing all the time.

Skin changing. Different molecules. Everything.

Nigga, what is you talking about?

I'm talking about the room, I ain't talking about no skin and air.

I'm talking about something I can see. I ain't talking about no molecules.

I know what you talking about. You don't know what I'm talking about.

That door. You see that door? That's what I'm talking about.

Door wasn't there before.

You wouldn't know your right from left. And damn if that door wasn't there.

If you talking about they done switched rooms, you right.

But don't go telling me that door wasn't there.

Damn the door and let's do this. I want to get out of here.

Toledo started all that about the door. I'm just saying that things change.

What you think I was saying? Things change. The air and everything.

Now you gonna say you was saying it.

You gonna fit two propositions on the same track,

run them into each other, and 'cause they crash,

you gonna say it's the same train?

- Now this nigga talking about trains. -

We done went from the air to the skin to the door and now trains.

Toledo, I'd just like to be inside your head for five minutes

just to see how you think.

You done got more shit piled up and mixed up in there

- than the devil got sinners. -

You been reading too many goddamn books.

What you care about how much I read?

I'm gonna ignore you 'cause you're ignorant.

- Let's rehearse the music. - All right.

You ain't gotta rehearse that.

Ain't nothing but old jug-band music.

They need one of them jug bands for this.

Don't make no difference to me, long as we get paid.

That ain't what I'm talking about. I'm talking about art.

What's drawing got to do with it?

Where you get this nigga from, Cutler?

He sound like one of them Alabama niggas.

It's Slow Drag, all right.

Just play the piece, nigga.

If you want to be one of them, uh, what you call virtuosos or something,

you're in the wrong place.

You ain't no King Oliver or Buddy Bolden.

You're just an old trumpet player come a dime a dozen.

Talking about art.

What is you? I don't see your name in lights.

I just play the piece. Whatever they want. I don't criticize other people's music.

I ain't like you, Cutler. I got talent.

- Oh, shit. - Ooh.

Me and this horn, we's tight.

If my daddy had a knowed I was gonna turn out like this,

he woulda named me Gabriel.

Oh!

I'm gonna get me a band and make me some records.

I done give Mr. Sturdyvant some of my songs I wrote,

and he say he gonna let me record them when I get my band together.

I just gotta finish the last part of this song.

I knows how to play real music, not this old jug-band shit.

I got style.

Oh, everybody got style.

the same idea from beginning to end.

Everybody got it.

Everybody can't play like I do.

Everybody can't have their own band.

Until you get your own band where you can play what you want,

play the piece and stop complaining.

I told you when you came on here, this ain't none of them hot bands.

This is an accompaniment band. You play Ma's music when you're here.

I got sense enough to know that.

I could look at y'all and see what kind of band it is.

I could look at Toledo and see what kind of band it is.

Oh, now Toledo ain't said nothing to you. Don't get Toledo started now.

Is you all gonna rehearse the music or ain't you?

How many times you done play them songs?

- What you gotta rehearse for? - This a recording session.

I want to get it right the first time and get on out of here.

Well, y'all go on and rehearse, then.

I'm going to finish this song for Mr. Sturdyvant.

Levee, I don't want no shit. You rehearse like everybody else.

You in the band just like everybody else.

Mr. Sturdyvant gonna have to wait. It's the band's time.

I'm ready if you want to rehearse. I said there ain't no point in it.

Ma ain't here. What's the point?

"Ma Rainey's Black Bottom." One, two, you know what to do.