James Brown and Joy

Christmas Day makes one year since the passing of Mr. Dynamite himself, James Brown.

The joy he brought, and brings, will last forever. Way too funky in there wherever he's headlining now.

Here's the program cover of JB's memorial service in Augusta, GA, last December 30. (Thanks to my friend Matt Wells, who covered the proceedings for the BBC.)

And speaking of joy, and rhythm, one of the most charming bits I've seen on screen in centuries occurs in Nani Moretti's 1993 Caro Diario. The celestial Sylvana Mangano shimmers forth (excerpted from her film Anna, where I believe she becomes--ahem--a nun). Whimsical ole Nanni, who stars as well as directs, has earlier in the movie confessed that his "secret dream" is to dance well, except alas he can only watch.

Until he goes to order a sandwich:

And speaking of dancing, here's JB making God jealous. Couldn't open with this clip of "Night Train," it blowtorches anything else away.Too funky. JB was a boxer, you can sense it from his explosive athleticism. Check out those dance pants of his, tight and so high above the ankle to show off his moving feets.

Maybe bring Sylvana up for the encore? Happy holidays.

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