Ernie Hawkins Ain't no Whinin' Boy

A new album by the fingerstyle guitarist Ernie Hawkins, Whinin’ Boy, represents a change in pace. Hawkins, a disciple of the the legendary Reverend Gary Davis, has distinguished himself as a masterful guitarist in the blues and ragtime vein pioneered by Davis, as well as a teacher of that and other acoustic blues styles. The present album has him playing material in the vein of early classic jazz and pop in small group settings with the contributions of Paul Consentino on clarinet, Joe Dallas on trombone and James Moore on trumpet worth mentioning.

The album has him in a variety of settings including the skittle jazz band format with clarinet, trumpet, trombone, tuba and washboard backing for Jelly Roll Morton’s title track that opens the album with his understated vocal and simple rhythmic guitar. Clarinet is spotlighted on a reworking of Song (of the Islands), associated with Bix Beiderbecke as Hawkins’ comps in a pianistic vein. There is a brief washboard break. Dallas quotes The Wedding March to open the rendition of Makin’ Whoopee, with its wry opening lyric about weddings and that its not so bad being the groom. Hawkins delivers a simply delivered vocal. The Southbound Sneak, is a slow original Hawkins’ rag-flavored original with tuba and trombone followed by a rendition of the venerable Basin Street Blues, with a fuller band.

The amusing My Poodle Has Fleas has Hawkins adept ukelele backed by tuba and washboard. It is followed by a rendition of Little Brother Montgomery’s Vicksburg Blues, with nice harmonica from Marc Reisman. It is interesting to listen to this piano blues transposed to guitar. I’m Coming Virginia, associated with Bix Beiderbecke and Frankie Trumbauer, is reworked into a pensive guitar feature for Hawkins. Louis Armstrong’s Weather Bird (Rag) is reworked to showcase Hawkins’ adept finger picking and clarinet from Consentino. Bill Bill Broonzy’s Shuffle Rag, has nice harmonica while Hawkins’ evokes Broonzy’s early 1930’s guitar style. The skiffle-jazz band treatment of Rev. Gary Davis’ There Is A Table In Heaven, with trombone and clarinet (and brass bass) provides a fresh take on this performance.

This is an entertaining recording although Hawkins’ guitar perhaps is not as prominent here as on other recordings.

I received a review copy from Ernie Hawkins’ publicist. He is scheduled to open for John Mayall at The Birchmere in Alexandria, Virginia tonight (February 21, 2012).

Margie Baker's Sassy Jazz and Blues Vocals

Born in a dirt-shack in East Texas, Margie Baker grew up to earn a Doctorate in Education and become a jazz and blues vocalist, being mentored by Dizzy Gillespie. After getting coaxed out of the audience by a guitarist friend at Henri’s Room at the San Francisco Hilton to sing a song, she immediately got a job from Conrad and Barron Hilton leading to her singing two nights a week (5 nights during the Summer) at Henri’s Room as well as occasionally at other Hilton’s. Former Paul Butterfield pianist Mark Natfalin often had Margie sing with his band at festivals and Jimmy Lyons booked her not only at the Monterey Jazz Festival but at festivals worldwide.

At the age of 68, CAP Records has just issued her first nationally-released album, Live at Bach Dancing and Dynamite Society, a two-cd release with two sets from the Half Moon Bay venue just south of South Francisco. Guitarist Rodney Jones, Ruth Brown’s East Coast bandleader, is the best known of the backing band. Alan Steger and Shota Osabe are each heard on piano on one disc and synthesizer for the other disc while Harley White on bass and Omar Clay on drums completes the rhythm section. Horns are played by Fred Berry on trumpet and Michael O’Neill on saxophone.

This is a pretty diverse program including songs associated with Louis Jordan (Let the Good Times Roll), Bessie Smith (‘Gimme’ a Pigfoot), Count Basie (Goin’ to Chicago), Duke Ellington (It Don’t Mean a Thing If It Ain’t Got That Swing), Jimmy Reed (Baby ‘Whatcha’ Want Me to Do), Nellie Lutcher (Real Gone Guy), Willie Nelson (Ain’t It Funny How Time Slips Away), Charlie Parker (Parker’s Mood), Antonio Carlos Jobim (Favela), Julie London & Esther Phillips (Cry Me a River) and other blues and ballad standards.

Given her experience in performing over the decades, one should not be surprised how well she delivers this fairly eclectic repertoire with nice support and some very solid solos adding to the musical mix. There is plenty of sass and spirit as well as tenderness in how she can caress some of the lyrics and she is one of a many excellent older women vocalists (Alberta Adams and Odessa Harris from Detroit are two others that come to mind) that are similarly having careers blossom at this stage in their lives when they can go out and perform with a bit more regularity.

While this should be available at better stores, it is also available at www.jazzbeat.com.

This review originally appeared in the March 15 - May 1, 2011 Jazz & Blues Report (Issue 283). I subsequently have reviewed another album by Margie, the self-produced, Live at Rasselas that was issued in 2010. I will post that review a week from today. In addition to jazzbeat.com, cdbaby.com also carries this.

Stanley Turrentine's "Salt Song" Part of Celebration of 40 Years Of CTI

Part of the celebration of the 40th Anniversary of CTI, Sony through its CTI Masterworks imprint has issued Salt Song by Stanley Turrentine. CTI was a good choice to showcase Turrentine’s blues-rooted attack and soulful sound and at this July 1971 recording he was joined in Rudy Van Gelder’s Studios by a band that included Ron Carter, Bill Cobham, Airto Moreira, Horace Parlan, Richard Tee and Eric Gale, among others

Freddie Hubbard’s Gibraltar is a straight-ahead swinger that showcases Turrentine warm, robust playing. Eric Gale’s blues tinged guitar provides a nice second solo voice with Airto adds percussion accents. The traditional gospel number I Told Jesus employs strings and a vocal chorus with Gale’s spare, bluesy guitar providing a foil for Turrentine’s vocalized tenor sax. Milton Nascimento’s title track has a Brazilian flavor with a lightly swaying groove as Turrentine solos vigorously. Turrentine, in addition to his blues roots (from the days touring with bluesman Lowell Fulson), was a superb ballad player as exhibited on I Haven’t Got Anything Better to Do, with strings added to presumably add a lush background. Turrentine’s atmospheric “Storm” closed out the original release. A bonus track is a lively boss nova, Vera Cruz from the album, Gilberto With Turrentine, with a fuller band having full flute and full string sections and arrangement by Emir Deodata.

This is a typically solid recording by Turrentine in a straight-ahead vein. While there was some sweetening to some of the music heard here, it was not done heavy-handedly and the result is a recording that sounds fine four decades later.

My review copy was provided by a publicist for this release.

Kenny Neal's Loving Tribute To Slim Harpo and His Father, Raful

Kenny Neal is among the most impressive of contemporary blues artists. Son of Baton Rouge legend Raful, he has been a progressive torch bearer of that city’s blues tradition and impresses by his uncrushed, at times lazy sounding musical style. Back in 2006 I purchased his tribute to Slim Harpo and his father. This has become a collector's item, but is available as downloads for those who can't afford what folks are asking for the actual CD.


The following review was the result of listening to him and appeared in the November 2005 Dc Blues Calendar, newsletter of the DC Blues Society. The review also appeared in the May/June 2006 Jazz & Blues Report (Issue 282). I have made some minor stylistic changes.

Kenny Neal at Surf Club Live, Hyattsville MD.  August 2010- Photo © Ron Weinstock

One of the most versatile as well as skilled blues artists working today, Kenny Neal has just issued a new disc that goes to the roots of his music, A Tribute to Slim Harpo & Raful Neal (True Light Entertainment). Originally this was a Slim Harpo tribute by him and his father, the late Raful Neal. They recruited James Johnson and Rudolph Richard from Slim Harpo’s original band to participate in this. Ten Slim Harpo songs were recorded when Kenny went on tour and in the interim Raful was diagnosed with bone cancer so Kenny was among those looking after his dad who passed away September 1, 2004. Going back to the tapes he listened to the tapes and decided to release what was initially a tribute to Slim Harpo also as a tribute to his dad.

Kenny shares the vocals with his father, with the exception of What a Dream on which James Johnson sings while the band captures the understated, laconic grooves that made Harpo’s originals so classic. Raful opens the set with a nice vocal and some harp on Rainin’ in My Heart, while Kenny and Raful swap harp riffs on Swamp Boogie. Raful comes across very appealingly on King Bee, Scratch My Back and Got Love If You Want It, while the two share the vocals on Late Last Nite, with Kenny taking the vocal prior to the harp break which is followed by Raful singing and closing the song with his nicely played harp, and Te-Ni-Ne-Ni-Nu where Raful takes the lead with Kenny joining in on the chorus.

Its nice to hear this played in such a nice relaxed manner, lacking the frenzy or overstatement that mars some rock interpretations of this material. Kenny Neal and his late dad have put together a small gem of a disc, and if playing time is a little short, there is no frills or filler here. Highly recommended.

Here is Kenny Neal and Lil Ray Neal doing Scratch My Back.

Rodrigo Y Gabriela and C.U.B.A. Take Us To Area 52

Until listening to Area 52 by Rodrigo Y Gabriela and C.U.B.A. (ATO Records) I was not familiar with the acoustic guitar duo Rodrigo Y Gabriela. Listening to this disc I discovered that they initially were playing in a thrash metal band in their native Mexico. Going to Europe, they busked as an acoustic guitar duo, rooted in flamenco style and playing a wide range of material that included covers of metal and Led Zeppelin, although I must admit I have not heard their prior recordings.

This album, produced by Peter Asher, has them with by jazz pianist Alan Wilson who had a decade ago given them a jazz salsa recording with latin rhythms. Along with Wilson, they engaged some Cuban musicians to lend their rhythmic feel to this project. These musicians are the Cuba Universal Band Association from which C.U.B.A. derives. Prominent among these musicians Feliciano Arango Noa on bass and the percussion of Otto Santana Selis,

The intent was to redo songs from their two prior recordings However, after recording in Cuba, they felt they could add more guitars and also added some rock flavor to get away from a strictly traditional Cuban, and Latin sound. They also brought in some guest collaborators for this purpose as well which had pre-production and production in several countries. It is this fabulous mix of material, artists and performances that immediately captured my attention and led to my enthusiasm about the many pleasures to be heard here.

Cuban rhythms greet the duos opening guitar figures for San Domingo, with Wilson’s piano helping establish the mood as the horns and strings add to the heat while its one of the tracks that Gabriela experiments with a way way pedal. Samuel Formell Alfonso, of the great band, Los Van Van, is guest drummer on this exhilarating ride. Hanuman was a composition inspired by Carlos Santana and on these reworking Rodrigo added some electric guitar to his flamenco playing on a number that certainly evokes the great guitarist set against some horns and violin in the arrangement with some interesting flute from Jorge Liliebre Sorzano. The drumming of John Tempesta (of White Zombie fame) adds to the rock flavor over the hot afro-Cuban grooves.

An undeniable factor to the duo’s success is there unique mix of various traditions and style. On Ixtapa, after Wilson’s sedate opening followed by the acoustic guitar lead to state the theme , followed by a brief segment featuring percussion before a new movement joined by Anoushka Shankar on sitar who takes an extended, intensive solo followed by the vibrant flamenco styled guitars of the leaders on a mesmerizing performance. Carles Benavent guests on bass (with Noa on second bass) and Carlota Teresa Polledo Noriega guests on vocal for 11:11, with its mercurial tempo and more exquisite playing from the two (including a solo by Rodrigo on a Fender lap steel guitar) driven along by the brilliant rhythm section. Noriega takes her vocal during the closing moments with C.U.B.A. chanting in chorus as the performance fades. Other highlights include Master Maqui, on which the Le Trio Joubran add ouds to the mix of percussion and horn and Diablo Rojo, with the fiery rhythms and stunning flamenco accents of the guitars of Rodrigo & Gabriela as the horns add their brassy counterpoint.

In addition to the nine performances on the CD, this comes with a DVD containing a fascinating documentary discussing the recording of this album. This recording has been a revelation and this writer has already ordered one of their earlier recordings being impressed by this recording. Also, Rodrigo Y Gabriela will be touring North America this spring (http://www.rodgab.com/tourdates.html) including dates at Massey Hall in Toronto, Radio City Music Hall in NYC, Warner Theatre in Washington DC and the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival. If I was going to be at JazzFest this year, they would be my must see act no matter what act (and it would not matter if it was Trombone Shorty or Bruce Springsteen) might be on at the same time.

My review copy was provided by a publicist for the release. Here is a video of the two performing.

Looking Back At Superharps II - A Blues Harmonica Showcase

The following older review is from 2001 and likely was published in the DC Blues Society’s newsletter.

I have not heard Telarc’s initial Superharps session, but it was obviously successful enough for Telarc to follow it up with, Superharps II. The new volume features four blues legends, Chicago blues veterans Carey Bell and Snooky Pryor, and Louisiana blues legends Lazy Lester and Raful Neal (patriarch of the Neal clan). They are backed by a studio band that includes guitarist Kid Bangham and pianist Anthony Geraci.

It is only on the lengthy closing slow instrumental, Harp to Harp that all four play together. Each has at least one track on which they are the sole harp player. Various combination of players are heard on other tracks and all four acquit themselves capably although much of this material has been recorded by them before. Bell is his usual solid performer on a couple Muddy Waters tracks and Junior Wells What My Mama Told Me. I believe Snooky Pryor waxed Shake My Hand on his most recent Blind Pig album, and turns in a superlative performance on the jaunty Let Your Hair Down.

Lazy Lester’s four tracks do a very good job of evoking the classic Louisiana swamp blues sides with his remakes of Strange Things Happen and Blood Stains on the Wall being particularly strong highlights of this. Raful Neal's two selections are worthy additions to his body of recordings.

This is not a harmonica battle, but rather a showcase of four very strong blues personalties who get to showcase their music in the company of some colleagues for a very satisfying album.

Here is Raful Neal.

Here is Snooky Pryor

Janiva Magness Does Move Me

Janiva Magness has certainly established herself in the past few years as among the finest singers of blues and classic rhythm & blues. She has a new Alligator release coming out soon which i hope to post a review of next week. The following review originally appeared in the May 2006, DC Blues Calendar, then the DC Blues Society’s newsletter. I was provided my review copy from either the record label or a publicist.

Since first listening to one of vocalist Janiva Magness’ recordings, this writer has become impressed by her singing. I hear echoes of the great women R&B divas of the forties through sixties in her without her sounding like she is imitating anyone,. She has developed her own distinctive, recognizable sound where she has avoided developing any detracting mannerisms and impresses with her clean, soulful delivery. With Canadian guitarist Colin Linden, she has co-produced her latest recording, Do I Move You? (Northern Music), and its another superlative effort from her.

Linden shares guitar duties with Rick Holmstrom and Jeff Turmes (Turmes also plays bass and saxophones on several selections)), Richard Bell on Piano and B-3, John Whynot on the Wurlitzer and Stephen Taylor Hodges on drums. Turmes and Linden have contributed several originals to complement the fine interpretations of songs from several different sources, including a wonderful rendition of the Delbert McClinton and Gary Nicholson penned soul-ballad, You Were Never Mine.

Magness brings to life a range of emotions and moods from the opening I’m Just a Prisoner, where she is a prisoner to her love for the man, the celebratory I Want You to Have Everything, where lets her man know there is nothing too good for him ever since he told her he loved her, to the closing A Man Size Job, where she finds the younger man able to do the man sized job her former lover could not fill. A Turmes’ original Don’t Let Your Memories, is a wistful acoustic performance with a reflective lyric and a melody that evokes Key to the Highway. The title track is a Nina Simone penned blues that Magness delivers so seductively. Linden adds some nice atmospheric guitar, judiciously employing reverb with the rhythm section just right without any overstatement.

The production here is exemplary, providing atmosphere and enhancing the wonderful vocals here. The performances keep sounding fresh after listening to this several times over a few weeks time on a truly splendid release.

Here is Janiva in performance.