Wee Willie Walker & The Anthony Paule Soul Orchestra - Not In My Lifetime -

Wee Willie Walker & The Anthony Paule Soul Orchestra - Not In My Lifetime - Blue Dot Records

Listening to a recording as good as "Not in My Lifetime" is bittersweet, knowing that there will be no more music from this marvelous soul and blues singer. Wee Willie Walker, who recorded for Goldwax Records decades ago, passed away three days after finishing recording this album. As a brief snippet of an interview with Willie that opens this album indicates, Willie went home feeling joyful after the music before dying in his sleep. It is a follow-up to "After A While," also with Anthony Paule leading the backing. I wrote about that album that it was "an imaginatively programmed and arranged recording, that showcases one of the last original soul singers. We should be thankful he is with us and still sings with all his vocal talent intact on a terrific recording." 

Paule on lead guitar and electric sitar leads a backing band consisting of Tony Lufrano on keyboards, Endre Tarczy on bass, Kevin Hayes. On drums, Derek James on trombone, Bill Ortiz on trumpet, Charles McNeal on tenor saxophone, and Rob Sudduth on baritone saxophone. Background vocals are provided by Larry Batiste, Sandy Griffith, and Omega Rae, with The Sons of the Soul Revivers doing the background on one track. Jon Otis adds percussion to four selections, and Curt Ingram adds french horn to one track. There are ten originals, one an instrumental by Tarczy, and nine songs are by Christine Vitale, mostly in collaboration with Paul and Batiste. One of the covers revives one of his Goldwax recordings, and the other two are songs that go back to Little Willie John.

The music here is consistently top-flight soul and blues with a strong dose of Memphis with a touch of the Philly Sound. The Soul orchestra is tight and pushes a strong groove behind Walker's soul-drenched singing, starting with Walker exhorting his women to "Don't Let Me Get In Your Way," as she tells her friends Willie is not satisfying. The Memphis feel of that opening track shifts to the soul ballad, "Over and Over," with the vocal chorus evoking the Philly sound. Then there is a Latin groove for "Real Good Lie," which punchy horns from Tony Lufrano's horn arrangement while Paule musically dancing with his guitar solo.

"Darling Mine" conjures the classic era of deep Memphis soul with a vocal that has some of the power of the legendary Johnny Taylor. The Sons of the Soul Providers provides a gospel feel for the positive message that we are in this together on "I'm Just Like You," and we should try to find common ground. "Make Your Own Good News" has the feel of a classic Curtis Mayfield recording if it had been recorded at Memphis or Muscle Shoals. I am not familiar with the Goldwax original "Warm To Cool To Cold," but Walker was still preaching his soul at these sessions. It is great to hear the covers of Little Willie John's recordings "Heartbreak" and "Suffering With the Blues," sung with such conviction and backed so wonderfully.

Tarczy's "Almost Memphis" is a funky instrumental that allows the band members to stretch out, followed by "'Til You've Walked In My Shoes," a jazzy-flavored and sophisticated performance with Paule's carefully crafted guitar solo along with Walker's outstanding singing. "Not In My Lifetime" is a recording that will stay in the hearts of soul and blues lovers for many, many years. Wee Willie Walker left us with a stellar recording that is sure to be on many Best of 2021 lists.

I received my review copy from a publicist. Here is a performance by Wee Willie Walker & The Anthony Paule Soul Orchestra.

Wee Willie Walker & The Anthony Paule Soul Orchestra After A While

Wee Willie Walker & The Anthony Paule Soul Orchestra
After A While
Blue Dot Records

An encounter performing in Europe first brought together California guitarist and band leader Anthony Paule with deep soul-blues singer Wee Willie Walker. This has led to the present recording where the one-time Goldwax artist is backed by a full band led by Paule. I recently reviewed a live album from the Notodden Blues Festival with a band led by Kid Andersen, about which I concluded "Wee Willie Walker certainly has it still and this live recording suggests just how moving and powerful a performer he remains." Walker is also present on a recent recording by Austrian organist Raphael Wressnig & Brazilian guitarist Igor Prado singing several songs that were associated with the legendary Little Willie John.

The present recording opens with the Memphis soul-styled "Second Chance," with the rhythm of Paule, Tony Lufrano on keyboards, Paul Olguin on bass, and Derrick 'D'Mar' Martin on drums laying down a form base for Walker's church-rooted singing with brassy horns. It was written by Christine Vitale, who contributed to several other songs including the title song and a performance (including the horn arrangements and Charles McNeal's wonderful tenor sax solo that evokes Little Willie John and other legends). Walker recorded George Jackson's "I Don't Want To Take A Chance," as a demo 50 years ago, but gets to record it anew for this marvelous rendition that again conjures up the classic R&B era of the 50s and early 60s. His soulful phrasing is supported by the handsome playing and Paule adds some nice chords and fills. Then we get a little big band treatment of the Lil Green classic "In the Dark," strongly sung in a manner that Little Willie John might have done it, and Paule takes a strong guitar solo in a jazzy-blues vein on this superb performance.

The message song "Hate Take a Holiday," has its call for love to take out hate, and folks of all colors and creed walk together in peace. teh recording has organ grease and a somewhat spare rhythm backing. It is followed by the Tex-Mex tinged romantic ballad, "Thanks For the Dance," with Paule on acoustic guitar on a song with a feel of a Drifters recording. There is a bit of Muscle Shoals funk underlying "If Only," while the soul ballad "Cannot Be Denied," is a lovely blue ballad. Both of these were written by Walker with Vitale and Paule. There is a stunning cover of a Little Willie John recording, "Look What You've Done To Me (not the Boz Scaggs song)," with brilliant playing from trumpeter Tom Poole and trombonist Derek James. Vitale and Paule's original "I Don't Want To Know," is a superb original blues in this same vein with a choice jazzy Paule solo.

After a punchy instrumental, "The Willie Walk," there is a wonderful duet with Terry Odabi updating The Clovers' hit "Lovey Dovey" followed by a return to the Memphis sound on a terrific soulful cover of the Mable John classic "Your Good Thing (Is About To End)." This is an excellent close to an imaginatively programmed and arranged recording, that showcases one of the last original soul singers. We should be thankful he is with us and  still sings with all his vocal talent intact on a terrific recording.

I received my review copy from a publicist. This review originally appeared in the November-December 2017 Jazz & Blues Report (Issue 375), although I had edited my original review to clarify some points. Here is Wee Willie Walker & The Anthony Paule Soul Orchestra performing at the 2015 Porretta Soul Festival.

Nicolas Bearde Swinging Lou Rawls Tribute

I was not familiar with vocalist Nicolas Bearde prior to receiving a copy off his new CD, Live at Yoshi’s: A Salute to Lou (Right Groove). Bearde is a multi-talented gentleman who as a vocalist is a member of Bobby McFerrin’s world renowned and innovative a cappella vocal ensemble, “Voicestra,” since the 1980s as well as his own solo career. He also is an actor who has appeared on radio plays with Danny Glover, on such TV series as “Monk” and “Nash Bridges,” and movies like “Pacific Heights,” and “True Crimes.”

He started his Right Groove label, and this is his third CD, based on the Tribute to Lou Rawls, he has been presenting around the country, showcasing a variety of songs associated with the late great soul/jazz vocalist along with a bit of Bill Withers and Max Roach/Abbey Lincoln (I am paraphrasing his website on this point). This live recording at Yoshi’s, the fabled Oakland jazz club, has him backed by a terrific, swinging quartet of saxophonist Charles McNeal; pianist Glenn Pearson; bassist Nelson Braxton; and drummer Jason Lewis.

The mood is set with the opening Roach/Lincoln song, Living Room. He is a marvelous singer, reminiscent perhaps more of a Joe Williams than the deeper voiced Rawls, although like both the blues is part of his performing foundation. He nicely handles “Girl from Ipanema, as well as Lady Love, one of Rawls hits during the disco era which here is turned into a samba-tinged number.

As good as the band is, this listener found saxophonist McNeal especially marvelous behind the vocals and his solos. And like Rawls and Williams, Bearde shines on ballads like The Shadow of Your Smile. The center of this disc is Oscar Brown’s World of Trouble and Lou’s Medley, where Bearde revives Rawls classics including This Song Will Last Forever, Love is a Hurtin’ Thing, I Want to Be Tobacco Road, and You’ll Never Find Another Love Like Mine. A vigorous rendition of the Eddie Miller penned blues, I’d Rather Drink Muddy Water, concludes this excellent set.

Bearde brings warmth, soul and personality to these performances which certainly provide a memorable tribute to one of the great vocalists of the past few decades. This is available on itunes and from cdbaby.com among other sources. His website is www.nicolasbearde.com.

This review originally appeared in the August 2008 Jazz & Blues Report (Issue 307) and I believe the publication supplied the review copy. While not from Yoshi's, here Nicolas Bearde performs I’d Rather Drink Muddy Water.

Billy Harper's Bluesprint Of Hard Bop

This is the second of three reviews I did reviewing the initial batch of releases on the Taking House Records series, Blueprints Of Jazz. I received review copies I believe in Jazz & Blues Report, but I am unaware if this review ever ran. I will be running the other reviews in the next several days.

A series of new releases from Talking House Records, Blueprints Of Jazz, shines the spotlight on lesser known innovators and style-setters in jazz. Series co-producer Marc Weibel noted the series “is unique in that it presents a collection of modern recordings by some of the few remaining musicians that have a true historical connection to jazz scene of the 50’s, 60’s and 70’s. … Blueprints of jazz gives the casual jazz fan a chance to discover significant jazz artists they weren’t aware of before - artists that are peers with the jazz legends they’re already familiar with. The series first releases spotlight drummers Mike Clark and Donald Bailey along with saxophonist Billy Harper. each is handsomely packaged with digipacs that include liner booklets as well as use modern and vintage photographs, the latter using or evoking the classic work of Francis Wolff and used not only in the booklets, but the back cover and the disc labels.

Tenor saxophonist Billy Harper is one of the unsung heroes of the seventies, playing with Elvin Jones, Max Roach, Lee Morgan, randy Weston, McCoy Tyner and Art Blakey to name a few. His classic album, The Black Saint, gave the Italian label its name. His present new album, Blueprints of Jazz, Vol. 2, allows him to showcase not simply his own playing but also mix in the poetry and narration of Amiri Baraka on the history of jazz during several of the compositions. In addition to Baraka’s spoken word and his own tenor sax and vocal, his band here includes Francesca Tanksley on piano; Aaron Clark on drums and percussion; Keyon Harrold on trumpet and flugelhorn, Charles McNeal on alto sax; and Clarence Seay and Louis Spears split the bass duties. With the exception of Harper’s adaptation of Amazing Grace, this disc features Harper’s original compositions.

The opening tune is Africa Revisited an adaptation of Coltrane’s Africa which opens with the two bassists followed by the horns firing on all cylinders and cooking a stormy brew as Baraka enters with Part One of Where Dat Stuff Come From?, a recitation about the history of music taking us back to the roots of Africa, middle passage and the transportation of the musics creators back to the US, with Harper’s tenor soaring while Baraka pauses then resumes his history of jazz as Harrold bursts through with a machine-gun like attack while Baraka invokes Buddy Bolden and St. James Infirmary in his music history. Harper’s Knowledge of Self is an older Harper piece with the bassists kicking off its strutting groove as Baraka continues Part 2 of his recitation with Tanksley’s piano prominent followed by Harper’s aggressive tenor playing. Another Kind of Thoroughbred is a mid-tempo blues, with concise, fiery solos from Harper and Harrold.

Thoughts and Slow Actions, originally written for a play, is a pensive number opening with Harper’s intense tenor contrasting with Tanksley’s introspective piano along with Harper’s wordless vocal.Who Can Judge Our Fates, is a stunning number with Tanksley evoking Tyner, while Harper’s blistering solo takes off from Coltrane’s inspiration but finds his own direction followed by Harrold’s bright, crisp brass flight. The traditional spiritual Amazing Grace opens with Harper singing the classic lyrics before through overdubbing, duets with his saxophone while Tanksley on keyboards synthesizes a string session. After the stirring Cast the First Stone? (… If You have Yourself No Sins), with its engaging riff, the album returns to its beginning on Harper’s Oh … If Only, a hot Blakey styled cooker coupled with Baraka’s recitation, Where Does the Music Come From? as he asks “Who knows how the heart became an instrument?” as the music swirls powerfully under him. These ears find the pairing of the Baraka and Harper’s insistent group compelling although others might react differently.

Billy Harper remains one of the most vital of the post-Coltrane tenors still with us and the passion, imagination and intelligence displayed in his playing and compositions here lead one to wonder why he is not a household name among jazz listeners.

Here is Billy Harper in a performance that includes pianist Francesca Tanksley.