Rockin' Johnny & Quiqué Gomez Dos Hombres Wanted

Rockin' Johnny & Quiqué Gomez
Dos Hombres Wanted
VizzTone

Singer-guitarist Rockin' Johnny Burgin has unquestionably established himself as a practitioner of old school Chicago style blues through his work with the likes of Taildragger, Eddie Taylor Jr, Mary lane, Little Arthur Duncan, Mary Lane, Jimmy Lee Robinson and Willie Buck as well as on his idiomatic recordings. Hailing from Madrid, Spain, singer-harmonica player Quiqué Gomez has a reputation as a jazz-influenced blues singer who also is a Sinatra stylist with a Spanish Big Band. They have joined forces on an album of 11 originals, and three choice covers backed by Eric Przygocki on bass and Stephen Dougherty on drums with Christian Dozzler on piano or accordion, Josh Fulero on guitar on three tracks, Greg Izor on harp for one track, and Farris on trombone on one track.

This recording will appeal to Chicago blues fans as this is a tight band led by two strong singers and players evident from Rockin' Johnny's opening shuffle "Your Charm Won't Help You," with a short fiery solo. Gomez establishes himself as a most capable singer on "Take It Like It Is" with his full-bodied harp solo following solos from Fulero and Burgin. He also sings on Burgin's "You Can't Steal My Sugar," although the performance is a bit too frenzied. A real surprise is a cover of Robert Lockwood Jr.'s "Funny But True" with a strong vocal by Gomez and Rockin' Johnny evoking Lockwood's unique guitar style.

With Dozzler adding accordion, Rockin' Johnny delivers a clever lyric using gambling analogies on 'Ain't No High Roller," the performance of which includes a particularly strong harmonica solo, followed by a stinging guitar solo. There is also an outstanding slow blues sung by Burgin, "Coffee Can Blues." Kudos to Przygocki and Dougherty who throughout provide steady and firm support. "Livin' Day to Day" is a topical blues played with against a Jimmy Reed shuffle groove on which Gomez delivers a fine vocal. More Jimmy Reed shuffle flavor is evident on Gomez's "Otro Hombre," a jaunty performance sung in Spanish.

With trombone and accordion, Burgin's "Step it Up Bro," is a change of pace that is more in the vein of a Nat King Cole jive blues. It sports exceptional harmonica that owes as much to Toots Thielemans as Little Walter and a jazzy guitar solo. "Are You Ever" is a first-rate Louisiana styled swamp blues-rocker in the manner of the late Lazy Lester with perhaps Burgin's best vocal on this recording. Gomez takes the lead vocal on a relaxed reworking of Tampa Red's "Don't Blame Shorty," which again has marvelous and imaginative harmonica along with Burgin's evocative classic Chicago blues guitar. It is a splendid close to a marvelously entertaining Chicago styled blues album.

I received my review copy from VizzTone. This review originally appeared in the March-April 2019 Jazz & Blues Report (Issue 383). Here the two perform Little Walter's "Rocker."

Andy T - Nick Nixon Band Drink Drank Drunk

Andy “T” Talamantez is a Southern California native who spent eleven years touring with Smokey Wilson and Guitar Shorty, although in recent years he has been based in Nashville where he has been hosting the Nashville Blues Society’s regular Sunday night jam. It was at the jam that he heard Nick Nixon. “The first time Nick sang next to me on stage I got goose bumps. Nick sings like I’d like to able to sing.” A guitarist himself, Nixon, developed a relationship with Andy T. ““Andy plays great in every style of blues, so I like to just play rhythm and let him handle the hot stuff. But even when he’s playing the hot stuff, Andy knows that the blues is about soul and feeling, not about playing a lot of notes.”

The partnership formed at the Sunday Jams has developed into a most formidable band. The Andy T - Nick Nixon Band has a debut recording on Delta Groove, Drink Drank Drunk. The CD is produced by Texas guitarist and band leader, Anson Funderburgh, who first met Andy T while Andy T was touring with Guitar Shorty. Anson with his association with various singers fronting The Rockets, most notably with the late Sam Myers, brings his experience in making a number of solid recordings. A variety of individuals add backing here including pianist Christian Dozzier, bassist John Garza, and drummer Danny Cochran.

There is a mix of interpretations of some post-war blues classics and originals with the tone set by the rendition of Gatemouth Brown’s Midnight Hour, with Nixon’s singing complemented by Andy T’s guitar playing which evokes Johnny ‘Guitar’ Watson, and this track is followed by a cover of Watson’s Don’t Touch Me. The fifties West Coast flavor is continued in the title track, an original from Tom Hambridge and Gary Nicholson, with Ron Jones adding some raspy sax behind Nixon’s vocal celebrating a 24 hour happy-hour with a lazy groove suggestive of Watson’s Motorhead Baby, with Andy T adding some stinging guitar. Nixon’s voice can soar, but also he is able to sing in a relaxed baritone as on Paul Gayten’s No Use Knockin’ with Jones’ sax featured.

Dozzier’s accordion lends a Tex-Mex flavor on Andy T’s original Have You Seen My Monkey, with a slashing guitar solo. This is followed by the crisply played guitar feature for Andy T and Anson Funderburgh, Dos Danos, with Jones wailing on a sax break as well. Nixon’s No End To The Blues has Nixon really tearing into the vocal joined by Markey’s backup singing here with more blistering guitar. On My Way To Texas is a wonderfully paced original that celebrates the blues history and the wide open spaces of Texas as Nixon sings give me some Lightning, T-Bone, Frankie Lee and Albert is so cool. Nixon’s You Look So Good, is a relaxed Jimmy Reed styled shuffle with Brian ‘Hash Brown’ Calway adding harmonica. Dozzier is on accordion for the closing track, a cover of Ray Charles’ I Got a Woman, where Nixon displays his gospel roots in his fervent singing. 

This is a wonderfully produced recording with a terrific studio band to support Andy T and Nick Nixon in marvelous, wonderfully paced and performed performances. Andy T impresses with his fluidity, tone and taste while Nixon brings pretty of heart and soul to his nuanced vocals. Not simply an impressive debut, Drink Drank Drunk will have listeners wanting another dose of music from The Andy T - Nick Nixon Band. 

I received a review copy from Delta Groove. Here the two are performing Have You Seen My Monkey.

Barrelhouse Chuck, Erwin Helfer and the Piano Blues

I remember when the D.C. Blues Society presented Barrelhouse Chuck with Mark Wenner and Ben Andrews for what was a very magical evening of acoustic blues. He was supposed to have recorded an album at the time but it never was released. Thankfully we have an absolutely wonderful disc Prescription For the Blues (The Sirens) by a man who was mentored by legends like Sunnyland Slim and Little Brother Montgomery and the lessons he learned from these giants are evident in his strong playing that evokes the great piano blues of the past and his own vocals.


Several tracks are introduced by a short homage to the original artist whether Montgomery on the title track (Erwin Helfer plays the piano on this while Chuck sings), Sunnyland Slim on Johnson Machine Gun and Going Back to Memphis (Slim’s variation on the Rollin’ and Tumblin’ theme taken by Chuck as an instrumental), or Leroy Carr on Barrelhouse Women, Mean Mistreater Mama, Straight Alky Blues, and My Own Lonesome Blues as well as his own renditions of blues standards like Sitting on Top of the World, Tin Pan Alley and Corrine Corrina.


His renditions of many of these numbers are truly a joy as he displays a touch and sense of time that many heralded pianists’ lack. He really captures the flavor of Montgomery and Carr with his playing along with his natural singing. With Sunnyland Slim’s material, he evokes the flavor of Slim’s originals, but doesn’t duplicate Sunnyland’s own distinctive sense of phrasing. On Ain’t Nobody’s Business Erwin Helfer joins him for a piano-organ duet on this blues standard. Handsomely packaged, Prescription For the Blues is an absolute delight that piano blues enthusiasts will want.

Barrelhouse Chuck is also present on 8 Hands on 88 Keys (The Sirens) along with pianists Erwin Helfer, Detroit Junior and Pinetop Perkins. Chuck opens with a fine rendition of Sunnyland Slim’s It’s You Baby, followed by a fine slow instrumental, Rooster’s Blues, is backed by Helfer on Pinetop’s Blues where Helfer plays some stunning runs inspired by Pinetop Smith’s original, and by Detroit Junior on Miss Ida B, an old Roosevelt Sykes number that Pinetop Perkins frequently performs.


Detroit Junior, a member of Howlin’ Wolf’s last band, is also represented on disc and it’s a delight to hear him on the rollicking I’m So Unhappy and the slow country-inflected Ella although his rendition of Staggerlee, based on Lloyd’sPrice’s hit is simply pleasant. Helfer backs him for Ain’t Nobody’s Business, which is followed by a fine original boogie woogie and Jimmy Yancey’s 4 O’clock Blues. Helfer accompanies Pinetop Perkins vocal on the Ivory Joe Hunter classic, I Almost Lost My Mind, which is followed by Perkins’ typical renditions of Grinder Man Blues, How Much More and How Long Blues. There is perhaps nothing new from Pinetop, but his performances provide a fine end to a collection of top-notch piano blues performances. It should be mentioned that Helfer has an excellent disc on The Sirens, I’m Not Hungry But I Like To Eat – Blues that was nominated for a Handy Award as Comeback Blues album of the year.

Another highly recommended piano blues album is Christian Dozzler’s All Alone and Blue. The Austrian born Dozzler was for years a member of The Mojo Blues Band, one of Europe’s leading blues aggregations. He played with Larry Garner for a period and now is based in Dallas where he plays with Robin Banks (he can be heard on her two excellent discs I reviewed a few months ago. This disc features some strong piano and vocals with the title track and Midnight Hour Blues being strong renditions of Leroy Carr numbers while his rollicking piano drives along John Brim’s Be Careful. A couple of tracks display his strong boogie woogie piano style and he even takes out the harmonica for a track. You can order this as well as the discs on The Sirens thru cdbaby.com, and likely better stores and online cd retailers.


This review of several piano blues albums appeared originally in the September 2003 DC Blues Calendar, then the newsletter of the DC Blues Society. I likely received review copies of the albums on The Sirens and purchased the Christian Dozzler CD.  These are still available.