Al Miller's In Between Time

Harmonica player and singer, Al Miller, is a contemporary of Paul Butterfield, Charlie Musselwhite and Mike Bloomfield who was among the first wave of white Chicago bluesmen. He worked with Chicago Slim and Johnny Young, was in a band The Wurds which was the first white blues band signed by Chess, spent a couple years in San Francisco working with Bloomfield, and returned to the Windy City. In the early 1990s he recorded a debut CD, “Wild Cards” for Delmark which featured Willie Kent, Dave Spector, Tad Robinson and Steve Freund. In 1999 and 2000 he assembled some of Chicago’s finest talent including John Primer, Dave Spector, Willie Smith, Ken Saydak, Billy Flynn, Harlan Terson and Kenny Smith, which Delmark has just released as … In Between Time.

This album is one of straight-ahead Chicago blues. As Scott Dirks says in the liner booklet, “Al Miller isn’t out to reinvent the wheel, or shoehorn disparate genres into an ill-fitting blues hybrid and call it “original … .” He mixes in a few idiomatic originals with covers of songs by Johnny Young, Jimmy McCracklin, Percy Mayfield, Elmore James, and Eddie Taylor. The varying line-ups share one thing in common, and that is playing old school blues, whether a slow blues and rocking shuffle. 

Whether listening to Miller reprise Johnny Young’s My Baby Walked Out with Barrelhouse Chuck contributing two-fisted piano; or John Primer channeling Magic Sam (on vocal as well as guitar) for a strong rendition of B.B. King’s I Need You So Bad, this recording shines. Miller is an able vocalist, but his harp really shines such as his original Old Friends, with a nice latin groove. The title track is a Muddy Waters flavored original with Billy Flynn on slide followed by a rollicking take of Johnny Young’s instrumental I Got It, with more tough harmonica from Miller. 

On A Better Day, Flynn channels Earl Hooker’s wah-wah slide guitar on a recording that evokes Hooker’s recording, You Gotta Lose. Another Johnny Young cover, Tighten Up On It, has more explosive harmonica. It is followed by John Primer taking the vocal on Elmore James’ 1839 Blues, on an accompaniment (Ken Saydak on piano) suggesting Otis Spann’s Hungry Country Woman. Billy’s Boogie is a lively feature for Flynn’s fretwork followed by Flynn channeling Bo Diddley on Miller’s cover of Little Walter’s Make It Alright. Rob Waters adds organ as Miller imaginatively reworks Percy Mayfield’s uptown Bachelor Blues into a Chicago blues, while Primer is featured in a tribute to one of his mentors, Sammy Lawhorn, on Primer’s Lawhorn Special.

Al Miller is a capable singer and an excellent harmonica player. He is complemented by some excellent players on a mix of originals and covers of songs that have not been over-recorded. With a generous helping of over an hour of music, … In Between Time is an exceptional, straight-ahead, Chicago blues recording.

Delmark sent me a review copy of this.  

Nora Jean Is Going Back to Mississippi

The following review originally appeared in the October 2004 DC Blues Calendar as well as the November-December 2004 Jazz & Blues Report (Issue 271). I have made a few stylistic changes since the original review. I likely received a review copy from Severn Records and it is available. She has a new recording Good Blues from 2011 which I have not heard but will have to check out. Nora Jean is now Nora Jean Wallace and her website is website is http://norajeanblues.com/music.html.

I recently reviewed a cd from Nora Jean Bruso, a Chicago based blues singer, who really impressed many at this year’s Pocono Blues Festival. That cd was comprised of interpretations of some well known and lesser known blues. Severn has just issued a new album by her, Going Back to Mississippi (Severn Records), which is comprised solely of originals, so she is presenting her own “musical vision of the blues, rather than interpreting the vision of others.” 

Nora Jean Bruso at 2004 Pocono Blues Festival
Photo © Ron Weinstock

She has a strong backing band that include Carl Weathersby or Dave Spector on lead guitar, Rob Waters on keyboards, Ron Graham on saxophone, Harlan Terson on bass and Marty Binder on drums. Bruso’s powerful vocals will suggest Koko Taylor to many (Koko is her idol). She does have a similar background, as she, like Taylor, moved to Chicago after having deep southern roots (Bruso grew up in Mississippi).  Her roots are lyrically expressed in the title track, a shuffle where she talks about going back because that’s where her baby is as well as Miss Mae’s Juke Joint, that celebrates the juke her grandmother operated. 

She gets down in the alley on a superb slow blues, All My Life, with some nice sax in the accompaniment, while sings in a more relaxed manner on Broken Heart, with its caribbean-flavored groove. She takes us to New Orleans on the rhumba, I’ve Got Two Men, (one of whom has to go) with a nice solo break from Dave Spector. Don’t You Remember is a slow blues that evokes Someone Loan Me a Dime, with Bruso telling her baby how sweet their love used to be and how their relationship changed. Carl Weathersby is particularly impressive here in his instrumental responses to Bruso’s vocal and his solo. 

With this new release she has gone beyond the promise shown on her earlier disc and has shown herself as among those who will carry on and follow Koko Taylor and keep “this great music alive and vital.” 

Here she is singing Going Back to Mississippi. 

Sharon Lewis Is The Real Deal

In David Whiteis’s liner notes to The Real Deal, the new Delmark CD by Sharon Lewis & Texas Fire, there is a perplexing comment about her being annoyed with ‘blues purists.’ I suspect so-called ‘blues purists’ are those most likely to enamored by the powerful performances she performs on this release. She was inspired by seeing Pat Scott and her strong, take no-nonsense approach. Already influenced by the church and Motown and R&B, Scott’s modern soul-blues led her to develop her style and repertoire.

On this, she is supported by a band that includes Roosevelt Purifoy on keyboards; Bruce James on guitar, Melvin Smith on bass and Tony Dale on drums with Billy Branch adding harmonica and Dave Specter guitar on several selections and two tracks have a horn section. She brings originals that strike the listener with the same assertiveness as her vocals opening with the topical What’s Really Going On? and then followed by the title track when she tells like it is that we don’t know what is in her mind so how can anyone say her blues ain’t the real deal. Bruce James takes the nice solo on this as elsewhere, such as on her closing Angel on which Purifoy takes a short solo break as well. On Do Something For Me, Dave Spector takes the guitar solo on a number whose melody will evoke B.B. King’s rendition of The Thrill Is Gone, while her vocal displays her use of dynamics. The late Sam Taylor’s Mother Blues is a “lump-de-lump” styled blues, as fervently delivers Taylor’s lyrics of only the blues can talk to me and tell me how I feel with Purifoy and James outstanding in the backing they provide. I do not mean to slight Smith and Dale who are rock solid throughout this session.

Billy Branch adds his imaginative harmonica to Lewis’ original Blues Train where she invites us to party with her at the party that won’t stop with a melodic and lyrical strain that conjures up “Dancing in the Streets,” as she takes us to Rosa’s and other blues venues, while on Mojo Kings, she has her working in her celebration of her band and how they have that magic king. It is nice to hear new lyrics to Got My Mojo Workin’, a song that has been perhaps covered too bit much, so she makes it sound fresh. Purifoy and James provide a jazzy sophistication behind a low-key vocal on Silver Fox. Indeed, Sharon Lewis may be old school but her love is all we need and she will make it all right. Covers on “The Real Deal” include a soulful rendition of Van Morrison’s Crazy Love, and Wyonna Carr’s fine blues Please Mr. Jailer. Bill Withers’ Ain’t No Sunshine benefits from a reggae rhythmic accent while she ably does Don’t Play That Song, but is overshadowed by Aretha’s recording.

Sharon Lewis has been performing world wide and recording over the past two decades including a 2004 album for Sleepy Dog Records and appeared on Dave Spector’s Delmark album Live in Chicago. The Real Deal is a recording that hopefully will lead to her receiving the recognition that her talents merit. This is an impressive talent and recording.

I received my review copy from Delmark Records. Here is a you tube clip of Sharon Lewis performing with organist Jan Korinek and Groove that should give you an idea of how good a singer she is.

Floyd McDaniel's Jazzy "West Side Baby"

The late guitarist and vocalist, Floyd McDaniel, was born in the south but grew up in Chicago where he attended high school with Nat Cole and Ray Nance. A performance at Chicago’s 1933 World Fair led to his career in music playing jazz, blues and pop for 15 years as part of the Four Blazers and later played with one of the versions of the Ink Spots. An appearance at the Chicago Blues Festival and some coaxing from Willie Dixon got Floyd to start playing his mix of jazz and blues leading to a well received album on Delmark in 1994 but before he could record a follow up, he passed away on August 22, 1995. Fortunately a recording was made of an 1994 German Festival appearance where he was backed by Dave Spector and the Bluebirds and Delmark issued it in 1997 and Delmark has just re-released it, “West Side Baby.”

The album certainly illustrates what Delmark labels his “whiskey-smooth vocals and Charlie Christian/T-Bone Walker influenced guitar work.” Spector’s own playing is a sympathetic second and complimentary guitar voice to McDaniel’s. This is an amiable collection of a number of well known tunes such as “St. Louis Blues,” where McDaniel provides a fresh take instrumentally during his solo with nice use of chords. Not many people can introduce a song associated with Nat King Cole by noting he went to school with Cole as he does introducing “Route 66.” One does not hear the Parish/White classic “Evenin’” performed that often these days, and this 15-odd year old performance is a fine one, followed by a nice treatment of “Red Top,” where his playing suggests the late Robert Lockwood. The performance segues into a vocal take of “Meet Me With Your Black Drawers On.” McDaniel’s rendition of “Backwater Blues,” gives an idea of how it would have sounded if T-Bone Walker had recorded the Bessie Smith classic. More T-Bone Walker styled blues can be heard on Jesse Mae Robinson’s “Every Time.” Even an unrehearsed, impromptu “Sweet Home Chicago” has it charms on this delightful CD that we can thank Delmark for making available again.



For purposes of FTC regulations, the review copy of this was provided by Delmark records.

Jimmy Johnson Highpoint of Excellent Dave Specter Live CD/DVD

Guitarist Dave Specter has built up quite a performing and recording resume over the past two decades. His crisp, inventive blues guitar has added elements of organ funk and jazz to his swinging guitar playing. Delmark has just issued the latest in their live CD/DVDs of blues performers, “Live in Chicago” by Specter. Recorded and Videographed at Buddy Guy’s Legends, and Rosa’s Lounge, we are treated to some of his taut instrumentals along with performances by guests Tad Robinson, Jimmy Johnson and Sharrie Williams. The DVD (which my review is based on) runs close to 90 minutes while this writer estimates that the CD has approximately 70 minutes of music.

The DVD opens at Legends with pictures of great blues legends on the wall with Specter and his band of Brother John Kattle on keyboards, Harlan Terson on bass and Marty Binder tearing into a medley of ‘Boss Funk/Riverside Ride,’ some choice soul-jazz blues funk that displayed not only Specter’s hot guitar playing, but the terrific interplay between the band members. This is one terrific rhythm section that swings and keeps the groove rocking in the pocket. keying on the music and the musicians, the camera work was first rate and focused where it belonged the most. After the instrumentals, Tad Robinson is brought up and handles three vocals, ‘What Love Did to me,’ ‘How I got to Memphis,’ and ‘What’s Your Angle.’ Robinson is amongst the most soulful of the blues-eyed blues vocalists working today and he also adds some choice harmonica to the first and third number. His soulful reworking of Tom T. Hall’s ‘When I Get to Memphis,’ may be his most impressive vocal here, and the band does a great job of supporting him, with Specter adding some nice solos.


After another driving original instrumental ,’Texas Top,’ Jimmy Johnson is brought up and turns in what are even for him exceptional performances. he opens up with an extended take on Jimmy Rogers’ ‘Out on the Road,’ with some brilliant guitar and an even more compelling vocal. Listen to him phrase ,”Take me back, take me back, take me back, baby, darling try me one more time,” to see how takes this tune and makes it his own. It is nothing against David Specter, who has a really fine solo on this number after Johnson’s, to say that the 79 year old Johnson steals the show on his three numbers that also include a strong ‘Feel So Bad,’ and the Willie Cobbs’ standard, ‘You Don’t Love,’ which is not included on the CD. Based on his stint here, Johnson certainly merits his own live CD/DVD.

The DVD shifts gears and moves to Rosa’s Lounge with a nice funky organ-guitar shuffle, ‘The Hollywood Park Shuffle,’ (not on the CD), followed by the funky ‘Is What it Is,’ with plenty of tasty guitar and organ. Then Sharon Lewis brings up her big voice to belt out a trio of songs, ‘In Too Deep,’ ‘Every Goodbye Ain’t Gone,’ (not on the CD) and ‘Angel.’ ‘In Too Deep,’ is a driving shuffle that Sharon belts out about catching her man with another woman, with solid solo breaks from Specter and Kattle, while ‘Every Goodbye Ain’t Gone,’ is a slower number with a nice funk groove as she tells her cheating lover, that every goodbye she makes does not mean she’s gone. the closing ‘Angel,’ suggesting me of a soulful southern rock groove which allows Specter and band to change gears and allows Lewis to show her vocal and musical versatility.

This is an impressive live recording/video. Specter is not simply a first-rate musician and leads a terrific band, but he is also willing to share the spotlight with others. With Jimmy Johnson’s truly stunning performances and the other strong music here, it may be the best live blues DVD that Delmark has issued. Highly recommended.