Davell Crawford's The B-3 & Me

Touted by some as the latest emerging New Orleans keyboard master, Davell Crawford’s second album for Rounder’s Bullseye Blues & Jazz, The B-3 & Me, presents a different side of his music than his earlier album, Let Them Talk. While that album showcased his vocals, rollicking piano and gospel influences, the present album features him in an organ trio. Crawford is joined by a couple of major young voices: saxophonist Clarence Johnson II and drummer Shannon Powell. Guitarist June Yamaguchi of the Wild Magnolias band plays on one track, Germaine Bazzle sings on one, and Henry Butler plays piano on another. Many of the songs are blues-based but the playing here is more forward looking than some similar albums. Johnson’s sometimes acerbic tone, which occasionally reaches to the saxophone’s upper range, is complimented by Crawfords’s chicken-fried organ. The trio sounds tight whether it takes the music into the alley or hits a hot bebop groove. Powell’s contributions cannot be underestimated as he propels the performances with shifting rhythmic accents along with a solid rhythmic pulse. In addition to original blues like Johnson’s Struttin’, and Crawford’s The Cat, the trio shows a particular affinity to Ray Charles as they go to church on the country classic, I Can’t Stop Loving You along with Hallelujah I Love Her So. Johnson sits out I Can’t Give You Anything But Love. The track with Butler on piano showcases not only that each is a master of the keyboards, but also how much they compliment each others solos. This review originally appeared in the April 1998 Jazz & Blues Report (Issue 230). Davell will be having a new album coming on Basin Street Records in the not distant future which will be highly welcome as he has not had a nationally distributed recording in some time. He is Davell performing.

"Our New Orleans" Was Rhythm And Blues After Katrina

In April 2006 I wrote reviews on several post-Katrina benefit albums. I will be posting these in the next few days (not necessarily consecutively). Here is the first which originally appeared in the April 2006 (issue 281) of Jazz & Blues Report as well as the April 2006 DC Blues Calendar, then the DC Blues Society’s newsletter. Some of the artists on this have passed on and it is still in print. I likely received a review copy, not sure if from the record company, a publicist or Jazz & Blues Report.

Our New Orleans on Nonesuch is a collection of new studio recordings by New Orleans and other Louisiana musicians recorded in various cities last September and October. The emphasis is less towards jazz and more towards blues and rhythm & blues.

Allen Toussaint opens with his Yes We Can Can, a song he originally wrote for Lee Dorsey and the spirit of helping each other make it is especially apt. Dr. John’s morose World I Never Made is followed by Irma Thomas, backed by Toussaint, singing an unfortunately topical Back Water Blues, singing “My house fell down and I can’t live there no more.” Davell Crawford adds a touch of gospel with his marvelous Gather By the River, one of several fine solo piano performances including Eddie Bo’s slow drag interpretation of When the Saints Go Marching On, Carol Fran’s Tou' Les Jours Ç'est Pas La Même with New Orleans rhythm accents as she sings bilingually about her man, “where were you when I passed by?”, and Allen Toussaint’s instrumental Tipitina and Me.

Traditional jazz is represented by clarinetist, Dr. Michael White, on a lively salute to King Oliver on Canal Street Blues and Preservation Hall on Do You Know What It Means to Miss New Orleans; cajun and zydeco are represented by Buckwheat Zydeco’s Cryin’ in the Streets (with a sullen feel and one of the best vocals I have heard from Mr. Dural with Ry Cooder on guitar) and Beausoleil’s bittersweet instrumental L’Ouragon; and street sounds of New Orleans are sampled by the Wild Magnolia’s Brother John is Gone/ Herc-Jolly-John, and the Dirty Dozen Brass Band’s My Feet Can’t Fail Me Now.

Charlie Miller plays sings and provides the only accompaniment on his trumpet on Prayer to New Orleans, while Donald Harrison’s alto is featured on The Wardell Quezerque Orchestra’s rendition of What a Wonderful World. The disc concludes with Randy Newman reviving his unfortunately appropriate Louisiana 1927 (about the flooding of cajun country in 1917) backed by the Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra with members of the New York Philharmonic singing about “they are trying to wash us away,” a lyric that rings unfortunately true.