Guy Davis & Fabrizio Poggi Sonny & Brownie's Last Train

Guy Davis & Fabrizio Poggi
Sonny & Brownie's Last Train
M.C. Records

Guy Davis' latest release, with his partner harmonica player Fabrizio Poggi is a tribute to the legendary duo of Sonny Terry and Brownie McGhee. While Terry & McGhee were among the leading exponents of the Piedmont blues style, Davis' approach is most assuredly his own. For example on "Shortnin' Bread," his guitar style employing a repeated riff is more akin to the Mississippi Delta and Memphis artists than heard in Carolina tobacco towns. Similarly, Davis' guitar accompaniment of "Baby Please Don't Go Back To New Orleans," evokes Mississippi Fred McDowell and Leadbelly. This is not a criticism but an observation. There are times they do play in the easy flowing Piedmont style as in the cover of Elizabeth Cotten's "Freight Train," although Davis modeled his playing here on Cotten's original (as he observes in his liner notes). This is not a criticism as Davis and Poggi deliver this performance in their own manner, and not as simple revivalists.

The album opens with Davis' title track, an affectionate tribute to the pair. The remainder are songs to some extent associated with Terry & McGhee, even if from other sources and several are probably more associated with Leadbelly such as "Shortnin' Bread," "Take This Hammer" and "The Midnight Special." "Take This Hammer," is an interesting performance with the accompaniment suggesting the gospel tune, "Glory, Glory, Hallelujah."

Among the performances rendered in the Piedmont style are the afore-mentioned "Freight Train," the superb "Hooray, Hooray These Women Is Killing Me," and "Step It Up and Go," associated with Josh White and Blind Boy Fuller, which Davis has recorded before. There is a strong rendition of "Walk On," one of the songs most associated with Terry & McGhee. If the rendition of St. Louis Jimmy's "Going Down Slow," is similar to the somewhat generic treatment Terry & McGhee gave it, Davis and Poggi are more in a Delta Blues style for Johnny Temple's "Louise, Louise" as opposed to the Broonzy cover that influenced Terry and McGhee.

Regardless of the manner specific songs are performed, there is plenty to enjoy on "Sonny & Brownie's Last Train." If Davis' somewhat gruff singing lacks some of the easy flowing quality of particularly Brownie McGhee, the interplay between him and Poggi is in its own manner as marvelous and Terry and McGhee. In his liner notes, Davis provides a written appreciation of Terry and McGhee and in an insert provides notes on the songs (although the notes on "Louise, Louise" fail to mention Johnny Temple's original) along with lyrics. This is an intriguing and welcome release, and one I suspect Terry and McGhee would appreciate if they still were with us.

I received my review copy from the record company. Here Guy and Fabrizio perform the title track. 

 

Guy Davis Kokomo Kidd

MC Records has just issued Guy Davis' latest release "Kokomo Kidd," with nine originals and four covers. Davis is joined by Professor Louie on piano, John Platinia on slide and electric guitar, Mark Murphy on bass and cello, Gary Burke on drums, and Chris James on mandolin and rhythm electric guitar. Charlie Musselwhite and Fabrizio Poggi each guest on harmonica for one track while Ben Jaffe adds tuba to the opening title track.

Davis is an appealing folk and blues performer and the songs here provide a varied palette of blues that can be seen from the jaunty opening title track about a gentleman who was the grease in the corrupt prohibition era to keep the machine running. The next song, "Wish I Hadn't Stayed Away So Long," with its wistful sense about regretting his hobo's life. He adds some marvelous harmonica and banjo that adds to the flavor of the performance. "Taking Just A Little Bit of Time" has some nimble fingerpicking and a restrained, gruff, vocal.

Davis suggests Bob Dylan at times with several of his vocals including the cover of "Lay Lady Lay," but also "She Just Wants To Be Loved," about a lady who keeps going back for pain when all she wants to be loved with Professor Louie's organ and Chris James' mandolin helping the performance build in intensity. Charlie Musselwhite adds some nice harmonica to a pretty straight rendition of "Little Red Rooster," with Professor Louie adding strong piano as Davis singing capably, but Platania's slide guitar comes off as a bit over the top. Much better is the gem, "Maybe I'll Go," with an accompaniment and a vocal that evokes Mississippi John Hurt. The jaunty "Have You Ever Loved A Women" has Poggi adding his country blues styled harmonica for a lively acoustic performance. Tommy Johnson's "Cool Drink of Water" is a hauntingly beautiful recording and unfortunately Davis' gruff vocal nor the somewhat stilted rhythm suffer compared to the original. The reggae groove adds to the appeal of the closing "Wear Your Love Like Heaven."

"Kokomo Kidd" features a number of gems as well as some less successful songs, but as a whole displays his maturity as a performer and his open ears and imaginative approach to his music.

I received my copy from MC Records. This review originally appeared in the November-December 2015 Jazz & Blues Report (Issue 363), although I made few stylistic changes and corrections. Here is Guy chatting and then performing.

 

Guy Davis Is Chocolate To The Bone

Guy Davis has established himself as amongst the most gifted interpreters of acoustic blues alive. Back in the July-August 2003 DC Blues Calendar, I had the following review of his album Chocolate to the Bone which also was published then to help promote his performance at that year's Herndon Blues Festival, an acoustic blues festival that alas is no longer happening. I believe Red House Records sent me a review copy.  

Chocolate to the Bone is the new Red House release that Guy Davis will be supporting on his upcoming appearances. The sixth album for the multifaceted performer covers a lot of musical territory with most of the performances finding Davis backed by a small, mostly acoustic group that provides a bit of string band feel to performances that range from a tribute to John Estes (Limetown set to the melody of Brownsville Blues-Rolling & Tumble Blues); his original Tell Me Where the Road Is which has the flavor of a Taj Mahal performance; and the rollicking Step It Up and Go, with a jug band flavor contributed by Howard Johnson’s tuba and some frenzied slide guitar in the vein of Tampa Red.

Other delight's includes his rendition of John Lee Hooker’s I Believe I’ll Lose My Mind, that catches the brooding character of Hooker’s slow blues with nice slide guitar added; Davis’ Honey Babe with nice fingerpicking and genial vocal about going to Baltimore to see the woman, chocolate to the bone, he will love till the day he dies; and the traditional children’s song, Shortnin’ Bread. Other covers on this include Charles Brown’s Driftin’ Blues; the rarely covered Blind Lemon Jefferson classic, Matchbox Blues; and Ishman Bracey’s Saturday Blues. Railroad Story is a short harmonica blues dedicated to Sonny Terry and Reverend Dan Smith. 

The music here is handsomely performed throughout and the playing is supportive of Davis’ vocals as opposed to hogging the spotlight itself. This recording is as entertaining as any Davis has produced and will be welcome by his fans and undoubtedly those who see him perform.

Here is a video of Davis with a band performing Saturday Blues.

Guy Davis's Delightful The Adventures of Fishy Waters: In Bed With the Blues

Guy Davis has over the past couple decades established himself as amongst the finest acoustic blues entertainers. Child of the celebrated couple, Ruby Dee and Ozzie Davis, acting and music might have been said in his genes. In any case, his voyage to the blues started from the stage, and he was an understudy to the theatrical production Mulebone that was inspired by the folklorist and author, Zora Hurston. One of his understudy roles was to bluesman Kenny Neal, and after his time with this production he created a one-man show The Adventures of Fishy Waters: In Bed With the Blues. While the initial run lasted one week, it is a show that Davis has performed when he has an opportunity.

Davis has issued a memorialization of The Adventures of Fishy Waters: In Bed With the Blues on his Smokeydoke Records with assistance from Bob Porter which enables those who haven’t had the pleasure of seeing Davis perform this show to enjoy it. The music and stories are about 91 minutes and therefore spread over two CDs.

The mix of performances and story-telling is quite engaging as displays the warmth and humor that Davis brings to his performances. He mixes in a few interpretations of classic blues from Rev. Gary Davis, Blind Willie McTell, Robert Johnson and Big Big Broonzy with idiomatic originals that indeed have a strong rhythmic impetus.

One might compare Davis to the late Brownie McGhee or John Cephas as an agile, adept and fluid picker who also conveyed considerable feeling in his singing. To these splendid musical performances, Davis also tells stories that are amusing about hobos, and catfish stew and at other times chilling as when he talks about the lynching. The result is an interesting, provocative and marvelous recording.

I received my review copy from a publicist for this release. Here is a video of Guy Davis in performance. Guy's website is http://www.guydavis.com/.