Henry Gray Plays Chicago Blues

 

Since he moved back to Louisiana a few decades ago, former Howlin Wolf pianist Henry Gray has kept playing but has never enjoyed the level of recognition that contemporaries, such as Pinetop Perkins, have received. Besides being in Wolf's band for an extended period, Gray did a fair amount of session work, recording with Jimmy Rogers, Little Walter, Billy Boy Arnold and Jimmy Reed, as well as making his own recording for Chess. The biggest influence on Grays style is Big Maceo, and like that great master, he is a strong, two-handed player and he certainly sings with a definite sense of urgency.

Gray did record some swamp-blues flavored sides for an Arhoolie anthology, and some singles for small Louisiana labels, an album for Antone's which I believe is long out-of-print, and a live album for Lucky Cat which would have been better if some of the performances had been edited to be tighter. Hightone has issued a new cd by him, Plays Chicago Blues , which has him backed by guitarists Bob Margolin and Kid Ramos, fellow Wolf alumni Chico Chism on drums and Bob Corritore on harmonica.

My promo cd does not provide any more detailed information, but these are from various sessions that Corritore produced over several years. Its a nice mix of material including covers of classic Chicago blues including a couple songs associated with Elmore James, It Hurts Me Too and I Held My Baby Last Night, as well as Wolf's How Many More Years , The Maceo influence is quite evident on the slow moody Trouble Blues and It Hurts Me Too, while Henry’s Houserocker is a strong, rollicking instrumental. There is nothing fancy about this music but it strikes this writer as the best currently available disc of Henry Gray's music available.

Henry Gray had a recent album issued under Bob Corritore's direction, The Henry Gray/ Bob Corritore Sessions Vol. 1 that I will post my review of tomorrow. This review was written in  mid-2001 and likely was published in Jazz & Blues Report and the DC Blues Calendar. I likely received a review copy from Hightone and this may be still available.

Here is Henry in performance in 2009 at the Louisiana Music Factory.

Otis Spann Lived The Bluesman's Life

Otis Spann is among my favorites as a blues performer, not simply as a blues pianist. I had the pleasure of doing this review which appeared in the October 1997 (Issue 225) Jazz & Blues Report. I likely received the review copy from the record label or a publicist. It is most available used or as mp3 downloads.  Otis Spann’s star shined all too briefly in the blues world and the release of previously unissued recordings by one of the greatest of all blues pianists (with Muddy Waters and band), Live the Life (Testament/Hightone) is something for longtime blues enthusiasts to take notice of. This collection of 16 mostly live performances includes five with Muddy Waters on acoustic guitar (and possibly Willie Dixon on bass) which offer a wonderful rendition of his Tribute to Martin Luther King as well as a stunning rendition of Big Maceo’s Worried Life Blues. These are followed by seven concert performances by Muddy Waters. After Spann opens up with Kansas City and a very impassioned vocal on Tin Pan Alley, he steps back to an accompanist role behind Waters’ four vocals, including a fine 5 Long Years, Willie Dixon’s Live the Life I Love, and Waters’ own Can’t Lose What You Never Had. One would not characterize any of these twelve recordings as high fidelity, but all the vocals are quite audible, and Spann’s piano accompaniments and solos are quite prominent in the mix. These performances with the Waters band are particularly interesting in that Muddy’s vocals are not as mannered as some of his later vocals, and Spann’s playing is marvelous. In his brief liner notes, Dick Shurman notes one aspect of Spann’s brilliance may be an outgrowth of his low-key approach. In this day of over amplified in-your-face guitarists, the subtlety and pacing of Spann’s piano stands out even more so. Furthermore, his own smokey vocals are perhaps more ingratiating today when few can sing this material with Spann’s natural authority. With the uneven quality of the sound, one cannot recommend this without reservations for the casual listener, although it is a very important addition to his discography. Here is Spann performing with the Muddy Waters Band

James Armstrong Survived A Very Dark Night

James Armstrong’s recovery from the terrible stabbing he suffered at the hands of a deranged homeless person a couple years ago is one of the most heartening stories in the blues, and the release of his second Hightone album, Dark Night, is a cause for celebration. Bruce Bromberg is one of the producers, so it may not be completely surprising that some may find this recording suggestive of Bromberg’s recordings by Robert Cray and Joe Louis Walker. Armstrong stands on his own with his gritty, slightly laconic delivery who can deal with the urban violence he personally experienced, yet can still see the light. His optimism is most obvious on the joy he celebrates on his Lil’ James, about his young son. He is as forthright singing about a relationship falling apart because of misunderstandings, miscommunications, mistakes and mistrust on Doug MacLeod’s Too Many Misses For Me, as on Slender Man Blues where he warrants that wants to do something for the ladies that the big boys can’t. Joe Louis Walker adds guitar to Trouble on the Home Front, a lazy shuffle about the “worse type of trouble to have,” while Doug MacLeod is present of Armstrong’s amusing shuffle, Bank of Love, with some imaginative use of language. Like practically all of Bruce Bromberg’s productions, these performances come across as well rehearsed and cleanly executed. Yet like Cray and Walker, Armstrong invests plenty of soul into his performances, and his own guitar solos are solidly crafted. I recently posted here (January 1, 2012) on Armstrong’s new album, Blues at the Border. The present review appeared originally in the October 1998 DC Blues Calendar as well as the October 1998 Jazz and Blues Report (Issue 235). Here is James performing at the 2009 Pocono Blues Festival and I was at this show.

Willie 'Big Eyes' Smith Takes Us Way Back

Willie ‘Big Eyes’ Smith is best known for his tenure as drummer with the great Muddy Waters. Later he was the foundation of the Legendary Blues Band, formed by former members of Waters’ Band and in the years since has played on numerous recordings as well as occasionally showcased his harmonica playing, an instrument he actually recorded on prior to joining Muddy.


Bob Corritore has produced a new Hightone release, Way Back, that showcases Smith’s harp as well as his amiable vocals on some choice covers as well as idiomatic originals. His son Kenny Smith handles drums on most tracks here while the band and guests include James Cotton (superb playing on I Don’t Trust You Man and If You Don’t Believe I’m Leaving ), Pinetop Perkins, Bob Stroger, Bob Margolin, Calvin ‘Fuzz’ Jones, Bob Stroger, Billy Flynn Little Frank Krakowski and Johnny Rapp.


Smith sings in a very natural, likable manner and delivers the opening Don’t Say That No More, in a very ingratiating fashion while tossing in harp In a Little Walter manner on Read Way Back and Walter’s Tell Me Mama (actually a Washboard’s Sam number, Back Door). He lacks Walter’s tone, but his driving harp playing has its own attraction. Guitarists Rapp and Krakowski generally stay in the background here, helping push the groove along, although there is some fine playing on Woman’s World. Pinetop Perkins is expectedly splendid throughout. Producer Corritore’s harp and Billy Flynn’ guitar is featured on Lowdown Blues and I Want You to Love Me, two tracks where Big Eyes takes the drum chair. Blues and Trouble is a terrific duet with Margolin who adds some great slide guitar.


Throughout this album, the backing band is wonderful whether taking the tempo down or rocking a shuffle. There are no frenzied hyped-up grooves here, just some first class old school blues playing, and some strong versions of classics as well as some choice originals by Smith results in a fine album that will appeal to lovers of the Chicago blues.


Received review copy from either the record label or a publicist for the label. This review was originally written for the DC Blues Calendar, newsletter of the DC Blues Society in 2006, but am not sure if it was published.