Kim Wilson Take Me Back: The Bigtone Sessions

Kim Wilson
Take Me Back: The Bigtone Sessions
M.C. Records

"Take Me Back" is Kim Wilson's first new release in three years. The album presents mostly straight-ahead Chicago-styled blues that Wilson recorded at Big Jon Atkinson's Bigtone Studios at different times and locations. These tracks were recorded live without overdubs and in mono. There are a variety of musicians backing Kim's vocals and harmonica. Guitarists on this album include Jon Atkinson, Billy Flynn, Danny Michel, Kid Andersen, Robert Welsh, and Rusty Zinn. Robert Welsh and Barrelhouse Chuck are the pianists, while Kedar Roy, Greg Roberts, and Troy Sandow are on bass, and Johnny Viau adds horns. Drummers on these sessions include Marty Dodson, Ronnie Smith, June Core, Malachi Johnson, and Al West.

There are nine reworkings of tunes from Jimmy Nolen, Howlin' Wolf, Larry Williams, Little Walter, and Jimmy Rogers, along with seven Wilson originals. After a crisp take on Nolen's "You've Been Goofin'," we are treated to one of several Little Walter flavored instrumentals, the rollicking "Wingin' It." Wilson's "Fine Little Woman" sounds like a cover of a lesser-known Little Walter recording with Billy Flynn channeling Robert Lockwood Jr. Wilson remains an unforced singer who is equally authoritative handling Howlin' Wolf's "No Place To Go," Percy Mayfield's "Strange Things Happenin'," and Jimmy Rogers' "Money, Marbles & Chalk." Then there is Wilson's Louisiana swamp-blues "Play Me" and the relaxed late-night harmonica instrumental "Strollin'."

Closing with another marvelous Little Walter styled instrumental "Out of the Frying' Pan," "Take Me Back," is another consistently well-performed Kim Wilson recording that will please many.

I received my review copy from MC Records. Here is Kim Wilson from a 2019 performance.

John Primer & Bob Corritore The Gypsy Woman Told Me

John Primer & Bob Corritore
The Gypsy Woman Told Me
Vizztone/ SWMAC Records

This is the third recording by the former Muddy Waters-Magic Slim sideman and harmonica player Bob Corritore. Supporting Primer's vocals and guitars and Corritore's harp are a variety of other artists including guitarists Jimi 'Primetime' Smith and Billy Flynn, pianists Bob Welsh and Ben Levin, bassists Kedar Roy, Mike Hightower and Troy Sandow, and drummers June Core and Brian Fahey. Part of this recording of traditional Chicago blues was recorded at Greaseland Studios, and Kid Andersen plays organ on one track.

Primer is in good form with his straight-forward vocals that conjure up Muddy Waters and Magic Slim, while Corritore comes off like little Walter on some tracks and Sonny Boy Williamson elsewhere. The studio bands keep a crisp shuffle groove going and provide tight backing. There are plenty of strong Chicago blues performances, including the title track that Muddy Waters made famous, Jimmy Rogers' "Left Me With a Broken Heart," and the reworking of Little Milton's "Walking the Back Streets and Crying" into a 50s sounding Chicago band blues. Primer plays some driving slim on his original, "Little Bitty Woman," which musically evokes Junior Parker's "Mystery Train." The backing players sit out on an emphatic cover of Lil Son Jackson's "Gambling Blues." At the same time, Primer's "Walked So Long," is performed acoustically with Sandow playing upright bass and Fahey using brushes.

John Primer remains a treasure as he continues to play first-rate down blues in the classic Chicago blues vein with sympathetic backing from Corritore. With an imaginative selection of material and the idiomatic support provided, Primer and Corritore have another gem.

I received my review copy from Vizztone. Here are John Primer & Bob Corritore performing.

Alabama Mike Hip You To My Blues

Alabama Mike
Hip You To My Blues
Big Tone Records

It was a surprise to learn about a new release by Alabama Mike (real name Michael A. Benjamin) on Big Jon Atkinson's new label. Alabama Mike's earlier recordings, such as those with The Andy T Band in 1997's "Double Strike," often displayed a gospel-rooted vocal style in the manner of Little Johnnie Taylor. This new release finds him in a down-home blues vein with a dose of Lightnin' Hopkins flavor along with some tracks that evoke early 50s Chicago flavor. This recording reflects Alabama Mike's long-burning desire to "do a record in the classic style of early electric blues pioneers… ." The backing musicians on this set of retro blues include Kim Wilson on harmonica, Big Jon Atkinson guitar, Danny Michel on guitar, Troy Sandow on bass, Kedar Roy on bass, Joe Lempkowski on harmonica, June Core on drums, Malachi Johnson on drums, Robert Welsh on keyboards, on retro-sounding performances.

Alabama Mike certain invests his vocals with intensity and soul. The Lightnin' Hopkins influence can best be heard on the opening "Black Cadillac" (with Atkinson on guitar) as well as the revival of Hopkins' "Hello Central" with Danny Michel on guitar, Kim Wilson on harmonica and Marty Dodson on drums lending the performance a swamp blues flavor. Danny Michel also channels Hopkins guitar on the swamp blues "California Blues," with choice Joe Lempkowski harmonica accompaniment.

A reworking of John Lee 'Sonny Boy' Williamson's "Cut That Out" sounds as a down-home version of Junior Wells fifties recording. Kim Wilson is on harmonica, Atkinson on guitar and Dodson on drums. Welsh provides the greasy organ on "Diabetic Man" with Wilson on the harp. On "How You Want Your Rollin Done," Atkinson plays some excellent T-Bone Walker styled guitar. On Big Bill Broonzy's "I Feel So Good," Alabama Mike delivers a strong vocal in the manner of Muddy Waters with J.B. Hutto styled slide guitar in the backing. "Keep My Grave Clean" is an ingenious band reworking of what was Blind Lemon Jefferson's most famous recording, while the cover of J.B. Hutto's "Too Much Alcohol" sticks close to the arrangement of Hutto's Delmark recording.

A moody rendition of Willie Love's "V-8 Food" with Atkinson and Welsh closes a release of notable down-home blues performances. There are a couple of times the backing may be a tad skeletal, but Alabama Mike's singing and the idiomatic support result in a most entertaining blues album.

I purchased this. Here is Alabama Mike performing "Let Me Hip You To My Blues."

Whitney Shay A Woman Rules The World

Whitney Shay
A Woman Rules The World
Little Village Foundation

There is something about a recording that makes one take notice, especially when it is by an artist that one was previously unaware of. San Diego vocalist Whitney Shay made that impression when I first started listening to her assertive "Ain't No Weak Woman," that opens up this new release of modern urban blues and classically oriented soul. Supporting her expressive singing is the excellent support that producer and guitarist Christoffer 'Kid' Andersen has provided. On this she is supported by a studio band that includes Jim Pugh on keyboards, Kedar Roy on bass, Alex Pettersen on drums and 'Sax" Gordon Beadle on saxophones with Igor Prado and Aki Kumar among those guesting on selected tracks.

"Ain't No Weak Woman" is one of four songs Shay co-wrote with Adam Eros, and she vigorously delivers her lyric that having a weak moment does not make her a weak woman. It is a moving vocal set against a driving groove with a superb Sax Beadle tenor sax solo. More raspy sax opens a lesser known Dinah Washington number "Blues Down Home." The terrific horn arrangement and her superb vocal suggests she could handle a straight jazz recording as well as she handles the blues and soul here. This track also has Jim Pugh's greasy organ accompaniment, a nice harp break from Aki Kumar and booting sax that evokes Eddie Chamblee and the like. After a hint of New Orleans on another original, "Don't You Fool Me No More," Igor Prado adds his slashing guitar and a  vocal on another original, the funky "Love's Creeping Up On You."

The title track was Denise LaSalle's answer to James Brown's "It's a Man's World." Sdt against the firm accompaniment, moaning and shouting, she delivers another knockout vocal. Andersen's sitar helps open her fervent blues shouting on a reworking of Little Richard's "Freedom Blues," followed by a strong deep soul interpretation of Candi Staton's "Get It When I Want It," with Sax Beadle's baritone sax a significant part of the backing. Among the other selections is the low-key original lament, "Empty Hand," where her phrasing and vocal dynamics stands out.

Another driving Little Richard number "Get Down With It," closes this recording. The terrific studio band and Andersen's production along with Shay's powerful, nuanced singing result in a superb recording.

I received my review copy from a publicist. I have made some stylistic edits to the review that originally appeared in the July-August Jazz & Blues Report (Issue 379). Here is a video of Whitney Shay performing.

Big Harp George Wash My Horse In Champagne

Big Harp George
Wash My Horse In Champagne
Blues Mountain Records

A follow-up to his widely acclaimed "Chromaticism," Big Harp George (Bisharat) has another superb album featuring his swinging acoustic chromatic playing and natural unforced vocals full of feeling and humor. Recorded at Kid Andersen's Greaseland Studios, Kid supplies bass or guitar on much of this with Chris Burns on keyboards and Raja Kawar on drums. Little Charlie Baty is on guitar for 7 of the 13 selections while Kedar Roy adds bass to 5 tracks and horns are present on 6 songs.

It is hard to single out any specific song as they are generally wonderfully played and sung. Andersen's guitar runs stick out on the amusing "Road Kill," while the title track has, interesting lyrics, an intriguing groove along with Baty's flamenco tinged acoustic guitar before some chromatic harp magic. This selection illustrates how some old school, real deal blues players can make something fresh and contemporary without rocking out. Then he evokes some 40's Slim & Slam jive with the peppy "Cool Mistake," "followed by a terrific slow blues "My Bright Future" whose tune is suggestive of the classic moody West Coast Blues, "Black Night."

The first track with horns is the easy swinging "I Ain't the Judge of You," and beside more clever lyrics, there is a terrific sax solo from Michael Peloquin and jazz-tinged guitar from Baty. The blues ballad, "I Wasn't Ready," is a delightful musical cousin of "Since I Feel For You," with more fine playing by Peloquin and Baty (the interplay of Peloquin and Big Harp George at the beginning is noteworthy, Baty's solo is terrific, while the leader's own horn like phrasing and tone is stunning). A terrific jumping blues, "If Only," stands out with more clever word play and some solid piano.

"Mojo Waltz" is a terrific instrumental with Peloquin on baritone sax (and overdubbed other saxes and Mike Rinta's trombone) that help frame some more startling harmonica, guitar (this time from Andersen) and a trombone solo. Another instrumental, "Size Matters," swings and there is some judicious use of the chromatic's lower register on this while the closing "Justice is My Time," is a superb track with just Andersen's bass providing the backing.

With "Wash My Horse In Champagne" Big George Harp again has another winner of a recording. The mix of strong songs, a terrific band, solid singing and fabulous harmonica results in the stellar music here.

I received my review copy from a publicist. This review originally appeared in the May-June 2016 Jazz & Blues Report (Issue 366). Here is a video clip from his CD release show for this CD.
 

Bob Corritore's Taboo Harp Feast

Bob Corritore has a new album of blues harmonica instrumentals, Taboo on Delta Groove. Corritore, a Chicago native who moved to the Phoenix area in the 1980s, has been a significant figure in the blues world as a radio host (his excellent “Those Lowdown Blues” on KJZZ on Sunday evenings), a recording producer, a promoter who created a thriving blues scene in Phoenix and a superb harmonica player.

Corritore has lent his considerable talents to terrific recordings by such folks as Henry Grey, Dave Riley, Louisiana Red, Big Pete Pearson and John Primer. He has had several albums under his own name, but these have often been compilations mostly of his work with a variety of blues performers. Taboo is an album of 12 blues instrumentals that feature Corritore’s swinging and fat toned harp playing backed by a crackerjack combo of guitars Junior Watson, keyboardist Fred Kaplan, bassist Kedar Roy and drummer Richard Innes. Two of the twelve selections have guitarist Jimmy Vaughan and organist Papa John DeFrancesco on which saxophonist Doug James also plays (he plays on one other number.

On the album cover, Charlie Musselwhite observes” Not many people can do an all instrumental harp CD and keep it interesting all the way through.” Having some dream backing musicians certainly helps as does a nice array of grooves and feels. Corritore is a player not simply possessing a big harp tone, but also one who displays a nuanced phrasing and a strong sense of swing that is heard on the somewhat exotic sounding title track as well as the driving Harp Blast, a hot shuffle in the vein of Little Walter, while another harp feature, Ruckus Rhythm evoked the brilliance of the late Jerry McCain’s classic Steady. Fabuloco (For Kid) is a nice salute to Kid Ramos with a Tex-Mex groove.”

Mr. Tate’s Advice is one of the two selections with organist DeFrancesco and Vaughan but Corritore’s unison playing with saxophonist James is also noteworthy on this jazzy performance. His unamplified chromatic playing on Fifth Position Plea contrasts with the fat atmospheric amplified sound on Many a Devil’s Night that would make Little Walker and George ‘Harmonica’ Smith proud. There is more outstanding chromatic on another Little Walter inspired instrumental, Bob’s Late Hours. On all three selections, Watson’s guitar is the perfect foil for the leader.

The terrific rhythm section provides such backing throughout while keeping the groove at a nice, relaxed tempo. Taboo is a marvelously performed, recorded and programmed CD of blues harmonica instrumentals. To paraphrase Charlie Musselwhite, it is a dandy of a CD.

I received my review copy from Delta Groove. Here Bob Corritore is seen with Bob Margolin at the Rhythm Room in Phoenix.

Earl Thomas and His Electrifying Blues Ambassadors

The biggest highlight of the 2012 Pennsylvania Blues Festival for this writer was a riveting set by the San Francisco Bay Area’s Earl Thomas with his band The Blues Ambassadors. Thomas brings to mostly original blues and soul numbers a raspy, vibrato-laden vocal style that may evoke some classic deep soul acts of thirty years ago. His band is a tough outfit that complements his searing vocals. In actual performance he has the stage presence of a Wilson Pickett crossed with Jackie Wilson that makes for some musical fireworks.

His performance impressed me enough to purchase his CD, Introducing the Blues Ambassadors (Earl Thomas Music). On the CD the Blues Ambassadors include Kedar Roy on bass; Robert Sidwell and Bob Welsh on guitars (Welsh doubles on electric piano); Takeshi Komori on organ and Paul Revelli on drums. The Band at the Festival was different but in both cases provided a firm backing for Thomas’ vocals.

Earl Thomas at the
2012 Pennsylvania Blues Festival

There is a nice of originals and covers from the strutting opening I’ll Be Alright with slide guitar helping drive the fast walking tempo as Thomas sings about having the blues as he walks down the road but will be all right. There is a pretty straight cover of Magic Sam’s All Your Love with a strong vocal that exhibits Thomas vibrato and some broiling guitar followed by a fresh take on the Big Maybelle classic One Monkey Don’t Stop No Show, performed if he was covering a Billy Boy Arnold Vee-Jay recording. His raspy voice, moving from talking to shouting, helps deliver this terrific lyric.

The mood changes on the soulful ballad performance, Never Can Tell, followed by the rocking groove of Don’t Do Me This Way, as he sings of the pain in his heart as he feels like rain on a sunny day, and baby, Another soulful ballad Standing in the Rain, is followed by a bluesy cover of the late Paul Pena’s Jet Airliner, which is true to Pena’s lyrics as opposed to those sung by Steve Miller’s in his better known version. She Fooled Me is a cover of Billy Boy Arnold’s I Was Fooled, and the band captures the feel of the classic Chicago blues sound behind Thomas’ singing. All Talk No Action, is an instrumental that conjures up classic Booker T. & the M.G.s while the topical How Come?, is a nice, understated performance.

I look forward to seeing and hearing more from Earl Thomas in the future. Introducing the Blues Ambassadors is an impressive recording although it did not exhibit all the electricity Thomas and his Band generate in performance. This is an artist and band we will be hearing more from in the future.

And here is a clip of Earl Thomas in performance.