Toronzo Cannon
The Preacher, The Politician and The Pimp
Alligator Records

This is the Toronzo Cannon's fifth album, second for Alligator, and brings more of searing guitar, intense vocals and intriguing original songs. His lyrics arise from today's headlines, his experiences as a veteran bus driver in Chicago as well as the wisdom of his grandparents, who raised him and often have stories that make for compelling listening. On this release he is supported by Roosevelt Purifoy on keyboards, Marvin Little on bass and Melvin 'Pooky Styx" Carlisle on drums. There are also appearances by Norma Jean on vocals, Billy Branch on harmonica, Joanna Connor on slide guitar, Lynne Jordan, Cedric Chaney and Maria Luz Carball on vocals, and horns arranged by trumpeter Joe Clark.

He writes lyrics that lay bare the similarities between "The Preacher, The Politician and The Pimp," or the humor-filled stories of male braggadocio on "Stop Me When I'm Lying." The former number is taken at a nice relaxed pace while the latter is an exuberant performance with a New Orleans groove and punchy horns. "The Chicago Way," mixes a ZZ Top rocking boogie groove with stop-time and hot single note runs as Cannon sings about breaking the rules, paying his dues and that he will play his blues without an apology, the Chicago Way. He blasts off on this song with a closing guitar solo. There is also a rollicking duet with Nora Jean "That's What I Love About 'Cha." After each noting the other's shortcomings, they also know that the other is "mine all mine."

Then there is the black humor of "Insurance" with lyrics about dealing with doctors and insurance that many will be able to relate to. Alligator's chief honcho, Bruce Iglauer, makes a brief cameo as a doctor while Billy Branch adds his harmonica on this performance. "She Loved Me (Again)" is an original about domestic abuse. In it, Toronzo couldn't take a man beating his woman anymore, and he shot the man. When the cops burst in, she had Toronzo's gun in her hand and said she was the one that shot that man. Cannon's intense singing, and blistering, scorching guitar playing result in perhaps the CD's most compelling performance.

"She Loved Me (Again)" is followed by "The Silence of Friends." This is another message song in which Toronzo observes that too often when wrong things are said or done, 'friends' are silent and not supportive. The closing number, "I'm Not Scared," is sung by Lynne Jordan, Cedric Chaney, and Maria Luz Carball, who sing about no longer being victims, whether from taking abuse from a lover or taking abuse for being gay. Joanna Connor adds slide guitar while Cannon's uses wah-wah and other her effects. After a searing guitar solo, this song, and album ends with Purifoy's reflective piano solo.

Toronzo Cannon follows his inspiration and does things his own way, the Chicago Way. He continues to mature as a songwriter as well as a performer. The result is a compelling, superlative blues recording.

I received my review copy from Alligator. This will be available on September 20.  This review appeared in the September-October 2019 Jazz & Blues Report (Issue 386).  Here is Toronzo performing at the 2019 Chicago Blues Festival.

Billy Branch's Wonderful Salute to Little Walter

Billy Branch & The Sons of Blues
Roots And Branches — The Songs Of Little Walter
Alligator Records

Now after performing for almost four and half decades, Billy Branch has established himself as among today's leading harmonica players, if not the heir to the Chicago harmonica throne. Here he turns his attention to the music of perhaps the greatest of blues harmonica players, Little Walter. He recalls as a youth "During my early, formative years, I would sit in every chance I got. I listened and absorbed every harmonica player that I would encounter, young, old, black or white. I just wanted to get as good as I could. Many times I would engage in "head-cutting" contests with Junior Wells, James Cotton, Carey Bell, and the great late Big Walter Horton." He may have had his head cut, but he grew and learned from these masters.

But he never had the chance to hear or meet Little Walter. "Once I began my quest to become a skilled blues harmonica player, it wasn’t long before I realized that there was one person that was an absolute must to listen to and emulate—Little Walter. It quickly became apparent that Little Walter was "The Man." All of the cats on the scene who were around my age said it, including seasoned players such as Rick Estrin and Jerry Portnoy. This was echoed by the guys who would eventually become my teachers and friends: Junior Wells, Carey Bell and James Cotton. … Good Rockin’ Charles, Charlie Musselwhite, Easy Baby, Eddie "Jewtown" Burks, Little Arthur Duncan, Lester Davenport, Golden Wheeler, and Louis Myers were other great harp men who all testified that the genius of Little Walter’s playing was unequaled."

His expressed his intent with respect to this recording" "We were determined not to make this a 'typical' Little Walter tribute recording. We are proud to present an album with elements of soul, funk and even a little bit of gospel. Our goal was to competently and respectfully produce a Little Walter-themed recording with a different twist, while preserving the integrity of Little Walter’s innovative style." The Sons of the Blues backing Billy Branch on this are Sumito "Ariyo" Ariyoshi on piano; Giles Corey on guitar; Marvin Little on bass; and Andrew "Blaze" Thomas on drums. On one track, Shoji Naito replaces Corey on guitar.

Branch is a superb singer and harmonica player and the Sons of the Blues do a stellar job accompanying him with the feel being more of the later Checker recordings with guitarists like Luther Tucker or Freddy Robinson as opposed to Louis Myers and Robert Lockwood. The authority with which Branch handles the opening "Nobody But You" is characteristic of this entire recording with his marvelous vocal and superb harmonica solo with Corey adding a sizzling solo to his comping and chords. "Mellow Down Easy" is one instance to demonstrate how original is the arrangement of the material. It opens with some full-bodied amplified harmonica along with a vocal where he emphasizes "easy," while his harmonica solo floats over the backing. Corey and pianist Ariyoshi also solo while the rhythm duo lay down a firm groove.

Corey hints at Bo Diddley's playing on the original of "Roller Coaster," although Corey's playing is less trebly. This is a tour de force for Branch's playing, full of swoops and leaps. It is followed by "Blue and Lonesome" with Corey's intense guitar matched by Branch's chromatic harmonica solo. Willie Dixon's "My Babe" was based on "This Train," but Branch and the Sons of the Blues transform the melody with a jazzy, Latin tinge. Again he plays brilliant harmonica on a performance that includes a shift of tempo and some hot guitar. Similarly, they rearrange "Juke," with a funky groove into the contours of which Branch lays down his solo. Then there is a funky medley of "Just Your Fool/ Key to the Highway," with Corey's stinging guitar accompanying the vocal on the 1st part, while Branch's harmonica (with echoes of some of Carey Bell's harmonica effects) segues into the latter number.

Among the other Little Walter classics reworked here is a superb, rollicking "You're So Fine," with the band playing with unfettered abandon, and a terrific"Blues With a Feeling," that is the last track of the music on this. The album closes with some remembrances of Little Walter by his daughter, Marion Diaz. She adds a bit of a human dimension to the blues giant that Billy Branch and the Sons of the Blues honor in this superlative recording.

I received my review copy from Alligator. This will be released on Friday, July 5. Here is an older performance of Little Walter's "Hate to See You Go," from Billy Branch.

Russ Green City Soul

Russ Green
City Soul
Cleopatra Records

Russ Green is a name that I remember as one of the players on the Chicago Blues Harmonica Project albums. This Chicago native has an interesting career that has seen him becoming involved in film production as well as music. His harmonica playing shows the influence of Sugar Blue and Billy Branch and on this debut album he wrote all of the songs (one in collaboration with Eric Bibb). He is backed by a band that includes Giles Corey on guitar, Marvin Little on bass, Ricky Nelson on drums, Vince Agwada on slide guitar and Joe Munroe on the Hammond B3, with Eric Bibb singing an adding acoustic guitar on one selection.

There is some hot music to be heard here, starting with the hyper-kinetic boogie, "First Thing Smokin'" with Agwada's slide guitar adding to a near frantic pace. Green certainly has no problem with the tempo whether his blazing harp playing and his soulful singing and one is struck by the clarity of his phrasing. "Believe in Love" has a more relaxed, reggae-tinged groove as again he impresses with his singing as well as his horn-like harp playing, set against a crisp, low-key backing. The longest track here is "The Edge," a funky blues that opens with his wet, full-bodied harp before his sings about empty bottles on the table and floor with his mind shaking dealing with poverty and staying on the edge with a razor blade and no shoes on his feet.

Eric Bibb joins on "Goin' Down South," where the two share the vocal to see where their people come from, where they live the blues, and see the ghost of ole Jim Crow. Green's harp playing here is a bit more down-home, owing a more to Billy Branch here, while Bibb takes an acoustic guitar solo. Munroe is more prominent on the funky blues "Lover Man," with more fat-toned harp playing, while a stark bass figure underlies the topical "Train of Pain." There is a bluesy rock flavor to "Somethin' New," with some slide guitar adding to the mood here, while the closing "Love to Give," has more of a soul groover on

There is plenty to impress the listener on "City Soul" from Green's very modern blues harp, his relaxed baritone vocals and the solid studio band. Add to the fine playing here,  striking original material and one has a memorable debut album.

I received my review copy from a publicist. Here is Russ Green's recording of "Believe in Love."