Tedeschi Trucks Band's Revelator Has Strong Appeal

Each having successful solo careers, spouses Susan Tedeschi and Derek Trucks have put that part of their career behind for a period to co-lead a band. Both have developed into established and focused performers, who often joined each other on stage when possible. This new combination is not surprising. The Tedeschi Trucks Band have recently issued The Tedeschi Trucks Band have recently issued Revelator, on Sony Masterworks.


In addition to the leaders, Kofi Burbridge from Derek's band is on keyboards while his brother Oteil, from the Allman Brothers, handles the bass. Mike Mattison, Derek's vocalist is aboard for harmony vocals (and he contributes to some of the songs, which are all originals). Tyler Greenwell and J.J. Johnson are on drums, while Mark Rivers, David Ryan Harris and Ryan Shaw are on harmony vocals. There is also a horn section that includes Kebbi Williams on saxophone, Maurice Brown on trumpet, and Saunders Semmons on trombones. The horns add some punch and atmosphere, but with one exception little else.


Few will be surprised with the music here. There is plenty of Trucks' piercing, vocalized slide guitar and Tedeschi certainly has matured to a superb singer.Certainly she is equal to others in the blues-r&b-roots-pop vein able to move from a honey-toned straight-ahead to a church-rooted shout, always sounding natural. Its easy to simply sit back and listen to the solid, tight performances here and certainly one should expect that the live performances equal, if not surpass, the level of the music here.


This is not to say that everything is perfect. Their is some sameness to some of the material and some of the material on closer examination is not as strong as the band's execution. Bound For Glory, seems like a stringing together of hooks, and the entire lyric does not cohere, although Simple Things, is a gem, with Tedeschi's vocal acknowledging that she has not been giving enough in the relationship and maybe that's why one has the walls around himself.

The groove of Until You Remember evokes classic Memphis soul, and has another of the better lyrics here as Tedeschi sings it ain't right to be holding on too tight "until you remember you are mine." There is a nice suggestion of the Memphis Horns or Bar-Kays at the opening, while Derek's guitar builds upon the intensity generated by Susan's vocal. An intriguing performance is These Walls, with its addition of sarode and tabla to the musical mix to a tune that has a melody similar to Angel From Montgomery, with a lyric about a woman whose man has left town and whose times have been hard praying that the walls don't fall down and "thinking 'bout you baby for such a long, long time." The interplay between the sarode and Truck's very restrained slide work here is very nice.


In addition to the uneven songwriting, this writer also wishes that the horns might have been given more than simply the supporting role they exhibited. Maurice Brown, for example, is an especially gifted soloist with considerable warmth and originality and certainly would have further spiced up the performances. The horns on Love Has Something Else To Say, provide a hint of this point with a dialogue between guitar and tenor sax.


Of course, these are minor criticisms at most and "Revelator" certainly will be on many lists of the best recordings of 2011. Incidentally, after the conclusion of Shelter, there is an hidden performance of an instrumental, Ghost Light.


My review copy was provided by a publicist.

Outstanding New Jazz Releases.

Continuing my lists of outstanding Blues and Jazz, here are some Jazz releases that in 2010 impressed me.  These are not in any specific order.

Jason Moran Ten (Blue Note) This was quite a year for the pianist Moran was was awarded a MacArthur Foundation Fellowship. Ten refers to the the years his trio “The Bandwagon” has been together and this recording mixes a variety of new compositions which his fresh interpretation of Monk’s “Crepuscule With Nellie.” Most fascinating is his “Old Babies,” which is based on a very early twentieth century recording by the legendary pioneering performer, Bert Williams, and whose vocals Moran evokes in his piano on this.

Owen Howard Drum Lore (BJU Records) The genesis of this recording came from Howard’s participation in a jazz workshop’s composition class when someone asked why he a drummer was participating, and the result is this disc of eleven drummer penned compositions, superbly performed by Howard’s combo. Of Howard’s playing, I have noted, “Even when not upfront, his playing complements and pushes the soloists through these fascinating compositions that is a lesson that student at the jazz workshop hopefully by now has learned.”


Maurice Brown The Cycle of Love (Brown Records). A Chicago native who studied at Southern University’s acclaimed Jazz Program, Brown has a warm, lively tone and with a wonderful group produces some superb music. The music on this, his second album, exhibits some a playfulness and melodic qualities that can bring a smile to one’s face, yet there is plenty of substance here.

Lena Seikaly Written in the Stars (self-produced). Distinctive interpretations by this young Washington, DC area singer who has such a marvelous voice. Interesting song selection of standards and originals with a highlight for me being her rendition of the Charles Mingus ballad “Duke Ellington’s Song of Love.”

Catherine Russell Inside This Heart of Mine (World Village). Russell, daughter of the legendary band leader Luis Russell and bassist carline Ray delights us as she mines “lesser known songs from decades past and revive them in a lively fashion that avoids being campy. Her vocals are a model that many singing jazz and blues would do well top listen to and learn from how she delivers her songs as well as marvel from the sensitive and sympathetic support she receives.”

Gabriele Tranchina A Song Of Love’s Color (Jazzheads) This, I wrote, “is a wonderful release that is sure to charm listeners with not only Gabriele Tranchina’s lovely voice, but her wonderful expressiveness and the tight playing in support of her. This is a recording that easily lends itself to repeated listening.”

Azar Lawrence Mystic Journey (Furthermore). The saxophonist with his fine band joined by Eddie Henderson on trumpet and the late Rashied Ali on drums has produced a phenomenal recording that suggests the inspiration that John Coltrane provided Lawrence on a body of terrific material and performances.

Antonio Sanchez Live in New York (CamJazz) Strong double CD performance at NYC’s Jazz Standard with drummer joined by his brother David on tenor sax, Miguel Xenon on alto sax and Scott Colley on bass for some truly special performances. 

Issac Delgado L-O-V-E (Sony Classical) The Cuban singer’s marvelous tribute to Nat King Cole is centered around the three albums Cole recorded that were recorded for Spanish speaking audiences. I wrote that the “combination of Delgado’s vocals and the exquisite accompaniments result in this being one of the year’s most enchanting recordings.”


William Parker I Plan To Stay A Believer: The Inside Songs of Curtis Mayfield (Aum Fidelity). A lively double CD all star free-jazz big band exploration of the music of Curtis Mayfield that may have some ragged edges but makes compelling listening.

Maurice Brown's HipBob Blend Delights

Trumpeter Maurice Brown, according to his website biography was “Raised in south Chicago, Maurice was awarded a full music scholarship to Northern Illinois University upon graduating from Hillcrest High School. After winning first place in the esteemed National Miles Davis Trumpet Competition, Maurice found new flavor in the heart of Louisiana, …” He continued he studies at Southern University where he was part of the Jazz Program led by the late clarinet player and composer, Alvin Batiste. While living in New Orleans, he recorded his debut CD, “Hip to Bop,” and established himself in the New Orleans scene, playing regularly at Snug Harbor. He also has done a wide variety of session work working with hip hop artists, queen of soul, and contemporary jazz including recordings by Musiq Soulchild, Aretha Franklin, Roy Hargrove, Kendra Ross, Ernest Dawkins, Fred Anderson and George Freeman. Currently he lives in New York, and has just issued his second CD as a leader, “The Cycle of Love,” (Brown Records).

Derek Douget, on tenor with Derek, was on Maurice’s earlier CD and also studied in new Orleans although under the University of New Orleans Jazz Program under Ellis Marsalis’ leadership. The rest of the quartet is pianist Chris Rob, drummer Joe Blaxx and bassist Solomon Dorsey, none of whom were on the earlier album. Of this album, Brown notes that the music here is his interpretation of the “different stages we go through in our quest for true happiness.” He does elaborate for each tune here, but I will let you discover his comments for himself.

Drummer Blaxx opens “Fly By Night,” with a hip hop groove, before Ron lays down a chord and Dorsey starts a bass figure with the two coming to state the melody with a stop-time stutter added. It exhibits some of the playfulness and melodic qualities that characterize this recording. Douget and Brown both have marvelous tones, with Brown having a bright, lyrical sound but certainly get dig in and get a stinging tone as necessary. Pianist Rob also exhibits a lyrical tone to his playing. “Good Vibrations,” illustrates Brown’s ability to write material which should appeal to those with more of a smooth jazz tastes, but his playing here certainly will not put to asleep those whose tastes are more straight-ahead.

Its hard not to tap one’s feet or simply smile listening to Brown. One of my favorite tracks is “Time Tick Tock,” built around a Blaxx’s clock-like groove with Rob’s repeated piano riff that echoes the groove as the two horns engage in a call and response with each other before Brown takes off on his solo which elaborates on some of the melodic figures he had been passing back and forth with Douget. “Lovely,” is a ballad with some elegant sounding playing with Brown adding a mute for his solo. Echoes of the Miles Davis Quintet of the mid-sixties can be heard by the performance, “The Connection,” and the disc closes on the upbeat “Reflections.”

“The Cycle of Love” is allruing and I have listened to it repeatedly the past few weeks. Shortly after receiving my review copy, I learned he was playing at the Kennedy Center’s K.C. Jazz Club backed by the quintet on the disc with the exception of a different bassist. There, before an audience that included Dr. Billy Taylor and pianist George Cables, Brown played a number of tunes from this, several from “Hip to Bop,” and gave the Errol Garner classic “Misty” a superb interpretation. Watching him perform, one sees the exhilaration he has in performing as he will stand on the side dancing along, swaying, twirling his trumpet and encouraging his band members. The performance certainly delighted all there.

“The Cycle of Love”is available from cdbaby.com, Louisiana Music Factory, and other sources as well as can be downloaded. Maurice Brown will be performing the first weekend at this year’s New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, but both and Derek Douget will be performing in a variety of groups and likely also at some evening appearances at clubs while JazzFest is taking place. I certainly hope to cross their paths while I am in New Orleans for the second weekend of JazzFest. His website is www.mauricebrown.net.

For purposes of FTC regulations, i received my review copy from Brown Records.