Notable Jazz and Blues of 2012 - Part 2

This is the second blog recapping some of the finer jazz and blues releases that came out recently. Today I focus on recordings I reviewed in the second half of 2012.

New Jazz Recordings

Our Thing (Motéma Music) is the first time studio collaboration between Israeli-born guitarist/composer Roni Ben-Hur and Panamanian-born bassist/composer Santi Debraino. The musical delights of this trio is captured in a beautifully engineered recording which is also one of the better jazz guitar recordings this listener has heard recently.

Cassandra Wilson's, Another Country (eOne Music), is a collaboration with the Italian guitarist and producer, Fabrizio Sotti. From the opening moments of Red Guitar, to the closingOlumutoro, Wilson's sultry and intimate vocals benefits from the backing.

Brazilian born drummer Duduka Da Fonseca bridged the world of samba and jazz on Samba Jazz - Jazz Samba (Anzic Records). With a band of well-regarded players (and bandleaders): Anat Cohen - clarinet and tenor saxophone; Helio Alves - piano; Guilherme Monteiro - guitar; and Leonardo Cioglia on bass, he produced an appealing album with strong ensemble playing on a varied set of compositions. 

Ernest Dawkins Afro-Straight (Delmark) is a terrific recording of straight-ahead jazz from an ensemble led by Dawkins, who is most associated with free jazz, as they tackle tunes from Coltrane, Shorter, Gillespie as well as an original blues from the leader. This is an excellent recording that easily refutes the stereotype that free jazz players can’t play straight-ahead.

Cornetist Josh Berman & His Gang, There Now (Delmark) is an imaginative free-bop release that includes very original interpretations of songs associated with the Chicago Jazz of the thirties. I found it a most imaginative and fascinating recording, full of surprises and passion.

Five members of Brooklyn Jazz Underground, a cooperative association of jazz artists from Brooklyn, NY, collaborated on a new recording A Portrait of Brooklyn on the association’s sister company, Brooklyn Jazz Underground Records. It is an excellent collection of first-rate original compositions and terrific playing.

New Blues Recordings

Vicksburg Blues (Red House Records) is the first collaboration between pianist and clarinetist Butch Thompson and singer-guitarist Pat Donohue and mostly explores classic blues in the vein of Leroy Carr, Tampa Red and Big Bill. "This is simply the finest album of blues piano and guitar duets in a number of years and certainly one of the finest new blues albums I have heard in 2012."

Johnnie Bassett had a new release on Sly Dog Records, I Can Make That Happen. This was another well produced and enjoyable recording. He died not long after this was released but was still making it happen with his soulful and sophisticated blues.

There are several songs on Linsey Alexander's Delmark debut Been There Done Thatthat if were recorded thirty years ago would be viewed as blues classics. This was one of the finer blues albums I heard in 2012. 

Michael Burks, Show of Strength (Alligator). What turned out to be a posthumous release was a stunning display of his fiery fretwork and soulful singing performing some fine material. 

Omar and the Howlers, Too Much Is Not Enough (Big Guitar). There is the second album of JimmY Reed's music Omar Dykes has put together and this includes the alte harmonica master Gary Primich about others. These are wonderfully paced performances and many ‘blues players’ would do well to see how one can take familiar material and make it sound fresh and vital

The Lioness of the Blues, Sista Monica, most recent recording on her Mo Muscle Records label is Living In The Danger Zone. A singer that combines the power of an Etta James with the nuanced delivery of Ruth brown, Sista Monica has produced another strong release.

Willie Buck with The Rockin’ Johnny Band had a new album on Delmark, Cell Phone Man. Evoking Muddy Waters, His vocals exhibit some of the same expressive qualities and with the strong backing here (which at times suggests some of the outstanding Delmark albums of the late sixties and seventies) Buck produced an outstanding recording of real-deal Chicago blues.

Fourteen Stories is the self-released recording by the Red Lotus Revue, a band rooted in fifties’ Chicago blues. They produced a strong collection of Chicago styled blues.

Vintage Jazz and Blues Recordings

Magic Sam, Live 1969 - Raw Blues (Rock Beat label). Exceptional previously unissued club recordings by legendary Magic Sam backed by Bruce Barlow (later with Commander Cody and the Lost Planet Airmen) on bass and Sam Lay on drums. Soul may not be quite hi-fi, but the performances are searing.

Don Sebesky’s Giant Box was part of the CTI Masterworks reissues of classic CTI albums marking the label’s 40th Anniversary. The performances onGiant Box display how his ambitious synthesis of classical, jazz and popular music was realized. His orchestrations frame the featured players here and enhance the solos that exhibit the skill and imagination of some of the greatest jazz musicians of four decades ago.

Celebrating a half century of the Preservation Hall Jazz Band is a new box set on Columbia/Legacy, The 50th Anniversary Collection. It spans there recordings and includes some previously unreleased material. This is a joy and soulfulness of all of the performances here on this celebration of 50 years of what is truly a cornerstone of American culture, not simply music.

Labor Records issued a new Louisiana Red CD, When My Mama Was Living, bringing together 16 tracks comprised of one track on CD for first time and the rest previously unissued selections or unissued alternate takes. This new release of unissued songs and alternate takes is welcome as. Louisiana Red was in quite fine form during this period.

Grant Green, The Holy Barbarian/ St. Louis 1959 (Uptown Records). This is first release of live recording of nearly 70 minutes of what was a strong performance of blues and hard-bop organ jazz in St. Louis at a short-lived pioneering venue.  Beautifully packaged this is as exciting release as Resonance Records recent Wes Montgomery CD.

Louis Armstrong & the Allstars, Satchmo at Symphony Hall - 65th Anniversary: The Complete Recordings (Hip-O-Select). A double CD reissue that includes previously unissued music that is one of the classic traditional jazz recordings and one of the most legendary performances of Armstrong’s career which thankfully is finally available in a complete issue.

Omar and the Howlers Too Much Is Not Enough

Jimmy Reed’s music is deceptively simple to play. With its lazy rhythm, simple boogie bass and mush mouth vocals it would seem so easy to cover and interpret. However, for every Jimmy Witherspoon, with his behind the beat vocals gave a personalized uptown approach, or Swamp blues masters like Lazy Lester, Jimmy Anderson, and Slim Harpo, others (such as Etta James) might handle the songs a bit too heavily. 

This brings us to a new release by Omar and the Howlers on Big Guitar Music, Too Much Is Not Enough. This recording of Reed’s music features the late Gary Primich on harmonica for what was Primich’s last recordings. This recording was recorded prior to Omar’s collaboration with Jimmy Vaughan On the Jimmy Reed Highway. Like that album, this includes a number of special guests including guitarists Derek O’Brien, Gary Clark, Jr., as well as Jay Moeller and Ronnie James. Not having heard the Jimmy Reed Highway, I cannot vouch for the statement that this recording takes a different approach. I can attest that this is a very fine recording of Jimmy Reed songs.

Omar Dykes' hoarse, gravelly vocals would seem more appropriate for the music of Howlin’ Wolf or Captain Beefheart. Importantly, his relaxed delivery simply nails the renditions of Too Much, Honest I Do, I Ain’t Got You, and Shame, Shame, Shame. The backing stands out with Primich shining. There is one non-Reed song included, Dykes’ I Gotta Let You Go. This is a swamp blues that evokes Slim Harpo’s Tee-Nah-Nee, with Gary Clark, Jr. adding slide guitar in the backing. On two selections Clark doubles on harmonica and guitar and if not as accomplished on harmonica as Primich, still acquits himself well.

Fans of Jimmy Reed, as well as of Omar Dykes, will certainly enjoy Too Much Is Not Enough. These are wonderfully paced performances and many ‘blues players’ would do well to see how one can take familiar material and make it sound fresh and vital. This is so good that I will be checking out the Jimmy Reed Highway, and looking forward to Omar Dykes promised future releases that will center on the music of Howlin’ Wolf and Bo Diddley.

I received this from either the label or publicist.  Here is Omar performing at the CD release party for this CD.

Omar and The Howlers Never Gone

Having recently had the pleasure to consider the excellent overview of the past two decades of Omar and the Howlers Essential Collection on Ruf, I received recently the latest Omar and the Howlers recording I’m Gone (Big Guitar Music). Its a session that has him joined by guitarists Casper Rawls and Derek O’Brien; bassists Ronnie James and Bruce Jones; and drummers Mike Buck and Wes Starr for a rocking collection opf rockabilly and blues.

It starts with the title track, a hot rockabilly stomp that evokes the classic Sun sound and with a forceful, gravelly vocal. All About the Money, is a lazy blues shuffle with a relaxed vocal, some nicely articulated guitar and a nice relaxed pace. Drunkard’s Paradise is a country number about drinking in the darkness with some chicken scratching guitar and steel guitar. Bo Diddley was an inspiration for Omar and Wild and Free, which uses the “Bo Diddley beat” and he employs judicious use of tremolo on it, followed by the driving Dust My Broom groove of Down At The Station.

Lone Star Blues is an atmospheric , straight-ahead blues instrumental which like this recording benefits from the economical backing and playing that benefits as much by what is not played as what is played. The ensuing track, Omar’s Boogie is a solid country-rockabilly instrumental with plenty of twang and followed by the slow Goin’ Back to Texas, which has a swamp blues flavor; a nice, gritty vocal and Casper Rawls’ guitar solo which takes some unexpected twists. Let Me Hold You is a swamp-pop styled ballad followed by a easy rocker, Move Up To Memphis, and then a solid cover of John Lee Hooker’s brooding I’m Mad Again. The booklet misidentifies the track penned by Hooker and it is I’m Mad Again, the 11th track, not the 10th track as stated there.

The closing track is another rockabilly groover, Take Me Back which uses Scotty Moore’s guitar riff from Elvis Presley’s rendition of Mystery Train. Its a lively track, solidly sung by Omar with his gravelly approach. It caps another solid and recommended recording from Omar Dykes.

My review copy was provided by a publicist. Here is some Omar and the Howlers to enjoy.

Omar and the Howlers Essential Collection

Ruf Records has just issued a double CD set by Omar and the Howlers, Essential Collection. This is a career and label spanning compilation that covers the two or so decades of the recording career of Omar Dykes. The first of the two discs was compiled by Ruf while Omar himself selected the second of the two discs, producing over two hours of some choice music. He also proves some commentary on the songs he selected.

It has been easy to take Omar and the Howlers for granted, but from the opening moments of Magic Man, with its Bo Diddley groove, and dedicated to Omar’s fellow McComb, Mississippi native, through the acoustic rendering of Built For Comfort, with Magic Slim that closes the second disc, one is constantly impressed by Omar’s presence as a vocalist as well as his gritty blues guitar playing. His hoarse, husky vocals might be likened to that of Howlin’ Wolf although he is not one to try to imitate Wolf. At the same time his mix of string bending, single note runs and hard chords consistently stand out. Its also nice how he and the band can lay down a hot, rocking groove but not try to overwhelm us. Omar recognizes and makes use of the space between the notes played, letting the silence speak at times.

Certainly there is a rock flavor on much of this such as the kick-ass shuffle like Border Girl, but his rocking songs has his feet still planted in the blues. Hard Times in the Land of Plenty is a driving rocker with his message about some doing real well while others on the welfare line. The consistency over the thirty performances standout, as these recordings include some from his outstanding collaboration with jimmy Vaughan Jimmy Reed Highway, or his relaxed, expressive delivery of Oscar Brown’s lyrics to Nat Adderly’s Work Song, with David ‘Fathead’ Newman on saxophone. The latter number not only had him with one of his musical heroes but displayed his musical range as the tenor of his vocal is much different than Omar’s outrageous reworking of the Leiber-Stoller Alligator Wine which is a fine cover from the Screaming Jay Hawkins school book with some nice guitar as well along with some controlled frenzy. Then there is another rocker with the driving Bo Diddley beat, Do It For Daddy.

I have not listened to the entire body of recordings by Omar and the Howlers, and there may be some lesser songs he has recorded over the years. However, nothing on Essential Collection is less than first-rate making for an exceptional career retrospective and harbinger hopefully of much more of the same in the future.

I received my review copy from a publicist for the release. Here is an actual video for Hard Times in the Land of Plenty.