In a Roomful of Blues

Roomful of Blues
In a Roomful of Blues
Alligator Records

Roomful of Blues has been delivering its brand of rocking, horn-driven blues for over a half-century. It has been led by the likes of Duke Robillard, Ronnie Earl, and Sugar Ray Norcia. Currently, it is co-led by guitarist Chris Vachon (been with the band for 22 years) and saxophonist Rich Lataille (who has been in the group since 1970). The other members of Roomful on this cd are vocalist Phil Pemberton, drummer Chris Anzalone, bassist John Turner, keyboardist Rusty Scott, saxophonist Alek Razdan, and trumpeter Carl Gerhard.

Roomful of Blues has received so many accolades and awards over the years. This latest recording is sure to add to those. Vachon and others contributed the original songs that dominate this release, although there are two covers of some obscure blues songs. It has been fascinating to see Roomful evolve from a jump blues and boogie-woogie band based in the sounds of T-Bone Walker and Big Joe Turner into a modern urban blues band rooted in the sounds of the Duke recordings of Bobby Bland and Junior Parker, and the Memphis sounds from Stax and Hi Records. They still can dig into the jump blues vein as shown by the arresting cover of an early Doc Pomus recording, "Too Much Boogie." There is also a driving rendition of Buddy Ace's "What Can I Do" with the horns displaying the influence of the great Joe Scott, who arranged so many Duke Records classics.

The album sports fabulous original material including the humorous "Phone Zombies" about folk glued to their smartphones; the rollicking rock and roll of "We'd Have a Love Sublime"; a touch of zydeco for "Have You Heard"; and "Carcinoma Blues," about the real blues dealing with treatment for cancer. Phil Pemberton sings as well as he ever has, and the band is consistently superb in support of the vocals. The horn arrangements are first-rate, and Vachon and the horns have plenty of space to shine. Roomful has produced some excellent music over the years, and this recording may be one of their best.

I received my review copy from Alligator. This will be out on March 13. Here is a promo video for the CD.

 

Roomful Of Blues Dance All Night

Roomful Of Blues
Dance All Night
Bullseye Blues

I remember first hearing about Roomful of Blues from Big Joe Turner and Lloyd Glenn who had raved about them after being been backed by them. When their first album came out, I was impressed by their faithfulness to the originals, although they were derivative. In the decade and a half since, there have been some personnel changes, but they have maintained their commitment to the jump blues.

Today, the band exhibits more personality and individuality in its music. This is evident in the new album. Fronted by vocalist and harp player Sugar Ray Norcia, the album shows their incorporation of modern urban blues into their repertoire with nice versions of Little Milton’s That Will Never Do and Little Walter’s Up the Line. The Buddy and Ella Johnson classic I’m Just Your Fool and Lillie Mae, derived from a Smiley Lewis recording, are given first-rate readings.

Sugar Ray contributes some strong originals, and his relaxed delivery, reminiscent of Junior Parker, evinces his development as a fine blues vocalist. Chris Vachon ably handles the guitar, Matt McMabe pounds the 88s, and the horns of Bob Enos, Carl Querfurth, Greg Piccolo and Doug James rip through the ensemble parts and solos. This simply is superb jump blues.

I likely received my review copy from the record label. This is still available as a CD or download. This review originally appeared in the July-August 1994 Jazz & Blues Report (Issue 193). Here is "Up The Line" from this album.

Mitch Woods - Jammin' On The High C's

Mitch Woods is a real solid conveyor of boogie woogie piano and jump blues and for over a decade has been running Mitch Woods Club 88 on the Legendary Rhythm and Blues cruises. It started simple enough when as an invited guest on the cruise, he noticed the ship had a piano bar that wasn't being used, so he simply started playing and people came by to listen and musicians came by to sit in. Soon the jams were lasting until daybreak and someone put up a sign saying Mitch Woods' Club 88 which became the Club 88 Piano Bar and Blues Lounge n the cruise with now 4 piano players on every cruise alternating shifts from early evening to until ?.

Woods had a variety of performances from the January 2015 cruise recorded and they have just been issued on Club 88 Records (distributed by VizzTone), "Jammin' On The High C's" which is subtitled "Live From Mitch Woods' Club 88 on the Legendary Rhythm and Blues Cruise." Its a fun recording with his boogie and jump piano joined on different selections by members of Roomful of Blues, Julia Magness, Billy Branch, Victor Wainwright, Papa Chubby, Coco Montoya, Lucky Peterson, Tommy Castro and Dwayne Dopsie.

Mostly the music is renditions of well known blues standards played in an ebullient fashion with Woods handling the old Smiley Lewis classic "Big Mamou" to open it up. Highlights are Lucky Peterson singing Jimmy Reed's "Bright Lights, Big City," Billy Branch reprising Sonny Boy Williamson's "Eyesight to the Blind," Papa Chubby handling "Wee Wee Hours," and Dwayne Dopsie joining on a rocking "Whole Lotta Shakin' Going On." One also gets entertained by Tommy Castro singing Little Richard's "Rip It Up," and a nice "Rock Me Baby" from Coco Montoya.

My major criticism is the lack of fuller personnel information (although I might imagine it would be pretty lengthy), and more seriously the lack of composer credits. These performances are entertaining and fun if not classic and the sense of good times comes though on this nicely put together recording which includes Woods reciting the history of Club 88. Certainly one of aspects of the Cruise that makes it a consistent sell-out.

I received my review copy from VizzTone. This review originally appeared in the September-October Jazz & Blues Report (Issue 362). Here Mitch previews this disc.

Roomful Of Blues Celebrates 45 Live

45 Live, the new Alligator CD by Roomful of Blues is a live performance that celebrates the band’s 45 years. The band started as a jump blues oriented group inspired by the music of T-Bone Walker, Roy Milton, Johnny Otis, Big Joe Turner, Eddie ‘Cleanhead’ Vinson and the like, and even recorded behind Turner and Vinson for a couple of quite well regarded recordings. Over the years evolved into more of an modern urban blues band (think Bobby Bland’s Duke recordings). Originally Duke Robillard fronted the band on guitar and vocals and when he left, Ronnie Earl spent a stint on guitar with Chris Vachon eventually taking over that spot which he has held for a couple decades. Philip Pemberton has been handling the vocals for some time now. Roomful has become an institution, and I say that in a positive manner in having their having an immediately recognizable sound and approach to the music.

Recorded at The Ocean Mist in Rhode Island over three nights, the disc kicks off with the driving Just Keep On Rockin’, followed by the insistent modern urban blues It All Went Down the Drain, although on this latter number and the following Jambalaya, Vachon sounds like he is trying to copy Lonnie Mack’s tone. A cover of Magic Sam’s Easy Baby gives a chance for Vachon to stretch out with the horns riffing in support. That’s Right is a superb hot jump blues performance, and is that Rich Lataille who is wailing on tenor sax (Lataille has been with Roomful for 43 years). Lataille’s homage to Illinois Jacquet, Straight Jacquet, allows Lataille, fellow saxophonist Mark Earley and trumpeter Doug Wolverton (growling with his mute) to display their chops on a number that evokes Flying Home. There are also first rate renditions of Crawdad Hole, and Somebody’s Got To Go, that Big Joe Turner and Eddie ‘Cleanhead’ Vinson respectively recorded with Roomful thirty-five odd years ago. As good as these are, the interpretation of Jimmy Rushing’s I Left My Baby, is really special with Pemberton terrific and I suspect Buck Clayton would be smiling listening to Wolverton’s playing here.

Providing the foundation is the excellent rhythm section of keyboardist Rusty Scott (nice solos on Crawdad Hole and I Left My Baby); bassist John Turner, and drummer Chris Rivelli. They lay down the solid groove and cover a lot of blues genres as Rich Lataille notes, “Though we cover all the bases, our mainstay is horn-driven, hard honking R&B.” And there is plenty of that hard driving R&B here.

I received my review copy from Alligator Records. This is scheduled for release on July 30.

Roomful of Blues Has It "Hook, Line & Slinker"

After 43 years, Roomful of Blues shows no sign of slowing down. From its early days with Duke Robillard leading it in its reworking of classic jump blues with pianist Al Copley, saxophonists Greg Piccolo and Rich Lataille, the band has expanded from an initial focus on the R&B of the late forties and fifties to span more recent blues and rhythm grooves. Guitarist Chris Vachon has been a main driving force of the band for at least the past two decades and saxophonist Lataille still rips off his solos while they have a new vocalist in Phil Pemberton. They have a new album on Alligator, their fourth for the label, “Hook, Line and Slinker,” that shows the band not slowing down in the least.

The present release opens with a hot rendition of the Big Maybelle classic, That's A Pretty Good Love  that opens some slashing guitar by Vachon, a bit of Johnny ‘Guitar’ Watson crossed with Lafayette ‘Thing’ Thomas. Its interesting to hear a male sing this, and while Pemberton has a strong voice he almost is over the top here while the horns riff in support and rhythm cooks. Gatemouth Brown’s “She Walks Right In,” is a hot jumping number with some nice sax obligatto behind the vocal, before Vachon treats us to some fifties-styled Gatemouth Brown guitar followed by some booting baritone sax from Mark Earley as the other horns riff like a mini Count Basie Band. Then we go to New Orleans for a cover of the Smiley Lewis recording from which the album gets its title, although Pemberton’s vocal can’t cut Deacon John’s Jump Blues cover much less the original.

Pemberton’s frenzied rock and roll vocal along with Vachon’s slashing fretwork are front and center on the “Kill Me,” from the Don & Dewey songbook followed by a lively reworking of a Gatemouth Brown instrumental from the early fifties, “Gate Walks the Board where Vachon, Lataille, Earley, trumpeter Doug Woolverton, and pianist Travis Colby get solo spots . Pemberton can be quite an evocative singer we he cools down a bit as on the remake of Amos Milburn’s “Juice, Juice, Juice,” while “Ain’t Nothing Happening,” cracks the tempo up on a hot Crescent City boogie (earlier waxed by Paul Gayten and Little Richard) on which Pemberton sounds at home. “Win With Me Baby” is another Peacock Gatemouth Brown recording that for some reason Robey is given here sole composer credit. Solid vocal and guitar on this with the horns providing the right atmosphere. Lieber and Stoller’s “It” is a relatively obscure Jimmy Witherspoon recording with nice vocal and good playing while the rendition of “Come On Home” is a bit less frantic that Louis Jones’ original of this early sixties R&B rave-up, followed by a reflective Pemberton on “Time Brings About a Change,” from Floyd Dixon’s songbook, with Vachon almost in a Johnny Moore vein, Woolverton adding lovely muted trumpet and a terrific tenor sax solo. A remake of a Nappy Brown recording “Just a Little Love,” closes this out with Pemberton sounding very nice and the performance sports a booting tenor sax solo.

While some of my comments with specific to specific songs may have sounded critical, the simple fact that taking this album as a whole, this may be the best Roomful of Blues recording in a very long time. Roomful of Blues has shaken up the house and that is a very good thing.

My review copy was provided by Alligator Records.