The Jimmys Gotta Have It

The Jimmys
Gotta Have It
Brown Cow Productions

I wrote, reviewing the last album by The Jimmy's "Live From Transylvania." "Led by keyboardist and vocalist (as well as one who helps on his family's 1500 acre Dairy farm), Jimmy Voegeli, The Jimmys, is one of the hottest blues bands out of Wisconsin with its mix of modern and jump blues." Mr. Voegeli and the group have returned with a new album. It is produced by Tony Braunagel, who also plays drums on it. Besides Voegeli, The Jimmys consists of Chris Sandoval, drums; John Wartenweiler, bass; Perry Weber, guitar and vocals; Pete Ross, saxophone; Mike Boman, trumpet; and Joe Goltz, trombone. Braunagel replaces Sandoval on this recording, and Kyle Samuelson and/or Kevan Feyzi are on trombone instead of Goltz. Al Falaschi on baritone sax and Kat Shipe fill out the horns on the recording. Marcia Ball does a duet with Voegeli and provides background vocals along with Melodye Perry and Mike Finnigan, while Wally Ingram adds percussion.

Voegeli and Weber contributed to most of the songs here, and both take lead vocals with Voegeli being the stronger singer, while Weber has a bit coarser delivery. Both are standout players as well.  Voegeli is a rollicking jump blues rooted pianist and a sterling organist. Weber is a terrific idiomatic guitarist, whether channeling gulf coast swamp-blues guitar or B.B. King single note playing. The rhythm section is superb, and the horns add a strong supporting presence.

Things kick off with the rock and roll of Ain't Seen Nothin' Yet," with Weber's enthusiastic singing and Voegeli's rollicking piano. "Write a Hit" is a terrific vocal duet by Voegeli and Marcia Ball. Set against a New Orleans to Gulf Coast groove, they trade lines about their relationship breaking up. Voegeli regrets losing his house, car, and especially the dog to which Ball responds he blew it, and the dog was her and comes back when she calls the dog's name. Then there is a relaxed rocking blues, Voegeli's "She's Gotta Have It," followed by Weber's "Starting Up Again." The latter number is a talking blues in the musical vein of Slim Harpo's "Scratch My Back," with some apt trebly guitar.

"Hotel Stebbins" is a rocking boogie-woogie party song with a superb piano break, while Weber's "Drinkin''" is a straight blues by Weber about getting into trouble when he starts drinking. The is a Little Feat feel to Voegeli's "When You Got Love," with Weber's crying slide guitar adding to the mood. Gary Nicholson and Kevin McKendree wrote "Always a Woman," whose melody evokes Billy Boy Arnold's "I Wish You Would." There is some greasy organ and Ross' honking sax on this track. Jim Liban's "Someday Baby" is reminiscent of Freddie King's "Someday After Awhile." with Weber adding some excellent guitar to go with his brawny singing.

An instrumental "Jose," that sounds like a contrafact to "Ode to Billie Joe," closes another sterling recording by this terrific band with excellent songs and first-rate performances.

I received a review copy from a publicist. here is a video of The Jimmys in performance from 2019.

 

The Jimmys Hot Dish

The Jimmys
Hot Dish
Brown Cow Productions

The Madison, Wisconsin based The Jimmys, sure know how to turn out some hot jumping blues and rhythm sounds. Their disc, "Hot Dish" (Brown Cow Productions), is a showcase for this band led by vocalist and keyboard player Jimmy Voegeli (pronounced "vaguely') which includes Pete Weber (ex-Hubert Sumlin) on guitar; Mauro Magellan on drums; Johnny Wartenweiler on bass and The Amateur Horn Stars; Darren Sterud (trombone/vocals), Pete Ross (saxophones), and Mike Boman (trumpet). Voegeli, Weber and Magellan contributed all the songs here.

This is a terrific band with the horns adding musical colors and texture far beyond the simple riffs of a number of groups with the songs ranging from the scorching "Loose That Woman," a rumba blues that evokes classic Ray Charles with some strong piano and a booting saxophone solo. There is a more stately tempo to Weber's "You Say You Will" which has a blistering guitar solo. Voegeli and Magellan contributed the funky "Freight Train" with Weber's guitar exhibiting a bit of twang. The aptly titled "Funk Schway" and a driving shuffle "Jacqui Juice" are two instrumentals that allow the players to stretch out. The T-Bone Walker style shuffle ""What Gives," with a slightly muffled vocal and some nice growling trombone embellishments and solo, while Vocelli lays down boogie woogie inflected piano. There is even a hint of Little Richard on the frenzied "She's Wild." If one track stands out it is the Charles Brown meets Ray Charles sounding "Saddest Man," with superb piano, a marvelous horn arrangement and terrific guitar and tenor sax solos support Voegeli's world weary vocal about a love that is lost.

The Jimmys are terrific whether playing jump blues, rock and roll, or Memphis funk, and the songs here are both idiomatic yet fresh. Tinsley Ellis (quoted on the cover) is right on, "The Jimmys have mined pure R&B gold with 'Hot Dish.'"

I received this my review copy from a publicist. Last Monday I posted a review of their most recent recording, "Live in Transylvania." This review originally appeared in the January-February 2016 Jazz & Blues Report (Issue 364). Here is a clip of The Jimmys performing.

The Jimmys Live in Transylvania

The Jimmys
Live in Transylvania
Brown Cow Productions

Led by keyboardist and vocalist (as well as one who helps on his family's 1500 acre Dairy farm), Jimmy Voegeli, The Jimmys, is one of the hottest blues bands out of Wisconsin with its mix of modern and jump blues. Recorded at the 2015 Sighisoara Blues Festival in Romania, this new disc is full of hot jump blues grooves with slashing guitar, greasy organ and rollicking piano, and hot riffing brass.

A hot organ instrumental, "Jacqui Juice," kicks things off with the leader starting off with some strong organ before the horns add their voices before Pete Weber takes a guitar solo that sounds like a cross between Pee Wee Crayton and B.B. King followed by Charley Wagner taking off on trumpet, then some booting sax from Pete Ross before the leader returns with some deep burning organ. Kudos to John Wertenweiler on bass and Mauro Magelian on drums for pushing the groove here and throughout.

It is followed by a jump blues, "I Wonder" with the leader on piano with some T-Bone Walker styled guitar from Weber with Voegeli wondering where his love gone and what she does to him as Darren Sterod's growls on the trombone. Voegeli's straight-forward blues shouting also has considerable appeal. There is a rock and roll feel on a cover of Jim Liban's jumping blues "You Can't Hurt Me Anymore," with Weber and the leader's piano featured. In contrast is "Hell or Heaven," a number in the manner of the pop supergroup, Chicago, and shows how solid Voegeli and band are playing non-blues material (also displayed on the group's closing number, The Band's "Ophelia").

The buoyant "Love will Find a Way," is followed by a credible interpretation of Mack Rice's "Cold Women," although Voegeli can't quite match Albert King as a singer. Nice to hear a cover that is not the usual over-played blues standards. The classic Freddie King recording "Lonesome Whistle Blues," is slowed down and reworked into how it might have been performed by B.B. King, with Wagner adding some growling obligatos. Weber sings the gruff sounding vocal on his medium tempo "You Say You Will," with a dedication to Hubert Sumlin as he takes a torrid solo. Voegeli's 'Lose That Woman" is a Ray Charles' styled romp with the rhythm laying down a terrific groove with short fiery solos from the leader, Ross and Weber.

The sound of this spirited location recording is quite good. Jimmy Voegeli and The Jimmys put on quite a show in Transylvania and listening to one can imagine what a party folks had that evening with this wonderful jumping blues performance.

I received from my review copy from a publicist. This review appeared originally in the January-February 2017 Jazz & Blues Report (Issue 370). My review of "Hot Dish" the previous album by The Jimmys, appeared in the January-February 2016 Jazz & Blues Report (Issue 364) but not on this blog and I will post it next week. Here are The Jimmys  at the 2015 Sighisoara Blues Festival.

The Jimmys Serve a Hot Dish

The Madison, Wisconsin based The Jimmys, sure know how to turn out some hot jumping blues and rhythm sounds. Their disc, "Hot Dish" (Brown Cow Productions), is a showcase for this band led by vocalist and keyboard player Jimmy Voegeli (pronounced "vaguely') which includes Pete Weber (ex-Hubert Sumlin) on guitar; Mauro Magellan on drums; Johnny Wartenweiler on bass and The Amateur Horn Stars; Darren Sterud (trombone/vocals), Pete Ross (saxophones), and Mike Boman (trumpet). Voegeli, Weber and Magellan contributed all the songs here.

This is a terrific band with the horns adding musical colors and texture far beyond the simple riffs of a number of groups with the songs ranging from the scorching "Loose That Woman," a rumba blues that evokes classic Ray Charles with strong piano and booting saxophone. There is a more stately tempo to Weber's "You Say You Will" which has a blistering guitar solo. Voegeli and Magellan contributed the funky "Freight Train" with Weber's guitar exhibiting a bit of twang. The aptly titled "Funk Schway" and a driving shuffle "Jacqui Juice" are two instrumentals that allow the players to stretch out. The T-Bone Walker style shuffle ""What Gives," with a slightly muffled vocal and some nice growling trombone embellishments and solo, while Vocelli lays down boogie woogie inflected piano. There is even a hint of Little Richard on the frenzied "She's Wild." If one track stands out it is the Charles Brown meets Ray Charles sounding "Saddest Man," with superb piano, a marvelous horn arrangement and terrific guitar and tenor sax solos support Voegeli's world weary vocal about a love that is lost.

The Jimmys are terrific whether playing jump blues, rock and roll, or Memphis funk, and the songs here are both idiomatic yet fresh. Tinsley Ellis (quoted on the cover) is right on, The Jimmys have mined pure R&B gold with 'Hot Dish.'"

I received this from a publicist. Here is a clip of The Jimmys in performance.