Steve Howell and Jason Weinheimer History Rhymes

Steve Howell and Jason Weinheimer
History Rhymes
Out of the Past Music

Guitarist and vocalist Steve Howell continues his activities in reviving the music of an earlier era on this latest album with bassist Weinheimer. Joining them are Dan Sumner on guitar and David Dodson on banjo and mandolin. Howell has recently published a guide, "Fingerpicking Early Jazz Standards," and the repertoire on this album includes early blues, traditional folk, and older jazz standards. The performances are similar to those on the previous record by Howell and Weinheimer, "A Hundred Years From Today."

Howell is a genial, adept fingerstyle guitarist who sings in a neutral, dispassionate fashion. Weinheimer and company ably support Howell. The strength of the recording is the broad swath of material they interpret. Ranging from "They'll Be Some Changes Made," to Bukka White's "Pine Bluff, Arkansas," they play an easy to listen to set of performances. On few albums will one find the Academy Award-nominated "Blues in the Night." The traditional "Jack of Diamonds" is taken as a folk waltz with a nice vocal and lovely mandolin in the accompaniment. The lilting "Frosty Morn" is a charming interpretation of an old fiddle tune.

"If I Had My Way," is derived from Reverend Gary Davis and Howell's vocal is more animated than he exhibits elsewhere. The light swing and amiable vocal on "Everybody Loves My Baby" lacks the vitality of the original Clarence Williams Blue Five recording with Eva Taylor's vocal and Louis Armstrong's cornet. Howell's, almost whispered, singing is more convincing on his version of the country classic "You Don't Know Me," while the performance of "I Got a Right to Sing the Blues," has a definite allure to it. There is also the traditional "Texas Rangers - The Falls of Richmond," that he dedicates to his father and Rangers of earlier generations.

Those who have enjoyed Steve Howell's prior recordings may have an idea of what to expect concerning these well-performed songs. Listeners may differ in how they react to Howell's dispassionate vocals, but indeed his efforts to update older songs merits appreciation.

I received my review copy from a publicist. This review appeared in the September-October 2019 Jazz & Blues Report (Issue 386). Here are the two performing "Everybody Loves My Baby."

 

Terry Robb Confessin' My Dues

Terry Robb
Confessin' My Dues
Nia Sounds

"Confessin' My Dues" is the new album by Terry Robb, hailed as one of the finest fingerstyle blues guitarists. Robb draws on his deep knowledge of Delta blues, ragtime and swing in 13 original songs ranging from blistering instrumental blues and stunning fingerpicking to soulful singing backed by renowned jazz musicians Gary Hobbs and Dave Captein on drums and upright bass throughout the album. Adam Scramstad makes a guest appearance on electric rhythm guitar. The press release for this recording states, "Drawing from the well of country blues to Coltrane, ragtime to Hendrix, Americana to American Primitivism, "Confessin' My Dues" represents a lifetime of musical experiences and influences for Robb. Robb himself is quoted about being excited about recording with Hobbs and Captein, feeling they "they would bring a fresh and unique approach to what I was after."

Robb is a spectacular fingerstyle guitarist as is evident on the opening "Butch Holler Stomp," a performance with several musical strains centered on a Blind Blake-like main strain. Blake's spirit is also detected on the initially wistful, "Death of Blind Arthur," which has a segment with breakneck playing. Both of these tracks display not merely technical proficiency but his relaxed fluid attack. He also handles a classic blues shuffle groove with ease and aplomb on "Still on 101." He has a definite presence as a vocalist, if not as engaging as he is a guitarist.

Vocals serve to add variety thought such as on "How a Free Man Feels," with some dazzling breaks, or "Darkest Road I'm Told," a performance that instrumentally evokes John Lee Hooker, but his vocal about the 61st Highway is not as compelling as his playing. The fascinating "Now Vestapol" is a free-floating instrumental in the vein of American Primitivist guitarists with strains from "Mystery Train" and Robert Wilkins "That's No Way To Get Along" hinted at. "High Desert Everywhere" sounds rooted in Bukka White's slide guitar style while Robb's own picking goes beyond Whites driving bottleneck playing.

As noted, Robb makes much about the presence of Hobbs and Captein, but they seemed superfluous on several of the tracks they play on. Despite this, and his vocal limitations, Terry Robb is a superb guitarist whose facility and invention make for gripping listening.

I received my review copy from a publicist. Here is Terry Robb from earlier in 2019 performing

M.S.G. Acoustic Blues Trio - The Flood

While M.S.G. Acoustic Blues Trio, has issued their fourth recording, "The Flood," which was produced by Cathy Fink and wonderfully recorded by Jim Robeson with appearances by Cathy Fink, Phil Wiggins, David Jackson, Ralph Gordon and others. M.S.G. consists of Jackie Merritt (vocals, harmonica, uke bass, soprano uke and guitar); Miles Spicer (vocals and guitar); and Resa Gibbs (vocals, washboard,cigar box strumstick, bike horn and bells). Jackie Merritt did the marvelous graphic design and cover art.

I have known Miles for years as a member of the D.C. Blues Society, and Jackie and Resa as M.S.G. started performing after meeting at the late Archie Edwards' Barbershop. I have had the pleasure of attending their concerts and house parties and have observed how wonderful performers they are. On this latest release they revisit songs they have recorded before, such as Resa's riveting rendition of John Prine's "Angel From Montgomery," along with new songs, some from the pens of Miles and his collaborator David Bird, and dome from Jackie Merritt.

The title track from Miles and Bird is a driving trio number followed by Jackie's original "Money Makes You Crazy."  Her vocal here is supported by harmonies from Resa and Miles as well as the trio's hand jive. Resa sings wonderfull on a fresh acoustic reworking of Fats Domino's "Going to the River." It is followed by a stunning rendition of Son House's "Grinnin' In Your Face." Backed by just her strumstick, she does not sing with the fervency of House's rendition, but her deliberate, well-paced rendition perhaps lead to the lyrics hitting deeper. Contrast this superb interpretation this to Tom Waits awful mimicry of House's "John the Revelator" on a recent Blind Willie Johnson tribute album.

Miles sings a lively updating of the late Archie Edwards' "I'm Down Today," about the sun going to sun shine on my back door some day;" while there a string-band, washboard feel on Jackie Merritt's "Front Porch Blues," a song remembering older and simpler days. Resa has a stunning a cappella vocal on the lament, "New Familiar," that Jackie Merritt wrote. There are also wonderful traditional performances of gospel numbers, "I'll Fly Away," and "Glory, Glory Hallelujah." Phil Wiggins adds his harmonica to that of Jackie on the latter number and also on a hauntingly beautiful harmonica duet rendition of "Amazing Grace," that leads into "Glory, Glory Hallelujah."

Frank Matheis' on the back cover describes the music of M.S.G. Acoustic Blues Trio as "a lovely amalgam of folk-roots-spirituals-blues." While their prior recordings have been excellent, I believe that "The Flood," with superb vocals and marvelous backing, is their finest recording.

I received my review copy from the group. Here is a rendition of "Angel From Montgomery."

The Ragpicker String Band

I am familiar with the marvelous mandolinist Rich DelGrosso, and Guitarist Mary Flower, but not with multi-instrumentalist Martin Grosswendt. Together they constitute The Ragpicker String Band whose eponymously titled debut disk is on Yellow Dog Records. Mixing in some classic songs from the likes of Mississippi Sheiks, Sleepy John Estes and Blind Willie Johnson with originals from Flower and Delgrosso, they bring considerable instrumental skill and vocals to songs of social satire and simply plain mischievous fun resulting in an album that at times evokes classic string bands and at other times a scaled down and slightly toned down version of R. Crumb's Cheap Suit Serenaders.

There is the lovely "Honey Babe" that opens this along with a wonderful rendition of The Sheiks "Lonely One In This Town," to go with the whimsical play on words of Flowers "Minor Blues" and  DelGrosso's  hilarious "Google Blues" about a man who thinks he's getting lucky except for the lady googling his shady past. It is extremely difficult to restrain oneself from loud laughter listening to this. There are plenty of instrumental joys to be heard aswell inlcuding Grosswendt's slide steel guitar of his fiddle on ""Lonely One In This Town," and Delgrosso's playing the "44 Blues" motif on the mandolin on his "Black Mattie."

A nice, and unexpected, string trio rendition of "Blue Monk" adds to the musical variety here. The Ragpicker's String Band score with some marvelous music and plenty of fun listening.

I received my review copy from Yellow Dog Records. Here is a video of Rich and Mary performing "Google Blues."

Andy Cohen - Road Be Kind

Andy Cohen is a remarkable performer who i am most familiar with from his blues playing, but as Earwig's Michael Frank observes, "he never ceases to impress me with encyclopedic knowledge and ability to play at a high level, Traditional blues, folk and true Americana music …" On two days in August and September 2014, he recorded 25 songs from which Michael Frank chose 16 for Cohen's new Earwig album, "Road Be Kind." As Cohen notes in the booklet, roughly half of the music is contemporary which was out of character from the blues and related traditional material he performs. Some of the material was in tribute to folks he has known, like Luke Baldwin, Utah Phillips, Pegleg Sam and Bill Hinkley, whom have passed on.

The opening "Five and Ten Cent Blues," one of his originals with his nimble accompaniment and natural, slightly raspy singing, evokes sixties recordings from Bob Dylan, Ramblin' Jack Elliot, Steve Goodman and others. This feel is carried forward in an original by the forgotten Luke Baldwin, "Seldom Seen Slim." Then there is the delightful fingerpicking rendition of Sonny Terry's "Spread the New Around," along with the delightful, "Talkin' Hard Luck," taken from Chris Bouchillion's 1925 recording as well as Pegleg Jackson's version with plenty of delightful guitar and a mix of a rap and talking singing. One can only conjure up in one's mind how an old medicine show performer as Chief Wahoo would try to sell some elixir to this.

The title song was written by Scott Alarik and receives a lovely, lilting performance, while John Loudermilk's "Windy and Warm," allows Cohen to showcase his marvelous fingerstyle playing as he adroitly handles its complexity (Cohen notes its a level or two more complex than "Freight Train"). "Mysterious Mose," which Cohen admits he stole from R. Crumb and His Cheap Suit Serenaders, is a delightful hoot that contrasts with his very moving treatment of Utah Phillips' cowboy song "The Goodnight - Loving Trail." Another outstanding blues performance is "Seaboard Train," taken from Larry Johnson's rendition of a song old timey artist Sam McGhee recorded as "Railroad Blues." Cohen plays with a deft touch and invention that might have even made Johnson's mentor, Reverend Gary Davis, smile.

"Ten and Nine" is a labor song about women working in the mills, some very young. Its author, Mary Brooksbank," who spent time in prison for labor agitation. It is followed by a lovely medley of Irish songs, "Blarney Pilgrim / Jig McCoy." A lovely instrumental rendition of the Lennon-McCartney penned "Blackbird" provides the coda to this recording. "Road Be Kind" is an fabulous recording from an truly special talent.

I received my review copy from a publicist. Here is Andy playing a selection from the new album.