Lynwood Slim & Prado Band Team Up For Brazilian Kicks

A few months ago, I was more than pleasantly surprised by a blues release from the Brazilian Igor Prado Band, writing “Guitarist and vocalist Prada, along with brother Yuri on drums, Rodrigo Mantovani, bass and Denilson Martins on saxophones, mixes hard modern blues and Memphis Soul with some ripping guitar … .” A new surprise came my way as I received an advance of a new recording by West Coast singer and harp player, Lynwood Slim who had traveled down to Sao Paolo to record the Prado Band. “Brazilian Kicks” is the new release on Delta Groove, and the combination of Slim’s vocals and harp with the ripping backing by the Igor Prado Band makes for a strong recording deeply rooted in classic blues, soul and funk.

“Shake It Baby,” opens this disc and is the only track on which Prado sings. This is a James Brown styled number that Junior Wells and Buddy Guy penned and recorded over forty years ago. Prado takes it more into a funk band vein with booting sax from 20 year old Denilson Martins. Besides Igor Prado’s guitar (he takes a terrific break here full of single note runs and Ike Turner styled whammy bar effects), Slim rides it out on flute as the performance fades out. Guest pianist Donny Nicholo joins bassist Mantovani and drummer Yuri Prado to create a terrific rhythm section, evident on the Dave Bartholomew penned “Is It True,” with nice piano as the song fades out. 

Martins’ multi-tracked horns kick off the cover of Wyonnie Harris’ recording of “Bloodshot Eyes,” as Slim emphatically delivers the Hank Penny lyric. Martins takes a robust tenor sax solo before Prado takes a solo break with a bit of twang added to the single note runs. “My Hat’s on the Side of My Head,” is a swinging blues-ballad comfortably crooned by Slim with jazzy playing (echoes of Al Casey and Tiny Grimes), before more fine tenor sax. Duke Robillard fans should really dig this track. The hot instrumental “Blue Bop,” is based on a familiar riff that Prado launches off from for some  hot choruses. Martins rips off a husky baritone sax solo displaying considerable agility in addition to his robust sound. 

The band takes the temperature down a notch for Slim’s cover of Little Walter’s “Little Girl,” as Prado evoking Louis Myers and Slim’s shows his debt to Little Walter. Mantovani and Yuri Prado provide their unobtrusive support here as throughout. “I Sat and Cried,” is a superb rendition of an uptown blues by the late Jimmy ‘T-99’ Nelson, while on Slim’s ballad “Maybe Someday,” the band captures the melancholy tone of his lyrics. Nicholo plays some nice jazz-shaded blues piano before Prado takes a short break. This track suggests some of Johnny Bassett’s blues and, like those recordings, demonstrates that mellow does not mean bland or devoid of soul. 

“Show Me the Way,” another Slim original (co-penned with Junior Watson), is a terrific Chicago-styled blues with more terrific harp, followed by “Bill’s Change,” a driving Prado penned instrumental with more scintillating guitar and some fierce baritone sax. Like most of this album, it is perfect for dancing. The rendition of Memphis Slim’s “The Comeback” is more urbane, jazzy (than straight Chicago) blues with tinges of Joe Williams in Lynwood Slim’s vocal and small group Basie in the backing here. Prado plays jazzy on this, while Martins raspy tenor is right on. 

The most unexpected delight is the closing instrumental “Going to Mona Lisa’s,” penned by Slim and Prado. It  sound like a lost Little Walter instrumental with the Aces. Yuri Prado coming off like Fred Below as he drops bombs and drives the performance along. Slim in his notes states that Yuri has “the snap, attack and timing as good or better than any of the heavyweights out there today!” I can’t recall anyone catching the flavor of Below’s drumming as Yuri Prado does here. This track may place his drumming more upfront, his playing throughout validates how Slim described him.

Listening to the collaboration between Lynwood Slim and the Igor Prado Band reinforces the enthusiasm I have shown towards Prado a few months ago. Slim’s own contributions display his fine singing and terrific harp playing on an album that amazes in how good it is. This is clearly among the best blues recordings I have heard in 2010. Delta Groove’s website is www.deltagroovemusic.com, while Slim can be found on myspace at www.myspace.com/lynwoodslimband and Igor Prado at www.myspace.com/igorprado. I have a feeling we will be hearing more from our Blues friends from San Paolo.

This is scheduled for release on November 16, and I received a review copy from the firm handling publicity for the release.

Trombone Shorty's Backatown Keeps Groove Going

Trombone Shorty and Orleans Avenue at 2009 Duke Ellington (now DC) Jazz Festival

Since emerging nationally as a member of Lenny Kravitz’s Band, and his appearance on a nationally televised Hurricane Katrina, Troy ‘Trombone Shorty’ Andrews has emerged as a favorite band on touring and festival circuits with his blend of funk, Brass Band riffs and some hip-hop & soul seasonings. He is a member of a musical family as his older brother James was a founder of the New Birth Brass band and recorded a brassy al;bum that was produced by Allen Toussaint. Another brother, trumpeter James helped mentor him and Troy’s grandfather was the late Jessie Hill who had a major hit with the New Orleans R&B classic “Ooh Poo Pah Doo.” 

Busy beyond his years, Troy has recorded a CD with his brother, and a previous CD with his band Orleans Avenue along with plenty of studio work. Now he has a new release, “Backatown” (Verve Forecast), that seems destined to increase his fan base even more. Also there are recordings available of his New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival sets (from 2004 and 2006-2008) that can be found at JazzFestLive.com.

The title of this album refers to the area of New Orleans that includes Tremé, the historic neighborhood where so many great musicians came from and which was devastated by Hurricane Katrina. Produced by Galactic’s Ben Ellman, Troy’s band, Orleans Avenue (Mike Ballard on bass, Pete Murano on guitar, Joey Peebles on drums, Dwayne Williams on percussion and Dan Oestreicher on baritone sax) is the core behind him with special guests that include Allen Toussaint, Kravitz, Marc Broussard and Charles Smith (Orleans Avenue’s original drummer playing synth bass). Troy wrote all except one of the 14 numbers on this.

The tune is set with the opening “ Hurricane Katrina,” with its hip hop rhythm mixed with a funked up brass band sound, followed by Allen Toussaint’s “On Your Way Down,” where the legendary pianist plays as Troy delivers the message the folks you see on the way up are the ones you will pass on the way down. After another funked up instrumental, Kravitz joins on guitar and backing vocal on “Something Beautiful,” as he asks “Can You Show Me Something Beautiful,” which is quite catchy. The title track opens with some dark sounding synth bass from Smith before Troy enters with some buzzing trombone with some ripping baritone from Oestreicher as the horns weave around each other. Broussard adds a vocal to “Right to Complain,” wLith a message about all make a complain but no one wants to do anything. The instrumental “Neph,” has an mesmerizing cowbell-ish groove before Troy on trumpet conjures up a strong spanish tinge with stirring interludes of his trumpet soaring over the percussion. “Suburbia,” opens with some metal-ish guitar before Troy adds some trombone and trumpet playing that suggest a call to arms. The groove of “In the 6th,” with the baritone helping set the funk riff, sounds like a homage to the Dirty Dozen and other modern New Orleans Brass Bands that his music is rooted in. “Where Y’At,” is a composition that originated in some onstage jamming with “new ideas coalescing out of improvised sections of existing pieces.” Troy credits Marvin Gaye as inspiration for the ballad “Fallin’.”

Anyone who has seen Trombone Shorty and Orleans Avenue know how electric the performances can be. A studio recording can only go so far in capturing this aspect of his music, but “Backatown,” is a recording that undoubtedly will increase his growing visibility (his appearances on the HBO series “Tremé,” also contribute to this) and certainly please his many fans.

This review also appeared in the July, 2010 Jazz & Blues Report (issue 327) at page 15 although I have added a few bits like the reference to the availability of his Jazz Fest sets. It should be readily available.

For purposes of FTC regulations, I received a review copy from a publicist for the label.

Big Walter Horton-Blues Harmonica Giant Part 3

If there is a Mount Rushmore of Blues Harmonica, than the four gentlemen who would be represented would be John Lee ‘Sonny Boy’ Williamson; Rice Miller (aka Sonny Boy Williamson II); Little Walter Jacobs; and Walter Horton. Horton was known by a variety of names including “Mumbles,” “Shakey Walter,” and most notably “Big Walter,” the latter to distinguish him from Little Walter Jacobs who may have had a more successful career but could hardly be called a more creative or expressive master of the blues harmonica that Big Walter. Walter was tall, lean and gaunt, had a delicate aspect to himself and to quote Neil Slaven, in the notes to the recently issued 3-CD set on JSP, Blues Harmonic Giant, “dedicated to the music rather than a career.” This collection contains two CDs of material from the 1950s along with a live recording from the 70s or 80s where he is joined by his most prominent disciple, Carey Bell. Today is the third and final part of my look at this compilation, focusing on the alive performance with Carey Bell issued on the 3rd disc.

As noted in the last part, Horton benefited from the Blues Revival in the sixties and seventies, through recordings and his participation as a sideman on various recordings. Horton was a member of another project that brought together some of the more down home Chicago blues artists. Michael Franks brought together Horton with Sunnyland Slim, Floyd Jones, Honeyboy Edwards and drummer Kansas City Red for an album aptly titled “Old Friends,” which was one of the earliest releases on Franks’ Earwig Records label. The release led to the third occasion I saw Walter Horton perform live at Carnegie Hall when Old Friends were part of a show with Lightning Hopkins, Clifton Chenier and John Lee Hooker. This is the last time I recall seeing this harmonica master perform.

This takes us to the third CD that is part of The Blues Harmonic Giant. Originally issued as Deep Blues, this is a live recording whose source is not identified in this disc. The only other person identified of this live recording from the seventies is Carey Bell who sings on a few selections and does a harp duet with Walter. Carey Bell does refer to a Brother John on guitar, suggesting maybe John Nicholas, but nothing definite. I do not have any earlier issuance of this material so can add no more.

The sound is not quite high fidelity, but Walter is prominent with a backing band, that does a credible job at playing idiomatic Chicago blues, a bit down in the mix. It opens with a nice “Hard Hearted Woman,” before a lengthy shuffle entitled “Sick & Tired,” a different tune than Chris Kenner’s R&B hit. This number provides plenty of space for Horton to showcase his harp playing, although listening to it on a recording, it perhaps goes on a bit too long. It is followed from a mid-tempo “Walter’s Jump,” a focused, short instrumental where he again displays his harmonica virtuosity.

Carey Bell then takes the stage for a rendition of “Leaving in the Morning,” a rendition of Little Walter’s, ”I’ve Got to Go,” takes the harp solo and then the song morphs into “It Ain’t Right.” Then there is a slow late night blues instrumental, “Walter & Carey,” on which Bell uses his chromatic harp and allows to the two to play off each other as well as each gets space to display their playing on this lengthy showcase. It is followed by a rendition of “Walking By Myself” with Bell handling the vocal while Horton soars on harp. Bell closes things out on harp with “My Eyes Keep Me in Trouble,” and its strutting vocal with Walter joining in during the performance.

On its own, one would hardly call this disc an essential recording although there is some excellent playing. It sounds like a typical live performance of the period. It makes a convenient supplement to the two CDs of vintage Walter Horton. Walter’s singular blues harmonica voice was stilled in 1981 and the blues world has been poorer ever since, but this set reminds us of how much he was able to extract from the little marine bands he played.


For purposes of FTC regulations, I purchased this CD.

Big Walter Horton-Blues Harmonica Giant Part 2

If there is a Mount Rushmore of Blues Harmonica, than the four gentlemen who would be represented would be John Lee ‘Sonny Boy’ Williamson; Rice Miller (aka Sonny Boy Williamson II); Little Walter Jacobs; and Walter Horton. Horton was known by a variety of names including “Mumbles,” “Shakey Walter,” and most notably “Big Walter,” the latter to distinguish him from Little Walter Jacobs who may have had a more successful career but could hardly be called a more creative or expressive master of the blues harmonica that Big Walter. Walter was tall, lean and gaunt, had a delicate aspect to himself and to quote Neil Slaven, in the notes to the recently issued 3-CD set on JSP, Blues Harmonic Giant, “dedicated to the music rather than a career.” This collection contains two CDs of material from the 1950s along with a live recording from the 70s or 80s where he is joined by his most prominent disciple, Carey Bell. Today is the second part of my look at this compilation, focusing on the accompaniments included on the second disc.

The second disc also includes a number of his accompaniments to other artists. Particularly noteworthy is a session with drummer Willie Nix that also included guitarist Willie Johnson with wonderful renditions of Leroy Carr’s “Prison Bound Blues” (taken at an unusual shuffle tempo), and Robert Lockwood’s “Take a Little Walk With Me,” standing out for Nix’s infectious singing, Billy Love’s rollicking piano and Horton’s crying accompaniment very much in a Sonny Boy Williamson vein on the Carr tune, but a bit more punch on the Lockwood cover. Horton’s harp is dazzling on Joe Hill Louis’ “Hydramatic Woman,” a fresh reworking of “Rocket 88.” Also included on this second disc, are recordings from the legendary January, 1953 J.O.B. session under Shines’ name including the soaring harp over Shines’ vocals on “Evening Sun,” and “Brutal Hearted Woman,” whose four thrilling choruses from Horton on the former number, along with alternate takes of “Evening Sun,” and a couple of unissued tracks. 

In December, 1953 Horton was present on one of Tampa Red’s final Victor-Bluebird sessions with a band that included Little Johnny Jones on piano, and Odie Payne on drums. “Big Stars Are falling,” musically has echoes of some of Muddy Waters recordings and Horton’s authoritative playing along with Willie Lacey’s jazzy mix of single note runs and chords adds a nice flavor. A nice latin groove is present on “Rambler’s Blues,” with more scintillating guitar from Lacey along with Horton laying down a terrific chorus followed by his comping behind Lacey’s break. The last Horton accompaniments presented here are behind Sunnyland Slim’s coupling, “Highway 61,” and “It’s You Baby.” Some really great playing although the original recordings do leave something to be desired. This set provides a good sampling of accompaniments although it isn't exhaustive.  It does not some of his famous accompaniments behind Muddy Waters and Jimmy Rogers, or Horton's playing for States on a 78 behind Atlanta shouter Tommy Brown ("Southern Woman" and "Remember Me"). The selected tracks here do illustrate why Horton was so in demand for session work by Sam Phillips and later Willie Dixon.

Horton’s career took received a boost during the blues revival in the sixties when his harmonica work became prominent, and after the deaths of Little Walter and Rice Miller, he was clearly the Blues Harmonica giant. On the third volume of Chicago, The Blues Today, his harmonica is prominently featured backing Johnny Shines (except on “Dynaflow Blues”) and Johnny Young (on the songs Young plays guitar and not mandolin) along with the afore-mentioned duet with Musselwhite. His playing throughout these selections are terrific. The late Pete Welding used Horton on the albums he produced in the Masters of Modern Blues series on Testament (that were issued on CD by Hightone) including recordings by Shines, J.B. Hutto, and Floyd-Jones and Eddie Taylor. He also was a prominent member of Willie Dixon’s Chicago Blues All Stars and featured on their Columbia album of the sixties. The first time I saw Horton was as part of this ‘super-group,’ at New York City’s Electric Circus in the late sixties.

Touring Europe with Dixon and others, he made several albums under his name. One of the CDs from the time was recorded with so much echo it was unlistenable, but other recordings were made over the years. A real good album was made for Blind Pig in the seventies under the auspices of Guitar Johnny Nicholas and the Rhythm Rockers who included pianist Ron Levy. There was also a CD by Shines on Blind Pig at the time and Nicholas’s own “Too Many Bad Habits,” on which Horton played. Nicholas had a tour featuring Horton and Shines that I saw outside of Buffalo, probably in the Summer of 1976, andit  was truly magical as Nicholas, and his band, provided wonderful accompaniment for the two legends as well as their own featured performances. Horton’s recording with Nicholas, “Fine Cuts” has been made available on CD, but neither the Shines nor Nicholas recordings have been available in this format. The best album under Horton’s name unquestionably is one on Alligator which included Carey Bell, Big Walter Horton With Carey Bell.

Tomorrow I will consider the third disc of the JSP set, that contains a live recording by Horton with Carey Bell.

Big Walter Horton-Blues Harmonica Giant Part 1

If there is a Mount Rushmore of Blues Harmonica, than the four gentlemen who would be represented would be John Lee ‘Sonny Boy’ Williamson; Rice Miller (aka Sonny Boy Williamson II); Little Walter Jacobs; and Walter Horton. Horton was known by a variety of names including “Mumbles,” “Shakey Walter,” and most notably “Big Walter,” the latter to distinguish him from Little Walter Jacobs who may have had a more successful career but could hardly be called a more creative or expressive master of the blues harmonica that Big Walter. Walter was tall, lean and gaunt, had a delicate aspect to himself and to quote Neil Slaven, in the notes to the recently issued 3-CD set on JSP, Blues Harmonic Giant, “dedicated to the music rather than a career.” This collection contains two CDs of material from the 1950s along with a live recording from the 70s or 80s where he is joined by his most prominent disciple, Carey Bell. Today is the first look at this compilation, focusing on the recordings issued under Horton’s name or sessions for which he was a leader.

Walter Horton was born in Mississippi in 1918, but shortly thereafter moved to Memphis where his father bought Walter his first harmonica. The family later moved to Arkansas where Johnny Shines first came across him blowing into a tin can. With the family moving back to Arkansas, where he started hanging out around Handy Park with the likes of Frank Stokes, Will Shade, Buddy Doyle, Dewey Corley, Jack Kelly and Floyd Jones. It was there that he got the nickname, Shakey Walter. Walter, it is said, made his first recordings backing Little Buddy Doyle in 1939 along with Jack Kelly while playing with the members of the Memphis Jug band and others. According to Neil Slaven’s notes to, Blues Harmonic Giant, Walter could not make ends meet playing music, so he worked hauling ice, and later was a chef at the Peabody Hotel. He even traveled to Chicago and played on Maxwell Street, but never stayed there long.

The importance of Sam Phillips opening the Memphis Recording Service in 1950 cannot be overstated as far as the recording of blues in the Memphis and Delta area. In addition to recording weddings and other events, Phillips began recording performers for out-of-town labels like RPM and Chess before starting his own Sun Records. Horton was among the earliest artists he recorded, when in February 1951 a session was held that would be sent to the Biharis in Los Angeles and issued on RPM. The very first track in this collection is, “Cotton Patch Hotfoot,” original unissued but a remarkable instrumental with simple echoey guitar from an unknown source and Willie Nix’s light drumming behind Horton.  Horton sounds here like Rice Miller, the second Sonny Boy Williamson, but dispalying a bit more swooping attack. Sonny Boy’s Trumpet records sounds like a model for the shuffle “What’s a Matter With You,” which has a pretty good vocal and superb harp. “Little Boy Blues,” recorded originally by Robert Lockwood a decade earlier, was actually released and coupled with “Now Tell Me Baby,” that Walter sings forcefully, but his rough voice led RPM to issue this as by Mumbles. Walter’s harp was at least every bit as good here as that of the second Sonny Boy, then holding forth on King Biscuit Time, with Walter’s  vocalized crying tone and irresistible swing.

For his second session in June, Walter was backed by the Newborn family; Phineas, Jr. on piano, Calvin on guitar and Phineas, Sr., on drums. On this session, Horton reworked a 1937 John Lee ‘Sonny Boy’ Williamson’s recording as “Black Gal.” His harp playing on this is styled after that of the first Sonny Boy Williamson. It is interesting to hear the stronger accompaniment than present on the earlier session. “Hard Hearted Woman” is a song he redo later in Chicago. This earlier take is done as a shuffle, with a peppy tempo, and  terrific guitar from Calvin Newborn behind Horton’s harp. On this track, Horton’s playing is more in a Rice Miller vein. “Jumping Blues” is another shuffle with his harp playing not fazed by the breakneck tempo. “So Long Baby,” takes the tempo down a bit as he hoarsely delivers the lyric to a blues adapted from Tampa Red’s “When Things Go Wrong (It Hurts Me Too).”

Walter returned to the Sun studios as a leader a year later. September 1952 found him with Jack Kelly on piano, Joe Hill Louis on guitar and Willie Nix on drums for a reworking of Big Bill’s “I Feel So Good,” as “We All Gotta Go.” Also at this session he recorded “Little Walter’s Boogie,” (obviously modeled after Little Walter’s “Juke”). This recording displays Walter's long saxophone-like lines mixed with fluttering, warbling cries. The three different takes of this are totally different with the spectacular second take being an instrumental that he would later return to as “Walter’s Boogie,” and record several with Memphis Charlie Musselwhite on Volume 3 of “Chicago The Blues Today,” and later with Johnny young on Arhoolie. “West Winds Are Blowing,” is a slow blues with a decent vocal, but displaying Walter’s lack of suppleness as a singer. In December 1952 with Albert Williams on piano, Joe Hill Louis on guitar and likely Willie Nix on drums for two takes of “Grandmother Got Grandfather Told.” where his harp has a bit more amplified sound as he negotiates the moderate tempo. In July, 1953, Walter covered Little Walter’s “Off the Wall,” with a band that included Pinetop Perkins on piano and Earl Hooker and two takes provided show his full tone, although not as quite as sharply controlled as Little Walter, and the backing doesn’t swing as hard as the Myers brothers and Fred Below.  Later, after doing a Muddy Waters session in Chicago, and some Johnny Shine sessions for J.O.B., Horton was back in Memphis recording “Easy,” one of the great harmonica blues instrumental recordings.  This is a stunning reworking of Ivory Joe Hunter’s “I Almost Lose My Mind,” with simple accompaniment from Jimmy DeBerry, that showcases his haunting tone, and judicious use of hand effects.

Within the next year, Horton would be established in Chicago and made his first recording as a leader there for the States label on a Willie Dixon produced session. “Hard Hearted Woman,” is transformed into a slow blues with one of his most expressive vocals and some of his most potent harp with the tenor sax riffing of Red Holloway and John Cameron part of the backing for Horton’s soaring solo. It and its backing side “Back Home to Mama,” are presented in issued and alternate takes. Along with the shuffle “Have a Good Time,” and “Need My Baby,” recorded for Cobra, this completes the issuance of Horton’s fifties recordings as a leader that take up the entire first disc and beginning of the second disc of this set.

For Part 2 of this tomorrow, I will examine some of Horton’s accompaniments. I purchased this collection.

Little Joe McLerran Strong Traditional Blues

Listening to the opening field holler inspired fragment “Ratty,” followed by some Delta to Chicago slide guitar “Believe I’ll Make a Change,” was this person’s introduction to the music of Little Joe McLerran, and it certainly caught my attention. McLerran was the 2009 winner of the International Blues Challenge in Memphis in the solo-duo category, and his latest recording on Roots Born Reborn, “Believe I’ll Make a Change.”

McLerran was originally from the Boulder area and started playing in a band at the age of 9 playing Beatles, Bob Markey and old-time blues from Big Bill, Skip James and Mississippi John Hurt. When the family moved to Tulsa, his music grew resulting in several recordings as well as winning the IBC. The present recording includes several solo performances as well as several with his band. I appreciate his splendid musicianship as well as his creative use of older material and his band that subtly embellishes his lead.

Just like the title track is a nice adaptation of an old Casey Bill Weldon number, “Down at the Village Store” is a lively, mellow Washboard Sam shuffle, with Dexter Payne’s reed adding a bass line, while Jack Wolfe’s restrained and subdued organ adds to the performance’s swing. Special kudos must be given to drummer Ron McRorey, who uses brushes on the last number. “Cocktails For Two,” is a solid Piedmont -blues styled original with McLerran’s Blind Boy Fuller-ish guitar runs complemented by Payne’s harmonica. The low-key reworking of Leroy Carr’s “Blues Before Sunrise,” is striking again because of the down-home trio and his relaxed, moving, vocal. A bit of old-time blues is provided by the interpretation of the Delmore Brothers’ “Blue Railroad Train,” indicating his wide ears for strong material as well as a being an additional showcase for his adept finger-style guitar.

On “Duck Yas,” Payne’s slap-tongue sax and bluesy clarinet adds a bit of traditional jazz to this delightful piece of hokum blues, while the traditional gospel number“Jesus Make Up My Dyin’ Bed,” is taken at a lively tempo set by McRorey, with McLerran playing some nice, precise slide runs. It is followed by a lovely small group rendition of Blind Willie McTell’s “B&O Blues,” with Payne’s harp in the musical mix. The band is a bit more energized on a rocking rendition of Homesick James’ “Baby Please Set a Date,” and again it is striking how with how much restraint he plays with avoiding the sometimes hyperactive renditions of say a George Thorogood. After an unusual original blues ballad about a Memphis policeman on the beat, and a Big Bill inspired “She’s Got Something,” where he celebrates his “sweet wife,” Little Joe closes with another field holler. It is a fitting close to a gem of a recording.

Little Joe McLerran understands that the mere possession of formidable musical technique does not translate into strong blues performances and he understands the value of restraint, both vocally and instrumentally, in putting together strong musical performances. He is also familiar and respectful of the blues tradition, yet places his own stamp on that tradition resulting in this gem of a recording. Recommended.


This review originally appeared in the January15-March 1, 2010 Jazz & Blues Report (Issue 323) on page 8. Minor stylistic changes have been made.


For FTC regulations purposes, my review copy was supplied by a publicist for this artist or recording label.

The Blues Side of Ike and Tina

 When I was in college back in the latter part of the sixties, I purchased a copy of the album, “Outta Season” by Ike and Tina Turner on Blue Thumb. It has a gatefold cover showing the two in whiteface eating watermelons which may have been controversial back then. It was a collection of mostly blues including a terrific rendition of Otis Redding’s “I’ve Been Loving You Too Long.” I had known of Ike and Tina from Murray the K playing the heck outta of the Phil Spector produced single “River Deep, Mountain High,” but getting this album was a revelation since at that time I was unaware of Ike’s legendary role in the post-war Delta blues scene as well as is the St. Louis music scene of the late fifties and sixties.

My musical education continued when the succeeding album, “The Hunter” came out a year or so later, with some really superb guitar by Albert Collins on many of the tracks. Of course after some major crossover hits, the relationship between Ike & Tina turned very sour and Tina became perhaps an even bigger star than in earlier years. Ike himself produced and played on a number of blues recordings that displayed he was still quite the musician.

Several years ago, the Spanish Blue Moon label reissued the Blue Thump albums on CD, “The Hunter and Outta Season,” which was, and is, available as an import. More recently, the American Acrobat Music label, issued an abridged reissue of the two albums that I reviewed in the November 2010 Jazz & Blues Report (issue 310-with my photo of McCoy Tyner on the cover) which can be downloaded at jazz-blues.com. Here is that review of the American Acrobat reissue. Both reissues are still available, with the import being a bit more expensive.

Among its initial releases, the American Acrobat Music has issued Ike & Tina Turner “ Sings the Blues.” This album is compiled from the two albums that they had issued on Blue Thump, “Outta Season,” and “The Hunter” but unlike a Spanish reissue of the two albums of a few years back, this release only makes available 11 of the 13 songs on the first album and 7 of the 9 on the second release, which is unfortunately, since the full contents of both do fit on a single CD. One other serious shortcoming is the liner notes make no mention that Albert Collins, not Turner, was guitarist on much of “The Hunter,” which is not to say that Turner’s own guitar work is not worthy of praise as he was a first-rate and distinctive string bender as well as bandleader and Svengali. That all said, the music still resonates as fresh as it was four decades ago (I still have my vinyl LPs).

Tina was, and remains, a superb singer, able to touch one’s gut with her expressiveness whether its her nailing Otis Redding’s “I've Been Loving You Too Long,” or her take of “Three O'clock in the Morning Blues,” taken from B.B. King’s recording with some terrific guitar around her vocal from Ike, or her down-in-the-alley take of “Five Long Years.” “Grumbling” is an instrumental where Ike evokes Freddy King’s “The Stumble.”

Tina’s vocal shines even more brightly on the spiritual “ I Am a Motherless Child,” with its spare backing. Albert Collins’ stinging guitar should be immediately recognizable on her strong take of the Albert King blues, “The Hunter,” and it certainly sounds like Collins, although somewhat restrained in the solo, on the Jimmy Reed Classic “Baby What You Want Me to Do,” titled here as “You Got Me Running.” Ike is on guitar on the funky “Bold Soul Sister,” but Collins is laying it down on his Telecaster for the Bobby Bland classic, I Smell Trouble,” and also on “Early in the Morning,” a version of Junior Parker’s “Mother-in-Law Blues.”

I already mentioned the two main flaws in this reissue, its omission of songs and inaccuracies in its annotation. The music that is made available on this is compelling and highly recommended.

For FTC purposes, I received a review copy from a publicist for this issue.

Robin McKelle's Big Band Vocals

Robin McKelle at
2007 Montreal Jazz Festival

I had an opportunity to see Robin McKelle, the first time I went to the Montreal Jazz Festival in 2007. Her vivacious personality came across in her performance as well as her strong vocals. The following review appeared in the November 2008, Jazz & Blues Report (Issue 310) although I have made a few stylistic changes in the text. This CD is still readily available.

Berklee alumni Robin McKelle has just issued a new album, Modern Antique (Cheap Lullaby). It is at least her second album and she performs and number of standards along with some intriguing and unusual material backed by a big band; sometimes horn driven and other times strings dominated.


McKelle is quite a good singer, if occasionally she comes off as cute and sultry. McKelle, at times, reminds me of Streisand, with a jazzier delivery. Things kick off on a terrific start with a hard swinging rendition of the surprising opening number, Steve Miller Band’s “Abracadabra.“ Kudos to the very imaginative arrangement of this song, which is followed by a hot Latin groove for her take of “Come Love.” The ballad “I Want to Be Love,” with strings and reed accompaniment, is done as a torch song and some might suggest she overdoes her singing here.

“Lover Man” opens and built around a funky bass riff that sets the groove, whereas she returns us to Heaven with a Basie-like arrangement for “Cheek to Cheek.” Strings frame her singing for the lovely ballad “Day By Day,” followed by the Buddy Johnson blue ballad, “Save Your Love For Me,” a rendition that contrasts to Ella Johnson’s original recording with brother Buddy’s orchestra, but not as satisfying as Charles Brown’s suave interpretation of this marvelous song.

Other noteworthy performances include the sprite “ Lullaby of Birdland,” and “Make Someone Happy,” with strings and nice trumpet and her nicely delivery of the lyric that perhaps evokes Streisand the most. The album concludes with McKelle’s own “Remember,” with her piano and the strings for accompaniment, a lovely song of lost love.

Special commendation to Willie Murillo who produced this and contributed several of the arrangements. When I saw McKelle in Montreal, she was backed by a combo, but she certainly is not overpowered by the full big band accompaniment she receives here. Its a marvelous and rewarding recording.


For FTC purposes, I received my review copy from Jazz & Blues Report.

Wells Live At Theresa's 1975 Caught Him in Prime Form.

I had the pleasure to see Junior Wells a number of times over the years. The first several times it was when he had his partnership with Buddy Guy while I was living in Buffalo. First time was with a fellow University of Buffalo grad student in Toronto at El Macombo. Somehow we got seats on the side of the stage (apparently my friend had a close resemblance to one of the members of Downchild) and it was a treat to see and hear the two with the band when it included A.C. Reed on saxophone. Later, there would be shows at the Belle Star in Colden, NY, in the hills west of Buffalo including one where Jeff Beck was in the audience. Junior sang his ass off for about two hours, and Buddy played his butt off too (Buddy was one of Jeff’s favorite guitarists). At the time, both were prominent figures in the blues world, but there were times when they would clown a bit. The night with Beck  in the audience (and he jammed with them the late second set), there there was just magic and no clowning.  At the time when they were back home in Chicago, they each had their own gigs. Junior held forth at Theresa’s, a neighborhood bar.

Back in 2006, Delmark issued some previously unissued live Junior Wells recordings from Theresa’s that was a wonderful surprise to the many fans of Wells as well as blues fans in general. Live At Theresa’s 1975, was taken from recordings made for broadcast on Chicago station WXRT-FM. Wells on this recording was supported by a band that included Phil Guy on guitar and Earnest Johnson bass. Both were regular members of Wells’ touring band when he joined with Buddy Guy around this time.

On the two dates from January 1975, Byther Smith or Sammy Lawhorn are also on guitar and Vince Chapelle or Levi Warren are on drums. There are some fine performances of songs that were staples of Wells’ repertoire until his death, such as Little By Little, Come On in This House, It Hurts Me Too, What My Mama Told Me and Messing With the Kid. Smith takes a vocal on Help the Poor from B.B. King’s repertoire. The music is solid, and there is plenty of banter from Junior including singing Happy Birthday to photographer Mark Pokemper and acting as Pokemper’s pitchman.  Junior and the band were in terrific form here.

With all the welcome publicity of the recent Junior Wells Live in Boston 1966 on Delmark, this disc should not be overlooked. It is as good and provides a sense of what Wells’ sounded like playing for a different audience then the college kids who saw him in 1966. It should also be relatively easy to find. When this came out, I selected this as among the outstanding blues CDs of 2006 and reviewed it in the December 2006 Jazz & Blues Report (issue 289) which I have modified for the current post.


For purposes of FTC regulations, I likely received the review copy from Delmark Records.

St. Louis' Rich Blues History Beautifully Recalled

Devil at the Confluence: The Pre-War Blues Music of St Louis Missouri
Authored, Illustrated & Designed by Kevin Belford
2009: Virginia Publishing, St. Louis Missouri.

Devil at the Confluence: The Pre-War Blues Music of St Louis Missouri
Authored, Illustrated & Designed by Kevin Belford
2009: Virginia Publishing, St. Louis Missouri.

 I remember a LP compilation of pre-World War II blues, “Lake Michigan Blues,” that was on the Nighthawk label. It collected a nice mix of 16 recordings, many of which presaged what we would know as Chicago blues. Reading the liner notes in discussing folks like John Lee ‘Sonny Boy’ Williamson, Yank Rachell, Robert Lee McCoy (Aka Nighthawk) and Henry Townsend, I observed the fact that these folks were living in St. Louis at the time they went up to Chicago to record some sides that became a strong part of the foundation of the post-war Chicago Blues. Still, the important role of St. Louis based artists in blues history has been generally ignored or not given much attention.

A new book “Devil at the Confluence: The Pre-War Blues Music of St Louis Missouri,” specifically aims to address this neglect of blues history. This book brings together the history of St. Louis blues artists and their musical contributions. Furthermore, this book is a visual feats as well. Kevin Belford did not simply draft the text, but laid-out and marvelously illustrated this volume in which his discussion of the history and artists is complemented by collages of photos, painting, press clippings and more. It is on most striking books visually as well as being an important contribution to the blues literature.

St. Louis is where the two largest rivers in the United States, the Missouri and the Mississippi, join and flow south. Its placement made it ideal for development of new ideas and musical creation. Traditional music research often focuses on the primal source (ideally one) and overlooks St. Louis’ pivotal role in the blues and other forms of American music. This simplistic focus on mythical sources then leads Henry Townsend’s birth and few months in Mississippi as more important to characterizing his music than the rest of his life lived in Cairo, Illinois and St. Louis. Townsend didn’t start playing until he heard Lonnie Johnson as a pre-teenaged boy. It is this imbalance that Belford corrects. “Adding the St. Louis part of the blues story should not mean rewriting American musical history” but rather provide a more complete history and understanding of the music. St. Louis’ importance in the rise of pre-blues and pre-jazz is widely acknowledged, but the blues history overlooked and that is aim he has here.

The early part of the book focuses on St. Louis pre-blues music which includes a discussion of the concert bands, ragtime players and composers, as well as noting three infamous murders that become crafted into folk ballads that are well known from “Duncan and Brady” (also known as ‘Looking For the Bully”); “Frankie and Johnny;” and “Staggerlee.” While the former number never made it to Tin Pan Alley’s publishing machines, the latter did. Besides mentioning these songs, the actual stories behind them are revealed. St. Louis, Missouri and the surrounding area are well known for their importance of ragtime, which mixed folk and formal music. Also early St. Louis jazz is discussed, noting historical accounts of jazz was played before what are considered the first jazz records and the musicians, both Black and White, whom played in the bands in St. Louis. In 1923, Kansas City bandleader Bennie Moten came to St. Louis to record along with singer Ada Brown and Mary Bradford, but despite the word blues in most song titles, most of these sides are not considered part of the blues legacy by many blues historians, and neither are some of the white bands like Gene Rodemich who recorded a number of titles with blues in them.

“The first recordings of St. Louis blues are of female singers mostly and a few of the great St. Louis jazz bands.” From the slums, Josephine Baker emerged and starting at the Booker T. Washington Theater where she played for tips, she became an international celebrity in Paris. Katherine McDonald recorded two songs with a pianist, Miles Davis (unrelated to the jazz icon); while Priscilla Stewart made a number recordings, many with the great pianist Jimmy Blythe. Eva Taylor started at St. Louis’ Orpheum Theater before marrying pianist and Clarence Williams and moving to New York where she made numerous recordings. Virginia Liston recorded with Louis Armstrong and Clarence Williams before returning to St. Louis. Then there was Irene Scruggs, whose two page spread provides a concise summary of her recordings and career including that she toured on the TOBA circuit performing with Lonnie Johnson, Little Brother Montgomery and the King Oliver Band and in the fifties moved to Europe and likely died overseas. We learn that she was also known as Little Sister, Dixie Nolan, and Chocolate Brown. In addition to a reproduction of her image from a record ad, their are reproductions of an Okeh ad for “My Daddy’s Calling Me” and “You Got What I Want,” which was issued as by “Chocolate Brown.

At this time you had bands working on the steamboats going up and down the Mississippi such as Fats Marable and they produced such important musicians and bandleaders as Dewey Jackson and Charlie Creath. Creath’s Jazz-O-Maniacs included at different times William Blue, Pops Foster and Gene Sedric (of Fats Waller Band fame). What is important is that a variety of artists from St. Louis, jazz bands and female singers of all stripes from St. Louis recorded and nearly every session by them included at least one blues-titled song. An impressive factor as was that the performers were not lone wolfs but “seem to have known and worked with each other in a camaraderie of diverse styles that today is divided into vaudeville or jazz or blues categories.”

St. Louis blues itself arose from “artists [who] grew up listening to piano players at house parties or guitarists in poolhalls and barbershops. The typical musician worked a regular job and played their blues with a network of clubs, parties and bands around the city.” Belford doesn’t simply discuss the musicians. he notes facilitators like Jesse J. Johnson, who opened a record store, managed bands and was the connection between the musicians (including his brother James Stump Johnson and wife Edith) and the record companies. Johnson was the person who helped Victoria Spivey, Lonnie Johnson and so many to get recorded and promoted. Lonnie and his brother James moved to St. Louis after a flu epidemic. In 1925, Lonnie won a blues contest for months on running at the Booker T. Washington Theatre leading to what would be a prodigious recording career. Victoria Spivey’s career took off after she came to St. Louis to audition for Jesse Johnson and in addition to a short summary of her and Lonnie’s careers, Belford discusses pseudonyms they may have used on other recordings and some of the musicians they were associated with.

It is easy to get caught in the details and lose the sense of the story being told. There will be performers he discusses that should be known to knowledgable blues enthusiasts like Henry Townsend, Charlie Jordan, Henry Brown, Roosevelt Sykes, Mary Johnson, Clifford Gibson, Peetie Wheatstraw, Big Joe Williams, Speckled Red, Walter Davis,Teddy Darby, and St. Louis Jimmy, as well lesser known names like Alice Moore, Edith Johnson, JD Short, and The Sparks Brothers. Robert Nighthawk lived in St. Louis when the Victor Recording Company had him, Big Joe Williams, Henry Townsend and John Lee ‘Sonny Boy Williamson’ travel to Chicago to make recordings that foreshadowed the post-war Chicago blues style. While Dr. Clayton is included in Belford’s discussion as having lived in St. Louis, Belford may have been unaware that (as he told me) Robert Lockwood, Jr., was living in St. Louis at the time and traveled with Dr. Clayton for a session after which Lockwood recorded under his own name for Bluebird on this trip. Belford cogently notes that St. Louis artists Roosevelt Sykes, Lonnie Johnson, Peetie Wheatstraw and Walter Davis among the most prolific recording blues artists of the pre-World War 11 era.

In the latter pages there is a brief of the post-war scene, although perhaps not in the same detail, and there is an appreciation of the role of Charlie O’Brien, a police officer, and Bob Koester, then a college student and jazz fan, in uncovering and documenting the blues history summarized here. A 14-track CD, “The St. Louis Blues Legacy,” is included with selections from the Delmark catalog presenting some of the artists discussed by Belford. “Devil at the Confluence” accomplishes its intended purpose of bringing to the front and center the great contributions of artists associated with St. Louis on the blues tradition. “Devil at the Confluence” is a significant contribution to the blues literature.

I believe this book is a limited edition. I purchased it from amazon.com.

The Barbecue Swingers Live Display Kermit Ruffins' Joyful Jazz

The HBO show Tremé probably introduced Kermit Ruffins to many folk. I have been following him since he was with Rebirth Brass Band, and he is always a treat to see and hear perform. Basin Street Records has just issued a new CD by him, Happy Talk, which I can’t wait to hear. Last year Basin Street released his delightful Christmas album, Have a Crazy Cool Christmas that included wonderful renditions of Christmas standards along with his love song to New Orleans Football team, A Saints Christmas, which received heavy play as the Saints made their Super Bowl run. Another favorite Kermit Ruffins CD for me is Live at Vaughan's. Anyway, the following review of a live recording appeared in the July/August 1998 Jazz & Blues Report (issue 233). This should still be readily available. Basin Street Records website is http://www.BasinStreetRecords.com/ and it can be ordered there or at other sources like the Louisiana Music Factory. Since leaving the Rebirth Brass Band, trumpeter Kermit Ruffins has emerged among the most entertaining personalities on New Orleans’ music scene with the ebullience of his vocals and trumpet. In addition to his small combo, the Barbecue Swingers, heard on this new album, The Barbecue Swingers Live (Basin Street Records) he also leads a big band that is developing quite a reputation in the Crescent City. The Barbecue Swingers include Corey Henry’s trombone (and rap), Emile Vinette’s piano, Kevin Morris’ bass and Jerry Anderson’s drums. They lay down tasty grooves rooted in the hot swing of the great Louis Armstrong (the most obvious influence on Ruffins) with some bop, brass band, funk and even rap embellishments. So Ruffins mixes in tasty swing on his original Smokin’ With Some Barbecue, sings an amiable St. James Infirmity and mixes in some second-line funk for Do the Fat Tuesday. What is New Orleans has a charming spoken rap by Kermit about the various charms of the Crescent City from various types of gumbo to the Treme Music Hall and Tipitina’s, while trombonist Henry raps in the more contemporary fashion on Peep This Groove Out. Ruffins plays particularly nice on the Roberta Flack classic ballad, Killing Me Softly With His Song, followed by the street-wise grooves of Rebirth’s Do Watcha Wanna. Kermit Ruffins may not be setting out new musical directions, but their particular synthesis of the jazz tradition is a lively one that will have you feeling things are getting better.

DownChild Still Playing the Blues With a Feeling After Four Decades

Downchild is a Canadian institution that has been laying down the blues for forty years and for their fortieth year they have a new release “I Need a Hat” (Linus). Donnie Walsh with his brother Richard formed Downchild back in 1969 and after the brothers had a parting of the ways, Donnie remained as the leader and focus of the band.

Over the year’s Downchild has had a variety of vocalists fronting the group, and that role is presently held by Chuck Jackson. The rest of Downchild is Pat Carey on saxophones,Michael Fontara on keyboards, Gary Kendall on bass and Mike Fitzpatrick on drums and this edition of the band has been together for a decade and a half which is evidenced by the crisp, swinging and rocking grooves the band puts together. They are augmented by the likes of Colin James and Colin Linden as well as famed trumpeter Wayne Jackson. Dan Ackroyd joins the party for one track on harmonica as Downchild was an inspiration for Ackroyd’s act with the late John Belushi, The Blues Brothers.

This lively disc is comprised of Walsh’s originals which are full of humor as well as some dark-sided twists on the breakdown in relationships that mark most blues songs. The title song is a delightful ditty about figuring out that to be a famous blues man one needs a hat and too bad he should have seen it sooner, as he would be a rich and famous man. Jackson delivers it with the appropriate tone while Walsh rips off a strong solo. Its followed by a strong slow blues, “Somebody Lied,” as Jackson sings about how his life is falling apart with Wayne Jackson taking a terrific trumpet solo before Colin James rips off an energetic solo.

“You Don’t Love Me” features Linden’s guitar and Ackroyd’s harp, on a nice Jimmy Reed inspired shuffle that benefits from the band’s relaxed groove. In contrast, “Rendezvous”, has Walsh with driving slide and a harder groove hints at some classic Elmore James. “Down to the Delta,” is a bouncy number with Jackson on harp as he sings about going down from Mississauga in the land of snow to the Delta with some swinging, jazzy guitar. The last of Jackson’s vocals, “What Was I Thinking,” has him wondering why he couldn’t see “there was no light at the end of the tunnel.” Pianist Fontara is excellent here as throughout while Walsh takes a harp solo. Walsh follows with two vocals, one of which “These Thoughts Keep Me Marching,” with a topical tinge, is built on an old country blues groove, and has more trumpet from Wayne Jackson. His other vocal, “Some More of That,” is a nicely delivered bit of homespun philosophy. If not having the range of Chuck Jackson as a singer, Walsh certainly puts plenty of feeling in his very likable singing.

The disc closes with the instrumental “El Stew,” which is an instrumental reworking of the title track, sporting a funky groove and some very nice organ. Walsh’ guitar solo that shows more concern with developing ideas than simply displaying technique, although Walsh has plenty of technique. It is a fitting end to this first-rate disc of Walsh and his fellow blues road warriors that should be of interest in blues enthusiasts everywhere.


For purposes of FTC regulations, the CD was provided by a publicity firm for this release.

Lucky Peterson Made the Right Moves

A little over a couple weeks ago (October 14), I posted about Lucky Peterson’s latest CD, “You Can Always Turn Around,” and stated that I thought his Verve-Gitanes recordings were amongst the best of the 1990s. Recently I was able to locate my review of his CD, Move, that appeared in the April 1998 Jazz & Blues Report (No. 230) which provides my reaction to that recording when it was issued along with comments on the previous “Lifetime” CD. Here it is for your edification.

Lucky Peterson certainly has matured since being a child prodigy. Having first recorded when he was five, and playing with his father James as he grew up, Lucky has emerged as one of the most important talents in the blues world. A superb keyboard player, Lucky is also a guitarist of considerable ability and one of the blues most underrated singers.

When so much of ‘contemporary’ blues is nothing more than rehashed rock-oriented blues rock, Lucky brings to his music strong soul and funk seasoning. His previous album, Lifetime, was one of the best records of the past few years with terrific remakes of Earth Wind and Fire’s Shining Star, and Sam Cooke’s Change is Gonna Come, along with Bad Condition, one of the finest blues set to a reggae groove. At a time when the latest teenage guitar phenom is heralded by some ‘as the music’s future, Lifetime has never gotten its due as among the most forward looking blues albums of the nineties.


Lucky’s newest album, Move, continues with a similar musical synthesis, although with stripped down backing of Butch Bonner’s rhythm guitar, ex-Iceman Johnny B. Gayden on bass, and Dennis Chambers on drums. There are new blues like the title track and the opening You’re the One For Me, and a cover of Robert Cray’s Don’t You Ever Care, that Lucky sings with considerable heat. Lucky also tackles the old Ashford and Simpson classic that Ray Charles made famous, Let’s Go Get Stoned, the Isley Brother’s classic It’s Your Thing, and Prince’s Purple Rain, providing a fertile musical stew. An instrumental, Pickin’ , shows his appreciation to Albert Collins, yet never lapses into imitation, and he takes Tin Pan Alley and provides a strong vocal to go along with his guitar playing. He has absorbed much from Hendrix, Prince, the various Kings and Albert Collins, and others, yet plays with a clarity and articulation in his solos that some of the emerging players in blues today might take a lesson from. Move is another reason Lucky Peterson is among the most important blues artists today.

Rereading these words, it is sort of bittersweet, since Lucky had the chance to establish himself as one of the premier touring artists. Unfortunately for a variety of reasons, this did not happen. Even if I do not find his newest recording to be on the level of Lifetime and Move, here’s hoping with his demons behind him he can bring the same mojo to his performances that made this recordings so compelling. One may have to shop around to find CD copies, either new or used. The music on these is available as downloads.


I do not recall if I received review copies or whether I purchased one or both.

Two Blues Icons Producing Some Musical Magic

A December, 1983 television production “In Session” in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada featuring Albert King and Stevie Ray Vaughan has become legendary. The music has been been available for years (and Stax reissued it a few years back) as has been video of the television broadcast. Now Stax has issued a deluxe DVD/CD set of “In Session” that includes three previously unissued performances on the DVD which had been left out of the original broadcast because of time constraints. The previously unissued performances of signature songs of Albert, “Born On A Bad Sign,” and Stevie Ray, “Texas Flood,” along with Albert doing the blues standard “I’m Going to Move to the Outskirts of Town.”

While they had previously played together at Antoine’s in Austin,Texas, this session was performed not too long after Stevie Ray Vaughan’s “Texas Flood,” was released. In the liner notes for this new release of this material Samuel Charters writes, “It was evident from the first choruses, that they were playing for each other. And that was the best audience either of them could ever have. The music never lost its intensity, its quality of something very important being handed back and forth and there was time for Stevie and Albert to see where their ideas took them.” It is a joy to watch the two interact, accompanied by Tony Llorens on piano and organ; Gus Thornton on bass; and Michael Llorens on drums. They were the rhythm section on the two albums King recorded for Fantasy in the mid-eighties..

Watching and listening to them, it is clear that Albert is the mentor and Stevie Ray, his student as Albert recalls seeing Stevie and talking about others who play a lot of nots but lack soul, but Stevie was always watching and learning. Albert handles the bulk of the vocals and one watches them trade extended solos and play rhythm for each other. The vocals may be a tad restrained at the beginning of the performances, but as they get into them and get into their solos, their is some truly magical moments. At times, one can’t hear where Albert’s playing begins or ends from that of Stevie Ray as Vaughan’s playing here clearly shows King’s influence on him in the phasing and tone. Yet at other times, Vaughan’s playing is more in the vein of the post-war Texas blues guitar tradition.

The smiles they give the other’s playing and the hug by the two at the end of the performance shows that they realized just how magical the performances were. It was the last time they would share the stage together, and now all the magic of that December day in Hamilton is finally available. It is available for purchase on November 9, 2010.


For purposes of FTC regulations, my review copy was provided by the record company.

Chuck Carbo Had Those Drawers Trouble

There is a video of John Boutté, one of the great voices of contemporary New Orleans music doing a terrific rendition of “Withcraft,” a song originally recorded by New Orleans’ greatest vocal group, “The Spiders.” Lead vocalist of The Spiders was one Chuck Carbo, who after the dissolution of The Spiders took on a solo career. Carbo was regarded as one of the best voices in New Orleans along with Aaron Neville and the late Johnny Adams. Probably outside of the New Orleans area, many became familiar with Chuck Carbo when Rounder, under the auspices of Scott Billington, did their impressive series of New Orleans recordings in the 1990s. Alas, Rounder has seem to have abandoned blues and most New Orleans music these days (Irma Thomas being a notable exception), so looking back at some of these recordings reminds us of this fertile time for the label and this important talent. My review of Chuck Carbo’s Drawer’s Trouble, the first of two albums he recorded for Rounder, originally appeared in the September 1993 Jazz & Blues Report (Issue 184). 

New Orleans was never a city known for vocal groups. The best known of its groups during the heyday of New Orleans Rhythm and Blues was The Spiders, whose Imperial recordings often broke the stereotype of the doo-wop groups in part because of Dave Bartholomew’s rocking studio bands. The Spiders were an outgrowth of a gospel group, The Delta Southernaires, and while having certain success, the group dissolved in the late fifties with Chuck Carbo taking on a solo career. 

While Carbo has recorded for a variety of labels over the years with some local hits, his name is less familiar to those outside of the Big Easy than his contemporaries like Johnny Adams, Ernie K-Doe and Aaron Neville. The release of his new Rounder album, Drawers Trouble, will remedy this. Backed by a tight New Orleans band that includes pianist Edward Frank with Dr. John guesting on piano, organ and guitar, it is a set of mostly original songs, many by Carbo, and a few by Dr. John and the late Doc Pomus. 

The material ranges from some strong Crescent City flavored blues to some tough R&B that recalls the glory days of Instant and Minit records. There is a solid reading of Jeannie and Jimmie Cheatham’s Meet Me With Your Black Dress On, (wrongly credited to Doc Cheatham), the classic R&B sound of Average Kind of Guy, and Hurt Coming On, as well as Dr. John’s and Doc Pomus’ recitation of the sleazier side of the Big Apple, New York City Blues. Carbo is a wonderful singer with a rich baritone. He possesses a marvelous sense of time and a knack for a phrase, and the backing he gets is first rate. This is likely to be on this listener’s top albums of the year.

Carbo had one more Rounder album, The Barber Blues, and after recording for Rounder, Carbo did one last album with Edward Frank’s New Orleans R&B Band, Life’s Ups & Downs on 504 Records. The latter is a nice record with a band that perhaps was a bit looser than on the Rounder sessions. It has nice versions of The Spiders classics “Witchcraft” and “You’re The One;” the classic Smiley Lewis recording “Blue Monday;” Carbo's take on “Meet Me With Your Black Drawers On;” the torch song associated with Frankie Lane, “That’s My Desire;” and his contemporary Mardi Gras tune, “Second Line on Monday.” The late pianist Edward Frank, was one of the regulars of the the New Orleans scene in the fifties, and revered as a pianist and composer. This did not change even when a stroke made him a one-handed pianist. For a period he lived in Houston and the late saxophonist Don Wilkerson recorded some of his compositions.


Carbo's Rounder recordings are available today on cd-r reissues today, and the music as downloads. The 504 album is available from the Louisiana Music Factory, www.louisianamusicfactory.com.  I likely received a review copy of Drawers Trouble from Rounder in 1993, and I purchased the 504 album in 2009.