Little Mike How Long

Little Mike
How Long
Elrob Records

Michael Markowitz, aka Little Mike, has a new set of Chicago-styled blues "How Long," although his usual cohorts, The Tornados are not present. Musically there will be little surprises as Mike brings his harmonica, some piano and vocals to a mix of classic blues and idiomatic originals with varying studio personnel, but stylistically very akin to what he done with the Tornados.

The title song is the J.B. Lenoir classic, although Mike's rendition is reminiscent of that by Pinetop Perkins with whom Mike played with numerous times. The studio band is quite tight behind him, even at a breakneck tempo (perhaps a tad too fast) as on "Smokin'," where he sings about cigarettes gonna kill him and he can't quit no matter how hard he tries. There is a surprising take on the Bobby Timmons hard bop classic "Moanin'," with some twisting harp lines and nice guitar. His brisk shuffle "When My Baby Left Me," is followed by a feverish take of Johnny Young's instrumental "Slam Hammer." Other highlights include a cover of Eddie Taylor's "Bad Boy," where he adds rollicking piano behind his harp and earnest vocal, and the atmospheric "Not What Mama Planned," with some nifty guitar.

In an interview excerpted in the liner notes, Mike describes his blues as "deep, hard hitting and raw." Certainly there is little contrived here, just straight-forward blues that fans of Little Mike will be quite familiar and others will find to their taste.

I received my review copy from a publicist. This review originally appeared in the November-December issue of the Jazz & Blues Report (Issue 369). Here Little Mike is seen with the Tornados.

Pinetop Perkins and Jimmy Rogers Were Genuine Blues Legends

Nothing fancy about the music on "Genuine Blues Legends" (Elrob Records), a release by Chicago blues legends Pinetop Perkins and Jimmy Rogers with Little Mike and the Tornadoes. Harmonica player and leader, (Little) Mike Markowitz and his band of guitarist Tony O. Mello; bassist Brad Vickers and Michael Anderson did yeoman service backing the likes of tours by Perkins and Rogers up and down the East Coast in the late eighties through the mid-nineties. As Pat Morgan, the former manager of Perkins, recalls, Perkins started playing regularly with Little Mike after he left the Legendary Blues Band. Thid in fact resulted in Pinetop's first solo album "After Hours." Rogers and others including Hubert Sumlin, were featured regularly with the Tornadoes, who this writer saw numerous times at the legendary Bethesda, Maryland club, "Twist & Shout."

This is a typical evening of Pinetop and Rogers as they were heard on tour one night in Maine from 1988. Pinetop was never a very demonstrative singer. Rather, he could be very appealing with an easy going, comfortable delivery shown on a number of blues classics that would remain part of his repertoire for over three decades. These include Eddie 'Cleanhead' Vinson's "Kidney Stew," St. Louis Jimmy's "Going Down Slow" (titled here "Had My Fun"), the Larry Darnell hit "For You My Love," Ivory Joe Hunter's "I Almost Lost My Mind" (titled here "When I Lost My Baby"), and Clarence 'Pinetop' Smith's "Pinetop's Boogie Woogie." That number became a staple of Perkins repertoire decades before and led to his stage name. There is  plenty of Pinetop's fine, reliable piano and these performances are solid, even if he might have made equally fine performances of these songs  in his other recordings.

One wishes there was more of Jimmy Rogers' vocals than the three songs heard here. Rogers was one of the finest singers of Chicago blues with his relaxed, distinctive delivery lending appeal to a cover of "Big Boss Man" along with his own "The Last Time." Pinetop's playing is exceptional on this, and Little Mike and the Tornadoes add lively backing. Rogers addis his own distinctive guitar lines producing some gems of Chicago blues. Rogers adds his guitar into the backing for the rendition of "Pinetop's Boogie Woogie," that is a feverish and exhilarating a performance as Perkins ever produced of this number.

My main complaint about this release is the attribution of composer credit to Pinetop Perkins for "For You My Love" composed by Paul Gayten, and the aforementioned Ivory Joe Hunter and Pinetop Smith songs. Otherwise this is an entertaining reminder of the delightful, sometimes exciting, Chicago blues on tours like the one captured on this release. Perhaps not essential, but certainly a release fans of the two, and Chicago blues, will be interested in.

I received my review copy from a publicist.  Here is Jimmy Rogers with James Cotton.

And here is Pinetop Perkins as part of Mitch Woods' Boogie Woogie Blow-Out.

Zora Young & Little Mike and the Tornadoes - Friday Night

"Friday Night," (Elrob Records), a new release by Zora Young & Little Mike and the Tornadoes, brings back memories of seeing the likes of Pinetop Perkins and Hubert Sumlin backed by Little Mike and the Tornadoes at Twist & Shout in Bethesda, Maryland, and recordings the Tornadoes made backing them. In this same role, they back Zora Young, a solid Chicago blues chanteuse whose husky, smokey vocals go down like a smooth scotch on the rocks. This is blues with kick. On this date are Little Mike Markowitz along with his long-time partners, guitarist Tony O. Melio, bassist Brad Vickers and drummer Robert Piazza. Kim McKaba is on keyboards. Several originals from Markowitz and Tony O are mixed with covers of recordings by Howlin' Wolf, Big Joe Turner, Otis Spann and Lucille Spann, and Bonnie Lee.

Horns are added to originals like the title track from Little Mike and the opening "I've Been a Fool Too Long," and provide additional punch behind Zora's moaning vocal style. Certainly she places her stamp on Tony O's "I Love Chicago" as she belts out about her singing the blues and Chicago being both home and the home of the blues. Her vocal here is supported by the Tornadoes driving accompaniment. Wolf's "44 Blues" is nicely covered, but better is her soul-drenched rendition of Big Joe Turner's hit, "Chains of Blues." On a very enjoyable recording, a highpoint might be the wonderful rendition of Otis Spann-Lucille Spann's "Country Girl," with strong playing from McKaba, Little Mike and Tony O (evoking Sam Lawhorn on this track)." Riffing horns and Mike's harmonica add punch behind a fervent cover of Bonnie Lee's "I'm Good."

Young, Mike and Tony O sit out the closing "Spann's Boogie," which is a driving instrumental for pianist McKaba who is ably supported by Vickers and Piazza. It is a solid performance although odd for an album showcasing Zora Young's blues vocals. Throughout there is fine, idiomatic playing from Little Mike and the Tornadoes. Zora Young has not exactly been recorded extensively, so a new recording by her is welcome, especially when she sounds so fine, as she does here.

I received my review copy from a publicist. Here is Zora Young singing at the Lucerne Blues Festival backed by Bob Margolin, Bob Stroger and Kenny Smith.