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Otis Rush: All Your
Love I Miss Loving - Live at The Wise Fools Pub, Chicago
(Delmark)
Despite
being plagued by personal demons that have resulted
in inconsistent performances, there's few who would
dispute that when Otis Rush was on his game there
was none better. Sadly
a 2004 stroke may have permanently ended his playing
days but Delmark's "All
Your Love I Miss Loving - Live at The Wise Fools Pub,
Chicago" is an emphatic reminder that
he remains one of the greatest bluesman of his generation.
Rush
rose to prominence in the late 50's signing to the
small Cobra label where he cut frighteningly intense
masterpieces like "I Can't Quit You Baby",
"Double Trouble", "Three Times a Fool"
and his signature classic "All Your Love (I Miss
Loving)." After Cobra folded Rush seemed to have
no end of troubles with a string of record labels,
still managing to cut some terrific recordings for
Chess and Vanguard plus fine albums such as the underrated
"Mourning in the Morning", the excellent
"Right Place, Wrong Time" and returned to
form in the 90's with "Ain't Enough Comin' In"
and "Any Place I'm Going." There's also
be been no shortage of live albums, of uneven quality,
but there's no doubt that live, Rush was capable of
jaw dropping performances. "All
Your Love I Miss Loving - Live at The Wise Fools Pub,
Chicago" falls in that latter category,
ranking as one of his finest live commercial recordings.
It's
all on display here on this 1976 performance at Chicago's
fabled Wise Fool's Pub; the tortured super intense
vocals, the long ringing guitar lines and a sense
of drama and tension that's almost palpable. Backed
by his rock solid working band, playing for his hometown
in one of his favorite venues, Rush pours it on for
over an hour of unrelentingly intense blues. The dozen
tunes will be familiar to most blues fans but Rush
wrings every one of them for all their emotional worth.
Rush storms out of the gate with a searing take on
B.B. King's classic "Please Love Me", following
it with another King number, the emotionally wracked
"You're Breaking My Heart." From there he
digs into his seminal "All Your Love" with
that familiar opening that's still capable of sending
shivers gown your spine. Rush is inspired form on
the rest of the program delivering a powerhouse version
of the world weary "Mean Old World", rips
into the chugging "I Feel So Bad" and lays
down an epic eight minute version of "Gambler's
Blues" and no matter how many time you've heard
it, when he sings "They say love is just a proposition/Strictly
a game of give and take/But I'm here to tell you love
proposition is just fake" he sings it with such
conviction it's like you're hearing it for the very
first time.
Thirty
years down the line these recordings retain their
awesome power spotlighting one of the greatest bluesman
laying it all on the line for an unforgettable experience.
We owe Delmark a big thanks for unearthing these recordings
and it goes without saying that this is a must have
for any blues fan.
(Jeff Harris)
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Tail Dragger: My Head
Is Bald (Delmark) 
Tail
Dragger and Vern's Friendly Lounge, the cozy West
Side joint where he holds court on Sunday afternoons,
are holdouts from a lost era when guys like Howlin'
Wolf and Magic Sam stalked the stages of West Side
clubs. Tail Dragger's raw, ghetto blues is seemingly
unchanged from the 1950's and is potently captured
on both DVD and CD on the steamy "My Head Is
Bald."
For
their first foray into DVD's, Delmark couldn't have
done any better than this sweaty, intimate document
that captures a superb blues singer in his element
as he prowls the crowd offering some homespun advice
directly to the audience and flirts with the ladies.
Vern's Friendly Lounge is a tidy, comfortable little
neighborhood joint decorated in glittering Christmas
lights (even though it's July) and a warm receptive
crowd that looks like a great place to while away
the hours and hear some rock solid blues, which is
exactly what Tail Dragger and his fine band offer
up.
Tail
Dragger's rough, sandpaper vocals closely resemble
Howlin' Wolf and indeed he spent some time hanging
around with the Wolf himself who gave him some first
hand tutoring plus bestowing on him the name he still
uses today. Like the Wolf, Tail Dragger is a superb
showman who knows how to put across a song as he snakes
his way through the crowd, getting up close and very
personal with his audience. The camera follows every
bit of it, giving the viewer about as up close and
intimate a club experience as you can get without
being there. Those down-home Chicago blues are delivered
by a veteran all-star band that includes the terrific
Lurrie Bell on guitar, Billy Branch on harmonica,
Bob Stroger on bass, Kenny Smith on drums, Willie
Young on sax plus a guest appearance by West Side
legend Jimmy Dawkins. The band locks into a deep groove
as Tail Dragger offers up some pointed advice on songs
like the thumping "Tend To Your Business"
as he begs the question - "How can you run my
home when you can't run your home?" or the chugging
"So Ezee" as he philosophizes - "It's
so easy to be misled/I'm here to tell you people everyone
got to use their head." Tail Dragger is equally
at home on more low down material like the shuffling
"My Woman Is Gone" as he moans seductively
to the ladies in uncanny Howlin' Wolf fashion and
takes off his cowboy hat to deliver a devastating
twelve minutes of "My Head Is Bald" as he
roams through the crowd. Throughout, Lurrie Bell lays
down some outstanding guitar work and Billy Branch
blows up a storm.
If
you can't make it down to the West Side of Chicago
but want to see some tough, no frills Chicago blues
you couldn't do any better that picking up the electrifying
"My Head Is Bald." As good as the music
is on the CD you really need to pick up the DVD for
the full experience. There's precious few left who
sing the blues like Tail Dragger and precious few
clubs left like Vern's where the blues remains so
vibrant and alive.
(Jeff Harris)
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Artie "Blues
Boy" White: Package Deal (A Chilltown)
Artie
"Blues Boy" White's music resides firmly
in the territory where soul meets blues, following
in the footsteps of soul-blues legends like Z.Z.
Hill, Little Milton and Bobby Bland. "Package
Deal", his fourth in as many years for his
own A Chilltown label, is
a typically strong outing from a singer who rarely
disappoints.
White
has a long and prolific career getting his start
singing in gospel groups like the Harps of David
and Full Gospel Wonders. White switched over to
blues in the early 1960's. Over the next two decades,
he recorded a number of singles with independent
labels such as P&M, Gamma, and Al Tee. He
briefly reached the R&B charts with "You
Are My Leanin' Tree" on the Al Tee Label
in 1977. In 1987, White moved on to John Abbey's
Ichiban label where he recorded, arranged and
produced his next 7 albums. He was a fixture there
until he signed with Malaco’s Waldoxy Label in
1994. Since 2002 White has issued his records
on his own A Chilltown label which have been every
bit as a good as his bigger label efforts. "Package
Deal" is another solid outing although not
quite as good as 2002's outstanding "Can't
Get Enough", more on par with 2004's fine
"First Thing Tuesday Morning."
Despite
being on his own label White hasn't skimped on
production on his prior records sounding every
bit as good as his bigger label efforts, employing
fine bands and often a full horn section. On the
new one there's a mix of real instruments (band
credits are not given) and programmed ones which
detract a bit from this otherwise fine outing.
No matter how sparingly or subtlety they're used,
as they are here, programmed instruments will
never sound as warm as the real thing. As on all
of White's records there's a number of very strong
songs although long time songwriter Travis Haddix
doesn't appear to be involved in this release
which is a shame as he's an ace writer. White's
smooth sultry soulful vocals are heard to good
effect on the languid, late night soul of "Third
Party" and the mid-tempo infectious groove
of "Package Deal." White takes a harder
edged approach on stinging blues numbers like
"Bag Lady" and the tough "How Long
Can This Go On" pushed along with some punchy
horns and blistering guitar work. Equally tough
is the swaggering blues of "When Leave Don't
Take Nothing" as White sounds like he means
business when he sings "When you leave don't
take nothing/Because don't a damn thing belong
to you", even asking for that wig back on
her head! Also potent is a gritty cover of Albert
King's "Truck Load Of Loving" once again
featuring some steamy fret work from the uncredited
guitarist.
With
the passing of Little Milton the ranks of great
soul/blues singers has thinned. Alongside of Bobby
Bland and maybe a few others, Artie "Blues
Boy" White remains one of the best singers
of this type still active and without much fanfare
continues to regularly release first rate records.
Like his prior records "Package Deal"
comes recommended.
(Jeff
Harris)
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Our New Orleans
2005 (Nonesuch)
Dr. John: Sippiana
Hericane (Blue Note)
Higher Ground
Hurricane Benefit Relief Concert (Blue Note)
The
devastation of New Orleans is almost unfathomable
and whether the great city will ever recover
is very much up in the air. From a musical
standpoint that musical melting pot, the home
of Buddy Bolden, Jelly Roll Morton, Louis
Armstrong, Professor Longhar and so many others
may never recover. In the wake of Katrina
New Orleans musicians were scattered to the
four winds but it's clear that their souls
still remain in that battered city. There's
been a steady trickle of benefit albums by
expatriate New Orleans musicians recently
including "Sippiana Hericane" by
Dr. John, "Higher
Ground Hurricane Benefit Relief Concert"
recorded earlier this year at Lincoln Center
and the best of the bunch, the stunning "Our
New Orleans 2005" an eclectic, moving
collection that evokes everything wonderful
about New Orleans.
On "Our New Orleans 2005"
the sense of loss permeates every track but
there's also an underpinning of hope in many
of these songs. Take for example the ragged
and raucous "Brother John Is Gone/Herc-Jolly-John"
a wild, joyous shout by the Wild Magnolias
led by the great Big Chief Bo Dollis that's
seemingly sung in defiance of what Katrina
has wrought. You can hear that sense of hope
in Allen Toussaint's glorious remake of his
classic message song "Yes We Can"
brimming with a funky urgency, the ebullient
good time feel of clarinetist Dr. Michael
White on the swinging "Canal Street Blues"
and the throbbing funk of the Dirty Dozen
Brass Band on the wailing "My Feet Can't
Fail Me Now." The feeling is more somber
on Irma Thomas' impassioned cover of Bessie
Smith's classic "Back Water Blues"
which Bessie actually cut right before
the tragic 1927 flood and Buckwheat Zydeco's
stunning cover of "Cryin' In The Streets"
featuring the shimmering slide guitar of Ry
Cooder, originally recorded by George Perkins
& The Silver Stars as a lament for the
civil rights movement here transformed into
the anguished cry of devastated city. In a
similar mood is the gorgeous gospel infused
"Gather By The River" by pianist
Davell Crawford, the poignant "Do You
Know What It Means To Miss New Orleans"
by the Preservation Hall Jazz Band and trumpeter
Charlie Miller's heartbreaking solo lament
on "Prayer For New Orleans." Other
standout performances include wonderful tracks
by Dr. John, Eddie Bo and singer Carol Fran.
This is as beautiful and touching a tribute
as you're likely to hear.
Dr.
John hasn't lived in New Orleans for some
time but with his music he remains a cultural
ambassador for that city wherever he plays
around the world. "Sippiana
Hericane"
is his short (25:25) response to the tragedy
with proceeds benefiting the New Orleans Musicians
Clinic, the Jazz Foundation of America and
the Voice of the Wetlands. Mac and his fine
band, the lower 911, are in a laid back and
reflective mood on this pleasant but not totally
satisfying outing. The centerpiece of this
seven-track set is the four part "Wade:
Hurricane Suite" which kicks off with
funky, insistent groove of Storm Warning
followed by the minor key, ominous feel of
Storm Surge, the mellow
Calm In The Storm and the upbeat
funk of Aftermath built on the old
spiritual "Wade in the Water," with
chanted vocals from the lower 911. Other songs
include the heartfelt plea "Clean Water"
which was also featured on the "Voice
Of The Wetlands" album and the strongest
cut, an updated version of his "Sweet
Home New Orleans" with new lyrics that
makes for a fine post-Katrina anthem.
In
the immediate wake of Katrina several benefit
relief concerts were quickly organized, including
the one that comprises "Higher
Ground Hurricane Benefit Relief Concert"
held September 17, 2005, at P. Rose Hall in
New York City home of Jazz at Lincoln Center.
The results were a fine, if a bit mannered
affair, leaning heavily towards jazz with
a bit of gospel, zydeco and blues thrown in
for good measure. The indomitable Shirley
Caesar kicks things off with the rafter raising
"This Joy" that's so hot everything
after has a hard time measuring up. Aaron
& Art Neville deliver a jazzy reading
of "Go To The Mardi Gras" featuring
the brilliant Allen Toussaint on piano, Marcus
Roberts and his trio lay down an elegant version
of Jelly Roll Morton's "New Orleans Blues",
Wynton Marsalis goes way back to King Oliver
for a lively "Dippermouth Blues"
and Buckwheat Zydeco is in fine form on the
rousing "I'm Gonna Love You Anyway"
featuring some strong fret work from ace Paul
Sinegal.
-Check
out these related reviews:
A
Celebration of New Orleans Music
Voice
of the Wetlands
(Jeff
Harris)
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Eddie Hinton:
Beautiful Dream - Sessions Vol. 3
(Zane)
Eddie
Hinton packed a whole lot into his 51 years
before succumbing to a fatal heart attack in
1995. A talented session guitarist, songwriter
and vocalist, the full scope of his genius has
become clearer after his death with the release
of a number of exceptional posthumous recordings.
Peter Thompson of Zane Records has been Hinton's
most ardent supporter and has now issued "Beautiful
Dream - Sessions Vol. 3" the third
collection of unreleased Hinton material that
retains the high standards of the previous volumes.
After working with Southern bands like
The Spooks and The Five Minutes, Hinton played
lead guitar for the Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section
from 1967 to 1971. He played on numerous hits
by Wilson Pickett, Aretha Franklin, Joe Tex,
Solomon Burke and others. He was also an exceptional
songwriter/arranger and his songs have been
recorded by Bobby Womack, Aretha Franklin, Dusty
Springfield, Percy Sledge and many more. Hinton
cut four well respected records under his own
name including his stellar 1978 debut "Very
Extremely Dangerous" and 1987's "Letters
from Mississippi" on Zane none of which,
as Hinton said, made "much of a mark."
He also amassed quite a collection of unreleased
material, most not meant for release but instead
intended for pitching songs to artists and producers.
Like the previous Zane collections these recordings,
as the notes state, are "raw, live, often
one-take studio efforts" and for the most
part totally inspired and often brilliant.
Hinton
was a a rarity, a white singer who was a totally
convincing soul and blues singer who imbued
everything he sang with a gritty, heart-on-the-sleeve
passion. In the liner notes to Hinton's final
album, "Hard Luck Guy", Jerry Wexler
of Atlantic Records summed it up this way: "He
remains unique, a white boy who truly sang and
played in the spirit of the great black soul
artists he venerated. With Eddie it wasn't imitation;
it was totally created, with a fire and fury
that was as real as Otis Redding's and Wilson
Pickett's." That passion is well on display
on this latest collection that spans from 1966
to 1980 and what is amazing is that there no
artistic drop off from the prior volumes which
just goes to show you the depth of Hinton's
talent. Among the numerous gems are mid-70's
demos recorded with a former band member from
Hinton's mid-60's band, The 5 Merits. Under
the name The Tuscaloosa All-Stars they cut the
fine Sam Cooke flavored "Nice Girl"
spotlighting Hinton's sensitive guitar work,
"You Made Me Sing" clearly inspired
by his idol Otis Redding and the lovely "Just
Another Wild Love Affair." Hinton formed
a band called The Rocking Horses circa 1980
with some of their recordings appearing on the
prior Zane collections. From those sessions
we get the first studio recordings of the fiery
"Everybody Meets Mr. Blue" that appeared
on "Letters from Mississippi" and
the gritty "Let It Roll" which came
out on the terrific "Very Blue Highway"
album. Just about everything else here is worth
a listen from a fine rough hewn version of "You
Left The Water Running" to the hard funk
of "Alleyway."
Despite
critical success, Hinton never made it
during his lifetime but his legacy continues
to grow in no small part due to the efforts
of Zane Records who have done us all a service
by releasing these wonderful recordings. Ten
years after his untimely passing Hinton's passionate
music still burns strong.
-Check
out these related reviews:
Playin'
Around - The Songwriting Sessions Vol. 2
Dear
Y'all
(Jeff
Harris)
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