|
Listen to the Music
You need real audio to listen
to these clips. Download it free by clicking on the icon.
Willie Pooch
Natural
Ball 
|
|
Willie Pooch: Funk-N-Blues
(Summit)
Affectionately
known as the "Godfather of Blues" on the
Columbus, OH scene where he makes his home, Willie
Pooch is a classic blues singer who's debut record
should garner him wide acclaim. On "Funk-N-Blues"
Pooch delivers a dose of old school blues singing
backed by the incredible B-3 organ of Tony Monaco
that really takes this record to the next level.
Pooch has the classic blues story; Born in
Tupelo, Mississippi in 1936 he sang in gospel groups
before heading - where else? - but to Chicago of
course. Pooch recalls his early experiences: "I
remember bein' twenty-one and switching from lead
guitar to bass so I could perform with blues greats
like Hound Dog Taylor, Elmore James, Luther Allison,
Magic Sam & Muddy Waters..." In 1962 Willie
was traveling with Kansas City Red when Sam's Bar
& Grill in Columbus Ohio "recruited"
him to be their house band. Pooch has made Columbus
his home ever since. He eventually hooked up with
local B-3 player Tony Monaco and first appeared
on Monaco's 2004 release "Fiery Blues."
Now at 70 Pooch has finally made his belated full-length
debut with the aptly titled "Funk-N-Blues."
"Funk-N-Blues"
is a funky, organ soaked, old school blues outing
that is a true collaboration between Pooch and Monaco.
Rarely do you hear B-3 organ as a lead instrument
on blues record but Monaco is front and center,
getting plenty of time to gloriously stretch out.
Only in his 30's, Monaco is a master of the funk/groove
style influenced heavily by the Columbus 'chitlin'
scene of great jazz organists such as Hank Marr
and Don Patterson. Monaco is a living link to past
B-3 masters like Jimmy Smith, Dr. Lonnie Smith,
Jimmy McGriff and Richard "Groove" Holmes.
The band is backed by superb drummer Louis Tsamous
and some tasteful guitar work from Rick Collura.
For his part Pooch is a classic blues singer who's
style harks to the 50's and 60's sounds of Muddy
Waters, Bobby Bland and particularly B.B. King.
The kind of chitlin' style blues music Pooch and
Monaco deliver is in it's way a throwback, but still
the kind of real deal blues to be found tucked away
in out of the way joints in just about any big city
- if you know where to look. B.B. King is clearly
one of Pooch's main influences as he delivers a
super funky "Why I Sing The Blues" with
some wild B-3 from Monaco, a smoldering "The
Thrill Is Gone" featuring some superb guitar
work and "Everyday I Have The Blues",
a bonus cut that first appeared on Monaco's "Fiery
Blues." Pooch also has some fine originals
up his sleeve like the calypso tinged shuffle of
"House Arrest Blues", the steamy plea
of "Cross My Heart Blues" and the low-down
"Buckeye Steel Mill Blues" (Pooch toiled
30 years at Buckeye Steel Castings) that is reminiscent
of the classic "Five Long Years." Another
treat is a moody, heartfelt take on "Georgia
On My Mind" as Pooch croons this one beautifully
with some appropriately simmering B-3 from Monaco.
Rarely
do you here such great chemistry as you do between
Pooch and Monaco, as well as the rest of the band
for that matter. "Funk-N-Blues"
is hands down one of the year's best debuts
and should spread Pooch's name far outside of Columbus.
If you're blown away by Monaco's playing make sure
to check out his own records - he's got a half dozen
of them, with "East To West" just released
in 2006.
-Check
out these related links:
Summitt
Records Website
Tony
Monaco Website
(Jeff
Harris)
|
Willie King: One
Love (Fredom Creek)
In
the last few years Willie King has blazed a trail
with several tough, uncompromising blues records
laced with a strong social message. It's been
said that blues music by it's very nature is protest
music even if the message has been hidden. King
speaks for all those bluesmen who couldn't speak
up and underpins it all with an irresistible juke
joint groove.
It's only in the last few years that King
has made a name for himself on the national scene
starting with 2000's "Freedom Creek"
for Rooster which won the Best Blues Album
award from Living Blues magazine. His equally
potent follow-up, "Living In A New World",
was nominated for Traditional Blues Album
of the Year by the
W. C. Handy Awards, while last year's "Jukin'
Bettie's" on his own Freedom Creek label
was nominated as the 2006 Traditional Album
of the Year by the Blues Music Awards. The
Rooster label hasn't been active recently but
fortunately that hasn't stopped King who's "One
Love" is another soulful slab of juke joint
blues on his own Freedom Creek imprint.
"One
Love" is similar in feel to "Jukin'
At Bettie's" - which was something of a cross
between the earthy, juke joint blues of "Freedom
Creek" and the Memphis soul he perfected
on "Living In A New World." King has
changed his band a bit on this new record but
still retains a group capable of laying down a
deep, hypnotic groove, carrying the torch in the
tradition of the recently departed Junior Kimbrough
and R.L. Burnside. King and the band weave a trance-like
spell on the listener with King's gruff, soulful
vocals underpinned by Willie Lee Halbert's second
vocal, the interplay between the two voices is
a huge part of King's distinctive sound. Also
vital to the sound is the moody keyboards from
Rick Asherson who also blows some fine harp on
a couple of tracks plus a rock solid rhythm section
featuring new member Debbie Bond on second guitar
who also adds some earthy background vocals. Like
King's prior records this one needs to be listened
to in it's entirety as these lengthy, throbbing
juke joint numbers roll into one another creating
a powerful effect. King and the band transport
the listener on a deep journey on songs like the
sultry "Sweet Potato Man", the pulsing
shuffle of "I Like It Like That" featuring
some fine sax from Brooke McSwain and reworks
the ancient children's song "Ride Sally Ride"
into a throbbing blues stomper. King puts his
distinctive stamp on traditional numbers like
"Spoonful" giving the song his best
Howlin' Wolf treatment and the good time vibe
of "Mamaluchi." This wouldn't be a Willie
King record if he didn't have anything to say
and he delivers a powerful message on "Writing
In The Sky (Katrina)" as he says about the
song: "I was talking to a friend, Franklin
Williams, and about how Katrina took the same
path as the slave ships from Africa. All the places
where we were bought and sold are places Katrina
passed through and we felt it all seemed like
from Africa. Katrina was shedding light on the
injustices done to African American people who
are still left out of being a part of America."
On "One Love" King gives us a little
Memphis soul as he preaches universal peace and
love as he elaborates on "One Love (monologue)."
Willie
King calls his political songs "struggling
songs", and as he explains in his notes accompanying
"Freedom Creek" - "Through the
music, I could reach more people, get them to
listen." King certainly has something to
say and when the music's this good people are
bound to pay attention.
-Check
out these links:
Jukin'
At Bettie's Review
Living
In A New World Review
Willie
King Website
(Jeff
Harris)
|
Bob Riedy:
Chicago Blues Shows Of The 70's (CSR)
Bob Riedy: Late Freight (CSR)
You
might be forgiven if you don't know who Bob
Riedy is as he left the hustle and bustle
of the Chicago blues scene some 20 years ago.
Completing the disappearing act is the fact
that his only two studio efforts are long
out of print - until now that is. Under his
Chicago Sound Recordings company Riedy has
resurrected those classic albums in addition
to releasing several previously unreleased
recordings. Both "Chicago Blues Shows
of the 70's" and "Late Freight"
spotlight the vibrant, but often overlooked,
1970's Chicago blues scene starring many of
the best blues artists of the decade.
During
the late 60's through the early 80's Riedy
was one of the most active blues promoters,
entrepreneurs, and piano players in Chicago.
At one time or another, every seminal Chicago
artist who was active during this period was
either a member of Riedy's band or was backed
by his band at one time or another. He created
jobs where there were none, putting together
bands for himself and others even when it
was not financially feasible to do so. He
recorded these artists when the established
record companies would not and many of these
artists played on Riedy's recording sessions
and he played on theirs. By the early 80s,
he found gigging and promotion increasingly
difficult, eventually giving up the business
and leaving Chicago. The 70's are not generally
considered a good period for blues, but as
these recordings show there was ample talent,
particularly in Chicago, and we should be
thankful Riedy was there to capture a small
portion of it.
"Chicago
Blues Shows of the 70's" is an incredible
2-CD document featuring tracks from Riedy's
two released studio records - "Lake Michigan
Ain't No River" (1973) and "Just
Off Halsted" (1974") - plus cuts
from "Late Freight" (1977) that
has just now seen the light of day plus a
batch of previously unreleased cuts. The set
list reads like a who's who of Chicago royalty
featuring John Littlejohn, Johnny Young, Jimmy
Rogers, Carey Bell, Magic Slim and Eddy Clearwater
among others. What we get here is prime, no
frills, traditional Chicago blues that capture
these legendary musicians in peak form. Jimmy
Rogers, one of the architects of the Chicago
blues sound is in marvelous form on signature
tracks like "Sloppy Drunk" and "Walking
By Myself" featuring wailing harp from
Carey Bell. The vastly underrated Johnny Young
is heard in peak form on the rocking "Johnny's
Jump" laying down some jaw dropping mandolin
playing and delivers "Why Did You Break
My Heart?" with heartfelt conviction.
Recorded in 1977, Magic Slim & The Teardrops
were relative unknowns outside of Chicago
but their tough Chicago blues approach is
fully formed on cuts like "Mama Talk
To Your Daughter" and "Cold Woman
With Warm Hearts." Other big names include
Johnny Littlejohn who lays down some sizzling
Elmore James inspired slide on a trio of cuts
including a menacing version of "Dust
My Broom" and Carey Bell who shines on
the back alley "Heart Aches and Pain"
and the rollicking "Tomorrow Night."
other gems include fine singing from drummer
Richard "Hub Cap" Robinson and Big
Twist with The Mellow Fellows on a terrific
cover of Little Milton's "We're Gonna
Make It." Throughout the Bob Riedy Band
delivers several fine instrumentals, with
Riedy's rollicking piano shining on just about
every track.
"Late
Freight" was recorded in 1977 but never
pressed to vinyl and is now available to the
public for the very first time. Carey Bell
is the only featured artist on this, singing
and playing harmonica on nine of the eleven
tracks. While Bell had been on the Chicago
scene since the late 50's and had served invaluable
early-'70s stints in the bands of Muddy Waters
and Willie Dixon, he had only recorded a few
sessions under his own name; "Carey Bell's
Blues Harp" for Delmark in 1969, "Last
Night" for Bluesway in 1973 plus the
collaboration, "Big Walter Horton with
Carey Bell" in 1972 for Alligator. "Late
Freight" finds a young Carey Bell in
superb form running through a batch of covers
like Willie Dixon's "Mellow Down Easy",
Muddy's "Nineteen Years Old" and
an atmospheric take on Little Walter's classic
"Last Night." The shuffling Bell
original "One Day You're Gonna Get Lucky"
is one of the disc's best numbers spotlighting
Riedy's rippling piano work. Bell sits out
on two numbers with the band sounding particularly
fine on Otis Spann's "Marie" featuring
muscular guitar work from Mark Wydra and knockout
piano from Riedy.
All
in all some absolutely terrific recordings
from what Riedy calls Chicago's lost blues
decade. These recordings have been remastered
and sound great although the lack of liner
notes is an oversight (session details are
available on the website). In addition to
these recordings Riedy had reissued his first
two studio records plus "Live From Chicago"
(compiled from the raw tape Riedy originally
recorded off the band's public address system)
which features Sam Lay and Carey Bell.
(Jeff
Harris)
|
Time Brings
About A Change-A Floyd Dixon Celebration (HighJohn)
Floyd
Dixon, "Mr. Magnificent" as he was
known, passed away in July after a long and
illustrious career that found him, at age 77,
in the midst of another comeback. Dixon went
out on top as evidenced on "Time Brings
About A Change—A Floyd Dixon Celebration"
a rollicking live concert with a bunch of his
blues playing pals recorded just two months
before Dixon succumbed to cancer.
Texas transplant Dixon came to prominence
in the fertile California blues scene of late
40's. It was a particularly vibrant scene with
many aspiring bluesman influenced by the massive
success of Charles Brown who inspired a slew
of fine honey voiced piano players like Amos
Milburn, Little Willie Littlefield, Roy Hawkins
and of course Floyd Dixon. Dixon had an earthier
sound than Brown who could croon the blues like
his idol and also rock the house with some blazing
jump blues. Dixon's glory years in the charts
were between 1949-1952 when he scored a string
of hits for labels including Peacock and Aladdin
before the rise of rock & roll derailed
his career. Dixon returned in terrific fashion
in 1997 with "Wake Up And Live!" which
garnered him a well deserved W.C. Handy award
for Comeback Album Of The Year. After keeping
a low profile Dixon surfaced in 2005 with the
excellent "Fine! Fine! Thing!"
"Time
Brings About A Change—A Floyd Dixon Celebration"
was recorded at Bob Corritore’s Rhythm Room
in Phoenix, Arizona, where Dixon was joined
by fellow blues piano masters Pinetop Perkins
and Henry Gray, Fabulous Thunderbirds founder/lead
singer/harmonica player, Kim Wilson and soul
singer, Johnny Tucker and Kid Ramos, who serves
as producer of the record, and musical director
of the veteran all-star band that backed the
headliners. The music was recorded on June 1
and 2, 2006, just fifty-five days before Dixon
passed away. This is an old fashioned blues
revue with everyone bringing their "A"
game and as Ramos noted: "We've got 250
years of combined blues experience here tonight,
so get ready for something special." West
coast soul singer John Tucker gets the party
started with the high octane, gritty soul of
"Do You Wanna Dance" sounding like
a modern day Otis Redding. Up next is the ageless
Henry Gray as he romps through the pounding
instrumental "Henry's House Rocker"
and brings new life to warhorses like "Sweet
Home Chicago" and a thundering "Dust
My Broom." The presence of Ramos and Kim
Wilson really seems to spark Gray who's rarely
sounded better in recent years. The same can
be said for 92 year old Pinetop Perkins who
delivers the engaging shuffle of "Down
In Mississippi" and gorgeous versions of
"Comeback Baby" and "Since I
Lost My Baby" both benefiting from some
sensitive harp from Wilson. The remaining nine
songs are reserved for the man of the hour.
Dixon doesn't disappoint kicking right into
his most famous number, "Hole In The Wall",
given a wry vocal from Dixon and swinging treatment
from the band. Vocally Dixon sounds even better
than he did on his most recent record, delivering
particularly heartfelt versions of "Cold
Cold Feeling" and "I'm Gonna Move
To The Outskirts Of Town" plus his own
classic numbers like "Call Operator 210"
and the jumping "Rita." In addition
to Ramos and Wilson, the band is absolutely
terrific throughout.
You
simply you couldn't ask for a more fitting tribute
to Dixon's memory than "Time Brings About
A Change—A Floyd Dixon Celebration" which
finds a true blues legend going out in top form.
Dixon may be gone but his legacy lives on in
an incredible body of work that spans from the
late 40's to these wonderful recordings cut
on a warm June night in 2006.
-Check
out these related links:
HighJohn
Website
(Jeff
Harris)
|
Ike Turner:
Risin' With The Blues (Zoho)
For
many, Ike Turner is rock and roll's number one
bad boy with the public view forever intertwined
with the movie "What's Love Got to Do With
It." What the movie obscures is Ike's role
as an important figure in the rise of rock and
roll and someone who played a seminal role in
blues history. Ike sought to reclaim that history
with 2001's terrific blues comeback "Here
and Now" and five years later is back with
the potent sequel, "Risin' With The Blues."
Judging Ike on purely musical terms you
can't contest the fact that he played an important
role in the rise of rock and roll. In 1951,
he made a lasting contribution to the music
by playing piano on Jackie Brenston's "Rocket
88," which is often cited as one of the
very first rock & roll records. Throughout
the decade, he was a prolific session player
(on both guitar and piano), playing on records
by blues legends Elmore James, Howlin' Wolf
("How Many More Years"), and Otis
Rush ("Double Trouble," "All
Your Love"). Ike also doubled as a talent
scout for the Bihari Brothers' Los Angeles-based
Modern Records, where he helped get early breaks
for artists like Howlin' Wolf and B.B. King.
With his Kings of Rhythm he recorded notable
material for labels like Flair, RPM, and Federal
with a revolving roster of vocalists plus waxing
a string of blistering instrumentals with Ike
one of the first to make the whammy bar an key
part of his sound. Now at 75 Ike is still a
musician to be reckoned with and "Risin'
With The Blues" is a powerful statement.
Backed
by a tight and tough new version of The Kings
of Rhythm, Ike is in inspired and feisty form
whether playing rollicking boogie piano or slashing
guitar. It should also be noted that childhood
friend, pianist Ernest Lane, is on board - the
two learned piano together in Clarksdale from
Pinetop Perkins - although his contributions
are regulated more to the background. In the
past Ike always had others take the vocals but
sings everything here himself, and while not
a great vocalist his throaty growl come across
with plenty of intensity and conviction. Intensity
is the key word on this funky, bluesy high energy
set that finds Ike tackling a wide variety of
material with plenty of humor and a good dose
of self introspection. Ike puts his own stamp
on classics like "Gimme Back My Wig"
that gets a nasty funk treatment, a rousing
horn fueled "Caldonia" and delivers
a gorgeously sung version of Fats Domino's "Going
Home Tomorrow" sporting a terrific tenor
solo from Leo Dumbecki. Turner originals include
the playful blues shuffle of "Tease Me"
with some slippery slide and the lowdown "Rockin'
Blues" as Ike cuts loose with a torrent
of scorching fret work. At the heart of the
record is a trio of autobiographical numbers:
the super funky groove of "I Don't Want
Nobody" ("I can do bad all by myself/And
if I'm gonna do bad/Don't Need nobody's help"),
admits his sins on the gospel soaked blues of
"Jesus Loves Me" ("I did alot
of wrong/I admit it all to myself/As long as
I face my wrongness/I don't care about nobody
else/I'm a bad boy but Jesus love me anyway")
and gives his take on his marriage to Tina on
the smoldering "Eighteen Long Years"
(a retitling of "Five Long Years")
sounding ornery and wholly unrepentant. There's
also a few fine instrumentals on board including
a moody "After Hours" and the jazzy
blues hybrid cover of Horace Silver's "Senor
Blues" featuring a good dose of Ike's blistering
guitar.
"Risin'
With The Blues" puts Ike's many talents
front and center finding this elder statesmen
of the blues in peak form. Having weathered
many trials and tribulations, Ike has come out
of it sounding stronger and more inspired than
ever.
-Check
out these related links:
Ike
Turner Website
Ike
& Tina Turner Live In 71' DVD Review
(Jeff
Harris)
|
More Reviews==>
|
|
|
