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American Blues Festival
Vol. 3 (Hip-O)
While last year's
much hyped Year Of The Blues was something of a let
down, the release of "The American Folk Blues
Festival 1962-1966 Vol. 1. & 2" DVD's was
everything and more fans hoped it would be. Those
DVDs garnered universal praise, earning a Grammy nomination
in the category of "Best Long Form Music Video"
as well as the Blues Foundation's prestigious Keeping
The Blues Alive (KBA) award. As expected Vol. 3 is
every bit as good, once again featuring superb looking
footage and great sound. Like it's predecessors, Vol.
3 features 18 previously unreleased live in-studio
performances plus a companion CD of 16 audio highlights
compiled from all three volumes in the DVD series.
The
American Folk Blues Festival (AFBF) was an annual
event that featured the cream of American blues musicians
barnstorming their way across Europe throughout the
60's. While audio recordings of these performances
have long been available the video footage has never
before been assembled. The impact of these annual
tours had a profound impact on those that were in
attendance. Future stars such as Mick Jagger, Keith
Richards, Jimmy Page any many others were in the audience
and were directly influenced by what they saw. The
rise of blues based bands like the The Rolling Stones,
Yardbirds and Animals can be directly attributed to
the AFBF. Robert Plant sums up the experience perfectly:
"I was at these shows in shabby provincial England
in the mid-'60s. Those eerie voices from another world
lit up my life, leaving me breathless, spooked and
inspired for a lifetime." 40 years later the
footage of that great event is every bit as awe inspiring
and will no doubt have an equally profound effect
on a whole new generation of blues fans.
"The
American Folk Blues Festival 1962-1966 Vol. 3"
spans the years from 1962-1967 and features 18 previously
unreleased performances by blues legends Buddy Guy,
Big Mama Thornton, Roosevelt Sykes, Dr. Isaiah Ross,
Hound Dog Taylor, Koko Taylor, Big Joe Turner, Earl
Hooker, Skip James, Bukka White, Son House, Little
Walter, Willie Dixon, Otis Rush, Sonny Terry &
Brownie McGhee, Big Mama Thornton, Helen Humes plus
bonus non-AFBF footage of Muddy Waters. The performances
were recorded live in small TV studios in Europe.
The 1967 edition of the AFBF featured a stunning lineup
and the DVD contains nine performances from that year.
On the bill were Skip James, Bukka White and Son House,
three of the greatest
pre-war Mississippi bluesmen, all of whom were rediscovered
in the 1960's. Skip James never quite sounded like
anyone else and his haunting falsetto and remarkable
fingerpicking is haunting and hypnotic on "All
Night Long" and "Crow Jane." Like his
immortal 1931 sides, these performances are deeply
personal and intense as James seems to be miles away
in his own private world. In contrast the gravel voiced
Bukka White hurtles along like a freight train playing
percussively on his National steel on a powerful version
of "Got Sick And Tired." When it comes to
intensity no one beats Son House who is in riveting
form on "Death Letter Blues." Son's performance
is profoundly intense, almost a religious experience
(he was Baptist preacher after all), as he flays away
at his National steel and sings with commanding force,
summoning up his blues from somewhere deep below.
If
that wasn't enough, there's still so much more including
the only known performance footage with audio of Little
Walter (jamming with Hound Dog Taylor and Koko Taylor
on one track each) and Buddy Guy's sizzling version
of "Out Of Sight" from 1965. Buddy is full
of kinetic energy and can barely stand still as this
blues brother goes soul brother on this bold and funky
workout. Buddy also plays with Big Mama Thornton on
a dynamite version of "Hound Dog." There's
no shortage of diversity as we get treated to the
amazing one-man-band performance of Dr. Isaiah Ross,
the driving boogie-woogie piano of Roosevelt Sykes,
the dapper, confident Big Joe Turner belting out his
classic "Flip, Flop And Fly" backed by a
Chicago blues band featuring Otis Rush and three peerless
songs by Sonny Terry & Brownie McGhee. One of
the most remarkable moments is the 1962 grand finale
featuring Helen Humes jamming with T-Bone Walker,
Willie Dixon, Memphis Slim,
Sonny Terry & Brownie McGhee as everyone gets
a chance to solo and swap verses in what is truly
a once-in-a-lifetime moment. Bonus cuts include rare
footage from 1969 of the incomparable Earl Hooker
playing his new Univox guitar and delivering the steamy,
funky "Earl's Boogie", even playing with
his teeth at one point. Hard to believe he would dead
just six months later. The other bonus footage is
a pair of majestic performances from 1968 including
"Long Distance Call" featuring some amazing
slide from Muddy and a rousing "Got My Mojo Working."
The whole package is rounded out with extensive liner
notes by Grammy Award winning author Rob Bowman and
never before seen photographs from the television
tapings.
Like
the prior volumes this is a landmark release featuring
performances that should be required viewing for all
blue fans. While all these artists recorded extensively
there's precious little video footage of these legends
which makes this series absolutely indispensable.
Let's cross our fingers for a Volume 4.
-Check
out these related links:
Reelin'
In The Years Website
Hip-O
Records Website
Reviews
of AFBF DVD's 1 & 2
(Jeff Harris)
|
Memphis Slim &
Sonny Boy Williamson:
Live In Europe (Hip-O)
Memphis
Slim and Sonny Boy Williamson are iconic names and
although both men passed away decades ago their stature
has only increased in the intervening years. Both
men recorded prolifically, leaving behind a large
and magnificent body of work for new generations to
discover and enjoy. In other words, blues legends
in every sense of the word. Hearing and seeing are
two different things and the experience of dimming
the lights, slipping in this DVD and spending an hour
watching these two legends is a mesmerizing experience.
"Memphis
Slim & Sonny Boy Wiiliamson: Live In Europe"
is another coup for Experience Hendrix and Reelin'
In The Years Productions the folks responsible for
the amazing American Folk Blues Festival DVD's. The
American Folk Blues Festival was an annual event that
featured the cream of American blues musicians barnstorming
their way across Europe throughout the 60's. Memphis
Slim joined the tour in 1962 and the experience was
so positive he moved permanently to Paris the very
same year, living the good life until he passed in
1988. Sonny Boy joined in 1963 and was greeted with
overwhelming generosity and was absolutely idolized
by the young rock and rollers. Recordings of Sonny
Boy playing with Animals and The Yardbirds testify
to this fact. The bulk of the performances on the
DVD come from the 1963 Dutch television program Jazz
Prisma. In addition are songs from the 1962 &
1963 American Folk Blues Festival plus a 1965 short
film featuring three numbers by Sonny Boy. Bonus footage
includes three performances by Otis Spann at the 1960
Newport Festival backed by the Muddy Waters band.
The
first six songs are devoted to Memphis Slim who's
backed by drummer Bill Stepney and the incomparable
Matt Murphy on guitar. In front of a small, well dressed
crowd, with a few hipsters lurking in the background,
Slim is poised and dignified as he rolls through a
set of slow and mid-tempo numbers. The opener, "The
Blues Is Everywhere", is a magnificent languid
blues as Slim's huge, burnished voice washes over
the room. Slim sticks to a mellow tempo on deep numbers
like the insinuating "My Gal Keeps Me Crying",
picks up the pace on the passionate "Wish Me
Well" punctuated by some stinging T-Bone inspired
fret work from Murphy and the rumba flavored "I'm
Lost Without You." Murphy is dazzling throughout
and gets a chance to cut loose on the rousing "Matt's
Guitar Boogie" as the camera gives us a close
up of Murphy's lightning quick hands, all the while
never breaking a sweat. The two American Folk Blues
Festival performances include the stomping "Rockin'
The House" that features T-Bone Walker, Willie
Dixon and Jump Jackson and the deep, philosophical
blues of "I'll Just Keep Singing The Blues"
a song he calls "the story of my life" spotlighting
some sensitive guitar work from Matt Murphy.
Sonny
Boy is featured on four songs from the Jazz Prisma
show backed by Memphis Slim and his band. If Memphis
Slim is dignified and almost serene, Sonny Boy is
the opposite; full of frenetic energy, hunched over
with those huge hands, heavy lidded eyes and goatee,
looking like a mischievous imp. Sonny Boy is riveting
on mellow set of blues coming across like he's having
an intimate conversation with the audience on "I'm
A Lonely Man" and classic numbers like "Keep
It To Yourself" as he implores his woman to keep
their extramarital affair on the hush and "Your
Funeral And My Trial" as he begs his woman to
"cut out the off the wall jive" or else
"if you can't treat me no better/It's gonna be
your funeral and my trial." Sonny Boy goes solo
on the mesmerizing "Bye Bye Bird" coaxing
some amazing sounds out of that little harmonica,
sticking it in his mouth while keeping up the melody
without using his hands, snapping his fingers, and
otherwise casting a spell over the audience. Three
additional cuts stem from a rare Swedish short film
that opens with Sonny Boy walking on stage with a
small umbrella and donning a bowler hat. Backed by
a couple of locals on guitar and bass, Sonny Boy is
typically riveting on a set of mellow blues like "It's
Raining Outdoors, Baby" sung with a devilish
gleam in his eye and the improvisational but moving
"JFK Blues" that segues into a heartfelt
thanks for the good times he's had in Europe.
The
bonus features include an additional Sonny Boy performance
playing along singer Mae Mercer at the 1965 American
Folk Blues Festival backed by Hubert Sumlin and Sunnyland
Slim. Mercer delivers an unorthodox version of "Careless
Love" in a deep, powerful voice with a hint of
gospel fervor as Sonny Boy accompanies with some brilliant
harp fills. A nice bonus is rare footage from the
1960 Newport Festival as Otis Spann delivers a trio
of authoritative and powerful instrumentals. Other
extras include a photo gallery of Memphis Slim and
Sonny Boy plus a lengthy and informative booklet included
with the DVD.
Like
the American Folk Blues DVD's, "Memphis Slim
& Sonny Boy Wiiliamson: Live In Europe" is
a stunning document that opens a window for blues
fans into a world that has long passed. Thankfully
a precious bit of this vanished magic has been documented
on this wonderful DVD which is an absolute must have
for blues fans.
-Check out these related
links:
Reelin'
In The Years Website
Hip-O
Records Website
(Jeff Harris)
|
Nora Jean Bruso:
Going Back to Mississippi (Severn)
One
of last year's most impressive debuts was Nora
Jean Bruso's sizzling "Sings The Blues"
which heralded the emergence of a new Chicago
blues queen. "Going Back To Mississippi"
proves that record was no fluke as Bruso delivers
another powerhouse outing this time on a bigger
label which should really help spread the word.
Bruso
has been singing on the Chicago blues scene
for some twenty-five years.
Her big break came in 1985 when Jimmy Dawkins
saw Bruso perform at a local Chicago club and
invited her to join his band. For the next seven
years Nora toured and recorded with Jimmy and
his band appearing on "Feel the Blues,"
(JSP, 1985 & 2002 with a bonus NJB track)
and 1991's "Can't Shake These Blues"
for the Earwig label. Since the release of her
debut she's wowed crowds at some of the most
prestigious blues festivals like the King Biscuit
Blues Festival, the Chicago Blues Festival and
the Pocono Blues Festival .
Bruso'
tough, brash, take-no-prisoners brand of singing
is firmly in the tradition of great blues ladies
like Big Time Sarah, Bonnie Lee, Shemeika Copeland
and particularly Koko Taylor. Like her prior
record, "Going Back To Mississippi"
is well produced record that perfectly captures
the grit and passion of Bruso's vocals. On her
last record Bruso was backed by a dream band
of Chicago talent like Jimmy Dawkins, Eddie
Shaw and others. This time out she gets stellar
support from a tight band including blistering
guitar from Carl Weathersby, guitarist Dave
Spector on two cuts and Rob Waters on B-3/piano
who appeared on Bruso's debut. Unlike the previous
record this one weighs in heavily on original
material as Bruso rips into tough fare like
"Telling Me What To Do" ("I don't
want nobody telling me what to do/I'm just your
woman, baby/I'm not married to you"), the
pulsing "Miss Mae's Juke Joint" an
evocative tune about her grandmother Mary's
Mississippi juke joint, the storming "Going
Back To Mississippi" and the rumba tinged
"I've got Two Men." Bruso is also
a convincing soul/R&B singer as she proves
in the infectious "Broken Heart" and
the aching soul ballad "Another Part Of
You."
Nora
Jean Bruso is a ferocious, dynamic blues singer
who's impossible to ignore and "Going Back
To Mississippi" will only further her reputation.
Definitely a star on the rise.
-Check
out these related reviews:
Nora
Jean Bruso Website
Severn
Records Website
(Jeff
Harris)
|
Percy Sledge: Shining
Through The Rain
(Varèse Sarabande)
Percy
Sledge will forever be linked tohis immortal "When
a Man Loves a Woman", a great song to be sure
but one that obscures his other fine recordings.
Hopefully this won't be the case with the wonderful
"Shining Through The Rain", his first
new release in a decade, and one which ably demonstrates
that his magnificent voice is still intact on a
first rate collection of material.
"When a Man Loves a Woman" became a huge
hit in the summer of 1966, topping both the pop
and R&B charts. In the late '80s the song experienced
a resurgence in popularity, due to its inclusion
in movie soundtracks and in television commercials.
Following its appearance in a 1987 Levi commercial
in the U.K., the single was
re-released and hit number two on the charts. Sledge
had other hits like "Warm and Tender Love",
"It Tears Me Up" and "Take Time to
Know Her" plus others which are held in high
regard among soul aficionados. Sledge used this
revived popularity to maintain a successful career
by touring constantly, playing over 100 shows a
year into the '90s. In 1994, he released the fine
"Blue Night" his first collection of new
material in over a decade, to strong reviews and
a Grammy nomination. Despite another decade between
recordings, "Shining
Through The Rain" was
well worth the wait.
Sledge's
inimitable vocals haven't lost a thing and his smooth
soulful voice is still filled with pleading and
passion as he works his way though an eclectic batch
of songs from the pens of Steve Earle, the Bee Gees,
Barry Goldberg, Carla Olson, Jackie Lomax and others.
Outside of a couple of up-tempo numbers, most of
the album is filled with country-soul ballads, something
that Sledge has always excelled at having cut songs
by Charlie Rich, Kris Kristofferson and others back
in his early days. This is a beautifully produced
album with a timeless quality epitomized by perfect
soul gems like the mid-tempo "Shining
Through The Rain", aching ballads like "Lonely
Hobo Lullabye" and "My Old Friend The
Blues" and the infectious groove of "Rubies
& Diamonds." Up-tempo numbers like "24-7
365" and "Big Blue Diamonds", the
latter a duet with Paul Jones, have a strong Stax
era feel. Production is near prefect giving Sledge's
deep soul sound a nice contemporary update helped
along with notable musicians like guitarists Denny
Freeman and Phil Upchurch, pianists Clayton Ivey
and Barry Goldberg among several others.
"Shining
Through The Rain" proves that this soul survivor
is still at the top of his game and will undoubtedly
be one of the year's top releases. This
new one can only enhance Sledge's lofty reputation
and hopefully garner him a well deserved new audience.
-Check
out these related links:
Percy
Sledge Website
(Jeff
Harris)
|
Soul To soul
(Rhino)
The
release of the forgotten classic "Soul
To Soul" restores a lost chapter in black
music, a period when soul music mingled with
African pride to create a vibrant, politically
charged atmosphere ripe with promise and hope.
"Soul To Soul" documents the historic
1971 concert in which a host of the era's best
and most recognizable black artists traveled
from the U.S. to Ghana, West Africa to take
part in a 14-hour extravaganza celebrating the
14th anniversary of Ghana's independence from
British rule. The original film was little seen
in it's day making this marvelous two-disc set
all the more valuable.
Reelin'
In The Years Productions and Rhino have worked
together on this labor of love and the resulting
two-disc set is a real gem . Disc one contains
the 95-minute, full-length feature film and
has been newly remastered and restored from
the original 35mm negative. Disc two contains
the original soundtrack CD expanded to over
60 minutes of music including performances not
seen in the film.
The
film is as much a musical document as it is
a cultural one. "Soul To Soul" shows
the huge impact and influence that black artists
had on Africa and conversely the huge impact
that going back to the motherland had on the
American artists. This was no culture clash
but a reuniting of two similar cultures separated
by time, bonded by the cataclysmic effects of
slavery (Ghana was a major slave trading post)
yet still sharing a remarkable number of similarities
that both groups immediately recognize. What
the film does so well is it totally immerse
you in African culture with the intercutting
of concert footage with local culture. It's
a visual feast of colorful costumes, local music
and customs that really give you a feel of what
the American artists were experiencing. The
lack of narration actually enhance this feeling
although at times you'll have to refer to the
lengthy booklet to really follow what's going
on. Thankfully the 24-page booklet written by
soul historian Rob Bowman provides everything
you need to know and is filled with period photos.
Over
100,000 rowdy locals gathered that day to witness
the historic concert featuring Wilson Pickett,
Les McCann & Eddie Harris, The Staple Singers,
Santana, Ike & Tina Turner, the Voices of
East Harlem plus several fine local groups.
Wilson Pickett is the genuine star here with
the locals calling him "Soul Bother No.
2" (James Brown was No. 1 of course) and
give him a rapturous welcome as he steps off
the plane. Pickett doesn't disappoint delivering
an incendiary performances of "In The Midnight
Hour" and "Land Of 1000 Dances"
that causes a near riot. The Ike & Tina
Turner revue is explosive as they tear the roof
of the place with scorching versions of "River
Deep, Mountain High", "Ooh Poo Pah
Doo" and "I Smell Trouble." The
Staples Singers are glorious and uplifting on
politically charged numbers like "When
Will We Be Paid?" and "Are You Sure"
delivered with devastating impact by Mavis Staples.
The nearly forgotten Voices of East Harlem are
a young, funky gospel choir that deliver a joyous
blast. Santana proves to be the ultimate jam
band years before that phrase was coined as
they drive the crowd wild with the irresistable
groove of "Jungle Strut" and "Black
Magic Woman." Jazz giants Les McCann and
Eddie Harris are in fine form particularly on
the politically potent "The Price You Gotta
Pay to Be Free." The real highlight of
their performance is when they bring on local
percussionist and medicine man Amoah Azangeo
who plays a basketball sized gourd-like instrument
in a wild, athletic fashion and sings forcefully.
It's a spellbinding performance and luckily
there is more footage of this fascinating man
throughout the film.
There's
a number of excellent bonus features including
commentary tracks by Mavis Staples, Les McCann,
Ike Turner, Santana drummer Michael Shrieve
and other plus a bonus performance of Ike &
Tina Turner's risqué version of "I've
Been Loving You Too Long" and a photo gallery
of newly discovered photos from artists and
crew.
"Soul
To Soul" is a remarkable cultural and musical
document that can been seen as as cousin to
the better known "Wattstax" which
also has just been released on DVD. The sense
of excitement and electricity in the joining
of these long separated cultures is still palpable
some 30 years down the road and hopefully this
lovingly restored film will receive the wide
exposure it deserves this time.
-Check
out these related links:
Reelin'
In The Years Website
(Jeff
Harris)
|
Gunsmoke
Blues (Hip-O)
The
seemingly oddly titled "Gunsmoke
Blues" is a fascinating lost
artifact that captures prime performances
by Big Mama Thornton, George "Harmonica"
Smith, Big Joe Turner and Muddy Waters.
Released for the first time, this
wonderful DVD will be of major interest
to blues fans.
One
weekend in November, 1971, blues freak,
Link Wyler and his buddies from the
Gunsmoke TV crew, gave in to temptation.
On
production hiatus, they left Hollywood
and took their 16mm cameras to film
Muddy Waters, Big Mama Thornton, Big
Joe Turner and George "Harmonica"
Smith, who were then barnstorming
the U.S. Pacific Northwest with their
bands and were slated to play at the
University of Oregon. The video quality
isn't the greatest but the performances
are of uniformly high quality.
Big
Mama Thornton was a powerhouse singer
who's contributions have unfortunately
been overshadowed by others. Willie
Mae "Big Mama" Thornton
only notched one national hit in her
lifetime, but it was a true classic;
"Hound Dog" held down the
top slot on Billboard's R&B charts
for seven weeks in 1953. Alas, Elvis
Presley's rocking 1956 cover was even
bigger. She also wrote and recorded
"Ball and Chain" but once
again was out shined by Janis Joplin's
version. The two performances included
here show how overpowering Big Mama
could be. In the opening scene we
glimpse Big Mama strolling through
the crowd toward the stage blowing
harmonica for a memorable entrance.
From there she rips into a ferocious
version of "Early One Morning"
playing a torrent of hot harmonica.
Her second tune is "Ball
and Chain" which is obviously
well known to the hippie audience.
Big Mama takes this one way down in
the alley on a sizzling rendition.
Backing is provided by an unnamed
band of hippies who acquit themselves
very well and also back George "Harmonica"
Smith and Big Joe Turner.
George
"Harmonica" Smith
was a great West Coast harmonica blower
who modeled himself on Little Walter
and sometimes billed himself as Little
Walter Jr. or Big Walter.
He was probably relatively unknown
to the audience but had recorded steadily
since the 50's for labels like Modern,
J&M, Lapel, Melker, Caddy, World
Pacific and in 1966 joined the Muddy
Waters band. Smith blasts into "Juke"
like a mad man, whipping frenetically
up and down and blowing and endless
stream of inventive licks while still
adhering to the melody. He pulls out
the big Chromatic for "Leaving
Chicago", a slow, moody blues
featuring his passionate singing and
a big toned, atmospheric harp work.
Big
Joe Turner is in good form although
perhaps less inspired then some of
the other performers. Still Big Joe's
enormous voice is a always a joy to
hear as he turns in enjoyable up-tempo
performances of "Hide and Seek"
and his classic "Shake, Rattle
and Roll."
Muddy
Waters is in typically fine form and
the band is a particularly good one.
Helping Muddy along are pianist Pinetop
Perkins, guitarists Pee Wee Madison
and Sammy Lawhorn, George "Harmonica"
Smith, bassist Calvin Jones and drummer
Willie Smith. There's simply no comparison
between this band and the one backing
the other performers which is what
really elevates Muddy's segment to
a higher level. Muddy is dapper and
dignified in a checker suit as he
delivers tough, authoritative versions
of "Mannish Boy," the slow,
deep blues of "Long Distance
Call," the swaggering "(I'm
Your) Hootchie Cootchie Man"
and a cooking "Got My Mojo Workin'"
with some searing harmonica from George
Smith. A few of these cuts appeared
on the CD "The Lost Tapes"
issued by Blind Pig in 1999 and the
video has appeared on Vestapol although
the sound and picture are superior
on this version.
Throughout
the DVD are short interview segments
with Big Mama, Turner and Muddy as
they are being driven in a van to
the gig. While they don't reveal anything
new it's a fascinating, fly-on-the-wall
view of these legendary performers
and is a nice addition. Bonus material
includes audio only recordings of
Big Joe Turner doing "Night Time
Is The Right Time", "Who
Shot My Baby/Rebecca", George
"Harmonica" Smith turning
in a sublime version of "Summertime",
Big Mama on her signature "Hound
Dog" and "Rock Me"
plus fine Muddy performances of "She’s
Nineteen Years Old" and "Walking
Thru The Park."
"Gunsmoke Blues" is
a fascinating and highly entertaining
document of four legendary blues artists
well into their careers but still
playing with plenty of passion and
grit. A must have for fans of vintage
blues.
(Jeff
Harris)
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