Listen to Bad Dog Blues

Duke Robillard: Live at the Blackstone River Theatre (Navarre)

Since founding Roomful of Blues in the late 60's Duke Robillard has cut a wide stylistic swath delving into electric blues, swinging jazz, rockabilly and rock and roll. For his first DVD, "Live At The Blackstone River Theatre", Robillard backed by his own band and some longtime friends delivers an intimate set of blues, jazz and standards, more wide ranging and eclectic than his usual live sets.

The "Live At The Blackstone River Theatre" project actually came about when he was offered a chance to exhibit his 'fine art' photography - a longtime passion, many of which have graced album and CD covers. He visited the space and realized it was a perfect venue to perform and film the project. The results are 94 minutes of exquisite guitar work, beautifully filmed, as Robillard performs solo, in small acoustic group settings and in the swinging horn driven T-Bone Walker style he's so clearly fond of.

"The idea here was to make it a concert kinda like you're coming in my living room and having a good time" Robillard states in the beginning and indeed that's exactly how the performance comes across. Robillard starts solo dropping back to 1940 to revive Tampa's Red's world weary "Hard Road" played on a resonator guitar featuring some sensitive slide work. Robillard moves to an a small group acoustic setting for the lovely "I Miss My Baby In My Arms" with a nice old timey feel provided by Billy Novick's wonderful clarinet playing and Billie Holiday's "I Can't Believe That You're In Love With Me" which Robillard cut for his excellent "After Hours Swing Session" album. There's some fine instrumentals including the stomping "Cow Cow Boogie" featuring great boogie-woogie piano from Matt McCabe, a gorgeous version of Tiny Grimes' "Blue Harlem" featuring the magnificent baritone of Doug James who's also featured on the mellow "Cry Me A River" a tune he recorded on his stellar 2001 release, "Blow Mr. Low." Other standouts include the swinging blues of T-Bone Walker's "Lonesome Woman Blues" which Robillard recorded on his exceptional 2004 release, "Blue Mood: The Songs of T-Bone Walker", the charming "Deed I Do" a song he picked up from working with the great Helen Humes and the humorous "Buy Me A Dog" ("Buy me a dog/Take the place of you") a Chicago blues styled number featuring some mighty blowing from harp master Jerry Portnoy. In addition to those already mentioned, the rest of the band is outstanding featuring long time Robillard cohorts Al Basile on cornet, Marty Ballou on bass and Mark Teixeira on drums.

Special features for the DVD include a batch of Robillard's excellent photos including ones of the Staple Singers, Jay McShann, Jimmy Witherspoon, B.B. King and Solomon Burke among others. There's also a slide show of his brother Gerry's paintings (Gerry's paintings were shown upstairs at the Blackstone) which proves that talent runs in the family.

Fans of Duke Robillard won't want to miss "Live At The Blackstone River Theatre" which showcases Robillard's deep mastery of many different guitar styles all played effortlessly and with an obvious love of the music.

-Check out these related links:
Blue Mood Review
The Duke Meets The Earl
Exhalted Lover

(Jeff Harris)

Buy From Amazon.com

Tab Benoit: Voice Of The Wetlands (Rykodisc)

The world watched in horror as New Orleans filled up like a bathtub in the wake of hurricane Katrina. For the many fans of New Orleans music and culture the horror was even more acute. The special something that makes Louisiana music so beloved and unique is well presented on the "Voice of the Wetlands" project featuring an all-star cast of Louisiana musicians.

Earlier in 2005 a number of prominent musicians headed into Piety Street Studios in New Orleans to create what is to be the largest international effort by any state or national organization to bring attention to Louisiana's suffering cultural and coastal wetland's loss. The CD features the voice and keyboards of the great Dr. John, the voice and percussion of Cyril Neville of the Neville Brothers, the voices and guitars of Tab Benoit and Anders Osborne, bassist George Porter Jr. of the Meters, drummer Johnny Vidochovich, the voice and tambourine of New Orleans icon Big Chief Monk Boudreaux, fiddler Waylon Thibodeaux, and the harmonica and accordion of Jumpin' Johnny Sansone. A portion of proceeds from the sale of this CD go to "Voice Of The Wetlands," a non-profit organization battling cultural and coastal erosion and also to the victims of hurricane Katrina which hadn't yet struck when this CD was recorded.

This is a beautiful record with a distinctly rootsy Louisiana feel bubbling over with ample doses of blues, funk, zydeco and R&B stirred into one big gumbo. While Tab Benoit gets top billing this is really an ensemble outing with everyone getting room to shine and leaving their egos at the door. As befitting the project there's a few message songs including the no-nonsense "We Ain't Gonna Lose No More (Without A Fight)" as Dr. John sings "The President gave us his word/Ain't nothing more been heard/Saving the wetlands in Iraq/I want my goddamn money back" and "dumb mistakes by the Army Corp, has already cost us half our shore." Remember that this was written before Katrina but the sentiment certainly rings even more true for that disaster and subsequent mismanagement. Dr. John delivers a similar message on the anthemic "Clean Water" as everyone joins in for the chorus. Among the other highlights include the funky "Bayou Breeze" with a strong Meters like vibe and stinging fret work from Tab, the ominous sounding "Lightning and Thunder", the lovely, folky "Kiddin' Me" with a strong early 60's Dylan feel sung wonderfully by Anders Osborne, the chugging zydeco of "We Make A Good Gumbo" and Big Chief Monk Boudreaux chants in the Mardi Gras Indian tradition on the funky, hypnotic "Me Donkey Want Water." Tab tackles a couple of straight blues on the low-down "Heart of Stone" and delivers a sensitive reading of Earl King's classic "Weary Silent Night."

Fans of Louisiana music will find certainly want to check out "Voice of the Wetlands" which not only offers up some great music but also severs a worthy cause.

-Check out these related links:
Voice of the Wetlands Website
Tab Benoit Website
Tab Benoit: Fever On The Bayou Review
Tab Benoit: The Sea Saint Sessions

(Jeff Harris)

Buy From Amazon.com

Billy Boy Arnold: Consolidated Mojo (Electro-Fi)

Billy Boy Arnold's return to the studio in the early 1990's after years in exile ranks as one of the great recent blues comebacks. His subsequent albums have been uniformly excellent as is the case with the ripping "Consolidated Mojo" recorded back in 1992 and now thankfully seeing the light of day.

Arnold began his career by hunting down his idol, harmonica great John Lee "Sonny Boy" Williamson, in 1948. Sonny Boy kindly gave the youngster a couple of harp lessons, but their relationship was cut short when Williamson was tragically murdered that year. Arnold joined forces with Bo Diddley playing on the two-sided 1955 debut smash "Bo Diddley"/"I'm a Man" for Checker. Arnold then signed with Vee-Jay Records waxing stellar, influential platters like "I Wish You Would", "I Ain't Got You" and "Prisoner's Plea" before parting with label in 1958. Before fading from the scene he managed to cut the excellent 1963 album for Prestige, "More Blues on the South Side." His modern comeback began with the terrific "Back Where I Belong" for Alligator in 1993. "Consolidated Mojo" was recorded in 1992 and almost became Arnold's comeback record but for some inexplicable reason it remained in the can. Luckily Electro-Fi has seen fit to finally release this and as you would expect it's a real killer.

Harmonica ace Mark Hummel was the driving force behind this recording. In 1992 he began to book some dates for Arnold in California region backed by Hummel's band, the Blues Survivors which is the group heard on this album. Hummel decided to get Arnold and the band in the studio which resulted in this recording. The band features Rusty Zinn on guitar, Ronnie James Weber on bass, Tom Mahon on piano and Mark Bohn on drums. Hot on the heels of some recent touring with the band, Arnold is in fine and fiery form singing with gritty passion and blowing some fierce harp. Arnold revisits past glories including a tough as nails version of "I'm A Man", the thumping "I Ain't Got You" and "She Fooled Me." He goes back to his main inspiration delivering spirited versions of Sonny Boy's "Sonny Boy's Jump" with some great interplay between harp and piano and "I Hear My Name Ringing" featuring some tough fret work from Rusty Zinn. Things close out with the rocking and raunchy "Dirty Mother Fuyer." Throughout Arnold sounds truly inspired and the band really cooks.

If you enjoyed those fine Alligator albums you'll certainly need to grab "Consolidated Mojo" which finds Arnold in peak form at the very beginning of his acclaimed comeback. Look for Arnold's tribute to Sonny Boy Williamson #1 to come out in 2006 on Electro-Fi.

-Check out these related links:
Boogie N Shuffle
Electro-Fi Website

(Jeff Harris)

Rich DelGrosso: Get Your Nose Outta My Bizness!
(Independent)

These days the mandolin is almost exclusively identified with Bluegrass music but there was time when it held a prominent role in old time music including early ragtime and blues. These days practically nobody plays the instrument in a blues context which makes Rich DelGrosso's mandolin soaked "Get Your Nose Outta My Bizness" such refreshing listening.

DelGrosso is an accomplished mandolin player who's learned his lessons well and obviously is well versed in in the history of mandolin blues. There indeed is a history heard on early rural black records, particularly in the string band and jug band traditions exemplified by groups like the Dallas String Band, Mississippi Mud Steppers and the Memphis Jug Band among others. Individual mandolin players include Charlie McCoy, Howard Armstrong, Yank Rachell, possibly the greatest of them all, and the amazing Johnny Young who, along with Yank and Armstrong, brought the instrument into the modern era. DelGrosso learned directly from Yank and obviously learnt plenty from the others and the results speak for themselves on the wonderful "Get Your Nose Outta My Bizness."

DelGrosso plays in a band setting on these tracks with a strong Chicago blues feel ala Johnny Young who's phrasing and attack he most resembles. In addition he possesses a strong, throaty vocal style that's used to good effect. DelGrosso's backed by a fine little band with a rhythm section of Jeff Turmes or Ernie Scarborough on bass, David Kida on drums plus guests James Harman, Pinetop Perkins and Doug MacLeod. Most of the tracks are traditional outside of the title track which finds DelGrosso in a trio setting laying down some bold mandolin licks in the style of Johnny Young on the traditionally grounded "Big Fat Mama Jam", a rollicking instrumental propelled by Pinetop's fleet boogie piano and the wailing harp of James Harman. DelGrosso delivers a unique spin on vintage numbers like Muddy's "Can't Be Satisfied" given a driving shuffle treatment, the classic "Divin' Duck Blues" cut by Sleepy John and Yank Rachell back in 1929 is given a fine workout, there's tough moody versions of "Outskirts Of Town" and "That's Alright" featuring DelGrosso laying down some down and dirty guitar and a lovely version of Tampa's immortal "When Things Go Wrong."

Traditions like jug bands and string bands, once a vibrant part of rural music have sadly faded into the mists of time. It's good to see someone keeping those traditions alive and Rich DelGrosso has obviously listened long and hard to those old masters, expertly keeping it alive on the heartfelt and beautifully played "Get Your Nose Outta My Bizness."

-Check out these related links:
Mandolin.com Website

(Jeff Harris)

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