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Picking The Blues: Boogie
Woogie Pioneers (Document)
Lil' Son Jackson: Rockin'
And Rollin' Vol. 1 (Document)
The
Document label has a special place in the heart of collectors
with it's stated mission of making available every blues
and black gospel recording cut in the pre-war years.
For those in need of the complete chronological recordings
of Tampa Red, Memphis Minnie or, say, Blind Joe Taggart
the Document label has you covered. The stated mission
has largely been accomplished but the label forges ahead
issuing some early post-war recordings, unissued live
sessions, various compilations and upgrading older releases.
Document's latest include "Picking the Blues -
Boogie Woogie Pioneers" a collection of vintage
boogie woogie performances and "Rockin' and Rollin'
Vol. 1", the first of two volumes collecting Lil'
Son Jackson's earliest recordings.
"Picking
the Blues - Boogie Woogie Pioneers" is a terrific
twenty-two song collection compiled by John Mayall spanning
from 1928 to 1960. It was Pinetop Smith who first used
the term on his classic 1928 number "Pine Top's
Boogie Woogie". As Peter J. Silvester notes in
his pioneering book "A Left Hand Like God"
the music's origins go back much further: "Toward
the end of the nineteenth century and in the early years
of the present one, as much as evidence will allow,
American blues music spawned a noisy offspring which
was eventually given the name of boogie-woogie."
In the same book Eubie Blake describes an early practitioner
from 1896: "He had a left hand like God. he didn't
even know what key he was playing in, but he played
them all. ...We called it 'sixteen' - they call it 'boogie-woogie'
now." Mayall has compiled a strong overview of
the music although long time collectors will likely
have most of this material. We get early innovators
like Cow Cow Davenport on his seminal "Cow Cow
Blues" one of the most influential boogie pieces
of all time, the aforementioned Pinetop Smith on "Jump
Steady Blues" with it's great walking left hand
bass and the marvelous Little Brother Montgomery on
his signature "No Special Rider." Other names
are more obscure, but no less thrilling, such as Romeo
Nelson's exuberant "Head Rag Hop" (with spoken
encouragement by Tampa Red and Frankie Jaxon) which
give a real rent party atmosphere plus stunning instrumentals
like Jabo Williams' "Pratt City Blues" and
the obscure Turner Parrish on the dazzling "Fives."
Boogie Woogie hit it's zenith in popularity in the 1940's,
and in the hands of masters like Albert Ammons, Meade
Lux Lewis, Pete Johnson and Jimmy Yancey (all included)
the music hit an artistic peak that's never been equaled.
Later tracks feature Memphis Slim's storming "Slim's
Boogie" from 1956 and Otis Spann's magnificent
"Otis In The Dark" from 1960's "Otis
Spann Is the Blues", considered among his finest
recordings.
"Rockin'
and Rollin' Vol. 1" collects twenty-three fine
down-home tracks by Texas bluesman Lil' Son Jackson
cut for Gold Star and Imperial between 1948 and 1950.
In 1948 bluesman Melvin Jackson cut a disk at an amusement
arcade and was urged by friends to send it to Bill Quinn,
who owned Houston's Gold Star Records. Quinn signed
Jackson and was rewarded with a national R&B hit,
"Freedom Train Blues," in 1948. Jackson's
brand of sparse, down-home blues, while seemingly a
throwback, found the same sort of audience that was
buying up and making hits for like minded artists such
as Lightnin' Hopkins, Frankie Lee Sims, Smokey Hogg
and John Lee Hooker. For his part Jackson was a superb
country bluesman with a relaxed, rich voice, a capable
rhythmic guitarist with an ability to write memorable
songs. The sides here, all solo, include tracks cut
for Gold Star between 1948-1949 and two 1950 sessions
cut for Imperial. While Jackson never scored another
national hit he's in fine form on songs like "Ground
Hog Blues", "Cairo Blues", "Peace
Breaking People" and his famous "Rockin' and
Rollin'," which became better-known through a host
of covers as "Rock Me Baby." Jackson's records
evidently sold well enough as he went on to record over
fifty sides for Imperial between 1950-1954, some with
a small band, some of which will be collected on the
forthcoming second volume. Jackson gave up the blues
during the mid-'50s but was coaxed back to record a
fine album for Arhoolie in 1960 (available on CD as
"Blues Come to Texas"). His comeback was short
lived and he passed in 1981 without recording again.
Jackson's Imperial sides were all collected on Capitol's
2-CD "Complete Imperial Recordings", which
is now out of print so it's nice to have Jackson's early
sides back in circulation.
(Jeff Harris)
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Mitch Kashmar: Wake
Up & Worry (Delta Groove)
Harmonica
ace Mitch Kashmar has been a presence on the California
scene for the past 20 years and finally saw some national
attention with his 2005's fine Delta Groove debut
"Nickels & Dimes." "Wake Up &
Worry" is
a potent follow-up and should garner Kashmar even
more acclaim.
Born
in 1960, Kashmar was still in high school when he
began playing with local bands in his native Santa
Barbara, CA. By 1980 he was leading his own band,
The Pontiax, and after relocating to Los Angeles in
1985, established a strong reputation on the club
and festival circuit throughout southern California.
Kashmar has cut at least two records prior to 2005's
"Nickels & Dimes" but it was his Delta
Groove association that really raised his profile,
earning him a "Best New Artist Debut" nomination
by the Blues Music Foundation and a load of positive
press. "Wake Up & Worry" finds Kashmar
backed by an all-star combo and stretching out in
new and exciting directions.
Once
again Kashmar is supported by a terrific ensemble
that includes a trio of great guitarists in Junior
Watson, Rusty Zinn, John Marx plus Hollywood Blue
Flames alumni Fred Kaplan on piano and Richard Innes
on drums. There's a distinctively swinging, retro
West Coast vibe here featuring some stellar ensemble
work. Kashmar has a big, distinctive harmonica tone
and is an engaging, laid back vocalist. "I Got
No Reason" kicks things off in shuffling, swinging
fashion, while "Wake Up & Worry" and
Night Creeper" are solid mid-tempo groovers as
Kashmar stretches out with some powerhouse, but never
showy blowing and delivers a dead on Jimmy Reed feel
on the loping "You Dogged Me" with duel
harmonicas from Kashmar and Randy Chortkoff. "Black
Dog Blues" has a sparse down home feel with Kashmar
backed by just the stellar national steel of Alastair
Greene. The album really cooks on the sizzling party
atmosphere of "Half Pint-A-Whiskey" and
the knockout instrumental "The Waddle" both
featuring stunning, fuzzy guitar from Watson with
the latter featuring some of Kashmar's best harp work.
Since
their intial releases in 2004 the Delta Groove label
has emerged as quickly emerged as one of the best
blues labels around spotlighting great West Coast
talent like the Mannish Boys, The Hollywood Blue Flames,
Kirk Fletcher, Rod Piazza and others. The label has
another winner in Mitch Kashmar who, with the label's
help, should go on to big things.
(Jeff
Harris)
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Lee Shot Williams:
Starts With A "P" (Ecko)
For
the past decade veteran soul/blues singer Lee Shot
Williams has found a comfortable home at Ecko Records
where he's successfully updated his sound for the
contemporary southern soul market. "Starts With
A "P"" is one of his best efforts for
Ecko, rising above the too slick production, with
some better than usual songs plus some fine straight
blues numbers.
While
Williams' records these day fall very much into the
mainstream southern soul that's still played on black
radio and favored by black audiences, his roots are
much more traditional. He came up to Chicago in 1958
where he hooked up with old friend Little Smokey Smothers
and began singing with Smokey's band in 1960 and a
few years later joined Magic Sam's band as a vocalist.
After Magic Sam he sang with Earl Hooker for some
years. Along the way he cut a number of singles starting
in 1962, for Chicago labels like Foxy, King/Federal,
Palos, Gamma, Shama and Tchula. His 1964 recording
"Welcome to the Club" was a hit in Chicago
(covered by Little Milton for Checker Records in 1965)
while 1969's "I Like Your Style" was a regional
hit (later covered by Junior Parker). Williams hasn't
cut a straight blues record since 1995's terrific
"Cold Shot" for Black Magic but proves he's
still got the pipes on his latest Ecko effort.
Like
Malaco, the Memphis based Ecko label has a rather
formulaic sound, often relying on canned instruments
and churning out and endless stream of risque novelty
songs for the southern market. As Williams said candidly
in an interview for Jefferson Magazine: "I call
it bull shit. They love bull shit. I'm serious. ...I
was cutting them serious songs but didn't get any
airplay. I had good songs and good lyrics, they wouldn't
play it." He cited his big Ecko hit "She's
Made A Freak Out Of Me" as a prime example. While
the material may often let him down, Williams has
retained his growlish, soulful voice, and is rewarded
with some better than average songs and arrangements
on "Starts With A "P"." The lead
off "Everything I Like To Eat Starts With A "P""
is a lascivious novelty number that despite it's obvious
nature, still brings a sly grin to your face and the
same can be said for the funky "Meat Man."
Williams really delivers the goods on smooth, slinky
soul jams like "You've Been Lying", "You
Don't Have To Be A Freak To Do Freaky Things"
and "It's Not What You Got, It's What You Do
With It." It certainly helps that he's backed
by some real instruments, some nice horns, and sultry
female background vocals. Williams tackles bluesier
material as he delivers a smoldering version of Albert
King's "Everybody Wants To Go To Heaven"
and a surprisingly fine version of Aretha's "I
Never Loved A Woman The Way That I Love You."
"Starts
With A "P"" finds Lee Shot Williams
in soulful and sly form on one of his best efforts
in recent years. He may not be singing the kind of
songs he really wants, but you wouldn't know it the
way he puts these songs across with utter soulful
conviction.
(Jeff
Harris)
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Jeremy Spencer: Precious
Little (Blind Pig)
Those
who know their British blues rock may raise a few eyebrows
upon seeing that ex-Fleetwood Mac member and long time
reclusive Jeremy Spencer has a new record out. More
surprising, unlike the few solo efforts he's put out,
"Precious Little" is not a religious outing
but a (mostly) full fledged blues record, and a superb
one at that.
In
1971, hours before the Los Angeles gig on Fleetwood
Mac's American tour, Spencer vanished without warning.
It turned out that he had fell in with a Christian sect
called the Children of God, which he had apparently
joined after being approached on the street. Over the
years Spencer has issued a few records with Children
of God members, cut his last studio effort in 1979,
toured India a few times but has otherwise retained
a very low profile. Now, after a 25-year absence from
the recording studio, Spencer is back and in fabulous
form on "Precious Little" issued on Blind
Pig (the album was licensed from Norway's Bluestown
Records, which originally released it).
It's
obvious on "Precious Little" that Spencer
has never stopped playing and delivers a gorgeous, relaxed
performance here filled with terrific guitar work, especially
on slide with superb vocals in the service of some first
rate originals and covers. Backed by some very good
Norwegian musicians, Spencer exudes a laid back, confident
air creating a beautiful mellow atmosphere that pervades
the whole record. Opening with the original "Bitter
Lemon," Spencer and the band amble through a laid
back shuffle punctuated with Spencer's mellow, creamy
slide and warm assured vocals. Spencer kicks up the
tempo on the strutting, blues shuffle "Dr. J"
laying down some elegant Elmore James inspired licks
backed by riffing horns and rolling piano and takes
a more 60's rock approach to the grooving "Psychic
Waste" a term referring to all the trash spewed
out by the media. It's the blues that most impress and
Spencer has a masterful, delicate feel for the music
as evidenced on the gorgeous country blues of "Many
Sparrows" as he hums along hypnotically to his
snakey slide playing and the sublime "Serene Serena",
a lyrical rewrite of the traditional "Corrine Corrina."
Elmore James is a big influence (the first two Fleetwood
Mac albums feature several Elmore covers) and Spencer
delivers beautifully fragile versions of "It Hurts
Me Too" and "Bleeding Heart" that really
get to the emotional core of these songs. Spencer also
tosses in a rockabilly tune and a world music number
for good measure, handled as impeccably as everything
else on this wonderful record.
"Precious
Little" ranks as a near perfect comeback record
by a master musician who has a unerring feel for the
blues. Filled with subtle shadings, beautiful playing,
a deeply emotional feel and nary a trace of rock excess,
Spencer proves he's a bluesman of the highest order.
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