New Releases -
January 2002
Beau Kavanagh and the Broken Hearted
Justin Time JUST 179
The term "bluesabilly" was coined for Richard "Don't Call Me King Biscuit Boy" Newell's mid `80's albums, particularly those with Jack de Keyzer on lead guitar. It referred to a unique fusion of blues and rockabilly that takes on a new life thanks to this fine new young trio from Montreal. Beau Kavanagh and the Broken Hearted is Beau Kavanagh on guitar & vocals with Marc Durocher on bass and Matt Lavender on drums. The liner notes describe the care taken to capture a vintage `50's sound on this CD and they have succeeded admirably, the ten original songs sound gorgeous, going "over the top" in terms of volume only when necessary. The rockers, like "Tired Baby" and "Train Song", are fine but the boys excel at slow blues, "Salty Love" and "All Alone" are standout performances. Kavanaugh reminds me very much of Buddy Guy with his playing, especially in his use of dynamics. Admirable teamwork from Durocher & Lavender also helps put this one on the "A" list. Let's hope they return to our town soon.
hot toddy any day hot toddy ht03/Festival
The Fredericton-based two-guitar and bass team of Joel LeBlanc and Thom Swift with Tom Easley are back with volume three of their folk/blues journey and it's a studio/live mix of mostly originals. The pairing of the unusually-structured train song "949" and the 12-bar "Climb This Hill" is a very effective early highlight. "Overflow" is a `domestic' blues that you'll have to hear, it'll lose something in the telling. There are three non-originals, by Duke Ellington("C Jam Blues"), Junior Brown ("I Hung It Up") and Mississippi John Hurt's "Payday" and they'll give you an idea of the eclectic sound this trio generates. The live tracks were recorded at the University of New Brunswick and its Memorial Hall stained glass windows grace the cover. Visit www.hottoddytrio.com for more info.
Mike Branton Dirty Feet Indy
Guitarist Mike Branton has advertised his self-produced CD in Maple Blues and I thought a few words about the CD were in order. Toronto-born, Branton has toured extensively, as a member of Stu Heydon & The Blue Persuaders, Michael Pickett and recently The Mike Branton Band all the while writing the material that would become Dirty Feet. It was time well spent. "I'm Not Playing", "You Stole My Love", the solo acoustic "Times Not Right", "Give Me One" and "I.O.U." are all good songs on the usual subject matter of interpersonal relationships. Branton has a strong although not overly expressive singing voice that should improve, after all he's not thirty yet but he is a strong, consistently inventive guitarist and slide guitarist. Helping him out on the band tracks are Tortoise Blue on the B3; Wayne Deadder, bass; Scott Apted, drums and Les Smith, harp. "Give Me One", incidently, is rather longer than its 6:04 running time - after a short pause, Branton and the band stretch out on a nice slow blues. Keep up to date with Mike in the listing pages or at www.mikebranton.com.
Jackie A Woman's View...Through Child's
Eyes Marshmellow
I'm sure this information could be checked but I think Ms. holds the record for most invited performer at Society events over the years, the GospelBlues Shoutout at Revival last September being the most recent, and still talked about, one. For her first and so far only CD, however, she has chosen to concentrate her varied talents on jazz ballads and spoken word with one exception. The cream of the city's jazz musicians are on board to help out and this introduction is not meant as a criticism or a warning. I know you all have wider tastes than that. The one exception is "The Lies Of Handsome Men", a classic-style blues that has been recorded by Cleo Laine, among others. It has Doug Riley on piano, Pat Sullivan, synthesizer; Phil Dwyer, tenor sax; Rob Pilch, guitar; Steve Wallace on bass and Archie Alleyne, drums. Guido Basso plays harmonica on a couple of songs, reminding me that a scheduling conflict was all that kept him from being a guest at one of our harmonica workshops. Rod McKuen's "A Single Woman" gets an honourable mention. The poems are by Colina Phillips and Jackie and Ms. also did the album artwork. This is an album you'll come back to and a useful reminder that there are other jazz ballad singers working in Canada.
Rockin' Johnny More Real Folk Blues Marquis 32
Rockin' Johnny takes time out from one of his regular gigs at B.L.U.E.S. on North Halsted in Chicago to visit the Silver Dollar Room but this momento of two nights in August, 2000 will give you an excellent idea of what he sounds like there. Johnny is in Earl Hooker mode for most of the CD, with Sho Komiya, bass; Kenny Smith, drums and Rick Kreher on rhythm guitar and among the guests these evenings are Eddie Shaw, tenor sax and Mark Ciniar, harp. The album title is a reference to those Chess albums in the `60's when Leonard Chess tried to sell Muddy et al to the white folk market but had only electric Chicago Blues in the grooves. Johnny's sense of history sets him apart from a lot of other young players and, as the liner notes say, his playing behind his guests is "quietly indispensable". As Man's Temptation, his second and current album for Delmark shows, he's making headway as a leader as well these days, guest vocalists are no longer necessary. More Real Folk Blues won't displace those CD's but if you want a beautifully recorded album of a night at a famous Chicago blues club, this one's for you. I've not seen this at stores here but he may have some with him. Otherwise, take a moment to check out www.rockinjohnnyband.com, it'll also tell you that you have several opportunities to catch them: Jan 11 (Fri) at Roxie's House of Blues, 110 Dundas St. in Whitby, Jan 12 (Sat) at The Silver Dollar and Jan 13 (Sun) at Peter's Place, Barrie.
Jean Jacques Milteau Memphis Universal 0147252
French acoustic harmonica ace Milteau has a curriculum vitae with world music and jazz among its highlights and it seems with this project he wanted to add some Memphis soul & blues to it. To that end, he arranged a recording trip to that famous city and lined up a stellar large band behind Larry Snell and Michael Toles. Milteau does not sing, so Mighty Sam McClain, Little Milton and Mighty Mo' Rodgers were signed up to handle those chores. This band could have run itself, but Milteau acquits himself well with some fine John Mayall-styled harpwork and his team gets good performances from everyone. His instrumentals "Memphis", "Junior Parker" and "Poppa Willie" are memorable and Little Milton does a fine job with Sting's "If You Love Somebody Set Them Free" (really!). McClain's version of Neil Young's "Heart Of Gold" might take repeated listening, however and Milteau band member Sebastien Danchin's commentary on racism is a bit too wordy. Rodgers' own "City Of Angels (To The City Of Lights)" is, I believe, the song inexplicably left off his Wailing Wall CD that he performed at the Dollar and it alone is worth the price this CD. Little Milton also contributes his own "Things Are Gonna Change", the horns and backup singers sit out and the blues come in. Mighty Sam also fares better on his own "At Last On Time", an uptempo song with the full band and some appropriate train sounds from Milteau. Samples and photos are at www.jjmilteau-memphis.com.
Ronnie Earl Ronnie Earl and Friends Telarc 83537/Universal
Mr. Earl's recent work has taken his guitar expertise far into jazz territory but a severe recent bout with depression has led him to take a blues cure in the form of a three-day weekend in Woodstock, NY, recording with some friends: James Cotton, Luther "Guitar Junior" Johnson, Irma Thomas, Kim Wilson on the front line and the recently very blues-friendly Levon Helm joining some of Earl's longtime bandmates in the backline. The blueprint he used here was the famous one Delmark used in the `60's for Hoodoo Man Blues and Southside Blues Jam, a minimum amount of preparation for a maximum amount of feeling. The minimum rehearsal was not a problem then because Junior Wells et al performed this music every night. What made those LP's so important was that this was an entirely new Chicago blues style that had been undocumented `til then. There can be no criticism of this lineup's work ethic either although the unrecorded part is another matter. Still, this CD rises well above the pack. The friends contribute mightily, with Johnson starting things off with stunning versions of "All Your Love" and "Bad Boy" that would have fit well on his own "reminiscing about the West Side" CD, Talkin' About Soul. Wilson & Cotton duel away on harps on "Mighty Fine Boogie" and "One More Mile" with Wilson's vocal surprisingly understated on the latter. Ms. Thomas is not heard often in a straight ahead blues setting and she shines on her vocals here, the Bobby Bland-styled "I'll Take Care Of You/Lonely Avenue", and the written-at-the-session "New Vietnam Blues" with insightful lyrics by Earl and Boston blues journalist Ted Drozdowski. The basic band, Earl, David Maxwell, piano; Jimmy Mouradian, bass and Helm; get a couple of excellent instrumental workouts in "Twenty-five Days", Otis Spann's "Marie" and the short closer "Looking Good". Earl's guitar work is spot-on throughout, and I hope this CD was as successful in fighting his demons as it sounds.
Kid Ramos Greasy Kid Stuff Evidence ECD 26117
After his cast of thousands CD West Coast House Party, Kid Ramos wanted to do a stripped down, Sun Studios in Memphis-style CD. He arranged for piano, bass and drums, played by Tom Mann, Jeff Turmes and Richard Innes respectively. Then a few harmonica players showed up. After the opening title instrumental, James Harman sings and blows on "Chicken Hearted Woman" and just sings on "Low Down Woman" & "Gratitude Is Riches(And Complaint Is Poverty); track 3 features Charlie Musselwhite on "Charlie's Old Highway 51 Blues"and again on track 11, "Rich Man's Woman(On A Poor Man's Pay)"; Paul deLay contributes "Say What You Mean, Baby" & "Ain't Gonna Holler"; Lynwood Slim on "I Don't Care Who Knows" & "Hold Me Tenderly"; Rick Estrin on "It's Hot In Here" & "Marion's Mood"; Rod Piazza's chromatic leads them on the instrumental "Devil's Foot" & "That's What She Hollered"; the legendary Johnny Dyer resurfaces with "Mean Ol' Lonesome Train"; and Estrin & Musselwhite combine for "Harmonica Hangover". If this wasn't under Kid Ramos' name you could file it with the SuperHarps CD's. Ramos does sing on the nearly rockabilly "Hold Me Tenderly" and "Country Woman" but this is an hour of blues harmonica you shouldn't pass up.
Rico McFarland Tired Of Being Alone Evidence ECD 26113
Rico McFarland has been here a couple of times as the guitarist in James Cotton's mostly acoustic touring quartet where he had a solo spot after David Maxwell. He also guested as a vocalist on Chico Banks's last CD. Here he gets his first album as a leader and has almost as many guests as Kid Ramos. He too, though, remains his own man, starting a very contemporary, electric album off with the funky "Bad Attitude", a Howard & The White Boys tune, before bringing on Syl Johnson for Al Green's "It Ain't No Fun To Me". Chico Banks and Carl Weathersby add lead guitar to the next two. After another song with just his band, he brings Sugar Blue and Billy Branch on for some blues harp - Blue guesting on Zora Young's "Johnny B" & Paul deLay's "The Other One" and Branch for "Little By Little" & Chris Youlden of Savoy Brown fame's "Made Up My Mind". Melvin Taylor adds his supercharged guitar to McFarland's for Ike Turner's "You Got What You Wanted" with Teela on vocals. Only two originals but a varied, modern blues CD.
- John Valenteyn, jvalenteyn8724@rogers.com
Toronto Blues Society Copyright _ 2002