September
2002
Various Artists Skin Tight Blues Sweet Grass SGBCD2002
Sub-titled the First Peoples Blues Compilation, this is a valuable survey of the breadth and depth of blues as performed by First Peoples, an affinity reinforced by a history that unfortunately has all-too-close parallels to that of African-Americans. Musically there would not seem to be much in common between First Peoples' traditional music and blues forms but these artists have found a variety of ways to blend the two. The opening track mixes Keith Secola's electric guitar with traditional chants for the song choruses and Jani Lauzon's "Real Rez Blues" (from Thirst) is built on traditional drumming along with more modern instruments. Murray Porter's First Peoples contribution is his biting lyrics on "Colors", from 1492. Also on board is Ronnie Douglas, with "On My Way", the Pappy Johns Band with "Blame It On Monday" and Ken Rhyne with the title track from "Caught You White-Handed". Winnipeg's Billy Joe Green contributes a fine acoustic "Nightmare Blues". This is an excellent method of introducing a sound or a group of artists to a wider public and I hope Skin Tight Blues gets wide distribution. This CD has been sequenced with a view to variety and listenability and if you want the album(s) or more info on the artists, http://www.sweetgrassrecords.com has links to those with websites. You'll also be able to get Skin Tight Blues at the CD Launch at the Silver Dollar Room on September 26, 8-12pm. Murray Porter, the Soul Kings, the Pappy Johns Band, Ken Rhyne and more will be on hand to reprise their contributions.
Mose Scarlett Precious Seconds Borealis BCD146/Festival
A second full solo CD from Scarlett takes the usual journey through the early years of the last century and takes a few friends along. Each song features a guest second acoustic guitarist behind that comfortable, "kitchen-range" bass voice: Tony Quarrington, Amos Garrett, Colin Linden, Jeff Healey, Ken Whiteley, Jim Condie, David Wilcox and Marg Stowe. Scarlett has made a specialty of unearthing and performing these songs and two of them make this CD highly recommendable to readers here: Big Bill Broonzy's "Good Liquor Gonna Carry Me Down" (with David Wilcox) and Blind Blake's "He's In the Jailhouse Now" (with Healey). As extra value for your money there's a version of Steve Goodman's bluesy "Don't Go Lookin' For Trouble" (Whiteley, on harmony vocal as well) and a Scarlett original, "Muscatel Tale" (with Linden). Four blues out of fifteen songs may not seem worthwhile at first glance but this is a tremendously enjoyable set with a variety of then-popular songs. No performer of the time could ignore this repertoire and very few in this time perform it so lovingly. Check it out live at Hughes Room on September 6th, 8:30pm. And don't forget his contributions to the Mose Scarlett/Ken Whiteley/Jackie Washington Trio CD's.
Paul Fenton Live! In Toronto Jealous Monk JMR0207
Recorded live at Blues On Bellair, this Ottawa-based, frequently-visiting band got me off on the right foot with a rousing song called here "Highway 401" but it is actually new lyrics to "Going To Toronto" from McKenna Mendelson Mainline's Canada Our Home And Native Land LP. I'm told that the new lyrics are a true story and the connection to the city is a nice touch indeed. Mainline is also a pretty good indication of their sound: Fenton plays a mean slide guitar and Rick Gunn is on lead guitar, Doug Inglis, drums and Mike Pellarin, bass round out the band with club co-owner Peter Jermyn sounding just fine on the B3. "Luddite" continues the rocking pace with literate lyrics on the human cost of innovation. "Little Red Rooster" & "Shake Your Moneymaker" keep everything grounded before original material returns with "Midnight Train" and "T-Bone Walker Blues". "Train" is merely servicable but "T-Bone" is a slow blues about playing "Stormy Monday" so often it's driving him to drink! "I'm Goin' Upstairs" is a way-too-long Hooker boogie done up Canned Heat style and is a low point of the set for me but things pick up with "'Way Down In Georgia", which is a much better, original song. A fine version of "It Hurts Me Too" closes things out. A couple of CD's ago I accused Fenton of being too fond of his FX pedals at the expense of the songs and here he seems to have reversed that with generally excellent results - this live CD is more than just a souvenir of a night at the club. Available from www.paulfenton.com if you can't find it anywhere else.
Julian Fauth The World You Live
In a viva l'arte 1
For me, Julian Fauth's name and talents first appeared as the excellent pianist on David Rotundo's CD. All the songs there were by Rotundo so there was no indication of the formidable songwriter on display here. While that CD was strictly 50's Chicago, this one goes a decade or two earlier to the first Sonny Boy Williamson, John Lee. The harp chores in this sound fall to either Paul Reddick or Rotundo but the words set in this style will amaze you. He can also write in a more modern style as well as the morbid "Suicide Note" will attest. "Sorry Don't Cut No Ice" is taken at a Little Walter manic clip with Fauth on guitar and piano with a lyric about spouse abuse couldn't be more timely although his proposed solution is hardly less violent. "Here's The News" changes the sound a bit with Bob Moyer on tenor sax and Madagascar Slim on electric guitar over the rolling piano. "Blues with a Vengeance" finds Fauth on organ on a tune the Sidemen should check out- the stark simplicity of the music and the lyric would suit their style very well. "You Can't Choose the World You Live In" is a tasty blues ballad with world-weary lyrics and strong solos from Moyer and Slim. The CD concludes with a live track from the recent Russian tour. "Let Me Ride in Your Automobile" is actually "Too Many Drivers" but the audience loved it and Rotundo solos sharply over Alex Horhachev's guitar and Alex Boklyrev's bass. Fauth occasionally stretches his voice too far from its range on this CD but his piano playing is rock solid throughout. The sound is remarkably consistent as well despite its variety of sources. Fauth is currently on a tour of Cuba so you'll have to check the listings pages to acquire the CD when he gets back.
Molly Johnson Another Day Marquis 81287/EMI
There's not much blues this time out as the targeted audience seems to be Diana Krall's. "Miss Celie's Blues (Sister)" written by Quincy Jones for The Color Purple soundtrack, is the sole highlight for me, although even its arrangement steers it away from the juke joint of the movie. Colleen Allen, our WBR regular sax person, switches to clarinet for this one. Andrew Craig is on keys, Mike Downes, bass & Mark McLean, drums. Big Sugar is represented this time by a sleepy version of "Sleep in Late".
Larisa Renee Drive Indie
Renee is a talented young Toronto performer with mostly world music and jazz experience. She sent along her CD because she thought two of the songs were bluesy enough and she was right. Chuck Jackson supplies some tasty harp on the "Don't Cry" and co-producer Chris Gauthier plays some effective solos throughout. Dennis Keldie is also along with some B3 and mandolin. It may be a cliché now but this CD reminds me very much of Joni Mitchell's early albums, with no attempt to slight either party. "Small and Breakable" is the other song and it has some nice horn parts as well. Radio programmers looking for female vocals should take note. Renee has a strong voice and it's well_recorded, I hope she sees the chance to do more blues-oriented material as she writes and arranges all of it herself. Contact larisarenee@sympatico.ca.
Joe Murphy & Johnny Sansone Some Rough Stuff Canard Noir CNCD003
The title refers to the fact that these songs were recorded quickly last September after rehearsals with New Orleans harp ace Sansone went so well. Murphy and his band were on board to back him at the Harvest Festival in Fredericton and Murphy had a new original song ready, not a regular occurrence it seems. "Can't Take It" gets two different performances plus a shortened, `radio-ready" edit of one of them. Fortunately, it's a good song. The remainder of the CD is Chicago blues standards and well - performed, even though not all of Murphy's band could make the session. Sansone gets some nice harp work in, especially on "I'm Ready". The Elmore James version of "Everyday I Have the Blues" and "Shake Your Moneymaker" are also highlights. This veteran Halifax bluesman records so infrequently that this disc is nice to have, pity about all the covers, though. Canard Noir Records is at 6365 Norwood St., Halifax, NS, B3H 2L2, (902) 422-9263.
Magic Slim & The Teardrops Blue Magic Blind Pig BPCD 5076/Warner Music
The big question for this, his fifth Blind Pig release: what would new producer Popa Chubby do? Well, the New York blues rocker mixed the bass and drums a little louder but aside from two songs, mostly got Slim to put out another CD of great blues, easily maintaining one of the highest standards in the field. "I'm a Bluesman" starts things off in roaring fashion, perhaps his best rocker yet. "Chickenheads" follows and Chubby sits out the Teardrops, overdubbing all the parts but Slim and adding sampled loops. This isn't the best song on the album but it isn't nearly as bad as such efforts have been in the past. Perhaps as a bit of a pun, "Get Your Business Straight" is next and does exactly that, it's a fine page from the Albert Collins songbook. Wolf's "How Many More Years" gets a high energy but straightforward reading, with some Wolf interjections dubbed in. The only other non-original is Chubby's second effort, on Merle Haggard's "I Started Loving You Again" and this is performed with just Slim & Chubby on guitars. Again, different and not nearly as bad as it could have been. "Goin' To Mississippi" is the by now obligatory group vocal and it too is up to past standards, if you can imagine Slim cycling there! The Teardrops are Michael Dotson on guitar, Danny O'Connor, bass and Allen Kirk, drums. Slim's guitar is up front and stinging and they should have a fine time playing these new songs for you at the Southside Shuffle on September 6 and at The Dollar the next night.
Professor Longhair Big Chief Tomato TOM-2040
Professor Longhair Rum & Coke Tomato TOM-2041
Various Artists The Great Tomato Blues Package
Tomato TOM-3008
Distribution Fusion III's new deal with Alligator has served as a reminder for the other blues material in their catalogue and Kevin Eggar's Tomato label is a big part of it. The two Professor Longhair titles are the rest of the music from Feb. 3/4, 1978 that was not on the famous live The Last Mardi Gras on Atlantic. That double LP has not been released on CD yet so these CD's are the only document of his last band at his favourite club, Tipitina's. Crawfish Fiesta, on Alligator, is the studio recording of this band. Both LP's were released just after he passed away in 1980. The Tomatos feature liner notes by Rob Bowman. The Blues Package is a double CD, with 45 songs from across the blues spectrum, not all of them from Tomato albums.
The Tradition Masters:
Lightnin' Hopkins (TCD 1084),
Odetta (TCD 1085) & Lead Belly (TCD 1086) Rykodisc
These CD's are reissues of LP's in re-mastered form. The Hopkins' are Country Blues and Autobiography In Blues, solo LP's first issued in 1959. Odetta's are her first two LP's: Sings Ballads and Blues and At the Gate of Horn, from '56 and '57 respectively. Lead Belly's are the Stinson recordings from '42 & `44. Tradition was a folk label when that word had a very restricted meaning and these songs will sound dated. With that in mind, though, they are well worth hearing. Mack McCormack had a good relationship with Hopkins and these show him in fine form. You may want to check for duplication as these have been available on CD before, no previously unavailable material is included.
- John Valenteyn, jvalenteyn8724@rogers.com
Toronto Blues Society Copyright _ 2002