June
2003
Bob Walsh Blues Lion Soleil
LSP2-1743/D.E.P.
Mr. Walsh is rapidly becoming Quebec's worst kept secret. The thirty-year blues club veteran received a huge career boost in 1999 with a chance concert recording of pop, jazz and blues standards in an acoustic band setting backed by a classical string quartet. Bob Walsh et le Quatuor a Cordes Allard sold very well and led to Unforgettable Songs, a jazz standards collection with much the same forces. A televised concert version of this CD, backed by the Quebec Symphony Orchestra, was a major success. Which brings us to the present and a CD that made the Globe & Mail's all Canada top ten Jazz sales list two months running, with almost all its sales in Quebec. It deserves a much wider hearing and he is currently touring Europe to support it. Maybe he'll get here soon. Perhaps it's no accident that this new found success has happened along side his quantum leap forward as a singer. This astonishing voice has presence and power but can bring forth the tenderest of ballads. It may not be with a symphony orchestra but this CD puts that voice against an orchestral blues/Blood Sweat & Tears sound on most of the songs. Blues is his tribute to the songs that influenced his career and hence has a few chestnuts that at first glance might put you off but the production and performance here is of such quality that you will appreciate why the CD is simply called Blues. Walsh's basic trio of harp/bass/drums is augmented by piano, guest guitarists, backup singers and four horns. Two songs also feature a string quartet, so you can sample this style in a blues setting without purchasing the earlier CD - "The Thrill is Gone" in this arrangement is very nice indeed. The guitarists include electric Jeff Healey, Steve Hill, Jimmy James and Gilles Sioui; one of the singers is Dawn Tyler Watson. Special song mentions go to "Je Voudrais Etre Noir", a Nino Ferrer song and to Chris Youlden's "Needle and Spoon". Hill's solo on "Hold On I'm Coming" is most memorable as is Walsh's performance of "House of the Rising Sun". He stays very close to Eric Burdon's version here but that is the one most of us know (Jimmy James gets the famous solo). "Snow Falling Grey Day", with the string quartet, is a fine example of his ballad style. Special mention also goes to Guy Belanger for his harp work and the production team, too numerous to list. Walsh's web site, with samples, is part of www.audio-occasion.qc.ca and as befits a high-end audio company, the sound is demonstration quality.
Jackie Washington, Ken Whiteley & Mose
Scarlett Sitting on a Rainbow Borealis BCD 153
After reading about Jackie's recent troubles it's good to hear him in such amiable form on this latest addition to the Old Friends discography. Most of you will know what to expect here and you won't be disappointed. In the true folk tradition, they take songs from everywhere, adding some new ones, feeding them all through their collective creativity and experience. Bob Dylan's early (& bluesy) "Walking Down the Line" is a Jackie highlight as is Mose's version of "Nobody Knows You When Your Down And Out". Ken's new "Gas Up My Comet" conjures up the string band tradition with his mandolin and fine harp from Chris Whiteley. "Your Old Used to Be" was written for this CD by Mose and Tony Quarrington. "Wait `Till the Sun Shines, Nelly" features an acoustic Jeff Healey. David Wall joins in on harmony vocals and Victor Bateman alternates with George Koller on bass where necessary.
Downchild Body of Work-The Downchild Collection Vol.
2 Blue Wave 144
This Syracuse NY label has released Lucky 13 and Good Times Guaranteed along with It's A Matter of Time-The Downchild Collection Vol. 1 to provide a permanent record for new fans acquired during Downchild's frequent American tours. This CD has some 71 minutes of Downchild, 20 songs from their illustrious career. On this side of the border all the original albums are now, or will be shortly, available on CD except the very first one, Bootleg, for which the re-issue rights have not yet been arranged. But you still may want to acquire these compilations because the songs are carefully chosen and sequenced and the CD's have nifty new cover art. Visit www.bluewaverecords.com and, of course, www.downchild.com, both the Blue Wave compilations are available there too.
The Shuffledogs
A new grouping of veterans with a promising CD is up next. Eric Clipsham, Larry Goodhand, Bill Lyons, Jeff Peacock & relative newcomer Derrick Peart recorded this set at the Antrim House Pub in Port Perry last October 12. This is no-frills urban blues: 2 guitars, bass & drums and it must have been some night at the pub for the patrons. Peart is a fine singer, improvising marvelously over the expert backing although he does try a little too hard on occasion. As well played as these songs are, though, there are just too many warhorses here to listen at home repeatedly. As a calling card, however, this will do fine and I hope it gets them lots of work. They deserve it. Now to line up some worthy material, more songs like Kim Wilson's "Walkin' With My Baby" or originals like Peart's "Oh Baby". Catch them live if you can.
Joe Mavety Live Sextant SXT-0017/EMI
This one is live from the Fairview Pub in Vancouver, the new home of guitar ace Mavety. Whereas his last one stayed pretty close to the sound of the Orbit Room, where it was recorded, this one has a looser feel, with more variety of styles. Robbie King, the west coast keyboard ace, gets lots of room here and James Douglas on bass and Adam Drake on drums provide all the support Mavety needs. The songs range through his career from "Scoring with Elvis" from the Marianne Faithfull days through Kenny Burrell & Jimmy Smith's "Blues for Del" through the Eric Gale composition "Touch of Silk" and a couple of excellent instrumentals. There is a great deal of exciting blues playing in Mavety's soloing no matter what the song style is. His vocals are improving and certainly get the job done. Mavety is one of the top players working today and this is an excellent indication of why. Check out www.joemavety.com.
Toni Lynn Washington Been So Long NorthernBlues NMB0016/Festival
Boston's 40-year veteran has three Tone Cool CD's to her credit and is now a NorthernBlues artist. She has been nominated five times as Soul Female Artist of the year at the Handys and just lost out to Etta James this year. This time she wanted to do an album of famous women's songs and men's songs from a woman's perspective. She also has Duke Robillard (and his horns) along as co-producer and guitarist. The combination is a winner. Starting off with Buddy & Ella Johnson's "I Don't Want Nobody (to Have My Love But You)" through Ruth Brown's ""It's Love, Baby" to the Betty Everett-styled rocker "It's Been a Long Time" to Bessie Smith's "Back Water Blues" and onwards, it's a non-stop delight. Faye Adams' "Guilty (Witness to the Crime)" is another fine rocker and the Little Jimmy Scott tune "Angel Eyes" leads a jazzier trio of songs that includes Nina Simone's "Willow Weep For Me". The CD ends with a marvelous, funky updating of Ma Rainey's "Down in the Basement". Tremendous variety, vital singing and a brilliant effort all round!
Various Artists Delmark's 50 Years of
Blues Delmark DD-905/Festival
As you read this, the Chicago Blues Festival will have celebrated this very important anniversary as well. Bob Koester and his Jazz Record Mart in Chicago have been like a shrine that blues lovers visit regularly. He has been recording blues (and jazz) all this time and making sure that the artist's music is recorded, not some producer or A&R man's idea of what the artist should sound like. These two discs provide a generous cross-section of the blues side of his catalogue and there are a few unreleased gems for good measure, including a preview of Jimmy Burns' next CD. The ever-informative Bill Dahl provides copious notes. Check out www.delmark.com and www.festival.bc.ca.
Various Artists M.C. Records 1996-2002 MC-0048
Kim Wilson Lookin' For Trouble M.C. MC-0049
This enterprising New York City label just gets better and better. 1996-2002 will give you a good idea of what they have been doing and the new Kim Wilson bodes well for the future. Plus, the one unreleased song on 1996-2002 is by Maria Muldaur & Tracy Nelson and is from the forthcoming tribute to gospel legend Sister Rosetta Tharpe. Wilson's new one was co- produced with new fiance and songwriting partner Amanda Taylor and is his most successful attempt yet at re-creating the sound of those `50's recordings he so treasures. More importantly, he is quite correct in his liner notes that he is singing better than ever before - he's much more relaxed. His harp work is keeping pace as well, with two fabulous harp instrumentals in "F Fat" and "Jr.'s Jump" leading the way. The CD is about half original and half covers with three of the originals coming from 1997's Fabulous Thunderbirds High Water CD. I guess he thought the songs deserved more exposure, they certainly get more effective arrangements. His current band of Troy Gonyea, guitar, keyboardist Mark Stevens and bassist Jon Ross were introduced on the last CD and their solid work is enhanced by the horn section of Doug James, "Sax" Gordon Beadle & Scott Aruda. Richard Innes and Steve Ramsey were the drummers on separate sessions.
Jerome Godboo is going right to the wire with his new CD and it was not available for its promised review at press time. It will be here next month.
- John Valenteyn, jvalenteyn8724@rogers.com
Toronto Blues Society Copyright _ 2003