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August
2006
The subtitle is `songs of hope and longing and sin and redemption' drawing on the gospel and
blues he heard growing up in St. Louis. He has a deep well here to draw from and he has come up with
songs and performances to match. Zubot &
Dawson figure even more prominently on this CD than on the
last and may have to be in for the long haul, so effective are their contributions.
Steve Dawson produced and plays the other guitar;
Jesse Zubot plays fiddle & mandolin;
Elliot Polsky adds percussion & drums;
Keith Lowe, double bass and Chris
Gestrin, keyboards. Featured prominently are
The Sojourners, a gospel trio who add magnificent vocal harmonies. They lead off the traditional gospel tune
"Didn't It Rain" and one is struck immediately by its imaginative arrangement. As good as this performance
is, it's just a warm up for Byrnes' own "Of Whom Shall I Be Afraid" and "Running Out of Time". The
first based on Psalm 27 and the second, a `slowly urgent death chaser', as the notes aptly describe it.
"Big Bill's Blues" comes almost as a relief, in a fairly straightforward acoustic arrangement of
the Broonzy favourite with some lyric updates. The longing in Byrnes' world-weary voice, though,
is palpable. Skip James' pre-war gospel song "Be Ready When He Comes" is another highlight.
Robert Johnson's "Last Fair Deal Gone Down" gets a string band setting, with
Jeanne Tolmie on background vocals. The program closes with a harrowing version of
Nick Lowe's "The Beast in Me". This is one
of the year's best so far and I think you'll agree.
Their show at last summer's Festival International de Jazz de Montreal is documented in fine
fashion here, with Rowe's guitar prowess Front Rowe
Center. Six songs from that last CD get
beautifully recorded performances here, with Eric
Kahyat on sax and Sarah McElcheran on trumpet
lending valuable support. As always, Al
McElcheran plays bass and shares the vocals.
Dominic Legrand is on drums for this show and
Pedro Ullmann on B3 does some very fine work indeed. Rowe sounds great,
with a big fat tone, soloing fluidly throughout. Particularly on "Carlos & Me", I think he
out-Santanas his rival. Much the same happens on "Train to Gatton" and "Little Wing". They don't just do
these tributes, though. Their own songs are well written. "4:00 in the Morning", "One Foot Front" and
"Can't Forgive, Won't Forget" were good songs on the earlier CDs, they're even better here. A guitar
lover's delight, this one, don't miss it!
Texas harp ace Gary Primich's debut for Electro-Fi is his ninth album overall along with
uncounted guest appearances. He decided this time to go for a small group, down home sound, with just
guitar, bass and drums behind his harp & vocals and
Gene Taylor's occasional piano. There's a mixture
of songs he's liked over the years and some new ones and this adds up to a very good album indeed.
There's a kind of Doug Sahm feel to it, with the players all adept at every style of music played in
Texas. Particularly good are "Daddy, Let Me Hitch a Ride", with it's early
Thunderbirds groove and "Wig City", an original with its
Slim Harpo feel. "Hillbilly Blues" finds Primich in
Little Walter mode _ a couple of local outfits should add this to their songlist. Also fine is
John Brim's "You Got Me", Chicago blues, Texas style. Purchase with confidence.
Mr. Costello's appearance in this column may come as a surprise but the aftermath of
Hurricane Katrina has generated some excellent bluesy singing and songwriting on his part and the
superb collaboration of Alan Toussaint makes for a highly recommended CD. Producer
Joe Henry, on the accompanying DVD, calls Toussaint `the
Duke Ellington of our generation' and you need look
no further than his work here for proof. He brings his full palette of New Orleans trademark sounds,
many of which he created, to bear on what is mostly a collection of his songs. In that sense this
is Costello doing a `Songbook' album. It is Toussaint's active participation that moves it all to a
new level. His lead vocal on "Who's Gonna Help Brother Get Further?" originally written for
Lee Dorsey, is a major highlight - the chorus about the Liberty Bell being particularly relevant,
post-Katrina. Costello & Toussaint wrote some songs together for this project and "Broken Promise Land" should
get repeated listening in certain quarters. "Six-Fingered Man" is especially bluesy. Costello
himself brought along "The River in Reverse" and it deserves to be the title. He could not have wished for
a better arranger. On the DVD, Toussaint says you have to look at the good that can sometimes come
about as a result of natural disasters and if Toussaint can move from the background to the foreground
that would certainly be good. With this album, Mr. Costello will most assuredly continue in the limelight.
Various Artists Antone's: Home of the
Blues KOCH DVD
Clifford Antone passed away at the end of May, just before this DVD's release. In this
99-minute package you'll get a good idea of the man who was behind one of the most important chapters of
recent blues history. The title is not an exaggeration because his club really was the home of the blues
_ in the 70's & 80's a lot of artists had trouble finding work. His new club gave them work and not
for just one night. His enthusiasm and dedication provided an environment that brought each player
back and each spread the word about the club that treated artists so well.
Buddy Guy reminisces about a birthday party for
Muddy Waters at the club that had everybody wondering just who was left to
play back home! One hears over and over how much they trusted Clifford to treat them and their music
with respect and love. Many careers were revived solely because Clifford made it happen:
Jimmy Rogers, Eddie Taylor, Hubert
Sumlin, & James Cotton. Established stars like
B.B. King and Albert Collins played the club just to express support and to enjoy themselves in such fine company.
The locals who hung out at the club are now some of the biggest names in the pantheon:
Stevie Ray Vaughan, the Fabulous
Thunderbirds, to name but two. A third generation is also highlighted
with Sue Foley getting a featured spot. Not much is made in this DVD of the record label he ran but
there are now some seventy or more titles with that famous logo and they are all worth seeking out.
They helped spread the word for those of us who could not get to Austin for the real thing. Interviews
with Clifford and a host of stars alternate with unbelievable performance footage from the club,
stills taken at the club, home movies, all masterfully assembled by
Dan Karlok and his team. You will find yourself mesmerized by this documentary, chuckling at the stories, admiring the previously
unseen footage & photos and wishing you had been there every night it was open.
- John Valenteyn,
jvalenteyn8724@rogers.com
Jim Byrnes House of Refuge Black
Hen/KOCH
Steve Rowe Live a Montreal Howlin' Blue/BROS
Gary Primich Ridin' the Dark
Horse Electro-Fi/Festival
Elvis Costello & Allen Toussaint The River in
Reverse Verve/Universal
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