Blues Holiday Wishes 2006
Vancouver's Jim Byrnes leads the Maple Blues Award nominations with his new
release, House of Refuge, one of our many suggestions in this year's holiday Gift
Guide. Byrnes, who will host and perform at the MBA Gala, is nominated in four categories:
Entertainer, Male Vocalist, Songwriter, and Record of the Year. 2007 will be a busy year for the multitalented Juno Award winner who will feature in the movies "Highlander: The Source" and "Heart of a Dragon".
Our annual gift suggestion issue begins as it always does, with the nominees for album of the year at The Maple Blues Awards. Perhaps if you left this issue in an obvious place, someone important to you might get a great gift idea! Of course, you could always treat yourself. Remember to vote!
Blues-A Beautiful Thing Mel Brown Electro-Fi/Festival. Winning multiple awards only makes Mel better, as this newly recorded but career-spanning survey proves: a down home song learned from Dad, a
Bobby Bland hit, some Stevie Wonder and some
excellent new originals. Adding the companion Talkin'
Blues DVD by Mako Funasaka would result in a very nice gift indeed.
House of Refuge Jim Byrnes Black Hen/KOCH. A stunning new collection of gospel and blues from the Vancouver-based actor, blues man and Awards Show host, distilled from childhood memories in St. Louis. Some of the songs here were written while filming in Lithuania, perhaps distance plus time has meant a new, deeper perspective.
Kissing In 29 Days JW-Jones Band NorthernBlues/Festival. This young man from Ottawa absorbs styles like a sponge. The 1950s feel to this CD is remarkable and adding David "Fathead" Newman, the sax man on some of its most famous songs, a stroke of genius.
Morning Sun Diana Braithwaite & Chris
Whiteley Electro-Fi/Festival. Their ongoing musical partnership is now a full album, one of original songs on a theme of music from the 1930s. Diana has never sounded better and this is the era that Chris has
always loved.
No, I Never Ndidi Onukwulu Jericho Beach/Festival. The new voice in this group is a fresh voice indeed. None of her songs come from the blues tradition yet they are full of blues sensibility. With her Nigerian roots and Madagascar Slim on guitar, we have a new African-based synthesis.
The Harry Smith Project (Shout! Factory/Sony BMG). New, weird Americana is sold as a package of concert CDs and DVDs that revisit the landmark Anthology of American Folk Music recordings. Elvis Costello, Beck, Nick Cave, David Johansen and others ride wild through a rugged musical landscape.
Muddy Waters: Classic Concerts (Universal). Three concerts on one DVD document the three stages of an icon's career, from the grainy footage of 1960's Newport Jazz Festival to the crisp black-and-white of 1968's Copenhagen Jazz, to the colour of 1977's Molde Jazz in Norway. Anyone who pulls this gem out of their fireplace stocking clearly has their mojo working.
"Blues Stories and Blues Storytellers: Juke Right On" by Barry Lee Pearson (University of Tennessee Press). Johnny Shines addresses the distinction between "juke" and "jook," Cedell Davis speaks on razor-toting women, and H-Bomb Ferguson tells us how he got such an explosive nickname. In what he calls a "blues quilt," author Pearson gathers a chorus of unfiltered voices to tell - in their own words - the story of the music.
Hooker: The Definitive John Lee Hooker Story (Shout! Factory/Sony BMG). After one bourbon, one Scotch and one beer, doesn't one Hooker song pretty much sound like the next? It's not likely that anyone really needs four CDs of the Boogie Man, but that doesn't mean this box set won't put the "Boom Boom" in a blues fan's Christmas morning.
"The Producer: John Hammond and the Soul of American Music" (Farrar, Straus and Giroux). Highly charismatic and stubbornly self-assured, the legendary talent-spotter John Hammond grew up in a Manhattan mansion which he snuck out of for nights of Harlem jazz. A biography of the man covers his discoveries and championing of Billie Holiday, Charlie Christian, Aretha Franklin, Bruce Springsteen, Stevie Ray Vaughan and a scruffy troubadour named Dylan.
Buddy Guy: I Can't Quit the Blues (Silvertone/Legacy). The only thing missing from this three-CD/one-DVD package are seats for Guy's local concerts coming up in April, 2007. Stick a pair of tickets to the back of the box set, and you've got the blues, damn right.
- Brad Wheeler,
Globe and Mail music writer
James Hunter: People Gonna Talk (GO/Rounder/Universal). This is the 'feelgood' CD of 2006; great grooves, great playing, great production, great singing; a timeless recording of fourteen original songs. Good for playing at parties AND when the lights go down low.
The Fremonts featuring Mighty Joe Milsap: Mighty Crazy (Wooden Monkey). Coming out of San Diego, sounding like they were raised in the Mississippi delta, and time-travelled to 1956, to create this fresh sounding and fun to listen to debut CD.
Junior Wells: Live at Theresa's 1975 (Delmark). One of best live recordings I've heard of a club gig by a blues musician. Adding to the enjoyment factor is Junior's banter with Theresa's patrons - you feel like you're in the audience. Great band as well, including Sammy Lawhorn, Phil Guy and Byther Smith.
Various Artists - Jamaica to Toronto: Soul, Funk & Reggae 1967-1974 (Light in the Attic). The Mighty Pope, Eddie Spencer, Wayne McGhie, Bob and Wisdom, Jay Douglas; a few of Toronto's unacknowledged soul clan are given their due with this beautifully packaged CD - and the music is as good as anyone was recording at that time.
Irma Thomas: After The Rain (Rounder/Universal). The tone of Irma's CD is reflective and inspirational; the majority of the instrumentation is acoustic. It's also the bluesiest album she's made and the finest release in her 20-year
- Dr. Feelgood, alternating producer/host of Lowdown 2 Uptown, Wednesdays 8 to 10 pm, on ckln 88.1 fm in Toronto, or live at www.ckln.fm:
The Babes:
Janiva Magness: Do I Move You? (NorthernBlues/Festival). Combine consummate feel and groove with earthy-voiced blues belting, and excellent song selection, and, well, even Santa will be dancing and singing along.
Roxanne Potvin: The Way It Feels (Alert/Universal). This talented young singer/songwriter/guitarist, recently transplanted from Gatineau to Toronto, has channelled a 50s RnB/soul feel for the recipient who doesn't need all blues, and enjoys sweet variety.
The Dude:
Eric Lindell: Change In The Weather (Alligator/Fusion III). Bring on the funk, bring on the soul - it's all smooth originals by the much-inked Chicagoan, who might be likened to the pop-blues version of Colin James meeting the wah-wah pedal.
The Pairing:
Rick Fines & Suzie Vinnick: Nothing Halfway (www.rickandsuzie.com). Nothing halfway indeed - this recording is solid start to finish, with full funky RnB blues songwriting, and complete musicianship by local faves.
The Compilations:
Can't decide on a single artist to dish to your gift recipient? A compilation provides a buffet, and this year offers a fine feast including Stony Plain: 30 Years (Stony Plain/Warner); Saturday Night Blues: 20 Years (CBC/Universal); Blind Pig: 30th Anniversary Collection (Blind Pig); Alligator: 35x35 (Alligator/Fusion III); Fins, Chrome, & the Open Road, A Tribute To The Cadillac (95 North/Bros); once again, Blues Guitar Women (Ruf/Fusion III); and, of course, the TBS's new Women's Blues Revue Live (www.torontobluessociety.com).
The Download:
Just downloading songs? Here are some of my favourite 2006 head-bobbers: Rachelle van Zanten: Back to Francois (from Back To Francois, RVZ music); Sarah Benck & the Robbers: Real Friend (from Suicide Doublewide, www.sarahbenck.com); and Eric Burdon: Como Se Llama Mama (from Soul Of A Man, SPV/Fusion III).
- Blues Doctor Julie Hill, alternating producer/host of Lowdown 2 Uptown, Wednesdays 8 to 10 pm, on ckln 88.1 fm in Toronto, or live at www.ckln.fm
Various Artists Blues Guitar Women Ruf/Fusion
Sue Foley's survey, a preview of her forthcoming book, aims to put some balance into a seemingly male-dominated world. The concentration on living performers is admirable and the song selection & sequencing are excellent. The packaging, an often - overlooked part of the process, adds mightily to its attractiveness. A remarkable gift for all fans of the blues.
Watermelon Slim & The Workers NorthernBlues/Festival
William Homans seems to have had a great many of choices in life. I, for one, am very happy he chose blues man. Either solo or with his wonderful band, this combination of intelligence, talent and life experience is extremely rare. I look forward to including his next album in next year's list.
Guy Davis Skunkmellow Red House/Festival
A breakthrough in terms of incorporating pre-war blues styles into his repertoire, with this album Davis joins the roster himself. His originals now prove that his blues need not derive from scratchy 78s and that great country blues can be very much of the present.
Tony Russell & Chris Smith "Penguin Guide to Blues Recordings" Penguin
From the selection available at most CD stores, you would not think that a book devoted to currently available CDs could possibly run to 900 pages! Russell & Smith provide brief reviews and rather strict ratings but they write very well and their reach is comprehensive. The book itself is inexpensive but the problem is your wants list may grow dramatically. A slight warning note _ this is a British publication and many of the entries are more readily available across the pond.
Les Fancourt & Bob McGrath "The Blues Discography 1943-1970" Eyeball
This is the "Bible" of post war collecting and the new third version is rather expensive, as it should perhaps be for the amount of work involved. Fancourt took over the task from Leadbitter & Slaven and he & Vancouver's McGrath have incorporated much new information on the actual recording sessions of this glorious period. The layout is very easy to read, they do this primarily by restricting entries to their first issue and it makes the Penguin Guide or something similar a necessary companion. Go to www.eyeballproductions.com.
- John Valenteyn, John's Blues Picks, MapleBlues
(collected and compiled by Julie Hill)