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March 2007

Downchild Live at the Palais Royale Linus/Universal

Yes, last November's show at the Palais was recorded and now it's here. Those opening notes from the horns on "It's Been So Long" announce a hot night indeed! It was a packed house at the Palais Royale that night and it'll be another hot night at Healey's on March 2 for the CD release, followed by a national tour. You may have already noticed the new record label and distribution through Universal Music of Canada. This should ensure that you should know about the new CD and the show in your area. Downchild has always billed itself as "Canada's Blues Band" and this set shows how true that is. They've chosen well from the back catalogue for this only their second live album. It is impressively recorded, with a sound that literally jumps from the speakers. You know all the players so I'll just list some personal highlights: the audience obviously is enjoying every minute of the show and Chuck Jackson's introductions and between song banter is perfect. His vocals are spot on this night too, especially on the slower "Wednesday Night Blues" and his own "Mr. Confused"; Donny Walsh's searing guitar solos and his vocal turn, the mostly spoken "I've Been A Fool"; that moment in every show when he straps on his slide guitar and lights into "It's a Matter of Time" and the dueling harps on the finale "Soaring". Michael Fonfara is all over his keyboards and I've never heard Gary Kendall's bass so well recorded. As usual, Mike Fitzpatrick keeps everything moving smartly from his drum kit. Pat Carey and Peter Jeffrey, on tenor sax and trumpet, have now so defined the Downchild horn sound it's hard to imagine they weren't on the original versions of some of the older songs. While you're waiting to get this one, go to www.downchild.com and check out the older CDs. There may be some you haven't got yet and you should have them.

Kat Danser Somethin' Familiar KD/Festival

Saskatchewan-born and currently an Alberta resident with a degree in social work, Kat Danser was raised on country music before hearing Bessie Smith. She was inspired by Ben Harper, Mahalia Jackson, Sister Rosetta Tharpe, Corey Harris & Lucinda Williams. She has assembled a stellar band with Steve Dawson bringing his Weissenborn and other guitars; Don Benedictson, fretless bass; Darryl Havers, keyboards; Gord Kidder, harp and Chris Nordquist, drums. Benedictson also produced and provided a roomy, acoustic ambience for Danser's original songs. Ben Harper would certainly seem a prime influence here, with Dawson's guitar providing even more evidence. Many of the songs are one-chord, minor key and slow to medium slow in tempo, which helps but does not completely hide the fact that she has a rather limited vocal range. Some of the songs are very good: "Yesterday's Blues" has an especially nice fit of lyrics and music. "Carry Me Home" is a lovely a capella gospel piece, with Danser accompanied by Linda Tillery & The Cultural Heritage Choir. The band joins the choir for the title song as well, another gospel song, with a particularly lovely melody. It would have been a rousing conclusion to the CD but for the hidden track. This is a very nice version of Sleepy John Estes' "Someday Baby" which sounds as though it may have been sung around the kitchen table. Her singing is less formal here and it suits her. Several of the songs here can be sampled at www.KatDanser.com.

The Son Roberts Band You Don't Know Me Yet Gate Productions

Being a blues band featuring an accordion player immediately puts you in a select group but the group of blues bands with a singer this good is only slightly larger. The guitar chair and drum kit are handled equally well. (The bass chair is not settled here, a couple of players do well, though). Ed Roth is the keyboard man, John Crosbie, the guitarist and Sergio Faluotico, drums. Roberts also plays harp, mostly acoustic, and writes most of the songs, the ten here are all inventive originals. "You Don't Know Yet" is the result of an eye-opening pilgrimage to the Delta. "Lorraine" recalls his visit to the Lorraine Hotel, the shrine to Martin Luther King in Memphis. "St. Joseph Blvd" relives a troubled chapter of family history to the rhythm of a bus ride down that street. "Sometimes" and "Forty Bucks and a Beer" show that there is a fondness for lighter fare as well. The song arrangements are imaginative and good use is made of a recording studio's possibilities. And last but not least Mr. Roth makes a convincing case for the accordion. Join them at the Dollar on March 15 for the official launch and visit www.sonroberts.ca.

Layla Zoe Shades of Blue Self

Also part of the West Coast contingent visiting at the Summit, Ms. Zoe left behind a very impressive CD. It shows her to be a powerful singer and a very good songwriter with some very helpful friends. The opening "Someday", "Shaking", You Won't Call" and "Leave You For Good" have strong new lyrics on the state of relationships but "Disappearing Delta" is a stunning one-chord lament on the state of the blues in the south. As a vocalist she has the power of a Janis Joplin but usually stays away from the histrionics. Supplying music for many of her lyrics is the guitarist on the album, Chris Raines who shines throughout. Maple Blues Award nominee Bill Johnson duets with Layla on a gorgeous new soul blues, "You Surprise Me Again". "Flightplan" veers a little too close to blues-rock for my liking but overall this is an excellent effort from someone I hope we'll hear a lot more from. A portion of the proceeds from each sale will go to selected charities. You can get more details at www.layla.ca.

Smiling Jack Smith This Blue Before Root Cellar

Mr. Smith is completely unknown to me but his web site tells of an American upbringing with a draft-avoiding move to Vancouver, where he was a mainstay of the scene for twenty years. The last twelve years have been spent in Spain with a new family. If this is a secret recipe for the way to do a new album, more people should try it. He brought his Spanish drummer back with him, settled in with some excellent Nanaimo players and produced an astonishing horn band blues CD. Perhaps only a lifer in the blues could write such effective original songs as these, presented with such a lived-in baritone. Self-explanatory titles like "Deja (Vu) Blues", "The Blues Comes Back Again", "Mea Culpa" and the title song show an artist completely comfortable with the tradition and able to craft fresh gems with tried and true materials. A pillar of the jazz scene, Phil Dwyer, handled the orchestrations and plays tenor sax. Smith credits his Spanish Band for "Pre-production arrangements", perhaps we should find out where that was in case we're making vacation plans! Check out www.smilingjacksmith.com.

Kenny Wayne Shepherd 10 Days Out-Blues on the Back Roads Reprise/WEA

Shepherd garnered instant praise as a young guitar hero, achieving a level of attention most players only dream about. He was always very careful, though, to point out where his roots were. He has now gone much further and taken an audio recording and film crew on a ten-day journey to showcase as many of the current performers as he could. He begins in New Orleans with Justin Time recording artist, Bryan Lee and with Gatemouth Brown; on to Indianola, Miss. where B.B. King was at a small, old club in his hometown; up to Arkansas to jam with Jerry "Boogie" McCain, and to Hillsborough, SC where he joins Cootie Stark, Etta Baker, Neal Pattman and the others whose music can once again be heard through the services of Musicmakers.org. Henry Townsend and Honeyboy Edwards were there for him in St. Louis and the tour ended at a concert in Salina, Kansas where Shepherd joined a re-united Howling Wolf Band and the Muddy Waters Band. Windsor's Wild Child Butler played harp. The music is consistently excellent, with Shepherd on acoustic guitar accompanying his mentors where necessary or on electric, always supportive. The players respond in kind, with performances that belie their years. The CD contains fifteen complete songs and the DVD excerpts of these along with interviews on the roots of the blues and its current state. The Salina concert gets extended coverage, with songs not on the CD. This tour was in June 2005 and several of the guests have passed on to blues heaven since. This is a very nice way to remember them. Congratulations to Kenny Wayne Shepherd and his Dad/Manager, Ken Shepherd for a grand project, expertly realized.

Coco Montoya Dirty Deal Alligator/Fusion

Coco Montoya comes to the Dollar on March 17 and he'll be playing songs from this superb new album. It's now his sixth solo CD after his apprenticeship of five years with Albert Collins and ten with John Mayall. He isn't about to forget his roots either. There's the obligatory Albert Collins song here, a fine version of "Put the Shoe on the Other Foot" but also tributes to Otis Rush, Johnny Copeland and Lowell Fulson. Each gets a relatively unfamiliar song, performed the Montoya way. Mayall's tribute isn't immediately obvious: "Ain't No Brakeman", a rocker he (unusually) did not write, is from his Spinning Coin. It had Montoya's successor Buddy Whittington on lead guitar. I found though that the songs Montoya brought to the sessions turned out to be my favourites. "Dirty Deal" and "Coin Operated Love" are as good as any I've heard recently: solid, catchy rockers with contemporary lyrics. Add in songs from John Mooney and Lloyd Jones and you've got a recipe for a hit album. Members of Little Feat join Montoya's hard working road band with Paul Barrere providing his production skills as well. It should be a great evening.

- John Valenteyn, jvalenteyn8724@rogers.com

 

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