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April
2008
Jeff
Healey Mess of
Blues Stony Plain/Warner Music
The first thing I noticed listening to this disc is what a great blues singer we’ve lost. He may have concentrated recently on his traditional jazz but it has done his blues singing no harm at all. Indeed, “How Blue Can You Get” or “Sitting On Top Of The World” are perfect examples of why some songs stay in the standard repertoire, being continuously re-invented with life experience. His guitar playing here reaffirms his status among the very best. He chose to perform with his Roadhouse house band, which he has called “the best damned bar band in the world”. Considering the other Canadian band that has had that title that is quite an accolade. They proceed to prove they deserve the title. They are: Dan Noodermeer on guitar, Dave Murphy, keyboards, Al Webster, drums, and Alec Fraser on bass. Healey salutes them by accompanying them on two songs: Alec Fraser’s rousing take on “Jambalaya”, the Hank Williams standard, and an original by Dave Murphy, “”It’s Only Money” which finds them all in a powerful Jerry Lee Lewis mold. Mr. Murphy deserves further mention as the perfect foil for Healey’s solos, with consistently inventive keyboard support. Doc Pomus & Mort Shuman wrote “Mess Of Blues” for Elvis Presley, for Elvis is Back in 1960. It sounds closer here to Fats Domino but gets a rocking treatment nonetheless, and it appears label prez Holger Petersen got to be one of The Jordanaires! Freddie King’s “I’m Tore Down” was a highlight of the film (and soundtrack) Roadhouse in 1989, the film that did so much to launch his international career. Again, a much different arrangement. “The Weight”, made famous by that other bar band, has been released to radio as a single. The CD highlight, though, is the extraordinary performance of Neil Young’s “Like A Hurricane. Recorded live at his club just a month or so ago, this six-minute plus masterpiece was also taped by Talking Blues’ Mako Funasaka and forms the basis of his moving video tribute. Healey’s impassioned vocal and guitar take this one to another place. The band is locked in the groove right there with him. The CD will be released on April 15th and the official tribute will be at the Sound Academy (formerly The Docks) on Saturday, May 3rd, with the traditional jazz tribute the next day at the club. The Jazz Wizards will play at both events.
Kenny
“Blues Boss” Wayne Can’t
Stop Now Electro-Fi/Festival
An inventive program highlights Kenny “Blues Boss” Wayne’s new CD, with a survey of the roots of today’s music. The Juno Award winning pianist assembled his usual recording team, members of The Twisters, at the BlueStar Recording studio in Whitehorse, where the Twisters’ last CD After The Storm was recorded, also with Mr. Wayne on piano. These sessions generated the bulk of the CD. Trips to St. Louis, Toronto & Vancouver round out the program. “Boogie Woogie Mama” and “Let’s Have Some Fun” with the augmented Twisters are the new additions to his Amos Milburn-derived playbook and they are excellent. The Toronto stop produced “You Cured My Blues” with the late Jeff Healey on guitar, Mitch Lewis on rhythm guitar, Rodney St. Amand on bass, Maureen Brown on drums and a full horn section with Chris Whiteley, Richard Underhill, Chris Gale and William Carn. The song is a tender, ‘50’s-style blues ballad with a spot-on solo from Mr. Healey and a wonderfully appropriate horn chart. A tribute to the late Johnny Johnson, the St. Louis pianist who was so important to Chuck Berry’s sound, resulted in two more songs: Johnson’s famous “Tanqueray” and the rocking Wayne original “Johnnie J. Was Good”. The CD booklet says Johnnie’s widow was beaming approval from the control room. The Vancouver session was with an augmented edition of his road band, with Russell Jackson on bass and Theo Brown on drums. “You Can Pack Your Suitcase” is a Dave Bartholomew song written for Fats Domino. It and Wayne’s excellent new post-Katrina song, “Raging Storm”, form the New Orleans portion of the roots journey. Other stops include the rapping “Sweet Little Peach” which he handles rather well and the doo wop song “Don’t Cry” with Wayne handling all the parts! Various effects make their first appearance, with rainfall sounds in “Raging Storm” and glasses klinking in “Tanqueray”. Wayne’s songwriting deserves special mention, with “Raging Storm” and “Judge By The Look” being especially good. That last one deals with those who get good jobs or promotions just because of their looks, while those with real talent get left behind. As you read this, Wayne has finished his string of local appearances and you’ll have to make do with this wonderful CD until he returns.
Amos Garrett Get Way Back-A Tribute to Percy Mayfield Stony Plain/Warner Music
Amos Garrett has lately taken to underplaying his guitar prowess and concentrating on his singing, with his wonderful deep baritone often sounding most at home on classic songs from the nineteen thirties. With Percy Mayfield’s songs written this style and for the same voice range, this project is a perfect match. Often called ‘The Poet Laureate of the Blues’, Mayfield’s songs have been recorded by almost every major R&B artist, most notably Ray Charles, for whom Mayfield wrote some sixty songs. But I believe this is the first time that an artist has devoted an entire album to his work and it is a revelation. Hearing them together fully explains his poet laureate status. Garrett has avoided the two most obvious songs, “Hit The Road, Jack” and “Please Send Me Someone To Love” and focused on some lesser-known ones. The other potential difficulty is that many of Mayfield’s songs are slow or slower but “Stranger In My Own Hometown”, “The River’s Invitation” and “Get Way Back” are sufficiently uptempo and the album flows beautifully. Garrett’s delivery allows one to savour the lyrics and I think even the titles of Mayfield’s song invite interest. My advance copy did not have any information on the musicians accompanying Garrett but kudos go to the sax soloist and I probably don’t have to mention that the guitar solos are superbly crafted and always appropriate. The CD will be in stores on April 22nd.
Alex
Tintinalli Band Nothing To
Lose Scarlet Dragon
Peterborough has Jimmy Bowskill, Montreal has Ricky Paquette and Kitchener has Alex Tintinalli, each a young guitar prodigy with talents that go well beyond string bending. Tintinalli is 14 years old and wrote all but two of the songs here and sings all of them with a confidence well beyond his years. He plays in a power trio setting, with Mike Boltz on drums and dad Leo on bass. Dad also manages the band and co-produced the album. His mother is Charity Brown, who had eleven hit songs in the ‘70’s. She also has a new song on the Grand River Blues Society compilation, Got Mojo. Back to Alex, though, his songwriting may be his strongest asset. From my vantage point, he writes about things that concern a 14-year-old: starting relationships as opposed to writing songs that pretend he’s much older. The opener, “Love Is Gone” and the album’s strongest song, “Nothing To Lose” are the best examples. “Nothing To Lose” is a powerful slow blues with a searing guitar solo. “Don’t Know What’s Taken Me” and “Idle Time” are also very good. John Lee, of Mel Brown’s Band and of Matt Minglewood’s & Dutch Mason’s Band before that provides solid support on organ. The two covers are Colin James’ “Voodoo Thing” and “Life By The Drop” made famous by Stevie Ray Vaughan. He does both very well but I suspect he’ll be doing his own material exclusively soon. www.alextintinalli.com is a very attractive and informative web site.
Albert Collins Live at Montreux 1992 CD & DVD Eagle/EMI
These days in stores, CDs stay in stock for only a short time, if you can find them at all. Several Albert Collins live albums and DVDs have been available over the years but you don’t have this pair. And it’s in the stores now. Taped a year before his death, this evening at the prestigious Montreux Casino Jazz Festival finds him in top form and it is beautifully recorded. The Master of The Telecaster is backed by Peter Thoennes on guitar, Bobby Alexis on keyboards, Jon Smith on tenor sax, Steve Howard on trumpet, Johnny B. Gayden on bass and Marty Binden on drums and they are a tight unit, with Smith getting in some very tasty solos. There are only seven tracks here, allowing Collins to stretch out and there were very few with his talent for long solos. “Iceman”, “Honey Hush”, “Lights Are On (But Nobody’s Home”, “If You Love Me Like You Say”, “Too Many Dirty Dishes”, “Put The Shoe On The Other Foot” and “Frosty” will take you on a trip down memory lane. Not to mention it being a solid blues CD whatever year it was recorded. I have not seen the DVD but it contains four extra performances from Mr. Collins’ 1979 appearance at the Festival.
- John Valenteyn, jvalenteyn8724@rogers.com
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