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babydancing




Get this crazy baby off my head!

29.2.08

Curved Air





Curved Air - Live - 1975 - UK Deram

Recorded at Cardiff University and Bristol Polytechnic, December 1974, this great album by the pioneering British rock group formed in 1969, is due a reappraisal. There was more to Curved Air, then their big hit, "Back Street Luv," and this live album proves it. The album features the band's stage favourites, and the playing is amazing throughout. All the tracks are terrific, and "Back Street Luv", and "Propositions" really demonstrate just how talented this group were. Check out their brilliant underrated 1973 "Air Cut" album @

Air Cut

TRACKS

It Happened Today (Francis Monkman/Sonja Kristina)
Marie Antoinette (Darryl Way/Sonja Kristina)
Back Street Luv (Darryl Way/Sonja Kristina/Ian Eyre)
Propositions (Francis Monkman)
Young Mother (Darryl Way/Sonja Kristina)
Vivaldi (Darryl Way)
Everdance (Francis Monkman)

BAND

Phil Kohn -- Bass
Sonja Kristina -- Vocals
Francis Monkman -- Guitars, Keyboards
Florian Pilkington-Miksa -- Drums
Darryl Way -- Violin, Keyboards, Vocals

Produced by David Hitchcock

BIO (Wikiprdia)

Curved Air were a pioneering British progressive rock group formed in 1969. The group evolved out of the band Sisyphus, and was named after the piece "A Rainbow in Curved Air" by contemporary composer Terry Riley. The musicians came from quite different artistic backgrounds, classic, folk, and electronic sound, which resulted in a mixture of progressive rock, folk rock, and fusion with classical elements. Along with It's A Beautiful Day and East of Eden, Curved Air were one of the first rock bands to feature a violin. The first lineup consisted of: Francis Monkman - (keyboards, guitar), Darryl Way - (electric violin, vocals), Sonja Kristina Linwood - (vocals), Florian Pilkington-Miksa - (drums), and Rob Martin - (bass). Throughout their lifespan the band experienced frequent personnel changes. To name but a few of the better-known: Ian Eyre (born 11 September, in Knaresborough, Yorkshire) played bass on the second album Mike Wedgwood (born 19 May 1950, in Derby, Derbyshire) played bass on the third and fourth albums (later in Caravan). Eddie Jobson (later Roxy Music, Frank Zappa, Jethro Tull and UK) played keyboards and violin on Aircut. John G. Perry (ex-Caravan) played bass on Midnight Wire. Stewart Copeland (later of The Police) played drums on Midnight Wire and Airborne. Tony Reeves (born 18 April 1943, in London), (ex-Greenslade, Colosseum, John Mayall) played bass on Airborne. Only Sonja Kristina continuously remained as member. Monkman, member of Academy of St. Martin in the Fields, was later to play with John Williams in a group called Sky. The band's groundbreaking 1970 debut, Airconditioning, reached no. 8 in the UK Albums Chart, and was one of the first vinyl picture discs to be released. In 1976 the band recorded their last studio album and then eventually split . Intermittently since then, the group, particularly in its original line-up, has re-joined for periodic concerts, one of which in 1990 gave rise to another live album. In early 2008 the band announced plans for a summer tour.

Exodus Quartet





Exodus Quartet - East Coast - 1996 - Instinct Records

Eric Hilton and Fari Ali, aka Exodus Quartet attempted to use a more publicized format to recreate the sound of jazz clubs, especially Washington, DC's Exodus acid jazz club. This album has a great jazzy, chill-out sound and grows on you after a few listens. Real cool music, and very enjoyable. Their 1996 album, Way Out There, featured many guest musicians and was released after they had appeared on several compilation records. Hilton went on to co-found Thievery Corporation.

TRACKS

1.Fly
2.Groove Gumbo
3.More, More,More
4.Oye Rene
5.Peace
6.The Heat Up

BIO

Exodus Quartet was formed in 1991 by Eric Hilton, co-founder of the legendary DC Acid Jazz party named Exodus. With his partner Farid Ali, Hilton created a night in DC that astounded all club-goers in the capitol city. With pre-Deep Dish DJ Dubfire on the turntables and Jamaican toaster Hutchy on the mic, Exodus drew large crowds of enthusiasts every Friday night. When Jan Kinkaid visited Exodus during the Brand New Heavies' first US tour he proclaimed, "I didn't think anything like this existed outside of London. Or should I say, I don't think this exists even in London." Inspired by the music and the atmosphere at Exodus, Hilton decided to make a record that would pay homage to this Exodus night. Working in Backbeat studios, Hilton formed Exodus Quartet, a loose collaboration of studio musicians that would round-out Hilton's productions. With a pre-Fishbelly Black George Michael engineering, Hilton recorded and produced four songs, "Perfect Vibe", Trance Jazz", Funk What?", and Rare and Groovy". These songs were released on vinyl EP and Hilton's career as a music producer was underway. "I've always been fixated on music and I had from time to time made my own. I had played in hard-core punk bands when I was a kid and I faithfully adhered to the 'do-it-yourself' creed that punk rock stood for and inspired," explains Hilton. When I first stumbled across the budding Acid Jazz scene in the late 80's, I was enchanted by the eclecticism of the sounds and the grassroots approach to releasing music. I still dig the current scene for the same reasons, yet now it seems even more eclectic and, in many ways, more interesting. "Way Out There", the new CD LP from Exodus Quartet, is certainly an eclectic mix of many types of music and attitudes. "I'm really happy with the freedom that Instinct gave me to do this record. I essentially explored the sounds that I'm most into - old Studio One Reggae, Southern Fired Funk, 70's cop soundtracks, Bossa Nova, Latin Jazz etc..." I wanted to make a record for myself first and hopefully other people will groove on it as well. That, in my opinion, is the only way to do it." © .2001 Instinct Records Corporation

28.2.08

Alan Price & The Electric Blues Company




Alan Price & The Electric Blues Company - A Gigster's Life For Me - 1995 - Sanctuary (USA)


Alan Price is very much of the same musical tradition as Georgie Fame, who he collaborated with in the sixties. Price is probably best remembered as being the keyboard player with the successful British sixties group, The Animals, who had a huge hit with "House of the Rising Sun." He also had a hit in the late sixties with Randy Newman's great song, "Simon Smith and His Dancing Bear," which was instrumental in promoting Newman's music in the U.K. There are comparisons to be made with Randy Newman, Georgie Fame, and indeed artists such as Mose Allison who all wrote great songs with a touch of humorous cynicism. Alan Price is hardly known outside Europe, even though his music is of the highest calibre. Price covers some great blues standards here, and he is helped out by some Grade A musicians like Zoot Money on keyboards, and Bob Tench on vocals and guitar. This album is a fine example of the British blues sound, which is well worth preserving. Try and listen to Price's 1974 album, "Between Today and Yesterday." It is also worthwhile listening to Georgie Fame's "Name Droppin" album from 1999, Mose Allison's "High Jinks", a three CD package on Legacy Records, and Randy Newman's brilliant "Sail Away" album.

TRACKS / COMPOSERS

Boom Boom Boom Boom - John Lee Hooker
Rockin' Pneumonia and the Boogie Woogie Flu - Huey "Piano" Smith, John Vincent
Rollin' Like a Pebble in the Sand - Rudy Toombs
I Put a Spell on You - Screamin' Jay Hawkins
Good Times/Bad Woman - Bob Tench
Some Change - Boz Scaggs
Enough Is Enough - Zoot Money
Whatcha Gonna Do? - Peter Green
A Gigster's Life for Me - Alan Price, Bob Tench
(I Got) Business With the Blues - Zoot Money
How You've Changed - Alan Price
Old Love - Robert Cray, Eric Clapton
What Am I Living For? - Art Harris, Fred Jay
Say It Isn't True - Jackson Browne

CREDITS

Zoot Money - Keyboards, Vocals
Alan Price - Piano, Keyboards, Vocals
Peter Grant - Bass
Bob Tench - Guitar, Electric Guitar, Vocals
Martin Wild - Drums
Mark Warner - Assistant Engineer
Adam Brown - Assistant Engineer
Alan Price, Bobby Tench, Martin Wild, Peter Grant, Zoot Money - Producers

Recorded at Olympic Studios, London, England between July & August 1995.

REVIEW

A part of the Sanctuary Blues Masters series, former Animal keyboardist Alan Price has never remained inactive. Whether doing soundtrack work, playing in his own blues bands, or doing arranging or session work, he's been more active than any other member of his former band; he also has the distinction of playing piano on Screamin' Jay Hawkins' "I Put a Spell on You." This set -- recorded in 1995 after Price's band, the Electric Blues Company, had already played over 2,250 shows -- feels as if it's a live show caught on tape, when, in fact, it is a phenomenally recorded studio performance. There's not a lot of overdubbing here, though -- performances were done in complete takes. The material is a mixture of the classic and the somewhat more contemporary -- at least Price's contemporaries. This is Brit blues done with all the style, vinegar, and soul the Brit blues are capable of. At its best, it rivals some of the finest of John Mayall's recordings. At its worst, it's not quite boring but rather uncommunicative emotionally. Price's bandmates -- who include Zoot Money, Bobby Tench, Peter Grant, and Martin Wild -- are all seasoned veterans of the Brit blues scene. There are some genuine treasures here: the radical reworking of "I Put a Spell on You," so that it sounds more like the Animals' version of "House of the Rising Sun"; the Pete Bardens/Bobby Tench original "Good Times/Bad Woman," which, with its slippery guitars and keyboards, feels more like Peter Green's mid-period work; and a killer read of Boz Scaggs' "Some Change," which is more driven and funky (thanks to hand percussion) than the original. Price includes celebratory takes of John Lee Hooker's "Boom Boom Boom Boom" and the Smith/Vincent nugget "Rockin' Pneumonia and the Boogie Woogie Flu." Then there's the reggae-blues of the title trick, which swings out of a jazzy backbeat into a rootsier Inner Circle-type groove. "Old Lover," the Eric Clapton/Robert Cray cover, is literally a dumper; the song sucks anyway, and this version does nothing to make it more tolerable. The album closes with an elaborately long (11 minutes and five seconds) version of Jackson Browne's "Say It Isn't True," which, given the less-comfortable surroundings these musicians have found themselves in over the decades, in many ways rings more genuine than the original. Price and Money are both fine interpretive singers in the same vein and deliver knockout performances throughout. This album is far better than listeners had any right to expect, and by its strengths it proves that the vintage British blues are alive and well, even if they are relegated to the margins of obscurity. Terrific. © Thom Jurek, All Music Guide

BIO

As the organist in the first Animals lineup, Alan Price was perhaps the most important instrumental contributor to their early run of hits. He left the group in 1965 after only a year or so of international success (he can be seen talking about his departure with Bob Dylan in the rockumentary Don't Look Back) to work on a solo career. Leading the Alan Price Set, he had a Top Ten British hit in 1966 with a reworking of "I Put a Spell on You," complete with Animals-ish organ breaks and bluesy vocals. His subsequent run of British hits between 1966 and 1968 -- "Hi-Lili-Hi-Lo," "Simon Smith and His Dancing Bear," "The House That Jack Built," and "Don't Stop the Carnival" -- were in a much lighter vein, drawing from British music hall influences. "Simon Smith and His Dancing Bear," from 1967, was one of the first Randy Newman songs to gain international exposure, though Price's version -- like all his British hits -- went virtually unnoticed in the U.S. A versatile entertainer, Price collaborated with Georgie Fame, hosted TV shows, and scored plays in the years following the breakup of the Alan Price Set in 1968. He composed the score to Lindsay Anderson's O Lucky Man!, where his spare and droll songs served almost as a Greek chorus to the surreal, whimsical film (Price himself has a small role in the movie). His 1974 concept album, Between Today and Yesterday, was his most critically acclaimed work. © Richie Unterberger, All Music Guide

Audience





Audience - Audience - 1969 - Polydor

Great late sixties art/prog. rock. Check out their 1971 ‘House On The Hill’ album. A.O.O.F.C would be interested in your opinions of this album.

TRACKS

1. Banquet
2. Poet
3. Waverley Stage Coach
4. River Boat Queen
5. Harlequin
6. Heaven Was An Island
7. Too Late I'm Gone
8. Maidens Cry
9. Pleasant Convalescence
10. Leave It Unsaid
11. Man On Box
12. House On The Hill

BAND

Tony Connor - Drums
Keith Gemmell - Woodwind
Howard Werth - Guitar, Vocals
Trevor Williams - Bass, Keyboards, Vocals
Nick Judd - Keyboards
Bobby Keys - Sax
Jim Price - Horns

BIO

Formed in 1969, Audience are no ordinary group. Unusual in line up and eclectic of influence they crammed four albums into as many years, toured extensively and influenced a few slightly more well known prog rock bands along their way. Their debut album, for Polydor Records, made its reputation (according to the Guinness Encyclopaedia of Popular Music) as ‘one of the most sought-after artefacts of the art-rock genre’. Copies now change hands at prices of £200 and upwards. They played their first gig at the Marquee Club in February 1969 alongside Gilbert and George, would you believe. Germaine Greer was among those in attendance. With a line up of nylon strung acoustic guitar, electric sax, clarinet and flute, bass guitar and drums they were certainly out to create something new. Audience’s deal with Polydor was strictly a one-off affair, so when Tony Stratton Smith approached them with a view to joining Charisma Records they needed no second bidding. He’d only just set up the label at that point and they had only recorded a couple of things by Rare Bird and Van Der Graaf Generator, two other well known progressive rock bands at that time. Audience were attracted by the idea because Charisma was in many ways the first of the indies. The approach from Charisma came after the band supported Led Zeppelin at London’s Lyceum ballroom in October 1969, and thereby hangs a tale. Listen to ‘Maiden’s Cry’ on their first album and you may just be struck by a passing resemblance to a certain Zeppelin classic. ‘I’m not the only one to say that the basic chord structure is very similar to ‘Stairway To Heaven’, says Howard Werth. ‘I wrote it a couple of years before the Zeppelin song’. A similar coincidence occurred with ‘I Had A Dream’, an Audience classic from 1971 which predated Dylan’s similar ‘Knockin' On Heaven’s Door’. Anyhow, be that as it may, several reviews of this prestigious Lyceum show awarded a victory on points to Audience. The gig had been promoted by Stratton Smith who was suitably impressed with the support act and immediately thought of them as an ideal band for the label he was planning. The Audience story continued on Charisma Records with ‘Friend’s Friend’s Friend’ (Charisma CAS 1012: 1970 - now on Virgin CASCD 1012) followed closely by ‘House On The Hill’ (Charisma CAS 1032: 1971 - Virgin CASCD 1054) and ‘Lunch’ (Charisma CAS 1054, 1972 - Virgin CASCD 1054). ’House On The Hill’ was promoted in Europe on a package tour along with Van Der Graaf Generator and Nice spin-offs Jackson Heights. In the US, they toured with Rod Stewart and the Faces. Another Charisma stable-mate Genesis, were the band most often to be found supporting Audience at that time in the UK. © WebRing Inc. , www.audienceareback.com/index.htm

Lani Hall





Lani Hall - Sun Down Lady - 1974 - A&M Records (UK)

Nearly a forgotten singer, Lani Hall made some great albums in the seventies, covering songs by hugely popular songwriters, including Todd Rundgren, Joni Mitchell, Carole King, and Elton John. She sang with the huge Latin flavoured Bossa Nova pop band, Brasil '66, and married Herb Alpert in 1973. Many of her recordings during the eighties remain very popular in the Latin pop scene. Sun Down Lady is a beautiful album, with lovely renditions of songs written by some of the world's greatest songwriters. Try and find her 1975 "Hello It’s Me" album, taken from the Todd Rundgren song. It's a beautiful album with somgs by Carole King, Colin Blunstone, and Joni Mitchell.

TRACKS

A1.Love Song (Lesley Duncan) 2:55
A2.Tiny Dancer (Elton John-Bernie Taupin) 4:06
A3.How Can I Tell You (Cat Stevens) 2:56
A4.You (Lani Hall) 3:58
A5.Ocean Song (Liz Thorsen) 3:40

B1.We Could Be Flying (Michel Colombier-Paul Williams) 3:53
B2.Come Down In Time (Elton John-Bernie Taupin) 3:39
B3.Sun Down Lady (Willis Ramsey) 3:30
B4.Vincent (Don McLean) 5:55
B5.Wherever I May (Paul Simon) 1:53

MUSICIANS

Jim Gordon (drums)
Chuck Domanico (bass)
Louis Shelton (guitar)
Larry Carlton (guitar)
Milt Holland (percussion)
Pete Jolly (accordion on “How Can I Tell You”)
Tim Weisberg (electric flute on “Ocean Song”)
ClarenceMcDonald (keyboards)

BIO

The original voice of Sergio Mendes' Brasil '66, singer Lani Hall was also the wife of trumpeter and A&M Records co-founder Herb Alpert. Upon exiting Brasil '66, she made her solo debut in 1974 with the LP Sundown Lady; a series of releases including 1975's Hello It's Me, 1977's Sweetbird and 1979's Double or Nothing followed, but after appearing on the soundtrack to the 1983 James Bond film Never Say Never Again Hall largely disappeared from the recording scene, resurfacing only to make the occasional cameo appearance on her husband's recordings. However, the rise of Latin pop during the 1990s inspired Hall to return to the studio, and in 1998 she issued Brasil Nativo. Lani Hall first came to be known to the public at large when she joined the second Brasil project of Bossa Nova master Sergio Mendes, Brasil '66. Unlike the previous incarnation, Brasil '66 was an instant success - making a significant impact on the charts with its first single, a version of the Brazilian song "Mas Que Nada". Much of the song's appeal was due to the distinctive, multi-tracked vocals of Hall. Although born in Chicago, Lani had the look of a beautiful Latin woman, which contributed to the attractive appearance of the band. A series of popular interpretations followed, including their take on The Beatles' "Fool on the Hill". Though many associate her with Brasil '66's hit rendition of Burt Bacharach's "The Look of Love" on the album Look Around (which reached #4 on the pop charts in 1968), the lead on that single was actually handled by Mendes' other singer of that period, Janis Hansen.The band frequently toured alongside A&M labelmates (and label founder) Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass, no doubt providing plenty of opportunity for Hall and Alpert to get acquainted. She would leave Brasil '66 in 1971, but marry Alpert in 1973. With her husband assuming production and arranging duties, Hall subsequently embarked on a solo career, beginning with 1972's Sun Down Lady and following up with Hello It's Me in 1975. A new album would appear nearly every year until 1985's Es Facil Amar, for which Hall would be awarded a Grammy for Best Latin Pop Performance. Her albums maintained their popularity, primarily in the Latin market, but some mainstream presence was kept, particularly with her contribution of the title song to the James Bond film Never Say Never Again in 1983. After raising a family with Alpert and writing fiction, she returned in 1998 with the album Brasil Nativo on the Windham Hill label. © Jason Ankeny, All Music Group

Terje Rypdal





Terje Rypdal - Whenever I Seem To Be Far Away - 1974 - ECM

A brilliant album from this Norwegian virtuoso rock and jazz guitarist and composer, who once said that Jimi Hendrix was a massive influence on his guitar style. Terje Rypdal is a very famous musician in Europe, both for his amazing prowess on the guitar, and for his compositional skills which range from rock and jazz to orchestral and cinematic works. He also has a cult following Stateside Part one of this revolutionary album features driving drums and fuzz bass, swirling Mellotron, French horn, and mind-blowing Strat work, while side two is a dark, brooding neoclassical composition that juxtaposes electric guitar with oboe, clarinet, and chamber strings. This timeless recording remains one of Rypdal’s personal favorites. Check out his albums, "Morning Glory," and "After the Rain", from 1973, and 1976 respectively.

TRACKS

A1 Silver Bird Is Heading For The Sun (14:03)
Bass [6 & 4 String] - Sveinung Hovensjø
French Horn - Odd Ulleberg
Guitar - Terje Rypdal
Mellotron, Electric Piano - Pete Knutsen
Percussion - Jon Christensen

A2 The Hunt (5:22)
Bass [6 & 4 String] - Sveinung Hovensjø
French Horn - Odd Ulleberg
Guitar - Terje Rypdal
Mellotron, Electric Piano - Pete Knutsen
Percussion - Jon Christensen

B Whenever I Seem To Be Far Away (17:39)
Conductor - Mladen Gutesha*
Guitar [Electric] - Terje Rypdal
Orchestra - Südfunk Symphony Orchestra*
Viola [Solo] - Christian Hedrich
Violin [Solo] - Helmut Geiger

MUSICIANS

*Terje Rypdal: electric guitar
*Odd Ulleberg: French horn
*Jon Christensen: Drums, Percussion
*Pete Knutsen: Electric Piano

BIO

Terje Rypdal has long had an unusual style, mixing together elements more commonly found in new age and rock than in jazz; yet he is also an adventurous improviser. Associated with the ECM label since the early '70s, Rypdal's playing is definitely an acquired taste, using space and dense sounds in an unusual manner. Classically trained as a pianist, Rypdal was largely self-taught on guitar and originally most influenced by Jimi Hendrix. He attended Oslo University, where he was taught the Lydian chromatic concept of tonal organization by its author, George Russell. Rypdal played with Russell for a time and started an association with Jan Garbarek in the late '60s. He formed the group Odyssey in 1972, and has led various small groups since the mid-'70s. An important guitarist and composer in Norway, Terje Rypdal gained a cult following in the United States. He recorded steadily for ECM since 1972 (using such sidemen at times as Garbarek, pianist Bobo Stenson, trumpeter Palle Mikkelborg, bassist Miroslav Vitous, drummer Jack DeJohnette, and cellist David Darling). His two earlier sessions (for the Karusell label in 1968, and a notable 1969 Baden-Baden, Germany, concert put out by MPS) are more difficult to find. © Scott Yanow, All Music Guide

FULL BIO (Wikipedia)

Terje Rypdal (born 23 August 1947 in Oslo) is a Norwegian guitarist and composer. His music have been released on several albums of the German record label ECM. His compositions "Last Nite" and "Mystery Man" were featured in the Michael Mann film "Heat", and included on the soundtrack of the same name. Starting out as a Hank Marvin - influenced rock guitarist with The Vanguards, Rypdal turned towards jazz in 1968 and joined Jan Garbarek's group and later George Russell's sextet and orchestra. An important step towards international attention was his participation in the free jazz festival in Baden-Baden, Germany in 1969, where he was part of a band led by Lester Bowie. During his musical studies at Oslo university and conservatory, he led the orchestra of the Norwegian version of the musical Hair. He has often been recorded on the ECM record label, both jazz-oriented material and classical compositions (some of which do not feature Rypdal's guitar). Rypdal's collaborations both as a guitarist and as a composer with other ECM artists such as Ketil Bjornstad and David Darling in the 1990. Over the years he has been an important member in the Norwegian jazz community.

Various Artists - Beatles Blues





Various Artists - Beatles Blues - 2001 - Indigo (UK)

Very good studio recordings of some of the great Beatles songs performed by some great American and British blues artists. This album was organised by the well known U.S. Bluesman/producer Fred James, who played on several tracks and also produced and engineered the album. The Beatles were influenced greatly by authentic southern American Blues and R&B music, so it's very interesting to hear these tunes rearranged for blues styled artists to record. If you like these tunes for what they are, simply well written pieces of music, and if you like the Blues, then you may find yourself enjoying this album.

TRACKS

01. She Loves You - Stan Webb
02. From Me To You - Earl Green
03. I'm Down - Fred James
04. Don't Let Me Down - Charles Walker
05. Norwegian Wood - Paul Lamb
06. Come Together - Johnny Jones
07. I Saw Her Standing There - Stan Webb
08. Run For Your Life - Earl Green
09. The Word - Al Garner
10. You Can't Do That - Ruby Turner
11. Oh Darling - Earl Gaines
12. Why Don't We Do It In the Road - Fred James
13. I Call Your Name - Mo' Indigo
14. Get Back - Paul Lamb
15. Let It Be - Roscoe Shelton
16. I Feel Fine - Tony Wilson [Bonus]
17. Day Tripper - Lee Moses [Bonus]


This album was re-released by Castle Records, UK, in 2007 with bonus tracks, "I Feel Fine," & "Day Tripper."

26.2.08

Various Artists - Tell Me Something: The Songs Of Mose Allison





Various Artists - Tell Me Something: The Songs Of Mose Allison - 1996 - Polygram Records

Mose Allison may not be a household name to everybody, but he has inspired many of today's great soul, and blues/rock artists. On this album, Van Morrison, his bandleader,Georgie Fame, and pianist-vocalist Ben Sidran cover some of their favorite Mose Allison tunes. Mose Allison, himself sings two songs with Morrison. Allison is an accomplished jazz pianist, a hugely influential singer and songwriter, and a true original. His laid back Mississippi drawl and the dry, black humor of his music has influenced artists like Randy Newman and Lyle Lovett. His songs have been covered by Johnny Winter, The Who, Tracy Nelson , Robert Palmer , Bonnie Raitt , Maria Muldaur , John Mayall , Rick Derringer , Paul Butterfield , The Clash , and Blue Cheer, and this is just a fraction of the artists today who appreciate the talents of Mose Allison ! If you like Georgie Fame, the great British rhythm and blues jazz singer and keyboard player, and Ben Sidran, the Chicago born jazz and rock pianist, organist, vocalist and writer, then you may enjoy this album even more. There is no need to mention the work of the legendary Van Morrison, but it would be very worthwhile to check out the following recordings, - the 1971 Sidran album, "Feel Your Groove", and Georgie Fame's 1982 album, "20 Beat Classics."

" You say there's some mistake
You didn't get your break
You don't see the magic in the moonglow
You're on a one way street
Your life is incomplete
Well, tell me something that I don't know"
© Mose Allison

TRACKS

1. One Of These Days
2. You Can Count On Me
3. If You Live
4. Was
5. Look Here
6. City Home
7. No Trouble Livin'
8. Benediction
9. Back On The Corner
10. Tell Me Something
11. I Don't Want Much
12. New Nightclub
13. Perfect Moment

MUSICIANS

Van Morrison (vocals, harmonica)
Mose Allison, Ben Sidran (vocals, piano)
Georgie Fame (vocals, Hammond B-3 organ)
Producers: Van Morrison, Ben Sidran, Georgie Fame.

REVIEWS

Great idea on paper -- invite rock's Van Morrison, his then-organ/vocal-sidekick Georgie Fame, singer/pianist/producer Ben Sidran, and Mose Allison himself to compile a celebration of one of the most delightfully idiosyncratic songwriters of our time. And these are serious Allison buffs indeed, for they chose tunes from the back catalog that Mose rarely performed live in the '90s, with hardly a well-known Allison standard in the batch (the exception being "I Don't Want Much"). The hang-up is that Allison's own performances over the decades are so unique and right for their material that they pose a creative problem for anyone who wants to give these songs a different slant. Accordingly, with one exception, these guys fall back upon imitating the master, bowing low and not really saying anything new. Sidran is an outright Allison vocal clone -- he's got all of the slides, accents, and hip attitudes down pat -- though his piano doesn't sound anything like Allison's. Fame is not quite as literal, and he seems a bit stodgier by comparison. Meanwhile, Van the Man just does his own thing, paying little mind to the Mose manner, bending these tunes to his will, and pulling it off in style. Mose's participation consists of a couple of loose, chummy duets with Morrison on "I Don't Want Much" and "Perfect Moment." The band is a small combo that you can imagine playing in an English pub, with saxophonist Pee Wee Ellis and trumpeter Guy Barker giving the sound an R&B flavor. It's a good record actually, but it makes you aware of why there hadn't been many Mose tributes before. How can one compete when the creator is still alive and swinging? © Richard S. Ginell, All Music Guide

What a delight! Unlike most tribute albums, which devalue the artist's work in the name of saluting it, this celebration of Mose Allison does the man justice with irresistible flair. It's no surprise, of course, since all three principals-- Van Morrison, Georgie Fame and Ben Sidran--are veteran Allison scholars, not to mention fine musicians themselves. Nor does it hurt that Mose himself performs on two tracks, although his triumphant appearance late in the program neither upstages his admirers nor breaks the mood. Tell Me Something deftly captures the essence of the man's hipster-philosopher persona, dispensing liberating, bluesy grooves and sobering food for thought along the way. Allison's savvy blend of opposites--lip facade plus yearning soul--makes a potent brew. With Sidran providing a nifty approximation of Allison's easy-rolling piano licks, supported by Fame's tasty Hammond organ, the three amigos take turns delivering wry observations on mortality and fallibility. (Though Morrison is the most charismatic and technically gifted singer, he sounds slightly heavy-handed compared to Sidran and Fame's more Mose-like inflections.) Van sets the mood on the opening track with the funky "One Of These Days," a reprobate's reflections on the perils of the high life, a theme revisited in Fame's breezy "Back On The Corner." If the half-hearted pledges to get straight fail to convince, the intimations of impending doom ring utterly true, especially in two tracks sung by Sidran. From the sly aside that "your time will come" in "If You Live" to "Look Here," which bluntly states, "It's jus' dyin' that bothers me," Allison's songs don't deny the abyss. Happily, the elegant lightness of the music provides an uplifting antidote, suggesting hope in the face of oblivion. Searching for salvation, Fame alludes to "moments of unspoken bliss" in "Was," while Allison himself savors fleeting interludes of transcendence in the dreamy "Perfect Moment." As with other great art, the songs of Mose Allison provide both a strong dose of hard truths and a reason to go on trying in spite of reality. Exhilarating and unsettling at once, like Allison's own recordings, Tell Me Something says plenty. Jon Young © 2008 Yahoo! Inc. All Rights Reserved
Morrison with Georgie Fame, Ben Sidran, and the man himself. Goes great with beer. Dave DiMartino © 2008 Yahoo! Inc. All Rights Reserved

SHORT BIO (Wikipedia)




Mose John Allison, Jr.

Mose John Allison, Jr. (born November 11, 1927) is an American jazz pianist and singer. He was born in Tallahatchie County, in the Mississippi Delta. He played piano in grammar school and trumpet in high school. He went to college at the University of Mississippi and Louisiana State University. He received a BA in English. After serving in the U.S. Army, he moved to New York City and launched his jazz career. He is often called "the William Faulkner of Jazz." His music has influenced many blues and rock artists, including The Rolling Stones, John Mayall, J. J. Cale and The Who, who made "Young Man Blues" a staple of their live performances. Blue Cheer also recorded a version of his song "Parchman Farm" on their debut album. The Yardbirds and The Misunderstood both recorded versions of his song "I'm Not Talking". His song "Look Here" was covered by The Clash on their album Sandinista!. Leon Russell covered Allison's song "Smashed!" on his album Stop All That Jazz. Van Morrison released an album of his songs entitled Tell Me Something: The Songs of Mose Allison, and Elvis Costello recorded "Everybody's Cryin' Mercy" on his album Kojak Variety and "Your Mind Is On Vacation" on King of America (Bonus Tracks). The Pixies song "Allison" off the album Bossanova was written about Mose Allison. He is the father of country songwriter Amy Allison. Mose Allison was inducted into the Long Island Music Hall of Fame in 2006.

ABOUT MOSE JOHN ALLISON, JR.

Mose Allison was born in the Mississippi Delta on his grandfather’s farm near the village of Tippo. At five he discovered he could play the piano “by ear” and began “picking’ out” blues and boogie tunes he heard on the local jukebox. In high school he listened to the music of Louis Armstrong, Fats Waller, Duke Ellington, Louis Jordan, and his prime inspiration, Nat Cole of the King Cole Trio. He played trumpet in the marching and dance bands and started writing his own songs.

After a year at the University of Mississippi, he went to the Army in l946, playing in the Army Band in Colorado Springs and performing with accomplished musicians from around the country in small groups at NCO and Officer’s clubs. Returning to “Ole Miss” he joined the dance band as arranger, piano and trumpet player, but shortly left to form his own trio, playing piano and singing in a style heavily influenced by Nat Cole, Louis Jordan and Erroll Garner. After a year on the road, Mose married, returned to college at Louisiana State University and graduated in 1952 with a BA in English and Philosophy.
He worked in nightclubs throughout the Southeast and West, blending the raw blues of his childhood with modern pianistic influences of John Lewis, Thelonius Monk and Al Haig. His vocal style was influenced by blues singers Percy Mayfield and Charles Brown. Arriving in New York in 1956, Mose received encouragement, work and a record date from Al Cohn. In 1957 he secured his own first recording contract with Prestige Records, recording Back Country Suite, a collection of pieces evoking the Mississippi Delta, released to unanimous critical acclaim. Mose went on to play and record with jazz greats Stan Getz, Al Cohn, Zoot Sims and Gerry Mulligan as well as with his own Mose Allison Trio.
Mose continued working with his own trio, writing and singing his own songs. His songs are a fusion of rustic blues and jazz, embellished with profound and often humorous lyrics. As a pianist, while admiring jazz masters Bud Powell and Lenny Tristano, he also learned from composers such as Bartok, Ives, Hindemith and Ruggles. The fusing of these diverse elements into a cohesive performance continues today. A biography, One Man’s Blues: The Life and Music of Mose Allison, written by Patti Jones, was published in 1995 by Quartet Books Ltd. Of London.
Mose continues to write and perform all over the world. His songs have been covered by Van Morrison, John Mayall, The Who, The Clash, Eric Clapton, the Yardbirds, Elvis Costello and Bonnie Raitt to name a few. Van Morrison recorded a tribute album, Tell Me Something, The Songs of Mose Allison, on Verve Records, and rockers like Pete Townshend, Bonnie Raitt, Ray Davies and Bill Wyman of the Rolling Stones have frequently cited Mose Allison as a major influence. During a recent London engagement, Time Out, the major entertainment weekly, praised Mose:
Mose Allison’s popularity in the UK dates from the ‘60s, when his mixture of Delta-born blues feel and his gift for writing a song with a sting in the tail made him a prime source of inspiration for the UK’s new generation of blues/rock artists. Not just namechecked but lionized by the likes of Pete Townshend, Jack Bruce, Brian Auger and Georgie Fame, he became British rock’s most popular jazz musician. His piano style is notable for its strange mixture of classical-influenced sophistication and blues-based intimacy, and there’s still none like him with a lyric.

His most recent Grammy nomination was for one of his two newest recordings, Mose Chronicles, Live in London, Vol. I on Blue Note Records. Mose Chronicles , Vol II was just released last year. Also, British born Director Paul Barnays has produced a one hour documentary on Mose entitled, Mose Allison; Ever Since I Stole the Blues, for the BBC4 in the UK. Among recent releases are a dozen reissues on CD including Allison Wonderland and a double CD retrospective on Rhino, and High Jinks, a three CD package on Legacy. Blue Note has also re-released a collection of past recordings, Mose Allison, Jazz Profiles. His music has often been used in movies, and he can be seen performing in the recently released movie, The Score, starring Robert DeNiro and Marlon Brando.
Mose resides on Long Island with his wife Audre where they raised four children: Alissa an attorney, John a Telecommunication Specialist, Janine a psychiatrist, and Amy Allison, also a successful and respected singer songwriter in New York with her own group.
As one writer recently said: “Mose is now at the peak of his performing career. Although maybe this last statement is not quite true as he seems to continue to improve on perfection.”
Copyright 2003, http://moseallison.com/bio.htm

MORE ABOUT THE ARTIST

The music of pianist, singer, and composer Mose Allison has had an influence well beyond his record sales. Known as "The William Faulkner of Jazz," Allison has been recording for more than 35 years and few musicians have had greater impact as a stylist or songwriter. Along with Art Blakey and Horace Silver, Allison helped reintroduce the down-home feel of Southern blues to jazz at a time when the genre was becoming more cerebral. Van Morrison rates Mose as one of the greatest songwriters of our century, and musicians everywhere swap Mose's lyrics like punch lines to an inside joke. Mose was born on Nov. 11, 1927 in Tippo, Mississippi, a one-horse town in the Delta and grew up playing piano in the back of a local gasoline station. Mose attended the University of Mississippi and later Louisiana State University, studying philosophy and literature, before joing the U.S. Army. After serving in the army, Mose moved to New York City and befriended a group of musicians sharing a loft on 34th Street. Pianist and singer Bob Dorough (left) was among the roommates and through Dorough, Mose picked up sidemen gigs with such luminaries as Stan Getz and Zoot Sims. In New York, Mose was known for his skills as a pianist, but soon his singing began to turn even more heads, establishing him as "the William Faulkner of jazz." In 1956, he released his debut album on Prestige Records. Prestige tried to market Mose as a pop star, while Columbia Records and later Atlantic Records, who signed Mose in 1959 and 1962, retrospectively, tried to market him as a blues artist. Mose's piano style is rooted in Delta blues, but he embellishes his rustic sensibility with bebop-oriented improvisations. His playing also betrays his love of European classical composers such as Arnold Schoenberg and Charles Ives. But the early influence of Louis Jordan (left) is never far from his mind. Today, Mose is becoming something of an icon to a whole new generation of blues/pop musicians. He continues to tour 40 weeks a year, playing his original songs with pick-up rhythm sections and enjoying his one-man crusade to perfect his artistic voice. ( Jazz Profiles from NPR Produced by Ben Sidran , Copyright 2008 NPR )

24.2.08

Bill Lupkin





Bill Lupkin - Hard Pill To Swallow - 2007 - Blue Bella Records

(Thanks, sippi for this album, and for helping me to spread the word)

Bill Lupkin, born in Fort Wayne, IN in 1947, grew up playing the blues. He learned his trade on the stages of rough-and-tumble blues clubs in Chicago and surrounding towns in the late sixties., and during this period he shared the stage with some of the greatest bluesmen in the business, including Muddy, Wolf, and Jimmy Rogers. He also backed the great Jimmy Rogers on his Shelter LP, "Gold Tailed Bird," in 1972., an album which should be heard by everybody. On "Hard Pill To Swallow," Bill Lupkin honours the masters with his own distinct voice. Hard Pill to Swallow is a hard hitting real deal Chicago Blues album, and the songs here are typical of the tough, no-frills blues that Bill played in such places as Theresa's and Ma Bea's. Bills familiarity with this music gives him the freedom to let loose on these fourteen tunes, and give them his own indelible stamp.. Bill is backed here by some of the best players in contemporary blues today, including his brother Steve Lupkin on bass. In fact, all these musicians have the same mind-set as Bill, and their respect for this ensemble-style blues style shines through, and gives the album a real authentic feel. It is worth mentioning, in relation to this album, that since the death of Carey Bell, the "real deal" blues harp masters are becoming a very rare species, but thankfully, the harp torch is in safe hands with Bill Lupkin. Listen to the title track! Overall, the album does a fine job in keeping the classic 50s blues alive. A.O.O.F.C recommends this album to any lover of good music, and if you ever want to "get into" the blues, then give this album a listen. Buy his wonderful 2006 album, "Where I Come From" and check out Lupkin/Chicago Blues Coalition for more fine music in this vein, and keep the blues alive!

TRACKS

1 Think It Over Baby (3:20)
2 Funny Way to Show Me You Love Me (4:06)
3 Bad Luck (4:36)
4 Fine Little Thing (3:07)
5 I'll Be Over You Someday (4:47)
6 Elgin Bounce (4:20)
7 Cell Phone Blues (3:55)
8 See That Little Girl (4:42)
9 Hole in My Heart (4:38)
10 Blues Again Today (4:31)
11 You're Gonna Be Sorry (4:01)
12 Hook, Line and Sinker (4:51)
13 Where You Goin' (7:19)
14 Hard Pill to Swallow (5:48)

All tracks composed by Bill Lupkin



MUSICIANS

Bill Lupkin - Harmonica, Vocals
Steve Lupkin - Bass
Mark Fornek - Drums
Nick Moss - Guitar
Gerry Hundt - Mandolin, Guitar
Tim Wire - Keyboards

REVIEWS

Hard Pill to Swallow is the proper prescription for all blues fans suffering from blues scene lethargy. Bill Lupkin's all-original, 14 track, no-filler harmonica blues, derived directly from the source, simmered and steeped for more tan forty years, is good for all that ails you and is guaranteed to make you feel all right, all night. And baby, tomorrow you may just have to have a little more. © Justin O'Brien, http://cdbaby.com/

''... in the ranks of postwar revivalists there are few who can purvey this kind of music with more passion, honesty and sureness that Lupkin and the crew he's assembled here. Aficionados of this still-potent style will find much to savor over the course of this set." © David Whiteis, Living Blues, Oct/Nov 2007
Bill Lupkin, a 61-year-old harmonica ace, vocalist, and songwriter, has been playing around Chicago since he hit town in the late '60s. His meaty, wailing harp was been featured for years in the band of Jimmy Rogers and the Chicago Blues Coalition. On this solo outing he's backed by half of the Flip Tops -- Nick Moss on guitar, and Gerry Hundt on guitar and mandolin, as well as longtime Lupkin Band members Mark Fornek on drums, brother Steve Lupkin on bass, and Tim
Wire on keyboards. Lupkin keeps his songwriting basic, dealing mainly with the vicissitudes of romance in its various nasty and humorous modes. "Hole in My Heart" is a simple lonely bed blues elevated by Lupkin's wicked harp, Wire's driving piano, and the shredding guitar of Moss, who drops a quote from Ivory Joe Hunter's "Since I Met You Baby" into his rippling solo. "Cell Phone Blues" is more tongue in cheek, the sad tale of a guy who can't make time with his baby 'cause she's always on her computer or cell phone. Lupkin's harp shifts from rumbling low notes to shrieking single note accents. "Think It Over Baby" hits like a hurricane, with wailing harp, distorted guitar, and a galloping rhythm section. "Bad Luck" is as much soul as blues, with Wire adding a bit of jazzy organ to support Lupkin's downhearted vocal. The jumping jive of "Elgin Bounce," the only instrumental track, shows off Lupkin's orchestral tone and Wire's arpeggio happy right hand, while Hundt's mandolin and Wire's smoky late-night piano highlight "See That Little Girl," another tale of true love gone astray. There's nothing fancy here, just smokin' Chicago blues played with plenty of drive and grit. © j. poet, All Music Guide

SHORT BIO

Chicago blues singer/harpist Bill Lupkin was born in Fort Wayne, IN in 1947; first exposed to the music of key influences like Muddy Waters, Chuck Berry, Bo Diddley and Jimmy Reed by his older brother, he began playing the drums at 17, moving to harmonica two years later. Upon relocating to the Windy City in 1968, Lupkin joined the Aces, followed by a lengthy stint backing Jimmy Rogers; he continued playing the local circuit in the years to follow, eventually forming his own backing band, the Chicago Blues Coalition, which for a time included teen guitar phenom Lil' Frank Krakowski. Lupkin's debut album Live at the Hot Spot appeared on Blue Loon in late 1999. © Jason Ankeny, All Music Guide

MORE ABOUT THE ARTIST

Given time and luck, a brash young blood musician becomes an elder statesman with links to the departed legends who provided early lessons and unforgettable experiences. In this case, ace harp player and vocalist Bill Lupkin leads the equally savvy Chicago Blues Coalition through a personal, seasoned, rousing, and accomplished affirmation of the Chicago Blues scene of thirty years ago. Born and raised in Fort Wayne, Indiana, Lupkin made his move to Chicago at the end of the 1960s, when blues was still mainly heard in the ghetto clubs on the South and West Sides, and most of the great names of the post-war era were active. One of the great charms of that scene was how approachable the musicians were. Bill wasted no time falling in with The Aces, former backing band for Little Walter, Junior Wells, and many other greats. From there, often in collaboration with pianist Bob Riedy, he went on to rub shoulders with the likes of Muddy Waters, Howlin' Wolf, and Junior Wells, and eventually to his most memorable association with Jimmy Rogers, just out of retirement after a few fallow years. Jimmy's Chess recordings and tastes did a lot to define the place of the harmonica in Chicago Blues, and for Bill the gig was both a thrill and a school. Bill's fat-toned, vibrato-laden note-bending harmonica was finely honed through local work, touring, and eventually recording on most of Jimmy's Gold Tailed Bird album in Los Angeles in 1972. © www.billlupkin.com/Intro_ReadMore.htm

Zora Young





Zora Young - Tore Up From The Floor Up - 2005 - Delmark

With her mix of blues, soul, and rock, plus the just tangible presence of her native Mississippi gospel background, Zora Young can be a powerful performer when the material is there. On the best cuts from Tore Up from the Floor Up, her third album and second for Delmark, she shows a kind of hard-earned wisdom and an assurance in her vocals that rises well above mere shouting, and tracks like the moody, dynamic "Toxic" and the romping title tune (both of which are Young originals) show her to be a solid songwriter as well. She also turns in fine readings on a pair of covers, turning atmospheric on Muddy Waters' "Two Trains Running" and giving B.B. King's "I'm Gonna Do the Same Thing They Did to Me" a saucy, determined sheen. Her take on O.V. Wright's "Ace of Spades" is surprisingly by the numbers, though, and while she certainly doesn't do a disservice to Tony Joe White's "Rainy Night in Georgia," it's a song that has been done to death and no singer on earth could possibly find a new way to approach it. The end result of all of this is an album that has some wonderful highs (the opener, "Love of Mine," simply soars and rocks) but also too many tracks that lack immediacy. It's worth noting, though, that Young's originals more than hold their own here, and that bodes well, because when her singing and writing intersect, sparks fly. © Steve Leggett, All Music Guide

The second Delmark album from this Mississippi born and bred blueswoman includes six original tunes, and some nice covers. The album, unusually contains an interview. A highlight of this album is the playing of Pete Allen, a very underrated guitarist, who stamps his cultivated modern mellow blues guitar style here, and easily manages the instinctive arrangements. Pete first played with Zora over 30 years ago, and at times he innocently enough, steals the limelight from her ! The songs and energy may not be consistently strong on this album, but it has it's moments, and it's really worth listening to for it's authenticity. It is genuine, down to earth music, and the sort of blues playing you will hear in many blues night clubs. It doesn't go mainstream, so probably will not create a larger audience. Check out her 2000 album, "Learned My Lesson."

TRACKS

1. Love of Mine (4:30)
2. Go Ahead and Take Him (6:36) Composed by Dennis Walker
3. I'm Gonna Do the Same Thing They Did to Me (5:14) Composed by B.B. King
4. Toxic (6:03) Composed by Zora Young
5. Til the Fat Lady Sings (4:51) Composed by Zora Young
6. Slowly (4:52) Composed by Zora Young
7. Ace of Spades (3:27) Composed by Don Robey
8. Rainy Night in Georgia (5:32) Composed by Tony Joe White
9. Tore Up from the Floor Up (4:19) Composed by Zora Young
10. Since I Fell for You/Silhouettes (7:11) Composed by Buddy Johnson
11. Handy Man (3:51) Composed by Zora Young
12. Two Trains Running (5:51) Composed by Muddy Waters
13. Interview (4:05)

MUSICIANS

Zora Young - vocals
Pete Allen - guitar
Bobby Dirninger - acoustic guitar, piano, keyboard
Willie Henderson - baritone saxophone
Hank Ford - tenor saxophone
Kenny Anderson - trumpet, horns
Lee "Mookie" Cain - bass instrument
Kerman Frazier - drums

REVIEWS

I've had the good fortune to see Chicago blues diva Zora Young sing twice in the last year. At last summer's Chicago Blues Festival, Zora tore it up from the main stage at the Petrillo Band Shell. Last November, she was one of the Sisters of Royalty at a benefit for Koko Taylor's Celebrity Aid Foundation at Chicago's House of Blues. Zora's latest Delmark release shows why she is up for a 2007 Traditional Blues Female Artist of the Year award at the 28th annual Blues Music Awards in Memphis on May 10th. She's got a powerful set of blues on Tore Up From the Floor Up, including five originals. Her interpretation of Muddy Waters' "Two Trains Running" is simply spellbinding, but I found her original material just as captivating as that blues classic. Listen to "Toxic," the title cut or "Handy Man" and you'll see why Zora Young has long been one of my favorite Chicago blueswomen. She's got a solid Chicago blues band on Tore Up from the Floor Up, and I particularly liked the contributions of Kenny Anderson, Hank Ford, Willie Henderson, and Walter Scott - a great horn section. Kenny and Hank also are an integral part of the Chicago Horns, a first-class horn outfit from the City of the Big Shoulders. There's a lot to like on Tore Up From the Floor Up, but what really sets this CD apart from the average blues CD is the short, set-ending interview with Zora. She talks about her youth in Mississippi and her first steps on her musical journey. I just wish Bob Koester would add much more lengthy interviews on each and every new Delmark CD. I can dream, can't I? © 2007 - Eric Steiner , www.cosmik.com/aa-april-july07/reviews/review_zora_young.html

BIO

Born 01/21/1948 (West Point, MS). Despite the prominent presence of celebrated blues artist Howlin\' Wolf in her family tree, singer Zora Young grew up singing not blues, but gospel. Even when the Mississippi native shook off her roots at the age of seven to relocate with her family to Chicago, she attended the Greater Harvest Baptist Church and continued to sing gospel. It wasn't until later that she switched over to RB, and evolved into a powerhouse blues vocalist with three decades of experience behind her. She has performed with a long list of artists, including Junior Wells, Jimmy Dawkins, Bobby Rush, Buddy Guy, Professor Eddie Lusk, Albert King, and B.B. King. Her recording credits include collaborations with Willie Dixon, Sunnyland Slim, Mississippi Heat, Paul deLay, and Maurice John Vaughn, among others.

Her own recordings as a solo artist include releases from the labels Deluge, Black Lightning, and Delmark. Young has also performed on both stage and television. She is a veteran of more than 30 tours of Europe, and has been a featured performer three times at ~the Chicago Blues Festival. She has performed throughout North America, and on stages in Italy, Germany, Belgium, Sweden, France, Switzerland, Greece, Austria, Tai Pei, and Turkey. Her albums include 1991's Travelin\' Light from Deluge Records and two releases from Delmark Records, Learned My Lesson in 2000 and Tore Up from the Floor Up in 2005. © Linda Seida, All Music Guide

22.2.08

R.L Burnside





R.L Burnside - Too Bad Jim - 1994 - Capricorn/Fat Possum

The best blues album of last year, no contest, was the sizzling A Ass Pocket of Whisky, the one-off collaboration between RL Burnside and The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion - a turbulent collision of red-blooded rockabilly and black-hearted boogie. Its success has prompted Epitaph to finally release the 70-year-old Burnside's other Fat Possum recordings in Europe, starting with this slice of raw blues primitivism from 1994. Burnside is one of the few remaining practitioners of North Mississippi hill-country blues, a juke-joint style originated by Fred McDowell and characterised by repetitive slashes of slide guitar over a backbeat provided by marching-band snare and bass drum. It's brutally simple but utterly compelling, a dark, brooding sound that locks into a groove and hangs on with grim pit-bull determination. As with the extempore blues of John Lee Hooker, matters of metre and bar-counts are decided pretty much on the hoof, accompanists following Burnside's lead, hanging on a single chord until he deems it time to change. Several tracks derive from the same Muddy Waters and Howlin' Wolf roots that inspired the early Captain Beefheart classics (".44 Pistol", for instance, is a fairly straight re-take of the Wolf's "Forty-Four"), while Burnside's lyrical interests, on tracks like "Death Bell Blues", are intimately concerned with violence, deceit, mortality and retribution - the authentic emotional mulch of backwoods blues. It's haunting, hangdog stuff: approach with caution. © Andy Gill, Independent, The (London), Nov 7, 1997
R. L. Burnside, one of the last, great Mississippi bluesmen, whose raw, country blues was discovered late in his life, died, aged 78 on September 1, 2005. This album is regarded as one of his finest.

TRACKS

1 Shake 'Em on Down - Burnside, Traditional
2 When My First Wife Left Me - Hooker
3 Short Haired Woman
4 Old Black Mattie -Traditional
5 Fireman Ring the Bell - Burnside
6 Peaches - Traditional
7 Miss Glory B. - Burnside
8 .44 Pistol Burnside
9 Death Bell Blues - Burnside
10 Goin' Down South - Burnside, Traditional

MUSICIANS

R.L. Burnside - vocals, guitar
Kenny Brown - guitar
Calvin Jackson - drums
Dwayne Burnside - bass




BIO

North Mississippi guitarist R.L. Burnside was one of the paragons of state-of-the-art Delta juke joint blues. The guitarist, singer and songwriter was born November 23, 1926 in Oxford, MS, and made his home in Holly Springs, in the hill country above the Delta. He lived most of his life in the Mississippi hill country, which, unlike the Delta region, consists mainly of a lot of small farms. He learned his music from his neighbor, Fred McDowell, and the highly rhythmic style that Burnside plays is evident in McDowell's recording as well. Despite the otherworldly country-blues sounds put down by Burnside and his family band, known as the Sound Machine, his other influences are surprisingly contemporary: Muddy Waters, John Lee Hooker and Lightnin' Hopkins. But Burnside's music is pure country Delta juke joint blues, heavily rhythm-oriented and played with a slide. It wasn't until the 1990's that he began hitting full stride with tours and his music, thanks largely to the efforts of Fat Possum Records. The label has issued recordings made by a group of Burnside's peers, including Junior Kimbrough, Dave Thompson and others. Up until the mid-'80s, Burnside was primarily a farmer and fisherman. After getting some attention in the late '60s via folklorists David Evans and George Mitchell (Mitchell recorded him for the Arhoolie label), he recorded for the Vogue, Swingmaster and Highwater record labels. Although he had done short tours, it wasn't until the late '80s that he was invited to perform at several European blues festivals. In 1992, he was featured alongside his friend Junior Kimbrough (whose Holly Spings juke joint Burnside lives next to), in a documentary film, Deep Blues. His debut recording, Bad Luck City, was released that same year on Fat Possum Records. Burnside has a second record out on the Oxford-based Fat Possum label, Too Bad Jim (1994). These recordings showcase the raw, barebones electric guitar stylings of Burnside, and on both recordings he's accompanied by a small band, which includes his son Dwayne on bass and son-in-law Calvin Jackson on drums, as well as guitarist Kenny Brown. Both recordings also adequately capture the feeling of what it must be like to be in Junior Kimbrough's juke joint, where both men played this kind of raw, unadulterated blues for over 30 years. This is the kind of downhome, backporch blues played today as it has been for many decades. In 1996, Burnside teamed with indie-rocker Jon Spencer to cut A Ass Pocket O' Whiskey for the hip Matador label; he returned to Fat Possum in 1998 for the more conventional Come on In. As Burnside had been recording intermittently since the late '60s a spate of re-issues and live recordings began to appear in the 2000's. Chief among them were Mississippi Hill Country Blues, largely recorded in the Netherlands in the 1980s; First Recordings, which gathered 14 of George Mitchell's 1967 field recordings of Burnside in Coldwater, MS; a live set documenting a west coast tour Burnside on Burnside appeared in 2001. His next studio album Wish I Was in Heaven Sitting Down appeared in 2000 but it would be another 4 years before the next new R.L. Burnside recording Bothered Mind was released. That same year Burnside suffered a heart attack and underwent bypass surgery. He never fully recovered from the attack and in 2005, at the age of 79, R.L. Burnside passed away in a Memphis, TN hospital. © Richard Skelly, All Music Guide

Little Feat





Little Feat - Under The Radar - 1998 - CMC International

Many fans of Little Feat would say that the band never recovered from the loss of the phenomenal slide guitarist, Lowell George, who sadly passed away in 1979 at the age of 34. This is true, and yet it did not detract from some of LF's later albums. Try and listen to the totally brilliant live album"Highwire Act Live In ST. Louis 2003." "Under The Radar" is a very good LF album. There are great vocals from Shaun Murphy, a potent female vocalist, sometimes reminiscent of Janis Joplin, and some sublime slide guitar from Paul Barrère The album still contains a lot of that unique cajun tinged, Southern boogie blues rock sound , best heard in the early to mid seventies Little Feat line-ups. There are two especially good tracks on this album. "Eden's Wall" is a superb track, and "Calling The Children Home," is a marvellous Cajun influenced track, and a great tribute to New Orleans. However, it is the opinion of A.O.O.F.C, that Little Feat's 1975 album, "The Last Record Album," is the jewel in LF's crown, and remains one of the greatest, and possibly most underrated rock recordings of all time. Check it out!

TRACKS

"Home Ground" (Barrère) – 4:07
"Eden's Wall" (Barrère, Murphy, Payne) – 6:33
"A Distant Thunder" (Barrère, Murphy, Payne) – 5:36
"Hoy Hoy" (Barrère, Murphy, Payne, Tackett) – 4:08
"Under The Radar" (Barrère, Murphy, Payne) – 7:14
"Vale Of Tears" (Barrère, Murphy, Payne, Takett) – 6:11
"Loco Motives" (Barrère, Murphy, Payne, Takett) – 5:16
"Ferocious Morning" (Barrère, Murphy, Payne, Tackett) – 6:06
"Voiceless Territory (Intro to Falling Through the Worlds)" (Barrère, Murphy, Payne, Tackett) – 7:51 [This track is an intro to "Falling Through the Worlds" ]
"Falling Through the Worlds" (Barrère, Murphy, Payne, Tackett) – 0:49
"The Blues Don't Tell It All" (Murphy, Payne) – 5:55
"I Got Happiness" (Barrère, Murphy) – 6:14
"Calling The Children Home" (Barrère, Payne, Tackett) – 4:32

BAND

Paul Barrère - guitar, dobro, dulcimer, harmonica, vocals
Sam Clayton - percussion, vocals
Kenny Gradney - bass, vocals
Richie Hayward - drums, vocals
Shaun Murphy - vocals, tambourine
Bill Payne - keyboards, vocals
Fred Tackett - guitar, dobro, trumpet, vocals

with

Tim - Vocals
Lenny Castro, (percussion), Tracks 1, & 2, and Piero Mariani (percussion), Tracks 10,11, & 13
The Texacali Horns: Joe Sublett (saxophone); Darrell Leonard (trumpet, trombonium) on Tracks 1, 2, & 3

Recorded at Westlake Studios, Hollywood, California and Yohoyville Studios, Los Angeles, California.

REVIEW

Little Feat's first album for CMC International, Under the Radar, finds the group's new lineup fully assimilated, with Shaun Murphy sharing many of the lead vocals with mainstays Paul Barrere and Bill Payne. While the record is not as instantly accessible and spontaneous as the last record with Murphy, Ain't Had Enough Fun, there is a confidence that permeates every cut. Feat's slightly trippy Southern-fried music has made an amazing leap into the 1990s, and Under the Radar continues their rebirth. Tracks such as Barrere's "Home Ground" and "Loco-Motives" are good-time funky rockers, driven by Barrere's excellent slide guitar. Payne's title cut and "Eden's Wall" have a slightly dark hopefulness that has become a big part of the band's style. The final cut, "Calling the Children Home," is one of the group's greatest records, closing the album out in joyous New Orleans style. © Matthew Greenwald, All Music Guide

BIO

Little Feat is an American band formed by songwriter, singer and guitarist Lowell George and keyboard player Bill Payne in 1969 in Los Angeles. The band broke up shortly after George's death in 1979, and reformed nine years later. A change of vocalist in 1993, ushered in the third incarnation of Little Feat. The band plays a mixture of blues, R&B, country, New Orleans funk, and rock and roll. (From Wikipedia).
Details about the monumental Little Feat band could not be described here, as time does not permit. But just to reiterate, please take the time to listen to one of the all time great rock recordings, "The Last Record Album."
FOR ADDITIONAL INFO, CHECK OUT LITTLE FEAT - DETAILED BIO

Bill Perkins Quintet Featuring Victor Feldman





Bill Perkins Quintet Featuring Victor Feldman - Quietly There - 1966 - Riverside

A very good album from the little known, multi-reedist West Coast jazzman, Bill Perkins. The album is in essence, a tribute to the largely unknown film composer, Johnny Mandel. (Has anybody any info on an issue of this album which includes a track entitled, "You Are My Flower?" I have seen the album on eBay but details of release year and label are not given). Bill Perkins was essentially a West Coast jazz musician, but in his varied career worked with music legends like Woody Herman, Stan Kenton, Art Pepper, Duke Ellington's band, and with Victor Feldman played on some of Steely Dan's legendary albums. A large part of his career was spent, playing with Doc Severinsen's Tonight Show Band for nearly twenty five years. He was also one of the rare West Coast jazzmen who became interested in the jazz styles of Sonny Rollins and John Coltrane. He recorded an album, 'Grand Encounter', for Pacific Jazz, which I would love to hear. Has anybody got any info on this recording?

TRACKS

1.Quietly There - Mandel - Ames (from the WB Movie, Harper)
2.Emily - Mandel - Mercer (from the MGM Movie, The Americanization Of Emily)
3.Groover Wailin' - Johnny Mandel
4.A Time For Love - Mandel - Paul Francis Webster (from the WB Movie, An American Dream)
5.Sure As You're Born - Mandel - Alan Bergman (from the WB Movie, Harper)
6.Just A Child - Mandel
7.Keester Parade - Mandel
8.The Shining Sea - Mandel - Peggy Lee - (from the UA Movie, The Russians Are Coming, The Russians Are Coming
9.Something Different - Mandel
10.The Shadow Of Your Smile - Mandel-Webster [Bonus CD Track]

MUSICIANS

Bill Perkins: tenor, baritone saxophones, bass clarinet, flute
Victor Feldman: piano, organ, vibes
John Pisano: classical and electric guitars
Red Mitchell: bass
Larry Bunker: drums

REVIEW

This set by multi-reedist Bill Perkins (who switches between tenor, baritone, bass clarinet and flute) has been reissued on CD with one extra selection. On what was one of the earliest tributes to film composer Johnny Mandel, Perkins was careful to not only perform ballads such as "Emily," "A Time for Love" and "The Shadow of Your Smile" but to add some variety by also playing a few of Mandel's more obscure medium-tempo numbers. Still the results are generally pretty relaxed and tasteful on a quintet set with pianist Victor Feldman (who also plays some cheesy-sounding organ and vibes), guitarist John Pisano, bassist Red Mitchell and drummer Larry Bunker. © Scott Yanow, All Music Guide

SHORT BIO

Among the "coolest" of the West Coast tenor players of the 1950s, Bill Perkins in later years became a bit influenced by John Coltrane and modernized his style in a personal way. A flexible and versatile musician who also played baritone, alto, soprano, and flute, Perkins was best-known for his work on tenor. Born in San Francisco, he grew up in Chile, moved to Santa Barbara, and served in the military in World War II. After studying music and engineering, he played in the big bands of Jerry Wald, Woody Herman (1951-1953 and 1954), and Stan Kenton (1953-1954 and 1955-1958). "Perk" started recording as a leader in 1956 (most notably Grand Encounter with John Lewis), including sets with Art Pepper and Richie Kamuca. During the 1960s he had a dual career as a studio musician and a recording engineer, and during 1970-1992 he was a member of the Tonight Show Band. Since then, Perkins played baritone and tenor with the Lighthouse All-Stars and was a member of the Bud Shank Sextet, in addition to heading his own sessions for a variety of labels. He died on August 9, 2003 of cancer at the age of 79 © Scott Yanow, All Music Guide

MORE INFO

Born: July 22, 1924 in San Francisco, CA
Died: August 9, 2003 in Sherman Oaks, CA
Bill Perkins was one of the quiet lions of West Coast jazz, soft-spoken, humble and gentle in conversation, but capable of raising the roof onstage. On tenor sax, like many of his contemporaries, he channeled the spirit of Lester Young. On soprano sax his tone was more angular, hard-bitten, leaning almost towards the avant-garde. He was an electrical whiz who held patents on two synthesized wind instruments, and a kindly mentor who wouldn't hesitate to take time after a gig to talk shop with younger players. "Perk" was one of the most unique and beloved icons of West Coast jazz, yet one who always wore the "icon" label with unease. William Reese Perkins was born in San Francisco on July 22, 1924. His first instrument was the clarinet, which he abandoned at fifteen in favor of the tenor sax. His father, a mining engineer, died while Bill was still in his teens. His mother continued to raise him in Santa Barbara, where Perkins' interests were torn between engineering and music. He split the difference, studying electrical engineering at Cal Tech and music at Westlake College and U.C. Santa Barbara, all thanks to the G.I. Bill. Perkins' first regular professional gig was with Jerry Wald's band in Los Angeles. In May 1951 he joined the Woody Herman band, which gave him his first major exposure. In fact, his initiation into the Herman Herd was like being thrown into the fire: Herman's manager called in the middle of a performance at the Palladium and practically begged Perkins to come down and replace a tenorman who had just been fired. His interest in the "Prez tone" helped him fit in with Herman's other Lester Young acolytes, and he made several impressive records with the Third Herd including "Ill Wind". In 1953 Perkins and his fellow tenorman Richie Kamuca moved from Herman's band to the Stan Kenton aggregation. Both men made the adjustment from upbeat bop to Kenton's more cerebral sounds with ease. "Yesterdays" became Perkins' signature tune with the band, demanded perhaps more than any other piece in the catalog. He also began doing sideline gigs with fellow Kentonians, including Shorty Rogers' popular Giants. Perkins also worked with pianist John Lewis, altoman Art Pepper, vibraphonist Terry Gibbs' Dream Band, and other projects. His first sessions as a leader came in 1956 ("The Bill Perkins Octet on Stage", on Pacific Jazz). The 1960s saw two radical changes in Perkins' career. First, he began working regularly as a recording engineer when jazz gigs began to get more scarce. More significant in his playing career was his embracing of the new sounds being explored by Sonny Rollins and John Coltrane. Few of Perkins' associates on the West Coast shared his enthusiasm, but he began assimilating new elements into his own style, particularly on soprano sax. He landed occasional film work, including a job with Duke Ellington's band on the soundtrack of Frank Sinatra's now-overlooked "Assault on a Queen". In 1969 Perkins gave up the road in favor of full-time studio work, joining Doc Severinsen's Tonight Show Band where he remained for almost a quarter-century. For most of the 1970s he worked with the Toshiko Akiyoshi-Lew Tabackin Big Band and Bill Holman's group, and occasionally returned to Woody Herman's side for special projects. Shorty Rogers remained a close cohort until the trumpeter's death; the two friends continued to work together in the Lighthouse All-Stars in the 1980s and 90s. Perkins moved from the baritone sax chair to cover the All-Stars tenor parts following Bob Cooper's sudden death in 1993. Always content to operate under the direction of others, Perkins did not record that frequently as a leader. The 1966 date "Quietly There", with Victor Feldman on piano, organ and vibes, retains much of its charm in hindsight. His patented sax-synthesizer can be heard on 1984's "Journey to the East". In 1990 he recorded "I Wished on the Moon" with the Dutch Metropole Orchestra, a disc which was soundly applauded by his ardent fans, and followed up with his own band on "Our Man Woody" the following year. The forward-looking "Frame of Mind" (1993, Interplay) was one of the finest recordings of his career, and in '95 he paid homage to a lifelong influence on "Perk Plays Prez" (Fresh Sound). In the early 90s Perkins began his first battle with cancer, a disease which would plague him for the rest of his life. He fought lung, hip and throat ailments for over a decade, enduring nine operations on his throat alone. All the while he continued to perform as often as possible, doing workshops and club gigs around the world. He kept up his regular appearances at Kenton and Rogers tributes until he was simply too ill to continue. Bill Perkins finally succumbed to the effects of cancer on August 9, 2003 at his home in Sherman Oaks, California. He is survived by his second wife, one son and one daughter. Copyright © 2003 Todd S. Jenkins, www.jazzhouse.org/gone/lastpost2.php3?edit=1061700588

21.2.08

Jackie Orszaczky & Tibor Tatrai





Jackie Orszaczky & Tibor Tatrai - Deserted Downtown - 2007 - Vitamin

Stunning album with an eclectic mix of original compositions, based on soul and rhythm and blues, but with it's own unique and contemporary interpretation of the R&B style. On the album., the late Jackie Orszaczky is reunited with former Syrius colleague, Tibor Tatrai , a master blues guitarist whose unique guitar style adds to the quality of this excellent recording. Check out the great 2001 jazz-rock fusion album, "Syrius Live in Pak". Also watch Tibor Tatrai's magnificent version of "Little Wing" @

Tibor Tatrai/Little Wing/youtube

TRACKS

(1) Piece of My Heart
(2) Send Me a Doctor
(3) Swiss Beret
(4) Confidental
(5) Nothing But the Truth
(6) Seven Long Years
(7) Tiszta szívvel
(8) Madeleine
(9) Sure Thing
(10) Cutting Eoom Floor
(11) Say What You Say
(12) Oh My Loneliness

Credits for all songs shared by Jackie Orszaczky, Tibor Tatrai and Tina Harrod

MUSICIANS

Tibor Tatrai (guitar)
Jackie Orszaczky (piccolo bass, electric bass and vocals)
Tina Harrod (vocals)
Hamish Stuart (drums & percussion)
Dave Symes (electric and acoustic bass)
Clayton Doley (Hammond organ)
Aron Ottignon (piano)
James Greening (trombone)
Anthony Kable (trombone)
Matt Ottignon (tenor sax)
Phil Slater (trumpet)
Jade McRae (backing vocals)
Virna Sanzone (backing vocals)

REVIEWS

Hungarian born Jackie Orszaczky has called Sydney home for almost half his life and during that time he has been at the heart of some of this country's most original and creative bands. From the spacey avant garde jazz/rock of Syrius through the funky dance outings of Jump Back Jack to the refined but deeply soulful groove of The Grandmasters, Jackie's musical journey is one that knows no ending. And it's one that is constantly sidetracking to invent such groundbreaking projects as the legendary Industrial Accident and the decidely offbeat Budget Orchestra. As well as producing, arranging and as a much sought after session player on other people's albums, Jackie has released over ten albums in his own right including the highly acclaimed 1996 release "Family Lore". The latest "DESERTED DOWNTOWN", a collaboration with fellow Hungarian, guitarist Tibor Tatrai, marks yet another milestone in Jackie's illustrious career. The album is a diverse and eclectic mixture of original compositions with the songwriting credits shared by Jackie, Tibor and vocalist Tina Harrod. In many ways the album is a reflection of the multifaceted and ever evolving nature of Jackie's music, drawing at times from the rich traditions of soul and rhythm and blues but always infused with his own unique and very contemporary slant on these genres. On "Deserted Downtown" Jackie is reunited with former Syrius compatriot Tibor Tatrai, regarded as Hungary's finest blues guitarist whose beautifully clean and crisp picking tone permeates the entire album. www.orszaczky.com/docs/press_deserted_launch.html

Budapest 1971. Soon after returning home following his first visit to Australia with the band Syrius, Jackie's attention was caught by an 18 year old roadie - the guy played guitar, and he played it particularly well. He seemed to be a nice young fellow, despite that he was also the current junior heavy-weight boxing champ of Hungary. His name was Tibor Tatrai. Soon he became a permanent member of the legendary Syrius and a contributor to Jack's various projects over the next few years. In 74 the band split up. Jack settled permanently in Australia and Tibor stayed in Hungary but their friendship remained solid. They kept in touch, hoping that one day they'd work together again. Over the years they each established a musical career in their respective continents with Tibor achieving fame as the leading blues - rock performer in Hungary. The Sydney Olympics in 2000 was the unlikely event that saw them playing together again. Tatrai visited Australia as a member of the Hungarian cultural delegation and the Consulate General of Hungary approached Jack and his colleagues to perform with Tibor in Sydney. The old spirit was reincarnated at these gigs, which were soon followed up with more shows in Budapest with the same ³international² line-up. Naturally, the idea of recording a CD came up and in February 2001Tibor and hi s manager returned to Australia to lay down some tracks at Megaphon in Sydney with Jackie as producer. Tina Harrod and Jackie co-wrote with Tibor for some tracks. The outcome is Deserted Downtown, twelve bluesy tracks released in Europe in mid 2001 - and now made available in Australia. Tibor's distinctive guitar sizzles alongside Jack and Tina's smouldering vocals, supported by some of Sydney's most interesting musicians - young players and notorious established players alike. www.orszaczky.com/docs/press_deserted.html

JACKIE ORSZACZKY BIO (Wikipedia)

Jackie Orszaczky (8 May 1948 Budapest, Hungary - 3 February 2008, Sydney, Australia) was a Hungarian-Australian musician, arranger, and record producer, (jazz, blues, R&B, funk) playing mainly bass guitar, but also various other instruments. While in his 20s, Orszaczky was a well known rock guitarist in Hungary. Orszaczky toured Australia in 1970-71 with the jazz-fusion group Syrius. During the tour the group recorded an album in Melbourne, that was released both in Australia and Hungary. After returning to Australia in 1974, Orszaczky joining an experimental group Bakery. He then established a career as a leading musician in the front rank of much of the best jazz, soul, funk and rhythm & blues music created in Australia in the 1970s to the 2000s. He also continued to tour in Hungary, and continued to command crowds of 3,000 to 30,000 people at his annual Budapest concerts. Orszaczky performed with various groups: The Grandmasters, with partner Tina Harrod; Jump Back Jack; the Godmothers; The Orszaczky Budget Orchestra; and, the Jackie Orszaczky Band. He was musical director and arranger for the Marcia Hines, and wrote arrangements and orchestrations for The Whitlams, You Am I, Hoodoo Gurus, Tim Finn, Savage Garden, Hoodoo Gurus, Grinspoon and Leonardos Bride. He also collaborated with Tony Buck, Chris Abrahams, and Andrew Robson. His last gig was at the Macquarie Hotel in Surry Hills on 24 January 2008, a night the trombonist James Greening described as unbelievable. "Since his illness (cancer) he continued to sing better and better every time I played with him," said Greening, who played with Orszaczky for 25 years. "It was inspiring and really empowering." In the early 1990s, Orszaczky developed the 'piccolo' bass, a high-tuned bass guitar with light gauge bass strings pitched either at D, G, C, F or E, A, D, G. This instrument became his signature in the later years.

Syrius




Syrius - Live Concert at Café Bongo, Paks (Hungary) on 6 September, 2001 - Label (Unknown)

A reunion concert of the late Jackie Orszaczky's great jazz fusion band after 28 years. This album has been released in a few different versions, and track listings vary.Syrius was formed by Zsolt Baronits in Hungary in 1962. Originally, they played early beat music, but dramatically by 1970, they had metamorphisized into a top class progressive rock and jazz-rock fusion outfit. Their best known album is probably "Devil's Masquerade," which was released in Australia, where they had a contract. If you can find it, you should listen to Jackie Orszaczky & Tibor Tatrai's great 2007 album, "Deserted Downtown," which is worth listening to for Tibor Tatrai's great guitar playing. Regarding this live album, any definite info. related to the venue, track titles, and composers, would be appreciated by A.O.O.F.C. I am not sure if all the tracks are actually from the date and venue listed, or indeed, if the track titles are correct. The album is a (128) so please make allowances for sound quality.

TRACKS

01 I've Been This Town Before
02 Széttört álmok - Elfáradtam
03 Széttört álmok - Pillangók
04 Feelin' Good
05 Hamlet
06 Strawberry Fields Forever
07 Devils Masquarade
08 Manic Depression
09 A régi barátokért

MUSICIANS

Jackie Orszaczky - bass,
Laszlo Pataki - Hammond organ
Andras Veszelinov - drums,
Mihaly Raduly - sax, flute,
Tibor Tatrai - guitar
Tina Harrod - vocals
Akos Csejtey - sax,
Sandor Zsemlye - sax

19.2.08

Bill Lupkin and the Chicago Blues Coalition




Bill Lupkin and the Chicago Blues Coalition - "Live at the Hot Spot" - 2000 - Blue Loon

Recorded live at the Hot Spot bar in harp-master Lupkin's home ground, Fort Wayne, Indiana, with his band, consisting of an on-the-money rhythm section and a couple of hired guns from Chicago, both well-known blues recording artists themselves, Billy Flynn and Barrelhouse Chuck. The material consists of popular blues standards, and the performance here is more than a few notches above average. Reminiscent of the West Coast harp players on their early recordings.

What the critics are saying

"Bill Lupkin was Jimmy Rogers' pick for harpman for many a tour, and he's backed up a long list of Chicago's finest over the years. This disc finds him fronting a very esteemed group of blues vets in front of an appreciative audience. Pretty close to perfection for a live CD, Lupkin and his band prove to be one of the best 'live' bands on the contemporary scene, and his harp skills put him in the top 5 or 10, depending on who you ask. Four bottles for a very impressive disc. Harpaholics will consider this a 'must have' CD" - Real Blues


TRACKS

1. Blow Wind Blow
2. Man or Mouse
3. Black Night
4. R & M Blues
5. Where You Goin'
6. What Have I Done Wrong?
7. That's Alright
8. Intros
9. Business Man
10. Got Me Nervous
11. Early in the Mornin'
12. Long Distance Call
13. Mean Mistreater

MUSICIANS

Barrelhouse Chuck - Keyboards
Mark Fornek - Drums
Bill Lupkin - Harp, Vocals
Billy Flynn - Guitar, Vocals, on Long Distance Call, & Mean Mistreater
Steve Lupkin - Bass

REVIEWS

This disc finds him (Bill Lupkin) fronting a very esteemed group of blues vets in front of an appreciative audience. Pretty close to perfection for a live CD, Lupkin and his band prove to be one of the best “live” bands on the contemporary scene, and his harp skills put him in the top 5 or 10, depending on who you ask. © Andy Grigg - Real Blues Magazine

Bill Lupkin is a veteran vocalist/harmonica player who recorded with Jimmy Rogers in 1972 before giving up music as his full time career and returning to his hometown of Fort Wayne, Indiana to run a stained glass business. However, Lupkin has kept his chops sharps and has now released a live album that was recorded live at the Hot Spot in Fort Waqyne, Indiana. The backing band on the disc is made up of Mark Fornek on Drums, Steve Lupkin on bass, Barrelhouse Chuck on piano and Billy Flynn on guitar. All the players have long been associated with the Chicago blues scene and the experience shows as the band plays as an enseble with no one member dominating the proceedings. The disc starts off with a version of Muddy Water’s “Blow Wind Blow” which quickly serves to show that this is a traditional Chicago blues band and not a group of recycled rock and rollers trying to play the blues. The next song “Man or Mousel” features a great groove sparked by some monster harp work from Lupkin. Throughout the disc, Lupkin proves that the years he spend running his business have not diminished his ability to play the harp, as demonstrated by his prowess on the slow blues of “Where You Goin.” As well as contributing solid harp playing to the disc, Lupkin is also a capable vocalist with a voice well suited for the material he covers. The final two tracks on the disc find guitarist Billy Flynn taking over the vocals and proving that he is also a very good vocalist as well as a world class guitarist. Like the great Chicago blues masters who have come before them, they understand that true Chicago blues comes from a group effort rather than relying on flashy soloing. Highly recommended. © Barry Gober from Blues Onstage

SHORT BIO

Chicago blues singer/harpist Bill Lupkin was born in Fort Wayne, IN in 1947; first exposed to the music of key influences like Muddy Waters, Chuck Berry, Bo Diddley and Jimmy Reed by his older brother, he began playing the drums at 17, moving to harmonica two years later. Upon relocating to the Windy City in 1968, Lupkin joined the Aces, followed by a lengthy stint backing Jimmy Rogers; he continued playing the local circuit in the years to follow, eventually forming his own backing band, the Chicago Blues Coalition, which for a time included teen guitar phenom Lil' Frank Krakowski. Lupkin's debut album Live at the Hot Spot appeared on Blue Loon in late 1999. © Jason Ankeny, All Music Guide

Juicy Lucy







Juicy Lucy - Pieces - 1972 - Polydor

'Pieces' is packed with good performances and kicks off with a rousing version of Chuck Berry's 'Promised Land' intended as a tribute to the master. ‘Although it was mainly a mellow album we wanted to show we could still play rock'n'roll,’ says Micky. ‘The next song, 'Cuckoo', was one we'd head on a Taj Mahal album called 'Natch'l Blues.' This showed the kind of West Coast influence on the band. We really liked Taj Mahal and Ry Cooder. 'It Ain't Easy' was a song Zoot Money wrote and passed on to Paul, and 'Suicide Pilot' was a Williams/Edwards original and a good rock'n'roller. Some of the songs have early Seventies' style lyrics, like 'Dead Flowers In The Mirror' which I recall was a bit of a country spoof! The final cut 'How Can A Poor Man Stand These Times' was taken from Ry Cooder's first album and was written by a blues singer called Alfred Reed. © Chris Welch, London 1997 (Taken from the liner notes to the 1997 Repertoire reissue of Juicy Lucy "Pieces" (1972) album, REP4644-WY )

Excellent British seventies blues rock. Check out their 1969, self titled album @

Juicy Lucy

TRACKS / COMPOSERS

1. Promised Land - Chuck Berry
2. The Cuckoo - Trad.arr.Paul Williams
3. All My Life - Williams/Edwards
4. It Ain't Easy - Zoot Money/Colin Allen
5. Suicide Pilot - Williams/Edwards
6. Why Can't It Happen To Me - Williams/Edwards
7. Dead Flowers In The Mirror - Williams/Edwards
8. Prospector Dan - Williams/Edwards
9. How Can A Poor Man Stand Such Times And Live - Alfred Reed

BAND

Paul Williams - Vocals
Mick Moody - Guitars
Andy Pyle - Bass
Ron Berg - Drums
Jean Roussel - Keyboards
The Gay Debonaries - Backing Vocals

GUESTS

Albert Lee & Chas Hodges - Backing Vocals .
Ian McLagan - (Small Faces) - Keyboards
Mick 'Wynder K. Frogg' Weaver - Keyboards

The following information was taken from the liner notes to the 1997 Repertoire reissue of Juicy Lucy "Pieces" (1972) album, REP4644-WY ), & © Chris Welch, London 1997

The roots of Juicy Lucy lay way back in The Misunderstood, a band championed by both the author of these notes and the lugubrious, mild mannered Radio One DJ John Peel. The reasons for this enthusiasm lay in the fact that Glenn Campbell was not just a fine musician who played a pedal steel guitar with great gusto. He was an American in London and thus seemed closer to the source. He was also very funny and entertaining, and liked a glass of English beer. His laid back sense of humour provided a welcome contrast to the attitude of many British blues practitioners, who seemed to imagine that you had to undergo some sort of private hell and spread a message of unrelenting gloom to be considered a true blues man! The original Misunderstood was formed in 1966 and reformed for its trip to England. They made two singles for Fontana including 'Children Of The Sun,' and featured good looking young singer Steve Hoard. However the Misunderstood were eventually superseded by a more commercial Juicy Lucy. The first Lucy lineup included Ray Owen (vocals), Glenn Campbell (steel guitar, mandolin and vocals), Neil Hubbard (guitar), Chris Mercer (saxophone, and piano), Keith Ellis (bass and vocals) and Pete Dobson on drums. The band was managed by Nigel Thomas who also looked after the affairs of Joe Cocker. A controversial but energetic music biz figure, Nigel died of a heart attack a couple of years ago. Micky Moody (born August 30, 1950), who is featured on the present album, remembers seeing the first version of the band on the road. 'The band was virtually formed around Glenn and everyone remembers their first album cover with the lady covered in fruit! I think her name was Zelda Plum. It was a great album and I remember seeing the band in action at their early gigs.’Moody is from Middlesborough. He went to school with Paul Rodgers who later came to fame with Free and Bad Company. Micky and Paul formed a band at school called The Roadrunners which became The Wild Flowers when they moved to London in 1967 and 'starved to death in our caftans!' Micky later went home to study classical guitar while Paul Rodgers met Paul Kossoff and Simon Kirke and formed Free. Says Moody: 'I went back to the North East and was asked by a local club owner and singer called John McCoy to help form a blues band called Tramline.' The singer was friendly with record boss Chris Blackwell and the band released two albums on Blackwell's Island label. In March 1969 Moody auditioned for Lucas & The Mike Cotton Sound, a well known soul band. He got the gig, but switched to Zoot Money's band for a few months in 1970. He'd got to know Zoot's regular singer Paul Williams, who by this time had joined Juicy Lucy. Micky was brought up to date on all the latest Juicy gossip. 'Ray Owen had been sacked after a couple of months and Paul had got the gig. He told me Neil Hubbard was leaving and asked if I'd like to join on lead guitar. I said, 'Great!' I went straight into recording the album 'Like Back And Enjoy It.' We were gigging all the time and became particularly popular in Germany where the band was very respected." However it proved increasingly difficult to break out of the club circuit, and reach a higher level of acceptance. "We made another album 'Get A Whiff Of This' before the group finally disintegrated in 1971.' Glenn Campbell went back to America, apparently disillusioned, but during their time together the, Campbell/Moody guitar partnership had worked well. ‘It was good because we didn't get in each other's way. I liked Glenn's playing and did a bit of slide guitar myself, using the bottle neck. Yes I remember Glenn wearing his big hat. But we all used to do that, it was quite trendy at the time!’ Despite the defection of the mainman, Paul Williams wasn't ready to give up. ‘Paul said he wanted to keep the band together. He wanted me to be the lead guitarist and also play bottle neck slide and the band kind of reformed. We had the famous rhythm section of Ron Berg and Andy Pyle from Blodwyn Pig. The line-up varied from time to time and Bernie Marsden actually came down for a blow. We were looking for another player because we wanted twin guitars. I'd been promoted to lead and we needed a rhythm player to get that American funky sound, without being too heavy. Bernie came down, but he was wrong for the job, as he was more in the Clapton vein.’ The third and final version of Juicy Lucy remained functional between July 1971 and June 1972. Rhythm player Dave Tedstone worked with them for a while but the line up on 'Pieces' mainly featured Paul Williams (vocals), Micky Moody (guitar), Jean Roussel (keyboards), Ron Berg (drums) and Andy Pyle (bass). Later Paul Williams would depart to join Jon Hiseman's Tempest, Jean Roussel worked with Cat Stevens and the rhythm section defected to Savoy Brown. Juicy Lucy's style meanwhile had begun to move away from the more predictable blues sound. Says Micky: ‘The music had a more mellow edge to it. We got a deal with Polydor to record the 'Pieces' album which was produced by Bruce Rowlands, drummer with the Grease Band.' It was recorded at Olympic Studios, Barnes in December 1971. Most of the songs were written by Paul and a lyricist friend of his called John Edwards. There were a few guests on the album. Albert Lee and Chas Hodges were on backing vocals and Ian McLagan from the Small Faces and Mick 'Wynder K. Frogg' Weaver were on keyboards. Incidentally those two guys have been working together again on albums in Los Angeles.’ 'Pieces' is packed with good performances and kicks off with a rousing version of Chuck Berry's 'Promised Land' intended as a tribute to the master. ‘Although it was mainly a mellow album we wanted to show we could still play rock'n'roll,’ says Micky. ‘The next song, 'Cuckoo', was one we'd head on a Taj Mahal album called 'Natch'l Blues.' This showed the kind of West Coast influence on the band. We really liked Taj Mahal and Ry Cooder. 'It Ain't Easy' was a song Zoot Money wrote and passed on to Paul, and 'Suicide Pilot' was a Williams/Edwards original and a good rock'n'roller. Some of the songs have early Seventies' style lyrics, like 'Dead Flowers In The Mirror' which I recall was a bit of a country spoof! The final cut 'How Can A Poor Man Stand These Times' was taken from Ry Cooder's first album and was written by a blues singer called Alfred Reed. Did the album do very well? I don't think so I haven't been paid for it!' The band virtually split up not long afterward the album was released in the summer when Paul left to join Tempest. Yet the band struggled on with Frankie Miller for a couple more gigs and Bobby Harrison also sang for a while. We tried to get Frankie Miller into the band but his management said 'no.' Then Bobby said he had a management deal and asked if we'd like to form a band with him. So we formed a new band called SNAFU and in 1972 we toured with Joe Cocker in Europe and did some gigs with Slade. But as Nigel Thomas, our manager, was looking after Joe Cocker, we sort of got pushed to the background. At one point I was asked to join Boxer with Mike Patto but didn't really fancy that, so I teamed up with Bobby Harrison and that was the end of Juicy Lucy.’ It was a sad end to a band which had started out with such promise, and high hopes. Amazingly, despite all the line up changes and shifts in musical direction, the band's name alone could still command strings of college and club gigs right up to the end, such was the demand for 'live' music in those days. Subsequently, Moody did three albums with SNAFU. After they disbanded in 1976, Moody returned to session work and in that role backed singers Graham Bonnett, Frankie Miller, Chris Farlowe, Sheena Easton, Eric Burdon and Roger Chapman. In the mid-seventies, David Coverdale asked him to work on a project that became the first Whitesnake album. Micky played lead guitar on the album, contributed four songs and subsequently toured the world with Whitesnake, and worked with Bernie Marsden in the Moody Marsden Band. Recently Moody has reunited with Paul Williams to sing in a new band called Blue Thunder. No doubt, when the last punters have left and it’s time for a drink at the bar, reminisce and they swap tales of the days when Juicy Lucy was on the loose! © Chris Welch, London 1997 (Taken from the liner notes to the 1997 Repertoire reissue of Juicy Lucy "Pieces" (1972) album, REP4644-WY )

BIO (Wikipedia)

Juicy Lucy were saucy blues-rockers, who formed in 1969 from the ashes of the cult garage band The Misunderstood; thus uniting vocalist Ray Owen, steel guitarist Glenn Ross Campbell and keyboardist Chris Mercer. The group later picked up guitarist Neil Hubbard, bassist Keith Ellis, plus their drummer Pete Dobson. The band immediately notched a UK Top 20 hit with their cover version of the Bo Diddley perennial "Who Do You Love?". Their self-titled debut album then fell just shy of the Top 40 in the UK Albums Chart. Line-up changes were quickly afoot as ex-Zoot Money singer Paul Williams, guitarist Micky Moody and drummer Rod Coombes; replaced Owen (who exited for a solo career), Hubbard and Dobson; for 1970's Lie Back and Enjoy It (#53 - UK Albums Chart), with another bassist Jim Leverton assuming Ellis' duties for the follow-up, 1971's Get a Whiff of This. The constant turnover clearly took its toll on the group both creatively and commercially, with co-founders Campbell and Mercer both exiting prior to the fourth Juicy Lucy album, 1972's Pieces. This was recorded by a makeshift line-up of Williams, Moody, keyboardist Jean Roussel and the former Blodwyn Pig rhythm section of bassist Andy Pyle and drummer Ron Berg. Juicy Lucy disbanded shortly thereafter. Micky Moody (born 30 August 1950, in Middlesbrough), later joined the inaugural Whitesnake line-up in 1978. Before then he was a member of another rock outfit Snafu between 1973 and 1976. Moody also released the bluesy solo album I Eat Them For Breakfast in 2001. Plus, Juicy Lucy's version of the song "Who Do You Love?" was featured in Shellshock: Nam '67. Founder member Ray Owen revived the name in 1995 for the albums Blue Thunder and Here She Comes Again which found Mike Jarvis (guitar), Andy Doughty (bass), and Spencer Blackledge (drums) rounding out the band. A couple of years later this version of the band broke-up but Owen wanted to keep on going, especially when he formed a musical partnership with a guitarist known as Mr. Fish. Legal problems kept the new band from using the Juicy Lucy name, so they gigged as Ray Owen's Moon (Moon being the title of Ray Owen's 1971 solo album). By 2004 bassist Fudge and drummer Fletch had joined the band and the legal issue was settled. The new Juicy Lucy spent 2006 working on a new album (subsequently titled Do That And You'll Lose It), and touring the UK with fellow rock veterans Nazareth. They played the Cambridge Rock Festival (2007) and are managing to build a formidable live reputaion. The link with the past though is not forgotten, and the modern day Juicy Lucy still plays "Mississippi Woman", "Who Do You Love?" and more from their first album. The original Misunderstood was formed in 1966 and reformed for its trip to England. They made two singles for Fontana including 'Children Of The Sun,' and featured good looking young singer Steve Hoard. However the Misunderstood were eventually superseded by a more commercial Juicy Lucy. The first Lucy lineup included Ray Owen (vocals), Glenn Campbell (steel guitar, mandolin and vocals), Neil Hubbard (guitar), Chris Mercer (saxophone, and piano), Keith Ellis (bass and vocals) and Pete Dobson on drums. The band was managed by Nigel Thomas who also looked after the affairs of Joe Cocker. A controversial but energetic music biz figure, Nigel died of a heart attack a couple of years ago. Micky Moody (born August 30, 1950), who is featured on the present album, remembers seeing the first version of the band on the road. 'The band was virtually formed around Glenn and everyone remembers their first album cover with the lady covered in fruit! I think her name was Zelda Plum. It was a great album and I remember seeing the band in action at their early gigs.’Moody is from Middlesborough. He went to school with Paul Rodgers who later came to fame with Free and Bad Company. Micky and Paul formed a band at school called The Roadrunners which became The Wild Flowers when they moved to London in 1967 and 'starved to death in our caftans!' Micky later went home to study classical guitar while Paul Rodgers met Paul Kossoff and Simon Kirke and formed Free. Says Moody: 'I went back to the North East and was asked by a local club owner and singer called John McCoy to help form a blues band called Tramline.' The singer was friendly with record boss Chris Blackwell and the band released two albums on Blackwell's Island label. In March 1969 Moody auditioned for Lucas & The Mike Cotton Sound, a well known soul band. He got the gig, but switched to Zoot Money's band for a few months in 1970. He'd got to know Zoot's regular singer Paul Williams, who by this time had joined Juicy Lucy. Micky was brought up to date on all the latest Juicy gossip. 'Ray Owen had been sacked after a couple of months and Paul had got the gig. He told me Neil Hubbard was leaving and asked if I'd like to join on lead guitar. I said, 'Great!' I went straight into recording the album 'Like Back And Enjoy It.' We were gigging all the time and became particularly popular in Germany where the band was very respected." However it proved increasingly difficult to break out of the club circuit, and reach a higher level of acceptance. "We made another album 'Get A Whiff Of This' before the group finally disintegrated in 1971.' Glenn Campbell went back to America, apparently disillusioned, but during their time together the, Campbell/Moody guitar partnership had worked well. ‘It was good because we didn't get in each other's way. I liked Glenn's playing and did a bit of slide guitar myself, using the bottle neck. Yes I remember Glenn wearing his big hat. But we all used to do that, it was quite trendy at the time!’ Despite the defection of the mainman, Paul Williams wasn't ready to give up. ‘Paul said he wanted to keep the band together. He wanted me to be the lead guitarist and also play bottle neck slide and the band kind of reformed. We had the famous rhythm section of Ron Berg and Andy Pyle from Blodwyn Pig. The line-up varied from time to time and Bernie Marsden actually came down for a blow. We were looking for another player because we wanted twin guitars. I'd been promoted to lead and we needed a rhythm player to get that American funky sound, without being too heavy. Bernie came down, but he was wrong for the job, as he was more in the Clapton vein.’