Tag Archives: Leslie K. Joseph

March 20, 2013

Wednesday’s One: Otis Taylor – My World Is Gone (Telarc Records)

My World Is Gone

Always expanding the borders and our expectations of what modern blues music can be, Otis Taylor has given us a thoughtful and dynamic release with “My World Is Gone” featuring Mato Nanji.

Starting with the title track we have a soft but driven track that features Mato Nanji on some beautiful lead guitar while sharing lead vocals with Mr. Taylor. It is a story of how the Native Americans world has vanished and may very well never return. Beautiful fiddle work by Ms. Anne Harris creates a wind like lightness to this track and in doing so she allows the other artists use her sound to attach their individual contributions to the base she has constructed making for a wonderful feel and ride.

“Lost My Horse” is a throbbing bass driven depiction of a Navajo man who loses his horse due to over consumption of alcohol. The bass is provided by Mr. Todd Edmunds, and the drumming of Mr. Larry Thompson accentuates that pulsing bottom end, as Mr. Nanji displays some fiery guitar work in a very familiar pattern that Mr. Taylor’s fans will recognize.

Mr. Taylor has been a proponent in reclaiming the banjo as an African instrument, and this release provides a solid ground for it’s greater acceptance in the blues world as well. “The Wind Comes In” is a tightly constructed amalgam of an older style banjo tune with Mr. Taylor’s’ iconic ‘trance blues’ music. It has created an interesting juxtaposition between the ultra-modern ripping guitar work against the softer old world sound of the banjo and they compliment each other very well. This is true blues for the twenty-first century and beyond.

Speaking of blues into the future, I must visit the track “Huckleberry Blues”. With a rhythmic banjo introduction (and base for all the other instruments) we get treated to Ron Miles playing the coronet which adds a certain jazz flavor to the mix. Larry Thompson works the drums with a passion and most unique sense of rhythm. As a listener I heard drum beats that were not there but merely suggested. The tune works wonderful circles with the banjo, coronet and Mr. Taylor’s vocals.

A more traditional (familiar) banjo tune would be the “Jae Jae Waltz” wherein a widow is being courted at a dance. The banjo here is finger plucked setting the table for Mr. Miles coronet serenade and some very nice tuba work by Mr. Edmunds.

“Green Apples” brings us true the ‘trance blues’ experience. Musical patterns repeat, posing as simplicity – but listen with your soul and not just your ears, the depth will be revealed to you. There is a complex interplay between Mr. Taylor and Mr. Shawn Starski on the guitars as each holds their space in time. This level of complexity that these artists construct is so contingent upon their individual abilities to be creative, yet structured and play off of each other. It is always interesting that this band’s music carries the live performance vibe to the recording studio, something that many bands cannot accomplish.

This is another amazing release from Mr. Taylor and his band. The blues will stay alive and most certainly thriving as long as these folks continue to create music that is both sensual and accessible and not in the set pattern that sometimes seems to define the blues these days.

Love, Peace & Chicken Grease

chefjimi
©Blues411.com 2013
Where Blues Thrives
Photos: Courtesy of artists

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Wednesday’s One: Bobby Rush – Down In Louisiana (Deep Rush Records)

Down In Louisiana

This is a sizzling collection of eleven tracks that takes us down to Mr. Rush’s Louisiana. Maintaining his keen sense of rhythm and very personable approach to all music, this is just another super view of the world through his ears.

The title track is the perfect starting point for this tour. Funky from the start and the wall of sound provided by Mr. Paul Brown on Rhodes, Wurlitzer and just about anything with keys, takes us straight down the bayou and beyond where the fun is as hot and sticky as the weather in mid summer. As Bobby states, ‘good golly Miss Molly everything is copacetic now’ we can only agree with a hell yeah!

We next visit the ageless adage concerning women, “You Just Like a Dresser”. Yet Mr. Rush always seems to deliver the goods with a nasty back beat and strong feeling for the funk. Mr. Lou Rodriquez provides all the hot and nasty needed with his guitar licks and squizzles along with Mr. Rush. Terry Richardson throws down some bass that reaches right down into those dresser draws and reveals what it all about. Gotta love this track because besides dresser draws, we get taxi cabs for flaggin’ down and private planes that ain’t so private. Lawd have mercy!

Stripped down and straight ahead we are offered some advice and schoolin’ on the topic of “Tight Money”. Recalling how it has always been that way since his childhood days and still seems to be lurking just right around the corner, Mr. Rush flatly states that it still ‘cost to much to live and it cost too much to die’. He also make a stab at those Eagle flyin’ ladies and fast pay day friends that seem to appear like clockwork. Yeh brother short money got us all tight, indeed it do.

Money or the lack of it never stops the unsinkable Mr. Rush from enjoying life. As he demonstrates in “Rock This House”. A welcomed funky Isley Brothers styled guitar driven semi-instrumental featuring the whole band kicking out the jams. This is just the song you wanna have blasting on a Friday night fish fry, cos by itself it is greasy enough to satisfy all the cravings.

“What Is The Blues” is Bobby’s musical response to the oft’ asked question. A syrupy thick tune that reeks of moss, bayous and expresses the deep loneliness and heart ache that is the blues. Biblical references to forty days and forty nights and calling the blues a botheration on your mind pretty much says it all. It is a wonderful track that captures what has often been said but never so succinctly.

Just in case you might feel dragged down about the blues, Mr. Rush gets us back in the groove with “Bow Legged Woman”. Using an expression that I have not heard since my father “Chicken in the car – the car won’t go, that the way to spell Chi-ca-go” he kicks it off and takes us round the circle as the chant of ‘bow-legged woman and a knock kneed man’ reminds us that the blues is also about good times shared together.

An excellent follow up to “Show You A Good Time” if ever anyone wants to know what the Blue sis – give them this release – job done!

Love, Peace & Chicken Grease

chefjimi
©Blues411.com 2013
Where Blues Thrives
Photos: courtesy of artist

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2013 The Year of Live Music Update

So here we be about at the “Ides of March”* on the calendar and just want to check in on where we have been and ask where have you gone to support your pledge to make 2013 the Year of Live Music.

With the late December post we, challenged everyone, including ourselves, to make a concerted effort to support live music in 2013, even including a printable calendar to help you keep track on. So here is our meager effort along those lines.

January started with a quick trip to Chicago accompanying radio promotion mega-star Frank Roszak, and spent some quality time at Rosa’s Lounge. Then hit the high seas for some Blues cruisin’ with Roger Naber and the Legendary Rhythm and Blues Cruise family, which is always a delight and test of one’s fortitude.

As January faded into February we got ourselves to Memphis for the International Blues Challenge. This is an amazing event where you can enjoy artists from around the world displaying their talents in open competition (which is somewhat at odds to the profession) and should be on any music lovers bucket list.

Later in February to alleviate some winter time malaise we hit the road to Buffalo’s Tralf Music Hall, to see Tab Benoit bring some Swamp boogie ‘n’ blues to Western NY. One nice surprise that occurred a short while later was a visit from Michael Cloeren, all around music impresario and host of the Pennsylvania Blues Festival amongst other great music events. So he was travelling back from a Folk Symposium in Toronto, Canada and stopped by for some homemade chili and brought two of his friends with him. As it turned out one cat was John Francis a very talented singer songwriter. This guitar playing young man – who treated us to a ‘house concert’ – is out of Nashville where I seem to be finding more and more great blues artists these days.

Ah, back to March. I am hoping to get to the Dinosaur BBQ on the 20^th, for the fabulous Samantha Fish and her band. Then jump an airliner for the West Coast where I will host the Earl Thomas Raise The Roof Benefit Concert for the Blues Hall of Fame. This event will take place March 24, at 1pm PST. It will feature a cavalcade of stars, and be broadcast as a Pay Per View event by VenMundi from Club Fox in Redwood City, California.

The cost of a PPV ticket is $15, with half of the money going directly to the Raise the Roof fund, it is a great opportunity for fans to accomplish three things (at least) at once. Support the Blues Hall of Fame, see great live music and support The Year of Live Music pledge. How cool is that. For tix to the webcast show go to http://bit.ly/V28cxD or for tix to the live in person show go to http://clubfoxrwc.com/.

So that’s where we stand here at Blues411 in regard to the Live Music pledge, where are you at? Let us know by commenting on the post here or going to the Blues411 page on Facebook and share with all of us.

Look for updates as we thaw our way into the Spring and Summer Festival Season and any other surprises we come across.

*In modern times, the term Ides of March is best known as the date on which Julius Caesar was assassinated in 44 B.C.E. Caesar was stabbed (23 times) to death in the Roman Senate by a group of conspirators led by Marcus Junius Brutus and Gaius Cassius Longinus. The group included 60 other co-conspirators according to Plutarch. Another point which arises is Shakespeare’s use of the Ides of March and (the lack of doubt in) Marcus Brutus’ decision to assassinate Caesar to portray an atmosphere of madness, pleasure, and pandemonium. It is said that on ides of March the sea succumbs to chaos and the full moon brings high tides. All these points give the Ides of March a very mysterious quality.

Love, Peace & Chicken Grease

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