When on summer holiday in Transylvania, while you might expect the occasional brush with the local folk music in one form or another, you certainly don't expect to discover a band playing the most bizarre combination of blues, R&B and eastern European gypsy music that you've ever encountered in all your days as a music critic. (http://www.independent.co.uk)
The band's first studio release is a great introduction to their synthesis as a blues combo kicking ass with both traditional tunes and distinctive originals. (http://www.steepwater.com)
BluesMan is more than a CD, it is a time machine taking listeners on a journey through era’s of music influenced by ZZ Top, Muddy Waters, BB King, T-Bone Walker, The Allman Brothers Band, Albert Collins, Stevie Ray Vaughn, Howlin’ Wolf, Ray Charles and Parliament Funkadelic. Back to a time when the rhythm, vocals and guitar expressed as one.
Riddled with conviction, soulful lyrics, raw guitar attack and a tight rhythm section, Blues enthusiasts will have more than a plateful to enjoy.
This CD was produced with the three most important aspects of music in mind, soul, feel and rhythm, thus raising the bar for contemporary blues recordings.
One journey through this CD proves this to be true and then some.
Blues and Soul fans from Amsterdam to Australia have seen Sax Gordon in the bands of some of the music's brightest stars. Solomon Burke, Kim Wilson, Sherman Robertson, and Junior Watson are just a few in recent years to have benefited from Gordon's exciting and unique sound. But now, for the first time on record, we have a chance to hear three-time W.C. Handy Award nominee Sax Gordon live and on the loose, doing his own thing. This recording captures the modern-day sax wildman in top form, blasting through a set that shows off the whole spectrum of extreme R&B sax sounds. Wild sax the way it should be, from the rockinest horn man on the planet today!
Live at the Sax Blast was recorded in September 2002, when Boston Blues Festival founder/director Greg Sarni presented two of today's greatest exponents of R&B saxophone in conjunction with his yearly festival. Topping the bill that night at the newly revitalized Regent Theater in Arlington, MA was the greatest living legend of honking sax, Big Jay McNeely himself. Appearing first, Boston's own contender in the screaming sax category, Sax Gordon Beadle. The excitement and energy of Gordon's opening set that night has been captured on Live at the Sax Blast.
"I been seeing Big Jay whenever I could but I never had to open a show for him before!" Gordon said when asked about performing before the greatest R&B sax honker the world has ever seen. The pressure doesn't seem to have done any harm as Gordon takes it to the limit, pushing the horn to the extremes right from the opening number until he treats the audience to the deep feeling of Melancholy Serenade, using extraordinary technique and control to conjure up the dark and dramatic mood that is the flip-side and oft-neglected part of the rockin' R&B sax tradition.
While many people think of the sax only as a Swing, Jump Blues, or Jazz instrument, Gordon's set shows a greater range of the instrument's possibilities. Tino's Dream and Walk With Me reflect the Soul/Gospel sound with soaring lines played with all the intensity of an impassioned Soul shouter. "I had to try Walk With Me after hearing a version by Texas preacher and Gospel sax player Dr. Vernard Johnson. I think it was only the second time the band played it but it came out pretty well. It sure helps to have such a great band to work with!" said Gordon about the top-shelf band of Boston/Rhode Island musicians that worked with him that night. Marty Ballou (bass), Marty Richards (drums) and Tom West (piano/organ) are all present on Gordon's highly acclaimed studio recordings while Chris "Stovall" Brown (guitar) is one of the first New England band leaders to have given Gordon a break when he came on the scene almost 20 years ago.
Other songs like DD Rider and FLA place the old R&B sax tradition into a newer, funkier context, while Gordon's signature originals Have Horn will Travel and That Little Town Rocks feature the straight-ahead honkin' and rockin' sound that will always be the trademark of R&B saxophone and Sax Gordon.
Irish Coffee played unremarkable bluesy hard rock on this rare 1971 LP. Like so many late-'60s and early-'70s albums of this kind that never got a wide hearing, a weirdly tense, negative attitude was prevalent in the basic minor-keyed melodies, noodling guitars, churchy organ, despondent lyrics, and half-screamed descent-into-hell vocalizing. It's more mundane than menacing, although creating a troubled atmosphere seems to have been part of the intent. There's a little more of a good-time soul-rock feel on the two-part "The Show," with funkish wah-wah effects. Considering the obscurity of the original release, the 2002 CD reissue is woefully short of detail, with no liner notes or even listings of members of the band, though it does cite its original release as 1971 on Triangle Records, and says that all tracks were written by W. Souffreau and J. Van Der.
A studiolive recording with the great PELLE LINDSTRÖM from Leksand, Sweden on harmonica and vocals. Due to the big success live that Wentus gained with Pelle this album was made to fulfil the needs of the audience. The album contains bluesnumbers that became live favourites in Sweden, Denmark and Germany. (http://www.wentusbluesband.com)
Guitarist-singer Jimmy Thackery's 1998 set stretches beyond the blues. A ferocious rockish guitarist with a vocal style that ranges from shouting to mellow, Thackery is easily the main star of his disc. However the other members of his Drivers are strong (Al Gamble on organ and piano, bassist Michael Patrick and drummer Mark Stutso), and there are features for guest accordionist Chubby Carrier on "Take Me With You When You Go" (a zydeco romp) and singer Reba Russell ("Dancing on Broken Glass") plus a helpful appearance apiece by Lonnie Brooks and Joe Louis Walker. From blues to rock with touches of zydeco, country, pop and folk, Thackery constantly stretches himself and gives the music his best.
Tracklist:
01 - I've Got Other Plans 03:04
02 - Take Me With You When You Go 03:32
03 - Dancing On Broken Glass 03:59
04 - It's My Own Fault 06:34
05 - Monkey 03:56
06 - Roy's Blues 08:15
07 - I Wouldn't Change A Thing 05:58
08 - Write If You Find Love 05:26
09 - I Got To Be Strong 03:32
10 - Gin In The Morning 03:34
11 - Still Raining, Still Dreaming 06:06
12 - If This Is Love 03:08
13 - Still Raining, Still Dreaming (Reprise) 00:53
First, the guitar theme ('Boca Grande') reminds us of the Outlaws. Then it is the same on 'Put your Money where your Mooth is', a real beautiful blues-rock with jazz atmosphere where Frankie Gunn, the guitarist, can show us nice solos full of feeling. Gunn Runners different musical influences bring them to a nice 'Can't you see' cover. Usually, I don't enjoy covers that are too far from the original songs; but here, I must admit that the way they play that song is really enjoyable and faithful to Toy Caldwell and Marshall Tucker Band big hit!
So, even if Gunn Runners won't be the band of the year, they are really good and deserve our attention on their album! (John Molet)
Shane Dwight PLAYS THE BLUES features ten original blues songs, the kind of high-octane performances that have made Shane a standout at countless festivals and clubs across the US and Europe.
Half of the tracks are live recordings, showing exactly what drives his legions of fans crazy night after night. Studio tracks (featuring guest appearances by Gold Record Producer and harmonica player Richard Rosenblatt, and Bob Margolin of Muddy Waters fame) show Shane to be a soulful blues singer, songwriter and guitarist of the highest order. "... In spite of 'old' influences, Shane Dwight is anything but dated ... Dwight hops up crowds wandering in from both hip-hop and rock clubs ... He's been known to incite the girls to crazy-wild behaviour." (Metro Silicon Valley)
Shane Dwight cut his teeth on the rough and tumble East Side of San Jose California, where his natural talents were influenced by the neighbourhood’s diverse musical undercurrents. He became proficient at various styles, and played in jazz and rock bands before finding his groove with the blues.
Irek Dudek: harmonica
Leszek Winder: guitar, harmonica
Ziut Gralak: trumpet
Jerzy Kawalec: bass
Michal Giercuszkiewicz: drums
Rafal Rekosiewicz: hammond organ, piano
Andrzej Urny: guitar
Loco Richter: bass
Jan "Kyks" Skrzek: harmonica
Józef Skrzek: vocals, moog
NIGHTLOSERS are a Romanian ethno-blues band, mostly remarkable for their ability to find common roots between country-rock, American blues and Eastern Europe genuine folk, thus conveying the same message through complementary ways of expression. Their sound is chameleonic - to induce the rock/blues/ethno state of mind, the blend is a well-measured recipe with a bit of passion, a bit of subtle self-humour, a lot of technique in whatever device that produces some sort of sound, from overdriven guitar down to poplar leaf -- and a good dose of temper. They are having concerts all over Europe as well as in the USA.
Their repertoire of traditional blues grew organically on stage. It grew out of having some fun during a jam session. Their first tape, 'Sitting on top of the World', 1994, was influenced by traditional folk music; these influences were taken further with their first CD 'Plum Brandy Blues'. The project is also called 'The Groove Distillery' since they invited many guest musicians. These musicians used instruments like cimbalom, taragot (a type of clarinet), leaf, ceramic birds... This recording is a brilliant testimony to the soul of the band. A delicious mixture of blues and folk music from the Balkan area, with some jazzy-funky grooving on top, and a whole lot of humour. Nightlosers' music is full of surprises and original turns..
Artists:
Hanno Höfer: guitars, harmonica,washboard, vocals
Octavian Barila Andreescu: bass
El Lako Jimy: guitars, violin, viola, talkbox
Ovidiu Condrea: drums
Geza Grunzo: keyboards
Italian band "Mama's Pit" had the honour to close this year's "Skopje Blues & Soul Festival" and they did it in style! The band had the audience jumping and asking for more with their brand of blues including classic blues and R&B material, some Stevie Ray Vaughan stuff, a couple of funky pearls, some rock memories of Janis Joplin and good vibrations in general which were greeted with excitement of music lovers. Five excellent individuals featuring excellent guitar player Alessio Menconi and exceptional vocals of Barbara Vulso made a party to remember. Barbara really tore the place apart with her performance which included material road-tested throughout countless European gigs. Perfect ending of a festival which has maintained its tendency of prosperity that says we can expect more exciting blues happenings in the near future! (Vasja Ivanovski)
Duke Robillard's sax player, Gordon Beadle aka Sax Gordon, comes to the plate with his debut album and delivers a disc with some true horn-honking wallop to it. Produced by Robillard and with essentially him and his band backing Gordon for this session, this is a fun album that's thoroughly grounded in older styles.
But at the same time, it's also informed with a strong sense of humour, and the performances have a contemporary sensibility, especially evident on the sing-talk vocal efforts "You Said She Wouldn't," "But Officer" and the title track. Gordon's tenor sax tone is as big as you could possibly ask for, invested with all the honking style hallmarks of greats like Gene Ammons, King Curtis, Joe Houston and Junior Walker. Gordon's originals are every bit as strong as any of the obscure jazz classics he chooses to interpret on this debut outing, making the biggest impression here. Another retro sax album? Guess again.
Though Mother Earth is often remembered as a vehicle for Tracy Nelson, Living With the Animals is a true group effort, combining memorable vocal performances with tight R&B-derived playing with excellent guitar work from Michael Bloomfield. Side one is a showcase for Nelson's blues belting and piano, particularly on "Down So Low" and "Mother Earth." Not to be overlooked is the blues shuffle "I Did My Part" and R.P. St. John's sardonic "Living With the Animals" and "Marvel Set," which features him on lead vocals. Side two doesn't hold up quite as well, though there are stellar moments here as well, including "Cry On" and "Goodnight Nelda Grebe," with fine horn section work and excellent Nelson vocals. Written and fronted by St. John, "The Kingdom of Heaven Is Within You" is a brilliant closer; it's nocturnal, moody, and spacy and showcases beautiful muted trumpets and reeds with a gorgeous flute solo by Link Davis Jr. The album was reissued on CD by Wounded Bird in 2004.