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New Jazz & Blues – June 7, 2022

New Jazz:

ARC Trio & the John Daversa Big Band – ARCEOLOGY – The Music of MSM Schmidt (Blue Canoe): “For the past several years, former Yellowjackets bassist and prolific producer Jimmy Haslip has enjoyed an ongoing working relationship with the Bremen, Germany-based jazz fusion keyboardist and composer Michael Schmidt (aka MSM Schmidt). While Haslip played on Schmidt’s 2007 album Transit and 2009’s Destination, he ended up co-producing 2012’s Evolution, 2015’s Utopia and 2017’s Life. They take their chemistry to new heights on ARCeology.
The Music of MSM Schmidt. This dynamic offering finds Haslip and members of his ARC Trio (keyboardist Scott Kinsey and Hungarian drummer Gergo Borlai) joining forces with the GRAMMY Award-winning John Daversa Big Band on greatly expanded versions of previously recorded Schmidt material, along with two brand new pieces composed by Kinsey and Schmidt. The result is a powerhouse collection of polished, swaggering big band fusion along the lines of the Jaco Pastorius Big Band or The Brecker Brothers’ 2003 collaboration with the WDR Big Band Köln on Some Skunk Funk. “I wanted to see if I could make this a big band record but somehow make it different,” said Haslip. “I didn’t think it should sound like a vintage big band recording. I wanted it to sound modern and have more of an edge, which is what led me to include guest soloists like Nguyen Le, Mike Miller, Steve Khan, Oz Noy and others. They bring progressive elements into the big band setting and add compelling ideas to each song.” Out of the eight songs that appear on ARCeology, six were previously recorded on other Michael Schmidt records. The two brand new compositions here are Schmidt’s “Mirrors” and Kinsey’s “Quartet.” And as Haslip noted, “In approaching this project, there was the thought that if you’re going to redo songs that have already been recorded, what can be done to make them sound like new compositions? And I think with Scott’s rhythm arrangements and John’s input on the horn parts, we came up with some creative solutions.” Haslip also credited Kinsey, who became de facto co-producer of ARCeology. “Originally, I was the point producer on this whole thing, but as time went on I just knew that Scott needed to be a part of the production team,” he recalled. “We weren’t far into the project when I approached Scott and said, ‘I want you to be my co-producer on this because you’re contributing so much great work and it’s only fair that we do this together.’ He was up for that, so I am happy to say that Scott and I co-produced the record. I can’t take full credit for what’s happened here, as Scott was the real workhorse. He played most of the keyboard and synth parts and did all the keyboard solos, of course. Also, Scott’s rhythm arrangements had a big hand in influencing John’s horn arrangements. There was a lot of cool stuff already in place for John to just embellish. But then again, John has his own unique voice for orchestration. Everything he wrote after the fact was fantastic.” (https://www.allaboutjazz.com/news/arceology-the-music-of-msm-schmidt-with-the-arc-trio-and-the-john-daversa-big-band-releases-june-10th/) I regret I am not able to find a sample from this set at this time.

Alan Broadbent Trio – Like Minds (Savant): “Alan Broadbent is one of New Zealand’s favourite musical sons and perhaps the most well-known and multi-talented of them all, on ‘Like Minds’, he takes a seat on the piano bench for his third Savant recording with his trio featuring the great bassist Harvie S and the colourful drumming of Billy Mintz. Many people are familiar with Alan Broadbent’s arranging and conducting for Sir Paul McCartney, Diana Krall, Pat Metheny and Michael Bublé. Others may know Broadbent has received 8 Grammy nominations and won 2 Grammy Awards for Best Orchestral Arrangement Accompanying a Vocal, one for Natalie Cole and one for Shirley Horn. Together on ‘Like Minds’ the Alan Broadbent Trio play with notable clarity and poise, and their performances – even those of familiar standards – are wonderfully tuneful, sometimes whimsical and often moving, with the overall effect always coming across as coolly engaging and totally spontaneous. “I’m averse to playing what I jokingly call ‘big band trio arrangements,’ where everybody plays the rhythmic hits,” Broadbent explains. “I’ll get a big band if I want to do that. For me, for the trio, I want it to change every time.” Spontaneous and off-the-cuff these 9 tracks may be but the closer you listen, the more inventive and exquisitely crafted they sound, with the recording showing that, without a doubt, these three superb musicians are of like minds indeed.” (https://www.israbox-music.org/year/2022/3137964929-alan-broadbent-trio-like-minds-2022.html) Click here to listen to “This I Dig Of You”, the opening song on this set. 

Jean Carne – 12 (Jazz Is Dead): “For decades, the voice of Jean Carne has been a crucial part of the American musical landscape, tying together generations of Jazz, Gospel, and R&B artists. As a solo artist, backing vocalist, and vocal coach, she has contributed to and collaborated with the likes of Norman Connors, Doug Carn, Dexter Wansel, Phyllis Hyman, Lonnie Liston Smith, Michael Jackson, and many more. At 74, she shows no signs of slowing down.” (https://jazzisdead.bandcamp.com/album/jean-carne-jid012-preorder) Carne is supported primarily by Adrian Younge (Fender Rhodes, alto sax, synthesizer, clavinet, electric guitar) and Ali Shaheed Muhammad (electric bass) with guests. Click here to listen to the songs on this release.

Caesar Frazier – Tenacity / As We Speak (TrackMerchant): “Hailing from Indianapolis, Ceasar Frazier was a funky soul-jazz organist who recorded several albums for the Eastbound/Westbound label family during the ’70s. First making his mark in 1972 with one of saxman Lou Donaldson’s funkier bands, Frazier cut his first album Hail Ceasar! later that year, which featured musicians commonly associated with the Prestige label’s jazz-funk outings — Melvin Sparks (guitar), Houston Person (tenor), and Idris Muhammad (drums). The follow-up, Ceasar Frazier ’75, featured the likes of guitarist Cornell Dupree and drummer Bernard “Pretty” Purdie; the album’s key track, “Funk It Down,” was later sampled by jazz-obsessed hip-hoppers Gang Starr for their “Ex-Girl to the Next Girl.” In 1978, Frazier resurfaced as a smooth soul/disco vocalist with the LP Another Life, and while he showed some affinity for the idiom, it failed to reinvent him as a commercial force outside the jazz-funk marketplace. In addition to recording on his own, Frazier also played keyboards in Marvin Gaye’s backing band. Thanks to the rare-groove revival, his rare original LPs now fetch generous sums on the collectors’ market.” ~ (Steve Huey) Click here to listen to songs on this disc.

Bill Heid – Dealin’ Wid It (Savant): “Pittsburgh-born Bill Heid penned all but one of the tunes on ‘Dealin’ Wid It’ himself, with all of them channelling the musical spirits of such Hammond luminaries as Don Patterson, “Big” John Patton, “Baby Face” Willette, Larry Young, Jimmy Smith and Jack McDuff. Called by Mozart “The King of the Instruments,” the organ went from sacred to salacious when it left the church and began turning up in jazz clubs in the 1950s, it was at that time that the model B-3 organ was assimilated into the jazz line-up and became a sought-after solo instrument. Its hipper-than-hip tone colour and thumping bass pedals defined an instrumental sound that mesmerises the instrument’s aficionados to this very day. Heid knows the B-3’s history well and his playing ranges from the boppish to the bodacious. From 1965 into the late 70’s, he worked the “chicken shack clubs” in Baltimore, Newark, Detroit and Chicago, often with greats like Sonny Stitt, David “Fathead” Newman, Mickey Roker, Roger Humphries, Henry Johnson, Jimmy Ponder and Peter Bernstein. The album closes with a too-cool-for-school reading of “Hurt So Bad,” which looks back with a knowing glance to the Richard “Groove” Holmes version. Throughout the 10 tracks, the band plays with a soulful feeling, a great sense of ensemble and no small amount of infectious joy – drummer Randy Gelispie hits exactly the right mix of blues and swing, with his relaxed, in-the-pocket feel, and Perry Hughes on guitar ties things together with his own thoughtful style in his imaginative and satisfying solo breaks.” (https://www.rabox.is/3137964905-bill-heid-dealin-wid-it-2022.html) Click here to listen to songs from this release.

Mary Halvorson – Amaryllis (Nonesuch): “Amaryllis is a six-song suite performed by a newly formed sextet of master improvisers, including Halvorson, Patricia Brennan (vibraphone), Nick Dunston (bass), Tomas Fujiwara (drums), Jacob Garchik (trombone), and Adam O’Farrill (trumpet). The Mivos string quartet joins for three of the songs, making this the largest ensemble for which Halvorson has written to date. The suite showcases Halvorson’s many musical influences from jazz, experimental, new music, and beyond.” (https://maryhalvorson.bandcamp.com/album/amaryllis) Click here to listen to the songs on this release.

Mary Halvorson – Belladonna (Nonesuch): “Brooklyn-based guitarist, composer, and MacArthur fellow Mary Halvorson makes her Nonesuch debut with two albums, Amaryllis and Belladonna. The two suites, which Halvorson describes as “modular and interlocking,” come in a two-LP vinyl set or as two separate CDs and digital albums, produced and mixed by John Dieterich, that Jazziz calls “some of the most accomplished writing of Halvorson’s meteoric career.” Amaryllis is a six-song suite performed by a newly formed sextet of master improvisers; the Mivos string quartet joins for three of the songs, making this the largest ensemble for which Halvorson has written to date. Belladonna is a set of five compositions written for Halvorson on guitar plus the Mivos Quartet, whose parts are through-composed and augmented by Halvorson’s guitar improvisations.” (https://www.nonesuch.com/artists/mary-halvorson) We received this and the one above as singles put it also appears that they may be on offer as a double. Click here to listen to songs on “Belladonna”. 

Roger Lewis – Alright! (Irresistible/Revolutionary): “Roger Lewis (saxophone), Herlin Riley  (drums), Kirk Joseph (sousaphone), Michael Torregano Jr (keyboards), Don Paul (vocals), Mario Abney (trumpet) and Erica Falls (vocals). The label is Irresistible and the groove is fun! Click here for some quick snips!

Charles Mingus – Trio w/ Hampton Hawes & Danny Richmond (Rhino): “Charles Mingus (bass); Hampton Hawes (piano); Dannie Richmond (drums): “Recorded 9th July 1957 in New York – Mingus trio recordings are rare.  Probably the most famous is the one that he did with Duke Ellington and Max Roach.  Whatever Mingus does he ensures that the music is vivid, memorable, The album here is all of those things. The music was recorded in one day in 1957 for the Jubilee label with pianist Hampton Hawes, and drummer Danny Richmond.  This is not a pianist trio with the bass and drums accompaniment. It is more collaborative with equality of voices being sought and achieved.  Richmond’s association with the bassist lasted over twenty years. This new remastered and extended version has extra material of out-takes from the sessions.
The story of Hampton Hawes moves between sad, inspiring and tragic. He recorded his magnificent ‘All Night Sessions’ for Contemporary before he worked with Mingus.  He describes in his book ‘Raise Up Off Me’ how he met Mingus and was offered the recording date. He writes’ I fixed and made the date. Sonny (Clark) came to the studio with me, and though he isn’t listed under the personnel he played the ending on one of the tracks because I was back in the bathroom fixing again.  We got paid after the gig – Charles gave Sonny five dollars for his two chords – and you know we went straight to Harlem and got blind that night.’
Dannie Richmond is an under-rated drummer.  He did his best work with Mingus and because of his loyalty he is not always seen for the innovator that he is.  The shifting rhythms that Mingus developed need a drummer who could match the drive and ferocity of the bassist and shift the tempos. The lucidity of Hawes’ work on all the tracks is astounding especially when contrasted with the perfunctory written account of the session.  His playing is exuberant, jubilant, suffused with the musicality and lyricism that he learnt from his bop heroes. His touch and the precision of his note choices illuminates all that he plays.  The additional tracks add to the lustre of the session.  The two ‘Untitled Blues’ are real blues and Hawes ensures that his lineage from Parker via Powell is at the heart of his playing.
Mingus is not a precise bass player, he values power and passion over subtlety.  One of Mingus’ strongest solos is on ’I can’t Get Started’.  The bass seems to impel more ideas from Hawes. It is good to hear an album where the additional tracks are as good as the original material. There are notes from jazz writer Nat Hentoff and an essay from pianist and arranger Sy Johnson who collaborated with Mingus on many projects.” (Reviewed by Jack Kenny) Click here to listen to samples of the songs on this release.
Ben Sidran – Swing State (Nardis): “Swing State is my first all instrumental record. I’ve done instrumentals before but this is my first piano trio project. My favorite records when I was a kid were the trios of Horace Silver, Bobby Timmons, Bud Powell, and later Sonny Clark. The piano trio format was what first excited me. So circling back sixty-some years later I wanted to feel like those musicians felt when they played. I know I can’t play like them, but I can feel like them. That’s what Swing State is. When I started thinking about the repertoire I first considered doing some of my favorite bebop compositions from the 50s, and from there I started looking at older and older material until I wound up choosing mostly songs from the 1930s. I now realize that these are the first songs I played when I started learning to play piano as a boy.
I had a Fake Book – an illegal book of sheet music – that was given to me by a friend of my father’s, a piano player who had worked professionally in the 1930s. So I got my start playing all these tunes from that period. Songs like “Tuxedo Junction,” “Ain’t Misbehavin,” “Lullaby Of The Leaves,” and “Over The Rainbow.” I wasn’t even aware of it when we recorded the album, but now I can see that my reasons for choosing this repertoire run very deep. I like the title Swing State because it describes the emotional space that the music puts you into when it swings. It’s not from your brain, it’s from your body. It’s what it feels like when that pulse – that loose, loping pulse that was at the heart of what people have always tried to do in jazz (until recently when swing is just an option). Swing used to be the thing that you wanted to establish to make people feel good. The first time I felt this I was 6 or 7 years old and I heard a record by Jimmy Forrest called “Night Train”. It flipped me out! I heard it in an art class I went to where the teachers played us the song and asked the kids to draw what it felt like. I don’t remember my drawing, but I do remember running around the room. I never felt that way before. It set something off in me that all these years later is still there. As human beings, we have a tendency to clench. It’s our fight or flight impulse when we’re threatened. Sometimes it’s work just to relax and to let go. You can’t really feel good unless you’re relaxed and you let go. It’s been a real challenge to do that recently. I’ve used these troubled times over the last couple of years to try my best to get in touch with my best intentions from when I was young. For example, I always told myself that when I got to a certain age I would read all of the great books that I pretended to read when I was in college. This record is kind of a piece with that: to make a trio record filled with the songs of my childhood. As the saying goes, “leave with the one that brought you”.
I couldn’t have made this record without Billy Peterson on bass and Leo Sidran on drums. The three of us have played together in so many situations over decades that we don’t have to talk about anything. The music just comes together. We walked into the studio without any arrangements and within 10 or 15 minutes we had a fully developed conception for the record. It came together naturally, authentically and quickly. It really reflected who I am right now. It’s not an idea that got done; it’s a done deal. Ben Sidran, February 2022 (Liner Notes) Leo Sidran (Drums) and Billy Peterson (Bass) and only one vocal but you that’s OK this time! Click here to check out the “Swing State” itself!
Alex Sipiagin – Ascent to the Blues (PosiTone): “The sky is well within reach when trumpet player extraordinaire Alex Sipiagin sets his sights on the summit and heads off upward in an Ascent to the Blues for his 2022 release on Posi-Tone Records. The session features the focused wizardry of Sipiagin’s incisive technique, gripping tonality and hard hitting melodicism are countered cleverly against the curvature of contributions from Diego Rivera on tenor saxophone, the cool complexities of Art Hirahara on piano, the steady underpinnings of Boris Kozlov on bass, and the bombastic metrics of Rudy Royston on drums and percussion. While the album program remains decidedly straight forward and rooted in the blues throughout, the music is also elegantly lyrical and brilliantly evocative of a truly modern jazz sensibility. With a flawless combination of effortless mastery and brilliant performances, Sipiagin’s “Ascent to the Blues” reaches steadily upward toward new heights and provides a clear pathway of inspirational bright moments for jazz fans everywhere to joyfully ascend again and again. The players include Alex Sipiagin (trumpet; flugelhorn No Doubts, Infant Eyes), Diego Rivera (tenor sax), Art Hirahara (piano; Rhodes 1, 3, 6, 8, 10), Boris Kozlov (bass; electric bass 1) and Rudy Royston (drums; percussion). Click here to listen to the songs on this release.

Various Artists – 11 (Jazz Is Dead): “In the music industry, time moves ten times faster. There is no pause given to greatness, and legends can vanish amidst the churn of the hit parade. It is no minor miracle, then, that in the face of a deadly pandemic and faltering supply chain, Jazz Is Dead has returned with another offering of top-shelf recordings, paying tribute to past legends and new school torchbearers alike. Whether you’ve known the names of Jazz Is Dead Series 2’s featured guests, or are just meeting them for the first time, prepare to be blown away. For Adrian Younge and Ali Shaheed Muhammad, collaborating with music icons and personal heroes is a dream come true. As Younge notes, “A lot of the luminaries have been forgotten, and we want to get people excited again. For me, there is nothing more rewarding than that.” However, completing such a monumental task while facing the ongoing unprecedented challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic meant taking careful steps to ensure each artist’s safety and contending with obstacles brought by a global supply chain slowdown, all while keeping the initial vision for the label and production house intact. “Due to the pandemic, we weren’t able to have live events”, says Muhammad. “We launched the label during the pandemic, unsure how we would be able to promote the music when the world was in chaos and turmoil, and suffering such loss. We weren’t even sure if the music mattered. But what we discovered was these albums helped ease some of the adversities and difficulties. There’s no greater prize than your music having a positive impact on a person.”                                                          With Jazz Is Dead Series 2, Younge and Muhammad have once again, together with a roster of world-renowned legends, crate digger patron saints, and an exciting vanguard of young talent, have delivered another unimpeachable collection of fresh and captivating recordings inspired by Jazz’s past, present, and future. There are names that some may already be familiar with, such as Lonnie Liston Smith, Jean Carne, and Tony Allen, and those less so, like Henry Franklin, Phil Ranelin, Wendell Harrison, Garrett Saracho, & Katalyst. What unites each new collaborator is their unbent dedication to remaining original, preserving their creativity and sharing it with the world.. Few can claim to have shaped Jazz-Funk to the extent that Lonnie Liston Smith has. “To have Lonnie Liston Smith in the studio was an immense honor. Once he stepped in and saw the analog equipment, he became young again, and took us all to space,” says Younge. Known for her incredible vocal acrobatics that span from Spiritual Jazz to Disco and R&B, Jean Carne dazzled those in attendance for her session. As Muhammad puts it, “Jean Carne walked through the door, and her grace and positive spirit filled more than a room. It was a playland, there were no challenges.” As the drummer for Fela Kuti’s Africa 70, legendary drummer Tony Allen brought Afrobeat to the world, and reinvented the possibilities of rhythm. “It’s bittersweet”, says Younge. “We just feel very fortunate that we’re given the privilege to add to his indelible legacy. To be able to record with him in the studio, on my drumset…I feel like it should be in a museum.”
Best known to curious ears for his work on the trailblazing independent Black Jazz label, Henry “The Skipper” Franklin reconfigured the bass into the emotive focal point of some of the label’s most well-regarded releases. “He was so cool about everything that was happening, one slide on that bass and the whole universe shifted”, recalls Muhammad. “(Franklin’s former collaborator) Hugh Masekela had just passed. It’s hard to highlight how something so subtle gets into the music, but it does.” “Working with Henry was like a warm Spring day”, adds Younge. As founders of the legendary Tribe Records, Phil Ranelin and Wendell Harrison led a Jazz underground renaissance in Detroit, forming a model for creative independence that is still followed today. “It was great working with Phil and Wendell, they definitely set the blueprint”, says Muhammad. Virtually forgotten after the botched release of his head-spinning debut album, Garrett Saracho returned to the studio after a decades-long hiatus with unflappable poise. “The LA Latin sound, built on Black and Brown unity, deeply resonates with me”, says Younge. And although Jazz insiders around Los Angeles may have already known for some time, Katalyst is bridging the timeless sounds of past generations forward for a new audience. “It is important for us to include the younger generation”, says Muhammad. “We feel that they are legends in the making.” For both Younge and Muhammad, preserving and sharing these legacies remains at the core of their mission. “We do this work with reverence, for the people who came before us, that’s our intent,” says Muhammad. In an era of streaming and rapid devaluation of music, and with the lingering uncertainty of running a new independent label in the time of COVID, Jazz Is Dead continues with Series 2. Click here to listen to the songs on this release.

New Blues:

Levee Town – Trying To Keep My Head Above Water (Hudtone): “Levee Town is truly reminiscent of the old rock n roll energy that very first dominated the stage, but with a searing blend of blues and rockabilly stylings. Since forming in 2002, the band has taken their powerhouse sound from the fertile Kansas City blues scene to festival stages all over the US. Known for their explosive live shows, this foursome has won adulation and critical praise the old-fashioned way – they earned it. Fronted by a trio of talented singer-songwriters, Levee Town is never at a loss for fresh new material. In addition to playing an average of 250 dates a year, the band is constantly writing new songs and revamping the classics. Their 2004 live debut Snapshot displayed the band’s on-stage prowess and blistering live performance. In 2006, they released their first full-length studio effort Unstable Table which displayed a strong penchant for solid songwriting and inventive lyrics. Their 2009 album entitled simply LEVEE TOWN shows that the group continues to grow musically and contains the band’s finest songwriting and production to date. Their current release, “Pages of Paperwork”, offers a solid set of original blues rooted firmly in the traditional blues sound, but also mixed with traces of rock, country, and even a little bit of pop.” (https://www.israbox-music.org/year/2022/3137954576-levee-town-trying-to-keep-my-head-above-water-2022.html)

Professor Louie & The Crowmatix – Strike Up The Band (Woodstock Records): “Strike Up The Band the new album by Professor Louie & The Crowmatix on Woodstock Records has nine of ten biographical and creative original songs written by Professor Louie, Miss Marie and one co-write with John Platania. This Legacy Allstar Roots Band continues to grow and these talented musicians, singers and songwriters wrote these songs that reflect a unique vision of relationships and thoughts about this tumultuous world and the times we live in. The 9th song, End Of The Show, (unknown writer) is a tune originally recorded by Richard Manuel of Rock’n’Roll Hall of Fame group The Band that was never released. Louie came across this song on a poorly recorded cassette when he was working as Producer for a Box Set by The Band. PL&C wrote songs for Strike Up The Band to be upbeat and uplifting. The album gets off to a blistering start with the strong opening acapella vocal by Professor Louie on A Thousand Ways To Freedom. Next is the driving groove of Work it Out with The Woodstock Horns, arranged by drummer Gary Burke, and then the bluesy vocal stylings of Miss Marie on the tune Fall Back On Me. Hear the magic riffs of guitatist extraordinaire John Platania throughout and on his collaborative writing for the song Good To Be Grateful. On Chain Shot Cannonball, Gary Burke one of the greatest drummers of all time and Frank Campbell on bass make the songs rock. Tracks & vocals were recorded live in the studio capturing the true nature of this legacy band. Professor Louie’s strong vocals, Hammond Organ, piano & accordion playing is at the highest musical level throughout Strike Up The Band, especially on End of The Show. Background vocals by Miss Marie, Frank Campbell & Louie bring a souful edge to the songs. Some of the greatest work of their careers. Roots/Rock/Americana at it’s best!
“Roots Music Royalty!” (Bill Hurley – The Extended Play Sessions) Click here to listen to songs on this disc.

Johnny Rawls – Where Have All The Soulmen Gone (Third Street Cigar): “Where Have All The Soul Men Gone is Johnny’s 2020 release for Third Street Cigar Records, the third in three years for our label. Those who know Johnny’s history won’t be surprised. “Rawls is always on the road,” has been a music business mantra for decades. But in a year where live music came to a halt, Johnny, naturally, got busy polishing and releasing ten original songs recorded on his last European jaunt. All the new tunes were laid down in Copenhagen just days (literally) before the continent went dark. Back in the USA, Johnny returned to Ohio’s Bigfoot Studios to add his trademark horn charts and to collaborate again with veteran guitar man Larry Gold, who added his licks to “Money” and one for these times for sure: “Town Too Small.” ‘Strange times we living in today…’, Johnny sings on the latter. An exclamation point on another classic Johnny Rawls album, where the soul of the blues rises to the top to save us all.” (https://www.thirdstreetcigarrecords.com/where-have-all-the-soul-men-gone) He has certainly been a devotee to the smooth style. Click here to listen to “Where Have the Soul Men Gone”.
Mavis Staples & Levon Helm – Carry Me Home (Anti): “Critics would go on to cite The Staple Singers’ collaboration with The Band on “The Weight” as a high point of the film, and Mavis and Levon would remain close friends in the decades to come, but it was unclear if the pair would ever get to sing together again after Helm was diagnosed with throat cancer in 1998.” Carry Me Home features Levon’s daughter Amy Helm on backup vocals, and it features Helm and Staples taking on songs made famous by people like Bob Dylan and Nina Simone. The first single is an upbeat, engaged take on “You Got To Move,” a blues traditional famously recorded by people like Mississippi Fred McDowell and the Rolling Stones. Below, listen to that song, check out the Carry Me Home tracklist, and read what Mavis Staples had to say about her final experience recording with Levon Helm…. it never crossed my mind that it might be the last time we’d see each other. He was so full of life and so happy that week. He was the same old Levon I’d always known, just a beautiful spirit inside and out…We hugged and hugged and hugged. I just held on to him. I didn’t know it’d be the last time, but in my heart and in my mind, Levon will always be with me because I take him everywhere I go. Yes, indeed. I can see him right now. And some sweet day, we’ll be together again. Click here to listen Mavis Staples and Levon Helm.   https://www.stereogum.com/2179649/mavis-staples-levon-helm-you-got-to-move/music/
Cristina Vane – Make Myself Me Again (Red Parlor): “Make Myself Me Again is the follow-up for resonator-playing, foot-stomping Cristina Vane who made her auspicious debut in 2021 with Nowhere Sounds Lovely. While blues was an essential focus of the debut, Vane revealed her affection for mountain music, folk music, and even western waltzes. Having moved to Nashville since, she maintains the pre-war blues sound but rounds it out even more widely here. Born in Italy to a Sicilian-American father and a Guatemalan mother, Vane grew up between England, France, and Italy, and was fluent in four languages by the time she moved to her fathers’ native United States to attend university at 18 years old. And yet, she has a distinctly “American” sound. Her sound is somewhat of a throwback with her finely honed guitar playing and an emotive, rich voice. The single “How You Doin” describes the all-too-common sequence in the younger dating scene – aggressive pursuit followed by a sudden disinterest. Often, it’s a text that starts with “how you doin.” So many of these songs are the honest expression of someone growing up. “Sometimes Baby” begins with a lonely chord, setting up a song about the loneliness and exhaustion that comes with a traveling musician. Her slide guitar with Rix’s flourishes communicates these emotions almost as well as the lyrics. She pulls out her claw hammer banjo for “River Roll” which is not a song about relaxing but instead about the environmental crisis we are all building (“we gonna fill the lake with iron and rust”), Keith-Hynes’ fiddle adds to the urgency. Friel’s harmonica imbues “Small Town Nashville Blues,” written during a time of several romantic mishaps and celebrating the close-knit camaraderie of the city musician community. This, as much as any, sounds like the pre-war blues of her debut even down to classic blues lyrics like “if I lose my money, let me lose.” She continues that bluesy approach, North Mississippi Hill Country style into “Little Black Cloud” with Friel’s support.“Time for Leaving” is about recognizing the right time to make that move, another banjo-driven ditty and another feature for Keith-Hynes. The sequence of “Old Enough,” “Things Have Changed” and “Colorado Sky” all deal in different ways with fleeting relationships, respectively in a finger picked style, resonator with blues harp, and a combination of finger picked and resonator slide. The instrumentation alone on “Oxbow Meander Loop” signals bluegrass and it is indeed a double banjo tune with Billy Contreras on fiddle with the tune rather obviously named after a certain section of the river and musical rhythms to denote circular patterns. Inevitably there would be a breakup song in this bunch. Hence, “Little Bit of Me” with its lyric “God bless this mess, god bless you too”. The closer, the visceral blues “Strange Times” extends the bitter feelings that accompany a breakup. Make no mistake. Christina Vane has indeed arrived in a major way after just two albums. Not only does she demonstrate her immense guitar and vocal skills here, but she courageously bares her soul which is indeed the essence of deep blues. Vane is on tour this summer. Catch her when you can as her career harbingers a steep trajectory. (Jim Hynes) Click here to listen to the opening – “Make Myself Me Again”.

Kopasetically,

Professor Bebop