Month: February 2002

R.L. Burnside plays guitar like the world is coming to an end. His electric sounds follow in the boogie-drone style of John Lee Hooker and Fred McDowell, but take the blues over the edge with overdriven and feedback-laced, open-tuned guitar work.

Mr. Wizard is a fine showing of Burnside’s electric blues culled from a variety of sessions, including several tracks recorded live at Mississippi juke joints. He is at times sloppy, at times drunk, but amazingly, Burnside’s songs exude a down-and-dirty sweaty atmosphere no matter where you listen to them.

Acoustic Stories is another side of Burnside. Originally recorded in 1988, these all-acoustic cuts have R.L. playing stinging slide on a National metalbody, and boogie rhythms that don’t end. Listening to these cuts carries you back to a 1930s Delta juke joint. This is the real thing – Mississippi Delta Blues, circa the ’90s. Recommended.

We start this month with a very cool album. It features Joe Beck on alto guitar (three pairs of strings in three separate registers), Ali Ryerson on alto flute, and Steve Davis on very tasteful and unobtrusive percussion.

The tunes are mostly standards, but they are given new life by the very nice sound these instruments make together. It’s quiet, but it’s fiery. There’s a definite gentleness, but it’s never boring. Old warhorses like “Willow Weep For Me,” “Billie’s Bounce,” “Joy Spring,” and even “Ode to Billy Joe” and a beautiful medley of “Scarborough Fair”/”Norwegian Wood” sound wonderful.

Beck’s been around awhile. His experience runs the gamut. I own some fusion-style albums from the ’70s. I’ve heard some brilliant studio work he’s done (you really have to hear his blues solo on a version of “Kansas City” by Libby Titus in the ’70s – just incredible!). He’s also noted for being the first guitarist to work with Miles Davis. Ryerson’s throaty alto is just gorgeous. Whether beautifully stating melodies or adding a bit to the original flavor, she never falters.

I can’t recommend this enough. It’s one of those albums that prove simple is best. And by that I don’t mean simple playing. I mean three people in a room doing a terrific job on some great tunes.

German jazz guitarist Coco Schumann came of age in the generation following the breakthrough jazz recordings of Django Reinhardt and much of his own guitar work is deeply influenced by the legendary Gypsy. This 37-cut, two-disc retrospective captures many of the phases of Schumann’s work to date.

He served as guitarist for violinist Helmut Zacharias, creating a classic pairing in the style of Django and Stephane Grappelli. Their recordings from the 1940s through the ’70s comprise some of the best swing cuts here. Schumann’s own quartet, featuring accordion, piano, and vibes, released a fine swing session in 1952 that is also well represented.

Schumann’s later recordings in this set are classic more as kitsch, however. Lounge-style electric guitar work and smooth jazz arrangements mark these as tracks to skip.

Still, the quality of the early swing tunes outweigh the modern pieces, making this a showcase of European swing at its peak. The CD set is available from Trikont (Kistlerstrasse 1, Postfach 901055, D-81510 Munich, Germany) or on the web from Germany’s CyberCD (www.cybercd.de).

Here’s a CD featuring a couple of members of Elvis’ original band – the legendary Scotty Moore on guitar and drummer D.J. Fontana – along with guests like Levon Helm, the Mavericks, the BoDeans, Joe Ely, Cheap Trick, Ronnie McDowell, Steve Earle, Joe Louis Walker, Keith Richards, Ronnie Wood, and more. And it works wonderfully. The atmosphere is extremely relaxed and the performances reflect that in a good way. Scotty and D.J. are featured on each track, complemented by some great players.

My favorite tracks? The opener, “Deuce and a Quarter,” featuring wonderful vocals by Helm and Richards and members of the Band; “I Told You So,” by the Mavericks, where lead singer Raul Malo again proves he belongs in today’s upper echelon of singer/songwriters; the BoDeans track, “Locked Up in the State of Illinois,” is great, too. I could go on, but suffice it to say there’s not a bad track on the CD. Joe Ely and Steve Earle contribute wonderful songs and performances. Cheap Trick even comes through with a fun rocker.

I spent my early years stealing Scotty’s licks off Elvis’ Sun recordings, and it’s indeed a treat to hear this, and see him back in the swing, with a guitar strapped on. Highly recommended. For more info on these sessions, and Scotty in general, check out Kevin Woods’ wonderful interview with Scotty in the August ’97 issue of Vintage Guitar.

If you can’t find this release in your CD shop, write to Sweetfish Records, 920 Edie Road. Argyle, NY 12809.

Jump blues are like licorice: if you like it, you can’t get enough. Jellyroll satisfies the craving with a cool selection of 12 classic tunes, from “Is You Is Or Is You Ain’t My Baby” to “Flat Foot Floogie.”

But Jellyroll is not just your typical revival band. This is hot stuff. The band is tight with a capital T. The band is made up of vocalist Belinda Blair, drummer Steve Dekrone, and Django-style guitarist Paul Mehling on holiday from his Hot Club of San Francisco.

The band expertly layers exacting vocal harmonies and classy interplay between the soloists to create a sound that is all cool. Few people on the scene today do classic jump blues this good

Guitarist John Abercrombie is one of the creators of the ECM Sound, and his new album is quintessential Abercrombie/ECM.

If you arrived late, ECM Records was sparked by Manfred Eichner in Germany and has become famous for its wide open free jazz recordings. The ECM Sound blends acoustic and electric instruments combining classic and contemporary jazz as well as traditional “folk” influences. The label also boasts a strong credo supporting improvisation and extemporaneous composition.

On his past releases for ECM and other labels, Abercrombie has proven one of the most skillful of modern jazz guitarists in embracing rock and roll techniques. He has not been afraid to augment his signal with phase shifters, pedals, guitar-synth, and an array of other effects. He is not just another jazz guitarist seeking the “polite” sound of the past.

Open Land is an apt title for this new CD, as the music is pure sonic landscape. Abercrombie is joined by an eclectic mix of musicians; Mark Feldman on violin, Kenny Wheeler on trumpet and flugelhorn, Joe Lovano on tenor sax, Dan Wall on organ, and Adam Nussbaum on drums. Together they create jazz that is adventurous, wandering between classic song heads and inspired improvisation.

There have always been Big Sticks in Louisville, Kentucky. In the world of vintage guitars, there’s Jimmy Brown’s Guitar Emporium. Guitarist Jimmy Raney and his son, Doug, have kept the jazz world on its ear for decades. The Louisville Slugger (both the bat manufacturer and Muhammed Ali) could both lay claim to the original “Big Stick” title. For the millennium, the mantle most definitely falls on the shoulders of guitarist-in-residence Duke Robillard.

With this release, his first for the Shanachie label and his lucky 13th overall, the Duke of Louisville continues to let the many facets of his emerging style shine.

From the lone cover, Charlie Patton’s “Pony Blues,” to the Ben E. King-inspired “You’re The Only One,” Robillard continually stretches the genre. As always, he makes it work. It’s only a matter of time until you see his name on the credits of a Hollywood soundtrack.

With the majority of the disc recorded live and overdubs kept to a minimum, the CD has a tremendous presence. “Jumps right out of the grooves,” as they used to say. And there are more than enough grooves to keep it jumpin! Shanachie 9017 www. shanachie.com